Brady to play forever, Arods rehab, and much much more...

[Used 2 B Hu]

 

[Rock Strongo]

Madison Square Garden gets 10 years to find new location

By Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley, CNN
updated 3:05 AM EDT, Fri July 26, 2013

The operators of Madison Square Garden have been given 10 years to relocate, as the city plans to expand Penn Station, which sits below the arena.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• New York City Council gives Madison Square Garden 10 years to find a new location
• Some officials, groups want to renovate transit hub Penn Station located below it
• MSG management just spent $1 billion to rehab the home of the Knicks, Rangers
• The original Penn Station was razed in 1963, and the arena opened in 1968

New York (CNN) -- Madison Square Garden, one of the world's iconic sports and entertainment arenas, has been given a decade to relocate after a vote by the New York City Council on Wednesday amid efforts to renovate the equally well-known Penn Station that sits below it.
The council voted to approve a "special permit" that will allow the arena to operate for 10 years while its management seeks to relocate, according to a news release.
The 47-1 vote comes after years of advocacy from city officials and independent groups who have sought to renovate and expand the bustling Pennsylvania Station. Madison Square Garden's 50-year land-use permit expired in January.
The original Penn Station, which featured Corinthian columns, vast hallways and glass ceilings, was demolished in 1963 to make way for the construction of the current Madison Square Garden, which opened in 1968.
"The approval of this permit offers us a great opportunity to reimagine and redevelop Penn Station as a world-class transportation destination and allow time to relocate Madison Square Garden to a new and improved home," Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Christine C. Quinn said in a statement.
In June, Quinn called for the creation of a "Commission for a 21st Century Penn Station," with the goal of helping to find a new Manhattan home for the arena and to renovate Penn Station.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg had hoped for a 15-year permit, according to Julie Wood, spokeswoman for the mayor.
If Madison Square Garden does not find a new location, it will have to reapply for a permit once it expires.
Penn Station accommodates hundreds of thousands travelers per day, and the City Council says the Garden's placement above it is an "intractable problem."
"Imagine 220 mph bullet trains that sweep you to D.C. or Boston in 90 minutes or less. These plans are on the table, but they can only be realized with a modern, renovated Penn Station," said Manhattan Borough President and city comptroller candidate Scott M. Stringer. "That is not possible as long as the Garden sits squarely on top of the nation's busiest rail transit hub."
The arena's management did not go into the details of the vote, stating rather that it looks forward to its reopening this fall after a "three year, nearly billion dollar" renovation, according to Kimberly Kerns, spokeswoman for Madison Square Garden.
The Garden, home to the New York Knicks and Rangers, first opened its doors in 1879 but has since moved to several locations throughout the city, according to its website.
It has stood at its current Midtown Manhattan location since 1968 and hosted the infamous "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971.

 

[Rock Strongo]

O.J. Simpson pleads with Nevada parole board to cut prison term

By Greg Botelho, CNN
updated 9:33 AM EDT, Fri July 26, 2013

O.J. Simpson pleading for release




STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• O.J. Simpson was sentenced to 33 years for his role in an incident at a Las Vegas
• A Nevada jury convicted him on 12 counts, including kidnapping and armed robbery
• He asks a parole board to cut his sentence, saying he'd only gone to get his property
• Simpson laments missing graduations, birthdays and a funeral in 5 years in custody

(CNN) -- O.J. Simpson is 66 and has spent nearly all of his seventh decade in a Nevada prison after his conviction on kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges for busting into a Las Vegas casino to try to reclaim items he felt were rightfully his.
And he's had enough.
His nearly five years in custody "have been somewhat illuminating at times and painful a lot of times," Simpson told two Nevada parole board members Thursday via closed-circuit TV from prison.
"I missed my two younger kids who worked hard getting through high school, I missed their college graduations," he said, seemingly emotional as he talked. "I missed my sister's funeral. I missed all the birthdays."
The football legend could learn whether he'll have less time to spend in prison in two weeks, when the parole board comes back with its decision.
If a majority of the seven on the parole board vote in his favor, he'll have some hope but won't be free, according to multiple reports, including from CNN affiliates KSNV and KTNV. That's because he'd still have to serve more of his term -- at least four years more, according to these reports.
In his worst case scenario, Simpson remains behind bars for decades more. After his 2008 conviction, he was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison.


Simpson portrayed himself as a model inmate since his arrival, saying he had promised prison officials "I would be the best prisoner they have ever had here, (and) I think, for the most part, I've kept my word on that."
Recalling conversations with other inmates, specifically the many like him who are incarcerated for trying to rob others, Simpson said his case stands out -- and, because of that, he should have his prison term cut.
"The difference between all of their crimes and mine is that they were trying to steal other people's property, they were trying to steal other people's money," the pro football hall-of-famer argued. "My crime was trying to retrieve, for my family, my own property."
A Nevada jury, however, didn't see it that way. They convicted him on October 3, 2008 -- the 13th anniversary of his controversial acquittal in the 1994 killings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman.
The former Heisman Trophy winner, record-setting NFL running back and movie actor had enlisted the help of Clarence "C.J." Stewart and four others to get sports memorabilia that Simpson claimed belonged to him from dealers Bruce Fromong and Al Beardsley.
The six men confronted the dealers in a room at Las Vegas' Palace Station Hotel and Casino on September 13, 2007, brandishing weapons but not firing them.
Four of those men testified against Simpson -- each getting probation in exchange for his testimony -- while Stewart stood trial alongside him.
So does Simpson regret what he did?


On Thursday, as he did during his trial and has in subsequent appeals, he went on the defensive.
Simpson said he'd talked with his kids, his sister and his brother-in-law -- the latter two, he said, "were originally going to go with me" -- before going to the hotel. He also talked with two lawyers, one he knew and another he didn't.
"My intent was not to rob from anybody," said the onetime University of Southern California and Buffalo Bill great. "I knew both of these guys who had my stuff. I was a little upset with them, and I think I wasn't as civil as I should have been."
One mistake he admits: Bringing "some guys with me who I didn't know and one I didn't trust."
"And that's on me," Simpson said. "For that, I've been here for five years."
Tony Bommarito was one of those who didn't buy similar arguments during Simpson's trial. While Bommarito was an alternate juror, he did agree with the verdict.
Talking with CNN earlier this week before Thursday's parole board hearing, Bommarito didn't say specifically whether he thought Simpson should walk free now. But he did say the 33-year maximum sentence "seems like a lot for what he did in that scenario."
"I would have thought 10 or 15 years," Bommarito said. "(The longer sentence) made me think that ... was there some bias there, maybe? Maybe they were thinking about the old trial?"

 

[Down38st8]

In quarters, the US national debt would weigh 836,920,050,687 pounds. An aircraft carrier weighs approx 200,000 metric tonnes. Or 440,924,000 pounds..

So, in quarters, the national debit weighs about the same as 1900 aircraft carriers.

 

[Rock Strongo]

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee Brewers fan says she was asked to leave Miller Park because she had made some changes to her Ryan Braun shirt.
Karen Eidem says security tapped her on the shoulder while she was standing with friends at the ballpark Wednesday night. Eidem had changed a couple letters on the back of her Brewers shirt to make it read "Fraud" instead of "Braun" because of the slugger's recent suspension.
Security told her the modified shirt violated the fan code of conduct and that she would have to change the shirt or leave the ballpark. Eidem turned the shirt inside out and stayed for the game.
"I mean it was obviously meant as a joke, but to put me in a position where I'm the one to be perceived as doing something wrong, that kind of bothered me," said Eidem, according to WTMJ radio in Milwaukee.
According to WTMJ, the Brewers later issued a statement saying security staff should not have interfered and offered Eidem another game ticket.
"In this case, the fan absolutely should have been able to wear the jersey without any intervention by our staff," the statement read. "We welcome the opportunity for fans to express their opinions. The only circumstances that would warrant us intervening is if someone were to display a message or item that would be considered offensive to other fans. This is not a case where that line was crossed, and we're sorry for the inconvenience to her. We will reach out to Ms. Eidem to invite her to another game this year as our guest."

 

[Down38st8]

Folks, you might want to sit down for this one, because it is going to fill you with some kind of emotion. Anger. Sadness. Pity. Disbelief. You might even find yourself laughing, albeit sympathetically.
You see, Tarell Brown, a cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers, is out $2 million for failing to show up to the team's workout program.
Yes, you read that right.
From Brian McIntyre of Shutdown Corner:

Cornerback Tarell Brown had triggered a $2 million escalator to his 2013 base salary and was scheduled to earn $2.925 million in the final year of his contract. However, since Brown opted to do his offseason training at his home in Texas, instead of participating in the 49ers' workout program in Santa Clara, Calif., that escalator has voided and his base salary has returned to his original $925,000, a source with knowledge of Brown's contract details confirmed to "Shutdown Corner". Brown was also scheduled to receive a $75,000 workout bonus, but that has vanished, as well.
​

As you might have guessed, Brown has fired his agent after learning about all of the money he lost—news he first heard on Twitter, of all things, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Question...does he have a lawsuit. The question becomes is it the responsibility of the agent to read the contract to him, or at least go over all critical details to make sure he is aware of them? A $2m clause would be in my eyes a critical detail...

Could get interesting
...I know for fucking sure I'd at least look into it...

 

[Mike Oxlodge]

In quarters, the US national debt would weigh 836,920,050,687 pounds. An aircraft carrier weighs approx 200,000 metric tonnes. Or 440,924,000 pounds..

So, in quarters, the national debit weighs about the same as 1900 aircraft carriers.

Bush's fault.

 

[Down38st8]

If you were to sew a blanket together from our national debt in one dollar bills. The resulting blanket would be approx 4,233,504,430 square miles. Or, big enough to cover the earth (196,939,900 sq. miles) 21 times...

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee Brewers fan says she was asked to leave Miller Park because she had made some changes to her Ryan Braun shirt.
Karen Eidem says security tapped her on the shoulder while she was standing with friends at the ballpark Wednesday night. Eidem had changed a couple letters on the back of her Brewers shirt to make it read "Fraud" instead of "Braun" because of the slugger's recent suspension.
Security told her the modified shirt violated the fan code of conduct and that she would have to change the shirt or leave the ballpark. Eidem turned the shirt inside out and stayed for the game.
"I mean it was obviously meant as a joke, but to put me in a position where I'm the one to be perceived as doing something wrong, that kind of bothered me," said Eidem, according to WTMJ radio in Milwaukee.
According to WTMJ, the Brewers later issued a statement saying security staff should not have interfered and offered Eidem another game ticket.
"In this case, the fan absolutely should have been able to wear the jersey without any intervention by our staff," the statement read. "We welcome the opportunity for fans to express their opinions. The only circumstances that would warrant us intervening is if someone were to display a message or item that would be considered offensive to other fans. This is not a case where that line was crossed, and we're sorry for the inconvenience to her. We will reach out to Ms. Eidem to invite her to another game this year as our guest."

Sportschic, was this you? The name is not Colombian, but...

 

[Mike Oxlodge]

She had a jersey that said "Crack me up".

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

Bush's fault.

Bush was reached for comment:

 

[Down38st8]

Last one...grand finale time...

In Detroit, the city had approx 20 billion in debt shared by approx 700,000 residents. Or. approx $28,500 per resident.

In the US as a whole, the 16.38 Trillion is shared by 313 million citizens. Or...approx $53,476 for every man woman and child...or almost twice the debt to population ratio of bankrupt detroit...

 

[Down38st8]

Bush's fault.

Nope...Wilson's fault....

Party affiliation?

Democrat.

 

[b_lake]

On Life Support doesn't even get close to describing the state of this thread...

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

From the "whoa, the shit you can find on the internet" department:

 

[Down38st8]

From the "whoa, the shit you can find on the internet" department:

Is that snoop dressed as the sesame street count?

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

On Life Support doesn't even get close to describing the state of this thread...

Wheee, this thread is fun!

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

Is that snoop dressed as the sesame street count?

Yes, but possibly 'shopped.

 

[Brocktagon]

Wheee, this thread is fun!

i really like that

 

[RedSoxWorrld]

On Life Support doesn't even get close to describing the state of this thread...

i'm back.........how can I help?