1 hour ago, TexasAg1969 said:

My youngest brother was a pilot for a private airplane business flying customers all over the world. He would more often than not leave the plane in some locations for the next crew and then fly home on regular airlines as a passenger at company expense. But his company allowed them to keep any airline miles they earned, which was quite significant. So buying one time share on Kauai and another on Oahu made a lot of sense so they could go two weeks to the Hawaiian Isles yearly on vacation on their free airline miles. He had enough accumulated that they continued to do so well past his retirement date. So for them it made sense, but when I checked it out it did not since they can up those extraneous fees any time they want for whatever amount they want. I decided it was better to save that initial cost and just use it to go anywhere I wanted any time I wanted and not risk higher annual fees stacked on top of initial costs.

In case you haven't noticed,  I haven't had any problems getting around.   A key to traveling, in my opinion,  is to make a bucket list of where I want to go.  I have had different lists throughout the years.  My last one I had had about  40 destinations on it, and I have whittled that down to like 19. (but I had other versions of the bucket list before that one)   And I certainly have not been hampered by using my timeshare resources for a number of those trips.  I have stayed in or have booked in the future a TS in  41 different states, which may in fact be a national record, and is why I have twice been featured in an international travel magazine, though I have not done that much international travel  I have concentrated on the US of A.  (5 states have no timeshare resorts...including Ohio).  And having been to  386 of the 423 National Park Units, you can see that I have figured out how to get around,  using Timeshare or not.  I guess what I am saying is that because of my knowledge of strategies, which does not take that much to learn,  I think I have done well monetarily compared to other alternatives.  (Not that you cannot get good deals withe VRBO,  AirBnB etc. 

32 minutes ago, Westside Steve said:

 I don't know. I didn't check. I have Disney plus so I assume it's included.

 Even if it is it costs more than 30 to go to the regal cinema with a small Diet Pepsi and a small popcorn

WSS

I have Disney plus as well...but it said you had to pay the  $30.00    Do you to to the theater or see it via streaming? 

6 hours ago, Vagitron said:

Oh look it's espn. The last bastion for great sports writing, said no one ever. Literally no one knows how these of seasons went until teams hit the field. The rams signings were huge for the Browns tho. Pete prisco recently put Kirk cousins and another not so great qb over Ben. Sports writing on the mainstream level is a complete joke now. They've lost the passion and just throw shit on the wall. I follow the smaller outfits because they do a far better job and are at least objective. Espn is good for one thing. The fantasy football app and the nostalgia. It can go away otherwise. 

Anyone in their right mind would put Kirk Cousins above  BR  at this point.   Historically?  Certainly not.  In 2021?  Absolutely.   Not that that is saying much about Cousins.

As for ESPN and nostalgia?  They have some good programming there,  but many, many times they are just wrong on some of the historical information they put out.  Or, if not wrong, they have glaring omissions. 

mjp:   You haven't answered the question about the Donair.    Is that something you have ever had? 

2 hours ago, JPPT1974 said:

NBA is much more getting less popular there. Not smart it seems in NBA

Can you please interpret this.   Is it more, or less.  Where is "there".  

10 hours ago, Westside Steve said:

As far as time shares my ex wife and I attended a seminar actually a sales pitch decades ago. We crunched the numbers and it turned out that in my opinion, our opinion, it was ridiculously restrictive and expensive. That being said in defence of the Gipper anything that you purchase that brings you happiness is worth the money  regardless of anybody else's opinion.

WSS

A  timeshare stay, yes, will cost you more likely than getting a hotel for a week at  Super 8 or Days Inn,  but staying at a Hampton or even Holiday Inn Express would actually cost you more.  Also....when I go I often get a1- 2 Bedroom condo unit with a kitchen. So that is clearly a better deal.   I have done my travel  all different ways you can imagine,   from tent camping (no longer),  to  upscale hotels to timeshare  to  AirBnB (NYC). 

I just came back from a 10 day trip to Nebraska/S. Dakota where I stayed in a different  hotel/motel every night (Super 8s, Days Inns).  I am going to Chicago in July staying 3 nights in a fairly upscale hotel  (Hilton Doubletree), and then I am going to be spending a week in a timeshare in Wisconsin.   It all depends on the nature of your travel.  I have other timeshare exchange trips booked in timeshares in the future in the Connecticut coast (September), and beachside in Biloxi in April.   Through my timeshare connection I was able to get a studio unit in the heart of San Francisco  for $339.00 for a  bonus week  7 night stay at a place called the Club Donatello.   Normally it would cost you that amount for each night.

Don't you have to pay like  30 bucks to get this on Disney Premium access? 

Actually, Mare of Eastown has finished.  Last episode ran last Sunday. 

Let me know when/if you want to go to the movies.  It has been over a year now.

Most popular sport in each country.   By "Football"  they of course mean soccer. 

The one major surprise to me is that the favorite sport in Australia is cricket. I am just not sure I buy that.   

The other thing they do is break it down by each state in the US. 

I asked about this on another thread.  Here is what I found:

Donair

 

Rating: 3.94 stars

• 36 Ratings
• 31 Reviews
• 3 Photos

Donairs are a delicacy prevalent in the Canadian east coast, and certainly centered on the City of Halifax, they are very simple to prepare and very delicious. Make a double batch of the meatloaf, and freeze the second loaf for later, in fact the second loaf will be better! When cold you can slice it thinner and fry up the slices in the frying pan as you need them.

By SABMAN

SavePinPrintShare

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Prep:

20 mins

Cook:

3 hrs 50 mins

Total:

4 hrs 10 mins

Servings:

6

Yield:

6 servings

Nutrition Info

Ingredients

Decrease Serving

6

Increase Serving

Adjust

Original recipe yields 6 servings

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 ½ pounds ground beef 
  
• ⅓ cup bread crumbs
   
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Optional)
   
• 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
   
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
   
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
   
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
   
• ½ teaspoon salt
   
• ⅔ cup nonfat evaporated milk
   
• ⅔ cup sugar
   
• ⅓ cup vinegar
   
• 6 pita bread rounds
   
• 3 tomatoes, chopped 
  
• 1 large onion, chopped

https://sports.yahoo.com/cleveland-indians-announces-pool-of-nearly-1200-options-for-team-name-change-235848655.html

Re: name pool for Cleveland baseball team. 

Here are today's set of  facts and opinions etc.:

1. I have not paid attention to boxing in like  2 decades.   Has anyone?

2.  None of the contestants on Jeopardy last night knew what team Gordie Howe played for.  That is like not knowing who Mickey Mantle or Johnny Unitas played for.

3.  Chris Paul......36 year old  Chris Paul,  is apparently turning down a  44 million dollar  extension option from the Suns, apparently thinking he can get more money there or elsewhere.  Chris Paul is smoking crack.

4.  The Red Sox/Yankees  rivalry....is by far the most overblown rivalry  going  IMO.

5. I have  just heard of this food dish,  which is apparently  Canadian  called a   Donair.     WTF is a Donair?   Sounds like it would be a cross between a Donut and an Eclair, but apparently it has meat or something in it.  Does our food honk know?

6. Apparently the Indians have compiled  a pool of   1200   possible new names for the team.   Seems a bit absurd.

7. Paul Finebaum says that  Texas  (Univ. of Texas at Austin)  is no longer a relevant  college football program.  I don't see how that is with all their money.  Nevertheless, I have heard tell that most of the best prospects in the state of Texas are leaving there, and going to like  Ohio St.  or Alabama and points elsewhere.  (but NOT apparently going to TAMU)

8. One other place they apparently are not going to is:   Michigan.   I see where there  have been  15 players  transfer out of there since the end of last season.

9. The waitress at the restaurant I had lunch at  wore some Daisy Duke shorts  ( tight cut off denims.)  That is still a hot option if  you have a sweet little ass.....and she did.  Oi!

10. Predictions for next round of the NBA  playoffs:    Suns over Nuggets...the best matchup.     Jazz over either Dallas or Clippers.     Bucks over Nets....the upset.   76ers over Hawks,  but it will be much tougher and maybe an upset if Embid....with his torn meniscus cannot play.     And how can he play with a torn meniscus anyway? 

4 minutes ago, tiamat63 said:

I'm all about being sensible to help save mother Gaia.  But my white ass ain't driving a Prius to football practice.  I'll stick with my Honda and if I want to really cut back on gas for my 10min commute, I'll take a Ducati 696, stealth grey.  Also open to other more "naked" euro bikes.   You kids can keep your expensive and stupid ass plastic fairings on your crotch rockets.

 

Here is your more eco-friendly option:

2 hours ago, tiamat63 said:

I'm at an inherent disadvantage in debates from my side - I have a fundamental need to make sense.

Although, to his credit, Gip seems to have acknowledged it and gone with more apt comparisons in the last few posts.

What I acknowledge is that you seem to have wanted to  completely narrow the focus of the conversation to a single narrow statistic....that we both agree  was bogus....and didn't make sense.   I  acknowledge that I attempted to bring some sense into the discussion by providing a much wider scope/point of view to the subject of:   What QBs did really well in their early careers.  

Don't you think that topic requires a much wider lens? 

8 hours ago, Browns149 said:

The NBA is unwatchable. It’s midnight on a Thursday and the game on now is the Lakers getting smoked by Phoenix at halftime 
 

Let Dan Gilbert sell the Cavs, move them to anywhere but in Cleveland, and buy the Blue Jackets and move them to Cleveland 

Gilbert is a very very smart business man. GET IT DONE!!!!

Now you are just being obtuse.  If you don't like a sport, don't watch.   No one is making you watch it or follow it. 

As for Gilbert, maybe he is a smart businessman in his business,  but I don't know that he is very smart when it comes to basketball.  After all, other than when LeBron has been on this team, how well has it performed otherwise under his stewardship? 

8 hours ago, Browns149 said:

I don’t have a name. Nor do I care.  The “GUY” cost many people millions of dollars

You might love your timeshare, and it might be the greatest thing since sliced bread, bit there are people that have been SCREWED on such deals

And for TRUE CONFESSIONS, more people have horror stories about timeshares then are happy with their investment. IMO

So, you don't have a name or a reference or a link....but you think you know all about it?  Well, it is not true that more people have horror stories than are happy.  I can attest to that.  And you know me better than any of those other people you refer to.    What you have are testaments to how stupid and ignorant those people are in how to properly utilize their investment.  The analogy that comes to mind is that  someone buys a plane who has not had a single flying lesson,  and they complain about the person that sold them the plane because they didn't know how to  get the damn thing to work. 

1 hour ago, Zombo said:

No way. Stef is a Philly kid and an athlete , he's got some horsepower under his hood... Ferrari. 

Berry is a 34 yo black kid with a Harvard degree running an NFL franchise ... Bentley. 

Z

Here is Stefanski's ride.   Not real sure what this is.  Some top notch SUV:

10 minutes ago, nickers said:

As a species... I honestly doubt we will exist that long due to our vile nature... Or an Asteroid or something hits first... All lifeforms cease eventually...

I don't know.   Dinosaurs lived on this Earth for over  165 million years.  Hominids  have only been around for like  6 million years comparatively....and only like  200-300 thousand years in our current form as Homo Sapiens.  We are, in my view, a very resilient species...despite what you say about our vile nature which I don't really dispute. 

33 minutes ago, Unsympathetic said:

USFL is in fact back in the spring of 2022.

At this point there's no new info on the XFL.. at present they're on hold for 2022 so they should be part of our 2023 spring.

It'll be interesting to see if any USFLians can make an NFL roster in 2023.  Fun thing about the last iteration of XFL is that the football was actually decent.

One correction I believe on that article:  the USFL never  moved to the fall and went head to head with the NFL.  That certainly was an option discussed, but  Voldemoort said, "no, let's try to sue our way to a merger, or maybe get a bunch of money that way".  They never played in the fall as far as I know. Had they done so and not listened to him, they may have been successful, one way or the other. 

Nevertheless, I see it is going to be an 8 team league.  If it is truly going to be a reboot of the USFL,  then I would like to see a few of the teams come back that were in Non-NFL cities:   Birmingham Stallions, San Antonio Gunslingers, Portland Breakers, Memphis Showboats, Orlando Renegades,  and maybe  the New Jersey Generals (with a new owner), and the LA Express.

Above I talk about the Browns offense actually needing to improve its scoring...which it does,

But here is another fact of note about why the Browns pass defense also needs to improve:  

The two games in which  most yards passing in a single game against the Cleveland Browns since  1950  both occurred this past year:

Dak Prescott of the Cowboy passed for  502 yards....and Ben Roethlisberger  passed for   501.

Of course, in both games, the Browns got out to huge leads.    28-0 vs.  Steelers.  And they were ahead of the Cowboys by 27 points at one point.   But those games were not the first in their history where they got out to those kind of leads, and they never gave up  500 yards before these. 

Another interesting article on  QBs  in their first  48 games, for stat geeks. 

http://www.footballperspective.com/russell-wilson-and-other-quarterbacks-through-48-starts/

Nevertheless,   the question was asked...or it was pointed out that a better metric would be:   who did the best through their first  48 games.  Here is that stat,  See the link:

https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/which-quarterback-has-the-most-passing-yards-in-their-first-48-games

Top Ten in Yards

Mahomes,   Warner,  Stafford,  Luck, Bulger, Marino, Watson, Winston, Cousins, Goff.....Baker is   15th. 

Top Ten in TDs:

Mahomes,  Warner,  Marino,  Watson, Luck,  Stafford, Palmer,  Wentz,  Carr,  Baker...10th

In some other categories for Baker:  

Comp. %    10th;     Completions   20th,   Attempts:  17th;    Yards per comp:   15th;  Yards per game  15th,   TD%  7th,   Rating   10th.

Of course, keep in mind the way the game has changed. All these guys who are tops in  TDs and yards in their first  48 games played in the 21st century primarily...except Marino.  Note that the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw  and others didn't make these lists. 

24 minutes ago, Browns149 said:

Well the guy that ripped them off is in jail on numerous frauds and real estate swindles. I believe the individual was even featured on an episode of the TV show American Greed

So, as I said before, I’ll stay away from garbage like that

 

Do you have a name?   Most timeshares are  owned and operated not by "a guy"  but  by major companies with good reputations:   Marriott,  Hilton, Holiday Inn,  Westin, Sheraton, Diamond Resorts (mine, which is about to merge with Hilton), Westgate, Disney, BlueGreen, Hyatt,  Wyndham, WorldMark.    A few others.  You know, garbage like that.  

So, I guess your friend decided to go with a fly by night operation...and you see what happens.   It could happen in any industry if you are being negligent.  If you go with Guido the Roofer you could get ripped off.    Like I said, you just have to not be stupid.  

Here are today's facts and opinion and speculations:

1.  Of the Top 10 all time leading  passers in NFL history  (by yards)  7 of them have won a Championship.  The three that have not are:  Phillip Rivers,  Dan Marino, and  Matt Ryan. Ryan should have won one but his team blew a 25 pt. lead in the Super Bowl.  Marino got to a SB, but Rivers never did.   (the other 7 who did win:  Brees/Brady/Favre/Peyton/Eli/BenR/Elway)

2.  Of the 5 first round draft pick QBs,   Lawrence, Fields, and Wilson should be starting from Day one.   Not so  Lance and  Jones (primarily because they have better QBs on their team with them...with Garrapolo and  Newton than the other  3 have)

3. The return of the USFL is imminent after almost 40 years. .  It starts "back up"  in 2022.  The landscape of Pro Football today would have been vastly different  if not for the ego and incompetence of one Donald Trump back in the day.  I believe had the USFL stayed the course and tried to compete with the NFL back then, instead of listening to Trump and litigating,  they could likely have forced a merger.  Meaning that there would be NFL teams like the Baltimore Stars,  Jacksonville Bulls, Arizona Wranglers, Portland Breakers, San Antonio Gunslingers, and Birmingham Stallions in the NFL now.

4. Coach  K is retiring after the upcoming  college basketball season. (don't ask me to spell it out).   The Mt. Rushmore of college basketball coaches  IMO  include:   Wooden,  Coach K, Bobby Knight, or either  Adolph Rupp or Dean Smith.  

5. Medina Spirit is likely to be stripped of his Kentucky Derby win after a second positive drug test shows up.  Bob Baffert has been banned now for 2 years from running a horse in the Derby.

6. FYI  the Browns can DEFINITELY  improve their offense...as well as their defense:   Last year they scored an average of 26.3 points per game.   That was only 13th in the league.  IMO, this offense should be in the Top 5 of the league scoring wise.  So, absolutely...they need to improve there. 

7. Memphis/Boston/Knicks/Washington are now aufed from the NBA playoffs.   Both LA teams,  Lakers and Clippers  are on the brink of being sent home as well.

8. Danny Ainge retires as the  GM of the Celtics,  Brad Stevens steps up into his shoes.  Big mistake IMO...for them anyway.   I don't think they can get a  new HC as good as Stevens. 

9. FYI   Nick Foles is  2-0 head to head against Tom Brady as starting QBs.    Including of course a Super Bowl win.   Interesting bragging rights for his old age.

10.  By one service,  the Cleveland Browns are  16-1 to win the Super Bowl, which is 7th best overall.  VegasInsider does have the Ratfuckers as one of the teams with lower odds. 

12 minutes ago, tiamat63 said:

Either of those things were and are irrelevant to this conversation and the stats applied.  This would be like me bringing up interception percentage and you going " yeah, but check out Bakers rushing yards".   Doesn't factor into this particular discussion.

The overall broad topic of discussion seems to me to be:   How well does a particular QB perform early in his career. 

 I think that having the record for most TD as a rookie, or winning  a championship in your first 3 years fairly well factors into that overall topic. 

i agree with you that the statistic cited,  "Dan Marino and Baker Mayfield are the only  2 QBs to do yada yada in their first 3 years" is one of those hyper inclusive  stats that are sometime cited that can be meaningless.    Kind of like saying  "Only  3 players in history ever did  stugotz:  Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Schmucky Schwartz.....the implication of which is that Schmucky Schwartz can somehow be equated to the other two (when he clearly cannot). 

Here is a stat that I hope that Baker and Marino do not end up together on:   Great QBs who never won a Championship.