I think I may have finally weaned myself off of "The Apprentice". Yeah, it took a while, but I've already missed two episodes this time around and if it happens again, well...

I had to hunt down some Browns reprinted tickets today. It figures when I arrived, the guy who is in charge of the safe was out to lunch. Then when I got back, Browns management was going to let all of their people leave at 2:00 because of the bye week. So, I'm glad I arrived when I did or I would have had to schedule another chase day.

Meal of Links

Mike Myers is going to portray Keith Moon in a movie. I am not sure how to react to this. Hopefully this flick does Keith proud.

Lindsay Lohan will supposedly get naked for Vanity Fair. Be sure she hits the Krispy Kreme on the way to the shoot.

Here's a report about the technology used in the "Corpse Bride".

Exercise Yard

Going to the Tribe game tonight. It's do or die for the boys this weekend. I think we'll gain at least a tie and maybe have to play a game on Monday to determine the wild card. I think it hinges on Boston. Their bullpen can blow up at any time.

Visitor

45 Down: Writer Ephron (4 letters) Answer: Nora

Les Paul is what, 108 years old or something. But I heard a terrific version of him playing guitar on "Fly Like An Eagle". Apparently, he taught Steve Miller how to play guitar and Steve returns the favor by doing vocals on this cut. I don't know if it's a new recording, but I heard it today for the first time and it sounded great.

Today was a day to catch up on all the comedies I missed the last few days. I believe the funniest line I heard from the 4 shows (and you know what they are) was from "My Name Is Earl".

Question at a garage sale: "How much is this Quit Smoking tape?"

Old man puts a cancer kazoo up to his throat and says: "45 cents."

Meal of Links

I really love the work of Johnny Cash. Seems like a no-brainer that the musical, "Ring of Fire", goes to Broadway.

I actually thought Laura Bush was going to appear on "Extreme Makeover". I mean, you glance at that headline and say WTF? Then you realize it's that weepy house show that I cannot watch.

"Here come those Santa Ana winds again."

Exercise Yard

Darren Rovell from ESPN cranks out consistently good stuff. Today he tackles Mark McGwire.

Tribe has to thank Toronto for not letting Boston get ahead of us. The White Sox magic number is 2. The weekend may be for the Wild Card.

Visitor

23 Across: Allen who played a toolman (3 letters) Answer: Tim

I was Downtown this evening and saw the "Coleman for Governor" bus parked at 9th and Prospect. They had a sign where you could place your signature for support, but I didn't have a pen. Considering the Cleveland mayoral primary is one week away and all I've got so far is Del Donahoo polling me, assorted literature in the mail, and a glimpse of a truck with loudspeakers for Bill Patmon, I took it as a sign of encouragement that maybe the Dems are serious for governor this time.

I had to put on my Frosty Hat with our friends at Adelphia cable. It's the biggest Tribe game of the year and my cable was out. Damn them. So, we tried a couple of phone fixes. They didn't work. I had to make an appointment for a house call. Damn them. Then I discovered the cable leading from the TV to the cable box had fallen out. Uh...never mind.

Meal of Links

What is wrong with the world? Remember that courtroom fugitive who surrendered because his hostage talked about God to him? Seems that he wanted weed, she didn't have any, so she gave him meth. Then wrote a book about it.

The Getty Museum knew that it had acquired artifacts from plundered sites. That's not good.

In case, you didn't know, we're in the middle of a pennant race. Too bad, it's during "Banned Books Week".

Exercise Yard

The MLB Players Union offers up a 20-game supension for steroid use. Bud wants 50.

Visitor

15 Across: "Diana" singer (4 letters) Answer: Anka

I happened to catch "Extras" on HBO and it was just offbeat enough to really capture my attention. Kate Winslet, dressed as a nun and talking dirty, was choice. And Ricky Gervais lying to a priest about being a Catholic was extremely funny. He said his priest was Michael O'Flatley, an Irish priest who was dead and untraceable. I am keeping that on the list.

Meal of Links

Director Judd Apatow has some funny thoughts on TV these days.

The Dylan doc is tonight.

When the Red Sox play, ER visits drop. By 15 percent. "It's only a flesh wound."

Exercise Yard

Speaking of Father Michael O'Flatley, did anyone see Chad Johnson's TD dance? A hilarious sendup of "Riverdance". Then pushups after TD No. 2. I love that guy.

Visitor

52 Down: Mary-Kate and Ashley (6 letters) Answer: Olsens

Short format once again, because I got way behind on what I was gonna do today. Hey, the Browns looked pretty good against the Colts. I am not your typical the "refs cost us the game" kind of guy, but there were some really strange calls that went against us.

I've looked at that block-in-the-back call that Frisman Jackson got nailed with. The pisser was that Dennis Northcutt had his second punt return for a TD called back. Twice in three weeks. Arrrrgh. But, it appeared to me that Frisman held up and barely touched the guy. Maybe there was something I missed, but I thought the call was questionable.

The taunting call on Antonio Bryant after a first down catch was, I felt, horrible. Sure, he probably barked at the guy, but the replay indicates although he may have shown the ball to the defender, he flips the ball TO THE REF! But, no, he gets nailed with an unsportsmanlike call. WTF? We did keep the first down, but got backed up 15 yards.

But it appears that Browns Version 2.2 (Palmer 2.0, Davis 2.1, Robiskie 2.1.1) is gonna play hard for 60 minutes. Quite frankly, that is a major upgrade from the previous regimes. Very enjoyable game today, with not a lot of points by either club. We really didn't have that many yards either, but they hung in there. A very physical game.

At least it wasn't as bad as Grady Sizemore dropping that ball against the Royals. Man, are things getting tight. Saw the White Sox game on INHD and Buehrle threw a helluva game. The Sox (both Boston and Chicago) may have revived themselves this weekend, when both teams appeared to be going down in flames.

We cannot afford to stumble against the Devil Rays.

Visitor

None, it's Sunday.

I like Jodie Foster. There, I said it. But what is going on with "Flight Plan"? Is that the type of movie she should be in? Or do we just figure she needed an addition on her home and this was the easiest way to pay for it. One review I saw mentioned she could have used her cellphone to call someone about her kid. But I guess you can't make that a 90-minute movie.

Meal of Links

The first casualty of this year's TV season was "Head Cases". Maybe the fact I hadn't heard of the show, its network, or its time slot, was common with everyone.

I happened to catch a live interview with John Irving on Book TV today. He had a great line about contemporary criticism. Something along the lines of "...when you've written as many novels as I have, you open yourself up to contemporary criticism, which is basically the condesention of inferiors." Oh, yeah.

The Airbus 320 has a history of landing gear incidents. Still surprised the passengers could see it unfold on TV.

Exercise Yard

There have not been as many who have fallen quicker than Rafael Palmiero. A whole career of goodwill seems to have been derailed by a series of unwise moves.

Visitor

36 Across: 1986 Indy winner Bobby (5 letters) Answer: Rahal

I finally got to see "My Name Is Earl" with Jason Lee. And I liked it. A lot. It is a very funny show and it steals many elements from "Raising Arizona". Narration, hayseeds, etc. A very nice hour of comedy with this one and "The Office".

This morning's commute was ungodly. Took me over 90 minutes to get to work. I heard something about a steel coil in the road. I was thinking that was one big coil, because at times, we were parked. It's those times when you want to tell your neighbor, "There better be dead bodies ahead." So, all I could do was eat my breakfast in the car, which was cantaloupe, and listen to XM.

I had this experience coming back from Cooperstown that sometimes XM gets these blocks of really dumb music. That time it was on the 70's channel. This time I had the new wave channel on and outside of "Ready Steady Go" by Generation X, it was a struggle. I had to listen to the MLB channel, it was so bad.

Meal of Links

The Dutch have a talk show where the host shoots heroin, right there on your TV. Will there be a drinking game devised by viewers while watching this? Sort of a "High Bob"?

Sony cuts 10,000 jobs. Jeepers, that seems like a lot. I predict the company will survive.

The best complaint letter in a long time. I do not even care if it's a phony.

Exercise Yard













Looks like the Cadillac Williams Fan Club is forming. Do you think the editor really understood this sign?

Visitor

1 Across: "Ghostbusters" actor (5 letters) Answer: Ramis

Steve Carrell is still busting me up with his rendition of "O.P.P." on "The Office" last night. That is one funny show.

So, I'm sittin' here watching "Degrassi:The Next Generation"...of course not, I was watching the Tribe. Travis Hafner, good ole THaf, is just killing the ball again. His second home run tonight was a monster. His first one made me laugh, because John Sanders gets that really high-pitched voice goin' when he gets all excited. It loooks like there is going to be some October baseball this year. Scott Elarton is 3-0 with an 0.91 ERA in September. Things are really going your way when that happens.

BTW, they had that speed limit machine across from my house for three days and then they took it out today. Apparently, we are more worried about speeding in this ward, instead of burglaries.

Meal of Links

Let's see...Kate Moss had been with the notorious bad boy Pete Doherty for how long? And her advertisers just figured out how she might be using the booger sugar? Gimme a break.

I wonder what David Lynch, the director, is up to? Fascinating dude, I've always thought. Here's an older essay on Lynch.

Early Christmas present suggestion.

Exercise Yard

The 10 most gruesome sports injuries. Trust me when I tell you, Clint Malarchuk is at No. 3 on the list and it should be a clear-cut (so to speak) No. 1. Key phrase: "sliced jugular".

Visitor

7 Down: Director Lee (3 letters) Answer: Ang

How could you not watch the debut of Season 3 of Arrested Development last night? The show has not lost its excellent writing touch or really cool references. You have to DVR it, so you can catch everything. Even Uncle Oscar has his own website from prison. It's been done before, but Uncle Oscar has Jean Valjean's prisoner number, as well.

The one joke that made me laugh uncontrollably was a conversation between Michael and his sister, Lindsay. Lindsay was sitting atop a copier in the office, telling Michael she was going to buy a new car. At one point, she grabs some copies from the tray and shows them to Michael.

Lindsay: "We did it, Mikey. We're super rich again! And I'm going to buy a car! The Volvo."

Michael: "Lindsay, you're not going to start spending money."

Michael: "And this is not a Volv...oh."

Lindsay: "Oh, that's from sitting on the copier."

Ba-rum-bump.

Big week for comedy. Tonight was "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" (They handed out a "Busiest Beaver Award" to an office worker. "Michael, this spells Bushiest.") on NBC. And Sunday, it's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Extras" (cannot wait for this one) on HBO.

Meal of Links

Our band, INXS, finally chose a lead singer tonight. To start, they brought all of the previous contestants to come on stage one more time. Daphna (sigh). And then there was more recap. Each of the final three (Mahtee, MiG, J.D.), chose a song that had been performed on the show. Mahtee chose "Wish You Were Here", MiG "Bohemian Rhapsody". J.D. "You Can't Always Get You Want". MiG was up first and, quite frankly, I get bored with this song unless it's Freddie singin' it. Not impressed, especially since the dude was in some sort of London stage play about Queen. J.D. was next and I think he did a pretty good version of the song. I dunno, the chicks would dig this guy if he sang "Conjunction Junction". Mahtee basically had that song teed up since the last time he sang it and, of course, he hammered it into the upper deck. The boys huddled and it was determined that MiG was not roit for our band INXS, and he got the boot.

Next, our band, INXS, gets on stage and performs one of their own songs with each of the final two. Mahtee performed "Don't Change" and I think he did OK (it seemed the mix was left over from that fine program "Hit Me Baby, One More Time"), and J.D. performed "What You Need", which was right in his wheelhouse. Looks like an easy choice. I choose J.D. Mahtee will do fine on his own.

After weeks and weeks of competitive reality nonsense, the winner is...J.D. Probably not a bad choice, as the women were going crazy over the guy. And it's all about sales, isn't it? Now, I guess it's waiting for the upcoming tour dates to be announced, my participation in said tour by helping our band, INXS, back on their feet, and then seeing them at the Rib Cookoff two years from now.

The show ends with our newly completed band, INXS, performing their soon-to-be (ahem) worldwide smash, "Easy Easy". Looks like the tour starts in February. Hallelujah.

Speaking of music, Sleater-Kinney's "Entertain" is a very catchy tune.

I just got polled by old fart, Del Donahoo. The Folksmobile must be in the shop. I'm not sure I liked it. Anyhow, it was about the upcoming mayoral primary. Hard to believe, but that vote is less than two weeks away and I'm not sure I've been around such a silent campaign leading to a primary. I am leaning towards James Draper at this point. Hopefully, the citizenry realizes it is approaching fast and turns out.

The Bob Dylan documentary by Martin Scorsese is on PBS next week. Consider this a must-see. I'm hoping for some footage from the 1976 TV special, "Hard Rain", which was the Rolling Thunder Revue Tour. If I recall correctly, a fantastic version of "Maggie's Farm", with that ex-Spider from Mars, Mick Ronson, on guitar.

Exercise Yard

The Tribe played another thriller in Chicago. Aaron Rowand (who might still be cussing) of the Chisox misplayed a Victor Martinez line drive in the ninth, setting us up to tie it. Riske pitched a drive-you-to-drink ninth inning and we went to extra time. However, Crede homered off Riske (his 11th given up this year) to start the 10th and the Indians lost a tough one to the White Sox. Things are getting even tighter, as the Yanks don't seem to lose anymore.

Visitor

60 Across: Hall of Famer Mickey (6 letters) Answer: Mantle (Mom said he was fast.)

Thanks to Paul for all the grub yesterday. It shows that the preseason does help as the timing was superb on bloodies and pregame food with the coup de grace arriving at halftime. With the Browns on one TV and "Demolition Man" with Sandra Bullock on the other, how can you go wrong?

Well, wasn't that a surprising game yesterday, as the Browns beat the Packers at Lambeau. Before we start greeting the team at the airport after roadies and book reservations for Detroit in February, what did we learn from the game?

You always have a chance in the NFL, especially if your opponent is coached by a guy named Mike.

Our defensive coordinator resembles George Costanza from certain angles.

Green Bay is even worse than we thought. And we thought they were bad coming in.

Braylon Edwards is a soldier, dude.

It was the first time in a while that the Browns played hard for 4 quarters.

Offensive line permitted no sacks and no picks from Dilfer. That'll keep you in the game. We beat up the Pack's defense pretty well.

How did the No. 1 announce team from CBS get stuck with that game?

Did Bonnie Bernstein have gray streaks in her hair or what was that?

Can Romeo transfer some of that anti-Peyton magic for next week's game or are the Colts gonna be a bunch of ornery cusses and whip our ass? They only scored 10 yesterday.

Meal of Links

Come back to Nawlins. Never mind.

Boy, if you didn't have another reason to feel old. Terry Fox ran across Canada 25 years ago. Oh, and Rex Smith turned 50 today.

OK. Who talked like a pirate today? Bueller? Anyone?

Exercise Yard
























Hopefully, not this year.

Visitor













68 Across: Merlin Olsen teammate Grier (5 letters) Answer: Rosey

I was by the Stadium this morning and it's a great time to walk there. No one else around. Weather is fine. You're by yourself, slightly hungover, with your thoughts as the sun starts burning off some of that morning mist. I was so inspired, I stopped at Mazzone's Bakery and had what I think was my first donut of the year. A jelly one. And I only ordered one. Donuts are like Lay's potato chips to me, so I've learned not to eat them. It was good and I recommend it heartily.

So, I'm feelin' pretty good today which contrasts with the Indians game last night. I think I have to go to confession, because we bought the cheapest tickets and oops, we didn't sit in them. Must have been a hard section to find. The game was fine, we won and all, but it was the post-game that killed me. I have become Bob Feller, Bitterman. It's because of the goddamn fireworks. It was the first display I observed in eons. And it was a personal hell. See, I don't dislike fireworks, I loathe them. And I'm not exactly Bruce Springsteen's number one fan, so to have his music playing during a fireworks display felt like I was battling flesh-eating bacteria. This town has some freakish cult-like attachment to fireworks. At various places during the show, especially when it's loud or there is a pause, folks start automatically clapping like barking seals.















You would think, with all that is going on in this world, that the money used for those displays could be put to a better use. I believe every Saturday is a fireworks game for the Tribe, but my God, I think it's a stupid exercise.

(Housekeeping note: Due to comment spam, if you wanna comment now, you'll have to do a word verification (like when you order from Ticketmaster). It's only one more step, but a necessary one, I'm afraid.)

Meal of Links

A review of Apple's new products. The phone idea doesn't make any sense to me, but the Nano looks pretty cool.

Tom Waits is suing again for a soundalike. Contrast his stance against his music in commercials with that new commercial with Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changin'". I am mortified about that one.

Here are all of the SNL Celebrity Jeopardy classics. These are funny.

Exercise Yard

10 players who have to play better due to teammates' injuries, their own bad play, or just because they have to.

Visitor

None, it's Sunday.

Last night was kind of a tour of the possessive places Downtown. First, we were at Alesci's and decided to grab something to eat elsewhere. Someone suggested Otto Moser's, but Otto must have closed after the curtain rose. Anyhow, we cut through the walkway and ended up on 17th, where we went to Moe's. Like Modell's Sporting Goods, you "Gotta Go to Mo's".

I thought Moe's had a good vibe goin', as the first song I hear is "TV Party" by Black Flag. It's kind of a small joint, but it appeared that the kitchen was closed early. The bartendress had an impressive chest, but the cook appeared to be a cross between Little Steven, an unbelievably high Howard Hessemann and that hillbilly from the Simpsons. That caused the line, "I am not eating anything cooked by that man."

So, off we went to the familiar venue called Becky's. Oh, they have Grand-Dad there and we got to see the last half of the game. And I scarfed down a chili dog that was great.

Meal of Links

This is a well-written article on how the airline industry in America is a disaster. Points out how fuel prices, lack of concessions from workers, and competition have driven four of the seven major US airlines into bankruptcy.

Maybe Renee Zelleger finally opened her eyes. And, I mean that in a very nice, not fraudulent way.

A look at the new sitcoms. With "Arrested Development", "The Office" and "Weeds" coming back, I think there's room for a couple of more and the Jason Lee and Chris Rock shows are getting lots of buzz.

Exercise Yard

Looking for a Halloween costume? How about going as Randy Moss?

Visitor

23 Down: Astro's family (7 letters) Answer: Jetsons

Best Friend and I went to see The White Stripes at the State Theatre last night. We missed the opening act, the Greenhornes. Not really sure how that happened, because I didn't think we got there that late. But after asking a few people about it, we figured they must have played 6 or 7 tunes or more. Hell, I saw everyone in the lobby and assumed the show hadn't started yet. Hey, the stolen tickets did not come into play. I got some reprinted tickets and wherever the originals ended up, they never surfaced.

The White Stripes kicked major ass with their set. There is virtually no conversation between Jack and the audience. They come on stage and start playing the heaviest rock you can get from two instruments. Meg pounds those drums really well and I think Jack is terrific. No one sat at all during the show. I mean everyone was into it. I dunno, maybe 20 to 25 songs were played in total. They closed up with killer versions of "Hardest Button to Button" (I LOVE that tune) and "Seven Nation Army". It was fantastic.

Good mix of old (OK, I guess that's me, but I like this thing called rock music.) and young in the crowd. I would find it hard to believe that anyone walked away from that show feeling cheated. Good times.

Meal of Links

Keith Richards is still the No. 1 Hell Raiser. BTW, Keith is not in the sequel to "Pirates of the Carribean".

It's a long, long way from July to September, as the days are dwindling down to a precious few on RockStar: INXS. Mark Burnett's editing did have us in suspense, but Sweet Suzie McNeil got the boot after she was told she wasn't roit for our band, INXS. Lots of filler on the show. Bottom three were Suzie, J.D., and MiG. And, of course, they were all so talented and dynamic and the choice was agonizing, but that was the sixth time for Suzie in the bottom three. But she was surprisingly calm and didn't turn on the waterworks. The thing that bugged me was Daphna (hey, I haven't forgotten her) got drilled on her dance moves, and I swear Suzie's been doing the same "Groucho Marx" steps for weeks, along with "C'mon everybody" all the damn time.

So, the final three are Mahtee, J.D. and MiG and they are guaranteed 2006 Honda Civics. That's odd to me, because the show has been sponsored by the Honda Ridgeline the whole time, but that vehicle isn't good enough for the winners. That seems strange. By this time, next week, our band will be whole again.

As I had said earlier, it looks like John Roberts will sail through to his Supreme Court nomination. But the Battle Royale is the next one.

Exercise Yard

The trade of Westbrook for Justice may bite the Yanks in the ass. The Tribe is en fuego right now. A stretch that is easily their best since 2001 and probably one of the best runs in the Jacobs Field era. Seemingly, they can do no wrong.

Visitor

8 Down: Mrs. Chaplin (4 letters) Answer: Oona

Let’s take a break from the local, gone national story of “Kids as Pets” and have some fun.

Had to mention I saw Sharon Reed walking to her “Brownstown” gig at the Stadium on Monday. Lemme say this, TV does not do her justice. Very beautiful woman. Her newscasts stink, but she’s incredible.

I did not attend the Browns game this week, so I don’t have much to say. The 3-4 defense obviously needs work, and once again, we cannot stop the run. Too many gaps in that pass defense, too. Offense looked OK in the first half, but fairly inept after the half. It’s gonna take some time. Lots of time.

Thought I would get back into the swing of posting with a recap of Cooperstown, which is basically in the middle of nowhere in the Adirondacks. Past Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. Even past Utica. I believe the closest bigger city is Albany. It’s about 7 hours from Cleveland, with a couple of short stops.

We stayed at a place called the Tunnicliff Inn. Our suite had two bedrooms and two baths, with individual TVs in each room. It’s located about 500 feet from the Hall. I could not stomach the summer prices, but since we arrived on Labor Day, the suite was 50% off, because of the off-peak season. The rooms were OK. They were clean, and had good air conditioning. However, my bathroom was right out of “Tiny House” from the GEICO commercial. I still have the bruises. But it’s in a great location to stay in the town, maybe the closest of any lodging.

The town itself is camped right next to Lake Otsego and it’s a gorgeous spot. And, of course, James Fenimore Cooper patrolled the area. I think I saw Daniel Day-Lewis and his left foot there. I already have my house picked out, which stands right on the lake, for when I become mayor of the town. The city, in addition to housing the Baseball Hall of Fame, is kind of a resort area during the summer. There remains this uneasy alliance between the outsiders and the townies, who I am sure, wish the visitors would leave quicker than they do. We arrived on Labor Day, which signals the end of the summer season.

The Hall of Fame itself is a neat place. They have a film presentation at the beginning, which is pretty cool. Then you advance chronologically through all of the memorabilia. They have a good mix of the old with the new. In a display of all of the current teams, they run a film of web gems from the current season, and there are a lot of great defensive plays on that one. Babe Ruth is probably the person featured most prominently in the exhibits. The Hall and town seem to be obsessed with “Who’s on First?” for some strange reason. I think the plaques need to be made better, because some guys didn’t even look like themselves. I’d say six to seven hours is probably enough time to get through the hall. We split that over two days, because if you show up two hours or less before closing, you do not have to pay for re-entry the next day.

Many people asked before I left, what else is there to do besides visit the Hall? Well, it’s strange that I would find this out, but they actually serve beer in several establishments around town. There are some local breweries pumping out some pretty good stuff. When we arrived, we went to a place called the LakeFront Motel which had an outdoor patio, near the lake. Really good view. By no means extravagant, they served cold beer. I had something called Witte which was pretty good. And I think I ate a bucketful of shrimp.

Breakfasts were very good. We ate at both the Doubleday Café and Cooperstown Diner. At the Doubleday, I had a broccoli, ham and pepper omelet and had pancakes at the Diner. The only day we were there for lunch, we ate at a place called the All-American Café. It was a strange location down an alley, behind many businesses with their air conditioning cranked. So, in addition to hearing many Abba songs and Hall and Oates greatest hits, you had the constant droning of this equipment. But I had a ribeye sandwich that was good.

In New York State, you cannot smoke inside of the bar. We found this out at a place called Cooney’s (or was it Cooley’s?) which just opened in 2004. Cheap beer for happy hour. Definitely a townie place at night, especially after Labor Day.

The problem with arriving on Labor Day is that it is really difficult to find place to eat at night. Sal’s Pizzeria does a nice job with a New York style. When the Hall closed at 9:00, Sal’s was maybe the only place that was open. The best place we found, however, was the Hoffman Lane Bistro. This was an oasis, compared to all the schlocky souvenir places and restaurants that were closed. Kind of an upscale feel, it definitely meets a niche market there. Nice outdoor patio and really good food. I went for the meat loaf. By far, the best place we went to. Yankee game on the tube, small bar and a chance to eat outside. Could not beat it.

I would recommend going. It might be better to fly to Albany and get a rental car. But the drive is straight out 90 on the Thruway to 28 South in New York. Lots of cops were out on Labor Day, but only saw one coming back on Wednesday. Gas was $3.45 in New York State at the time. Cooperstown is probably a place you could go to every year for a few days to do other stuff besides the Hall. They seem to be obsessed with apples and ice cream and “Who’s On First?”, if you favor that stuff. There are other things to do (Soccer HOF nearby) and places to eat in the general vicinity of Cooperstown, but we stayed local for this effort. I liked it, because it served its purpose as a nice getaway.

INXS

We are down to the Final Four. Brooke comes out wearing a skirt that barely covers her padonkadonk. Suzie kicks off the proceedings with a set consisting of an STP song and that damn “What’s Goin’ On?” tune, which I cannot stand. I guess she did OK. And, of course, she tried to hump Dave Navarro and any available guitarist during her set. But she did not cry live, only on tape, when she played the “woman” card. Ty got beat up for playing the race card, so she dropped a few notches in my eye with that one. J.D. came out and did his original song “Pretty Vegas” and I must say, I think he was channeling Hutchence with that tune. Really good job. J.D. also sang Pink Floyd’s “Money”. They had the cheesiest cash register effects that must have come from the “Transporter 2” set. But I thought his version was good.

Mahtee was next with his original tune, “Trees”. I kinda dig the lyrics on that one and it was an acoustic version with Dave. His next tune was “Creep” by Radiohead. No doubt, it was “a swing and a drive” and he definitely homered on that one. MiG finished up and I’m not sure if it was song selection or what. His arrangement and performance of “Paint It Black” was pretty bad. Then he sang a Seal song. Yes, a Seal song! You may as well tell the audience to fluff their pillows before you start that one. It was a buzzkill.

And the early voting proved it and I can’t disagree. Mahtee, J.D., Suzie, then MiG. I sense MiGgy won’t get out of fourth, unless Oz carries him. It may be the old Mark Burnett magic working here. I think MiG had to be considered a favorite coming into tonight’s show. The band gives him some tough choices, he doesn’t deliver, ends up in the bottom three and gets voted out tomorrow by the band, who doesn’t think he’s roit for our band. It could happen and I predict that it will.

For all the J.D. hate out there, he’s got great range. Suzie doesn’t have a prayer and is lucky to be this far. I have stirred the packet of Kool-Aid in a tall pitcher of water for Mahtee, but haven’t sipped it yet. That’s your final three.

For the uninformed, my ability to post was further complicated by a break-in I suffered at home on Thursday night. Yeah, it sucks. But on the bright side, no one got hurt and I got to see CSI guy do his job up close. Thankfully, I was not home at the time. Everything they took is easily replaced. But it was the normal runthrough and taking of things they could carry. Small electronics (use your imagination), a whole bunch of change and some credit cards and checks. And believe it or not, some tickets to various events. Those are in the process of being replaced, as well. I'm not a big jewelry or watch guy, and don't keep cash around, so that wasn't an issue.

But I'd like to send major thanks to all that have chimed in with their good thoughts and I'll let you know how the process goes.

I get back from Cooperstown and my modem at home blowed up real good. Needless to say, I don't have home e-mail or Internet access presently. The call to the fine folks at Adelphia revealed no one can come out until the middle of next week to fix the damn thing.

That means the posts are going to be sporadic (more like half-assed) and of a different format for the next little while. Lots of events happening over the next week such as:

The recap of the Cooperstown visit.

A return to the Club Seats as the Tribe plays Minnesota on Friday.

The Browns opener vs. the Bengals on Sunday.

White Stripes in on Wednesday.

So, check back every once in a while. Can't say it will be updated every day, but I'll try to get some of these things up as they happen.

The Taste of Cleveland was not that bad yesterday. The roster would not rank with the best we've seen, but the food was pretty damn good. Each food ticket was still $1.25 this year. Admission was $5.00. Parking was $6.00. Next year it may be a carpool or I will walk.

Food for me:

Once I figured imported bottled beer was the same price as plastic-bottled Bud Light, I was OK.

Roast pig from Grovewood Tavern was awesome.

I had stuff from two soul food places, Just Like Mom's and Real New Orleans, but I forgot who sold what. I had chicken wings and cornbread from one place that were really good. I had jambalaya from the other, which enabled me to have that cajun sweat going, as it had a wonderful kick. It was extremely tasty, but I know where I can get better jambalaya.

Pierogi Palace did their usual good job with, what else, pierogis.

Mango Sorbet from Woo City Ice Cream was good, as well.

The entertainment was Michael McDonald, who basically sits on a stool, sings, and plays keyboards now. He didn't sing one Steely Dan song. Some Doobies, especially good on "It Keeps You Runnin'". Lots of solo, including "Ya Mo Be There". And tons of Motown, which butters his bread these days, I guess. Sure we mock, but it wasn't that bad and his backing musicians were good.

Good friends, Chuck and Maggie, were in town this weekend from FLA. So, Mr. Mix and I headed over this evening to see..."Transporter 2", baby. Of course, believability was suspended for many stunts. Sure, instead of shooting the good guy, they always delay it so he can get away. And why have a storyline interfere with the action? They even had perhaps the cheesiest airplane special effects since "Air Force One". It looked like it wasn't even Matchbox quality, but more like TootsieToy. Having said all of that, we are back for "Transporter 3"!

Jason Statham beats up a bunch of bad guys and his fight with a hose as a prop was excellent and had me rolling because it was so funny to watch. He beat up ex-boxer Shannon Briggs in one scene. It had elements of "Man on Fire". At the beginning, I thought he was gonna say his name was Creasy, because he had to pick up a kid at school and drive him home. Of course, the parents were fighting and the mother had the hots for Jason. She obviously forgot one of his rules, "Don't get involved."

Tomorrow, I get to play a real-life Transporter (and I have rules, too), as I'm off to Cooperstown, NY for a few days. Full report when I get back.

Meal of Links

The news has been really crazy lately. Just when I thought the Roberts Supreme Court nomination hearings would take a backseat to Katrina coverage, Chief Justice Rehnquist dies. That puts the focus back on the hearings, and they do deserve scrutiny.

Carnival Cruise Lines is sending three cruise ships to Galveston to house displaced citizens from the hurricane. They should allow those Astrodome people to move in. It seems the people who signed up late get treated better.

I hop you got to see the Sunday morning talk shows this a.m. They were incredible.

Exercise Yard

James Blake beat the No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal at the US Open. Blake is a rarity in tennis, a Harvard student, and has a nice story to tell. A really good guy.

Visitor

None, it's Sunday.

It is the start of my vacation...finally.

Pretty much abandoned the Miami game at the half today. Note I didn't say Ohio State game. 20-0 at halftime and they didn't look good at all. I'm anxious to see how the Gund looks for the boxing on Showtime later.

Last night, we made it to Fournos Cafe on the patio. Boy, they have really tasty pita chips there. I had a corned beef panini that was pretty good. Also, I had some stuffed grape leaves that I'd never had before. They were OK, but I'm not sure about the attraction of that item.

Tonight, it's Taste of Cleveland with Michael McDonnell. I'm hungry already.

Meal of Links

Kanye West rips the government during the telethon special for the hurricane. "George Bush doesn't care about black people" was apparently not from his NBC script. Omigod, Mike Myers looked as if his face walked right into a shovel. The clip is an all-timer!

The media get testy with politicians and they way they've handled the aftermath of the hurricane AND the flooding.

You know it's bad in Nawlins when Fox reporters snap back at their spinning anchors. (It's a really big file)

Exercise Yard

ESPN is sticking with the same anchors on the big shows, instead of rotating people in and out. No Stuart Scott. Thank you!

And do the suits there actually watch News? My God, half those guys on that channel can't deliver a line without some inane stab at humor.

Visitor

41 Down: _____ (5 letters) Answer: H. Ross

Lemme get this straight. Harry Connick, Jr. can fly in to Nawlins and stroll down to the Convention Center and calm some people down. But they can't get food and water in there?

As predicted, Ty was not roit for our band, INXS, and got the boot yesterday. Then he played the race card. I thought he was too showy and theatrical for the band. Powerful voice, but the people were not buying his act. Down to five.

Meal of Links

CBGB's lease will not be renewed. Oh, if those walls could talk.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune had a terrific series on a hurricane's potential for Nawlins back in 2002. Makes for interesting reading now, as many predictions turned out to be true.

Olive oil acts as a painkiller. I like regular olives and have no idea if that counts.

Exercise Yard

Witnessed perhaps the baserunning blunder of the year at last night's Tribe game. Provided by the one and only Casey Blake. Seems Casey decided to tag up from second on a ball hit to left field. Unfortunately, he was halfway to third when he decided he was out by a mile if he continued. So, he was out by a mile as he tried to get back to second. A bad move of historic proportions.

Visitor

44 Across: Ward of "Once and Again" (4 letters) Answer: Sela