Hercules

That is very fair. I like that explanation a lot better. Thank you. I just think that once you get into the second round of the playoffs, all of the teams are good. So just because you win 65 games during the course of the regular season, there really isn't that much seperating your team from a team that won, say, 53 games like Houston did. Sure, 12 games over a 82 game schedule is a lot in comparison to 12 games over the course of a 162 game long MLB season. However, round 2 is a lot more evenly matched than round 1, and the west finals is a very well matched series. If Denver wins, it wasn't a matter of the Lakers playing down to their opponent - it will be a fact that the Nuggets were just plain a better team.

I helped to moderate Joe's site when it was up for the short time that it was, and even with the low traffic, it was pretty tough. I think he and I were the main ones (and I believe Larry and someone else had access to the mod boards?), and I have to say, moderating the boards when there are spammers, and adding content to the site took up a lot of time. I think I added like 1,200 coasters to the index, and I think it ate up half of my summer. So yeah, I can see how moderating a site that gets thousands and thousands of hits a day can be pretty tough, and it certainly isn't just something where you come up with something witty, and lock a thread just to be a dick. This site is great. Stop your complaining. Robb and Elissa let you post here FOR FREE, while it costs a ton of money to keep the site up and going. I think they have put the site into the hands of a lot of great people, and they are doing a very good job. I'm not sucking up, but if you think that I am, then go ahead and think that - your opinion doesn't really matter to me. Keep up the good work everyone, and thank you to everyone who contributes good content to the site. Jay "The mods are just holding me down!!!!!" Willis

I hate the "play down to competition" remark. Maybe they just aren't as good as you think they are.

Are you calling Robb fat?

WHAT!? No mention of the kettle corn? Larry, you disappoint me.

When I was up visiting my mother for Mother's Day, I took her over to Jersey to a decent pizza joint that we like. When I was there, I saw a Williams machine that was the exact machine that my dad had for about a year at the bowling alley - Bad Cats. It wasn't a great machine, but it was definitely kind of funny. Double M Vending sure hasn't taken very good care of the machine, as it looked very ratty. Here is an idea of the machine: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=127

And just because other people are doing it to their Dodge, doesn't mean it looks good, or cool and you should follow their lead.

Right. So there will still be 15 year old, and dads taking 3 hours out of their day at the park to gawk at the pictures that are on the screen, it is just that none of them will actually be printed.

^ Eh. I'm just saying that DVD's and CD's might not be random crap to some people, as they may be just as passionate about movies or music as Matt is about roller coasters. I was just trying to make a point off of what he had said earlier.

Isn't spending $1,500 on a coaster trip the equivalent of spending $1,500 on so-called misc. crap?

I still have my car from high school...... Wait, my 4th car from high school. Yeah, I had some bad luck with cars back in the day. But my '98 Chevy Lumina is still chugging along at 180,000 miles strong, faded hood, dented rear bumper, rusted door and all.

^ I think there is a huge difference between "credits" and actual coaster count. But I guess that is just me.

I saw a kid driving around a 1999 Ford Windstar the other day with spinning rims. This thread kind of reminds me of that.

^ No. Flames. Definitely flames. I hear Sahara Sam's offers a damn good salary and benefits package these days.

Wow. I was really hoping to see Duke Nuke'em Forever by the time I was 90.

It really all just depends on what you want to do. I know a person that counts new paint, new restraints, even just a new name as a new credit (he was pissed that he didn't get to ride Hellcat as Puma because, well it didn't open as Puma at any point - yes, he counts Tsunami, J2 and Hellcat as 3 credits). Personally, I don't really give a &$^# about a my credit count, or anyone else's. I'm just in this to have some fun and make friends along the way.

^ Those were put in to prevent any more idiots from getting their heads ripped off.

Oh Larry and his spinning suspended....... Anyway, this is something that I have been wondering for a little bit. The invert and the flyer have been done with success on the unconventional side of the track. Now I am wondering, what about a stand-up invert? I'm not thinking of anything too extreme, just maybe a lower speed ride with some twists and turns. There would have to be a way to work a restraint system and come up with a car design that would give enough support to the legs and body for something like that, right?

This is kind of taking me back to the Mets-Braves series' of the late 90's.

^^ Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta - yup, I read that one yesterday. Did you know that she was a stripper back in the day?

A solid 45%.

The Florida Legislature just voted unanimously to ensure that theme-park blueprints on file with government agencies remain confidential. The measure, approved by a 40-0 vote minutes ago in the Florida Senate, continues a five-year-old public-records exemption for building plans, blueprints, schematic drawings and diagrams that depict certain attractions or recreation facilities, entertainment or resort complexes, industrial complexes, retail and service developments, office developments or hotels or motels. The "entertainment or resort complex" category is designed to cover the big parks: Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Check out the definition of the category in the law: "A theme park comprised of at least 25 acres of land with permanent exhibitions and a variety of recreational activities, which has at least 1 million visitors annually who pay admission fees thereto, together with any lodging, dining and recreational facilities adjacent to, contiguous to, or in close proximity to the theme park, as long as the owners or operators of the theme park, or a parent or related company or subsidiary thereof, has an equity interest in the lodging, dining or recreational facilities or is in privity therewith." ("Close proximity" means within five-mile radius of the theme park.) Boosters say the public-records exemption helps protect the parks and other high-profile or high-traffic businesses from acts of terrorism. The bill (HB 7017) passed the Florida House of Representatives earlier this week by a 114-0 vote. It now heads to the governor, who will no doubt sign it into law. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2009/04/legislature-votes-to-keep-themepark-blueprints-confidential.html

I have been working with Schlitterbahn Kansas City on a project over the past couple of days, and while searching for a little bit of current news and some background information about the company overall, I did find this: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/30/0430flubiz.html I know I have been joking around, and throwing around some of my personal views, but I thought I would post something serious and relevant to the industry.

I get that, but there isn't any freakin' deception! They tell you about the charge before check out. So, you either agree to the charge, or, click that little "x" that you see at the top right the screen. However, if you do agree to the charge, you just saved yourself $10 and that "long" wait in line at the park.