60 minutes of hope

The best part of today's game was Tech thinking they'd finally gotten another win for almost 60 minutes. For almost 60 minutes they had something they haven't had in five years: Hope.

Glorious, joyful hope. After all, they had a 20 point lead in the first half. They had a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter. They had the ball with over 4 minutes to play with a chance to drive and play for a win.

Hope.

Hope is a fleeting thing. It is ephemeral. Like the first glimpse of a stunningly beautiful mountain. Especially when you play for overtime. It becomes fleeting.

We gave them hope. Far more hope than they've had in five years. And we snatched it away with the backup quarterback.

Delicious.
TD

Off to North Avenue

I'm reminded of one of Lewis Grizzard's greatest bits:

Man: I'm looking for Tech tickets.
Tech ticket office: How many do you need?
Man: What time does the game start?
Tech ticket office: What time can you be here?

For the record, I'll be there way before 3:30.
TD

3 Questions: Georgia Tech

1. Hutson Mason, right? Future is now, y'all. I hope all of you that were ready to bench Murray 'to get ready for next year' are happy. Nothing against Mason, but damn. Hutson, you are our only hope. 
2. Is this a game for the defense to shine? Isn't Tech still one of the top teams in the nation running the ball? [checks Tech's website/sees Paul Johnson still coaching/assumes they run for 350+yards per game]. But they rely more on ball control than running. They are second in the nation in time of possession. While that can be a double edged sword, we've shown a maddening propensity to allow teams to just move methodically down the field on us like the pecks of a thousand swallows. Or something. We need stops. Not five yard stops, but Stops. In the back field. We need Johnson thinking he has to throw some early. 
3. Because when Vad Lee has to throw, Tech loses.  Lee has thrown more than 20 times three times this season, all losses. More importantly, his passer rating goes down steadily into the forth quarter. He's most effective in the 2nd quarter, as that is after they've established that maddening leg crippling cut back blocking led dive play. If we put the game in Vad Lee's hands, we are doing something right.

Tech is going to score points because [fill in with some snark about Georgia's defense in 2013]. The key is UGA scoring points at a clip that makes the Delicate Genius feel like he's got to get creative, combined with slowing their offense enough to give him fear of running out of time to give Mark Bradley a stiffy.

TD

Annnddd we're back

After a week on Royal Caribbean, I'm back and ready to take on some bees. Nothing against Royal Caribbean, but if you have cruising dollars, spend them on Carnival. I've sailed both multiple times, and Carnival's customer service and approach is better.  We had great service at dinner, but that is the only place the service, or desire to make sure we were being served, really shined.

Oh, Belize is fantastic. Really, really top notch experience zip lining in the rain forest. Didn't see/hear howler monkeys, which was a let down. Also, we spent a day snorkeling in Arricifes de Cozumel National Park with Hernan Bacelis Fuentes on the Alba. This isn't a paid advertisement, so if you are there look him up. He's as good as they get. We took the kids on their first snorkel and his divemaster stayed with three kids for an hour in the water. Good times.

TD

club liga inggris

We have all heard about Think Tanks and yet few of us know much about them or what they do. In fact, generally one has to wonder what they think about anyway. Recently, someone asked me what the Online Think Tank is thinking about and working on. The answer is almost as intriguing as the question, because it always changes.
Since I happen to run the Online Think Tank, I told the gentleman and potential team member what I was thinking about and then what was slated on the agenda in the next week. Below is a short list of two items I was thinking on the day he contacted me:
1.) The American Indians used horses and moved on foot, but they also had to cross-terrain and vegetation areas that would make things difficult. In addition, they needed water to carry with them. What modern advances could we provide someone like that now that would not require fuel, self-operated, transportable and self-powered, but strong to take a beating? Why? Well for exploration, search and rescue, military, etc.
2.) I am planning a bike ride across America for Juvenile Diabetes to raise money, but many parts of the country are absolutely dangerous due to automobiles, so I am considering driving it first and finding better routes, there is very little data in many places of where is the safest to ride. If we want "thin" Americans, we need more bicycle lanes "Everywhere" and keep folks from being run over. Yes, some states are excellent, many are not.
Well those were my thoughts the day he contacted our Online Think Tank, but those have changed by now. Below are the items that were on the agenda 3-weeks ago and in reading this, maybe you should contact us if you have been thinking here and/or have other interesting ideas.
1.) The Geo-political Implications of; Using CIA to overthrow Hugo Chavez; Going into Northern Pakistan to get Al Qaeda; Stopping the Coca Plant in Bolivia funded by Venezuela; Calling N. Korea on their shell game. i.e. where are the other nuclear weapons plants?
2.) Electo-magnet and ELF weather creation - making clouds
3.) Smaller Automobiles and Public Perception of safety
4.) Redesigning speedometer/odometer and making a combo airspeed indicator for PAVs. Also (Tachometer Scheme for warranties of PAVs).
5.) Why Whole Foods Market needs to merge to provide economies of scale to lower costs and compete with healthier foods.
6.) Human Gill device implants, rescue swimmers, Navy Seals.
7.) AUV Paravane strategies for autonomous underwater surveillance of ports
8.) Electronic Attack Proof UAVs
9.) Beached Sea Mammal rescue system
10.) Robotic Farming in Africa to prevent humans getting ringworm
11.) How to get rid of all world religion
12.) How dishonest it is for a company to sell Tea with Ginseng and then on the back it says High Fructose Corn Syrup as the first ingredient.
13.) How any building that was completed in 2007 has irrelevant energy efficiency numbers due to the new materials discovered since June of 2006?
14.) How much trash humans throw out on hiking trails, dumping junk and not caring about it?
15.) Why drivers do not pick up hitchhikers due to fear.
16.) Why the Catholic Church is allowed to operate in the US after all the child molestations.
17.) Why someone needs to build a website with all sorts of "Community Plans" for locals to download.
18.) Why so many liberals and Sierra Club types work in Washington DC and continue to use all that paper cutting down trees?
19.) Why copying what everyone else has done in the past and relying on their data quells the forward progression of innovation
20.) Builders always build to make a profit not the most energy efficient, unless they will be holding the property long-term themselves.
21.) Why peace in the Middle East might be a pipe dream and why the probability for total disaster is much more likely then ever attaining long-term peace.
22.) That the biggest secret of all is there is NO Secret at all. i.e. secret societies, organizations and religions, its all BS.
Well this are a few of thoughts I was thinking on and 20 plus thoughts that were on the agenda and I even ended up writing a few articles on these subjects. Tell me your thoughts, where do you want to think today, with the Online Think Tank?

liverpool

You'll Never Walk Alone
Liverpool FC is ranked as the most successful soccer team ever in the English League with an unparalleled record in domestic and European competition. However the history of the club is
marked by sadness as much as it is by celebration.
The Early Years
Bizarrely, this incredibly successful soccer team was born as the result of a rent dispute! Anfield - the home of
Liverpool FC - was originally the home ground of Everton. When they (Everton) won the English Football League Championship in 1891, Anfield owner John Houlding tried to increase their rent substantially. When Everton refused to pay, and no agreement was reached, the club decamped to a new ground at Goodison
Park, leaving only three players behind.
Determined to see soccer remain at Anfield, Houlding recruited 13 professional players from Scotland and created the first Liverpool FC side.
The club was unable to secure election to the league until 1893, when they joined the second division. Ending their first season with an unbeaten record, they were promoted to
division one, and have never been lower than the second division again in their entire history.
Liverpool won their first Football League championship in 1901, and their second only a few years later in 1906. That same year, a significant expansion of Anfield took lace with the
construction of a massive cinder bank behind the home goal. This bank - named "the kop" after a British defeat in the Boer War where many Liverpuddlian soldiers died - is the sentimental home of every Liverpool fan.
It wasn't until 1914 that Liverpool played in their first FA Cup final, and it was 1921/2 before they won it - though they did then go on to win it again the next year!
Famous Managers
Most great soccer teams are defined in terms of their great players, and of course Liverpool has had its fair share of stars over the years. But it is managers more than anyone else who have defined the different eras of Liverpool's history - starting with perhaps the most famous of them all; Bill Shankly.
Shankly joined Liverpool as manager in 1959 when Liverpool were languishing in the second division. Although he had no real experience of managing big teams, it was Shankly who firmly set
Liverpool on the path to success and established the management and training systems that served subsequent managers well for the next 30 years or more.
The changing fortunes of Liverpool - and Shankly's personal charisma - resulted in the club fielding the greatest players of the time, including Emlyn Hughes, Kevin Keegan, Ian St John,
John Toshack and Roger Hunt.
Shankly took Liverpool back into the first division in 1962, the season in which Roger Hunt scored a record (to this day) 41 league goals. First division championships and FA Cup victories
followed through the 1960s and 70s, and then came Liverpool's first European trophy (the UEFA Cup) in 1973.
In 1974, Shankly's shock retirement resulted in the promotion of his assistant, Bob Paisley, and the beginning of a new chapter in Liverpool history. This continuity of management
may well be one of the secrets of Liverpool's success, as two of Paisley's player signings - Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness - later became managers of the team.
If Shankly is remembered as the manager that turned Liverpool around, Paisley is the manager who made it all pay and the record he established for winning soccer trophies was unbroken for twenty years after his retirement.
His record in nine years of management:

• 6 Football League Championships
• 3 European Cups
• 1 UEFA Cup
• 3 League Cups (successive years)
• 1 European Super Cup
• 3 Charity Shields

In the 1982/3 season, Liverpool won both the Football League Championship and the League Cup for the second consecutive year. Following this victory, Bob Paisley retired, handing over to Joe Fagan - another internal promotion to manager at Anfield.Fagan only stayed for two seasons, but they were spectacularly successful seasons, winning the League Championship for the third consecutive year as well as Liverpool's fourth
European Cup. As well as the established squad that remained from the Shankly years, Fagan was able to field players such as Ian Rush, Alan Hansen and goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.
The end of Fagan's managerial career was also the first of two great tragedies in Liverpool's history, when crowd violence led to 39 Juventus fans being crushed by a falling wall at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. The occasion was the 1985
European Cup final - what should have been another great night for the club turned to disaster.
The resulting six-year ban from European soccer meant that new player-manager Kenny Dalglish had to focus only on domestic competition - which he did with great success. In 1986, Liverpool were only the fifth team to achieve the double of FA Cup and League Championship - a particularly satisfying season for them as they beat local rivals Everton into second place in both competitions. A dip in form the following year led Dalglish to inject new talent in the form of Peter Beardsley, John Barnes and John Aldridge to the attacking unit, and a return to former glories followed.
The 1988/9 season saw the second great tragedy in Liverpool's history, this time in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Playing Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough stadium, crowd control
problems resulted in 96 Liverpool fans being crushed to death, and over 700 more injured.
The end of Liverpool's ban from European competition ended in 1991, and with it came the departure of Kenny Dalglish. His replacement - Graeme Souness - was yet another manager to be
promoted through the ranks at Liverpool. Although home-grown players like Robbie Fowler and Jamie Rednapp were making names for themselves, Souness followed the trend of the day and invested heavily in new players from outside - a strategy
that did not prove successful and Souness was gone by 1994.
Souness was replaced by the last of the internally-promoted Liverpool managers - Roy Evans. While Evans tinkered with the squad, Liverpool still relied heavily on veterans like Ian
Rush to score goals, although newcomer Robbie Fowler made an impact with a 29-goal season.
The brightest playing talent from this period came in the form of the young Michael Owen who played regular first-team soccer from the age of 18.

manchester city

Who Will Manchester City Purchase This January (12/3/08)

Manchester City clearly is going to show the financial strength of its owners, the Abu Dhabi Group, this January. In fact the owners even came out by saying that they want to acquire one world-class superstar during the next transfer period. However the question is who do they realistically have a chance getting? Clearly guys like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kaka are not going to be lured over no matter what price offered. Here I am going to analyze some of their rumored targets.

Many rumors have been coming linking Manchester City with forwards. Lukas Podolski seemed like he was on his way out from Bayern Munich and headed towards Manchester City until tonight when Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated that Podolski was staying at least until the end of the season. David Villa's name has come up once again even though he has a contract at Valencia until 2014. The reason for these rumors is the serious financial situation taking place at Valencia which might end up forcing them to sell their prized forward if the price is high enough. Ricardo Oliveira of Real Zaragoza was linked with Manchester City last week but although he is a very talented forward, I just don't see him as a big name forward that Mark Hughes would like to bring in. Luis Fabiano has been unhappy at Sevilla and even left practice due to a quarrel with the head coach. Manchester City seems interested in Fabiano and is supposedly planning to bid £20million for the forward who scored 24 goals last season in La Liga. The last forward being linked is in my opinion Mark Hughes' favorite. This is Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz who stayed with Blackburn this summer despite great interest from other clubs. However the rumor is that he is unhappy at Blackburn and is going to request a transfer. Unless I see a statement saying that this rumor is false then I seriously think Roque Santa Cruz is the man for Manchester City. Chelsea this summer supposedly bid £40million for the Paraguay international but was turned down. However with Chelsea not interested in signing anyone, I see Manchester City being able to offer a lower price due to less competition.

Defenders and goalkeeper are also being linked with moves to Manchester City in January. City has been linked with only two goalkeepers but they are two of the best in the world. Juventus' Gianluigi Buffon was supposedly offered a large bid and contract that he turned down. The same goes for Iker Casillas whom Manchester City supposedly bid £129million for. Wayne Bridge has drawn interest from Mark Hughes but Chelsea doesn't seem intent on selling him. The rumor is they were so angry that City stole Robinho from under their noses that they didn't want to deal their defender to them. Michael Turner of Hull City was linked with Manchester City however I don't see Hull making any major changes especially since they have performed above expectations this season after being promoted. Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure was linked with City but I don't see Arsenal selling any of their defenders especially since at times, due to injuries and off-field incidents, they were forced to use Djourou and Silvestre at the center of the defense. Fabio Grosso is an interesting name being linked with Manchester City today as City are supposedly planning on bidding EUR7 million for the Olympique Lyonnais defender. Of all these names I see Grosso being the most realistic but even then I don't think it will happen. As for midfielders the only name that was linked with Manchester City was Lassana Diarra but his sprained ankle has been a bump in the road. If he gets back from injury quickly and continues playing at a high quality, then I see Manchester City making a serious push for him.

After naming all these players that were linked with Manchester City, I see two realistic choices. I see Roque Santa Cruz finally moving towards Manchester City and I see Lassana Diarra joining if he can get healthy quickly. The main obstacles for these two players are whether their managers are willing to sell them. If they are willing, then these two are as good as signed.

Football and limiting rules

In breaking down and defending the infield fly rule, I rely on the concept of limiting rules--special rules designed to recalibrate cost-benefit disparities that appear if some plays are left to the game's ordinary rules. I identify four features that, when present, show the need for limiting rules. I also discuss situations in which the absence of one or more feature shows that a limiting rule is not necessary. In a work-in-progress (hopefully forthcoming), I apply this model to football, focusing on several plays from the last two Super Bowls to consider situations that do or do not call for limiting rules.

But on Slate's Hang Up and Listen Podcast (go to around the 51:00 mark), Josh Levin identifies a play that exposes another hole in the rules that might justify a limiting rule. A defensive team trailing in the final minutes commits a penalty on a play on which the offense had gotten a first down; the penalty stopped the clock, even though the clock would have continued to run without the penalty.  In other words, it functionally gave the trailing defensive team a free timeout, forcing the offense to run more plays in order to run out the clock. This, Levin argues, incentivizes teams to intentionally take penalties to stop the clock and give themselves extra, an idea discussed on Football Commentary almost a decade ago. This arose with 2:14 remaining in last Thursday's Saints-Falcons game (the trailing Falcons committed defensive holding on a play) and arguably gave the Falcons a chance to get the ball back one final time (although they did not score) and still lost.


This seems like a game situation in which a limiting rule is warranted, as it is defined by all four features: 1) the play produces a significantly inequitable cost-benefit disparity, as the trailing defensive team can stop the clock and give itself more time to get the ball back, to the detriment of the leading offensive team, which receives no benefit from the play; 2) the defense entirely controls the play, as the offense can do nothing to stop an intentional penalty or the clock from stopping, even by declining the penalty; 3) the cost-benefit disparity arises because the defense intentionally commits a penalty, something teams do not want to do under ordinary rules and practices and something that rulemakers probably do not want them doing; and 4) the opportunity to gain those advantages incentivizes the defense to make this move regularly.

In fact, the NFL recognized this gap iand tried to stop it with a limiting rule. The problem seems to be that the limiting rule has not gone far enough.

This play sits at the intersection of three rules.
     1) Under Rule 4-3-2(f), when the clock is stopped following a foul by either team, the clock starts as if no foul had occurred. So if the clock would have kept running but for the foul, the clock starts as soon as the ball is ready; if the clock would have stopped but for the foul, it starts on the next snap.
     2) But Rule 4-3-2(f) contains three exceptions: The clock starts on the snap when the foul occurs in the last two minutes of the first half, last five minutes of the second half, and when a specific rule prescribes otherwise.  R. 4-3-2(f)(1), (2), (3). 4-3-2(f)(2) covered the Saints-Falcons game.
     3) Finally, there is a specific rule prescribing otherwise:  Rule 4-7-1 prohibits teams from "conserving time" by committing certain acts, including "any other intentional foul that causes the clock to stop." R. 4-7-1(f). The penalty for this act is a 10-second run-off and the clock starts when the ball is ready.

Rule 4-7-1 is a limiting rule. It closes a gap in the rules by imposing the outcome that would have resulted on the play--clock runs, including the ten seconds it would have taken for the ball to be spotted--and putting us in the same place as if the had not been called. By imposing that outcome, the limiting rule eliminates any incentive to commit intentional penalties and thus to act in a way contrary to the game's expectation. The problem is that the limiting rule does not go far enough--it is limited to the final minute of each half, so it does not reach intentional fouls that occur with slightly more time remaining, even if those time-conservation incentives are as present. That seems to have been the case in the Saints-Falcons game. The rule also does not address unintentional fouls, meaning a trailing team might gain that significant cost-benefit advantage, even if only accidentally.

The answer is to expand the limiting rules. Perhaps Rule 4-7-1 should be extended to the final three minutes (at least of the second half), when a leading team is already in time-wasting mode and the trailing team is in time-conserving mode. The increasing sophistication with which NFL coaches understand and strategize those final minutes--discussed weekly on advanced metrics sites--suggests teams have an incentive to begin doing this earlier than the one-minute mark.

Better still, eliminate the exceptions in Rule 4-3-2(f) for the final five minutes of the game.  Instead, the clock always should start for the next play as if no foul had occurred on the previous play; if the clock would have continued running, it should keep running (as would have happened in the Saints-Falcons game). Rule 4-7-1 then could perform the narrower function of disincentivizing intentional fouls by imposing an additional cost--a 10-second run-off-- for any intentional fouls committed to stop the clock. In either case, the trailing team would no longer receive (intentionally or unintentionally) the equivalent of a time-out by committing a penalty, thereby presumably removing the incentive to commit the intentional foul.

This is a fun question, because it illustrates how rules collide. Although Levin says in his commentary that he spoke with people from the NFL and they did not see this as a big problem. My best guess on that is two fold. First R. 4-3-2(f)(1) and (2) probably were designed to create more excitement in close games, by allowing the clock to stop more, allowing for more plays, and, perhaps, more comebacks. That purpose has now run into possible gamesmanship in taking penalties, but the league may consider the balance between excitement and gamesmanship properly struck.

NHL Concussion Litigation

Will Leeman et al v. NHL threaten the NHL? My take for SI.com.

Freakonomics and sports rules

The new Freakonomics podcast discusses "spontaneous order," illustrating it with discussion of the rules and enforcement regime of ultimate frisbee, which is played (even competitively) without officials. Fun discussion.

Update on the San Jose v. MLB Lawsuit

Following the release of the district court's opinion in the San Jose v. Major League Baseball lawsuit last month, many assumed that the city would seek an immediate, interlocutory appeal.  (For earlier Sports Law Blog coverage of San Jose's suit and the ongoing dispute regarding the proposed relocation of the Oakland A's, click here.)  As Howard Wasserman noted at the time, though, it was unclear whether San Jose could in fact immediately appeal the decision.  Because the court's opinion was largely premised on baseball's well-established antitrust exemption, Judge Whyte's decision did not present a "substantial ground for difference of opinion" as required under 28 U.S.C. 1292(b), and as a result it did not appear that San Jose could immediately pursue an interlocutory appeal in the case.  Indeed, nearly than a month and a half later the lawsuit is still pending in the Northern District of California.

However, Judge Whyte has signaled that he may be willing to allow the city to appeal the decision shortly.  In a hearing scheduled for December 13th, the judge has asked the parties to be prepared to discuss two primary issues: (1) whether the court should retain supplemental jurisdiction of the remaining state law claims in light of the fact that the federal claim in the case was dismissed, and (2) whether a final judgment should be entered with regards to the previously dismissed claims pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(b), a provision that allows courts to enter final judgment in a case once some, but not all, of the claims in the suit have been resolved.  Under Rule 54(b), the court must determine that there is "no just reason for delay" in entering final judgment for the dismissed claims. 

Presumably, San Jose will seek to persuade the court to retain jurisdiction over the remaining state law claims -- so that it can begin to pursue discovery in the case in an attempt to obtain some leverage over MLB -- while at the same time urging Judge Whyte to enter a final judgment on the dismissed claims so that the city can appeal them to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Meanwhile, MLB will likely contend that the court should not retain supplemental jurisdiction over the remaining state law claims, but instead dismiss them outright.  However, should the court opt to retain jurisdiction over the state law claims, I would expect MLB to argue that it should then refrain from issuing a final judgment under Rule 54(b), in hopes of avoiding the prospect of simultaneously litigating the case on two separate tracks.

Assuming the court decides to enter a final judgment -- either under Rule 54(b), or following the dismissal of the remaining state law claims -- San Jose's immediate prospects on appeal do not appear to be particularly strong, given that the Ninth Circuit has previously affirmed the dismissal of a suit raising similar franchise location issues under baseball's antitrust immunity.  Portland Baseball Club, Inc. v. Kuhn, 491 F.2d 1101 (9th Cir. 1974).  Nevertheless, a pending appeal would continue to give the city some leverage over MLB in any negotiations regarding the A's proposed move to San Jose.  Perhaps more importantly, pursuing an immediate appeal would also expedite the city's timetable for a potential Supreme Court appeal.  The prospect of the Supreme Court reconsidering baseball's prized antitrust immunity would undoubtedly be a significant cause for concern for MLB, and could finally convince the league to approve the A's relocation.

celebrities tattoos

 

You may not have a great opinion about celebrities, their life style, their I.Q. - but I think nobody can deny the most beautiful tattoos are inked on their bodies. Maybe it's easier (and much more pleasant) for a tattoo artist to draw a nice tattoo designs on Angelina Jolie or Megan Fox' back than on mine. Or maybe those tattoos are not a bit better than mine, they just look better because of their wonderful backgrounds such as Megan Fox shoulders or Britney Spears lower back. Anyhow, I have just noticed that we all know a lot about celebrity tattoos and their wonderful design, but we usually know nothing about the artists. Who did them? Who created such wonderful (sometimes horrible or just funny) tattoo designs?

The most famous and most successful among tattoo artists nowadays is known as Mr. Cartoon. Mark Machado (this is his real name) is a Mexican American tattoo and graffiti artist based in Los Angeles. He has become one of the most sought after tattoo artists on the planet. He is the creator of some of the most beautiful tattoo designs you can admire on some of our favourite Stars: Eminem, Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé, just to name the most famous ones. But he is not just a tattooist. You can also recognize his style in some works used by Nike, Toyota and the videogame Grand Theft Auto. He has also written comic-books and graphic novels and created a brand called Joker to sell T-shirts and baseball caps with his tattoo designs style.

Another well known artist at the moment is Kat von D. I don't know if she is better known for her art or her appearance, but she has also worked for many celebrities like Kirk Hammett (Metallica), the Green Day and Jenna Jameson (who has a nice tattoo on her back explaining why she does what she does for a living: "I was born to do it").

Louis Molloy is another one of celebrities' favourite tattoo artists. He did the most of David Beckham Body-art works, drawing some of the most amazing religious tattoo designs on his back. I also heard an interesting rumour about Molloy copyright claims on David Beckham's tattoos. But that is another story.

Do you like Rihanna's new gun tattoo designs? Or the "Shhh!!!" tattoo on her finger? Well there's a tattoo studio in New York called BangBang which could help you getting similar tattoo designs.

The last Celebrity Tattoo Artist I would like to talk about is Kevin Quinn. Not only because I love his style but also because he was the one who inked my all favourite Hollywood Star, Julia Roberts. She wears a little tattoo on her lower back with the names of her kids. Kevin Quinn's tattoo designs are also to be seen on some of the best Rock Bands of all times - like Guns n' Roses for example - and some Pop music stars like Mel C.

These are the most famous tattoo artist around at the moment. You may think it is easy to get nice tattoo designs if you can afford to pay the best tattooist on the market, but it is not always that easy. Money does not always guarantee you the best result of a tattoo session. Megan Fox, for example, did once get an awful tribal tattoo design on her wrist. She says her tattooist was drunk that day.

 

3 questions: Kentucky

1. Will we play sharp? For some reason, the Kentucky game has represented all that the part of the fan base that wants Richt gone points to. We have looked uninspired, sloppy, and unprepared, leaning on the talent gap to pull away late (and in some cases not at all) for the past several seasons, it seems like. We have a double whammy with the Auburn loss and how we lost last week hanging over the program. I'm not concerned about losing to Kentucky. I'm concerned about not showing up because we are not interested in not getting beat.
2. How bad is Kentucky? Well, I don't think they are worse than Arkansas. They've played some decent teams close (think Louisville). That talent gap I talked about is huge here. It got bigger with those suspensions.
3. Will we be able to work on some stuff for Tech? Honestly, I want us to jump out to a big lead and allow Murray and the rest of the seniors to walk off the field to applause. More importantly, I want Murray and company to get some serious reps getting used to each other. Winning the next two games and whatever pre-NYD bowl we play in is important to me and them. Winning and getting right for Tech is a huge part of that.

TD

Stone UGAs at Stone Mascots

In the interests of getting things ready for the holidays, I'll present a few things here and there as possible gift ideas. The first is a stone UGA from Stone Mascots. This thing is substantial.

I've got a cast concrete one (like you can find all over), but the stone UGA is an official University of Georgia product, weighs more and is sharper.

Check the picture:

It stands 14 inches tall. I did get one for letting y'all know about Stone Mascots, so as soon as I get back and get it out of the box, I'll post a few pictures.

TD

RIP: Michael Weiner

One of the advantages of being actively engaged in the "sports law" community is the benefit of meeting some tremendously intelligent and charismatic individuals.  Our society lost one of those people yesterday when Michael Weiner finally succumbed to brain cancer.

Weiner, the MLB players' union executive director, took over in December of 2009 following the departure of Donald Fehr.  A fierce labor attorney, Weiner displayed the ability to advocate for the players while swiftly earning the respect of the owners, Commissioner Bud Selig and all involved in the business of baseball.

Many of us were lucky enough to have met Michael, serving on a panel at a law school conference or shaking his hand at the annual Sports Law Association's conference.  For those of you who didn't have the benefit of meeting or hearing Michael speak, spend some time researching what he accomplished over his all too short tenure with the union.  And when first pitch comes around this spring, please don't forget to tip your cap....

The dollar is strong, the dollar is weak

The dollar is strong, the dollar is weak; the dollar is strong, the dollar is weak; the dollar is... ad nauseum. Over the past few years the Dollar is continually given the appearance of being volatile when it is not; volatility in all investment markets is replacing stability, because stability is less profitable for Wall Street. Volatility induces more trades that result in more fees, commissions, and opportunities for brokerage firms to remove the contributions of investors to pay the wages and expenses of Wall Street, rather than increase the value of stocks, bonds, and commodities. So the Dollar must also be made to appear to be volatile as well, to continue a charade of strength that over any period of time greater than one year shows that the Dollar is continually weakening; and has, with one exception, been weakening for the past 100 years; the gross manipulation of the dollar to destroy equity, during the great depression, being the exception; today it requires $98.00 to buy what $2.00 would buy in 1914, such is the strength of the Dollar on its relentless march to zero. The Dollar may be temporarily stronger relative to a few other currencies, but our ever increasing massive debt load belies any Dollar strength.

If the world economy were an enormous weight being lifted by a multitude of cranes representing various currencies, the corners would be lifted by the U. S. Dollar, the Euro, the Yen, and the Yuan. It is true that currencies and cranes start out with a given strength which declines with age; money inflates and iron fatigues; to continue the analogy, if the Euro crane begins to weaken and buckle, the fact that the other cranes are still holding the world economy weight up, does not mean that they have gotten stronger; and with the Euro currency headed down the path of devaluation by inflation does not make the Dollar, Yen, or Yuan stronger relative to any economic relationship except a direct exchange for Euros; every other economic relationship is unchanged except trade with the Euro countries, whose imports from other economies will decline.

Yet there is an almost weekly cycle of the Dollar being weak relative to stocks, bonds, and commodities for a few days and then the Dollar is suddenly strong relative to these markets. The Dollar is not strong one day and weak the next except for a purpose; and that purpose is extracting dollars out of the investment accounts of individuals and businesses that are market chasers, buying and selling behind the curve and losing wealth in the process. It costs billions and billions every year to pay the wages and profits to operate Wall Street; a lot of that money comes from the monthly contributions of 401Ks and IRAs and daily market chasers. When the inflow of these contributions ceases, or drops below the amount needed to fund Wall Street, the whole thing will collapse suddenly and totally; and just as occurred in 1929 the wealthy insiders and specially informed elite will remove themselves from these markets before the collapse, preserving themselves at the expense of the controlled ignorance and naiveté of the middle class, whose 401K and IRA investments (like all their other federal and local taxes) are spent and gone.

profile real madrid

They are not only the most successful club in the world but also the richest in the world according to the latest survey done by the money league which publish their research results annually. Yes, its true that Real Madrid are the richest club by income for the season 2006-2007 probably for the season 2007-2008 too but the results are not completed yet.

So what makes Real Madrid not only the richest club in the world but more significantly, the most successful as well.Well the statistics don't lie and more often then not speak for themselves. For any club to be successful, only two titles could and should be given credit, The league and the Champions League,the rest are mere formalities as you all know (it does not take much to beat Sao Paulo in a cup final) so I am going to ignore the minor trophies here, lets have a look at most of the major football clubs track records against the Madrid Galacticos.

Manchester United have won only two Champions league trophy, one was way back when it was known as the European cup and the other in 1999,they have 16 league titles.

* Barcelona have also won two champions league trophies and 18 league titles

* Liverpool have won the competition FIVE times and they have 18 league titles

* Inter Milan have 2 champions league titles and 15 league titles

* Ac milan have 7 champions league titles and 17 league titles

There are some other major clubs as well but they have just started to grow so lets just ignore them for a moment.

Finally, Real Madrid has won 9 champions league titles and 30 league titles. Now I have listed all the great clubs of Europe above, not even a single club can match or come close to the records set by the Spanish powerhouse. Thus proving what I stated earlier that real Madrid is the undisputed champion of champions.

Real Madrid is the only team that holds the Cup in property, having won the title five consecutive times.

Carvell asks some good questions

Like why didn't anyone that covers the number one football team in the nation catch that the strength and condition coach tied to Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix's suspension is no longer employed by Alabama.

@Bama_Dynasty So the #Bama strength coach who got in #NCAA trouble w/Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is no longer employed at UA & no one has reported it?
— Michael Carvell (@RecruitingAJC) November 21, 2013

He does back off a bit, but still, he's onto something:

If true, how could something like happen around #Bama, the No. 1 team in college football, and be totally missed by media?
— Michael Carvell (@RecruitingAJC) November 21, 2013

Of course, he also works for the AJC, who completely missed a multiple month NCAA investigation going on at Georgia Tech.

TD