I agree with Win about Balke's 'flea market' approach. Shrewd and disciplined for the most part but able to dangle attractive enough enticements to useful and solid veterans. At this point the team doesn't need  mega big splash statement signings that mess with the salary structure. Stuff like that is for losing teams trying to show their fans  they are serious about improvement. And sometimes for teams who think they're close enough to big things that the aura of a new high price star player or two will provide the missing combustible reaction. It does work like that sometimes, but not consistently enough to screw with a foundation that's already solid and deep. The Balke/Harbaugh approach hasn't gone wrong yet.  We know Harbaugh is a strong advocate for internal competition, and  once the players get on the field we'll see who rises to the challenge best. Someone like a Carlos Rogers really upgraded his performance when he came to this team when many thought he had little left. Good coaching, stimulating competition and a realistic chance for a championship might light a few more fires in guys who may not appear that spectacular on paper. And the draft will also upgrade the mix.

I have to agree with Kevin about the movie experience.

The only time I'll go to a theatre will be for some kind of retrospective or special themed event. As a member of AFI I just received information about registering for "AFI  Night at the Movies" on April 24th at  Arclight Hollywood. Ten theatres, ten classic movies, each introduced by either the filmaker or a star of the film. The timing isn't good for me, but that sort of thing is always fun. But I can't even remember the last time I went to see anything new. Even with various gifts of free tickets over the years it hasn't been worth the logistical awkwardness.  The same reasons Kevin gave, other than the smoking factor! With the technology of today, even a budget setup can provide a quality immersive experience. I've converted to Blu-ray for releases of the last five years or so, but still am very satisfied with DVDs for everything else. I still prefer the physical disc because I like to know that I actually have it available for whenever a whim comes over me, but I use Netflix sometimes. I just watched a really good two part documentary on Woody Allen that way.

 Also ninety five percent of my library isn't available in streaming format, and probably never will be. I'm very lucky to have a dedicated theatre room with a very modest HDMI projector that gives a nice enough hundred inch picture. But I've gotten more into using my Sony HMZ head-mount display late at night. Especially for 3-D, where it excels  way beyond any conventional TV. Besides the action movies there are lots of cool 3-D nature shows and documentaries that are neat in 3-D. If you ever see Cave of Forgotten Dreams you'll know what I mean. It's fantastic in normal format, but man, in 3-D you really feel you're back at the dawn of human civilization. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition ain't bad in 3-D either! And for sports, the 2010 World Cup hilite film is really fun. Now I have to find time for the Hobbit, Life of Pi, Prometheus, and a dozen others.

Last Edited By: Arnold49 04/04/13 04:06 AM. Edited 1 times.