PHILLYQ

I didn't vote, but were I you I would go to Seattle. You say you are planning on having kids, and it seems that both you and your wife are in occupations that demand long hours and little time at home. If you are near family, the little one(s) will have family to see and they sure can come in handy when you need child care help(as nearly everyone does to some degree or another). Growing up around extended family can be quite a wonderful memory and teach the little one(s) the importance of family by example. You can even call Johnny E to babysit- he's around there somewhere.

So much great music for so many years-may he live and create to 100! HB WS!!!!

I live in NYC(Brooklyn, to be precise), and I got my disc-it's 'Solid'!

Rainbow cookies(Italian seven-layer cookies)- I ate a mess of them this past weekend.

I was a lurker(mostly) on AAJ, when someone mentioned organissimo. After about a half-dozen incorrect spellings, I found it and I love it. Folks here are very welcoming, verrrrrrrrrry knowledgeable, and I find some great humor here, too.Simply put, it's a fun place to hang on the web.

My gripes are legion, but here's a few: Idiots who use handheld cellphones while driving-THEY DON"T SIGNAL TURNS!(I wind up behind them, and then-whoosh- they make a sharp left/right without warning! Arguments on cellphones in public places- this seems to happen regularly when I'm on the ten minute bus ride home from the subway. Guys(Women don't do this) who sit with their legs spread on the subway, taking up two seats and/or making all around them uncomfortable(Your testicles are NOT the size of cataloupes!)

My money and heart are with the Cardinals as they have been since I was 7 years old (quite a few years ago). I'm heading there in a few weeks to see three games against the Astros....can't wait. Although people mention their starting pitching, who else have a stafff with all their starters with the exception on one (soon to be all five starters) with 10 wins or more, they have balance!!! I ususally go to about a dozen of their games a year and try to see a few new stadiums each year also.....I love baseball ! IF the Yankees make the World Series this year, that's the one team I wouldn't want them to face- the Cards are too solid and their pitching is very good. They are also very strong defensively, which counts for a lot when you're in the playoffs/World Series and the games tend to be lower scoring.

Can't dispute you but I'm hopeful that Loaiza can get it together before I lump him with Contreras, someone who proved to me in spades that he can't handle the pressure of pitching for the New York Yankees. The majors over the years has been littered with pitchers who do well for other teams, e.g., Kenny Rogers a current all-star no less (!), who choke once they put on the pinstripes understanding that unless the team gets into (and wins) the World Series, the season is a failure. Unfair expectations perhaps, but that's what the tradition demands. Loaiza is only signed until the end of this eason, and Contreras is owed $8mil a year for the next two years. Cashman created some salary room AND got rid of a manager's nightmare in Contreras. Also, with the revival of 'El Duque'(proven post-season pitcher), Loaiza becomes a luxury, a sixth starter. I'd call dumping Contreras addition by subtraction. Now if everybody can get healthy on the pitching staff, and the Yanks can find a lefty reliever...

Totally out of left field pick- Kurt Warner rediscovers the magic, GIANTS WIN THE SUPERBOWL(then I woke up!)

Nice going, Randy! I saw some of the scores you posted, and I AM IMPRESSED! You busted 500 with regularity-if you come over my house, I'm hiding the game and denying all knowledge of ever playing it. Huzzahs(How's that on a triple-word) to you, Randy- you rock the tiles!

HAVE A HAPPY ONE! COME BACK AND VISIT NYC AGAIN SOON!

I did see a report that said that carter tested positive for cocaine- his career went up his nose!

Somewhere there was a thread on this with the tracks listed. Where?...

If the D-backs don't deal Johnson by the trading deadline, they may be in real trouble. They're desperate to reduce payroll, and a $16 million dollar pitcher is rather tough to swallow in that situation with no hope of contention. If they wait until the offseason, there may not be takers, as Dave pointed out. My gut feeling is that somehow the D-backs will suddenly find some Yankee prospects appealing, especially with a $ lubricant.

Number one, let's put this in real word terms: You get in a confrontation in a bar. Dude says, "you want some of this? Let's go!" and you pop him before he pops you. Who exactly started the physical part of the confrontation, really? As far as your claim about Ortiz: Aside from bona fide attacks on umpires (like Carl Everett head-butting the guy), the League takes serious note when serious fisticuffs happen. This was a far more aggressive fight than the ALCS. Mark my words: suspensions will be in excess of five games.

The Big 3 still have to some catching up to do, but I'd much rather have a new Ford or GM vehicle than say, a new VW, talk about lack of reliability! American automakers make some fine products today.

jazzbo, When I see those figures I think of a show I used to watch with my son that was on Nickelodeon called 'Kablam". One of the segments on the show was called 'Action League Now', and featured action figures very much like the ones you pictured here. It was quite a hoot.

Email sent on David Murray-Dark Star & Jackie McLean-Destination Out.$19 total. Let me know how you'd like to get paid. Thanks much.

Yusuf Islam is now his name, and he's now a religious fanatic. Might have not been a nut when he was active musically, but...

Slappin' Stanley would be more like it...