ChanceSchmerr

I said return for both...but only given the circumstances. It's not based on the price (yeah it's higher than it was in the past, but nothing ever goes down in price), but because there is an expectation that you're in the Divan for an experience, and an overly tight/overly loose cigar makes for a miserable experience that I don't want, and that the business likely doesn't want me to have either. That said, any such situation to me, requires grace and tact when explaining it to the staff. if you're going to ask for a replacement for an unsatisfactory cigar - you better be damn gentlemanly and respectful in doing so! Lastly - On reflection, I don't think I'd probably say anything about the loose cigar, just slowly slowly smoke it and only stop if it really didn't care for the flavours I did get. Side note - I'm happy for assistance in selecting cigars in a lounge, but I'll never EVER accept a lounge attendant lighting my cigar again. Not after visiting a very well-regarded lounge in London a couple years back, selecting a quite rare cigar I've always wanted to try, and then watching as the attendant took his torch and proceeded to carbonize the living f*ck out of the first inch and a half of the foot. Ruined the whole first third of the cigar. Never again.

Finally, I'll get the RE I've always wanted (Long Skinny in my favorite marca, SLR). Too bad I'll never find it in a Portuguese B&M.

Diplomaticos Bushidos. For some reason, none since have even come close to the one you gave me in London, @El Presidente. That one was a 99-point cigar. None since have been better than low 90s, at best.

Me as well. The guy's silence on....everything!...happening in his native land is a damning indictment. I've always been a Mark Messier guy, through and through. It's even why I've been a NY Rangers fan for over 30 years, despite being a proud and unapologetic Canadian. More to the point - Mark's in the same category as Wayne - Canadian player who then went south to make his fortune. The differences are: 1. Mark actually won a ring in the US (1994 forever!) 2. Mark actually went to his Order of Canada ceremony to receive the honor 3. Mark pays equal respect to his Oilers career and his NY Rangers career, and takes care not to alienate either side. 4. Mark doesn't make his politics known, as far as I've heard and seen. Anyway - I'd love to see Mark Messier profiled in CA. I doubt it'll happen though.

Welp! Long ago, in my nearly-forgotten younger days, as a math-minded Baseball fan, I enjoyed whatifsports.com's Simleagues Baseball. Think of it as Fantasy Baseball - except using historical player seasons from 1885-present. You could make your dream team and play them in a league against those of others, and there was a live play widget that let you play your season's games live against your opponent (instead of the website's algorithm simulating your team's games). The Live play was what really got me hooked. I enjoyed the play and banter. It was a lot of fun. I was in a few leagues, won several championships in my progressive leagues. Good Times. Now the handle - For each of your Simleague teams, whatifsports would computer generate a short roster of "rookie" players for you to use, if a member(s) of your regular lineup got tired and needed to rest up. The rookie players had stats based on historical inexperienced players, but the computer would come up with randomized player names for them. They were never meant to be starters, but like all rookies - some were great, some were lousy. Luck of draw. The computer generated names were pretty random-sounding ballplayer names. Nick Snider. William Nardi. Rick Sabo. Glenn Woods. etc. etc. etc. BUT ONE YEAR. I got a catcher with the best damn random name ever. Chance Schmerr. What kind of ridiculous shyte name is that?!??! The name would have been good enough to go on - but the dude raked too! Best hitting rookie I'd seen in a long time. I was sold. And it's been my alter-ego ever since.

Thanks for these tips, Ute - perhaps saves me the trouble of going from store to store in Germany to find these in March/April...

SLR is still my favorite marca. I've a work trip to NL in March (and again in April). Hopefully I can find a box of these over the border in Dusseldorf at that time... Price seems pretty fair for this day and age. Highway robbery if this was 10 years ago LOL

I too, would pass. And snorted/coughed my coffee a bit on Rob's comment below. Absolutely 100% agreed.

Okay - Green Bay vs Buffalo is my SB pick this year. Lock it up!

Ken - let's just keep it like this, and you're good to go! Seriously, the Packers at their best are good enough to beat anyone. A great QB with a deep ball touch, bulldog RB, knock-down Secondary and up-and-coming linesmen, and now with a dependable kicker again. We just haven't seen them play their best .....at all yet...this season. No time like the present! I'd like to cheer the Lions if GB falls out, but their bandwagon got insufferable really quickly. You'd think Detroit was titletown, the way some of these guys talk. Plus, the endless going-for-it-on-4th-down schtick is getting old, but that's sour grapes on my part because we never stop them on 4th down .

Do we...just post our picks here?

I saw 'em too, with enough scratch I would have been on them too, at that price. Unfortunately, I'm squeezed tighter than ever right now so I'm selling off cigars just to stay afloat. But I've always wanted to try a Tang Monarch too, so I know the feeling. Keep the dream alive, man - You'll get a stick to try someday!

After this coming season. His value couldn't be lower right now. No need to trade him unless you're blown away at the trade deadline.

Don't sleep on the Packers. Offence is getting stronger with Jacobs starting to roll, and that secondary (McKinney with 7(!) picks) can steal a game from anyone. They may be 3rd-best in the division but depending on how much you trust the Vikes smoke-and-mirrors game, they have a reasonable claim to being the 3rd best team in the NFC after the Lions and Eagles.

Soto should go to Toronto. $705M contract, guaranteed money in a deliberate bird-flip to the Dudgers and their anticompetitive buy-everyone-and-skirt-competitive-rules approach. Rogers (Blue Jays owners) - Pay up, you cowards! The alternative is watching VGJ and Bichette walking after this year and a decade of irrelevancy to follow.