A way of cooling things down by the simple means of switching the song selection, an effort that requires a hell of a lot less work than sending out the cops.

But they should be punishing these guys. Plus, I hardly think that they'll decide, if YMCA doesn't play, to stop engaging in threatening and bigoted behavior. YMCA is merely one expression of a larger problem.

First, it is Russlan.

I only put your handle in quotes as a way of shortening it. I'm just lazy.

A way of cooling things down by the simple means of switching the song selection, an effort that requires a hell of a lot less work than sending out the cops.

But they should be punishing these guys. Plus, I hardly think that they'll decide, if YMCA doesn't play, to stop engaging in threatening and bigoted behavior. YMCA is merely one expression of a larger problem.

I think I addressed your concerns in #199. But if the Yankees are still playing that song, you can try to avoid a problem pre-emptively and confront it if that pre-emption doesn't work. There's no contradiction there, only a two-stage strategy.

Andy, my man, it has nothing to do with the handle. My name is RUSS"L"AN not Russian. It's not a big deal, it happens all the time.

Why aren't you trying to condemn? What is there that doesn't demand condemnation?

Why should I? The point of my comments was to bring a little perspective from someone who actually sits in that section. I'm just telling you what I observe in relation to the singing of the song in question.

I was under the perhaps mistaken impression that it was the Yankees' playing of the song that was starting the nasty stuff. But if in fact it's not the Yankees, but a group of homophobic fans doing it on their own, then that's another story altogether, and I'd fully support a crackdown.

The Yankees do play YMCA (it's when the grounds crew cleans up the field in the 6th inning. They have a routine they do as well). They've been playing it since at least 1996. The bleacher creatures made up their own lyrics to the song and sing it during the sixth inning (and only at this time). And I'm sure most of them wouldn't care if the song went away.

First, it is Russlan.

Shlt, I'm sorry---my bad.

Boston is such a small, boring, baseball-dominated city, that the radicalizing is quite potent. Even people who don't care about baseball quickly become Red Sox obsessed shitdouches after a few months here when they realize there is absolutely nothing else to do in the city.

Spoken like a true New Yorker. Really. This comment is exactly the reason why you ######## are treated like ######## in Boston. You and you're obnoxious ilk make your "New York is superior, Boston is inferior" comments, and then complain that Bostonians have "inferiority complexes". If it wasn't so obnoxiously boring, it would be amusing.

It must suck for you to be doing whatever it is you're doing in Boston. It's too bad you don't have the same opportunity to do it in the first class city of New York. Maybe someday you'll make it out of the minors, kid, but for now, just know your place and keep your stupid mouth shut. You're no better than anyone in Boston, and until you prove otherwise, you're better off keeping quiet. Loser.

there is absolutely nothing else to do in the city
It's not a big college town.

It's not a big college town.

Everyone knows the college kids all hide in their dorms playing with their Wiis.

Seriousyl though, "YRUGAY" is one of the most terrible things I have seen on the internet, along with the "internet World of Warcraft pwnage" thing.

I don't mind being called an asshat or an a-hole or whatever, but what if those people were actually gay? It woudl have been a hate crime.

What is there to do in one city that there isn't to do in another? Does NYC have some mystical, outstandingly attractive things that other cities sorely lack and can't obtain?

Plus, I hardly think that they'll decide, if YMCA doesn't play, to stop engaging in threatening and bigoted behavior. YMCA is merely one expression of a larger problem.

It'll take them at least 4 or 5 weeks to come up with a new slur-filled song.
The real method of confusing them is changing the "dancing" song during the 7th inning every game.
Just brief the grounds crew ahead of time ("We're going with the Macarena today.") so they won't start the wrong dance steps.

What is there to do in one city that there isn't to do in another? Does NYC have some mystical, outstandingly attractive things that other cities sorely lack and can't obtain?

Broadway show tunes?

I only put your handle in quotes as a way of shortening it. I'm just lazy.

I'm in love with the fact that "i" is a bit shorter than "l". It saves on the ink.

Andy, my man, it has nothing to do with the handle. My name is RUSS"L"AN not Russian. It's not a big deal, it happens all the time.

Wsan't tehre smee sudty taht sohewd taht poelpe olny look at tthe frsit and lsat lteerts of wdors to fgirue out waht is bieng siad?

What is there to do in one city that there isn't to do in another? Does NYC have some mystical, outstandingly attractive things that other cities sorely lack and can't obtain?

Every major city has nightclubs, bars, museums, a theater district, restaurants of every type, etc. New York, by nature of size and wealth, just has more of each of them more densely packed than in any other city I've ever been in.

That doesn't necessarily make it a better city, and has nothing to do with the quality of the people, but there is more to do in NYC than any other city because it's bigger than most cities, denser than most cities, and wealthier than most cities. I suppose it would be just as true to say that there are probably more ######## in NYC too, because there are more people.

I loved Boston when I lived near the city, I loved Pittsburgh when I was at school there, even Binghamton had stuff going on if you were willing to look for it. Baltimore is a great city, Denver is very cool, SD, SF and LA are great too. But there definitely is something special about NYC that none of these other cities seem to duplicate. I hear Tokyo is somewhat similar.

Base, why don't you just take your #### somewhere else. Nobody gives a rats ass what you have to say ya ####### dick.

I am ignoring you Base. #### off.

Every major city has nightclubs, bars, museums, a theater district, restaurants of every type, etc. New York, by nature of size and wealth, just has more of each of them more densely packed than in any other city I've ever been in.

That doesn't necessarily make it a better city, and has nothing to do with the quality of the people, but there is more to do in NYC than any other city because it's bigger than most cities, denser than most cities, and wealthier than most cities. I suppose it would be just as true to say that there are probably more ######## in NYC too, because there are more people.

I loved Boston when I lived near the city, I loved Pittsburgh when I was at school there, even Binghamton had stuff going on if you were willing to look for it. Baltimore is a great city, Denver is very cool, SD, SF and LA are great too. But there definitely is something special about NYC that none of these other cities seem to duplicate. I hear Tokyo is somewhat similar.

I'm just not sure how many of those things you necessarily need.

I live near Buffalo, which is a metropolitan area but not a big one whatsoever, and I've never run into a shortage of nightclubs, bars, museums, theaters or restaurants.

I just think that if there's that much more to do in New York City then Boston, give Boston two baseball teams, not New York. They obviously need the entertainment more, and could sustain the ticket sales more, by that logic.

I just think that if there's that much more to do in New York City then Boston, give Boston two baseball teams, not New York. They obviously need the entertainment more, and could sustain the ticket sales more, by that logic.

There's also more money in New York. It should have a third team to share the wealth of the market.

There are also more people in New York, so there needs to be more total "seats" worth of entertainment.

There's no shame in accepting that there's more to do in NYC than in smaller cities. If you were an avid theatergoer, you could see two different shows every week. If you love museums, you could go to a different one every day of the month. If you love restaurants, you could go to a different one every night and I can't imagine how long it would take to run out.

That isn't some special NYC elitism, it's simply a matter of fact. That's NYC's thing. Obviously if you're into the nation's historical sites, Boston or Washington DC is "better." If you're into incredible natural beauty, you'll have difficulty finding it under the tall buildings. Every city has its own character; New
York's is "bigger, faster, louder, more."

There's no shame in accepting that there's more to do in NYC than in smaller cities. If you were an avid theatergoer, you could see two different shows every week. If you love museums, you could go to a different one every day of the month. If you love restaurants, you could go to a different one every night and I can't imagine how long it would take to run out.

That's true, I just think that if you have a significant other, and you're in a city in this country that has more then like 500,000 people and you say there's nothing to do, you're not trying very hard.

I haven't been in a metro area in the country where I've found myself standing on the side of the street going wow, I really wish there was a 6th museum I could go to.

Okay, well, maybe Toledo has nothing to do, but other then that...

I haven't been in a metro area in the country where I've found myself standing on the side of the street going wow, I really wish there was a 6th museum I could go to.

Me either. But you can get spoiled if you get used to having a hundred choices and now you only have ten. And "trying very hard" is something you'll never need to do in NYC.

Seriously, how do you beat the Nanny? I have NEVER beaten the nanny.

Seriously, how do you beat the Nanny? I have NEVER beaten the nanny.

He's a Stonecutter, you simple peasant.

That isn't some special NYC elitism, it's simply a matter of fact. That's NYC's thing. Obviously if you're into the nation's historical sites, Boston or Washington DC is "better." If you're into incredible natural beauty, you'll have difficulty finding it under the tall buildings. Every city has its own character; New
York's is "bigger, faster, louder, more."

Maybe, but that hardly means Boston is a crappy town. The people who brag most about NYC's diversity and wealth of things to do and actively denigrate other cities for not being NYC are in my experience people not actually from NYC..they're usually from Jersey or the Island or farther out of town, go and live in Manhattan for a couple years and think they have to fit in by bigging up New York. Manhattan is another world to a lot of people from the Bronx or Brooklyn or Queens and hence they see their borough in other cities more than wannabe Manhattanites do.

There's a reason the Dirty Harry movies were set in SF.

What would be this reason? I'm from SF and the Tenderloin is pretty tame. Sunnydale is actually a little scary but it's not the Chicago projects or anything.

What would be this reason? I'm from SF and the Tenderloin is pretty tame. Sunnydale is actually a little scary but it's not the Chicago projects or anything.
Isn't Hunter's Point dicey?
I visited SF for the first time in 4 years last week (for Bay to Breakers), and it seemed to be cleared up of the aggressive panhandlers/transients problem that plagued The City during the 90s.

Hunter's Point is indeed quite dicey, by local standards. I have no idea how that compares to NYC or Detroit or DC or whatever the benchmark for urban crime is these days, but I'd tend to agree with #230. Of course, the situation may well have been very different in the 70s.

Isn't Hunter's Point dicey?
I visited SF for the first time in 4 years last week (for Bay to Breakers), and it seemed to be cleared up of the aggressive panhandlers/transients problem that plagued The City during the 90s.

Yeah, it's dicey, but Sunnydale is worse. That's the public housing complex to the west of the Stick that looks like something out Sarajevo around 1992. Hunter's Point is poor, but improving - home ownership rates out there is actually some of the highest in the city.

That said, you walk two blocks beyond Sunnydale and it's not perfect..but you won't get robbed or anything. The thing about SF is that while there are legitimately bad areas, they're really tiny, only a couple blocks in area. Hunter's Point is probably the biggest quote-unquote dicey area, but it's not really that dicey if you take some precautions and don't invite trouble.

The homeless and panhandlers are still here (though less than before), but you definitely see much less aggressive panhandling.

The homeless and panhandlers are still here (though less than before), but you definitely see much less aggressive panhandling.
That's what I meant. Back in the day, they were awful. My sister moved to SF in 98 or so, and a middle-aged native said she had never seen it so bad.
I can't recall what Mayor Newsome's strategy was, but at its debut the policy seemed to have support. (Whatever it was, it had to be better than simply handing the homeless money.) I guess it worked.

That's true, I just think that if you have a significant other, and you're in a city in this country that has more then like 500,000 people and you say there's nothing to do, you're not trying very hard.

I think people develop interests to match their options. As has been pointed out, because there are so many people and so much wealth in New York, there are a tremendous amount of world class options in whatever field strikes your interest - theater, music, restaurants, museums. If you have lived in New York city for any length of time, unless you stick your head in the sand, you tend to develop an interest in one of these things. After one has been exposed to the array of choices NYC offers, it might seem that other cities couldn't satisfy this interest you have developed.

Care Not Cash. He cut pure cash benefits and plowed it into social services. It was and is a very good idea, as a lot of the here-because-of-the-money homeless (which were a sizable minority) actually picked up and left.

Though the worst of the worst had cleared out before then. I think Brown started an anti-aggressive panhandling policy.

One of the nicest things Newsom has done is reverse Art Agnos's policy of letting the homeless camp out in the Civic Center, making the City Hall/government buildings/where da freakin' UN was founded area passable for civilians again.

a lot of the here-because-of-the-money homeless (which were a sizable minority) actually picked up and left.
Imagine that.
To essentially pay the homeless for being homeless... What the hell was the thinking behind this idea?

I loved Boston when I lived near the city, I loved Pittsburgh when I was at school there, even Binghamton had stuff going on if you were willing to look for it. Baltimore is a great city, Denver is very cool, SD, SF and LA are great too. But there definitely is something special about NYC that none of these other cities seem to duplicate. I hear Tokyo is somewhat similar.

Come a bit further south...

Sydney and Melbourne are amazing

Play your cards right and I'll let you come to Toowoomba.

:)

I don't mind being called an asshat or an a-hole or whatever, but what if those people were actually gay? It woudl have been a hate crime.

The law is truly screwed up when a victim's sexual preference is the determining factor to whether or not a crime is committed. The Youtube video is disgusting and should be an embarrassment to any respectable Yankee fan, but calling someone a "fag", "honkey", "nappy headed ho", "gringo" or "chink" isn't and shouldn't be illegal. Classless, sure, and an act that can get you tossed from Yankee Stadium, a gas station or a strip joint. But leave the law out of it.

Nice nick, Phil. Billy Hunt is one my favorite songs ever.

Watching Origin 1 (finally) right now.

To essentially pay the homeless for being homeless... What the hell was the thinking behind this idea?

It was like $250 or $300 a month. I assume the idea was that it would be a stipend for the homeless to live on, but when you have basically no overhead (they can get food from several sources, clothing from several sources, beds from several sources), it turns into play money. People were taking their benefit checks and selling them for drugs or alcohol, or using it to put gas in their cars.

One of the nicest things Newsom has done is reverse Art Agnos's policy of letting the homeless camp out in the Civic Center, making the City Hall/government buildings/where da freakin' UN was founded area passable for civilians again.

Interesting. Last time I went to SF (2000) they were very much camped out in this area. Particularly striking was the number of homeless sitting by the walkway lined with columns recording the date of each country's accession to the UN. I thought it odd that they were allowed to hang out there, though I must say we were not hassled walking about in that area.

Nice nick, Phil. Billy Hunt is one my favorite songs ever.

Watching Origin 1 (finally) right now.

I finally own every song they have ever made. Paul Weller is god, he was 19 when he wrote ALL Mod Cons. Christ, he was only 21 when he wrote 'That's Entertainment"!!!

Let me know what you think of Game One, Qld just went crazy in the second half and wiped them out

I just saw 'Zodiac' last week, and am never going to San Fran.

That nutcase is still out there!!!!

One of the nicest things Newsom has done is reverse Art Agnos's policy of letting the homeless camp out in the Civic Center, making the City Hall/government buildings/where da freakin' UN was founded area passable for civilians again.
Really? GF and I visited that area (Bay to Breakers HQ was at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium). I had no idea that was once Ground Zero for homelessness.

That wasn't even a dramatic comeback, Queensland just wiped out NSW in the second half. With an assist from Jarryd Hayne. His try to end the first half was like watching a viper strike, just brutal and clinical, but he really screwed up with that horrible pass. He was infield, all he had to do was burrow into the ground and take the six rather than try to advance NSW's position.

I thought Thurston was very dangerous every time he touched the ball and his tactical kicking was deadly. Civoniceva was very good bringing up the ball in attack. Both Queensland centres were outstanding with some really darting little runs. One thing I noticed was that the Queenslanders were very good at gaining a few extra metres through a second effort in the tackle while NSW players went down more or less as they got hit.

I thought Lockyer was a little quiet by his standards, though the distribution was essentially good. With how the halfback plays in league, Thurston is really the playmaker.

By the way, I really don't rate Willie Mason. He's a brilliant physical specimen but I just don't think he's smart enough to really play an impact in the big games. Against good teams his physical presence is lessened and he doesn't have the vision to make up for it.

Really? GF and I visited that area (Bay to Breakers HQ was at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium). I had no idea that was once Ground Zero for homelessness.

Yeah, it borders to the Tenderloin and what San Francisco calls a Skid Row to the South.

Like I said, you'll see them just wipe out NSW in the second half.

I thought Lockyer was a little quiet by his standards, though the distribution was essentially good. With how the halfback plays in league, he's really the playmaker.

This helped the broncos on the weekend, as he was able to orchestrate a 71-6 hiding of Newcastle. I was also dissapointed in young Mullins game. His kicking game was directionless and down the throat of Hunt, all night.

No arguments here about Thurston. His man of the match award, also netted me a cool $480.