Last night, I went with a friend to see "The Ice Harvest". Kind of a dark movie. Not only in humor, but in lighting, as well. The movie was just OK. Didn't help that I could see a microphone boom four different times either, that's just sloppy filmmaking. Could see this plot developing a mile away. Oliver Platt was pretty good in this movie, probably better than Johnny Cusack or Billy Bob.

While at Crocker, we sort of did a mini pub crawl. Blake's has expensive drinks, as we just missed happy hour. Geez, I thought I was at the House of Blues. Three drinks, not rounds, cost over $21. And I'm used to the "hard pour", so it felt like it was goin' down like water, because it probably was. We didn't eat there. Went to Claddagh and it's tough finding something to eat there, because it all looked so bland. We had some beers and some pub fries. We ended up at Champps for the Steelers-Colts game. By that time, I was on Corona Light. But we had some sort of Asian crap on a stick or something. And the hot and spicy sauce for the Asian stuff was really good. I was glad I ate something.

Meal of Links

Duke Cunningham finally admits to bribery charges. Geez, he took a lot of stuff. I think that Rolls was a hint that the gettin' was good.

Michael Philip Jagger and the boys are going to perform at the Super Bowl. They toured everywhere but here. BTW, Queen hits Cleveland in March 2006.

W finally addresses illegal immigration. Men on horseback?

Exercise Yard

The Mets are keeping busy by signing Billy Wagner. With he and B.J. Ryan now signed elsewhere, the Tribe should be entering the closer sweepstakes pretty soon.

Visitor

39 Across: Senator Kennedy (3 letters) Answer: Ted

I finally had my doors put in the correct way today. Thanks for all the prayers, as the thermometer rose to the high 60's this afternoon. Perfect weather for installation activity. Success, finally.

I decided to take advantage of the weather earlier today by going downtown this morning for a walk. I haven't worked down there in quite a while, but my God, the Innnerbelt was a mess this morning, as everyone seemingly forgot how to drive over the holiday. It was backed up past Fulton. Not sure what was going on. But they were tearing up Euclid for those insipid bus lanes, as well.

Meal of Links

The Rock Hall announces the 2006 inductees. Cannot quibble with any of them: The Sex Pistols (may have flamed out early, but oh, my...), Black Sabbath (Ozzy...finally), Miles Davis ("Miles is back!"), Blondie (should be in there), and Lynyrd Skynyrd (really good Southern rock). They are all deserving, I think.

You should probably check out "Iconoclasts" on Sundance. I have seen the first two, Samuel L. Jackson-Bill Russell and Tom Ford-Jeff Koons. Pretty good stuff. Batali on Stipe sounds interesting.

It is Cyber Monday. Are these deals that good? "Free Shipping" is used all the time as a lure, isn't it? All I know is Nordstrom has a Go-Go's video remix of "Our Lips Are Sealed" on their site.

Exercise Yard

Michael Irvin uses the old "my car, but it ain't my pipe" defense. I'm sure the media will "keep up the intensity" on this one.

Visitor

10 Across: Designer Wang (4 letters) Answer: Vera

Not much to say about today's game, except Paul made some excellent gyros. Some really strange moves in this one. The last 45 seconds of the first half allowed me to use many expletives, as the Browns, once again, had awful clock management. They huddled up at the 42-second mark and ran their next play with 12 seconds left. From inside the Viking 5. Amazingly inept, as they still had a timeout left. Result was a field goal. In the second half, Charlie Frye entered the game for one play and threw an awful interception and went back to the bench for the rest of the game, confusing the hell out of anyone watching. A most disturbing loss, as the Vikings beat the Browns, 24-12. My gut feeling tells me we still suck.

Meal of Links

Godiva brings back chocolate at $120/lb. That better be really, really good chocolate.

They found a guy suspected of stealing $200,000 worth of Legos from Target stores out west. You'd think he would have built a hideaway with that many.

No matter how crowded the malls are on Black Friday, no matter how these stores suck you in to get mediocre bargains, no matter how much money you spent that day, it's time for the annual article that tells us overall sales were not that good. Every year, it's the same cycle.

Exercise Yard

Not a sport, but here is the story of the woman who runs PartyPoker.net. You know, the one with annoying pop-up ads.

Visitor

None, it's Sunday.

Tom Jones thinks he's a rock star. No shit. I wouldn't necessarily put him in that category. I'd slot him more in the "entertainer" category, because his style is more of a revue kind of show. Limited banter and we are right into the next song. Keep things moving briskly. Here's the scoop on Wednesday's show at the House of Blues.

Audience was about 70% women. No walkers, but I think I saw an iron lung. EMS was on call at the entrance. I admit he did have a nice video introduction leading up to his stage entrance, lending to his "rock star" image. Then he came out and sang a hip-hop flavored song...about himself! Now that's a cocky rock star attitude. I hadn't really paid attention to the guy since "Mars Attacks!", so I had no idea how he looked. He was a bit chunkier than I recall, looked Botoxed to the hilt, sported a Van Dyke, and wore all black. Although I think his slacks were Sansabelts. When the spotlight hit him a certain way, he resembled Satan.

He had 11 folks in the band: 4 horns, bass, lead guitar, keyboardist, drummer, and 3 backup singers. My new dream job is to be in his horn section. They do their own choreography, sing backup on occasion, and take breaks during the show. My kind of gig. I say that Tom Jones still has the voice, although the backups help out with the high notes. But his dancing (or should I say gyrating) has taken a hit. I estimate his vertical leap is, oh, about 2 inches. And he does some weird monster-type dance that I think I've perfected in a scant 36 hours of practice.

And the women still throw their underwear on stage. Come on, the guy is 65 years old now. But he really does not acknowledge it much anymore. I think only one time did he wipe his brow with one. When the rest landed on stage, he was more concerned with moving it out of the way for his monster dance. I think it's a combination of it being old hat and the fact that he can't bend down anymore.

Having said all that, it was a pretty good show. Started at 9:00, I was in my car at 10:38. Sang all the songs you'd think he'd sing: "What's New, Pussycat?", "Delilah", "Green, Green Grass of Home", "She's A Lady", "It's Not Unusual", "Help Yourself" and, of course, he closed with Prince's "Kiss". However, he did not sing "The Duck Dodgers Theme" or "I (Who Have Nothing)". What else? Oh, he also sang "Mama Told Me Not To Come", "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and something called "Sexbomb".

Meal of Links

I am a Johnny Cash freak, so I was anxious to see "Walk The Line". I went yesterday before Thanksgiving dinner. Terrific performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Joaquin had the style down pretty good. But Johnny Cash is such a compelling figure to me, I'm not sure the movie got to the guy's soul. Although it was OK, it seemed like it was series of vignettes strung together without much depth. Music was good, and I was happy to hear two of my favorites, "Get Rhythm" and "Cocaine Blues", the latter from Folsom.

Today is "Black Friday". So:

"When Black Friday comes
I'll stand down by the door
And catch the grey men when they
Dive from the fourteenth floor"

In this civilized nation, why do we still execute people?

Exercise Yard


















George Best passed away today. You have to understand that when I was a kid, when it came to soccer, Americans knew Pele. And Georgie Best.

"I've spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."--George Best, 1946-2005

Visitor

48 Across: Only hit song for which title and artist are palindromes (3 letters) Answer: SOS by ABBA. (Today's Friday puzzle may have been the easiest in several years. A softball to the stay-at-home holiday crowd.)

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I think Mariah Carey has legs...and knows how to use them.

But has there ever been a worse awards show than the American Music Awards? This event has been moved from January when no one cared to Thanksgiving week where even more people do not care. I bet, at most, there might have been 10-15 performances that were somewhat memorable during this show's history. I seem to vaguely remember Prince tearing it up one year. Even the Grammys, which suck now, are better than this effort.

Meal of Links

You can now drink later in the pubs of Britain and Wales. Rejoice, ye drunken yobs.

Leave it to Roger Ebert to, once again, trash a movie with superb writing skill. This time it is "Just Friends".

The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line can help with all of your turkey troubles. But it can't do anything about the turkey sitting next to you at the table.

Exercise Yard

Now that's what I call an interesting trade. The Sox traded Aaron Rowand for Jim Thome. It's obvious Thome gets the money of Frank Thomas and Paul Konerko and they may have a little bit left over, as they get some cash from Philly. And Rowand will take over centerfield for the Phils. It all depends on Thome's back to determine the future of the deal.

Visitor

30 Across: Blue Moon of '60s-'70s baseball (4 letters) Answer: Odom

I don't normally chew bubble gum, but I had some Dubble Bubble at work today. For those who haven't had it lately, it kinda sucked.

Since the weather turned cold, I guess I have to throw long underwear at Tom Jones tomorrow at the House of Blues. I'm hoping it's fun, but I'll be thinking of my Mom while I'm there, because she was a major nutjob when it came to that guy. I think I'll be helping the old ladies down there through the snow.

Meal of Links

The Cars reform without Ric Ocasek. The substitute Ocasek is Todd Rundgren! As Todd says, ya gotta pay the bills.

Tonight brings us the final "Nightline" with Ted Koppel. I recall when this was the "Iran Hostage Show" when it first started. We laughed and said what if it gets to Day 100? We were young and fairly stupid back then.

There is a shortage of physics teachers in the UK. Who's gonna teach the kids the Pauli exclusion principle? Pascal and Newton aren't exactly thrilled either.

Exercise Yard

Sepp Blatter wants to ban national anthems at soccer matches. It won't happen, no matter how many folks boo during the opponent's anthem.

Visitor

24 Down: Thom of footwear (4 letters) Answer: McAn

Randomness from today's Browns home game:

Gale was today's special guest. Browns Version 2.3 has to make up for last Sunday night's debacle against the Steelers, where they were manhandled for most of the game. The opponent: The Miami Dolphins in a "Squish the Fish" special.

The weather for November was fantastic. Plenty of sunshine and temps in the mid-fifties. Actually, it was great to steal a nice day this late in November.

Today's giveaway: Don't have to worry about this anymore, it isn't happening.

Not many smells today. Mostly the Miami offense and the area under the Shoreway on West 3rd had a slight pungent odor.

The Browns did what they needed to do to win today. Big time run by Reuben Droughns out of the gate ("Run, Reuben, Run"). Only one INT and that was from Charlie Frye, but it wasn't his fault. Braylon Edwards got the damn ball and did a lot. Defense played well, but the Miami offense stunk. To show you how out of it I was, I thought Gus Frerotte was playing the whole game, until he actually entered the game late in the third quarter. The immortal Sage Rosenfels was quite awful as the Miami starter.

The G.E. Smith Band (my favorite) was there. Might be the last year for the boys, as they typically get shorter and shorter shrift as the calendar progresses.

Tame crowd in Section 345. Except for the guy a few rows back who decided to pee in the stands.

Best exchange. Fan cam showed an African-American wearing a brown afro wig. Gale: "I hope that's a wig." Me: "I hope that's a guy."

Best line from me (after the game at Fox and Hound): "Oh, look. They have six barbecue sauces that could describe me at any given time. Why they have Sweet & Bold, Mild, Gold, Hot & Spicy, and Classic." I forgot the last one, too many beers.

Best line from a random (TIE): "I gotta take a poop." and "All of a sudden the guy behind me says what's that noise? It sounds like someone peeing."

Oddest Browns jersey: Damn, there was one that stuck out, but I forgot that, as well. I'll have to go with the Dolphins: 26 L. Smith.

Best shirt: I liked my Pearl Jam shirt today. "9 out of 10 kids prefer crayons to guns." Yes, I have fun, while sending a message.

No in-game purchases for me. Gale got me a pretzel and I think I hogged most of her popcorn.

The Village Idiot, Jeff Tanchak, had microphone problems for his bit. Again! The best item about him was on 19 Action News this morning, when Sharon Reed covered her coffee because Tanchak was nearby. She said, "You know how I am about germs, and well, you were spraying."

Best Browns play: Droughns 75-yard run was tops. But Frye's mad scramble, where he reversed field, almost fell, continued rolling right and then fired over the middle to Edwards for 15 yards deserved mention.

Boas were in evidence today, but the day-glo orange hats among the men showed up. Hunting season must start soon.

Best Fan Cam picture: An obvious drunk, who was dancing poorly and did not know he was on.

Worst stat: In a game where the Dolphins should have run the ball 50 times, they only ran 25 times and still averaged 5.6 per carry. Because what can't we do? Bueller? Anyone? We can't stop the run. There is no rule that says you can't run on every down.

2nd worst stat: Sage Rosenfels was 5 of 10 for 14 yards. Yes, it was that bad.

3rd worse stat: The Dolphins lost three defenders on a single Browns drive in the second quarter.

The Browns played a decent home game for a change. They took command early, made very few mistakes (1 turnover, 5 penalties), and hung on for a relatively easy win. A shutout is always a good thing. The Browns win 22-0, go to 4-6, and visit Minnehaha next week.

Meal of Links

I watched "Serpico" this evening. That scene, at the end, where he gets his gold shield followed by that damn theme music, gets me every time.

Bush says Murtha's not a bad guy. The good cop, bad cop act is getting old with this administration.

Mayor Daley wants the Chicago schools to be open six days a week. Loverboy starts work on a new song.

Exercise Yard

I saw "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather beat Sharmba Mitchell with a devastating body shot on HBO Boxing last night. It's rare when it happens at a big-time level, but I've seen three in the last couple of years.

Visitor

None, a glorious Browns Sunday.

At The Bart tonight was the start of Cleveland State's hoops season. My friend Eric and I went to the opener. The highlight when we go is never the game, but the trip afterward to Sokolowski's University Inn. Anyhow, tonight's opponent was the Division II Rattlers of Florida A&M. FAMU has the distinction of being one of our nation's HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Cleveland State is also an HBCU, an Historically Basketball-Challenged University, so it makes for an even matchup.

Tonight's notes:

Our favorite Vikette has apparently turned pro.

The male cheerleader who most annoys my Dad, is back for what I think must be his 8th year.

One of CSU's "Restaurant Partners" is a "Caribbean/Hungarian Restaurant". Having problems digesting this one.

The mascot, Vike, now has a big wheel, instead of "tiny bike".

The band played a new song, "American Idiot"!!! Not really, it was that modern hit, "Day Tripper".

We saw a huge, young girl simultaneously eating pizza and cake. Health issues coming.

No fan contests, except for the "Yell the loudest and get a pizza" debacle. Typically won by people who look like they have already eaten on the way in.

And, of course, the scoreboard was all fouled up.

FAMU afforded the opportunity for some good commentary. Their coach looked like the old baseball player, Mickey Hatcher. If the crowd is shouting "Ru Paul" when you come to the foul line, shouldn't you change your appearance? The backup point guard looked like a ninth-grader. And they had a guy named Tony (not Terry) Tate, who brought "The Pain Train" by hitting clutch foul shots down the stretch.

Then there was the game. You should never lose to a D2 school at home. Especially in your home opener. Especially coming off consecutive 4-25 and 9-17 seasons. To use one of my favorite Browns phrases, "We suck." The Vikings lost, 68-66. Same old stuff. 38% shooting, 22 turnovers and 22 fouls. Off to North Carolina on Tuesday. I would suggest that they duck.

But Sokolowski's was excellent. And the Bluth Family from "Arrested Development" was there, just like last year. When I know I'm going there, I don't eat a lot beforehand. I had soup at 11:00 a.m as a prep. So I could garbage up on salisbury steak. Fetal position and coma ensuing.

Meal of Links

Man, it was like Roller Derby and Wrestling in the US House last night. About a little thing called Iraq.

The Miss America pageant seems to be going down in flames. Perhaps if it were a reality show, people would watch.

If you alter the risk factors, you might be able to prevent cancer. Cutting out smoking is the obvious one.

Exercise Yard

Not much to say about the OSU-Michigan game. The Wolverines ran for only 32 yards, played a prevent defense, blew it late and lost, 26-21. Lloyd Carr is turning into John Cooper and is 1-4 against Jim Tressel.

Visitor

35 Down: "I pity the fool" speaker (3 letters) Answer: Mr. T

If you want to get up at 5:00 a.m. or earlier on the Friday after Thanksgiving, here are the Black Friday ads. I waited until 5:00 p.m. last year to go to Best Buy (meaning no mall traffic). I was in and out in 20 minutes. I didn't need a $9 TV (which is $10 this year at CompUSA, BTW), but the software I wanted was still there. Matter of fact, that software, Spy Sweeper, is at Office Max this year for FREE (after rebate). Arrested Development DVD is $14.99 (I assume it's Season 2) at Best Buy. Not that I would want that or anything. And, of course, Walgreen's has candy and Planters peanuts for 99 cent.

Meal of Links

Clark, Texas, renames itself DISH, Texas. Free TV for everyone.

The Top 40 Bands in America. Good to see Kings of Leon in there.

Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing soccer juggling of Mr. Woo. I actually watched all 6:51 of it. I am an idiot.

Exercise Yard

"Jawgate" is still moving along. Two Bears fight at an FBI installation, where you can shoot guns, drink and break jaws, I guess.

Visitor

23 Across: Celeb with a mansion (3 letters) Answer: Hef

Looks like Bob Woodward finds himself embroiled in the CIA leak case. The ubiquitous "senior administration official" leaked this info to Woodward before Libby heard about it. Therefore, Libby's camp is ecstatic, if only for a short time, because they think they may have found an escape hatch in their case. The right is happy because Woodward is taking some hits. The press is happy because it looks like Cheney might be involved, after all.

Meal of Links

Bush tells China "Be like your neighbors." They haven't stopped laughing yet.

I stumbled upon "Hudson Hawk" the other day. There are actually very few of us who like this flick. "I've got myself a new goal...World Domination!"

The U.S. Army is sacking the "Army of One" ad campaign.

Exercise Yard

Paul Maguire has a profile on MySpace.com. His heroes inlcude "any running back with moving feet."

Visitor

21 Across: Pop's Christina (8 letters) Answer: Aguilera

The Senate tells Bush to outline his plan for a successful mission in Iraq. The D's wanted him to have a timetable for troop withdrawal. It shows that the R's are getting a bit antsy over the policies in Iraq. Not sure there will be a schedule for withdrawal for at least 12 months.

Meal of Links

Lennon's killer admits nothing would have stopped him. Hated him for a long time.

Hair cloning? Where do I sign up?

The worst album covers of all time. I own two of these. And I'm not saying which two.

Exercise Yard

Baseball has a new steroids policy that is really tough. 50 games, 100 games, lifetime ban for the first three offenses.

Visitor

50 Down: Actress Sorvino (4 letters) Answer: Mira

Yes, they are laughing at us.

What a difference in watching the two local teams yesterday. The Cavs blew a huge lead against Orlando, but gutted out an overtime win. The Browns, on the other hand, spit the bit early and lost to the Steelers.

It's probably time for Charlie Frye to take over at QB. Let him take his lumps and see what we have here. Dilfer just doesn't have it and no use wasting our breath about him. He was brought in to be a bridge to the next guy and it was a shorter span than we thought. The other disturbing trend I see is that Romeo Crennel leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to in-game management. We are down 27-7 early in the fourth quarter and we are huddling after each play. Good grief. How about trying a hurry-up as a change of pace? We were not going to win, but hey, let's give it a shot.

Meal of Links

NBC tells Martha Stewart, "You're fired." Maybe the networks will cut back on their reality offerings. They should funnel the money into the better ones and quit developing new ones.

Bush is stepping up the attacks on his war critics. I think it's a battle he can't win, especially with the way the "new press" is behaving in DC.

This should bother everyone. Sony has decided to spy on CD buyers. Seems the software communicates over the Internet from a PC playing the CD, to a computer of Sony's in NC. Outrageous.

Exercise Yard

I see the wrestler Eddie Guerrero died. All I can think of is "Latino Heat". Will Paul Bearer be in attendance?

Visitor

48 Across: Shakespeare's Prince of Denmark (6 letters) Answer: Hamlet

Since it's Sunday, I'd like everyone to pray to their favorite deity for me. My door is scheduled to be re-installed on 11/28 and I don't want anything to happen, like a blizzard, to postpone this again. Thanks for your support.

As I was out raking leaves this morning about 7:30, I finally met my neighbor from across the street. She's only lived there 7 years. City life is grand, ain't it?

I don't want to relive the debacle of the Plain Dealer putting Dennis Kucinich on the front page of the Sunday paper. But I found it odd that Kate Bush, of all people, seemed to get the royal treatment in the Arts section this past week. A large photo and a discography with the accompanying article. Don't get me wrong, I like her, but I can't believe anyone under 25 knew who she was. Of course, they don't read the paper, but I was mystified that she got that kind of play. What's next, an XTC feature? Again, a great band, but not exactly charttoppers.

Meal of Links

Does anyone you know have a grille pet? BTW, add the opossum to the list of animals now living in my neighborhood.

I think this piece on Google gives us some neat insight into what's going on at that company.

"Chick flicks. Get your chick flicks right here."

Exercise Yard

I guess this is not really a sport, but another addicting game. It's Escapa.

Visitor

None, it's a prime time Cleveland sports Sunday.

Yesterday's horoscope (a three-star day, BTW): Tonight: It might be a while before you can relax. OK, I get that. But while I was at Alesci's last night, we got to horse around with Joe the Scalper's kids. When they go to the jukebox and request "Southern Man" by Neil Young, that is pretty cool. Anyhow, later on, there was this woman (consensus, an alcoholic) who showed up and she was waving a dollar to most of the men there. It was not crowded, but I believe she was showing the dollar and saying she would do anything for some cigs and a drink. Kind of like three guys who'll do anything for a buck. As a matter of fact, she resembled the other brother, Darryl. At first, I was a bit put off because she didn't come by me.

Eventually, she made it into my area and by this time everyone, including myself and my cousin Gale, was telling her to hit the road. So, of course, we start arguing. Why? I have no idea. During the argument, I was able to determine that she was old, drunk, and she claimed she was a veteran from Fort Campbell. Something about her son was also included. Understand, Gale is to my left, drunken female vet is several feet to my right. Then it happened. Just as Gale, who was getting all frosty herself, said, "Just go away." Out of nowhere, here comes a cup of water tossed in which direction? Why yes, that would be mine. Who knows who the intended target was, but if it was me, their aim at Fort Campbell is pretty good. Estimates indicate that if the cup contained 16 ounces, oh, about 15.5 of them wound up on me. Of course, then everyone springs into action, and our friend was last seen in the middle of traffic on East 9th, perhaps indicating that she was number one to those driving by.

No one was hurt and admittedly, it was kinda funny after the initial drenching. I mean the woman, especially if she was a Vet, had some problems and I hope she gets some help. And I like Vets, because they sacrifice a whole lot for us and really Veterans Day seems to have faded along with others, such as Flag Day and Pearl Harbor Day. However, I'd like to see the surveillance video but I'm not happy, because it's filmed from my bad side. I'd like to see that in slo-mo and have the water coming at me with some "Six Million Dollar Man" overdubbing.

So, to recap, while trying to relax, I spent my Veterans Day arguing with an old, drunken female vet from Fort Campbell, who threw water on me. God bless America.

Meal of Links

I saw "Capote" earlier today. Really a good movie, about how Truman Capote came to write "In Cold Blood". Good story about how Capote used the murderers to get what he needed, and how the murderers tried to use Capote to paint a more sympathetic picture of them. Easily an Oscar nomination for Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Incredibly, "Arrested Development" finally gets the boot. Another gem on Fox that was completely mishandled. Why, if I ran that network...

Karl Malone relates how tough it was to get through government channels to help with Hurricane Katrina. He chose to provide help in Mississippi and was, at first, told to hit the road.

Exercise Yard

The old ball coach beats his former team, Florida. The legend continues.

Visitor

22 Across: Adlai's running mate (5 letters) Answer: Estes

I actually had to look for a belt tonight. I'm not a big fan of shopping because I tend to dart in and out of these stores pretty quickly. Except when it comes to belts. I like a plain one and lots of times you get these options like rack-and-pinion steering on them that ruin it for me. Shouldn't be that complicated, but for me it is. I'm glad I don't have to go to Marc's to buy them, because yesterday I was in line for 10 minutes to buy trash bags. I was there so long, I was tempted to use one as a toy.

Meal of Links

It's the 30th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Come on, sing it. "The church bell chimed, til it rang 29 times..."

What happens if Miss Manners screws up at an awards show? She didn't, I'm just asking who keeps an eye on her.

"Oh, no. There goes a big-ass croc. Go, go, Godzilla."

Exercise Yard

I do not know what's happening with the Cy Young voting this year. Clearly, Santana should have won over Colon in the AL. And Dontrelle Willis should have won over Carpenter in the NL. Prepare for the hooting if A-Rod wins the AL MVP next week over Ortiz.

Visitor

42 Down: Author Bellow (4 letters) Answer: Saul

It's Personal Karaoke Night as all of these great tunes are popping up. Right now, I get to type while swaying to "Our House", you know, "in the middle of our street". As stated earlier, I defy anyone not to sway if you hear that in your car. Or at home. Or in your head.

I also heard Gang of Four's "I Love a Man in a Uniform" and is it gay or not gay if you sing that chorus? I've oft wondered that while singing the female part during "Don't You Want Me" by the Human League. Reminder: I love NASCAR. Cool, they just put on "Take Me, I'm Yours" by Squeeze. You never hear that song, except on my iPod. Well, my playlists until I get that new iPod.

It concludes with INXS' ("Hey, Timmy.") "I Send A Message". To my friends and family...Thanks for letting me be myself (maybe I should thank the Family Stone!). My message to all those I've wronged...I apologize and hope to do better next time. Message to the Browns...Run the damn ball. Message to self...Get some rest, fool.

Meal of Links

They fired this actor from "Desperate Housewives". Something about improper conduct, which I guess was flashing. Very odd.

It's nice to relive some old columns from ESPN's Page 2. Here are the 20 most annoying fans at the ballpark.

Judy Miller retires. Management at the NYTimes finally comes to their senses.

Exercise Yard

ESPN.com has a nice account of steroids in baseball. Christ, even WallyWorld admitted he took steroids.

Visitor

8 Down: 1960s justice Fortas (not Froman) (3 letters) Answer: Abe

Who hasn't heard about the Carolina Panther cheerleaders who were arrested after having sex in a bathroom at some place called Banana Joe's in Tampa? Allegedly. Kind of an odd story, but...

Note the cheerleaders were on a road trip. Huh? I understand the Panthers were playing Tampa, but now teams bring their own cheerleaders to road games?

If they were in the men's bathroom we would have never heard of this story. Oh, there would have been some loud cheering, but I have a feeling the men could have held their liquor a bit longer. I don't think a guy would have run out and called the cops. He would have gone out and told his friends to come to the bathroom. Quickly.

Blonde appears to be hot. Brunette..meh.

The Vikings are glad they are not involved.

Meal of Links

Gary Player with a fine acting turn on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". Larry David is the funniest man on earth.

DirecTV and NBC offer more video-on-demand. Not sure of the proposed pay model (99 cents a show), but it is a step closer to what I eventually think is going to be a monthly fee that allows on-demand programming for any channel.

Tomorrow is Election Day. Do your duty.

Exercise Yard

T.O. finally got the boot from the Eagles. This is a puzzling item. I mean is this guy any worse than say an Albert Belle or Dennis Rodman as a teammate? I don't recall Owens dogging it on the field. The Eagles seem to be realize it's a tough year in the NFC East and appear to be folding their tent while offering T.O. as the excuse for the team's failings. Very unfair to their fans.

Visitor

7 Down: Harry of "L.A. Law" (6 letters) Answer: Hamlin

Randomness from today's Browns home game:

My friend Denise was today's special guest. Browns Version 2.3 is on the ropes coming in, after that dismal performance in Houston. The opponent: The incredibly inept Tennesee Titans. Therefore, a true Clash of the Titans.

The weather was ugly this morning, as the cow from "Twister" could have been sighted flying by. The sun actually appeared for a while, but it did rain during the third quarter. Then it got cooler. Make that colder.

Today's giveaway: There wasn't one. I wonder if this is an NFL rule or someone wised up, because of the related trash pickup.

No smells today, except for the Titan offense for much of the game. It's sad to see McNair go out this way.

The passing game today was kinda OK. Consider the first Browns TD one of the luckiest you'll see. But we go through these agonizing stretches where nothing seems to work and then Dilfer pulls something out of his ass.

The G.E. Smith Band (my favorite) was there. Not much recognition until Randy Lerner put in a call during the 4th quarter to have them heard for an extended break.

A rather civilized crowd in Section 345. No fights.

Best line from me: (after it started to rain and the ponchos quickly came out): "This is like watching Superman auditions."

Best line from a random (after Jason Wright's first carry of the day): "Who the hell is Jason Wright?"

Oddest Browns jersey (Definitely an all-timer): 84 Chiaverini

Best shirt: Probably the "Kellen Knievel" T-shirt.

No in-game purchases.

The Village Idiot, Jeff Tanchak, had microphone problems for his bit. Yeah, goof, it's windy.

Best Browns play: The 31-yard reverse to Northcutt late in the game that resulted in nothing.

Boas definitely back in style today.

Best Fan Cam picture: Double Number Ones by some random.

Hats blown off heads because of the windstorm in the 345 portal: 6

Worst stat: Browns scored first rushing TD. In Game 8.

2nd worst stat: McNair, 18 for 41 passing (and it was an ugly 18 for 41)

3rd worse not-really-a-stat: The Titans tried TWO fake punts. One worked (the Browns should have called time), but there was a penalty. The other was a pass that fell short.

The Browns cannot do anything easily. Early in the fourth quarter, while my mind wandered to thoughts of how I was presently contracting pneumonia or avian flu, next week's Steelers debacle and mentally chalking up a win, who would have thought the Titans would actually get back into the game with a chance to win at the end. Incredible.

Meal of Links

I happen to like George Carlin. He was one of my favorites, as I recall him doing the news so many times when I was a kid. I can remember, "It's time for the Biff Burns Sportlight Spotlight, spotlighting the sports that are in the sportlight spotlight." And then later, with his more mature humor. However, I checked out his live HBO special last night, and I gotta tell you, he's lost it. Don't know if it's the rehab or what, but he came off as not very funny, but a whole lot of angry. Plus, his delivery wasn't that sharp. His rant on fat people, which should have been funny, came off sounding cruel. Listen to the audience during that stretch. They obviously showed up to laugh and he's making them uncomfortable. His "Suicide Cable Channel" sounded dated. I turned it off, feeling rather sorry for him.

The schedule of holiday movie releases til the end of the year. Lots to look at, but only a few stand out, at first glance.

Kickball is the District's newest aphrodisiac.

Exercise Yard

Last night on Showtime boxing, Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy punched a man in Tahoe, just to watch him die. Almost. I swear I thought he killed his tomato can opponent when he landed the punch. That idiot then complained to to the ref about the stoppage. It was laughable. I said to myself when it started, "Lacy in 2." And so it was.

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None. It's a Browns Sunday.

I was supposed to finally get my door installed today, but was informed by the installer that it was not going to happen, because of the shitty work done by the dude who installed my temporary door. That’s it for Lowe’s. No more install from them. Oh, I may get the occasional bag of fertilizer. Maybe even an appliance, but no more remodeling type jobs. They’re done.

We accompanied the youngins over to Ginza last night. The restaurant was rewarded earlier in the week by Zagat, but that didn't cause a horde of people to show up. We sat at the table where you had to take your shoes off, commonly referred to as the "pee-pee socks" area, because of a past incident.

The dinner started off on sort of a wrong foot when someone said "Thank you, sir." to our server, who I'm sure was a female. The look of horror on my face must have said it all. Anyhow, I had the usual yakatori and shrimp/chicken happy hibachi combo. I'm not much of a sushi fan, but when the big sushi boat comes floating out, well, you gotta have some. Man, it was really good.

The other note is that today's kids (at least at our table) have no idea about that old Norelco Christmas commercial. The one where Santa goes zooming along the snow atop a razor, while leaving tracks in the snow. You know, the "Noelco" one. That's kinda sad.

Meal of Links

Looks like the genital gluer got stuck with a large fine.

Somali pirates attacked a cruise ship. Maybe they thought Kathie Lee was entertaining on board.

It used to be "Bad Santa". This year, it's "Bad Frosty".

Exercise Yard

Talk about long losing streaks. The All-Blacks have beat Wales for 52 straight years. And I thought our teams sucked.

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57 Across: Early Diana Rigg role (8 letters) Answer: Emma Peel

Another Thursday, so it must mean no water pressure. This is truly annoying. They ripped out all the temporary hoses and once again, someone forgot to do what they were supposed to. The result: No wa-wa. I had to rely on my friend from the Water Dept. to come over and do that blowback thing and get my water pressure back. That sucked.

BTW, the BPs along Route 8 by the Turnpike and 303 have been charging $2.03 for gas this week. It's like having a fire sale.

Meal of Links

Yesterday, I had the Rackhouse Ale from Great Lakes Brewing. That's the beer that has the bourbon taste, you know. Only 10% alcohol content in that one. They serve it in a brandy glass and limited us to three. Not sure if everyone is limited, or they had us pegged early as keg drainers, if given the chance. By the end of the long evening, yours truly was in need of sleep. Desperately.

So, they threw a bash at the White House last night for the Prince of Wales. Guests included Kelsey Grammer and Lynn Swann. And I say, WTF?

The riots outside Paris continue. The poor are rising up.

Exercise Yard

Former hockey coach, Jacques Demers, admits he is illiterate. It boggles the mind how he was able to function in high-profile positions without anyone knowing.

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53 Across: Tubb of country music (6 letters) Answer: Ernest

FYI, my neighbor has his Halloween lights lit again this evening. Maybe he celebrates Orthodox Halloween. Jeezy creezy, this dude dressed up last night as a monster and not one kid was terrified. I heard one kid tell him, "Hi. My name is Nathan." Very scary. He had some sort of lab coat and big shoes on. It was dark, maybe he was Ghoulardi.

I just saw the skunk that has been terrorizing the neighborhood. It was waddling up a driveway about four houses from me. Man, it was as big as a dog. I'm not kidding. OK, not like Bigfoot, but I'm tellin' ya, it was huge. Someone must be feeding it. Feeding it little kids or something. I couldn't wait to get back inside. Could it have been my neighbor's pet?

Meal of Links

I hadn't heard a Frank Marino song in a long time. Now I heard two within a day. The power of XM Satellite Radio.

Early Christmas list entry: The MC Hammer catalog. Here is the scoop on his old filly, Lite Light. Lite Light was really good. A Kentucky Oaks winner, as well.

Looks like the rules for calling organic food, "organic", may change. As usual, money is the culprit. Let's bend the rules, because it's too expensive to produce under current guidelines. So they say.

Exercise Yard

A tale of two horses. One, a three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner dies on the track. While the other wins the Melbourne Gold Cup for the third time in a row, conjuring up visions of Phar Lap.

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34 Across: Thurman of "Kill Bill" films (3 letters) Answer: "Uma, Jerry. Uma."