TheTastyGreek

This belongs in the "focus on positives" thread. If I were you, I'd send Benford a cookie basket. I've been to Jackson, Mississippi and Waco, and I still think Birmingham is the worst place I've ever visited.

Meh... If we keep him, just link to your post tonight after next year's one and out. You're probably not wrong, just early.

Prescient.

3rd season, so 1-3, I think. Although if anyone has it in them to somehow lose 4 single elimination games in 3 tournaments... I believe Benford might just be the guy.

BIH, P, Western Civilization?

There's a cage. Keep the cage talk in the cage, and the movie talk in the movie thread.

Shoulda fired his ass.

The Overnighters is on Netflix for free as of last week.

I'm no expert, either in non-personal finance generally or the Greece situation specifically. But, at a glance... That chart is a lot less of a March 2015 catastrophe than it first appears. It looks like 30 billion euros due next month. But look at the nature of that debt, and most of it is cleared or reallocated through some basic balance-of-payments adjustments into the future. 15 billion is in short-term treasury notes at a rate of 1.8% or 2%. Either Greece decides to pay every short-term private creditor RIGHT NOW (for no good reason), or they issue new short-term debt with a payment date in the future. Considering that almost all major short-term European notes are actually NEGATIVE interest rates right now, this could actually be an opportune time to move those obligations into the future at an even smaller interest rate than the 1.8-2% they offered last time around. One sentence synopsis: It's likely both cheaper AND easier to pay short-term treasury debt if they reissue new notes, and institutional investors are desperate for something like that offering right now, too. Another 8 billion euros due next month is to an IMF loan. The IMF exists to EASE the sorts of problems Greece is facing right now, not bring them to a crisis point. The IMF will certainly adjust the payment terms into the future, because avoiding a crisis like this is exactly why they loaned the money to Greece in the first place. So, the actual worst-case immediate debt due is 7 billion euros. That's not nothing (it's just under 40% of Greece's monthly GDP right now), but it's also important to look at who it's owed to: the European Central Bank, on bonds and debt exempted (by order of the European Union) from the 2012 default. Since the whole rise-to-power of the current ruling party was achieved through a platform of (and I'm reducing/generalizing A LOT here): "We are sick of being handcuffed by the rest of Europe in addressing our problems (which exist in no small part due to obligations and problems imposed upon us by the very people/nations who are now standing on our throats wringing the life out of us to service the debt undertaken at their requirement). If they want us to remain a part of the unified European economic structure, changes must be made to what we're obligated to do and how we're expected to do it. And if they'd rather kick us out of the system... That sucks, but so be it. We'll have to rebuild from a nightmare scenario either way, and at least this way we can plot our own future." Hashing out how and if some of that 7 billion euros (and the future debt in the same category) gets repaid is exactly what the current standoff is trying to resolve. Left unsaid in that brinksmanship game is, if the rest of debt-holding Europe won't or can't address that debt in a manageable way... What happens when the countries in even worse financial shape (Portugal, Spain, Italy) start wobbling, too? Anyway... Not sure how valuable any of that semi-literate "analysis" is worth. But, that's my two drachmas on the link.

BIH, P?

As long as the revenue is going towards a buyout of one or both coaches... Let's book the whole damn Super Pit calendar out and play every game in the old Fouts parking lot.

CHOKE ON YOUR SANDWICH LIES!!!

Baylor, I know from my wife's undergrad education, has a class in either religious history or biblical history that's either universal mandatory or mandatory for most courses of study. One of the first class periods involves the professor discussing inconsistencies between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, then stopping class early in case the thought that the Bible might not be literal truth is devastating to students in the course. Apparently, one or two Baylor kids per course will come from upbringings that are seriously challenged by the notion. For the most part, the only real complications come during summer sessions, when students from other schools (she specifically mentioned ORU) with a stricter creationist doctrine are taking classes at Baylor.

Trying to work out a buyout deal with TWU for Coach Petersen? Could be a good showcase!

Not trying to be hostile or confusing, just wanted to keep the question simple and direct. Wanted to make sure we weren't going to start arguing past each other about different things. We couldn't replace the FCS teams with Sun Belt teams, because the Sun Belt type schools would require a return game, but the FCS games are outright purchases. Every bought game is there to balance the sold games (Iowa, Tennessee, Florida, etc.). All the FCS schools are coming in so we can generate revenue at a level that ticket sales can't do for us outright. Buy one and sell one, and pocket the difference. We couldn't swap in a Sun Belt team (or an AAC team, or a Mountain West team) unless we were replacing SMU or Army on the schedule. Until we get to a point where there's enough revenue coming in to avoid selling games completely, this is the path to a 6 game home slate in combination with a revenue game sold to a P5. Anyway... If the point is that we ought to get to a point where we aren't selling games, and that those FCS opponents can be eliminated and replaced with home-and-homes with other non-P5 schools? I agree, but we can't really make that work because of money, right now and probably for a while to come. I don't know that there are any CUSA or lower schools that are completely free of paycheck games. Even some AAC and MWC schools are reliant on that revenue, if I remember right. I wasn't sure, though, whether the point might have been that we ought to be buying games from Sun Belt schools, and I didn't want to start responding as though that was what you were saying. And, it wasn't, so I appreciate the answer.

Buying a game costs somewhere between $200-400k, depending on opponent. Selling a game grosses anywhere from $600k to nearly a million, depending on opponent. If we cash a check from Iowa and pay Incarnate Word, that balances our schedule back to 6 home games, and nets our athletic program somewhere in the neighborhood of half a million dollars.

What about conference record?

When we were in the Belt, would you have been cool with us selling road games to Memphis? Tulane? Tulsa?

Eh, I'm not upset. If I saw a return game, I'd be furious. But, when you're buying, you can only buy from the schools that are selling. And that's the indies, the move-ups, the Sun Belt, and 1-AAs. Close means cheaper, which means not having to sell a 2nd game and get in this 5 home game mess again.

Thread winner. You just know that they'll buy their way out of the series in 2085, though. Jerks.

If you're gonna sell one, you gotta buy one, and you generally can't buy upwards. So, I don't mind Liberty/ACU/Lamar/etc. as a 6th home game. Sucks to have something on that level as our 5th, though. And woe unto us all if we lose any of those games.

Well, there you go.

Well, then you should watch Slow West, too. Also, if you're looking for a dark horse Best Foreign Language Film 2016... The Second Mother. Great, great movie.

Is this a joke? Seriously, are you kidding me here?