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$12,300,000 Hiroki Kuroda
$10,000,000 Derek Lowe
$9,500,000 Brad Penny
$7,000,000 Esteban Loaiza
*$500,000 Chad Billingsley
Total: $39,300,000

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$2,000,000 Takashi Saito
$1,925,000 Joe Beimel
$1,125,000 Scott Proctor
*$500,000 Jonathan Broxton
$500,000 Chan Ho Park
*$400,000 Hong-Chih Kuo
Total: $6,450,000

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$14,100,000 Andruw Jones
$13,000,000 Rafael Furcal
$9,000,000 Jeff Kent
$8,500,000 Nomar Garciaparra
$8,000,000 Juan Pierre
$500,000 Russell Martin
*$400,000 James Loney
*$400,000 Matt Kemp
Total: $53,900,000

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$875,000 Gary Bennett
$600,000 Mark Sweeney
$424,500 Andre Ethier
$391,000 Delwyn Young
$390,000 Chin-Lung Hu
$390,000 Blake DeWitt
Total: $3,071,000

Disabled List
$12,000,000 Jason Schmidt
*$400,000 Tony Abreu
*$390,000 Andy LaRoche
Total: $12,790,000

Also Paying ...
$1,000,000 Brett Tomko
$750,000 Odalis Perez
$540,000 Yhency Brazoban
$500,000 Randy Wolf
$487,500 Jason Repko
$135,225 Rudy Seanez
$100,000 Mike Lieberthal
$50,000 Ramon Martinez
Total: $3,562,725

Working total: *$113,268,725

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Where Would You Like To Go That You Haven't Been Before?
2007-12-29 17:47
by Jon Weisman

Something random to talk about on the last weekend of the year, while I watch the New York Giants' epic quest to reach 11-5.

1) Ireland

Advertisement
Comments (306)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2007-12-29 17:57:49
1.   Sam DC
2) Driving tour of the Civil Rights sites in the US South (Greensboro, Selma, Mongtgomery, Memphis . . .)
2007-12-29 18:01:04
2.   Jon Weisman
I didn't mean you had to put 2). I was just saying Ireland was my first choice :)
2007-12-29 18:01:46
3.   Sam DC
3) I'd really love to go to McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica. Don't have a plan quite worked out for that yet, though.
2007-12-29 18:05:52
4.   Sam DC
Oops -- it's actually Amundson-Scott RS that I'd like to visit -- South Pole Station.

http://tinyurl.com/2kqlbl

2007-12-29 18:09:43
5.   Who Is Karim Garcia
4) Whatever happened to the "Mars" candybar?
2007-12-29 18:11:14
6.   Bob Timmermann
Vienna (but I'll be there in three weeks)
2007-12-29 18:23:19
7.   wireroom
I want to go to the Island of Rhodes because that is where my grandparents were from. Over the years, the island has been part of Turkey, Greece and Italy depending on which empire has ruled the land. Right now, it is part of Greece.
Apparently I was told that if I go and tell the inhabitants my last name is Capilouto, I will be treated like a king. My cousin is a LAPD and some guy stopped him one day when he saw his name on his badge and told him that people on Rhodes would love to know that Capilouto's still exist. Most were killed by the Nazi's during WWII, so I guess we are at a premium. So that is where I want to go.
2007-12-29 18:29:44
8.   Gen3Blue
Was that island ever spelled Rhoads. Just wondering?
2007-12-29 18:30:39
9.   Marty
China. I'd like 8 weeks to see as many of the provinces I could.

7 My sister was in Rhodes this year and loved it.

2007-12-29 18:31:34
10.   fanerman
I need to go to Europe sometime.
2007-12-29 18:39:22
11.   Rob M
I'm having an epic standoff in my head between Brazil and London.
2007-12-29 18:40:17
12.   wireroom
8 I believe it has several different spelling's depending on the language being spoken. In Turkish it is Rodos, Italian it is Rodi and Greek it is Rhodhos. So Rhoads may be another version. I am not sure.

7 She was there on a vacation?

2007-12-29 18:41:56
13.   wireroom
9 sorry I meant to refer that question to posting number 9.
2007-12-29 18:47:14
14.   Daniel Zappala
Scotland. London. Venice.
2007-12-29 18:47:24
15.   Marty
Yes, her and her husband went to Athens, Crete and Rhodes.
2007-12-29 18:47:44
16.   Indiana Jon
Fenway Park - been to Yankee Stadium, Wrigley, old Comiskey, Tiger Stadium, several of the old parks, but never Fenway. I came real close in 2004, when I had tickets to see the Dodgers play there, but ended up in Afghanistan instead.
2007-12-29 18:50:57
17.   Bob Timmermann
16
I hate when that happens!
2007-12-29 18:51:52
18.   Bob Timmermann
The Alamo Bowl chat on The Griddle has been at a very low level tonight.
2007-12-29 18:52:05
19.   Indiana Jon
17 At least it doesn't happen often, for me anyway.
2007-12-29 19:00:22
20.   Sam DC
Do NFL teams even try to block punts?

It doesn't really look like it, and if they're not going to actually try, why have those two guys sort of half rush the kicker? Why not have them better involved in blocking for the run?

2007-12-29 19:01:31
21.   Bob Timmermann
In the CBS Sportsline boxscore for the UC: Los Angeles v. Davis basketball game, one player for UC Davis is listed as shooting 4 of 69 for the game and Josh Shipp getting 52 rebounds.

I guess I should have paid more attention.

2007-12-29 19:03:11
22.   Bob Timmermann
20
The Bears blocked two punts against the Packers last week and pressured the punter into one bad punt and also made him fumble.
2007-12-29 19:03:28
23.   KG16
my list is rather long, since I've not really left North America for anything other than Hawaii, but...

1 - Havana
2 - Britain - England and Wales, mainly
3 - Spain
4 - Japan
5 - Australia
6 - Rio
7 - Italy

I'm sure if I thought about it some more, I could think of a few other places.

2007-12-29 19:07:47
24.   DXMachina
Wrigley Field. I've driven by it in March, but never attended a game there. My first choice would actually be the moon, but that seems unlikely.
2007-12-29 19:11:46
25.   Sam DC
22 Yes, but were they trying to do that?
2007-12-29 19:12:13
26.   MC Safety
Prague would be nice.
2007-12-29 19:13:49
27.   Bob Timmermann
25
Presumably the Bears were trying to block the kicks. Since the weather was so bad, they wanted to go for the field position edge.

I would guess that a lot of NFL teams would rather set up a return.

2007-12-29 19:16:35
28.   FirstMohican
Venezuela

24 - http://www.gozerog.com/

Substantially cheaper, and probably safer, than going to the moon. =)

I'd probably just get a trampoline.

2007-12-29 19:16:42
29.   Bob Timmermann
There have been 12 blocked punts in the NFL this year. There have been 16 punts returned for TDs.
2007-12-29 19:17:07
30.   Sam DC
I could speak more intelligently on this subject if I actually watched football, I'll admit.
2007-12-29 19:19:43
31.   joejoejoe
Napier, New Zealand.

The city was destroyed in an earthquake in the 1931 and was rebuilt almost entirely in the Art Deco style of the times. It's like a living museum of Art Deco architecture.

2007-12-29 19:20:51
32.   Bob Timmermann
30
I'll send Joe Gibbs to your house to give you some pointers. Daniel Snyder said it was OK.
2007-12-29 19:21:24
33.   Indiana Jon
Other places I would like to visit:
Texas Stadium (new or old)
Grand Canyon
Mt. Rushmore
Key West
Beerfest
Paris
Amsterdam
Maria Sharapova's bedroom
2007-12-29 19:26:31
34.   wireroom
I want to visit Mayberry circa 1952 and get a shave at Floyd's. I wouldn't mind running into Thelma Lou and maybe dropping a fishing pole into the pond that Andy and Opie went to often.
2007-12-29 19:27:12
35.   Sam DC
Had never heard of Napier, New Z. Cool.

I need to add Easter Island to my list.

And a train ride through Copper Canyon.

2007-12-29 19:30:21
36.   underdog
Random: Got a ride back from Sta Barbara to SF today so I spent part of it writing up most of my best films of 07 list (which itself also seems kind of random). As expected, Good Luck Chuck is #1.

In a parallel universe where I've been lobotomized, that is.
---
I knew the Giants would give the Pats a good game. We'll see if they can hold on for dear life here.

2007-12-29 19:31:51
37.   Bob Timmermann
34
So you want to see Mayberry BEFORE Andy Taylor became sheriff? I don't think Opie was alive in 1952.
2007-12-29 19:39:39
38.   wireroom
34 shoot, I wrote 1952. I meant 1962. Yeah I want to see Mayberry during Andy's reign as Sheriff.
2007-12-29 19:40:29
39.   Sam DC
I'm just wondering how you get the fish out if you've dropped your fishing pole into the water.
2007-12-29 19:41:16
40.   wireroom
but then again, do they ever specifically say what decade the show takes place in?
2007-12-29 19:43:12
41.   wireroom
39 it's one of those bait lines they use to catch catfish, hehe.
2007-12-29 19:43:43
42.   Bob Timmermann
Presumably, the show took place concurrently with the time it was aired. Although Mayberry was a city in the South that had no civil rights issues. Or even any black residents that I recall.
2007-12-29 19:44:31
43.   larry slimfast
i would like to go to game 7 of the world series.
2007-12-29 19:47:09
44.   Bob Timmermann
43
You know the last Game 7 of the World Series didn't happen too far from L.A.
2007-12-29 19:49:05
45.   Bluebleeder87
1) Distrito Federal (for the Aztec pyramids)

2) Salamanca, Spain (I can't think of a reason why I wanna go there except that "The Charro" is said to have there origins from that part of spain)

3) China
4) Egypt
5) France
6) Rome, Italy
7) Greece

ps I have a lot of traveling to do when I retire.

2007-12-29 19:50:24
46.   wireroom
I think the premise of the show is just recalling something that never really was, but that which would be ideal. I would assume with Andy Taylor's well rounded morals, he would have treated black residents with the same respect as the white residents of Mayberry. But television studios back then probably wouldn't have allowed Andy Griffith to touch on issues such as civil rights with a ten foot pole on his show.
2007-12-29 19:53:08
47.   Daniel Zappala
Is it OK that I'm rooting for the Patriots? I know Boston is becoming insufferable with all their success in major sports, and I know I shouldn't root for a team with Randy Moss on it, but ... the Patriots are a good team, and being undefeated would be an historic accomplishment.

I just got a chance to sit down finally and catch the last half of the fourth.

2007-12-29 19:54:08
48.   D4P
Is it OK that I'm rooting for the Patriots?

No.

the Patriots are a good team

Bandwagoner...!

2007-12-29 19:55:47
49.   Bob Timmermann
Is it OK that I'm rooting for the Patriots?

Yes.

the Patriots are a good team

You are a wise man, Daniel.

2007-12-29 19:57:09
50.   Daniel Zappala
According to MLBTR, the Rockies have Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, Jason Hirsh, Ubaldo Jimenez, Franklin Morales, Taylor Buchholz, Kip Wells and Mark Redman as potential starters. Are they all being considered for the rotation, or are Wells and Redman signed as bullpen arms?
Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2007-12-29 19:58:56
51.   Daniel Zappala
48 I should clarify that I'm rooting for them in this game. I'm not a bandwagoner by any stretch. I'm still oddly, crazily, a Rams fan, even though I've moved from CA to OR and UT and they are in MO.
2007-12-29 19:59:32
52.   Daniel Zappala
I always have difficulty remembering the abbreviations for states starting with an "M".
2007-12-29 20:00:26
53.   Dave
China -- particularly The Great Wall, but I'd like to see as much of it as possible.

One of the things I enjoy most when I travel is public art. For anyone else so inclined, one of my favorites is in LA, the Watts Towers...well, favorite after Dodger Stadium anyway. If you live near there or visit and have never visited the towers, I recommend you take the time to see them. However, do get a map and reverse directions. It is near a neighborhood where I wouldn't want to spend much time lost and looking for the way out.

2007-12-29 20:02:48
54.   Sam DC
Dick Cavett has a blog.

http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/

2007-12-29 20:03:35
55.   Bob Timmermann
Michigan won the "MI" battle.
2007-12-29 20:04:09
56.   Bumsrap
Switzerland
2007-12-29 20:04:58
57.   Gen3Blue
42 Miss Krump; I love youuu!--your my motha figure

Earnest tay--Earnest tay? You gotta stop throwing stones at the scholl teachers house.

2007-12-29 20:05:34
58.   Sam DC
I am steeling myself for howls of outrage at how the refs gave this game to New England.
2007-12-29 20:07:18
59.   Bob Timmermann
I just thought that the Patriots were a lot better than the Giants.
2007-12-29 20:08:21
60.   Sushirabbit
Sweden
2007-12-29 20:10:36
61.   larry slimfast
44 ahhhh, but i live in nashville. i'm waiting for a special occasion. does anyone know if you can buy a game 7 ticket in advance and can you get a refund if it doesn't happen? i guess most scalpers don't give a refund. is "scalpers" a politically correct term anymore?
2007-12-29 20:10:51
62.   Sam DC
59 I don't expect the howls to come from the likes of you.

But that pass interference call, plus the perfsonal foul against Toomer that started out being called the other way should provide enough fodder for America's seekers of football justice.

2007-12-29 20:11:01
63.   Marty
53 I was there about 4 years ago, it is a terrific site. Is the scaffolding down now?
2007-12-29 20:12:38
64.   Bob Timmermann
61
The home team for a potential Game 7 sells the tickets way in advance. You just have to hope the game is played. If it isn't, you get a refund if you bought it through Ticketmaster or Stubhub.

If you buy it from some guy, you are out of luck.

2007-12-29 20:13:35
65.   Sam DC
My first three dates with my wife, who I met a few days after she'd moved to LA: Watts Towers, Day at Exposition Park/Grand Central Market, show at the Whiskey.
2007-12-29 20:17:51
66.   Jason in Canada
Places I would love to go...

- Cooperstown

- Greece

- Italy

- England

- Prague

2007-12-29 20:24:00
67.   Daniel Zappala
55 I thought maybe the residents spelled their state Mossouri.

Doesn't the whole undefeated thing and being on a par with the '72 Dolphins have to wait until the Patriots win the Super Bowl?

2007-12-29 20:25:20
68.   Indiana Jon
53 Interesting. Until tonight I had never heard of the Watts Towers. I'm always learning on this site.
2007-12-29 20:26:52
69.   Bob Timmermann
67
Yes, the Patriots have to go 19-0. Or else Nick Buoniconti will cry.
2007-12-29 20:30:52
70.   Jason in Canada
Or else the Pats are just the 01' Mariners.
2007-12-29 20:32:21
71.   Sam DC
A song for Bob.

http://tinyurl.com/ywd79v

Pasadena, Catholics, Vin Scully, and a determined, practical, inscrutable dad all show up.

And though the singer is sitting down, he looks tall.

2007-12-29 20:34:49
72.   Sushirabbit
69, because Jake Scott doesn't cry.

How many of us Nashvillians are regulars here? Twerp, me, and at least one other, I think.

2007-12-29 20:35:09
73.   D4P
Hypothetical question:

If a team gets caught cheating, which punishment actually compensates the team that was cheated against:

1. Forfeiture of the game
2. Fine paid to league

2007-12-29 20:38:47
74.   Kevin Lewis
Greece

65
That is awesome.

From the last thread, get the macbook, check out the prices on amazon for the tv, and my mom got over $400 in Starbucks gift cards. Basically, if you get her any other gift card, you are on her list for a few months.

2007-12-29 20:39:09
75.   Gen3Blue
The Patriots have been so awful for the last five weeks I can't believe they went undefeated and broke the records for TD passes and receptions.

I think they are so burnt out from this they may not go anywhere in the play-offs.

2007-12-29 20:47:32
76.   scareduck
65 - my first date with my wife wasn't exactly a date. My mother was enrolled at CSU Long Beach as a music major, as was Helen. Mom extended an open invitation to her for Thanksgiving; Helen set out for Phoenix to meet with family friends, but after spending one hour going one mile on the 91 (this was somewhere around Fullerton), she decided to turn around and take up my mother on her invitation. And so lousy traffic ended up bagging me a wife.
2007-12-29 20:48:41
77.   scareduck
As far as where I would like to go that I haven't been before...

1) Canada
2) UK
3) Ireland
4) Australia
5) New Zealand

Those sensing a pattern here are correct, for my wife has no desire to go to any country where they don't speak English.

2007-12-29 20:52:55
78.   Xeifrank
53. Make sure you bring a mask or some really good anti-biotics along with you. I worry about the Dodger players getting sick over there and how they can ever have the Olympics played in that crud they call air. Other than that, it's the best place I've ever travelled to by far. Will be there Sep/Oct-2008 (3rd visit). The history there is just incredible. vr, Xei
2007-12-29 20:53:13
79.   Daniel Zappala
76 That is a great story.
77 If she sticks to places like Germany, France, and northern Italy, she'll be fine. I'd hate to miss what's there just because only 1 out of every 2 people speaks English.
2007-12-29 20:54:01
80.   Bob Timmermann
71
It's a good song. The singer is probably about 6'1" or so from pictures on his website.

He grew up in Sierra Madre and Palm Springs. His dad must have had some decent money.

2007-12-29 20:56:55
81.   Bob Timmermann
I hope my vacation next month allows other people to vicariously visit some places they've never been.

I plan on hitting four big cities: Munich, Prague, Vienna, and Bratislava.

2007-12-29 20:57:00
82.   Marty
Xei, I think Beijing and Tianjin have the worst air, right? I'd really like to go to the Hubei and Szechuan provinces if I have to choose. I don't think the air is too horrible there. I'd love to see Three Gorges and Wuhan.
2007-12-29 20:59:39
83.   Marty
Bratislava
Would you take me by the hand
Bratislava
Would you take me by the hand
Can you show me
The shine of your Japan
The sparkle of your china
Can you show me
Bratislava
2007-12-29 21:01:31
84.   Bob Timmermann
I'll likely be in Bratislava for only a couple of hours. But it's so close to Vienna, I can go there and cross Slovakia off my list of countries to visit.
2007-12-29 21:01:52
85.   Greg Brock
Hi! I'm a Mac...Owner.

Now what are all these funny buttons? And why can't I right click?

I'm lost!

2007-12-29 21:04:20
86.   Xeifrank
82. The pollution probably does differ from area to area. I haven't been to Hubei and Sichuan provinces yet. I hope to visit both on my next visit along with Yunnan province. I have been to Beijing/Tianjin, Hebei province (wife is from there), Shanxi, Shaanxi (Terra cotta soldiers), and Shandong provinces (Tai Shan). I've only skimmed the surface, but each of those places all had terrible air. My guess is that it's atleast pretty bad every where and the water isn't much better. I'm hoping the south isn't as bad. vr, Xei
2007-12-29 21:06:37
87.   Gen3Blue
Can you show me, can you take me,can you show me $--- etc. yeah
2007-12-29 21:07:46
88.   Sam DC
Congratualtions Kid from Ed, er I mean, Greg Brock.
2007-12-29 21:10:07
89.   Greg Brock
I've never been more baffled on a computer in my life.

Zork at seven years old was easier than figuring this thing out.

2007-12-29 21:16:54
90.   Sam DC
Maybe useful: http://www.switchingtomac.com/

Also, Tao of Mac: Switching from a PC to a Mac: http://tinyurl.com/6eyup

2007-12-29 21:17:41
91.   Ken Arneson
I would like to go to southern Europe -- Italy, Spain, Greece -- but it's impossible for me to go to Europe without visiting the family in Sweden, so the countries that are farther away from Scandinavia don't get visited.

81 I loved Prague, but Vienna didn't impress me as much. It seemed like it was built using a Generic European City checklist. (Cathedral? Check. Palace? Check. Pedestrian-only main shopping drag? Check...) It didn't seem to have a unique character all its own.

2007-12-29 21:20:36
92.   Greg Brock
90 Thanks, Sam!
2007-12-29 21:23:49
93.   Ken Arneson
77 You can add the Scandinavian countries to your list. Everyone there speaks English, except a few persons under 10 years old or over 75.
2007-12-29 21:26:48
94.   Jason in Canada
ctrl+click is the right click for Mac. It only took me like a year to figure it out.
2007-12-29 21:27:37
95.   Daniel Zappala
92 The second URL is very helpful. Congrats on the switch!
2007-12-29 21:27:41
96.   Samhain
Brazil...ideally with a team of armed guards.
Always wanted to go there. But man, has it gotten dangerous the last few years...

Second choice: Pompei/Herculaneum, Italy.

2007-12-29 21:37:41
97.   Andrew Shimmin
Taipei and Tel Aviv. But I'm waiting for a teleporter. Or for some third party to pick up first class tickets since both are too far to go with my knees up my nose. Also, I'd want wifi on the plane. On the teleporter, too, I suppose.

85- Krystal and Dawnn say hi.

2007-12-29 21:41:44
98.   berkowit28
67 I've been meaning to ask somebody this for a long time and keep forgetting. This seems like the right place:

Why is Missouri the "Show Me" state? What the hell does it mean?

2007-12-29 21:51:50
99.   Eric Stephen
#1 for me, by a long shot, is Cooperstown. Not necessarily on induction weekend, but just to spend a few days and soak in all the history.
2007-12-29 21:54:06
100.   das411
62 - So since when is sticking one's fingers into another player's helmet and trying to poke his eye, not penalized AT ALL?

75 - The Jaguars, Chargers, and iirc Browns/Titans must be hoping like crazy that nobody notices this for at least two more weeks...

and the place I would like to go that I haven't before: Dodger Stadium!

Show/Hide Comments 101-150
2007-12-29 22:19:03
101.   Daniel Zappala
98 See Wikipedia on Missouri.
2007-12-29 22:25:24
102.   Bob Timmermann
91
But I have to go to Vienna. I believe I still have a claim to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
2007-12-29 22:44:52
103.   ROC
85 , 94 if you have a Macbook, enable the 2-finger alt-click & scrolling in the System Prefs. They day I learned that is the day I realized the 2nd button (with a trackpad at least) was unnecessary.

2nd (and 3rd) buttons are still very necessary on mice...especially for CS-Source/TF2.

2007-12-29 23:08:41
104.   Greg Brock
103 Thanks. The learning curve is a tad steep, but I'm scouring the tubes for shortcuts, tips, and tricks.

I still can't get the Firefox icon to load on the the desktop. Weird. But I'm learning.

More importantly, I feel 34.76% more superior than I did four hours ago. Not like those PC users...What nerds!

2007-12-29 23:18:19
105.   Ken Arneson
102 OK, Emperor. May I be so bold as to recommend starting your trip there, rather than ending it there? I believe Vienna is best consumed as an appetizer to prepare your palette for wider conquests, rather than as the main course or as dessert.
2007-12-29 23:20:14
106.   Bob Timmermann
105
A little late for that now. My itinerary goes Munich-Prague-Vienna-Munich.
2007-12-29 23:20:57
107.   63Dodger
Hiking in Nepal. I'm not interested in summiting Everest, just want to hike in challenging terrain and meet really interesting people.

Then rest the muscles on some sun-soaked beach in Greece. Eat a lot of olives.

2007-12-29 23:22:34
108.   63Dodger
Also, Sunday dinner at Vin Scully's with the family.
2007-12-29 23:27:18
109.   Jason in Canada
104 Just drag the icons into the dock. Then if you click and hold the icon when there, it'll give you the option to keep it there...
2007-12-29 23:33:28
110.   Greg Brock
109 What's the dock? The computer keeps telling me about the dock, now you're telling me about the dock.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHAT IS THE DOCK!

2007-12-29 23:36:10
111.   Bob Timmermann
The dock is the place along the bottom or the side of the monitor where all your program icons are located.
2007-12-29 23:58:29
112.   Andrew Shimmin
It's like the quick start bar, except obtrusive and swanky.
2007-12-30 00:05:13
113.   Andrew Shimmin
Quick launch, even.
2007-12-30 00:14:36
114.   Bob Timmermann
Let him go Andrew. Brock is off in his car headed to Cupertino and will stand outside the corporate headquarters of Apple yelling "Why did you make this so hard for me?" over and over again until John Hodgman comes out and calms him down.
2007-12-30 00:22:10
115.   Disabled List
"We were the first ones to climb Mount Everest," ['72 Dolphins kicker] Yepremian said late Saturday. "If New England comes and does it, then they can be the second ones. But you usually don't remember No. 2. I remember Sir Edmund Hillary was the first one to climb Mount Everest. I don't remember who did it the second time. Do you?"

Quotes like that are why I'm rooting for the Patriots the rest of the way, despite my usual hatred of Boston sports teams. I've never see