Catwhoshatinthehat

Actual it's 31st since NE doesn't have a first round pick due to deflate gate but the point still stands. That aside I'll be curious to see if anything happens as far as a trade for a QB and if not a trade then they definitely need to draft one.

I think that's because of Maartin's writing style. Over the course of some of the books it seemed like his story or universe got too big and had filler so to speak. Some people speculated he didn't know how it would end or didn't want it to end and that's why the book series isn't completed and the TV shows has now passed it. Brandon - The reason he gets a rise out of everyone is because he's one of 3 characters along with Bran and Daeneyrs who has been set up to be there at the end and the last book and last season of the TV show ended with him possibly being dead. If he really was Ned's sister's kid then he's got as much of a claim as anyone because his dad was in line before Daenerys so it would have fallen to him. I always liked his character because he was one of the genuinely good ones in the book so much in fact that it was to a fault and got him stabbed and left for dead.

Trout is signed through 2020 so the only way you think about moving him is in 2019 (if the team isn't competitive because he has more value being under contract longer) or 2020 if they aren't able to work out an extension because trading him for a massive package of players vs. getting a pick when he walks is a no brainer. Between now and then let some of the big contracts come off the books (Weaver, CJ, Hamilton), try to improve the international scouting/signings, work through the draft and stop signing guys in their early 30's to deals that are 5 years or longer because you're paying them for what they did for another team and odds are by the end of it the contract won't have worked out for the team.

I read an article where Schilling pointed this out before ESPN fired him. Some expect or apparently demand everyone else to be socially supportive or tolerant of others who live differently but those same people aren't being tolerant of others who aren't supportive, say negative things or are flat out against it. As long as you aren't infringing on someone's rights it shouldn't be illegal to have a different or even what's considered by the majority to be a wrong opinion whether you and I agree with it or not. I don't care for Schilling and think he's got foot in mouth disease but it still doesn't sit well with me that he's getting canned for something posted through his personal social media that wasn't work related, didn't mention work and wasn't illegal.

Great entertainer. Can't help but think of the Dave Chapelle Prince skit with Charlie Murphy: RIP.

Obviously it's in the past but if the Angels had signed him it makes you wonder what direction the franchise would have gone in given the signings and moves that happened after that. He would have locked down 3B and provided much needed offense.

Someone in the 95th percentile as far as income goes can still be living paycheck to paycheck and leveraged to the hilt. Net worth is a better indicator but even then it has it's flaws and can be overstated. A good chunk of people who are well off aren't the one's you'd expect to be based on their appearances.

Congrats! Just think, 18 years from now that kid will be changing your diapers.

Agreed. There's no Andrew Luck, Cam Newton or Peyton Manning in this draft. The cost to move up to 1 may be in line with what Washington and other teams paid but there's no guy on paper that's the franchise QB everyone wants. That doesn't mean one or more of them won't pan out it's just that the rams could have stayed where they were, kept their picks and still gotten one of the top 5 or so QB's in the draft.

RG3 was viewed as more of a top prospect coming out of college than Wentz. Supposedly Cleveland was entertaining trade offers or considering Wentz at 2 so if the Rams really wanted him they had to move to 1 but it seems like a lot to pay for a guy who isn't the consensus #1 pick assuming that's who they want.

Cancer blows. My mom's best friend died form it 15 years ago in her 40's leaving behind 3 kids under the age of 10. They tried to fight it and had her so pumped full of drugs it just completely destroyed her body while she was in the hospital, like literally her back was broken. The only hope is you catch it early enough but unfortunately you always hear stories about people who were seemingly healthy and young getting an unexpected terminal diagnosis when they go to the doctor after having stomach/back pains they don't think are serious. Unfortunately dealing with cancer is something everyone can relate to whether it's first or secondhand knowledge.

I don't know how Blarg and his firsthand knowledge can compete with a few people who read a couple articles online and are clearly experts about a system they probably have no secondhand knowledge of in countries they've possibly never even been to. On a serious note **** cancer and I hope everything works out for the best Blarg.

No candidate is going to have carte blanche and be able to implement their tax and spending plan in it's entirety but of the 4 main candidates Sanders' plan is the one that will hurt the economy, the middle class and my wallet the most. The last 4 decades have shown how wasteful our government is, how they use deficit spending as a way of life and the fact that once they start to "give" something away it won't end until the house of cards comes tumbling down. If any of the candidates were serious about doing what's best for the country their plans would include serious cuts. You can still have a spending plan that includes things like college and health care but continuing to kick the can down the road by funding the American way of life with debt isn't going to end well.

He's supposedly living with Josh Gordon who was suspended all of last year and just failed another drug test by testing positive for marijuana. Gordon is a special kind of stupid too because it's not like he's dealing with alcoholism or addiction to some hardcore drug he's a stoner who can't put down the blunt long enough to make millions over an NFL career that could be over in 5-10 years. A Manziel/Gordon tv show is something I would probably tune in to watch.

It's not fair because it points out the fact the number you've been using is misleading. The US spends more than the UK on public funded healthcare but it isn't 2 or 3x as much as it's roughly 33% more as of 2011: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_health_expenditure_per_capita#/media/File:Oecd-healthexp-percapita.svg Why is costs more can be attributable to multiple factors one of which is the cost of healthcare for undocumented individuals who aren't denied at emergency rooms and inpatient care in hospitals.

Where are you getting that from? The NHS article you linked says the US spends over 2x what the UK does but digging further tells you that includes private health insurance which is more common in the US. The US spends more between private and public spending on healthcare but the amount of public spending vs. that of the UK is a smaller gap.

We have an office in the UK that I've been to multiple times now and I work regularly with individuals from that office. It's not like we sit around and talk about their National Insurance but like anything after a while you get to know people better, share more about your non-work life and things come up. Our company still pays for insurance that they offer to individuals in those offices that is in addition to NI. The thing is in the UK that's considered a taxable benefit which means if you elect that coverage you're paying NI and getting taxed on the cost of the private insurance. Everyone over there still elects the additional coverage because private insurance affords them certain things NI doesn't and some of it is wait time related. The UK system may be better in some or many ways but it's expensive to employers and employees and it's far from perfect.

The UK NI is pretty damn pricey as employers and employees pay about 17% combined. Employers pay the bulk of it but you can bet they aren't doing it out of the goodness of their hearts as it comes out of the bottom line which impacts the number of employees they hire.

At his best Clady was one of the top LT's in the game early in his career but major injuries and lack of production when he got back on the field changed all of that. They signed Okung who is in a similar situation - used to be a top LT and coming off an injury but his deal is for 5M guaranteed this year and up to 8M with incentives while they have a 4 year team option beyond that. Moving Clady frees up money they needed not just in case they trade for or sign a QB but for the rookies they'll have to sign.

Doesn't seem like it was 7 years ago but thinking back I was discussing it at work with a fellow Angels fan and some co-workers who all left 5+ years ago. I remember when the news first broke someone had called into one of the sports radio stations saying they worked at the hospital he was taken to and most thought or hoped it was BS. Weird to think he'd only be 30 now and still playing.

I don't disagree about the knock on Blink but to top it all of they went with Enema of the State? I graduated high school in 2000 and like most people who grew up in Socal in the 90's (and the 80's, 2000's and 2010's) most everyone had a punk phase. I don't think one person I know would name Enema of the State as Blink's best album. I realize that was far and away their best selling album but part of that was because they crossed over more into radio playable pop punk. I'm guessing my view of that album is jaded because we listened to Dude Ranch and Cheshire Cat.

The time to part with Scioscia was during the off season. The players and FO know who he is, what to expect and how he coaches so if he was the guy before the season he's still their guy whether we're 2 games in or 161 games into the season.

I think after a while politics makes most candidates or elected individuals jaded to some degree. You go in with the best intentions then you see how corrupt and screwed up it really is even on the local level and how little or nothing gets done without backroom deals. I think Adam said as much before but most politicians have got to be at least a bit crazy, power hungry or sadistic to play the game. If Meg Whitman was willing to spend almost 150M of her own money which was about 12% of her net worth trying to get elected as governor of CA there's something about it alluring to some people that I'm glad I don't have.

Both sides have made some terrible choices this century when they could have taken the nomination: -In 2004 the democrats would have had a better chance had they not run John "I'm not GWB" Kerry -In 2012 the republicans would have had a better chance had they not run Mitt "I'm not Obama" Romney I think the republicans are definitely beating democrats as far as suckage goes this century though, especially when you consider the house/senate elections where they lost seats due to some of the stupid stuff said by the far right shortly before the elections. I think both parties are for the most part terrible but the republicans seem to have gotten further away from what they supposedly stand for and that's why Trump is a serious candidate. If anything I hope Trump getting so much attention or even the nomination is the kick in the ass they need to at least get back to their roots while trying to appeal to a new generation of voters. For the most part they seem so out of touch it's almost comical until you consider they're one of two major political parties in this country then it's just sad.