unclevlad

Mmmm....well, we don't require them to be human Ungoliant, the Unlight

MCU Phase 4 is just plain cursed, I think.

Even here, how many people would even know Marvel has one?

Sauron

Next stop, US Supreme Court, but still...... https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-2024-colorado-d16dd8f354eeaf450558378c65fd79a2 It's a start!

Ozymandias (Watchmen)

Mister Mxyzptlk

Injun Joe (from Tom Sawyer) And of course, for J, we can do none other than Joker.

Ebenezer Scrooge...at the start of the book

Well, that didn't take long... Texas passes a law allowing police to arrest immigrants yesterday. El Paso County sues the state today to block it, and have the entire measure declared unconstitutional, on grounds that immigration policy is a Federal matter.

And what's one without the other... Crowley

Aziraphale

Do we DARE ask him to actually explain that one?

Yeah, there's no rule. The text offers up a "one step down" guideline. You're kinda in between steps...so maybe 2/3. Call it 250 points max. And yeah...what's the follower's role to be? Cuz a non-combat-capable character with 250 points...that's quite a bit.

Well, we all know anything Trump says, particularly at a rally of his, is factual only by coincidence.

I believe the problem there is the academic calendars. Of interest...ODU and WKY are playing. The broadcast crew brought up a disparity...WKY is letting their players in the portal, play, if they want to. ODU is not. The fact that ODU is blowing out WKY...as in 21-0 halfway through the first...may or may not be significant in that regard; believe they said WKY's top 2 QBs have opted out. BTW: wide shots like kickoffs show the attendance is VERY sparse. Even the midfield, first row of bleachers.

Steelers safety Damontae Kazee suspended w/o pay for the rest of the season and possible playoffs. ESPN reports he's previously been fined 5 times *this season.* Kazee has the right to appeal, but man...6th violation? It clearly appears the league is ready to crack down on the repeated violators, which also suggests they may start escalating punishments sooner. The Steelers have also ruled out Fitzpatrick, their other safety, so their secondary may be pretty darn threadbare for the Bengals. Oh, and they're benching Trubisky for Rudolph, assuming Pickett can't return. One can argue, well, anyone's better than Trubisky......but Rudolph's track record isn't any better. Cincy is a road favorite, but only -2.5 right now; wouldn't surprise me if this grows in the next few days.

So instead of losing a position or two in the draft order, they just leave everyone hung out to dry...players and coaches. They may be able to beat the Jets no matter what; that team's collapsing even faster. But it's Niners and Cowboys, with the Niners very likely still playing for the #1 seed, and the Cowboys potentially for the division. Combined margins of victory...perhaps 50? The lines in Vegas will probably be in the teens for both, despite the fact they're in DC.

Ahh, well, Arizona stepped up to the plate. Denver, 351 Arizona, 376 Washington, 423 So it's only 47...3+ points a game. Oh, and I see the Commanders haven't fired Rivera yet. Poor move, IMO. They did cut Cam Cheeseman, their long snapper. Might look like scapegoating? But he'd been having snap problems all season.

I've heard that several times, sure...but that was in the distant past. Like, 6 years ago. SO far back. 2 words: Transfer portal. This was brought up during the studio breaks Saturday. MANY teams have so much turnover now that the extra practice time doesn't mean nearly as much. Early outs, transfers, new signees. What matters more now is the spring practices. The number of players that entered last year was 1300...and it's consistently reported to be substantially higher. It's bad now, and if the NCAA's "only 1 free transfer" rule is struck down, as I suspect it will be, then it'll be full-on universal free agency.

So..... Today we have the only weekday, daytime bowl game before Christmas...there are games T, Th, and Friday, but they're night games. And it's the legendary Famous Toastery Bowl!!! Yeah, brilliant name, right? Well, the Bahamas Bowl...by far the lowest-paying bowl game...couldn't host the game. Stadium renovations. So they moved it to Nashville, and managed to dig up a title sponsor, because, well, ESPN has to cover costs, man. And I suspect attendance will be terrible. The game...who knows? Were it basketball...hey, something of an interesting mid-major matchup. Western Kentucky vs. ODU. In football? CBS Sports' full ranking has em at #76 and #90...out of 133 teams.

Ohhhh my....Lawrence is gonna catch heat for THAT move. Not spiking the ball with, what, 12 or so seconds, ball at the 6 or 7. Shotgun, but flares it out...the guy gets tackled in bounds. Clock runs out. Spike it, you can run a better-planned play. Very, very bad clock use. After a careless fumble stopped another drive. Missing 2 FGs doesn't help, altho the weather's a factor there. But the Jags have failed to capitalize 4 times.

Not particularly bold prediction... Ron Rivera gets fired Monday. Oh, well...ok, that's a nothingball. SI is saying they've already decided to fire him. Worst defense in the league, by a LOT. Denver's given up 351, they've given up 2nd most. With the 28 so far today, Washington's at 423...so *5* points per game worse. 72 points? Take Denver's 351, 72 points better than that would be Atlanta at 278. Denver is #31. Atlanta is #8. EDIT: ok, the report is he'll be fired at the end of the year. Well, they've been eiminated...NFL.com has updated things now. 6 teams OUT. (Arizona was obvious.) Philly is also shown as in the playoffs now...oh, I see. There's a note it's because the Niners won...which made me go...huh? It's because the Niners clinch the West. There must've been narrow routes for Seattle to take the division and the Niners in as a WC...with Philly losing out. So I'll still figure there's no reason to retain Rivera et al, so fire him, and whomever in the front office, tomorrow. Leaving this hanging is only bad for everyone.

Well, how can we have one of our own then, when none of us ever have a point?

The one really irritating aspect of having the ESPN scoreboard open, as well as watching a game, is that the game broadcasts are a good 20-30 seconds behind. So the scoreboard showed Houston kicking the game winner...as the clock runs out in OT...well before the play. And it was 54 yards, so it was no gimme. The Bears blow a 10 point 4th quarter lead, having led most of the game. Flacco manages 13 points in the 4th. Cleveland 20-17 as the Bears gotta Bear it. ESPN showed the Cowboys clinched earlier. With the Bills and Jags the only AFC playoff-relevant matchups left this week, the Jets, Chargers, and Titans, all 5-9, do not show as eliminated. UPDATED: ESPN shows Jets and Titans eliminated now, even before the afternoon games finish. So does NFL.com, if you look at the Playoff Picture tab on the Standings page. EDIT 2: HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!! And this makes their path to the division *tough*...after the Squawks tonight, it's Gnats, Cards, Gnats. It makes the route to the #1 seed even harder, as the Niners have the tie break. If Dallas is a WC, the first round will be against the AFC South, they can win that. But then it'll be Eagles, Niners on the road. They're NOT!!! a good road team. Shucky-darn, eh?