Catwhoshatinthehat

I can't envision the war on drugs ever ending in our lifetimes because I can't see all drugs being made legal. I think a step in the right direction would be legalizing marijuana and getting rid of the costs associated with prosecuting and incarcerating individuals charged with posession, selling, etc. That said I think there's too much money going towards the jobs associated with that and people will cry "think of the children" during discussions to rile up the anti crowd. I realize in some states it's legal and we'll see more legalize it but I'm talking on a federal level. I remember reading some of the guys who had a hand in the war on drugs back in the 80's saying years later it's a massive failure and a waste of money but I'm not surprised they keep pouring money down the drain to fight another war that will never be won.

I'm sure he would have responded favorably.

Awesome thread on a quiet friday, thanks.

I think the last thing this team needs is to add another high priced player who past his prime and/or likely to decline due to age.

How they do doesn't really impact how many games I actually attend each year. Last year the games I went to I definitely saw empty seats but tickets sold vs. actual attendance isn't the same. I went to the series opener on a Friday vs. Detroit in April and there were quite a few open sections almost. I'll continue to attend so many games a year and watch some on TV but when they're playing uninspired ball I'm not going to make watching the game a priority especially with the stuff I can get done around the house.

How many professional athletes happily quit? Even the one's that leave because of injury normally do it long after they should have. Saying he'll walk away is one thing but actually doing so and leaving money on the table is a whole different thing. Regardless I think it's highly unlikely Pujols won't be in an Angel uniform for the next 5 years.

During a fire sale it's not always about how much you get it's also about getting out of contracts and saving some money. Again I'm not advocating trading anyone but realistically the big contracts aren't going anywhere and you don't trade Trumbo/Bourjous hoping you get players like them in 2-3 years. I really don't think there is much to be done other than play with what we have but if the team does start to trade away pieces guys with reasonable contracts are better options than cheap talent.

You re-stock the farm system with unproven players you hope can produce at the ML level in the next 2-3 years. Best case scenario they do but in the mean time you trade your exciting young players, the team salary doesn't really decrease and you are still counting on your high priced vets to produce. Then in a few years if the guys you acquired produce they're still playing with those same high priced vets who are a few years older and even less likely to produce. Why would you trade Trumbo and Bourjous hoping you can get players of their calibre in 2-3 years? I don't see this being a fire sale yet and I'm not advocating trading anyone but if guys are moved it should be vets with club friendly contracts like Howie and Aybar.

Pujols isn't going anywhere any time soon. Odds are the only starter you get for Blanton is an equally bad pitcher who makes about the same unless you move him right before the deadline next year for pretty much nothing and that's only if the team is out of it. Trading young players who are producing makes little or no sense because they aren't making much, they're under club control and you're banking on their backups to produce. Teams with huge payrolls don't have a lot of options and what Boston did when they traded A. Gonzalez, Crawford, etc was a miracle. I understand that fans are frustrated and deservedly so but when you hand out big contracts those players need to produce or you're pretty much screwed. The Angels need to work with what they have, try to improve the farm system and look for bullpen arms.

If someone doesn't perform you don't keep them around whether it's baseball, a fortune 500 company or McD's. Saying "if it was because he was bad then we're stupid" is actually stupid. As to Ervin he's having an awesome year so far while he's playing in what I imagine is a lower stress environment. For a guy who mentally didn't seem to be the strongest and you could almost count on him falling apart playing in somewhere like KC I think he's more likely to thrive.

The housing market in a few cities in OC that I've seen have been heating up kind of ridiculously for a while. I'm not saying it applies to all types of properties or areas but condos/townhomes/SFH's in a certain range were on the market for a matter of a few days in some cases. I closed on a place in August and a month later someone closed on a similar place in my complex paying 7% higher. I know because I met the guy who bought it and like me he was getting outbid on other places so he threw a higher offer out to get the place. In another townhome association a 2 bedroom went 10% higher than a 3 bedroom went about 6-7 months prior. I had bids on different places that got 20 offers in less than 2 days and while some were garbage at least a 3rd were asking or above. Things aren't getting worse but the government has spent trillions the last few years, the fed continues QE and interest rates are ridiculously low. Sooner rather than later they have to change course or we're screwed.

Theater's after its been out a few weeks.

I'm no lawyer but I'm pretty sure that's not true. Slander, threats, etc aren't protected and neither is violating someone elses rights or safety which can be done verbally. Edit - LT beat me to it.

A zero tolerance policy leaves no room for grace or a second chance hence the words zero tolerance. Again you're ignoring the fact it's illegal to have a gun on school grounds whether it's loaded, unloaded or legally owned. This isn't about being a hard ass it's about kids who brings guns and knives to school putting others in danger. The schools have a zero tolerance policy because this isn't even a topic they can allow to be remotely close to a grey area.

But it is illegal to have a firearm on campus. Whether it's legal to own one at that age is a moot point when he was expelled for having it on school property. As to my friend he didn't even realize it was in there. Had he known that he would have taken it out. Regardless break the rules, pay the price.

Not really understanding the alcohol question. There's no alcohol allowed on campus and we're talking about minors so having it in their posession is against the law. I had a friend in HS who had a very small amount of pot in his backpack that he didn't even know had fallen out of a plastic bag and was left in there. His GF he broke up with told the school he threatened her, they searched him and found an amount the cops wouldn't even care about back in 1998 and he got kicked out of school. Did what he have on him pose any threat to anyone else? No but he broke the law and paid the price for it. I think it sucks the kid got expelled but given what's happened going back to Columbine I don't blame the school for handling it the way they did.

I agree the message is zero tolerance. The kid deserves credit for trying to do what's right but even having a grey area with firearms whether they're there on accident and unloaded isn't good for the school.

I meant as far as having an NFL arm and the ability to be a top 10 QB while making bad decisions but I can see how it reads otherwise. Rivers took criticism last year for his arm strength and there's been some question as to whether or not there's something wrong with his arm but I think the players he's had to work with could have something to do with his results. If there isn't anything wrong with his arm getting rid of him would be a bad move considering what he's had to work with in SD the last few years.

Disclaimer - I don't care for San Diego and think Rivers is a whiney douche. That aside Rivers isn't old for the position he's 31 and came out in the same draft class as Eli and Big Ben. Some of the elite QB's in the league are older and aside from some of the younger guys (RG3 pre injury, Wilson, Colin K., Rodgers to an extent) most QB's aren't known for being that mobile. I included my disclaimer because I wanted to call Rivers a douche but also because I have to give the guy some credit. During his career there's times he's had a lot of weapons and others where he's had few and he's shown that he could put the numbers up in both instances. In recent years he's reminded me of Jay Cutler (and Favre) as he has the arm but makes bad decisions trying to force throws especially when his team is down and no one else is stepping up. Ryan Matthews has been a let down and he had huge shoes to fill, Gates always has foot/leg injuries and is impaired a lot of times when he does play and the team let V-Jax walk after sat out most of the previous year. You can't expect to replace stars or superstars with mediocre talent and SD's prior GM played hardball and let quite a few guys go while probably working within his budget. Long story short I think Rivers is fine if they can actually shore up the O-line and give him some legit weapons and he can be a top 10 QB which isn't easy to come by.

Yeah at least in the last few episodes the FBI was starting to not look completely lost and outmatched vs. a cult. I honestly just forgot to DVR the second to last episode and didn't do this week's since I could watch both online. Just not sure if I'll pick it back up as I DVR plenty of other shows and if anything need to watch less TV.

I was watching it but forgot to DVR the last two episodes and don't really think I'll pick it back up. I realize it's TV but I was kind of annoyed at times by how inept the FBI was.

Where do you think they're going?

Congrats to Matt Barkley for going first overall...in the 4th round.

Niners are loading up which is to be expected considering how many picks they have but they're getting great value. Lattimore might not do much in 2013 but in a year or two he could be a beast behind that O-line. GB added 2 good RB's but it seems like overkill as some of their lack of success running is due to the line. Regardless the niners, packers and even ravens have been making some nice picks.

Perhaps Teo's girlfriend can take care of San Diego's super bowl trophies.