- The Boston Red Sox suck right now. They're not used to
that feeling and with that feeling coming the year after they won the World
Series, it stings even more than it otherwise would. Sitting at 63-83 and mired
in last place in the American League East, the Sox are seeking answers and chairman Tom Werner sounds like a man
willing to go to the extremes to find them. "I wouldn't say that we have
limitless money, but we've got a lot of money to spend and we're determined to
go into the free-agent market and improve the team," Werner said. He also
labeled the current season a “nightmare” that could well inspired a megadeal
for a team that saved more than $200 million in future payroll in a blockbuster
trade last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Werner knows that his team needs
to add "some front-line pitching talent" and plenty more hitting in
the offseason and is ready to begin the hunt. "I think that our trades at
the end of July attacked the fact that we had a lack of offense. But we know we
need some front-line pitching talent." One possibility, ironically enough,
is free-agent lefty Jon Lester, whom the team traded to the Athletics at the
July 31 deadline after failing to come to terms on a long-term deal. Of course,
Werner may need to win over owner John Henry, who has made it clear that he
wants no part of high-priced, long-term deals on players who will be past their
prime toward the end of the contracts. "Last year, as we all know, was
just a dream. This year is a nightmare," Werner said. Good idea, T. Lead
with that and maybe you can win the boss over………
- It’s getting real in Scotland ahead of next week’s
landmark vote on independence. Business leaders have weighed in, politicians
have made their voices heard and folks on both sides of the issue have lashed
out at the other side’s case for or against breaking free from the United
Kingdom. But with the vote less than one week away, those who matter most are
throwing their weight around in an effort to influence the proceedings. Yes,
those who hold the purse strings hold a big hammer in their hands and thus,
when Scotland's
leading banks warned Thursday that they would move their headquarters to
England if Scots vote to leave the United Kingdom, it cast serious aspersions
over the vote. Existing doubts about the territory's economic future and
questions about the fate of the Scottish independence campaign were intensified
just days ahead of a historic referendum. The announcement came despite the
fact that the banks admitted that the contingency plans are legal procedures
that would have a minimal effect on their operations and jobs in Scotland, worrywarts
are still in a mini-panic as they fret over their country’s ability to retain
businesses — particularly during the long months of financial uncertainty that
would follow a vote to break the 307-year union with England. The Royal Bank of
Scotland has been based there since 1727, but claims it is willing to jump ship
because of uncertainties that could hurt its business and customers if the
Sept. 18 vote leads to independence. Ditto for Lloyds Banking Group, which also
owns Halifax. Oh, and there is still no decision on what currency an
independent Scotland would use, how much U.K. public debt it would take on and
who would regulate Scottish banks. All issues one should tidy up before
starting their own independent nation……..
- Who isn't a fan of free music from one of the biggest rock
bands of all-time? Indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club, that’s who. Maybe the English
quartet really does have concerns over the “invasive” manner in which U2
released its new album “Songs of Innocence” on Tuesday….or maybe these emo
whiners are just bitter than Bono and friends gave away more money in a single
day than they’ll make in their entire dive bar-dwelling careers. For those who
don’t know, U2 teamed with Apple to release the album for free through the
iTunes store…to anyone with an Apple ID. Bombay Bicycle Club denounced the
process as invasive because Apple put the album on all their subscribers' iTunes
automatically. “Songs of Innocence” was uploaded onto 500 million account
holders' iTunes on Tuesday and Bombay Bicycle Club guitarist Jamie MacColl
joined the chorus of those who decried the move as stepping across a digital
line. "I thought the move was quite invasive. A lot of people are up in
arms because they don't like U2. I don't have an opinion on the band itself,
but I do think the method is a little bit in your face,” MacColl said. Hey
Jamie, there is a term for people who don’t like U2: Wrong. MacColl and his
mates can raise all the stink they want about users paying closer attention to the
agreement deals they sign when buying Apple products, but they need to keep
U2’s name out their mouth. "When you sign up to use an Apple product,
you’re giving them your information, so this album is part and parcel of that.
But that still doesn’t mean they need to use that information in such an
invasive way,” MacColl added. He and his bandmates should be thrilled that
their second album, “So Long, See You Tomorrow” was well-received and they
should wish that 500 million people who have a chance to hear it………
- Getting what you want in life sometimes requires that a
person take drastic measures. Sometimes, a man has to go on a six-day drug
bender than concludes with him crashing his 10-year-old pickup truck through
the glass doors of a Las Vegas landmark before the world will give him hi due
and no one has to tell Ryan Brown that. Brown wanted his 15 minutes of fame,
the world refused to give it to him and so he took matters into his own hands –
and veins – by channeling his inner Hunter S. Thompson for nearly a week and
then crashing his 2004 Ford F-150 into the front doors of the Stratosphere,
located on Sin City’s iconic Strip. According to a police report, Brown drove
his truck with California license plates through the casino’s doors around 8
p.m. because he wanted to be famous. The first clue that he might not be of
right mind – aside from willingly driving his ride into a building – came when
police arrived on the scene and he spun a rambling table about working as an
electrician for Burning Man and sharing a birthday with Elvis Presley. Burning
Man is a counterculture festival in northern Nevada and no one from the
festival has confirmed Brown’s employment. However, this headline-seeker does
share a birthday with Elvis and the King surely would have appreciated Brown’s
taste for grandiose gestures. Prior to the crash, Brown was seen arguing with a
pedestrian in the valet area and to top off a truly memorable evening, the
officers who responded to the scene found Brown’s shirt and shorts soaked, with
this Champion of Courageous Acts informing them that he had urinated on himself………..
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