BeemerBoy

Pens new arena deal will keep team in Pittsburgh!!

I'm in. I'll join when I get home. I may be using the incredibly scientific dartboard method for my selections this year.

MS is a disease. AIDS is a disease. Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a disease. Alcoholism is a weakness. You're not born or inflicted with alcoholism. That's my rant.

One of the winning lottery tickets was bought at the gas station across the street from where I work. I stop in there several times a week, yet have never bought a ticket there. Oh well.

Getting to a vending machine and realizing one of your coins is Canadian, and won't be accepted. Stupid Canada!

Yeah, who do they think they are? It's not like they swooped in, developed an undesired central Florida swampland into one of the world's most traveled to tourist destinations or anything. Geez, the nerve of them. Same goes for SoCal. I'd lean towards Disney's arguments on this one.

My thougths....they're crap. No, I haven't ridden either since the changes, and no, I don't need to. This is one instance where povs are perfectly suitable. Seriously folks, think of who we're dealing with here. Anybody who thinks the imagineering minds who thought up this garbage deserve some slack must be smokin' something. I expect this level of "theming" and creativity from Uncle Bernie's......NOT Disney. Note: also funny how nobody has claimed these Imagineers as friends yet.

Well, I think we've covered the whole Pixar thing by now, but I'll just add one quick thing. Pixar is indeed GREAT. I absolutely love most of their work, and as someone said, they actually bring more to a Disney animated feature than Disney can anymore *cough* Lion King 14, *cough* Jungle Book 9 - Bagheera Strikes Back....straight to DVD. Regarding the original intention of the thread, it's Pixar-related rides/attractions that are simply misplaced. Purists are simply tired of seeing some old classics get madeover with an uninspired infusion of Pixar characters. The Toy Stories, Monsters Inc., etc. were brilliant movies; not only for the kids, but for adults as well. I'm certainly not opposed to seeing Pixar rides at some point in the parks, but where they're ending up just doesn't make enough sense to me. Here's my solution...as far as WDW goes. Mickey's Toontown Fair = garbage. Close it, and make it the new "PixarLand," if you will. Mickey can still reside there with some of his close classic character friends, but if you're gonna call it "Toontown," then why not include the new wave of toons? Oh, and since they already destroyed a classic by closing and filling in 20K, then use that parcel of land too.

It certainly appears that Disney, in general, has thrown in the towel when it comes to keeping Tomorrowland.....well, "Tomorrowy." I know the Disney lovers sometimes take crap for our continued Pixar ride/attraction bashing, but this attraction vindicates our stance. Is there any way I could right click and move Space Mountain, and the WEDWAY PeopleMover somewhere worthy of existing? As much as I hate to say it, *cringes*, perhaps the name Tomorrowland should be retired. Animationland is becoming a HUGE letdown.

^I'll second that. Stick with one team, kids. Heck, mine hasn't won the Cup since I've been alive, but I still love 'em. GO B's!!

Amen. Dude, great pics! By chance, did you get Amber from a greyhound rescue organization? Just curious. And you said you took shots of Griffon? I didn't see anything. Perhaps it blended right into the sky?

Truer words have never been spoken. And I'm pulling for this Crosby kid more than ever, simply because he may be the only hope Pittsburgh has of keeping the Pens.

HULK.

^ You've really got a thing with birds lately, huh Chuck? Truthfully, yeah, it's often a pretty overlooked attraction that had alot of significance.

Hmm, interesting choice. Although I wouldn't necessarily consider it worthy of a spot on the list, it's definitely a possible honorable mention. It really made me think of If You Had Wings at WDW. Excellent point. Although, I'd say they sparked the popularity of IMAX, which in turn led to Spiderman, Soarin', etc. Either way, nice pick.

^ While I agree with most of what you posted, I truly feel that the biggest mistake the league ever made was trying to compete with the other "Big 3" sports on the same level. The NHL, and hockey in general, will ALWAYS be a niche sport compared to football, baseball, and basketball. For starters, it doesn't translate well to television. Secondly, it's expensive both to play and to attend an NHL game. While the southern cities which received teams initially will support them, the attention will undoubtedly turn to other avenues if their teams don't continue to produce Cup-worthy teams. That was never the case in northern hockey towns. Before expansion watered down the talent pool, and long-established teams including the original 6 moved into new buildings, sellouts were the norm for most popular northern cities and Canadian teams.....regardless of their record. Sure, there were some exceptions, but for the most part, it was a hardcore regional thing that thrived on the "small market" viewership from Hockey Night in Canada, ESPN, etc. In comes Satan (Bettman) from the NBA, and immediately he thinks he can bring the marketable NBA mentality to professional hockey. What followed was cities stealing teams from Canada, glowing pucks, horrid "alternate" sweaters, cheerleaders (yes, Tampa started that crap), T-shirts being launched into the stands to stimulate families, and escalating ticket prices. Naturally, that lead to agents and players demanding more, labor disputes, a tainted half-season Cup victory for New Jersey, and the ultimate crime of one whole season lost to greed. If the league had just stayed in their element, and not tried to think they'd be as big a draw nationally as the "Big 3," then I'd still be looking forward to watching several games a week on ESPN with their great coverage. Thanks again, Gary.

^Not to mention if Satan, er, Gary Bettman were to add another God-awful expansion team to, say, Buttcrack, Arkansas or some other non-traditional hockey town, then there would also be an expansion draft to further confuse things. But here's hoping that never happens again. Scott "Is my bitterness towards my once-favorite league apparent?" B.

Luckily, we didn't encounter these viscious beasts you speak of on our drive through. It does look as though I'll have to keep a closer eye on my beloved chocolate covered bananas next time I'm at WDW. Again, great TR Chuck. Scott "Pebble Beach " B.

You know Joe, this is one of those instances where enthusiasts can be just a bit too critical, IMHO. I'll admit that when I rode Hulk again back in October, there was a noticable "slight shake" to it that wasn't there in the past. But regardless, it wasn't rough by any means. For a park that operates 365 days a year, sees 5 million+ visitors, and a coaster that never takes a day off, I'd say it's still in great shape and deserves some slack from the "B&M shake" talk. I'm probably asking way too much though. As far as the talk of mag breaks, they've never bothered me in any instance. I guess whenever I reach the end of any coaster, I instinctively brace for what *could* be a sudden stop. That way, I'm prepared for the worst. Scott "a B&M, or Intamin shake is what Vekoma would call silky smooth" B.

On the bright side, I still love your avatar. Always makes me laugh for some reason.

Okay, I just watched the video. Meh. In all honesty, the puck tricks were nothing spectacular. The kick was interesting, but that's about it. I'm kind of fond of a little more. Scott "he'll always be a puss to me" B.

EDIT: Oops, Ted was quicker on the trigger.

The funniest thing was learning that Walter Bolliger admitted to a fellow member in here on media day that they screwed that ending up. Proof that nobody's perfect.

Great report, Chuck! Pics of WDW never get old. And I don't know what it is, but watching a first timer experience "the world" is always enjoyable, whether they're 5 or 75 years old.

Ditto. Very nice!