Erik Lambert

Apt comments (to the degree that I am knowledgeable).

Taking into your account your appraisal about Belichick--how he reinvents the team from year to year--will this not be a time, when he will miss Matt Light and, perhaps, Richard Seymour?

Ha! Ha!

What a laugh!

The Ravens have, very likely, been studying the Giants' blitz playbook, against the Pats, a few years back--the SuperBowl strategy that derailed Tom Terrific, as I recall.

Not to mention their own effective pass rush, I believe....

They're going to take Brady out of his game.

But if Ridley, Woodhead and Vereen can compensate for it--which I doubt--then maybe your prediction will be more likely.

I'll bet Welker will fail as a slot receiver this time, around....

Gentleman's bet on the Conference Finals?

Of course, I think you'll take the same team that I'm predicting will win:

The Ravens.

27-24?

I read carefully what you wrote about the McCaskys with serious interest--even though I'm not a football guy.

Belicheck(sp?), it seems to me, emphasizes offense or defense--depending on whom he acquires and keeps.

It has always been difficult for me to figure out how he does it. To me, it's uncanny--but it may be because I do not know enough about football.

Not to mention the array of injuries that his top guys sustain--each and every year.

I can readily understand your analysis about Stern.

It's how I feel about Ainge:

Players were thrown his way. [i.e. friends with McHale; Allen knew that if he came, KG would come....etc].

And so, like Stern, now that the glitter has been stripped away, we're stuck with looking straight at [what should be] Ainge's brittle hold on his job.

I remember, well, the incident.

But that doesn't mean the league should make a judgement ONLY about punishment, based on a melee in the crowd--if, indeed, something else was going on.

I contend, strongly, that the `something else going on' was Humphries's `sucker-push' on KG's shoulder.

If a defender pushes down a player--after the player has driven to the basket; and now the player's back is to the basketball and is up in the air and off balance--that's when that player is most vulnerable to an injury.....because he can't break his fall easily.

If you fall forward, you can break your fall more readily, by putting your hands out, first, in front of you--in order to protect yourself from potential injury or potential serious injury.

Humphries knew God-damned well that Garnett was in a physically vulnerable position.

That's why it was regarded as `malicious' by Rondo--and it should have been regarded that way, by anyone who saw the replays--ESPECIALLY David Stern.

It might be Keith....I get the Carridine brothers mixed up. Same with the Quaids.

As far as the `retaliation suspension' is concerned, I fully understand that.

But Stern has the foul, on tape, from many angles. He could see that, not only was it deliberate--but it was a foul that LITERALLY could have paralyzed KG.

It can only mean that, absent of a harsh penalty--equivalent to or greater than Rondo's punishment--the NBA, by DEFAULT, condones such on-court belligerence.

I simply don't see how Stern can get away with it.

Where is government oversight in something like this?

I'm not necessarily for government intervention as a general policy--but if pro sports cannot police themselves, then who's going to?

Leslie Ann Warren, David Carridine, and one of my all-time favorites--Genevieve Bujold.

First off, I've been in love with Bujold for years.

Secondly, what's a' mattahhh!? My recommendation isn't enough for you, ya gotta ask questions? [JUST TEASING]

Don't think Avery would have given the go-ahead to Humphries--because he and Doc are buddies.

I think that it was sleaze-ball Humphries's own concoction.

You may recall how critical I can be of Rondo?

In this case, HE DID THE RIGHT THING. And any other teammate would have done the same thing.

Thing of it is, Ainge and Doc agree--but they can't say it in public.

What does it say about a league that suspends a third-man-in player--and yet IT DOESN'T SUSPEND THE GUY WHO COMMITTED A FLAGRANT FOUL THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CAREER-ENDING INJURY?

What does it say about the NBA?

It's unbelievable to me.

It's listed, of course, in Imdb and you can download it, I should think, on Netflix. Or, Amazon, I believe, now does film downloads.

Not sure what it is you're looking for when you ask me for a link.

As you know, Google will get you all kinds of referrals to the film.

"Choose Me" takes some getting used to.

But it has that kind of offbeat feel to it that "Slings & Arrows" does--although they are vastly different stories.

For my money (including the 5 bucks I lost to you), it's a great piece of edgy and wry satire.