Seeing as how there is some risk of becoming a football only blog... let me take a few minutes to discuss another new hobby which I've taken up of late... vinyl.

Yes, I recently dusted a Sony turntable out of my closet - it's actually a fairly new model that has just never seen much use, and trucked it to my apartment downstairs where I then hooked it up to a mini stereo. This is where hilarity subsequently began to ensue.

1. Turntable gets damaged en route. The entire belt system is displaced and I have to sit there for several minutes staring at this device with my non engineering brain to figure out how to get it working again.

2. Turntable is further damaged. The STOP/START button doesn't work. Not really sure what it does anyway, so I end up manually using the POWER button and moving the needle myself.

3. Turntable is further further damaged. Much to my chagrin, something is wrong with the amp. I now have to turn my mini stereo to MAX just to hear very QUIET music coming out of the speakers. I suppose its a bit of an oxymoron to use all caps on the word "quiet."

4. Purchase my first ever 45. 2 singles by Miles Davis. Go home, only to find that the 45 has such a big hole in the middle, it doesn't fit on my player. Solution, end up purchasing a spindle for $1.50 to hold the 45 in place.

5. Listen to my 45. Apparently Miles Davis did a recording of Time after Time (Yes, the Cindi Lauper song) way back when. It's kinda neat but the other half of the record is so god awful that when you reach the end and the needles doesn't pick up (because the STOP/START button is broken) and you literally have a running record on your hands, you honestly can't tell because it sounds like just another part of the song!!!

6.. Redemption of sorts. I purchased a U2 LP of the Unfortgettable Fire album which contains "Sort of Homecoming" and "Pride (in the name of Love)" amongst others. This is a great album and I got it for 6 bucks! Score!

All of which now leads us to the present. Having been partially redeemed...do I now a) try to fix the player at cost presently unknown, b) buy a new player c) abandon this heaven forsaken hobby just when things are looking up???

HELP!