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RavenDog
Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Posts: 6887 Location: Home
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Posted: 03/14/17 1:04 pm ::: |
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purduefanatic wrote: |
RavenDog wrote: |
+1 AND these whitewash games needlessly bring about the possibilities for player injuries. |
"Needlessly"? Do you propose that the NCAA just give UConn a bye into the 2nd Round? Sweet Sixteen? Elite 8? Final 4? National Championship game? |
No, I'd prefer the field size be reduced.
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 67165 Location: Where the action is
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Posted: 03/14/17 1:10 pm ::: |
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RavenDog wrote: |
purduefanatic wrote: |
RavenDog wrote: |
+1 AND these whitewash games needlessly bring about the possibilities for player injuries. |
"Needlessly"? Do you propose that the NCAA just give UConn a bye into the 2nd Round? Sweet Sixteen? Elite 8? Final 4? National Championship game? |
No, I'd prefer the field size be reduced. |
If you're talking about eliminating automatic bids, that would make the vast majority of regular season games meaningless. Better to have a couple of games in March be needlessly risky than hundreds of them all through the season.
_________________ The truth is like poetry
Most people hate poetry
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SpaceJunkie
Joined: 10 Sep 2012 Posts: 4241 Location: Minnesota
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Posted: 03/14/17 1:16 pm ::: |
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ArtBest23 wrote: |
Well they earned their way in with an auto bid. My question is how they and NIU could possibly end up on the same seed line. |
UNI beat Kansas St & Creighton in non-conference, (giving them more top-25 RPI wins than Maryland ), while Drake's best non-conference win was against a Iowa team that faltered at the end of Big Ten play, so it makes sense that Drake could be the top 10-seed and UNI a lower 10-seed.
Actually, trying to figure out what the committee might have been thinking (besides or along with the male-coach conspiracy ) with some of the seeds, here's my guess what they were thinking with some of the last teams in's seeds, knowing that (in some order) Auburn, Cal, Purdue, and UNI were the last teams in.
Purdue was ranked as a 10-seed, but let's have them play close to home in South Bend, so let's swap them with #9 seed Oregon (orange).
Was-ranked 10-seed California can't be with 2-seeds Stanford or Oregon St, and we can't swap them within the current #10-seed line with UNI because UNI already played Kansas St and Creighton this year (though we conveniently ignored regular season rematches elsewhere: see Louisville vs. Chattanooga). So let's swap them with Drake since Drake isn't too far away from Kansas St (<5 hours). (purple).
And I'm guessing South Florida was the best 10-seed but the committee decided they should stay in Florida instead of fly across country, so they swapped them with Toledo (green).
Basically I'm guessing Cal is seeded higher than Oregon because the committee decided that Purdue needed to play in South Bend, and they didn't bother switching Oregon & Cal afterwards to put them back at the seeds they started at.
Last edited by SpaceJunkie on 03/14/17 7:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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GlennMacGrady
Joined: 03 Jan 2005 Posts: 8291 Location: Heisenberg
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Posted: 03/14/17 1:21 pm ::: |
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There is no TV show I watched this week that was more interesting or better produced than the selection show.
The brackets are reasonable.
And, to me, irrelevant.
I'd prefer all game matchups to be drawn by lot before each round.
That goes along with my long-time preference for having the entire tournament played over a three to five day period, at one central location, with a reduced field of 48 or 42 or 36, and possibly double elimination. AAU tournaments are held like this, and so were the NIT and Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden in the 50's and 60's. You could get a three-day ticket for about $6 and watch great games for 10 hours a day. The arena was packed every day.
Last edited by GlennMacGrady on 03/14/17 1:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Howee
Joined: 27 Nov 2009 Posts: 15765 Location: OREGON (in my heart)
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SpaceJunkie
Joined: 10 Sep 2012 Posts: 4241 Location: Minnesota
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11232
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Posted: 03/14/17 1:48 pm ::: |
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cthskzfn wrote: |
Does anyone not believe that if, say, Toledo was 107-0, THEY would be featured in a standalone 1-16 massacre? |
Of course. UConn increases ratings; ratings generate ads; ads generate income. QED. The day that UConn doesn't increase ratings, the equation changes.
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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Posted: 03/14/17 1:51 pm ::: |
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SpaceJunkie wrote: |
Miami has no bad/poor losses, which was probably a big factor. |
Well, unless you consider a 33 point blowout to none other than Syracuse a bad loss.
This committee seemed more RPI oriented even than usual. And Miami had a much better RPI than Syracuse. I suspect it's that simple.
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linkster
Joined: 27 Jul 2012 Posts: 5428
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Posted: 03/14/17 1:52 pm ::: |
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Conway Gamecock wrote: |
linkster wrote: |
Some here have made it clear that they have no interest in watching UConn but it has also been clearly demonstrated on the "ratings" thread that the mass market would, for the most part, rather watch a UConn blowout than an 8/9 game between two mediocrities or even most any other match up imaginable, and in the first round exciting games between two outstanding teams are non-existent. First round games are almost always either one-sided or a sad display of missed shots & unforced errors. Would a 2/15, a 3/14 or a 4/13 be more compelling? No. Or more watched? No. The numbers support that.
As much as some would have us believe that ESPN is in bed with UConn the fact is that UConn, even in a blowout, is the most popular show in wcbb and easily the biggest story of the tournament. |
The entire point of team-based games is to compete with other teams to win the games. So you denounce games between two "mediocrities", where games are a "sad display of missed shots & unforced errors", and instead laud a game where ONE of the combatants will be such a team, versus Connecticut?
With the end result being a vastly un-competitive farce where the one team that is missing shots and committing errors stands out even more? At least with the other scenario, the playing field is more level and thus BOTH combatants have a more equal chance to compete and win. Which is the point of playing such type games, and also the main point why others like us wish to watch them. It's not that difficult to grasp, as long as one desires to..... |
Your idea is true for the teams involved but not so much for the audience. People in general want to watch athletes display excellence. Nobody is going to put on a track meet involving 300 pound sprinters, no matter how "competitive the race. But they tune in to watch Edwin Moses win his umpteeth straight hurdle race, or to watch a Tiger Woods blow out a Masters field. Sure, the hope is for the game involving two teams playing excellent basketball, but they would rather watch one team playing great than neither team playing great. Look at the ratings for the UConn=South Carolina game. But if the choice is between watching a 49-46 Auburn win where there are more turnovers than baskets along with 60+ ft's, or watching UConn blow out USF 95-50, the public has spoken.
It's not a question of which is intrinsically better. It's a business decision ESPN makes based on which game will draw the highest rating and allow them to charge the most for commercials. Look at the ratings thread and the games from 2-27 to 3-6. Of all the games on ESPN2 the 3 UConn-USF blowouts drew the biggest audiences. Sure, the UConn-S Car game blew the doors off but we need to wait 2 or more weeks to get match ups like that one.
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SpaceJunkie
Joined: 10 Sep 2012 Posts: 4241 Location: Minnesota
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linkster
Joined: 27 Jul 2012 Posts: 5428
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Posted: 03/14/17 2:00 pm ::: |
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Fighting Artichoke wrote: |
linkster wrote: |
Some here have made it clear that they have no interest in watching UConn but it has also been clearly demonstrated on the "ratings" thread that the mass market would, for the most part, rather watch a UConn blowout than an 8/9 game between two mediocrities or even most any other match up imaginable, and in the first round exciting games between two outstanding teams are non-existent. First round games are almost always either one-sided or a sad display of missed shots & unforced errors. Would a 2/15, a 3/14 or a 4/13 be more compelling? No. Or more watched? No. The numbers support that.
As much as some would have us believe that ESPN is in bed with UConn the fact is that UConn, even in a blowout, is the most popular show in wcbb and easily the biggest story of the tournament. |
There is another more parsimonious (Occam's Razor) interpretation of the ratings : the viewers who prefer UConn vs. 16 seeds to a competitive 8/9 game are UConn fans. Bandwagon UConn fans (created in the past decade because of their sustained excellence) would rather watch UConn play anybody, regardless of how elegant the basketball is. I do not doubt that there are some fans like you, Linkster, but the vast majority just want to watch their team play. I know I would watch ND/RMU even though the game will (hopefully) be terrible from a competitive standpoint, but I wouldn't want the rest of the nation to have that game forced upon them. |
No body is forcing anyone to watch. And tell me what game would draw a bigger audience?
I don't watch college football anymore but back in the day when I did the networks would put on Notre Dame-Army when the final score would likely be 45-6 rather than put on any of a number of competitve games. Why? Were the networks "in bed" with Notre Dame or were they making a business decision? Notre Dame was a nationally popular team then and UConn is a nationally popular team now. The difference is that today you can watch your team or any other team you'd like to see from start to finish in near HD clarity. Back in the day your choice was either a Notre Dame blowout or bowling.
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Phil
Joined: 22 Oct 2011 Posts: 1277
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Posted: 03/14/17 3:49 pm ::: |
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purduefanatic wrote: |
RavenDog wrote: |
+1 AND these whitewash games needlessly bring about the possibilities for player injuries. |
"Needlessly"? Do you propose that the NCAA just give UConn a bye into the 2nd Round? Sweet Sixteen? Elite 8? Final 4? National Championship game? |
Not just UConn.
I put together a proposal for a double-bye format which would give the top 32 teams a single bye, and the top 16 a double-bye.
It would materially increase the chances of some upsets, and would material decrease the number of blowouts.
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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Posted: 03/14/17 3:52 pm ::: |
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linkster wrote: |
It's not a question of which is intrinsically better. It's a business decision ESPN makes based on which game will draw the highest rating and allow them to charge the most for commercials. Look at the ratings thread and the games from 2-27 to 3-6. Of all the games on ESPN2 the 3 UConn-USF blowouts drew the biggest audiences. Sure, the UConn-S Car game blew the doors off but we need to wait 2 or more weeks to get match ups like that one. |
Because ESPN is all about ratings and attracting the largest audience. uConn and Tenn games do that for ESPN.
ESPN proves daily that it doesn't give a shit about the good or growth or image of the game. And endlessly featuring these crapola UConn blowouts simply reinforces every horrible stereotype about WCBB. I'm sure it makes UConn fans and Bristol residents happy to see their home team on TV all the time. But it stinks for building interest in the sport. And it stinks for the rest of WBB fandom.
And don't give me this "elegance" garbage. It's not nearly as great as you imagine it to be.
There are other teams playing really good basketball. Indeed there are quite a few playing cleaner ball with fewer turnovers than UConn. They just aren't stocked with a whole bunch of top five recruits, so they don't win all of their games.
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linkster
Joined: 27 Jul 2012 Posts: 5428
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Posted: 03/14/17 4:25 pm ::: |
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ArtBest23 wrote: |
linkster wrote: |
It's not a question of which is intrinsically better. It's a business decision ESPN makes based on which game will draw the highest rating and allow them to charge the most for commercials. Look at the ratings thread and the games from 2-27 to 3-6. Of all the games on ESPN2 the 3 UConn-USF blowouts drew the biggest audiences. Sure, the UConn-S Car game blew the doors off but we need to wait 2 or more weeks to get match ups like that one. |
Because ESPN is all about ratings and attracting the largest audience. uConn and Tenn games do that for ESPN.
ESPN proves daily that it doesn't give a shit about the good or growth or image of the game. And endlessly featuring these crapola UConn blowouts simply reinforces every horrible stereotype about WCBB. I'm sure it makes UConn fans and Bristol residents happy to see their home team on TV all the time. But it stinks for building interest in the sport. And it stinks for the rest of WBB fandom.
And don't give me this "elegance" garbage. It's not nearly as great as you imagine it to be.
There are other teams playing really good basketball. Indeed there are quite a few playing cleaner ball with fewer turnovers than UConn. They just aren't stocked with a whole bunch of top five recruits, so they don't win all of their games. |
You can characterize it all you want but if not for ESPN women's basketball would be something you watch at 3:00 am on regional cable channels in replay.
I can understand fans wanting someone other than UConn winning a NC but to suggest that there is a more compelling storyline than their winning streak anywhere in the country is silly.
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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Posted: 03/14/17 4:49 pm ::: |
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linkster wrote: |
to suggest that there is a more boring storyline than their winning streak anywhere in the country is silly. |
There. Fixed your typo.
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PickledGinger
Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Posts: 1380
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Posted: 03/14/17 5:01 pm ::: |
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ArtBest23 wrote: |
linkster wrote: |
to suggest that there is a more boring storyline than their winning streak anywhere in the country is silly. |
There. Fixed your typo. |
+1. The winning streak became old news as soon as they broke the record.
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cthskzfn
Joined: 21 Nov 2004 Posts: 12851 Location: In a world where a PSYCHOpath like Trump isn't potus.
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Posted: 03/14/17 5:55 pm ::: |
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ArtBest23 wrote: |
linkster wrote: |
It's not a question of which is intrinsically better. It's a business decision ESPN makes based on which game will draw the highest rating and allow them to charge the most for commercials. Look at the ratings thread and the games from 2-27 to 3-6. Of all the games on ESPN2 the 3 UConn-USF blowouts drew the biggest audiences. Sure, the UConn-S Car game blew the doors off but we need to wait 2 or more weeks to get match ups like that one. |
Because ESPN is all about ratings and attracting the largest audience. uConn and Tenn games do that for ESPN.
ESPN proves daily that it doesn't give a shit about the good or growth or image of the game. And endlessly featuring these crapola UConn blowouts simply reinforces every horrible stereotype about WCBB. I'm sure it makes UConn fans and Bristol residents happy to see their home team on TV all the time. But it stinks for building interest in the sport. And it stinks for the rest of WBB fandom.
And don't give me this "elegance" garbage. It's not nearly as great as you imagine it to be.
There are other teams playing really good basketball. Indeed there are quite a few playing cleaner ball with fewer turnovers than UConn. They just aren't stocked with a whole bunch of top five recruits, so they don't win all of their games. |
Especially the horrible stereotype that the sport is overrun with lesbians?
UConn fans watch every game anyway, most via "their own" regional network. ESPN rarely carries an AAC game, and only airs the AACT semis and final. They aired most of the highly anticipated match-ups this year, as they do every year. How does this "stink for building the game"?
All NCAAT games are available via watchespn. No games are being pre-empted by the Albany-UConn game.
Not sure why Bristol residents were singled out.
Not sure why the rant.
_________________ Silly, stupid white people might be waking up.
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cthskzfn
Joined: 21 Nov 2004 Posts: 12851 Location: In a world where a PSYCHOpath like Trump isn't potus.
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Posted: 03/14/17 5:56 pm ::: |
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PickledGinger wrote: |
ArtBest23 wrote: |
linkster wrote: |
to suggest that there is a more boring storyline than their winning streak anywhere in the country is silly. |
There. Fixed your typo. |
+1. The winning streak became old news as soon as they broke the record. |
Amen. The hype re: #100 was especially embarrassing.
_________________ Silly, stupid white people might be waking up.
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linkster
Joined: 27 Jul 2012 Posts: 5428
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Posted: 03/14/17 8:56 pm ::: |
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I was also sick of the endless hype over 100.
But while it may be old news it still captures the interest of the public. Most streaks do or the media wouldn't be talking about them ad nauseam. DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak is over 75 years old but it still is talked about whenever someone reaches 20 games in a row. It was also the daily headline on sports pages while he was setting it back in 1941, before TV or the internet. There are endless examples of the way the public embraces streaks. The hype over the possibility of the Patriots going 19-0 is one recent example. Notre Dame fans love to bring up that they ended UCLA's streak at every opportunity.
I'm not trying to say that it is the best topic of the tournament but as far as generating interest among that part of the population that has had little interest in wcbb there isn't one better. It's certainly more interesting than that ridiculous hand clap contest that has the women of ESPN tweeting away or the whining over why a team is a 9 seed instead of a 6 seed. The bottom line of any tournament is winning it and while it may bore some or nauseate others, UConn is the lead story.
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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Posted: 03/14/17 9:38 pm ::: |
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linkster wrote: |
I was also sick of the endless hype over 100.
But while it may be old news it still captures the interest of the public. Most streaks do or the media wouldn't be talking about them ad nauseam. DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak is over 75 years old but it still is talked about whenever someone reaches 20 games in a row. It was also the daily headline on sports pages while he was setting it back in 1941, before TV or the internet. There are endless examples of the way the public embraces streaks. The hype over the possibility of the Patriots going 19-0 is one recent example. Notre Dame fans love to bring up that they ended UCLA's streak at every opportunity.
I'm not trying to say that it is the best topic of the tournament but as far as generating interest among that part of the population that has had little interest in wcbb there isn't one better. It's certainly more interesting than that ridiculous hand clap contest that has the women of ESPN tweeting away or the whining over why a team is a 9 seed instead of a 6 seed. The bottom line of any tournament is winning it and while it may bore some or nauseate others, UConn is the lead story. |
What "public's" interest is captured? Nobody cares any more. Even ESPN barely covers it any more. It just doesn't matter. It's boring.
It will be big news for some other school when they stop the streak, but UConn adding one game at a time to it is total non-news.
It was non-news when UCLA won 86, 87, 88. It was news when they got beat. As it will be when UConn gets beat. The next time the streak will matter is when they're celebrating some other school for ending it.
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 67165 Location: Where the action is
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Posted: 03/14/17 9:41 pm ::: |
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ArtBest23 wrote: |
The next time the streak will matter is when they're celebrating some other school for ending it. |
Or when it reaches 200, whichever comes first.
_________________ The truth is like poetry
Most people hate poetry
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purduefanatic
Joined: 10 Aug 2011 Posts: 2819 Location: Indiana
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Posted: 03/14/17 9:42 pm ::: |
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RavenDog wrote: |
No, I'd prefer the field size be reduced. |
So decrease the opportunities for student-athletes to compete in the NCAA Tournament? Got it.
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linkster
Joined: 27 Jul 2012 Posts: 5428
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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Posted: 03/14/17 10:07 pm ::: |
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linkster wrote: |
it still captures the interest of the public. |
linkster wrote: |
I agree it's boring |
Make up your mind.
Or should we assume you're just arguing for the sake of arguing.
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