Friday Open Thread - Super Bowl Rematch Issue

1. Who wins the Super Bowl and 1 short reason why?
The Pats – because Brady/Belichik don’t lose 3 times in a row to anybody.

2. Favorite Super Bowl food?
Appalachian Lasagna – corned beef gravy on top of mashed tators w/ smoked sausage on top of cheese on top of mashed tators on top of onions and bacon bits and bacon grease

3. Do you talk about Royals Review to others outside of Royals Review?
Occasionally. It always ends up awful with strange looks, but I have brought a few to the party.

4. If the Royals are .500 at the break, who is the surprise All-Star?
Salvador Perez.

5. Pick a show, sell me on why I should take the time to watch it.
The easy sell is Breaking Bad, but I will say a show on right now: Shark Tank. It explains how the economy/business works in the most entertaining way possible. Who doesn’t want to see people pitch real life zany ideas to Mark Cuban? It has that added element of seeing an item in the store and knowing the background for it, and realizing how hard it is to “make it” in the business world. Stranger than fiction for sure.

Bonus for spite: Is Albert Pujols clean?
I’ll just say that if I could bet on whether Pujols has ever taken HGH or anabolic steroids and the results would be conclusive, I would put down all the extra money I could find that he has at least done something. And I don’t really care, just sayin’ yo.

1. Patriots

They have the best QB and the best coach. I’m amazed so many have picked the Giants because they’re the hot team. They lost the Redskins late in the year! Didn’t the Pats win like ten in a row?

2. My buddy makes this buffalo wing casserole that’s really good. Look forward to it every year.

3. No. I am debating going public though, if nothing more than to promote my stuff.

4. Would Eric Hosmer be that big of a surprise?

5. Archer is hands down the funniest show on TV right now. It is hilarious at its surface level, but upon a second watching you’ll discover its chock full of obscure cultural references you missed the first time. And it pretty much has a naked lady every episode. Yea, they’re animated, but I find myself strangely attracted to Carol.

6. Yea I think so, he’s always been huge. I’m sure he does stuff that’s pretty close to the edge of legal, as most ballplayers have.

Have you ever contracted food poisoning?

Once from a Hy-Vee sandwich years ago. It smelled bad and I didn’t know any better. I was sick for 3 days.

Second time from a dirty dish from a roommate I suppose.

Third time from a Mexican restaurant in Coffeyville, KS.

Last time from McDonald’s. 12 hours of hell. I will never eat there again.

1. Patriots
2. Wings
3. Well people ask me about it because I’m on it at school always. During study hall my friend walked by and goes “Is Lorenzo Cain really the best option in CF” quoting a headline from an article
4. Frenchy
5 I got nothing
Bonus: Pujols is probably clean but who knows
Bonus: I got it from Joe’s Crab Shack….classic

1. Who wins the Super Bowl and 1 short reason why?

The Patriots. Bill Belichick has this meticulously planned out to a T. I even read that the team took a 31 minute break during practice to simulate the exact length of the halftime show.

2. Favorite Super Bowl food?

Beer aside, this is no doubt going to be a unique answer here, but when I was in college, a female friend of mine would always make puppy chow and bring it to our SB parties.. and it was quite good. However, the women also always wanted to watch the Puppy Bowl during halftime. Madonna’s on.. I don’t care.

3. Do you talk about Royals Review to others outside of Royals Review?

I talk about it to my brother, but he reads the site regularly, so I don’t know if that counts. Otherwise, I do sometimes talk about what I read here, but the specifics of the community, I don’t really bother going into.

4. If the Royals are .500 at the break, who is the surprise All-Star?

Luke Hochevar. I like your answer of Salvador Perez, too.

5. Pick a show, sell me on why I should take the time to watch it.

I honestly don’t really watch TV apart from sports. I know, I know. But sports takes up enough time as it is.

Bonus for spite: Is Albert Pujols clean?

At this point in time, I like to give every player the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. I know there’s plenty of shady stuff going on, but no use worrying about it.

Extra bonus: I’ve never had food poisoning, thankfully.

1. Giants, because they have the better defense. They will slow the Pats down enough and Manning will put up some decent numbers against their defense…by the way, this is what big-boy football looks like, Clark and Pioli.

2. Emeril’s cajun po-boys…meatballs with whole garlic inside smothered in a creamy, spicy sauce

3. I do talk about it whenever I get a chance…the content on here is awesome.

4. I’m going to say Hooch.

5. Honestly, I don’t watch a lot of TV outside of sporting events (and not even that much anymore)…Hidden City on Travel Channel is pretty good, and the Mrs. and I like American Greed on CNBC.

Bonus-he is definitely using something…what do Pujols and Mark McGwire have in common?

Extra bonus-I may have….I had a horrible stomach thing a couple of years back, not sure if it was food poisoning or the flu, but i have never thrown up that much in my life…absolutely gross.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-passan_josh_hamilton_suffers_relapse_020212

1. Who wins the Super Bowl and 1 short reason why?
Giants – Pats have no secondary and Cruz/Nicks/Manningham are a great receiving group.

2. Favorite Super Bowl food?
beer

3. Do you talk about Royals Review to others outside of Royals Review?
Hmmm…not really. I’ll bring up ideas that originated on the site, but I won’t necessarily credit the site. More of a “I read XXX” type of thing. I have copy-pasted some of the more unique columns and sent them to people. There was one that Will wrote about a minor leaguer (maybe Nick Van Stratten) and the lessons of failure in life…I thought that was just really good writing and sent it to my fatalistic wife because I thought she like it (she did).

4. If the Royals are .500 at the break, who is the surprise All-Star?
A starting pitcher. My reasons for this: our best players are probably Gordon/Hosmer, and both play at positions that are tough to be selected for all-star team. Most importantly, I don’t envision a scenario where the royals are .500 that does not involve a member of the pitching staff really stepping up, and said pitcher would likely merit all-star honors. I’ll say Sanchez – he’s semi-famous so that should help him get on the team too.

5. Pick a show, sell me on why I should take the time to watch it.
I don’t really watch tv so I can’t help you here.

Bonus for spite: Is Albert Pujols clean?
Define clean? I think it’s incredibly unlikely that he (or virtually any other player) has gone his entire career without taking something, whether it’s a stimulant, recreational drug, PED or something of that nature, or used a corked bat, lied about age, done something against the rules. This is not to indict Poo-holes, I just don’t think there’s any player in the game who isn’t ‘tainted’ in some way.

1. Who wins the Super Bowl and 1 short reason why?
Patriots – I expect them to do something bizarre on O – probably no huddle, speed it up. Gas out the 4 linemen.

2. Favorite Super Bowl food?
Nachos and beer

3. Do you talk about Royals Review to others outside of Royals Review?
Yes, but usually I will direct the conversation to a team they like because I too damn much about the Royals

4. If the Royals are .500 at the break, who is the surprise All-Star?
I will go with trusttheprocess and go with a starting pitcher. Duffy.

5. Pick a show, sell me on why I should take the time to watch it.
Does the Daily Show and Clubhouse Confidential count? The are the only things I watch religiously.

Bonus for spite: Is Albert Pujols clean? Probably

1. Who wins the Super Bowl and 1 short reason why?
Giants, I think the pass rush is gonna eat Brady up, and Hakeem Nicks is going to go off on that band aided secondary.

2. Favorite Super Bowl food?
Wings, and I’ll smoke some ribs

3. Do you talk about Royals Review to others outside of Royals Review?
Daily. I’ve converted a few, but I’m around mostly the best morans in baseball all day.

4. If the Royals are .500 at the break, who is the surprise All-Star?
I’d have to say that it’ll be either Hooch, or Sanchez. If we’re .500 at that point it’s because we’ve got the rotation performing at a high level. However, because we are the Royals it could be Frenchy or even Broxton that gets the nod kinda like Eddie Murphy did in Distinguished Gentleman. Name recognition!
5. Pick a show, sell me on why I should take the time to watch it.
I’ve really fallen hard for theNew Girl on FOX, and it’s completely rekindled my crush on Zooey, and brunettes with really big eyes. (Katy Perry I’m looking at you)
Bonus for spite: Is Albert Pujols clean?

I doubt it. I’d have a hard time thinking that he never took any HGH. Steroids? Who knows, but HGH has to have happened. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in baseball knows it and covered it up too. He’s the biggest star in the game.

1) It’s almost a tossup, so it will probably be a blowout as we know nothing. I’ll go with the Giants because of defense. I will be somewhat rooting for the Pats because of Brian Waters.

2) Pizza, homemade Nachos.

3) Sparingly. I try to save it for people who might be interested. My wife gets to hear some just because of her proximity to me if I read something that makes me want to talk. I try to find common ground with people. If someone is not interested in your passions, you generally sound like a political speech to them.

4)Greg Holland.

5) I really enjoyed “Game of Thrones” on HBO, and can’t wait for season 2. Anyone who’s never seen “The Wire” should watch the entire series from beginning to end.

Bonus: I think he is. Perhaps I am naive, but the dude is just that good. I saw him play at community college before anyone ever heard of him, and I would have drafted him right there. I wrote down his name. I saw him hit a line drive on the infield that hamstrung a shortstop-it was hit that hard. Anyone who did not draft him did not watch him.

I think it is crazy that we carry over our self righteous bitterness about the steroid era to say that anyone good and big must have done it. Some BBW have said they didn’t vote for Bagwell because of it, and everyone around him says he was clean, including those who have named others. I think it is silly to discriminate against someone because of their size and prowess. Bonds may have gotten all the hype, but a look at the list of players who for sure used PED’s also shows many people of smaller size and marginal skill. Why is no one wondering whether Chris Getz is using?

Who is the funniest?

1. The Giants, because I dislike them less

2. Wings

3. A little, to no avail. I may have recruited one person.

4. Hochevar

5. I can’t think of anything other than the major obvious ones like Mad Men, Arrested Development, Breaking Bad… I fucking Love Game of Thrones, the books are fantastic too.

Bonus for spite: So fresh and so clean clean.

1. Total toss-up in my mind. Pats’ D is better than most people give it credit for, but will still give up 20-30 points. If the Giants can hold the Pats under 20 points, Giants win. If the Pats can score 30, they win. Anywhere in between and it’ll be a great game.

2. 7 layer dip and Pizza. I usually try to hit the dip pre-game and then start advocating for a pizza order right after kick-off.

3. The knowledge seeps in, I filter it with whatever else I read and I present it as my own. Though I might forward a really great article to a few baseball-minded folks.

4. Escobar

5. The op/ed page of the New York Times (if you’re a conservative) or the Wall Street Journal (if you’re a liberal). I don’t mean to attack TV — I think TV’s great but we probably watch a little too much, so I’m not gonna advocate that you or anyone else spend another 30-60 minutes per week in front of it. Instead I’ll advocate that we all try to expand our views by taking 30 minutes out of our day to inform ourselves on how the other side views the important issues of the day. [steps down off of soapbox]

Bonus: Innocent ’til proven guilty

1) The Giants will win because I would prefer the Patriots. Who I want to win has won the game about 5 times in my life. I’m the anti-picker.
2) I save a can of Skyline Chili for the game.
3) “The first rule of RR…is nobody talks about RR”…but yes, anyone who I think is interested in a more advanced discussion on the Royals.
4) Moustakas
5) If you have Netflix, I highly rec “Jekyll”, with James Nesbitt in the lead. BBC. It’s a modernized take, extremely well-acted and written, dark, funny at times, and Nesbitt is amazing as Jekyll/Hyde. And it’s only 6 episodes long, so it won’t kill your week/month watching it.

1. I’m picking the Giants because I’ve talked up Eli his entire career.

2. Not a fan of "game’ food besides pizza, I’ll just make something random.

3. No, haven’t found any Royals fans to mention it to up here in Connecticut.

4. Edwin Carl.

5. I watch a lot of sports. The only show I remember to watch if I’m home is Parks and Rec.

1. Pat’s….defense is better than advertised. Bellicheck best coach in NFL history.
2. Salami and Keebler’s flipfuckingsides.
3. Badger my wife over particularly clever bits, game chat hilarity, antiquarian book stores, taco bell memes, sometimes talk research on here with baseball nerd friends. But otherwise, it’s my dark shameful secret. Along with fucking a rare breed of belgian rabbit that is known for its velvety coat, and hearty adaptation to Nebraskan winters.
4. Lee Judge
5. Saxondale. Steve Coogan is a verbose comedy genius with a hatred of humanity. Bug Killer. Former Rock andRoll Roadie. Anger Management group meetings at the library. Get it on Netflix instawatch. What’s not to love?
6. Gots to be clean, right? With the testing implemented over the past couple of seasons, and the monster contract, I’m assuming the Angels would have been all up in that shit before they started shoveling the cash.

If you could pick any act for next year’s halftime show, who would you go with?

And I know the chances are slim to none, but I think a Guns n Roses reunion (not the current pastiche of Axl and a bunch of random guys) would be awesome.

1. Who wins the Super Bowl and 1 short reason why?

Don’t care but I guess Patriots because fuck Eli Manning.

2. Favorite Super Bowl food?

I don’t really care that much about this either. Cocktail wieners.

3. Do you talk about Royals Review to others outside of Royals Review?

Yes.

4. If the Royals are .500 at the break, who is the surprise All-Star?

The two (I’m assuming that surprise All-Star assumes two) would be Gordon and Hosmer.

5. Pick a show, sell me on why I should take the time to watch it.

Justified. It’s the only show that I have to watch as soon as it airs.

Bonus for spite: Is Albert Pujols clean?

I hope so, but I am leaning toward no.

-OMD

1. Who wins the Super Bowl and 1 short reason why?
Patriots—just because. I absolutely hate this matchup and am therefore glad that I am currently in a continent where American football is weird and unimportant.

2. Favorite Super Bowl food?
Cheese balls. Homemade cheese balls are fantastic.

3. Do you talk about Royals Review to others outside of Royals Review?
Once I was writing a post and had to explain to my girlfriend what I was doing.

4. If the Royals are .500 at the break, who is the surprise All-Star?
I think Gordon and Soria will get in. For the surprise? Crow…as a starter. I can see a similar sort of deal happen that happened last year—hot start, regression 2nd half.

5. Pick a show, sell me on why I should take the time to watch it.
Fringe. In my opinion, the best show on television. Fantastic acting, fascinating stories (both in short and long arcs). And it’s Sci-Fi.

If I want rosters from 2011, do I need to do it manually (or buy Madden 2012) or can I find roster updates that will apply to Madden 2010? A lot of forums seem to have ZIP files of 2011 rosters, but I don’t know if they’re compatible with Madden 2010.