With the holiday coming up, I stumbled upon this cheap beer taste test. What amazed me is that you can still get a 6-pack of Schaefer for under $4.00. I used to get a 12-pack in college for $3.18. So, the price actually hasn't gone up that much, relatively speaking. It's disturbing though that someone described its current taste as "Yuck."

Schaefer Beer Commercial



We also used to get Schaefer Pounders, too. Longnecks. For all the cheap beer available back then, we somehow glommed onto this one. Partially because of the slogan, "The beer to have when you're having more than one.". We also liked Hamm's because of the Hamm's Bear. He used to host the Hamm's Bear Hotline on the commercials. And, of course, coming "From the land of sky-blue waters..." didn't hurt either.

Hamm's Beer Commercial



Meal of Links

Time talks to Jeff Tweedy. Wilco is really good these days. Very impressive live.

There are some things Woody Allen doesn't get. Here are 12 of them.

Hustler is now producing pron with a nod toward classic TV shows. Even "The Munsters" gets some love...so to speak.

What up, G? Looks like "The Right Stuff", NASA'a sports drink.

The 50 Greatest Movie Trailers of All Time. Good ones throughout.

Exercise Yard

Shopping season starts in the NBA tonight, after Midnight. This has become even more significant than draft day. It's the start of NBA free agency.

Visitor

29 Across: Four-time Wimbledon champ Rod (5 letters) Answer: Laver

My Dad and I and Gale took in the Tribe-White Sox game. Trust me, it was cheap ticket night via StubHub. First row in the uppers for $8. Unbelievable, it was the same pitching matchup I saw about 6 weeks ago, Pavano and Floyd. Pavano had a rough beginning, but pitched pretty well, holding the Sox to 2 runs through 7 innings. It's obvious, he owns the White Sox.

Floyd, on the other hand, mesmerized the Indians. They announced the crowd at over 15,000, but I'm here to say it was the worst non-weather-related crowd I've seen, probably since early 1994. They are now starting to block sections in the uppers, so some stray fan doesn't have to be watched after. Big ribbon over the last three sections in left and entrances to about 10 sections in right blocked off. Crowd not into it, team not into it, makes for an ugly game. Things finally got interesting in the 7th.

Garko up with the bases loaded. Hits a dribbler down the first base line. I do not care if the pitcher made the play and threw out Garko. It was the home plate umpire's call and he said foul ball. Ozzie Guillen argues. All of a sudden, the umps huddle and they reverse the call. Not that calls have ever been overturned, but that's the home plate umpire's call...end of story. I have never seen that before. Never. Of course, Wedge immediately went out and got tossed.



















Then Chris Perez came out in the 9th for the Indians and damn near killed Alexei Ramirez. The sound of the ball hitting helmet was the worst I've heard. But he got up and left the field. then Perez hit Jermaine Dye. I have expect Perez to be wearing Rick Vaughn glasses next time. Things got worse for Perez. He failed to cover first on a grounder, threw a wild pitch and ended up allowing 4 runs. God knows what they told him before the game. He was just way too nervous.

In true Tribe fashion, they scored late. Choo and Garko homering in the 9th. Tribe loses, 6-3.

Meal of Links

"I'm sorry. What are you guys protesting again?"

Ah, Bourbon! There is now a Congressional Bourbon Caucus. I'd like to set up a Midwest outpost.

These guys are still obsessed with "Arrested Development". "To the nuts!"

Exercise Yard

This rock guitarist hates Jim Rome. Loves PTI, though.

Visitor

4 Down: Country singer Axton (4 letters) Answer: Hoyt

Awesome trade for Mark DeRosa. Look, he was a 34-year old utility guy traded for a future closer and a PTBNL. Keep in mind, players to be named later have included David Ortiz, Jason Schmidt, Coco Crisp and how quickly we forget, Michael Brantley.

Here's an interesting take on the mechanics of Chris Perez, who pitched in the Cliff Lee Cardinals game, and is now an Indian.

I think it's safe to say, Shapiro thinks this guy will be the closer, post-Kerry Wood. Barring the inevitable arm injury, it seems.

I think the trade of DeRosa will actually stabilize the lineup. Wedge just has to follow through and pick the best 9 for his everyday lineup:

C Martinez (Sorry, Vic, we promised you first base this year, but not so fast, my friend. Shoppach gets Lee, maybe Pavano, nothing more.)
1B Garko (Garks wins out by default. Martinez is here when Shoppach catches.)
2B Carroll (over Valbuena at this point)
SS Cabrera
3B Peralta
LF LaPorta (Stop the 1B experiment for now. Sorry, Ben Francisco, we've seen enough.)
CF Sizemore
RF Choo
DH Hafner

This prevents Garko from ever seeing the outfield again, although he played there today. Honestly, can you argue against this as an everyday lineup? With DeRosa, Wedgie had way too many pieces/parts and overmanaged for three months. Not saying things will get better, but if I'm Wedge, this is how I fight to keep my job. Not by overthinking and playing Choo in left because there is more territory to cover in larger parks. You wouldn't do that if you had legitimate leftfielders in the lineup.

Oh, it's definitely a white flag on contending this season, but if it gets LaPorta here any faster, I'm all for it.

Meal of Links

Billy Mays died. I first saw him for OxyClean many years ago. But these ESPN 360 ads were gems:



Another look back at Michael Jackson. He predicted his own death. How come I didn't know that?

Roll-your-own cigarette taxes in Ohio went skyhigh. So this guy decided to enter the grow-your-own market.

Exercise Yard

I thought the USA was going to pull a stunning upset against Brazil today in the Confederations Cup Final. The US had a 2-0 lead at half which included probably the best goal I've ever seen by a US player.



Usually it's the other guys who do that to us. But alas, we are the USA and they are Brazil. Brazil wins, 3-2.

Visitor

None, a nice Sunday after a cloudy start.

Since I was off yesterday, I went to Lowe's and bought a dishwasher. Now the last time I had installation done by one of their contractors (for doors), it was a clusterfuck. On the surface, this seems to be an easy install, so I'm hoping I am vindicated by trying them one more time.

Have you ever taken the time to study dishwashers? Man, the ratings are all over the map. One man's nirvana is another one's worst nightmare. More than any other appliance, it seems. I got me a Whirlpool. It was the right color, a good price, 12 months same as cash, discount for Energy Star and all that, so I'm confident it was the proper selection. One other thing. With the install, I pay no sales tax. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. It's a loophole I like though. They promise they can do it sometime next week. We'll see how it goes.

Meal of Links

Lenovo moves the Delete key. Now if they could just find a way to move Insert.

Check this out. Maine lobsters are now cheap.

This Pringles banner ad is kinda funny, I think. I'm not sure I want to test its limit, but...

Why listening to celebrities who fall ill may not be the best method to face disease in your own life. Farrah, for example.

Exercise Yard

Previewing the Tour. It starts Saturday.

Visitor

36 Down: Tragic king (4 letters) Answer: Lear

Michael Jackson? Dead? I never thought he would go this quickly. Poor Farrah bumped off the front page with that news. I suggested that Jacko's death would be bigger than Princess Di. I think it's safe to say, in the US, the kid touching pretty much ruined him, but worldwide, I think the freakshow continued. I mean, this guy has been in the public eye for 40 years. His music carried him through the mid-'80s but his weirdness has dominated the news for such a long time, as well. Webster? Bubbles, anyone? Or how about buying the remains of The Elephant Man? Didn't really mind "Thriller" but had moved on by the time of the "Bad" era. I choose to remember him during the "Off The Wall" period. Probably the last little bit before he went batshit loony. Robert Hilburn remembers.

And will there be a rash of stories, like Elvis, about faking his own death?

Meal of Links

The men in my family took advantage of the warm weather and had dinner this evening at Das Schnitzel Haus. Had me some Lake Erie Perch. It was quite good. They have a covered outdoor beer garden there and we got to keep up with the latest Michael Jackson news via the TV. Since music was in the air, we got to talk about my Dad's never-ending hatred of The Kinks and somehow Leonard Cohen was brought up. So, we tried to think of singers who always wore hats. Well, we started with Dwight Yoakam, then eliminated all country singers because that was too easy. Sinatra made the list in a temporary fashion. Sammy Davis, Jr. in Bojangles mode, but that was more "hat as prop" than any true hat-wearing. We decided Maurice Chevalier counted. My brother suggested Paul Revere and the Raiders effectively ending any serious discussion. I thought of Tom Waits, but that was after the fact.

A look back at "I Heart Huckabees". You really gotta work to heart this movie. I think Hoffman and Tomlin are pretty good in this one.

Did you ever want to go home and make a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza? Do they even sell that anymore? Anyhow, it's Restaurant Clones.

America is saving again. Looks like we are hitting mediocre levels.

Exercise Yard

Once again, one of the favorite diaries of the year. The NBA Draft Diary of Bill Simmons.

Visitor

59 Down: JFK's UN ambassador (3 letters) Answer: AES

My goodness, Time Warner Cable is acting like a real cable company, for once. All of the HD channels that they have been promising for a while finally showed up. They are:

ESPNews, ESPN U, MLB, Golf Channel, Versus, TLC, Science, Animal Planet, National Geographic, Travel Channel, ABC Family, Lifetime Movies, AMC, Bravo, FX, Speed, CNN, Fox News and CNBC.

Plus, I finally got the full array of On Demand channels that I never had and always wondered if it took some ancient Chinese secret to unlock them.

But it looks like for the next little bit, that's it for any HD additions.

Meal of Links

The Oscars have decided to expand the Best Picture category to 10 films. First of all, can they find 10 films and if they can, will blockbusters make it or more small films. Seems animated and foreign films probably benefit the most. And, of course, it's 5 more films to see.

We found the Governor of South Carolina. He was hiking in Argentina, I guess. Another unbelievable story. Fox News still has trouble calling these guys R's.

Volcano pictures. From space!

This guy predicted Lucas Glover could win the US Open a week ago. I'll definitely use him for British Open fantasy advice purposes.

There are only 8 US newspapers covering Wimbledon this year. Maybe they can cover some of the odd betting patterns while they are there.

The craziest plan to save a newspaper. Ever.

Exercise Yard

US Soccer beats Spain, the World No. 1, in the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Quite simply, the greatest US soccer victory in my lifetime.

Now, if they would just get rid of the damn horns.

Vuvuzela, the South African Thunderstick



Visitor

37 Across: Pete Rose nickname (13 letters) Answer: Charlie Hustle

Now that Eric Wedge is really on the hotseat managing the Indians, people are going nuts waving the banner for their favorites. As I don't think Wedge gets the axe in-season, we need to talk sense for 2010.

Terrible Suggestions

Rick Manning: Yes, the delusional among us are suggesting him.

Omar Vizquel: Hey, Ozzie Guillen had to pay some dues.

Orel Hershiser: TV jobs are tough to leave and has zero experience.

Mike Hargrove: He quit on his last team. And we've seen him before.

Larry Bowa: Old fart.

Davey Johnson: The 2009 WBC should eliminate him from ever managing again.

Other Popular Names

Tony Pena: Quit the Royals. Ex-Indian. Not sure why he gets all the love.

John Farrell: Ex-Indian. Ex-Indian front office guy, as well. Seems to be a popular choice among fans and I'm not really sure why.

Bobby Valentine: Would take a bundle for him to leave Japan. Interesting choice, but I really don't see a fit here.

Buck Showalter: Ugh.

The scary thought is they may not go outside of the organization for the next hire. Don't worry, no one currently at the major league level would get the job. But if there is such a thing as a culture or "The Indians Way", wouldn't they find that someone from within? Therefore, it would not surprise me to see Torey Lovullo get the job and Travis Fryman promoted to AAA. Or someone like Robby Thompson, who I think did time as Wedge's bench coach a while back. Outside candidates would have to have some previous exposure to see how things work here and so the GM and Manager can be "partners".

That would set it up for Showalter, Farrell or maybe Bud Black in San Diego. Of the three, I'll take Black. Remember, always bet on Black.

Meal of Links

I've finished reading a book. What should I read next? Ask the Bookseer.

It's the newest promo photo for Dexter. Isn't he cute?

I guess it's OK if the Governor of South Carolina wanted to take a few days off. But shouldn't he tell someone?

Donald Fehr steps down as MLBPA Head. The new CBA comes up in 18 months. And with a different economic situation, why not get out now?

Exercise Yard

Today concluded one of the weirdest US Opens I can remember. We had:

Early rains that divided the field into two flights.

Lucas Glover wins and draws mostly yawns.

Tiger probably lost it, not today or yesterday, but on 15 thru 18 of Round 1.



























Ricky Barnes and his outfit finally played like the No. 519-ranked player he is.

David Duval, the No. 882 player, returns not from oblivion, but the parking lot of oblivion.

FIGJAM looks like he was a winner until 2 late bogeys.

Mike Weir faded late.

Hunter Mahan was in it until he hits a flagstick knocking his ball far away from the cup.

Ross Fisher. Who?

Glover wins his first major at -4, shooting a 73 today. Is he a walking commercial for that new Nike putter? His stats certainly show marked putting improvement since he grabbed that club.

On to the British at Turnberry.

Visitor

2 Down: "Mamma Mia!" group (4 letters) Answer: ABBA

Playhouse Square has released its Cinema at the Square schedule. Once more, not much this year. The "West Side Story" sing-along should be fun. "The Godfather" returns for another showing on the big screen. "Ghostbusters" might be cool. The rest are kinda limited in their appeal.

Meal of Links

Some really encouraging news on prostate cancer. Inoperable tumors suddenly became operable ones. A big WTF?

Do you realize we will be getting "Best of the Decade" lists at then of this year? Anyhow, some choices for top album in '09, thus far. Good stuff. Ida Marie probably gets song of the year so far with "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked". But I've been hearing Phoenix and White Rabbits a lot lately.

How "Da Bears" was created.

Things are really getting ratcheted up in Iran. The pics and video are telling quite a story over there. Lots of rocks and militia.

Exercise Yard

Looked so forward to watching the US Open the last few days. Thought it would rain here more than it would there to make that an easy viewing choice. Instead, it rained there. And it is still raining.

Formula One appears to be on its deathbed.

Kerry Wood lost the Indians game today on a wild pitch. Before you say that's the craziest thing you've ever seen, remember Eric Plunk lost a game by throwing a wild pitch (they scored it a passed ball) on an intentional walk at Minnesota. BTW, there is no replay of that, because not one camera caught that action. The broadcast was showing the dugout or the on-deck hitter or something and missed it! That remains hard to top. The reason I remember that game? It happened on my birthday. That box score is here.

Visitor

61 Across: They have their ups and downs (13 letters) Answer: Teeter Totters

An Iranian shoutout to Dylan.
































Even Wiki gets involved.

Meal of Links

Tracking NYC homicides. That's a lot to track.

David Cross really hates Jim Belushi. And it started several years before Belushi's TV show. Imagine that.

South Africa. Home of the 2010 World Cup. And lots of rapes. Sheesh.

Exercise Yard

Wimbledon starts on Monday. So does the match-fixing.

Visitor

52 Down: "The Audacity of Hope" author (5 letters) Answer: Obama

I woke up this morning not expecting to buy a new water heater. But the old one died today, water leaking out of it as it were blood. Had a new one installed by 3:30. And it seems to be working fine. I got reamed, er, got a Rheem.

Meal of Links

Since I was home today, the men in my family decided to go to the Cinemark and see an early evening viewing of "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3". I am a big fan of the original, so I was curious to see this version. I think we all agreed, it was just OK. Travolta chews up the scenery at almost every turn in an over-the-top performance. Denzel was not very charismatic. Tony Scott's direction makes your head spin. And it was a running commentary on technology and TV coverage, etc. The highlight for Jeff and I was when Travolta entered a cab in NYC and we both looked at each other and said, "Cash Cab!".

Today was the 15th anniversary of the OJ chase. Kind of a strange day, my brother and I were headed to Detroit for the opening match of the 1994 World Cup in Detroit. You have to remember he was charged at 1:15 and at 5:25, the cops announced they were looking for him. Radio reports blaring all the way that OJ was a fugitive. By the time we got to our hotel and ordered out, we were able to see the chase live on TV. And we got to hear the famous prank call on CNN ("Robert Higgins", hah!). I'll never forget it.

"That Was A Totally Farcical Call"



Roger Ebert writes about Bill O'Reilly. With delicious video.

OK, I think I would pay to see this type of Steely Dan concert. Wow, an extended run at the Beacon. I have "Aja" pretty much memorized. So, maybe I save the money, play the CD instead and sing along. Or maybe "Gaucho" with "My Rival": "Sure he's a jolly roger. Until he answers for his crime. Yes, I'll match him whim for whim now."

Ah, hell, this is great just for the Michael McDonald "shoes" line:

Pretzel Logic



"I pity the fool who can't follow my directions." I don't have GPS, but Mr. T may make me a convert.

I am the single person who saw "12 Rounds". My Dad makes two. We paid cash, too.

Exercise Yard

The US Open starts tomorrow. Tiger vs. FIGJAM. I'm with Tiger. BTW, Sobel continues to have the best in-round blogs on the majors.

My fantasy team on Friday: #2, #18, #30, #46. Woods, Romero, Watney, Merrick.

Fantasy Golf Announcing



Visitor

3 Down: Baseball's all-time leader with 4,256 hits (8 letters) Answer: Pete Rose

After watching another Indians loss this evening, it's becoming evident this is just a bad team and its Manager is really sucking. But today's lineup included:

Luis Valbuena leading off! Disregard his 2 doubles, he scored neither time and also had 2 whiffs tonight. He is now hitting a robust .191. Rick Manning says don't pay attention to his average, pay attention to his at-bats. That is spin directly from the top. I love his glove, hate his bat. One more thing. Tuck that shirt in!

Chris Gimenez in leftfield. Umm...why? It was only his 5th game, first start in leftfield to officially become a Spork. He whiffed twice, as well. Now hitting .200. Was pinch-hit for by Jamey Carroll in the 7th. Enough said.

Josh Barfield at second base. Only his third start this season. Whiffed twice, too.

But this is as key an issue with Wedge that I have with him this year. Hey, I'm all for getting people playing time, but do all three of these guys need to be in there in the same game? Granted, Valbuena has to get the majority of playing time due to Cabrera's injury. But the other two starting on no more than a whim, I don't understand it. The wholesale changes he makes in a lineup are killing me.

Another favorite topic with Wedge reared its ugly head on the pitching side tonight. Anyone wanna explain why Jensen Lewis came out for a third inning? Predictably, he got tired from pumping that fastball and the Brewers nicked him for three runs in the 8th. The opponents batting average against this stiff on pitches 1-25 is .236. Any idea as to what it is on pitches 26-50? That would be .387 with an OPS of 1.215. Now, if I know that, why don't the clowns in the dugout know it?

I thought tonight was winnable (10 hits, 7 walks), but it didn't happen. Now the Indians are nine games below .500. Oh, they've been out of it for a while, but it's becoming tougher to watch with a clear head.

Meal of Links

Never announce your plans. It sucks the motivation out of the tasks.

Trump buys "Raw". Is this serious or will we see Rey Rey beat him up next week? Speaking of wrestling, "My Breakfast with Blassie" is out on DVD.

18 Crazy Courtoom Scenes. "Duck Soup" tee hee. The "Ghostbusters II" clip still makes me laugh, but they should have included the Louis Tully questioning.

Live-blogging Iran.

This porn star's mother used to work for the Browns. We'll have to come up with a new line for "12 Days of a Cleveland Browns Christmas".

Exercise Yard

I heard Joe Buck last week extolling the merits of having a live TV show versus one on tape. Well, Artie Lange was a guest on the first "Joe Buck Live" and he absolutely killed. Buck has needed publicity for his show but somehow has to feign disdain for Lange's guest stint on live TV.

Visitor

6 Down: Baseball's Musial (4 letters) Answer: Stan

Cliff Lee almost no-hit the Cardinals tonight. You know, the more I look at the Cardinals first hit, couldn't Shin-Soo Choo have made a better effort on that ball? Stick the glove out, you aren't going to eat that wall very hard.

The Land of Sporks goes crazy with a little Central-on-Central crime this weekend. Tribe wins, 3-0.

Meal of Links

Iran is a mess. CNN appears to be asleep.

Tactical corsets.

Springsteen at Bonnaroo. Setlist here. Next up: Glastonbury.

Exercise Yard

The Big Aristotle may be coming to town. And he'll be Tweeting.

Visitor

None. A nice Sunday, the first day of watering the lawn in 2009.

Last night, Gale and I went to the Indians-Cardinals game. This was the first foray into the ampm All-You-Can-Eat Seats at Progressive Field. This is the section in the upper deck that offers soda, hot dogs, popcorn, nachos and peanuts in stuff-your-face style.

However, the flaw in the system is in its delivery. The assumption on my part going in was that there would be people taking care of my orders, much like a regular concession stand. Not so fast, my friend. The setup is much the same as it is in the Club Seats. Of course, without the really, really good food.

Here's the deal. There is a unique stand to those who sit in this ampm-sponsored section. You have a voucher with your ticket that you give to an usher upon entering, and they slap a wristband on you. The line forms, but it is all self-serve! So, you are the mercy of the aged, the indigent, the youth, the motor-skilled challenged, amongst others.

The only food portion that is regular-size is the hot dog. Peanuts and popcorn come in the same-sized cups that are used in the Clubs, so it isn't as if you are getting full bags of popcorn and peanuts. If you get nachos, there are about 10 chips plus nacho cheese. If you want salsa or peppers, you are SOL. Sodas also come in the much smaller cups. So, if you get behind a kid, they have to reach up for the cup at the self-serve fountain, get their own ice and hope they hit the right button for soda dispensing, etc. Last night, for instance, I would hate to miss an Albert Pujols homer because some kid was dawdling in line. Didn't happen to me, but it could have.

My take on the section is if you are an adult, pass on this section. It would be great if you could get full-sized pop and popcorn and nachos, because you'd probably only have to only make one pass through. I realize now they really can't execute it that way because the lines would be way too long. For the kids, yeah, probably not a bad idea. They can run through the lines a lot, without much care for the game.

But an interesting thing happened after the game. Don't know if this happens all the time, but they had a whole bunch of hot dogs left over that they were giving away. It didn't appear that you needed a wristband. And people were, indeed, loading up on the way out. So, if you find yourself upstairs after a game, take a walk over there, you might get yourself a postgame snack for free.

BTW, the gulls were not a factor. Sure, there were a few flying mainly near the light supports, but nothing on the field and nowhere near the record numbers that have been down there lately. The Indians were shooting fireworks between innings as a precaution to scare them off. But the gulls were mostly gone before the game, so I'm wondering if more nefarious methods were used ahead of time.

Oh, and the Indians won. And we did not stay for fireworks.

Meal of Links

The Lifehacker Cookbook. Some good stuff there.

Bill O'Reilly gets mad. So much yelling.

The first County corruption indictments came down yesterday. The minnows are cooperating, meaning nothing but bad times ahead for the big fish.

The Worst Drug Movie Ever



Exercise Yard

Pittsburgh-City of Champions. Ugh.

But you can't beat the tradition and uber coolness of the Stanley Cup presentation, regardless of who wins.



Visitor

26 Down: Mexican beer with XX on its label (8 letters) Answer: Dos Equis "Stay thirsty, my friend."

What is with those gulls at Progressive Field? It is like a Hitchcock movie lately.

Might be time for these guys.

Meal of Links

It's Bonnaroo this weekend and AT&T is there. I'd say, without question, that Internet lineup is not the best that AT&T has ever offered, unless one of the TBAs is Springsteen.. More coverage here.

The 2009 Webby Awards were handed out the other day. That means, once again, five-word acceptance speeches. Excellent ones from Trent Reznor, ESPN Mobile, Smokey Bones, TheAtlantic.com, Huffington Post and The Onion.

I've recently stumbled upon Obit. Might be the best writing around about death.

This Guy Is Blunt



Exercise Yard

The Countdown begins. One year to World Cup 2010

Visitor

64 Across: "Get Shorty" novelist ______ Leonard (6 letters) Answer: Elmore

I read a comment today that I thought was unfair to the recently deceased Dick Jacobs, former owner of the Indians. It stated that the Indians never went after pitching in his era and since I knew the facts, I thought I would lay them out.

Here are the pitchers the Indians acquired for the following seasons, 1994-2000, the Jacobs-owned era at Jacobs Field.

1994-Signed Jack Morris (Won 10 games, released right before the strike so he could tend to his farm, a mess mentally), Signed Dennis Martinez (won 32 games in three years, blinded Kirby Puckett in 1996)
1995-Signed Orel Hershiser (Won 45 games in three years, actually signed him post-strike in April of 1995), Traded for Ken Hill (A forgotten Indian, started 11 games after the trade deadline and was 4-1, was the winner in the "Tony Pena Playoff Game", won Game 4 in the ALCS, 7-0, against Seattle, lost the first World Series game (Game 4) I ever attended, giving up 3 runs in a 5-2 game)
1996-Signed Jack McDowell (Struggled to win 13 games, then got hurt and disappeared, still remember his band was named "Stick Figure")
1997-Signed Mike Jackson (Future closer, there used to be a guy that sat in the bleachers in a full Jackson uni, pants and socks, as well)
1998-Traded for Dave Burba (Won 56 games the next 4 years, made fun of me once at Tribe Jam), Signed Dwight Gooden (Won 8 games, then 3 the next year, actually saw Doc beat the Cubs the last time the Indians went to Wrigley, of course, his career record against the Cubs was 28-4!), Traded for Steve Karsay (Future setup man, closer, then starter, then closer, then...)
1999-Traded for Ricardo Rincon (OK, Grandpa Charlie should have used him against Ichiro in 2001)
2000-Signed Chuck Finley (Won 16 in 2000, got beat up by wife later), Traded for Jason Bere (Won 6 games after the deadline) and Bob Wickman (Future closer, nicknamed "The Jaws of Life" and "Wicky Wicky Bob" in my Eric Cartman "Wild Wild West" tribute)

Debate all you want if these deals sucked and some did. And the talent given up, Casey for Burba, Giles for Rincon, Sexson for Wickman may have looked good later if they remained in Cleveland. And the most obvious gaffe, not trading Jaret Wright for Pedro Martinez. Shortly thereafter, the Red Sox unloaded a young Carl Pavano for Pedro. But the fact is, they added pitching every year. The Hill, Bere and Wickman deals blow open the idea of a lack of trade for pitching help at the deadline. And don't forget callups of Chad Ogea, Brian Anderson, Albie Lopez and especially Jaret Wright helped during some of those seasons.

So, I think Jacobs being allergic to acquiring pitching is a lame argument.

Meal of Links

"The Hangover" does have some nice closing credits. Here are 10 movies with notable closing credits.

Cellophane can be fun. Especially for the kiddies.

Turner Classic goes the social networking route. Is that where I bitch about Time Warner cutting off the last minute of "Duel" on my DVR. OK, it was only the part where Dennis Weaver contemplates things, but if I had TiVo, I think it would have realized the movie was still running! I saw the ending on YouTube.

The Voice of Reason at Fox



Exercise Yard

Can NBA teams copy the Magic's style of play? It's not that easy.

Visitor

11 Down: Original host of "The Price Is Right" (10 letters) Answer: Bill Cullen

This week might spell the end of Setanta Sports. The one channel I wish was on Time Warner may not be seen anywhere else soon. And, of course, EPL rights, World Cup rights, etc. could be changed again.

Funny thing about sports rights payments. Those sports don't take too kindly to that money not being deposited into their accounts. Looks like the Scots haven't received their final payment this year. The FA and EPL are due money soon and the new bidding for the TV deals only went down a few months ago, with North American rights still to be determined.

Keep your eye on ESPN. They may come through to pick up the pieces at fire sale rates.

Meal of Links

Sign of the times. It's the Learjet repo man.

Get thee to Japan. It's a two-day sale on PiL blazers.

What the two journalists convicted in North Korea will face in prison. Some of these methods are used at Gitmo, but remember, we can't call it torture.

Exercise Yard

It appears more baseball players are heading to the DL with social anxiety disorder. Is it being overdiagnosed.

Visitor

37 Across: Actor Johnny (4 letters) Answer: Depp

I did it. Yes, it's hard to believe that I did it. I finally finished reading my first book of 2009! I was determined to finish "Nixonland" by Rick Perlstein this weekend. I started this right after Christmas, I believe. I had about 120 pages to go and had been sitting on it for quite a while.

I hadn't yet reached Watergate and the conventions of 1972. In my defense, the text goes for 748 pages. And early winter, I was slogging through it pretty well. Then I just let it go. But I finally got through it and I'm glad I did. It was a very good book, because names from the past, many of whom I'd forgotten showed up. Lots of Northeast Ohio mentions, as well. Glenville riots, Kent State, etc. Good stuff.

Meal of Links

I went to Crocker Park to see "The Hangover". First thing I noticed is Harry Potter is gonna cost $10 for an evening show. First non-3D movie to hit $10 locally? I think so. And trailers that were once suitable for "All Audiences" are now suitable for "Appropriate Audiences". See, I do pay attention.

Less than 10 of us were there, but it was damn funny. I expect this to have staying power, as it is extremely quotable. Easily in the Top 10 comedies of the decade, probably Top 5.

I couldn't find a dead spot in it at all, from beginning to end...major laughs! Under normal circumstances I'd say Zach Galifianakis (His line: "Tigers like pepper...they hate cinnamon"..." killed me and when a cop told him, "Not you, fat Jesus." it put me on the floor. Plus, his "Rain Man" scene was choice.) steals the movie, but he actually doesn't. That's how well-written and well-acted it is. Everyone is strong, Ed Helms, "Black Doug", Jeffrey Tambor in a very limited role, Bradley Cooper, Heather Graham and her right breast, the wedding singer with crude lyrics was from The Dan Band, a character named Mr. Chow, and Mike Tyson is great. Hell, even Carrot Top is funny and he's only in photos over the closing credits. A must see.

Sad times. The Grammys have dumped the Polka category. Both Jimmy Sturr and Walt Ostanek ("Canada's Polka King") seem OK with it, so I'll follow their lead.

The Lance Armstrong of Cleveland






















The latest area official to come under scrutiny is none other then Cleveland Clerk of Courts, Earle Turner. He may have taken the lead in the Quote of the Year sweepstakes with this gem. When defending his work hours and lack of using his parking pass at the Justice Center, he said, "I ride my bike. I'm an avid cyclist." I don't want pictures. I want film on this guy riding a bike 7 miles to and from work.

Exercise Yard

The Indians won today. Hey, great news. Anyone wanna explain, all of a sudden, why Shin-Soo Choo is now the leftfielder? Anyone?

Why waste time with those guys when Tiger's back.

Federer's back, too.

Although, he almost had his "Seles Moment".



Visitor

None, a typical late spring Sunday.

Methinks I've done it now. While going through some paperwork this a.m., I realized the last church envelopes I received were in February. Uh-oh. Hopefully, just a cost-saving measure and not Step One in some sort of ritual I am unaware.

Meal of Links

A Clint Eastwood primer. very good stuff here.

Dexter now has his own bobblehead. If Grady Sizemore can drive a car and Shin-Soo Choo wear a suit for their bobbleheads, Dex can certainly hold a bloody knife. Behind his back.

The Philippines have attacked a MILF base. MILFs say, "No way." They were probably making a porno.

D-Day today.

This made me laugh out loud last night.

"Hi, Jesus!"



Exercise Yard

The pick in today's Belmont is: Charitable Man

So, there will be no Calvin Crown this year.

Drew Carey. Soccer savior.

Visitor

17 Across: 200-mph swooper (15 letters) Answer: Peregrine Falcon

OK, we had a malfunction yesterday, but back to normal today.

David Carradine died today. Normally wouldn't think too much of it, but we found out sometime this morning. After word came out, I checked the BBC website, figuring they would have someone local who could get the scoop.

Well, they were the ones who reported a rope was tied around his neck "and his genitals". Wha-wha-WHA? I thought that was pretty quick, figuring the death had just been reported, but did they have to go into so much detail that quickly? Later on, they amended it to "other parts of his body", but still.

Anyhow, I always thought Carradine was kinda weird. For a time, I think he acted like he was Caine from "Kung Fu". He was the guy in "Crank 2" who got Chevy Chelios' heart. Strange, almost unrecognizable in that role. Of course, he was in the YellowPages.com ads, some of which were funny.

Got a lot of notice as Bill in the "Kill Bill" movies, but if you haven't seen Hal Ashby's "Bound for Glory" lately, revisit that. That was filmed during Ashby's hot streak, the 5th of his 7th great films. Haskell Wexler shot it and Roger Ebert called it the best representation of the Depression ever on film. In it, Carradine plays Woody Guthrie and I think he was probably his best in that role. Stunning.

And a fantastic account of a "Bound for Glory" event is here. Happened just a few months ago where Wexler and Carradine go at it, in public.

Meal of Links

Exene has MS. Diagnosed while on tour to support an MS charity, ironically enough.

Bad foods. Once again, the Center for Science in the Public Interest lists the really bad ones. Uno's has a sundae clocking in at 2800 calories.

Another article on how Twitter will change our lives. This one from Time.

Free Donut Day is Friday. Both Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' are involved.

Will Ferrell has a unique way of making me laugh. He basically shows up on screen and I start laughing. Here are his 25 Funniest Characters. No, Mugatu is in the Top 5, trust me.

The process of shooting "Tank Man". To this day, no one knows who it is.

TV theme songs are getting even shorter. I think "Family Guy" has one of the longer ones.

Exercise Yard

Today was the 35th Anniversary of...10-Cent Beer Night. The legend lives!

Visitor

35 Down: Two-time Indy 500 champ Luyendyk (4 letters) Answer: Arie (This was from yesterday, but so what?)

Yesterday, I stopped at Sheetz and noticed something new there. They had a display for gum. Not just any gum, but Beemans. This was a go-to gum a long time ago, especially when grandparents were involved. Cadbury now has this distributed every few years or so and it is available for a limited time. Two other gums, Clove and Black Jack, are also displayed. Not favorites of mine. Clove is not bad. Black Jack? I'm not sure I liked it at all.

It got me to thinking of some other foods from my youth and I really used to like the Banana Flip. This was made by some bakery under the Mickey brand. I think he eventually graduated to cheap, widemouth beers later on. Anyhow, the Banana Flip was like a cake taco with banana creme filling inside. I think historians may find it was the first evidence of crack in the United States. A favorite at Lawson's, if I recall correctly. They also made a Cherry Flip, as well. I think that's how they hooked my brother, who eventually moved on to the harder stuff, like Cherry Chip Cake. Rumor has it that Nickles makes a Banana Flip. I'm willing to bet it's not as good as the original, but wouldn't mind finding out.

Meal of Links

Another interesting diversion. Explosions and boobs. Click away!

Letterman loses Leno. What will he do now that he has Conan?

It's Prince Week at PopMatters, which has a week long series up. Here is a song-by-song breakdown of "Purple Rain". I think the fawning over "Take Me With U" is well-deserved. I agree it's one of his best songs.

BBC1 says no more American shows. We steal everything from over there anyhow, you'd think there was no chance to send anything original over there.

DVR Alert. Turner Classic Movies has its Great Directors Festival this month. Saw some classic John Ford stuff last night. Steven Spielberg gets the treatment on Friday night and it's an opportunity to see two of his earliest movies and I think they stack up with his best. "The Sugarland Express" at 12:30 a.m. and a rare showing of "Duel" at 4:30 a.m. You can skip "1941" in the middle except for the dance sequence. "Saving Private Ryan" starts it all at 9:30 and if you want to weep uncontrollably, turn that on, oh, about 12:10.

Trippy kids shows. I absolutely hated any Sid and Marty Krofft production, but I loved "Pee Wee's Playhouse". Glad to see props for the largely forgotten "Roger Ramjet". "Lancelot Link" was crazy, man. Monkeys, hah!

How did your state do in 2008? Ohio dropped in changes to GDP, jobs and home prices.

Exercise Yard

Two months into the baseball season and the Tribe is 22-32 and treading water the last few weeks. Facts show it's time, with a detailed look at the Indians, to start thinking about next year.

Visitor

48 Down: 11th century Spanish hero (5 letters) Answer: El Cid