Granted, this is a very ignorant position I'm taking. But I've become a very casual fan over the last year or so because I haven't been able to obsess over all the little nuts and bolts like I used to. So I have no clue who in the world Ronald Torreyes is, or was, and I can't imagine losing him could really be that big of a deal. So I made a thread for others like me who can't really relate to the other discussions going on, by people who know much more about the system than I do.

Feel free to:

1) Mock Ronald Torreyes or Dave Sappelt

2) Post pictures of those baboons with the funny looking butts

or 3) Tell us about your most disastrous Christmas get-together.

via monkeybrandz.com

Tonight is some kind of home run hitting exhibition thing, whatever. Basically it means there's no real baseball today. Which is weird. So if you're used to coming to Red Reporter to waste time, you can still do that here. I plan to be in this thread talking about the home run derby (not really) and all kinds of other shit.

Here are some facts about the old syndicated TV show "Home Run Derby":

1) It was really boring, similar to the new home run derby.

2) It took place in Wrigley Field, but not the one you think. It was the Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, which was the home of some PCL teams and also the Los Angeles Angels in their first year of existence (1961, the year after the TV show). Wrigley gave up 248 home runs in 1961, a record that stood for 30 years. It was torn down a few years later and now there stands a loony bin.

3) The show lasted for 26 episodes in 1960, ceasing production after host Mark Scott died of a heart attack on July13 -- 11 days after the last episode aired.

4) Hank Aaron had the most appearances (seven) and the most wins (six). He won $13,500.

5) Mickey Mantle was the winner in the first and last episodes of the show, beating Willie Mays in the first 9-8 and Jackie Jensen in the last 13-10.  

6) Eight contestants are still alive: Aaron, Ernie Banks, Bob Cerv, Rocky Colavito, Al Kaline, Mays, Frank Robinson, and Gus Triandos. 

7) Every episode is now for sale at the iTunes store for $1.99 apiece. 

It's not my place, but there's way too many comments on the first thread. And hopefully at least another inning of baseball to play. 4-4, Bottom 10.

When the Reds lost to the Phillies 10-3 on Monday -- it would have been the worst game of the season had they not just lost 12-4 to the Indians -- Jay Bruce provided at least some hope for fans, going 3 for 4 with a three-run home run. It seems like he's been hedging a lot of our misery lately, and that's because he has. By my count he's the hottest full-time player in the league over the past month or so, or the second half of the season already played.

Allowing for just a little bit of selective endpointing, Bruce is doing this since the Reds' April 27 win over Milwaukee:

Batting .337, .406 on-base, .709 slugging percentage, 1.116 OPS. Nine home runs, 20 RBIs in 22 games started. A sustainable .328 BABIP. 

Among the league's leaders in the MVP categories, no one really comes close to this production over that span. Check this:

The caveats: 

1) As I said, there's some selective endpointing. The results wouldn't look the same if I went back to, say, April 18. Bruce has an OPS of .647 in games before April 27.

2) This isn't a comprehensive list of the players hitting the best since April 27. It's more a look at the best players for the whole season up to now, then examining how they've done so far. There might be one or two regulars who are hitting better than Bruce over the last month, but I haven't found one yet.

3) Jay Bruce has had similar streaks in his career, and he's unlikely to keep up such a hot pace.

4) Even if he does, and the Reds keep sucking, he will not be an MVP candidate.

5) I'm not using very exotic stats, just familiar ones. In WAR, for instance, Bruce is currently just 20th in the league over the whole season, and I don't know how to check over just the last month. Votto leads the NL in WAR.

6) This list does not include Albert Pujols, because he sucks right now.

Still, it's pretty amazing to me that, stacked up against the best hitters perennially in the National League, Bruce tops them in almost every category. Lance Berkman's .470 on-base percentage is the only number higher than Bruce's in ANYTHING. He'll probably go 0 for 4 in his next five games, but still, I found this stuff worth noting.

So by now I'm assuming most folks have heard about Marty's takedown of Cardinals Joe Pettini, Gerald Laird and "that infantile" Dave Duncan for Sunday's Coco Cordero incident. If not, click that link or check out the audio here. 

Now, to me this served as a reminder of something I wanted to do a long time ago: Post an awesome tape of Marty cursing out a Reds staffer ON AIR.

I'm sure this isn't the first time or the last this has happened, given that Marty Brennaman recently anointed himself the No. 2 best curser in the major leagues behind Tommy LaSorda. But I have the audio to prove it.

Dont Challenge Me

This is from a game in 2008, and the story as I remember it is that someone from the Reds' media department (Rob Butcher?) came up to the booth to question whether Marty should have revealed some super classified piece of information, likely related to an injury or Wayne Krivsky's preferred style of underwear. Marty was not all that thrilled about the exchange, and this short conversation is what you heard on the air (make sure your speakers are all the way up.).

Marty Brennaman: One ball, one strike the count, with two outs and the bases empty. (irritated silence). Down and away a ball.

Jeff Brantley: Strike.

Marty: (to Brantley) Take over. (to emerging beneficiary of Marty's ire)  Do you think I'm fucking stupid? Dusty Baker called, said use it on the radio. 

Cynical beneficiary of Marty's ire:  Oh REALLY?

Marty: YES. Don't challenge me anymore. When I use something like that do not challenge me.

Muffled and garbled beneficiary of Marty's ire: No this is what you did (??)

Marty: You heard what I just told you. (back to full volume) Pitch is outside, the count evens at two balls and two strikes. 

As far as I know this was some little spat three years ago and has all been forgiven and forgotten by now. I'm just glad Marty gives us these reasons to continue listening to the radio.  

Jim Edmonds was a fan favorite during his time with the Cincinnati Reds last season. Perhaps no player has been as beloved since Pete Rose and Johnny Bench.

Edmonds went on St. Louis radio today to wax negative about his experience the Reds doctors and "one guy" on the team. (NOTE: I've revised this post a bit to take out some of the negativity. The interview really wasn't all that negative. It was a mixed bag of nuts overall.) He also had some nice things to say about many of the players but claimed they were not ready for a playoff run last year. Lance McAllister was nice enough to give us the goods on his Twitter feed. The whole thing can be read here.

Again, I'm really pretty surprised by the whole thing, as I know how much he was embraced by the Reds community, especially here on RR.

QUOTES:

 "(My foot injury was) really frustrating. I don't know the right words to use towards the Cincinnati doctors."

Again, another surprise. The Reds' doctors are generally known to poke in all the right places. 

"The worst thing I did was accept that trade for Walt (Jocketty). ... I should have shut it down and went home."

Should have GONE home! GONE home Jim! You should have GONE home! 

"I kind of a had a feeling that playoff experience was going to play out the way it did. They didn't seem like they were ready last year."

This is probably true.

"They have a bunch of good guys...other than that one situation (The Whiny Little Brawl) and that one player (@DatDudeBP)."

When I first read this I thought he meant Cueto, but Lance cleared things up on his Tweeter, saying that Edmonds does not care for Brandon Phillips. Assuming Lance is right.

"They are all actually pretty good except that one guy. There are a few guys that have chips on their shoulders."

Keydoke.

"Overall, the 1B, their young CF, their young RF are great guys. Their LF Johnny Gomes I think is very misread (??)."

OK, let's break this one down. The young center fielder he's referring to is Drew Stubbs. The young right fielder is Jay Bruce, whom Edmonds mentored and, some say, helped find his swing. The first baseman is obviously Mike Costanzo. I have no clue what the comment about Gomes means.

"Obviously Scotty (Rolen) is over there and their catcher is pretty good. I don't know they are as talented as we would be in St. Louis."

That's a very nice thing to say about Ryan Hanigan. And the idea that the Reds are less talented than the Cardinals, well, you can't really argue that!

Mazel Tov!

We had no deaths after the last update and before the end of the year, so these are the final standings. BK gets $190, I technically get $20, although I'm never going to see NYCredsfan's entry fee so that's a sunk cost, and Madville earns himself a crisp new Hamilton.

This will be my last bereavement pool. If you guys want to continue with a new administrator, have at it. We definitely had some good times.

1. BK: 297 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Art Linkletter, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner, Barbara Billingsley, Bob Feller)

2. boobs: 262 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Kama Chinen, Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner, Elizabeth Edwards)
3. Madville: 249 points (Lena Horne, John Forsythe, Mitch Miller, Sparky Anderson, Bob Feller)
4. boobs' mom: 240 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, Simon MacCorkindale, Elizabeth Edwards)
5. nlt-Andrew: 212 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner, Bob Feller)
6. boobs' friend Steve: 203 points (Ernie Harwell, Mary Josephine Ray, Kama Chinen, John Wooden, Robert Byrd, Elizabeth Edwards)
7. Brian B's wife: 197 points (Dennis Hopper, Art Linkletter, John Wooden, Simon MacCorkindale)
8. Joe Nolan's Glasses: 193 points (John Wooden, Laurent Fignon, Simon MacCorkindale)
9. Petey Hendrix: 180 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
10. BegalRed: 175 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Robert Byrd, Bob Feller)
11. boobs' coworker Brian: 173 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, Ted Stevens)
12. Justin: 171 points (Charlie Wilson, Robert Byrd, Elizabeth Edwards)
13. tHan: 147 points (Dennis Hopper, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
14. ctnyc: 142 points (Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner, Elizabeth Edwards)
15. Highlifeman: 125 points (Art Linkletter, John Forsythe, Elizabeth Edwards)
16. Brian B: 119 points (Ernie Harwell, John Wooden, Ralph Houk)
17. Red Menace: 111 points (Ernie Harwell, Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner)
18. JoshuaR: 108 points (Gary Coleman)
19. JohnU: 71 points (John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
20. RedinWrigleyville: 45 points (George Steinbrenner)
21. boobs' coworker Jim: 26 points (John Wooden)
22. nycredsfan: 0 points (Hasn't Paid, Horrible Failure)

Continue reading this post »

In a matter of days we've had some big movement in our little pool: Elizabeth Edwards succumbed to a shitty and much publicized battle with cancer, and Bob Feller died tonight at 92. As we go into the final push, BK has a 35-point lead on me (which was whittled down to 2 before tonight), and Madville and my mum are still in this thing, with two weeks to go.

This will likely be the last update before the final standings.

1. BK: 297 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Art Linkletter, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner, Barbara Billingsley, Bob Feller)
2. boobs: 262 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Kama Chinen, Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner, Elizabeth Edwards)
3. Madville: 249 points (Lena Horne, John Forsythe, Mitch Miller, Sparky Anderson, Bob Feller)
4. boobs' mom: 240 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, Simon MacCorkindale, Elizabeth Edwards)
5. nlt-Andrew: 212 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner, Bob Feller)
6. boobs' friend Steve: 203 points (Ernie Harwell, Mary Josephine Ray, Kama Chinen, John Wooden, Robert Byrd, Elizabeth Edwards)
7. Brian B's wife: 197 points (Dennis Hopper, Art Linkletter, John Wooden, Simon MacCorkindale)
8. Joe Nolan's Glasses: 193 points (John Wooden, Laurent Fignon, Simon MacCorkindale)
9. Petey Hendrix: 180 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
10. BegalRed: 175 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Robert Byrd, Bob Feller)
11. boobs' coworker Brian: 173 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, Ted Stevens)
12. Justin: 171 points (Charlie Wilson, Robert Byrd, Elizabeth Edwards)
13. tHan: 147 points (Dennis Hopper, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
14. ctnyc: 142 points (Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner, Elizabeth Edwards)
15. Highlifeman: 125 points (Art Linkletter, John Forsythe, Elizabeth Edwards)
16. Brian B: 119 points (Ernie Harwell, John Wooden, Ralph Houk)
17. Red Menace: 111 points (Ernie Harwell, Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner)
18. JoshuaR: 108 points (Gary Coleman)
19. JohnU: 71 points (John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
20. RedinWrigleyville: 45 points (George Steinbrenner)
21. boobs' coworker Jim: 26 points (John Wooden)
22. nycredsfan: 0 points (Hasn't Paid, Horrible Failure)

Continue reading this post »

Since the last post at the end of the summer, there have been five casualties that have paid great dividends to some of our contestants. Most notably, Barbara Billingsley (aka June Cleaver) helped BK pad his lead.

But Madville has made a huge push with a coupla unique picks. God smote American bandman Mitch Miller (age 99), and Madville also profited from the demise of dear old Sparky Anderson (76). That vaults Madville all the way up to second place.

Also making a tremendous move was Joe Nolan's Glasses, who guessed correctly on the passing of British film dude Simon MacCorkindale -- as did my mom and Brian B's wife -- and made the pick of the year with 50-year-old cyclist and Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon.

Shockingly, NYCRedsFan is still the only person not to have any points and the only person who hasn't paid. Here are the updated standings:

1. BK: 264 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Art Linkletter, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner, Barbara Billingsley)
2. Madville: 216 points (Lena Horne, John Forsythe, Mitch Miller, Sparky Anderson)
3. boobs: 198 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Kama Chinen, Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner)
4. Brian B's wife: 197 points (Dennis Hopper, Art Linkletter, John Wooden, Simon MacCorkindale)
5. Joe Nolan's Glasses: 193 points (John Wooden, Laurent Fignon, Simon MacCorkindale)
6. nlt-Andrew: 180 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
6. Petey Hendrix: 180 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
8. boobs' mom: 176 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, Simon MacCorkindale)
9. boobs' coworker Brian: 173 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, Ted Stevens)
10. tHan: 147 points (Dennis Hopper, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
11. BegalRed: 142 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Robert Byrd)
12. boobs' friend Steve: 139 points (Ernie Harwell, Mary Josephine Ray, Kama Chinen, John Wooden, Robert Byrd)
13. Brian B: 119 points (Ernie Harwell, John Wooden, Ralph Houk)
14. Red Menace: 111 points (Ernie Harwell, Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner)
15. JoshuaR: 108 points (Gary Coleman)
16. Justin: 107 points (Charlie Wilson, Robert Byrd)
17. ctnyc: 78 points (Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner)
18. JohnU: 71 points (John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
19. Highlifeman: 61 points (Art Linkletter, John Forsythe)
20. RedinWrigleyville: 45 points (George Steinbrenner)
21. boobs' coworker Jim: 26 points (John Wooden)

Continue reading this post »

It was the most active coupla months in bereveament pool history. Most of the action came from three very popular picks: Sen. Robert Byrd, legendary basketball coach John Wooden and renowned evil Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Also picking up uniqueness points were my coworker Brian (who foresaw Ted Stevens' grizzly plane crash) and Brian B, who picked baseball personality Ralph Houk.

Note that these rankings will change soon as Zsa Zsa Gabor is living out her final days. When she passes, expect a 32-point bump for my coworkers Brian and Jim, my friend Steve, my mom, Brian B's wife, JohnU, nlt-andrew, nycredsfan and tHan. That should give us a new leader... nlt-Andrew, who, along with Petey Hendrix, made the biggest move sicne the last update. Those two both had Byrd, Wooden and Steinbrenner and moved from a tie for eighth into a tie for third.

Several contestants enter the rankings for the first time, and everyone has scored except for nycredsfan, who coincidentally still hasn't paid.

1. BK: 208 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Art Linkletter, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
2. boobs: 198 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Kama Chinen, Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner)
3. nlt-Andrew: 180 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
3. Petey Hendrix: 180 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
5. boobs' coworker Brian: 173 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd, Ted Stevens)
6. tHan: 147 points (Dennis Hopper, John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
7. BegalRed: 142 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Robert Byrd)
8. boobs' friend Steve: 139 points (Ernie Harwell, Mary Josephine Ray, Kama Chinen, John Wooden, Robert Byrd)
9. Brian B's wife: 130 points (Dennis Hopper, Art Linkletter, John Wooden)
10. Brian B: 119 points (Ernie Harwell, John Wooden, Ralph Houk)
11. Red Menace: 111 points (Ernie Harwell, Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner)
12. boobs' mom: 109 points (Dennis Hopper, Robert Byrd)
13. JoshuaR: 108 points (Gary Coleman)
14. Justin: 107 points (Charlie Wilson, Robert Byrd)
15. Madville: 91 points (Lena Horne, John Forsythe)
16. ctnyc: 78 points (Robert Byrd, George Steinbrenner)
17. JohnU: 71 points (John Wooden, George Steinbrenner)
18. Highlifeman: 61 points (Art Linkletter, John Forsythe)
19. RedinWrigleyville: 45 points (George Steinbrenner)
20. boobs' coworker Jim: 26 points (John Wooden)
20. Joe Nolan's Glasses: 26 points (John Wooden)

Continue reading this post »

I'm probably the last person who should put up this thread, seeing's how I don't know the first thing about soccer, but if I'm gonna watch this thing it would be nice if there were some RR commentary to accompany it.

So the United States no-nicks are facing off against the Three Lions of England. The last time these teams squared off in the World Cup was 1950, when the Americans beat England 1-0 in the "Miracle on Grass." The only American journalist at that event was the late great Dent McSkimming of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

So why is S. Africa called "The boys, the boys" rather than just "The boys"?

Things started slow but picked up quite a bit of late. Gary Coleman, Dennis Hopper and Art Linkletter were among the recent falling stars, and with three correct picks so far, BK has taken the lead.

After a fast start, Justin has fallen from first to 13th, the worst slide in the history of the RR bereavement pools. As always, please speak up if I've missed someone.

1. BK: 137 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Art Linkletter)
2. boobs: 120 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell, Kama Chinen)
3. BegalRed: 109 points (Dennis Hopper, Ernie Harwell)
4. JoshuaR: 108 points (Gary Coleman)
5. Brian B's wife: 104 points (Dennis Hopper, Art Linkletter)
6. Madville: 91 points (Lena Horne, John Forsythe)
7. boobs' friend Steve: 80 points (Ernie Harwell, Mary Josephine Ray, Kama Chinen)
8. boobs' coworker Brian: 76 points (Dennis Hopper)
8. boobs' mom: 76 points (Dennis Hopper)
8. nlt-Andrew: 76 points (Dennis Hopper)
8. Petey Hendrix: 76 points (Dennis Hopper)
8. tHan: 76 points (Dennis Hopper)
13. Justin: 74 points (Charlie Wilson)
14. Highlifeman: 61 points (Art Linkletter, John Forsythe)
15. Brian B: 33 points (Ernie Harwell)
15. Red Menace: 33 points (Ernie Harwell)

Continue reading this post »

I couldn't find a LOST discussion anywhere and, like most LOST fans, I am itching for a discussion. I have a ton of thoughts but am too tired to lay them all out, so I'll just hit a few points:

1) I am amazed by the number of people who think Oceanic 815 crashed in the beginning and the whole island was a figment of Jack's imagination. The End is obviously open to debate, but that's just wrong-headed. You would have had to have come into the finale with that conclusion in mind to even fathom that that's what happened, and even then there's just way too much going against that to still believe it to be true. Can we all here agree the island happened, the characters all died eventually and then went the sideways Purgatory Place to get ready for their final afterlife?

2) That being said, there are plenty of valid criticisms with the way they wrapped it up. If you're an answers fan or a mythology fan or a sci-fi fan, you probably didn't like the finale. It was a hardcore character fest. Personally, I really liked it.

3) There was an implied unhappy ending for Sawyer, Claire and Kate, I thought. The fact that Kate said she missed Jack implies she lived on for some time after the island, and we can assume the same for Claire and Sawyer. But in this ending, the Island was still the most important times of their lives. I think this means they either died a relatively short time after leaving, or they led relatively unfulfilling lives once they got home. Bittersweet?

That's all I've got at this moment. What did you guys think? Too sappy? Not enough answers? Just right?

This is a post about very serious business. Very serious business indeed. This is a post about going green, something we all take very seriously.

But seriously, ever make a comment that you just know will kill, that you just know will get enough recs to "go green" at the speed of light, only to see a new game thread go up immediately, or someone else make a rec-stealing quip at your expense, or maybe the gang just doesn't get it?

This is your chance to give those comments another go. Fish up your best unnoticed comments from the past and dish em again.

Just to show how serious this is, I'll go first. In today's game thread, Cy Shourek said this:

I just learned that there’s a play about Fela Kuti out. I’ll be in NYC for ~1 week at the end of may. Should I make an effort to see that? Anything else cool and limited-time-only I should check out?

And I said this:

seen it

Fela Kuti meets up with Grabba Wang, then they both go downtown. It has a happy ending.

That is fucking funny, people. Seriously. Let's get people the greens that they deserve, starting with this very serious thread.

Im no longer employed by the Red Reporter Union, but those guys don't seem to be around, so here you go.

Continue reading this post »

This post is meant as a companion to Caleb's excellent Redreporter Bracket Challenge. If you haven't set up your brackets yet, go to his diary fanpost and check it out.

Instead of doing a bracket, this pool will rely on the cutthroat KNOCKOUT method, first engineered by Thaddeus Hornspackle during the Schenectady Foot Ball Championships in 1933. You pick one team every day, and that team must win or else you do not advance. And you can not pick that team again for the rest of the tournament. So if you think Northern Iowa will face Sam Houston State in the final game, you should probably save those teams for later. Otherwise you could find yourself in the final four with no teams left to choose from, and you lose.

The last person standing wins. Lots of pride is at stake, but no money. That's what office pools are for! You must make a pick every day, before your team's game starts. I'll keep up with the contestants every day and who they've selected, and all the action will take place in this thread.

So if you want to play, announce your intentions here and submit a team name tomorrow. That's it. Let's have fun!

I've yet to receive all the money, so no picture of this year's official Bereavement Folder yet, but trust me, it will be pretty.

Usually I go through every selection and make sure everyone's still alive, but this year I was long on list and short on time, so I just eye-balled it. As always, if you see any mistakes, such as unique entries not marked, non-unique entries inappropriately marked, dead folks on the list or hits I haven't noted, please speak up. Please note, though, that if you listed someone who is already dead, it's too late to substitute. You just lost that selection. I don't think anyone did, however.

It looks like Justin has already taken the lead with his studious pick of Charlie Wilson, that great American who picked a fight with Russia in Afghanistan and armed Osama bin Laden. Also, if you've seen the movie or read the book, you know he was a very successful philanderer.

1. Justin: 74 points (Charlie Wilson)

Continue reading this post »

It's only five hours away, and since pregame coverage started almost four hours ago, I don't think it's too early for a Colts-Saints thread. So here are some ideas to ruminate on before the commercials start.

1. Who are you rooting for?

2. Who has a better game: Brees or Manning?

3. Whose wife is hotter: Brees or Manning?

4. What's your favorite commercial from Super Bowls past?

5. What are your predictions for the score?

Tomorrow is the deadline for this year's bereavement pool, and I've still got quite a few outstanding accounts. So far, here is the list of folks from whom I've received picks AND money:

boobs
boobs' mom
JohnU
nlt-Andrew
Joe Nolan's Glasses

Here are those who have sent me picks, but from whom I have yet to receive money in the mail:

RedInWrigleyville
Madville
BK
Justin
BengalRed
HighlifeMan
PeteyHendrix
NYCRedsFan

I've received money but so far no picks from ctnyc, which the two of us have discussed, and I'm on my coworkers to get their stuff in. So that leaves the following folks who have expressed interest but so far sent me nothing:

crolfer
brian b
brian b's wife
tHan
joshuaR
caleb
alan
red menace
johnU's coworker?

We're fine. Most of the money is likely in the mail, but if you're not down as having sent money but sent it long ago, let me know. For those who haven't sent me picks yet, it's OK. You've got another day. Plenty of time to put together a list and get a check in the mail. If anyone else wants to play but hasn't yet expressed interest, let me know and you're in. 

I will be out of town starting tomorrow, which gives me time to receive all the checks in the mail. The roster post probably won't go up until next weekend.

Now get those picks in!

Here we go. Brian B showed us the way in 2009, scratching off 8 names from his list and taking home $180, the biggest pot in the history of the RedReporter bereavement pools. But this year's pool looks to be even bigger. 

It's 20 picks, $10 per player and the winner takes the total pot minus $30. (Second place takes $20, third $10.) Actually, here are the rules, so you can be clear of exactly what's going on. (Open in WORDPAD for correct formatting. Otherwise it will look quite wonky.) The contest runs from February 1 through December 31. Anyone who's interested, e-mail me (Rick) at renewkir@gmail.com with your picks, and I'll tell you an address to send your $10 check.

So that everyone knows it's fair and I'm not giving myself an advantage of looking at everyone's picks, I've finished my list and sent it to an e-mail address to be announced later, so that you can look at the timestamp later.

A quick note on one of the rules. To score on your picks, the celebrity's obit must appear on cnn.com or espn.com. I picked those Web sites specifically because they generally only run obits of properly famous people and don't have an obit quota, as opposed to places such as NYTimes.com and Time.com. When you're making your lists, keep that in mind. If one of your entries dies and the obit shows up on Time.com but not cnn.com, you're out of luck.

Also, Osama bin Laden is not a legal pick, due to the ambiguity of his whereabouts and timeframe of his possible death. Don't pick him. Also don't pick anyone on death row anywhere, such as Chemical Ali.

Here's a list of the folks who have expressed interest so far:

boobs
boobs' mom
boobs' coworker steve
boobs' coworker brian
boobs' coworker jim
crolfer
brian b
brian b's wife
tHan
redinwrigleyville
joshuaR
madville
bk
justin
justin's friend engelbert
ctnyc
bengalred
johnU
highlifeman
caleb
nlt-andrew
joe nolan's glasses
PeteyHendrix
nycredsfan
Fat Vegas Alan
johnU's co-worker Esmerelda

And here's a list of the folks who played last year but haven't yet expressed an interest in continuing:

Red Menace
Cesar Hernandez
3fast
Brendan
JoshuaR's wife
Seattle Slim

For these folks, please let me know if you plan to play. Of course, everyone is welcome. Anyone not listed here who wants to play, you're in (provided you're 18 years of age.)

So let's get started. E-mail me if you want in, and we'll go from there.

Here's another call-out for Bereavement 2010 players. So far this is who has expressed interest:

boobs
boobs' mom
boobs' coworker steve
boobs' coworker brian
crolfer
brian b
brian b's wife
tHan
redinwrigleyville
joshuaR
madville
bk
justin
justin's friend engelbert
ctnyc
bengalred
johnU
highlifeman
caleb

That's 19, so far fewer than the 21 we had last year. If you're not on the list and want to be -- or are on the list and don't want to be -- speak now and here. I'll put up the enrollment post with further instructions in a couple days. All you need to know is there's a $10 entry fee, you pick 20 celebrities and the winner takes the total pot minus $30. Brian B no doubt has already done fantastic things with his $180 prize for Graveheart.

See here for more details, if you aren't aware of what I'm talking about.

It was the most active year in the history of the Red Reporter bereavement game, but after a furious start to the year, Brian B waited out the year with few celebrity deaths in the past few months and held off my brood to keep the championship in the B family. Brian earned a cashier's check for 180 cold ones, I'm keeping $20 for my troubles and my coworker Steve gets to play free next year.

Since our last update, the world has lost anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss (25 points), funny man Soupy Sales (67 points) and all-around nice gal Susan Atkins (64 points). Today also saw the demise of Anne Frank sympathizer Miep Gies, just missing giving Brian B an even lengthier lead.

Here are the final standings. 18 of our 21 contestants got in on the action, with Brian B collecting 8 notches on his belt and three of my crew getting 6 apiece. I don't think we can't expect this active a game next season, but who knows... maybe we all just improved a lot.

This post also serves as an open invite for the yet-to-be-themed Bereavement 2010. If you plan to play, let me know here and I'll be back in a week or so with the official enrollment post. Here are the rules from last year, as well as last year's entry post. So who's in????

1. Brian B: 420 points (Michael Jackson, Jack Kemp, Millvina Dean, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Les Paul, Susan Atkins, Claude Levi Strauss)
2. boobs: 358 points (Ted Kennedy, Jim Johnson, Gertrude Baines, Patrick Swayze, Myles Brand, Soupy Sales)
3. boobs' coworker Steve: 313 points (Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Patrick Swayze, Myles Brand, Susan Atkins)
4. boobs' mom: 302 points (Farrah Fawcett, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Walter Cronkite, Patrick Swayze)
5. Petey Hendrix: 277 points (Dom DeLuise, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze, Myles Brand)
6. Red Menace: 274 points (Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Sir Bobby Robson, Patrick Swayze)
6. Brian B's wife: 274 points (Paul Harvey, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Patrick Swayze, Claude Levi Strauss)
8. Cesar Hernandez: 267 points (Michael Jackson, Dom DiMaggio, Walter Cronkite, Patrick Swayze, Myles Brand)
9. ctnyc: 256 points (Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Les Paul, Patrick Swayze, Claude Levi-Strauss)
10. Chandrathan: 208 points (Ed McMahon, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze, Claude Levi-Strauss)
11.  nlt-Andrew: 155 points (Ed McMahon, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze)
12. 3fast: 118 points (Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Walter Cronkite)
13. BengalRed: 116 points (Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze)
13. Brendan: 116 points (Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze)
15. Madville: 101 points (Dom DiMaggio, Patrick Swayze)
16. RedinWrigleyville: 75 points (Michael Jackson)
17. boobs' coworker Brian: 48 points (Ted Kennedy)
18. Joshuar9476: 28 points (Karl Malden)

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About three and a half hours from the Louisville-Kentucky men's collegiate basketball game that Dave from Louisville and JCH have looked forward to all year. This is the day when Preston Knowles and Peyton Siva show the Cats what a REAL backcourt looks like.

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There are plenty of people who know about lots of different music on here. I'm not one. I listen to pop radio and whatever my friends tell me they think I'll like. 

So my list of the top 100 pop songs isn't clever, isn't insightful and isn't coming from an aspiring music critic. These are just my favorite pop songs from the past 10 years.

I did institute some criteria. I researched mostly Billboard Top-40 songs (on their annual lists for each year), although I made a few exceptions. I considered the songs' videos as a part of their pop appeal. I thought about how much impact the songs made, how popular they were and how memorable. Ultimately, though, they had to be songs that I liked. 

So here it is. Something to bump as you send off the Naughty Aughts tonight.

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It's only been a couple weeks since the last bereavement update, but there's been a lot of action. Most notably, the beautiful and talented Patrick Swayze; also Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest person; and Myles Brand, the president of the NCAA and the man responsible for firing Bob Knight at IU. Swayze and Brand both died of pancreatic cancer.

I have just recently discovered Point Break, and I think it's one of the best bad movies of all-time. Myles Brand has been one of the most important and influential men in college sports the past decade. Gertrude Baines loved Jesus and "never did fool around." 

13 of the 21 entrants had Patrick Swayze, tying him with Fidel Castro as the second-most popular choice behind Ted Kennedy (14). (EDITED. THX BRIAN B) He was worth 68 points, Brand 58 and Baines, a 115-year-old woman but a unique pick, 35. As always, if I left someone off or made an adding error, let me know.

1. Brian B: 331 points (Michael Jackson, Jack Kemp, Millvina Dean, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Les Paul)
2. boobs' mom: 302 points (Farrah Fawcett, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Walter Cronkite, Patrick Swayze)
3. boobs: 291 points (Ted Kennedy, Jim Johnson, Gertrude Baines, Patrick Swayze, Myles Brand)
4. Petey Hendrix: 277 points (Dom DeLuise, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze, Myles Brand)
5. Red Menace: 274 points (Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Sir Bobby Robson, Patrick Swayze)
6. Cesar Hernandez: 267 points (Michael Jackson, Dom DiMaggio, Walter Cronkite, Patrick Swayze, Myles Brand)
7. Brian B's wife: 249 points (Paul Harvey, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Patrick Swayze)
7. boobs' coworker Steve: 249 points (Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Patrick Swayze, Myles Brand)
9. ctnyc: 231 points (Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Les Paul, Patrick Swayze)
10. Chandrathan: 183 points (Ed McMahon, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze)
11.  nlt-Andrew: 155 points (Ed McMahon, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze)
12. 3fast: 118 points (Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Walter Cronkite)
13. BengalRed: 116 points (Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze)
13. Brendan: 116 points (Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze)
15. Madville: 101 points (Dom DiMaggio, Patrick Swayze)
16. RedinWrigleyville: 75 points (Michael Jackson)
17. boobs' coworker Brian: 48 points (Ted Kennedy)
18. Joshuar9476: 28 points (Karl Malden)

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We've had quite a few passings since the last update. We must be getting a lot better at this, because there's a lot more names on the top lists, and it's only August. Nearly everyone's on the board at this point. If you aren't, shame on you. The big rivercrossers included Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Bob Novak, Walter Cronkite and, last night, Ted Kennedy.  

Brian B and my mom are still out in front, but Brian B's wife is making her move, trying to become the first person in the history of the RR Bereavement Pool to be in the money in consecutive years. Good luck Mrs. B! EDIT: I missed Bobby Robson. Apparently he was some soccer guy who was important enough to pass through the pearly gates of ESPN on his way out. Menace is in third!

As always, if I've overlooked someone or made a math mistake, let me know.

1. Brian B: 331 points (Michael Jackson, Jack Kemp, Millvina Dean, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Les Paul)
2. boobs' mom: 234 points (Farrah Fawcett, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Walter Cronkite)
3. Red Menace: 206 points (Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Sir Bobby Robson)
4. Brian B's wife: 181 points (Paul Harvey, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak)
5. ctnyc: 163 points (Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak, Les Paul)
6. Petey Hendrix: 151 points (Dom DeLuise, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy)
7. Cesar Hernandez: 141 points (Michael Jackson, Dom DiMaggio, Walter Cronkite)
8. boobs: 130 points (Ted Kennedy, Jim Johnson)
9. boobs' coworker Steve: 123 points (Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy, Robert Novak)
10. 3fast: 118 points (Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Walter Cronkite)
11. Chandrathan: 115 points (Ed McMahon, Karl Malden, Ted Kennedy)
12. nlt-Andrew: 87 points (Ed McMahon, Ted Kennedy)
13. RedinWrigleyville: 75 points (Michael Jackson)
14. BengalRed: 48 points (Ted Kennedy)
14. boobs' coworker Brian: 48 points (Ted Kennedy)
14. Brendan: 48 points (Ted Kennedy)
17. Madville: 33 points (Dom DiMaggio)
18. Joshuar9476: 28 points (Karl Malden)

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Hi all. My name's Rick, my friends and I are planning our annual roadtrip starting next week. We usually hit up a bunch of minor league parks along the way and make plenty of time for post-game drinking.

But this year one of my buddies said all he wanted to do was see Fenway Park. So I'm planning a little excursion there for the Thursday day game against the Tigers. I looked on StubHub a couple weeks back and saw the tickets going for $45 apiece, so I waited it out. Then last week they were going for $20 apiece for GA tickets, but I could only buy three. There's four of us.

So I wanted to know what's my best course of action here? Can I get a decent scalped ticket the day of the game? Or should I find the best price for one seat on StubHub (or elsewhere?) now? 

Also, what would you guys recommend for visitors to do around the park, before or after the game? Any good lunch spots we should hit, and souvenirs we should pick up, or anything special to do for a day game?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Big boobs McGee needs to get to bed for tomorrow's Nudes-a-Poppin, but I am obligated to get you guys a late-night thread. Unfortunately the game's not over yet, but all in due time.

Here's the sitch: Reds down 4-1, rain delay in the 8th. Aaron Harang has thrown 107 pitches, so he'll be back after the break. Do what you guys do.