145 Comments

Does anyone who doesn't currently subscribe to the Washington Post want to? Subscribers can currently get one year gift subscriptions for super cheap ($10), so if you want one hit me up and I'm happy to give you a little Christmas present. 🎄

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Happy birthday, Uncle Sam!

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Happy Birthday US22!!

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the real Uncle Sam?

Troy, NY represent!

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Irish whiskey

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I had an Irish bartender buddy and he would always serve me Paddy’s. That was before craft boom though

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Big fan of it in Buena Vista’s Irish Coffee

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Me too.

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Enjoying a nice afternoon with wife at the Dead Rabbit in NYC. They have an amazing collection some of which is not even for sale.

I particularly like the single pot still variety

https://photos.app.goo.gl/z7Q4fwbbQ7Z3Ug9TA

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Hmmm... Haven't had that one yet.

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Can the Bears still go bowling? From ESPN: "Texas A&M will not participate in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl because of COVID-19 issues and season-ending injuries within the program, leaving Wake Forest without an opponent as officials try to find a replacement team, it was announced Wednesday." Surely Cal can slap together a team that in (checks calendar) nine days will be ready to whip the Deacons. We're heading to Florida for the New Year everyone!

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What a fun 90 minutes on twitter when half the players were tweeting gator emojis

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I agree. As the best 5-7 team in the land we should take their spot. Defense travels right?

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Rutgers' better APR travels better.

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Pigs in a Blanket

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I'll go for sausge wrapped in pancakes once or twice a year. I thought Pigs in a Blanket were Bagel Dogs. Sadly, my Costco doesn't carry them any more.

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During college in the early 90s we would go once a month and load up for meals. Bagel Dogs, burritos, hot pockets, huge jar of spaghetti sauce, pasta, granola bars. Can't remember what else but that sustained us for a month.

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Both are delicious!

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Have you tried ones with a seafood sausage? I'm not sure it works. But maybe vegan or veggie sausage?

Do you eat Beyond or Impossible meat products?

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Love them both, but especially the sausage/pancake ones. They've become very hard to find and aren't even on the menu at IHOP anymore. 😢

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I've only ever had them when at an independent diner type place. 19/19 WB

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I like both the breakfast PiaBs and the cocktail party PiaBs.

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There are several tasty variations.

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I like the ones with hot dogs in crescent rolls.

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Love 'em! Love the cocktail party version, LOVE Texas Kolaches even more.

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Those were delicious in Ft Worth

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I always liked them using Hillshire Farm Lil' Smokies cocktail sausages. Much better than an ordinary hot dog.

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Gross

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Spouse’s family makes them for breakfast Christmas morning.

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I think the term is applicable to both the sausage in a pancake and a hot dog in a crescent roll.

The rumor is (and every event I ever attended with him present they were there - 6/6) that the late NBA commissioner David Stern LOVED pigs in a blanket so every sort of big cocktail/mixer where he would be there, those appetizers would all have to be there.

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I wonder if they were kosher hot dogs

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It's not always controllable (i.e. NBA events overseas) and I've never heard if the former Commish kept kosher.

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DBD Not Official Financial Advice

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Friday is Pay day.

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Same, which means really Thursday night is payday!!!

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Just in time for Christmas! How convenient!

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wooooooooooo pay day

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DBD Test Kitchen

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Welp. I got stranded at home. St. Croix taxi companies are not reliable. So I made Caribbean red beans and rice, sauteed chicken, pineapple coleslaw, and half a coffee mug of Cruzan rum for just me. This plus a 70 minute scuba dive this morning and a two hour nap = a pretty great day.

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When I awoke this morning I stayed in bed for a few minutes to listen to the weather forecast on local news radio. One of the commercials before the weather was from the USVI tourism bureau. They didn't mention that cabs are not reliable when visiting.

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Update: half a mug of rum may have been too much. I am kinda drunk.

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Last time I was down around where you are I drank Pyrat Rum. Tastes great. A little pricey. Easy to drink, but man, what a hangover.

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have you texted racy photos to anyone? If no, not too much rum.

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What's your number, sailor?

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If you can still type, it can't be THAT bad, can it?

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A very hearty & garlic-y tomato soup with buttered Batard; half bottle of Wind Gap 2014 Syrah, Majik vineyard.

Not only did I go nuts buying wine in 2020, but also Sardinian tomatoes. Luckily, the wife can deal with this issue.

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Dec 22, 2021·edited Dec 22, 2021

An excellent artichoke/spinach casserole featuring penne pasta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese and a full 32 oz. of heavy whipping cream. Baked for one hour. Not something to eat if you are dieting, served with braised Italian sausages and a fine chianti.

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Which Chianti?

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an itlaian one

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Ha!

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You sound like a man who would appreciate my artichokes wrapped in prosciutto and baked in cream, gorgonzola and parm appetizer #IYKYK

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I should make that for people before I leave.

Also in the 6 weeks before I leave the country, I find someone to hang out with. (It would never work long term though, she's a chain smoker)

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Oh man, kills the fun of kissing.

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Well done!! Sounds delicious

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DBD AV Club

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just finished season 2 of the Witcher. 15/19. not as confusing as season 1, but still the action is all over the place and some of the people are hard to keep track of. Sets up adventure and drama for season 3 nicely at the end.

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Started the final season of The Expanse, that show is so good. Insecure is really good as well.

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I am way behind on that. such a good show, though.

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Trailer: Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt_UqUm38BI

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Hawkeye Finale!

A B, in a season of mostly As. Yelena/Kate chemistry is off the charts - really need more of them hanging out. Lots of stuff that was wrapped up too pat. Don't believe the off-screen action (especially because of the comics canon).

Kate - don't show up empty handed at the Barton's!

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In so many superhero movies/shows, it is the superhero who is the root of all the problems. Spideran, Dr. Strange, and in the DC universe, the Flash.

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Dr. Strange fucking shit up (due to his arrogance) and then trying to scramble to fix it is a long long long running feature of his character.

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I think Reed Richards has done that too. Also the original Ant Man.

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any character that has "super smart" as part of their ability set really. Throw in Bruce Banner too.

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This is quite true. Huge fan of the Ditko era ones.

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Cool

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1883 on Paramount +...yet another Taylor Sheridan project (that guy is Hansel-from-Zoolander-hot-right-now)...it’s a prequel to Yellowstone, which I haven’t seen yet...

Heavy but incredibly well-done...Tim McGraw is good, and Sam Elliott is great as always...the surprise is Faith Hill, who holds her own in the acting department...she’s no Meryl Streep, but puts in a solid performance so far...first two episodes were good.

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That's a damn good looking cast

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Dec 22, 2021·edited Dec 22, 2021

Yes, pretty people everywhere.

Taylor Sheridan is just on fire right now...he's in full-on "I'm Keith Hernandez"-mode from Seinfeld.

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Our Crumbling Democracy

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Good:

A New York man who was a member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstructing Congress and conspiring to obstruct law enforcement during the pro-Trump riot on Jan. 6, a felony.

The plea is significant because Matthew Greene, 34, admitted coordinating with other members of the extremist group at the front of the Capitol mob, although there is no evidence he actually entered the building.

He is cooperating with prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Kenerson said in federal court in the District, and will likely get credit at or after sentencing for that cooperation and for acceptance of responsibility. The government estimates non-binding sentencing guidelines of 41 to 51 months. Greene has also agreed to pay a $2,000 fine.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/22/matthew-greene-proud-boy/

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Stupid is as stupid does

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1473379286140833794

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He and his wife are getting divorced . . .after 8 months.

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He often draws headlines for his speeches, as he did Tuesday at a Turning Point Action event where he called college a scam and encouraged students to drop out, as he did. Turning Point Action is a nonprofit that teaches conservative principles on high school, college and university campuses. In the same speech, he said he would be considered a radical and an extremist for believing, among other things, that people should be a Christian, get married young and have lots of children. The next day he would announce that his marriage of eight months had fallen apart. Cawthorn said that the couple found that his life in Congress was too difficult and hectic and not the lifestyle or paced they planned, he wrote.

Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article256805382.html#storylink=cpy

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AZ State Senator Wendy Rogers posts this unironically. JFC. https://twitter.com/WendyRogersAZ/status/1472944695894544394

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She's worse than Boebert, but a lesser national figure.

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Michael Flynn sues Jan. 6 committee:

The lawsuit is the latest in a cascade of litigation by targets of the select committee’s investigation.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/22/michael-flynn-sues-capitol-riot-committee-525964

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Today in omicron

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further good news out of South Africa: case numbers are dropping as rapidly as they rose

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/22/south-africa-omicron-coronavirus-cases/

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At the risk of sounding cynical, I rather suspect we're going to get the federal tests out just in time for the wave to subside

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Hopefully!

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Yup, pretty much.

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however I also expect another wave because that's how these things go. If "leftover resources from the last wave" become "resources available for the next wave," that's not the worst thing ever.

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It’s like preparing for drought when you’re in a drought. Most of that work will go to help during the next drought.

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Indeed. Though with increasing immunity it also seems likely that such resources will become increasingly unnecessary with future waves.

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one can only hope... and if this omni-vaccine developed by the US Army holds up through testing, it's possible that we're going to be in good shape until the next exciting pandemic.

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Other College

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Speaking of Texas A&M, seems like they hit the Covid sauce pretty hard and the communist at the City of Berkeley had to step in and cancel their appearance in the Gator Bowl.

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Apparently they've had to move onto 5-7 teams (based on APR) to get the spot filled. Rutgers turned it down which makes Cal next in line. However, the Pac did pass a rule stating 5-7 teams couldn't participate in bowl games but Kliavkoff's tweet seems like they're considering allowing it to happen.

https://twitter.com/Kliavkoff/status/1473728369816711172?s=20

"Well, this day went from 0 to 100 pretty fast..."

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What?

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So, my nephew who plays as an interior lineman for ARC CC was offered by FBS schools Texas A&M and UT El Paso. He has solid academics and will graduate with AA and AS degrees in four areas (he had a medical redshirt year and extra covid year so had lots of time to get those degrees). Despite me imploring him to apply to go the non-football route and apply to schools that offer what he would like to major in (which is math), his mom pressed him to choose between the schools offering a football scholarship.

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Oh damn, I said Texas A&M, I meant Alabama A&M, my bad. Very different level of CFB programs. Alabaman A&M is an HBCU

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Would he get any run in College Station?

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Damn, my whole post is torched. Both schools are FCS, not FBS. Need some coffee to get my game on point this morning.

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We have an edit button now!

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Yes! I see it now, thanks Scootie!

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Ha, no worries! I remember Huntsville, AL as having an A’s affiliate...Canseco, Steinbach & others played for them back in the mid-80’s.

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I passed through parts of Alabama in the mid-90s, but never Huntsville. My frustration is that my nephew is an average FB player who is pretty darned smart and applies himself academically. His mom, by pushing him the college FB route is really limiting his academic choices here. Alabama A&M and UTEP may represents the limit of his potential as a football player, but certainly, he could do much better academically if decided to apply to schools not offering him an FB scholarship.

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Those are accredited schools, teaching accredited courses. (And UTEP is an FBS school, btw.) A paid education doesn't seem to be a limiting outcome.

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Dec 22, 2021·edited Dec 22, 2021

Yeah, that's a tough one.

While I have an unhealthy fixation with Cal making it to the Sun Bowl, I nonetheless think El Paso is just a dogschitt town, which was reinforced when I stayed a night there with the pups in Sept en route to Cal/TCU...but UTEP is a C-USA team...that's legit...but neither of those schools check the box academically for a smart kid. Tough call.

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Is it a money decision? Like it would be hard or can't afford to pay full tuition?

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2021 Bowl Games, college football scores, live updates: San Diego State tops UTSA in Frisco Bowl

Hmmm. I didn't know there was a bowl game in the City? 😸😸😸

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2021-bowl-games-college-football-scores-live-updates-san-diego-state-tops-utsa-in-frisco-bowl/live/

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Dumbest thing I saw yesterday - UTSA has their area code on the side of their helmets.

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It's actually part of a larger plan establishing their identity. In 2012, while in San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, I had the chance opportunity to have a chat with a gentleman who was associated with UTSA who explained a number of things they already had in their plan to build their start-up program into one of relevance (which they have done a tremendous job of). The regional politics of Texas and Texas football it seems focuses on the areas around the metroplex and Austin, and the area in between, plus Houston, but has historically discounted the area south of Austin and east of Houston, and on down to the Rio Grande. UTSA's plan was to relatively own that area, in terms of football and general student population recruits, and also area businesses (advertising and investors), because they felt there is more talent and value in the rapidly growing area than was generally appreciated, and part of their plan for success was to capitalize on it.

I saw the area code play as analogous to the valley "V" Fresno St. has for years had as an integral part of their marketing and imaging, which has worked very well for them. Area/program identity matters, and has for years, especially for programs located outside the established centers and core areas.

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Yep and is something that Cal could learn from and take a page out of when marketing Cal football. Cal football should be associated with the east bay and Oakland, especially now that the raiders have left Oakland.

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Cal on one side of the helmet, 510 on the other?

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Reminder: 510 + 415 = 925

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Dec 22, 2021·edited Dec 22, 2021

Or EB on the back of the helmet like Fresno State does with the V.

Or 510 on the jersey above the shoulder pads.

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Was it the Frisco Bowl brought to by Ludacris?

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It's not in The City. The Frisco Bowl is in Frisco, TX, a suburb of Dallas.

The venue is Toyota Stadium, a soccer specific venue with a seating capacity of 20,500. Or so says the links in Google.

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Maybe it's why SD St played so well; they are highly experienced in playing in small soccer stadiums in suburbs of the city the tenant team nominally represents.

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Heh

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If they ever had a bowl in SF called the Frisco Bowl folks would be rolling over in their graves.

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Especially Herb Caen.

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And Ira Blue

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When Frisco, TX started hosting the FCS Championship game, and gained a A baseball team, and a soccer team from another city, it took me several takes to realize it wasn't all happening in San Francisco.

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You mean, folks would be rolling over in their Teslas? We should rebrand San Francisco as "Frisco" for this reason alone. Also, it would be retro and old-school cool.

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No, it would have to be the people in their graves, because those are the only people actually from San Francisco who still live in San Francisco.

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Wait, I thought there were no graveyards in Frisco.

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Heh

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Dec 22, 2021·edited Dec 22, 2021

Mountain West 4-0 in bowl games...Air Force, Hawaii, Boise St, & Nevada still to play...

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Not only that but is SDSU the best college program in the west coast. They beat the Pac 12 champs and Arizona. They beat UTSa yesterday who were the C-USA champs.

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Now THERE is a team that has a COVID gripe....would’ve loved seeing them take on Utah St at full strength.

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Utah St is pretty good as well; bookended their season with wins over Pac-12 bowl teams.

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Cal

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The recent B-Insider P-cast contains the most realistic comments regarding the offense and particularly QB play this year I have heard.

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Go Bears!!!

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