How Roman armies instilled discipline

So, I was reading up for my Roman history class. We're in the period when the Sullan Constitution is being ripped apart by Pompey and Crassus (the other two guys that will later form the first Triumvirate with Julius Caesar). The issue of how Roman armies kept discipline came up, and Crassus's solution was reinstituting the practice of decimation.

Decimation is where the Roman armies would kill off every tenth soldier, usually at the whim of a general who lost a battle. The unlucky soldiers were chosen by casting lots. That would have been bad enough, but the method of killing makes it even worse. Your own comrades would form a circle around you and stone you to death. This method of discipline was very effective because nobody wanted to be the guy in the middle. You either died fighting for Rome or at the hands of your friends.

This gives me a whole new meaning to feeling "decimated".

Random thoughts on the World Series

Looking back at my baseball playoff predictions, I can say that I look pretty dumb for picking the Dodgers. Oh well, that's the nature of predictions.

If I had to bet money, I would bet money on the Cardinals to win. The Red Sox have the better team overall, but they're cursed. Coming from behind on a 3-0 deficit against the hated Yankees won't break the curse.

I'll be like your typical Red Sox fan. I'll cheer for them knowing that they'll screw it up all somehow. They're going to waste Tim Wakefield's knuckeballs (remember, he won two games in the ALCS before giving up Boone's homer). Curt Schilling's hurt and Pedro doesn't appear to be the same dominating guy. Lowe's a question mark, he could be really good or really bad. Foulke has been overworked this postseason. Not to mention the fact when the games go to Busch stadium that the Red Sox aren't built for National League games.

I expect to see an error of the magnitude of the ball going through Buckner's legs.