LTS

Now THAT's how you respond to this situation. Well done. Very well done. We've ALL been there. ?

Statistics never account for the concept of managing assets and contracts. They help guide the decision that should be made, but there are times when the "wrong" player needs to play in a game because of a greater benefit to the organization than winning that one game (or winning by more). It's how the business side impacts the game.

Angry Eleven showing up! I'm confused, my friend. Did you use those phrases because someone else did and then say let's never use them again? I agree with them not being necessary but I feel like this is the first time I have seen the phrase "Russian pee-women" anywhere on this forum. I have not looked at reports on the updated agreement, but since I am traveling to Canada in 3 weeks anything that is improving the Canadian dollar versus the US is only going to make me mad. My hotel room will now cost me more. The conversation might be best served by pointing out what economic pundits are saying and then agree that people will have different opinions. Sadly the long term nature of these things usually mean that no one is really right about what happened (and also really wrong, unless you claimed alien intervention). I look at economic improvement and decline a lot like how a start-up operates. In many cases, the managerial talent necessary to make a start-up successful is not the same talent that it takes to maintain a start-up once it has progressed past start-up stage. I believe the US economy works similarly. Neither side is capable of creating a sustainable growing economy and so they end up trading off and each performing their necessary work on the economic machine to keep it generally growing. Every now and then there's a big problem but that's normal.

https://www.sla.ny.gov/definition-of-license-classes It appears there are many more classifications. There's even a Ball Park Beer license. Didn't know that! I know Tap & Mallet, a normal bar, only has a Restaurant Wine license. If you have a liquor license you can sell beer & wine as well but there is a lower license for not selling liquor.

Do you really believe that having Elie in the lineup is what made the team work? The fact that Elie is a waiver wire pickup and has been with the team all of about 10 days does matter. He won't have the same knowledge of the system or as much chemistry with players. He is clearly someone another team didn't want on their starting roster. Larsson isn't being inserted for Reinhart and as such that's what makes it a difference. Elie may prove to be a better player than Larsson. But in the world of managing hockey assets, Larsson plays. This is not a Phil Housley thing. This is how rosters are handled in the NHL by every GM and coach who have come before and those who will succeed them.

Hurt might be a strong word... it bothers me yes. It bothers me, not so much directly, but that we continue to act in such ways about things like this. IC has clarified his position as well on this. And I did post about it... My favorite "used to". Ever go back and watch old Tom & Jerry cartoons? There are some they don't show anymore and it's pretty obvious why. It's okay to evolve as people. There's a fine line to all of this without a doubt. You claim there is a lot of overthinking going on here, it could just as easily be asserted that there is a lot of underthinking going on here as well. Either way, you can still be you.

We'd get there eventually. I do the same. It's a better conversation with a drink in hand. ?

It's possible they have a beer and wine license but the liquor license isn't completed? I don't know. Their statement would be something that could be expected if they had never done this before. But that's their core competency ... no excuses.

It's probably not worth continuing to pursue. Let's just see what happens and we can discuss when there's more evidence.

Right now I think the 3rd and 4th lines are somewhat interchangeable based on who has their feet going and are producing in the game. Larsson being in the lineup should not surprise you especially since he's inserted for Elie, a waiver wire pickup. This lineup will continue to flux in those areas and this is what should be happening this season. I would hope that Larsson shows well enough that some team wants him so the Sabres are confident they can ship him out and insert Elie or whomever back in and not lose anything in doing so. At the same time, if Larsson bombs then I would expect him to get waived or be switched with Girgensons. It's roster competition. As for Thompson and MIttlestadt, I think the hope is that they learn in the NHL right now so they move themselves into the second line positions or make themselves a viable scoring 3rd line.

Can you STOP ignoring that I said "on paper". If I handed you a list of standings with the team names blacked out and you saw a team 3-1-0 and a team that was 2-1-0 would you say that the 3-1-0 team was significantly better or light years ahead or draw any inference? No, you wouldn't. That's my point. Right now, for all the Leafs have done, they aren't any further ahead. Even last year would have shown something significantly more separated, but this year it hasn't shown, yet. Is making the playoffs competing for the Cup? I seem to recall how irritated everyone was getting on here when the Sabres kept finishing in 8th and "competing for the Cup". As for being further ahead, they have made the playoffs, but if all that comes crashing down next year because of them over-extending themselves then what will they have to show for it? I wouldn't consider them a success until they reach the semi-finals. Until then they are just one of the many teams that make the play-offs and have nothing to show for it. Let's examine the goals against stat you referred to. The divisions they are in are somewhat responsible for skewing those numbers don't you think? The Caps divisional opponents totaled: 1,712 The Leafs divisional opponents totaled: 1,638 It seems to me that given the strength of their divisional opponents and the extra games against them it might be expected that the Caps would give up more goals overall. One more angle at this. The finish line is 26.2 miles away from the start. Runner A has a 2 mile lead over Runner B at the 15 mile mark. It appears that Runner A is superior but the finish line has not been reached. Runner A suffers a problem at the 23 mile mark and Runner B catches up. They cross line anywhere near each other, who was the better runner? That's my point. The Leafs may have shot forward fast, but they haven't reached the finish line. He has a history of starting fast, doesn't he?

Yea. I think Hutton tonight.. I could see Ullmark against the Yotes.. Looking forward to tonight...

If Larsson plays it damn well better be followed by a trade. That's about all I would accept at this point.

They could very well be this years Islanders. All the goals scored, both for and against. I'm not sure, perhaps the phrase, "on paper" is not translating. The simple facts are that the two teams are separated by 1 game in the W column and that's possibly because the Sabres haven't played that game yet. So, yes, at the moment, the comparison is very real, on paper. Now let's play out where things can go from here: The Leafs win the Cup and Buffalo finishes last. - yes, then the Leafs are clearly ahead and have succeeded. The Leafs make the playoffs and Buffalo finishes last - I'll give them the rebuild, but they might be torn down quickly too. The Leafs win the Cup and Buffalo makes the play-offs - I'll give a nod to the Leafs but not light years ahead given that most of their advancement may come because of Tavares The Leafs make the play-offs and Buffalo finishes close - perhaps they are ahead, the following season will determine if they shot too fast for the top. The Leafs don't make the play-offs and Buffalo does not - not ahead. The Leafs don't make the play-offs and Buffalo does - Buffalo clearly wins. This is not likely. At this moment in time, you can't look at the standings and tell me the Leafs are a far better team then the Sabres. Yes, it's 4 games. The opposite position seems hard to make as well. The Leafs are light years ahead because they are 3-1-0? The same 4 games. I know what they did last year, but I don't put them light years ahead as they still got bounced and they haven't fixed their biggest problems, they are simply going to try and outscore everyone... which, in the playoffs, usually isn't the recipe for success. Fine, I am in denial. What's the goal? Win the Cup? They haven't. If their plan never equates to competing for the Cup let alone winning it, do we consider their rebuild a success just because they made the playoffs and fizzled out?

There are a lot of tough things at play here as the child is only 12. They are likely acting on prior experiences which makes it even more difficult. There are no good answers in this situation. As you indicated, you would like your son to go outside alone at some point. This is the one thing you have on your side. Time should allow the investigation to complete and I don't suspect it would take too long overall as it is. So, if you can wait it out while you examine your options, you might end up in a good spot. Bottom line is you are going to have to do whatever you feel is best and it's likely to change from week to week, if not day to day, at least while the investigations are happening.

This is why I refused to live where there was an HOA. I like to think HOA's are the shining exhibit A of why socialism will never work.

I agree, this place would be punch drunk nuts. And in two years, if it goes poorly this place will be back into its normal deep depression. Last season they still did not win. This season they're clearly going for it, but they're going to have to do something pretty amazing to keep this team together after this year. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it won't be easy. If they continue along their merry way this year I could see them trying to offer up Nylander and Horton's contract just to get it off the books. They can sell Nylander somewhat cheap to open up the financial options for them next year. They are a good team. I am not saying otherwise. But they are a good team with a lot of money that will be tied up in only a few players next year. I'm not sure how. Let's assume the Sabres win Thursday. The two teams (not accounting for another Maple Leafs game) would be sitting in the same spot in the standings. On paper they are tied in the standings. They are equal. Which is why I said, on paper. I had already said i think the Leafs are a better team than the Sabres but I wouldn't say their "rebuild" is/was light years ahead.

Right, the idea of this particular hack would be to gather information. It's very much like using human assets as spies. You don't have your spy do any real dirty work unless absolutely necessary. The spy gathers the information to drive other courses of action based on that information. You never want to give up your inside position. Similar to the fact that once you know you have a spy (or hack) in your midst you don't just run out and turn it off and alert your enemy that you found it. You begin by isolating it and then attempt to use that resource against your enemy without their knowledge. While direct action can result in quick change it almost always does so with large scale collateral damage and usually doesn't last long because it results in dramatic change all at once. The subtle, long term, persuasion into the desired state may take longer but it tends to stick because people actually believe it's the best course of action without knowing they were subverted into believing that way. Lemmings readily jump off a cliff when it's time, but if you try to push them too soon, they will resist.

It's also something a person who is in denial about his mental state would do. Accepting it was his poor play would mean he had to begin to accept his feelings as real and not something he could just drink away. I wouldn't call him an a-hole for that. Now, if he continues the trend after cleaning up his act... then tag him and bag him.

I'm aware that you were not an active participant in this round. I recall the statements you've made regarding it. In my post I tried to be careful to not use the word "you" when specifically addressing the acne portion of the personal insults. As for being fat, there are instances where that is a genetic trait, but more often than not it's just really bad life choices. I still wouldn't go around using that as an insult for people. Being bald, a genetic trait, and something I would not use to insult people but bald people can point to the studies that show positives of being bald - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mating-game/201612/do-women-find-bald-men-be-more-attractive You won't find such an article regarding those with acne. If you do we should probably publicize it more. The bottom line is simple, there's really no need to go around insulting people. There's plenty to critique about Dahlin (and others) without having to resort to insults.

Denial? Did I not say they were the better team in my post? Did I say they were not good? No. What are you pointing out? For all the glory to the Leafs the fact is they are 1 win more than the Sabres right now. Does that put them further ahead on the rebuild? Not on paper. The Leafs will have to shore up their defense to make a run at the Cup. Perhaps they can do that by trading Nylander. The fact remains that they will have 12 players that need contracts next year. Last year they were +6 in GA/GF differential, they are only +3 now. Last year JvR had a good portion of the offense after a whole 4 games. I'll consider the Leafs a threat for the Cup when they can shut down other teams. Right now they can only hope to outgun them.

The logical move is to wait and see what becomes of this situation while watching over your children. At this point it seems to be known that there is an investigation into this particular child and that should lessen any chances of things happening, for now. On the flip side, this is your children's safety and your mental well being that we are talking about and logical sometimes doesn't have a place. Your wife is correct in that it is possible and you are correct that you never know. The biggest thing to consider is whether you may be overly paranoid wherever you move because of what is transpiring in your neighborhood right now. I think a good first step is at least doing your due diligence on what you could reasonably sell your house for and where you want to move and how much that will cost. From there determine if it's more or less viable than you are comfortable with. If it isn't something that isn't viable, what will it take to get there? Removing emotion from it will be tough, but making a rash decision could cause you years of problems you don't want. For now, hopefully it is enough to just watch over your children in your current area and make sure they are safe while investigating your options. I'd like to think I'd follow my own advice in this situation... but I can feel your struggle in my heart when I think about what if it happening in my neighborhood.

Way ahead of Buffalo? Where is Toronto right now if they don't have Tavares but they have Nylander in the lineup? Are they 3-1-0? I doubt it. The Sabres win Thursday and they have the same record as the Leafs. I think the Leafs are a better team, this year, but I don't think they will continue this pace for the year and I am curious where they will be next year when it comes to managing their salaries. They have 12 players on the roster that have expiring contracts and that does not include Nylander and what they do with him. The question regarding the Leafs is sustainability.

Interestingly enough.. this came out today. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-09/new-evidence-of-hacked-supermicro-hardware-found-in-u-s-telecom?srnd=premium More details on how the Ethernet ports were modified on the systems that were being sent out. Again... you only ever know about the tip of the iceberg.

I addressed your question in my original statement. Re-read it. However, I guess I also feel the need to expand up on it a bit and address some of your comment directly. "The idea that players need to be protected from comments they will never read." - Well, your head in the sand viewpoint there apparently dismisses all of those late night videos I've seen with players reading "mean tweets". So, never is a bit extreme. The reality is that you believe there is a low probability they will be seen and therefore it's okay to make those kinds of comments. The second thing I want to say boils down simply and tacks onto the first. Everyone has the right to be who they want to be. If you want to be that kind of person, go for it. Just as some feel the need to champion the "Be a ----head" movement, I will be sure to champion the "Be a better person" movement. Perhaps it's lost on deaf ears, but I won't be blamed for a lack of trying. I'm no boy scout either. I've spent more of my years probably being a negative ----head than not. But I'm tired of the negativity and the insults all because of some perception that people won't see it and won't be directly impacted. You can choose to not like my cause as much as I can choose to not like yours.