Dan Gould

I, for one, refuse to do that--it's far too revealing. So, your username has nothing to do with your given name? Ooooh Kaaaaay. I think it's a po-faced joke, Dan. MG Then standard BB protocol requires some sort of smiley indicating irony.

I, for one, refuse to do that--it's far too revealing. So, your username has nothing to do with your given name? Ooooh Kaaaaay.

A good print lifted from the crime scene was the clincher? You don't say. I guess watching TV has its advantages. Seriously, Joe I am very pleased to hear that the bastards got caught and will face charges (keep us informed) and that you are getting at least some of your stuff back.

I saw on the CNN scroll the headliners - Stevie, Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel, Tim McGraw. What a joke. The estate of Louis Armstrong should sue to force them to remove the word "jazz" from the name.

Peter said it all for me.

I don't think someone's first name remotely constitutes "personal information" of the sort that would possibly be risky in any way. If your username was your personal email, then I might agree. Telling us your first name is simply being friendly and open on a board that tends to be more "familiar" than most.

maybe if more people put their first names in their signatures there would be a lot less confusion. ------- Bev - No, I'm a guy, its a British thing. ------ Fran - actually, its Frank, but I hit <enter> too soon plus learning the first names of a lot of other people here. C'mon folks, its not like you're revealing everything.

Well, I was going to wonder aloud if the guy who took Nadal out could handle Federer too, only to find out just now that Federer had his streak of Slam finals ended by the guy who he beat at the US Open last year. Somewhere, Pete Sampras is smiling.

Venus yes, Serina questionable. She destroyed Sharapova in straights last year at the Australian. I believe Sharapova was hurt almost all of last year. She destroyed Henin - I think she would have taken care of Serena, too.

Are you kidding? I read many opinion pieces and new stories that tore the s--- out of Clemens after his press conference and further stuff from his camp (the news stories implicitly doubtful, the opinion pieces explicitly doubtful or worse), plus I heard lots of stuff on sports talk radio in the same vein (obviously, I'm wasting my life). Yes, I read some stuff that gave or tried to give Clemens a pass, but my honest impression was that it was at least 60-40 Roger is lying, maybe more than that. I'd say the percentage is closer to 80-20. You have to look far and wide to find a print journalist argue against Clemens' guilt (don't know about sports radio, I avoid them like the plague - plus I wouldn't be surprised if sports radio finds more Clemens defenders, based on the need to take positions that will generate phone calls).

I haven't taken advantage but I think the most common sale gets you discounts on regular CDs through True Blue, so you don't often get great discounts on any Mosaic set.

Remember that MG never studied US history. "Federalism" has no meaning to him.

Seriously. And I ran out of the solution a long time ago. Am I officially out of the fraternity for treating my LPs with this device? Please don't tell me to purchase any of those big record cleaning machines. Its only slightly less likely than me spending more than a couple of hundred dollars on a turntable.

I think this is a standard legal strategy, similar to the motion for a directed verdict of not guilty at the conclusion of the prosecutor's case (didn't OJ's team make that motion? that took chutzpah). The funny thing is that at the time of the indictment, it was noted by one of those legal analysts that the way a prosecutor goes after someone for perjury is to ask similar questions in different ways multiple times. The idea is to cover every possible interpretation or understanding so that a defendant can't say "I thought you meant X when you asked that" because "X" has already been asked and answered (untruthfully). On a separate note, are we going to keep all steroid discussion in this thread going forward, or should we revive the old Bonds thread?

Sharapova would have rolled over either Williams sister had they played. I think she would have beaten Venus, injury or no injury. She looks as good as she ever has in any Slam.

Them's fightin' words, Ubu! The Sounds never failed to hit a groove and the implication that they could "bother" anyone just makes me so mad I could spit! Your mileage may, and indeed is allowed to, vary.

It was shown earlier today, around Noon. I thought Blake played as well as I've seen him, but as you say, when challenged, Federer just lifts his game to another level.

given it is the same person, the last time he came was over three months ago, so that would involve quite some waiting... also if i got it right, the thing with the house next door doesn't really sound like a person who knows the area too well...? Well at minimum the cops need to come and dust for prints, especially at the house next door.

I did go out and follow the tracks in the snow last night. They led to the house next door to mine, where the back door was smashed and wide open. That house has been vacant for a couple of years, which really sucks because it's falling apart. It would be much better to have some responsible and trustworthy neighbors there, obviously. From there, they led to the street (I could clearly pick them out - he was running, and actually made two trips, believe it or not) on down to the apartment complex that sits just to the north of where I'm at. Once they crossed onto the grounds, the tracks became hard to follow among the dozens of other sets of footprints. So yeah - this guy could potentially be able to see my house from his bedroom window! I trust that you've shared this info with the cops. I don't know if you want to consider this, but if the guy is watching your front door, is it possible to try to fool him into believing that you have left, catch him in the act? If you stood at the apartment complex, how many units have a view of your house?

I saw those scores and I'm presuming ESPN will re-run the match later today. It sounds like it was one of the stronger performances Blake has had - yet its still not enough against Federer. But Blake had a down year until the Davis Cup, maybe he's ready to re-assert himself as a top ten, maybe top five player. That would be good to see.

Oh HELL YEAH I'm watching the Australian! On the women's side I always favor Sharapova (and watch with the sound off) and it looks like she has regained her form along with her health. I give her the edge on the remaining field. I always root for James Blake until he loses, which I expect was last night against Federer but I haven't checked the scores yet, and then its Federer for me. I watched that tough match last week and it was definitely an instant classic. I suppose some day Nadal may break through in a major not played on clay, hopefully it won't be this week. I think Roger will go down as the all-time greatest champion, almost at the level that Tiger Woods is expected to reach. And best of all, I've finally found some practice partners so I hope to be playing tennis 3 times a week starting today. I'll get in shape yet.

You don't have to have a dumb-as-a-fencepost- Doberman to end up with a dog that is smart enough to protect its family. You can get that with a really dumb-as-a-fencepost Irish Setter, a breed generally known to be most likely to lick an intruder to death. Our Setter Chauncey was not very bright, failed obedience training three times before it was suggested that we not bring him back, and unbelievably affectionate to his family and any person brought into the house. But one day the mail man came with a package. He stood outside the door, Chauncey is standing there next to Dad, door opens, hand reaches in with the package - and Chauncey lunged and bit him! We were all so stunned that it happened, but obviously the dog perceived that since this person wasn't being welcomed into the house, he was not supposed to be in the house, and a dog that never bit anyone else, anytime, anywhere, acted to protect his family. Fortunately, the mailman didn't sue or make a big fuss, but from then until Chauncey left us, he always left packages at the bottom of the steps.

Jim's advice for a large dog is very good. Sorry this happened again ...

Interesting rundown by Dayn Perry of teams with potential to surprise in 2008 Note to Al: He lists the Rangers as having that potential! Note to AL East fans: He says the Rays won't be doormats any longer (I think he's right, actually).

Baseball is the first, and if push ever came to shove, the only sport I truly, deeply care about. NFL and College football follow. NHL does not exist, nor does basketball, though I have been known, under pain of extreme boredom, to sit down and watch a Florida State basketball game if I stumble across it. If I were bed-ridden with flu and the only choice on TV was an Oprah Winfrey movie marathon and a "soccer" game, I would not even flip back and forth but would simply settle in to watch the Big O. Baseball teams are first and foremost the Boston Red Sox and number two the Chicago Cubs (I was born in Chicago into a Cub family and after seeing the Sox win a couple of times recently, at this point my greatest hope is that the Cubs come through while my Father is still around to enjoy it). There is cause to celebrate whenever the Yankees, and to a lesser extent, Mets, lose. Signifying its lower status, I have been unable to maintain a strong lifelong allegiance to a single NFL team outside of the Bears. When I was a child I rooted for the Griese/Morris/Warfield/Czonka Dolphins (there is still a Paul Warfield poster on my bedroom wall at my parent's house) but if I had known how they would all grow up to be obnoxious M-Fs about their undefeated season, I would have stopped rooting for them then and there. After the Dolphins I was a big fan of the Staubach era Cowboys but that rooting interest ended permanently when Jimmy Johnson was hired. At some point I adopted the Parcells-era Giants but lost interest after that group of players moved on, and my support was completely obliterated by the appearance of one Eli Manning. I have rooted for the Patriots pretty much since the start of the current dynasty because of Brady and Belichick, all the while feeling somewhat badly as a "bandwagon" fan. While that's not really accurate - I didn't adopt them because they were winners - its also true that seeing them win didn't wipe out decades of disappointment the way the 2004 baseball post-season did. I now celebrate losses by the Dolphins and Cowboys and any Manning. In college football I root for my alma mater, Florida State, and against their in-state rivals University of Florida and Miami Hurricanes.