Goondal

In that case the first two days of March Madness should be holidays as well. Pretty sure more is lost to low productivity those two days than any others.

Completely agree. Especially now that they have two damn weeks between the game every year, the teams still get more off time to prepare than normal so I see no downside.

I actually do want to watch this one, I have only been able to say that about two of the previous ten.

Sox trade high ceiling prospect Anthony Ranaudo for Robbie flippin' Ross? We entered this offseason with all this extra cash and a surplus of prospects. How have they managed to give give both away without making the team better? If they had signed nobody and traded nobody and just went into the season saying they wanted to give the young guys a shot I would have been fine with it. This offseason just keeps getting worse. Every time I see a prediction on the East I see the Sox at the top. Why? Offseason grade is a D+ at this point...and the only reason it is that high is Porcello.

So apparently the NFL has identified a "person of interest." What is this, a double homicide?

I am so damn sick of this story at this point. It seems to me from everything I have heard that the most likely scenario is that Brady and the equipment guy made the footballs how he likes them, the refs approved them without proper testing and Belicheck was not involved. If that is the case the the failing here falls on the refs for not doing a proper inspection. The people in the media comparing this to the Saints are nuts and if this were any other team I doubt most people would care.

From the article is sounded like the refs were approving the Packers footballs and then taking air out of them.

The NFL should also question the referee(s) that approved the footballs prior to the game.

I am not completely sold, still need more to show me that it was intentional and who was involved. That being said, eleven out of twelve is very suspicious. I did not think this was a big deal at first but as I have learned more about the advantage and heard how much under-inflated the footballs are I have changed my stance on this. If it is found to be intentional by members of the organization then the Patriots should forfeit their first two draft picks in each of the next two seasons while everybody found to be involved should receive the same suspension as a player would for a positive PED test.

I was reading an article about how Rodgers prefers the ball more inflated and it made the comment that the refs inspect the balls before the game. Does this mean that the refs screwed up in their inspection or that the deflation happened after the inspection?

Shaqiri to Inter. I am happy that he will get more playing time but let me just say BOO!!!

I got a scholarship that paid 75% of my tuition as long as I stayed in state. I also had saved up money my last year in HS and worked 30+ hours a week once I got to college. After one year I rented a room from someone as opposed to paying for expensive student housing and about a year later the friends and I found a government subsidized apartment complex. Our incomes feel in the right spot which allowed us to have a four bedroom place for 777/month (still remember the price). At one point freshman year I got below $500 but I was never in debt. I see other friends who took different rules and what they are dealing with and I am grateful that my father taught me growing up the importance of budgeting and the dangers of debt. As others have said, I would strongly recommend that you go in state. Once you get into the "real world" the name of the University you went to will not matter, it will be your performance that determines things.

I am watching the replay of Man City and West Brom, looks like a fun game to be at

Needless to say this is a great draw for Bayern, that is going to be a slaughter. Dortmund is going to need to beat Juventus to get a second team into the final eight because Schalke and Leverkusen are screwed. I was really hoping one of them would get Monaco or Porto but both got Spanish teams. Damn Arsenal could not have asked for an easy draw, they may be the only English team to get through because the other two got tough draws. We will have at least one club from outside the big three nations reach the final eight as Porto faces Basel, I think both have to be pretty happy with this. The two most interesting match-ups are obviously PSG/Chelsea and City/Barca. City must be sick of these draws, getting Bayern in group and Barca in the Round of 16 each of the last two years. Much more interesting draw than we had last season. Only three of the runner-ups are runaway favorites this time while last year there really was not much drama for this round.

cannot wait. The worst part is two months until the next match

...and we signed Masterson. Excuse me while I go jump off a bridge.

Just traded Cespedes for Porcello. I would be okay with this if the plan was for him to be the three. I am disturbed though as I suspect he is supposed to be the two with Miley, Kelly, and Clay behind him. I hope Shields is at least coming to town. Do not really know who else they could get because if they are not willing to go the extra mile for Lester then 200+ for Scherzer is a non-starter. I we sign Masteron at this point I may just jump off a bridge.

Now we trade Rubby de la Rosa and Allen Webster for Wade Miley. I really do not know what the holy hell they are doing. I was very excited after the fire sale and the signing of Castillo but this offseason has really dampened that optimism so far.

Winners: Atletico, Real, Monaco, Dortmund, Bayern, Barca, Chelsea, Porto Runner-ups: Juventus, Basel, Leverkusen, Arsenal, City, PSG, Schalke, Shakhtar Pretty clear who the second group will be hoping to get paired with. I am fine as long as Bayern does not get PSG early. Draw is Monday!

Definitely would not be a good swap, but more power to the Dodgers. If they trade for Hamels then it means the Sox will not be wasting prospects on him =)

All four Bundesliga teams move on. That is eleven for eleven advancing in the last three seasons including seven group winners. Not bad.

Schalke takes the lead!!!

Good grief, Schalke just wasted a great opportunity.

Barca and PSG are now tied at one

Bayern leads early as Muller puts home a penalty, good news for Roma and City PSG already leads Barca in their effort to win the group Chelsea up two on Sporting. Now Schalke needs to take care of their own business.