Here are some idle thoughts:

I think I bought too much candy for Halloween. I had several coupons and must have blacked out as I walked in. Anyhow, I bought bags of: Kit-Kat, 3 Musketeers, 3 Musketeers Mint, Hershey's Chocolate, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfinger and Nestle Crunch. Yikes!

I failed to mention the Browns dumb penalty the other day. Shaun Rogers tripped a guy! Yeah, he was taken out of the play and with his back to the runner, stuck his leg out. It worked, then he got 15 yards.

I like the smell of Suave Humectant shampoo.

I've really been getting into the ESPN "30 For 30" docs. The one last night on the Ali-Holmes fight was the best, thus far. Howard Cosell on the broadcast: "Legends die hard...". What a shame to see Ali already battling the effects of Parkinson's Syndrome. Hard to imagine he had another fight after this one. But nice to see Larry Holmes, truly the forgotten Champ.

The fee for bouncing a check at National City is now $34.

I believe I have successfully avoided anything regarding Christmas at this early date. But I sense the tidal wave rumbling.

Gale and I saw "The Informant" the other day. It was just OK and Matt Damon was good, but it's a very different sort of movie. I enjoyed the book a lot more.

"On the Road with Charles Kuralt" is now out on DVD. WTF? No "Mannix", but this?

I am always surprised at how good "The Point After" is on Mondays after a Browns game. Best local sports show in eons.

Speaking of sports, here is a quote from Manny Acta's press conference regarding acclimating his players over the winter or waiting until spring training: "Winter is too far away, my friend. That starts tomorrow." Yep. Manny Acta, the Most Interesting Manager in the World.

Meal of Links

Curry spice kills cancer cells. And nose hair.

Larry David peed on Jesus and I thought it was one of the funniest things I've seen. But, alas, some don't agree.

Vigilantes have found a home in Mexico.

The DirecTV ads are always kinda fun. But I'm not sure about the latest one with David Spade and Chris Farley.

Ridiculous rap lyrics. "I live by two words: "Fuck you, pay me". Uh, Kanye, that's four.

Brad Lidge, Phillies closer. And religious archaeologist?

Exercise Yard

OK, start the tidal wave. I want this book for Christmas.

Visitor

47 Down: Robert of "The Sopranos" (4 letters) Answer: Iler

Randomness from yesterday's Browns home game:

Special Guest: Shaun. Shaun was in attendance at the 51-45 Bengals which seems like it was an eternity ago. But he lives Downtown now, so it's easy for him to attend games...and tailgates.

Today's Opponent: The Green Bay Packers. The Packers are an interesting lot this year. Offensively, they are currently almost a one-trick pony, as Aaron Rodgers has assumed the QB job very nicely from Brett Favre. Rodgers leads a high-powered passing game and rarely throws an interception. But the offensive line hasn't been very good, which makes Rodgers feats even more spectacular. Rodgers even took 5 sacks against Detroit last week. And the run game has only been adequate, thus far.

The Browns are coming off a game where the Steelers should have scored 40. Turnovers helped the Browns stay interested in that game. But it's also a week where D'Qwell Jackson went down for the year and several others had bouts with the flu. As I've continually said we have no depth and when the injuries start, the Browns are heading for trouble.

As for this game, not a chance. Everyone expects the worst this weekend. This is clearly the most high-powered offense the Browns have seen this year, thus far. It would be nice to keep this one close, but...

Parking: East 6th northbound in a Truck Zone between Saint Clair and Rockwell. Same spot as Games 1 and 2. I am sensing a pattern here.

Pre-Game Festivities: We strolled in and had already missed the Browns Spirit Flag. The anthem was sung by some choral group, probably the opera unit of some organization. Bigass flag was mini-sized today.

Worst Feature (For Me): Today, it was really the fans. This was easily the quietest game from the start, I can recall. It was as if everyone realized the outcome three hours before it actually happened. If apathy sets in now, what is going to happen over the remaining 5 home games?

There are already rumblings of future games being blacked out. The Steelers Thursday night game is the only sellout. The Ravens Monday night and Chargers games have not sold out. And it looks the Raiders and Jaguars games are Friends and Family affairs right now.

The Weather: Marky Nolan and Hollie Strano welcomed us to the game today after Mohammed Massaquoi had already dropped a pass. This was like stealing today. Late October, sunny, about 60 degrees. Couldn't ask for a better day weather-wise.

Today's Giveaway: None. Three games, one giveaway. Randy Lerner can't find sponsors for anything. Guaranteed the two night games will give away something. That's where the promotional budget went.

Section 345: Extremely quiet today. If couches were available, it would have been nap time.

Best Browns Play: On the opening kickoff, Mason Crosby of the Packers drilled the pylon on the goal line. This allowed the Browns to start on the 40-yard line. I'm serious, that's how bad this game was.

Best Packers Play: Clearly the 71-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Donald Driver. Seam route to perfection. Of course, this also suffered from the Browns ubiquitous bad tackling. Brodney Pool had a shot at the 50, he missed. Eric Wright, as ever, tried to punch the ball out of Driver's arms the rest of the way and failed three times. If only he would put that effort into tackling!

Worst Browns Play: The Browns are actually threatening to score at our end of the field at the end of the first quarter. It's second and goal from the 2. Derek Anderson fumbles the snap! Ugh! He then threw incomplete on the next play.

Then they marched to the other end of the field to kick the "bounce off the upright" field goal by Billy Cundiff for the only score of the day. Thanks, DA.

Second Worst Browns Play: Derek Anderson threw an interception in the second quarter that was just awful. Brian Robiskie had to have run the wrong pattern or something because that one looked brutal.

Best Exchange:
Me (after opening kickoff): "Great, we get to start on the 40."

Shaun: "Great, we get to punt from before the 50."

Oddest Browns Jersey: 2 Couch, 24 Fuller, 31 Green, 34 Droughns, 54 Spielman, 87 Andre Davis (twice).

Food Items: Shaun plied me with two beers, a hot dog and a pretzel.

Worst Scoreboard Feature: Baghdad Zac and his halftime highlight show. At least they showed the Driver TD. This is only the second game upon their return, opponents highlights are shown. The first was the Bengal game this season.

The Fuckin' Run: The second highest total of the year. 202 yards! But the Pack was the first team all year to commit to the run immediately, as they ran on 10 of their first 11 plays. To show how bad this was, it was the Packers highest output of the year. Last week against the Lions? They ran for only 107. And while we're at it, let's dismiss the canard of Shaun Rogers, all-pro. Big chunks of yardage up the middle from a weak offensive line. Again.

Worst Stat: The Browns gained 2.8 yards per running play. Not to be outdone, they also gained 2.8 yards per pass play.

2nd Worst Stat: The Browns had 5 first downs by penalty. Only 3 via the run and 4 by the pass.

Most Interesting Stat: This was the first visit to Cleveland Browns Stadium by the Packers. They are the last NFL team to do that.

Penalties: Actually, the Packers committed the boneheaded ones today. Two kicks went of bounds and they had 12 men on the field for a punt.

The effort and outcome of this game certainly rivalled the Ravens game for ineffectiveness. Easily the worst home game of the year. Probably the worst effort since the Bengal shutout two years ago.

Derek Anderson has become indefensible. The defense can't stop the run. And now the Browns fans appear to not even care. Bad signs all.

The Browns lose, as expected, to the Packers in a joke of a game, 31-3. They are now 1-and-6.

Leonard Cohen

S. and I made a pact a long time ago, that we would see Leonard Cohen if he ever came to town. Cohen is the 75-year old Canadian poet who is actually a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Plus, he fits into the category of "Entertainers who wear hats". Even his roadies wore hats. This is the first time he has performed in the United States since 1994.

The Venue: The Allen Theater. I can't recall the last time I was in the Allen, but we are blessed to have these venues in Playhouse Square.

Cohen Himself: His opening set was dominated with songs about people gettin' naked. OK, that's not totally true, but he certainly cranks out the love songs.

Cohen is not the greatest of singers, certainly better than Rod McKuen though. But he has a style about him when he sings. He gets down on his right knee and almost kneels for great lengths during some songs. He also takes his hat off quite a bit when he is listening to his backup singers sing.

But he thanks everyone generously for attending and gives all of his band members the spotlight during the program. And gave what I think were the best band introductions I've ever heard. He ran down all of the instruments they played, then coined a nickname for the person. His woodwind guy was the "Maestro of Breath". I guessed the drummer would be the "Prince of Percussion". Alas, he was the "Prince of Precision". Hey, I ain't no poet.

And when he exits the stage, he skips!

The Tickets: We were first row of the loge in the center. Great seats! If you were tall and stood up when the spotlight was on, you could have performed shadow animals for everyone.

The Crowd: I don't even think Leonard Cohen was wearing the chaperone hat. There were young people and old people all around.

The Sound: I'd say it bordered on perfect. When you have this sort of jazz combo sound or the strains of the Spanish guitar lilting through the auditorium, it was the right level. Again, an awesome place to see a performer.

The Stage: The setup is what you would expect for such a large ensemble. Keyboards (on the left) and drums on the upper level. Main stage, left to right, three female backup singers, bass, guitar, woodwinds, with the Spanish guitar guy up front. Cohen takes center stage, occasionally playing guitar and keyboards for one song. After he played a few notes on the keyboard, people applauded, and he said, "You are too kind.".

The Music:: Cohen really assembled an awesome band here. They have been touring extensively for the last 18 months and he recruited some of the best musicians you'd ever hear. The Spanish guitar guy is easily 1000 times the player that Esteban is, for example. they had a local Clevelander on the keyboards who was awesome. His bass player even brought out the standup bass for a song or two. Woodwinds guy was the class clown and appeared to be the youngest of the support players and was very good.

His backup singers were every interesting. One of them was his...ahem..."collaborator". This chick co-wrote some tunes with him and was absolutely stunning to look at. The other two backups were sisters from the UK and they could really sing, as well.

Setlist:

First Set:

"Dance Me To The End Of Love"
"The Future"
"Ain't No Cure For Love"
"Bird On The Wire"
"Everybody Knows"
"In My Secret Life"
"Who By Fire"
"Chelsea Hotel #2"
"Waiting For The Miracle"
"Anthem" (with introductions of band members)

Second Set:

"Tower Of Song"
"Suzanne"
"Sisters Of Mercy"
"The Gypsy’s Wife"
"The Partisan"
"Boogie Street"
"Hallelujah"
"I'm Your Man"
"A Thousand Kisses Deep" (spoken)
"Take This Waltz" (with band reintroduction)

First Encores:

"So Long, Marianne"
"First We Take Manhattan"

Second Encores:

"Famous Blue Raincoat"
"If It Be Your Will" (spoken)
"Closing Time"

Final Encore:

"I Tried To Leave You"

This had to be the most unique concert I've seen. Very hip.

Time to assess the Indians candidates for Manager. Three guys showed up this week for their formal interview and subsequent meet-and-greet with the press. The fourth will show up next week. How do they look?

Manny Acta: He showed up first and is also a candidate with Houston. Most of the press offered glowing appraisals of Acta. He is an avowed user of sabermetrics and a modern statistical approach to the game and would fit in well with the front office. Had a terrible record with the Nationals. The team did quit on him this year. Not sure what to make of him. He's young, but would he be Wedge 2.0? He says bunting is outdated, he will have selective base stealing, and the stat heads will go ga-ga over him. Therefore, we might see Shoppach against lefties, Marte at third and no more Trevor Crowe! Fun Fact: When the late Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle crashed his airplane into an apartment, Acta lived in the building.

Bobby Valentine: He is probably what the Indians need as a Manager. One who can sell the club as well as manage it. But the more I think about it, his press interview was awful. I mean if you don't even take the time to find out a little about your potential club, division or league, you are not the right candidate. I wouldn't dismiss him out of hand, but the front office has probably already crossed him off the list. Very sad. Fun Fact: Watch him get mobbed riding his bike in Japan in "The Zen of Bobby V".

Torey Lovullo: Torey Lovullo was last this week. His familiarity with the situation helps him immensely. I do give a lot of credence to what he did this year with some of the players in AAA. Andy Marte flourished under him. Both Rafael Perez and Jensen Lewis could not get anyone out in the big leagues, but in the bizarro world of Columbus, they were both unhittable. I think Lovullo and his pitching and hitting coach have done pretty well. The problem is the fans will not like his hiring. They will view the move as cheap and an extension of the front office. Again. Fun Fact: I saw his first game as an Indian.

Don Mattingly: The fourth candidate is the wild card, Don Mattingly. I saw an interview with him on the MLB Network before a game this past summer and was mesmerized by his chat about hitting. If Donnie Baseball knows one thing, it's hitting. Look at his work with young Dodger hitters like Loney and Ethier. But can he survive this ragtag bunch of arms that we have called our starting rotation? And will he use the Indians job as an apprenticeship for some eventual return to the Dodgers as Joe Torre's replacement. He's never managed before at any level. Fun Fact: Peter Gammons has already said he will get the job.

Meal of Links

Soupy Sales died the other day. All I remember from him is showing up on Merv, getting hit with pies and the stunt he pulled all those many years ago. You know, the one where he instructed kids to go in their parents' pockets and purses and send him those green papers with the president's pictures on them.

Jeezy creezy. China has a lot of pollution.

Bronson Pinchot talks. A lot. Wow, Denzel Washington is not one of his favorites.

Remember how last week's Bills-Jets game went way over and delayed CBS Sunday programming by a lot of time. Welcome to the world of Eye-Alerts. They will give you the scoop.

President Obama's thesis on the Constitution was printed on line. Of course, Rush ran with it. But it was a hoax. Rush finally figured that out and said Obama thought that way anyhow.

A Sgt. Pepper album cover without any Beatles. That's gold, Jerry, gold!

The Rock and Roll HOF concerts are coming up next week. But what do the performers say about the current state of the hall.

Exercise Yard

This may be a sign of the times in the NBA. Nearly half of the teams will have a roster of only 13 or 14. Not the max of 15. It's the economy, stupid.

Visitor

57 Across: McAn of shoes (4 letters) Answer: Thom (Yes, I bought shoes there.)

The Circleville Pumpkin Festival

It's a slice of small town Americana you don't get very often. But the Circleville Pumpkin Show was an eye-opener. These people are really (and I mean, really) into pumpkins. It's unbelievable to see the thousands of people cram into this town on a Wednesday. And it doesn't stop. The crowds range from 350,000 to 400,000 at the Show that runs for four days every third Wednesday in October through the next Saturday.

Pregame

Circleville may be small, but they have a Tim Horton's! Nothing beats the start of a morning than a Hot Caramel Smoothie and a donut from Timmy's.




















School Book Depository

If the Oswald of Pumpkin-Haters was in attendance, he would have a clear shot. We were kinda back and to the left of the building to get this shot...er, photo.

















Punkins

Yes, there were pumpkins. As far as the eye could see.








































The Band

I joined the band during the National Anthem.




















The Singers

The Jonas Brothers were there to sing "The Pumpkin Show". A traditional tune about, oddly enough, the Pumpkin Show.




















The Weigh-In

The highlight of Day One is the weigh-in. All of the giant pumpkins are trucked in one-by-one and the excitement builds as the pumpkins get larger and larger as the competition proceeds.

The Important Guy

This guy is as important to the Weigh-In as the Sousaphone player who dots the "I" for Script Ohio. For he is the guy who picks up the pumpkins and puts them on the scale and then carries them away for display. Unfortunately, his crew didn't secure one of the larger pumpkins and they dropped it! Trust me, there were audible gasps from the crowd! Some people spend 2-8 hours a day with their pumpkins to grow them this large, so to have one go "Splat!" was nauseating to those who witnessed it.

















The Method

This is how they rig up the pumpkins for weighing, this one grown by Hugh Jass, I think.




















The Official Photographer

My Dad aspires to be this guy.




















The Winner

This is the winning pumpkin...1636 pounds!




















The Prizes

Here are the winning pumpkins. In addition to the big trophy, the winner receives $1,000 in prize money from two organizations for a total of $2,000.




















The Mural

Check out the pumpkin mural.





















The Rides

There are midway rides at the Pumpkin Show. Including this gut-buster I vowed I would never go on.






















The Protester

The world is ending soon, if you didn't know. Well, after "Mockers", what's left? Why it's the tried-and true triumvirate of "Fornicators, Immodest Women and Homosexuals".




















Here is the wrapup from the local paper.

The family of Balloon Boy looks like they will be charged soon. But this points out what I've been railing about for years. That is, Reality TV is the quickest way to obtain fame in this country and I can't believe how we allow these idiots to cash in.

Like "Jon and Kate". Who are these people and why are they dominating headlines in mainstream media outlets? Like Fox 8 News becoming a wrapup show for "American Idol" when it's in-season. Like Kit Hoover and Keith Famie who somehow parlayed reality shows into cable TV hosting jobs on networks that should know better.

The list is endless, while the truly talented can't get a break or are ignored when they do. I'll never understand it.

Meal of Links

How's Jay Leno doing at 10 o'clock? Depends on who you ask.

Matt Taibbi covers the "Wall Street Swindle". The collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and who profited.

Jack White gave a lecture to students at Trinity College in Dublin. Britney Spears was mentioned. Huh?

Another take on "Hoop Dreams". It's simply one of the best movies I've ever seen.

It's a review of Heath Ledger's last movie. Although rated highly, let the backlash begin on Ledger's acting ability.

Exercise Yard

Jim Nantz had his divorce trial end last week. "Irretrievably broken" doesn't sum up that pain.

Visitor

32 Across: Peter, Paul or Mary (5 letters) Answer: Saint

Today, showed how bad the Browns really are. Especially on a day where Oakland, Buffalo and Kansas City won. Saint Louis and Tampa Bay played close today, as well. Today, the Browns were Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans bad.

Where do you start?

Offense gains only 197 yards.

Solomon Wilcots bringing down partner Kevin Harlan on CBS with inane comments. "The Wildcat is a welcome addition to the Browns running game" completely ignoring 120-yard rushers the previous two weeks. On the Browns third drive, Cribbs takes the first 4 snaps. Next play, Derek Anderson scrambles and pitches back to Jerome Harrison. Wilcots: "This is an example of what the Browns like to see in Anderson, controlling the game...". Hey, Solomon, he was such a minute part of the offense at that point. Sheesh!

Then, on the next play, Cribbs stares down a receiver like most of the Browns 2.0 version quarterbacks and throws a redzone interception. Unacceptable.

Stellar defense, men. They gave up 543 yards.

Steelers have now won 12 straight over the Browns.

Derek Anderson's QB rating today? 51.1.

If not for an interception and fumble by the Steelers in the third quarter and Cribbs kickoff return in the second quarter, this would have been even uglier.

Oh, it stunk. Steelers win, 27-14.

Meal of Links

The Monty Python barrage starts today in honor of their 40th anniversary. Some of their stuff I really like, as in (one where Eric Idle absolutely kills me)...

The Olympic Hide and Seek Final



Fun with Milk. Hey, I don't get why either.

Catching up with Ewan McGregor. More likely to be recognized for his bike riding than acting, he claims.

Exercise Yard

What the hell is with balloons lately? In the EPL yesterday, Sunderland beat Arsenal, 1-0, because a kid punched a balloon onto the pitch. Where it was conveniently placed so Darren Bent fired a shot off it for the winning goal. Now, it was in the first 5 minutes of the game, but still.

The British Balloon Boy



Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday.

You know, Time Warner Cable is still the devil, but they have added some more HD channels for our viewing pleasure. So much so, they have to move some previously assigned channels to make way for the new ones.

These are the ones that showed up only 2 days ago:

Biography, Cartoon Network, Disney XD, Turner Classic Movies (yes!), Fox Business News, Style, Headline News, E! and Hallmark.

OK, how many of those will I actually watch? I can't say.

Then in a few weeks, we allegedly get even more.

The Weather Channel, WE, TV One (I thought they could barely broadcast in standard def), Planet Green, IFC ("Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", here we come), Fuse, NHL Network, Tennis Channel and CBS College Sports.

Of course, still no NFL Network. They still hate each other.

Meal of Links

Big ups to The Happy Dog. Eric Williams, the owner of Momocho, took over and it looks like his changes might actually work. Amazing what a coat of paint will do for a public restroom and new tables and chairs, including hightops, and booths are also a nice addition. Yes, the menu has been pared down to hot dogs, tater tots and fries. But the dogs! Pretty big and grilled, with about 50 toppings. You order like you're ordering sushi, checking off fresh items you want on a sheet of paper. Very nice!

How to clean like McGyver. Ah, baking soda will help with just about anything.

Charges for the Balloon Boy Family are coming. Best joke, so far: "I wasted money buying 40 yards of foil to be the Balloon Boy for Halloween, when all I needed was a cardboard box." We should all be singing this song today:

"Balloon Man" by Robyn Hitchock



AMC's Fearfest starts later this week.

We all have our favorite TV series. Which ones are in danger of getting cancelled?

Every Kramer Entrance (in Chronological Order)



Exercise Yard

Randy Lerner's Other Team had a huge win today. Aston Villa moves up the table.

While the Browns are sure to be crushed by Pittsburgh tomorrow.

The Randy Lerner Song



Visitor

27 Down: Comic Carvey (4 letters) Answer: Dana

"The Dana Carvey Show" (including Steve Carrell and Stephen Colbert)

Hey, they found the Balloon Boy. Well, there goes my instant-read theory of the parents being evil killers who sent the balloon up to distract the authorities while the kid was buried beneath the house. I will take pleasure, however, in knowing he will be named Balloon Boy the rest of his life.

Here are a bunch of balloon facts, in case you get the itch.

Meal of Links

Terry O'Quinn has more recent notoriety as Locke on "Lost". But he gave a terrific performance many years ago in "The Stepfather". Sometimes you can find a gem in a movie that probably doesn't deserve it.

Jon Krakauer has a new book coming out. It's on Pat Tillman and already stirring up the pot.

Wanna get a better deli sandwich? Slice your meats by hand.

Exercise Yard

The Dodgers may play the Angels in a SoCal Series. But, at one time, the Dodgers did not even want the Angels to exist.

Visitor

54 Across: Beat poet who wrote "Howl" (13 letters) Answer: Allen Ginsberg

The idea of Rush Limbaugh owning the Rams didn't last very long. But it was an odd week, while it was tossed around.

First of all, only 60% of the Rams is for sale. Second, why would Dave Checketts, the leader of one group of bidders, pronounce Limbaugh as one of his partners? Sure, Rush has the cash and they would keep the team in St. Louis. But there are 5 or 6 groups bidding and the Checketts group was not the leading candidate. So, why bring Limbaugh up now?

I can only figure they needed some other partners, probably stronger, to make their bid the winning one. And maybe Limbaugh got sacrificed to secure a bigger fish. Otherwise, it was plainly a bad PR move at this stage of the game.

Meal of Links

Pssst. Don't tell anyone. We are sending more troops to Afghanistan. But they're "enablers". Enablers who make things go boom.

I actually watched "The Manchurian Candidate" the other night on TCM. And the scene cited here is kinda weird. But Janet Leigh is oozin' a whole lotta somethin' in this movie.

The latest in facial profiling. Can you tell if a guy is dangerous by the shape of his mug?

Weezer has a Snuggie! And a very cool album cover with a dog.

Must be Christmas. It's the Dylan Christmas album! I've heard two cuts and it's not bad.

Top 10 movie guns. A fantastic list. That Cobra Assault Cannon from "Robocop" is awesome. "My Little Friend" and "Dirty Harry" top the list.

Are you skewing young with any of the new shows this season. The median age of "The Cleveland Show" viewer is the youngest at 28.

A lengthy outline of "The Gervais Principle". Or how "The Office" imitates life.

The Eyeballing Game. Add another addiction to the list.

Exercise Yard

Chris Bosh saves the Internet. Seems someone bought a ton of domain names and he didn't like it when "chrisbosh.com" got taken.

Visitor

16 Across: Oregon Treaty president (4 letters) Answer: Polk

The Browns today? Dismal. And that was a win. If Bills coach, Dick Jauron, lasts after this game, I'd be shocked.

Probably the ugliest win since the 20-10 victory over the Bears in 2005.

Meal of Links

Jamie Oliver tries to transform our diets. Mainly, cook your own food and quit relying on fast food.

God didn't create anything. Just a bad translation.

10 habits for better sleeping. really, it's keeping to a routine. Even on weekends, if you can.

If you think Jennifer Aniston is funny, how come her films are not? I don't like her, so this question has never come up.

Exercise Yard

Wow, you thought the Browns were a mess. Here's the scoop of the Raiders incident between the coaches.

Visitor

None, on a gray Sunday.

I am getting quite perturbed with the LA Times Crossword Puzzle on the weekends. With the last two Saturdays being so easy and probably a six-month slide down a slippery slope, I am officially declaring it dumbed down. Oh, the Times editor refers to it as "eased-up", but I call 'em as I see 'em. Anything beyond the most basic geography, history and mythology has been eschewed on the weekends for more modern stuff. The Saturday puzzle used to be a challenge, sometimes I'd have to leave it and come back, finishing it later that day or maybe even waiting until Sunday when something finally clicked.

Now if I don't finish it quickly, it's a rarity. Today's was way too easy. It included two cities in Texas, El Paso and Waco, that shouldn't happen. Uriah Heep and Descartes were also included, because they were long (and easy). Crap answers like that abound now! I saw one site that compared this week's Friday and Saturday to a Wednesday puzzle. Which was better than last week's, which was a Tuesday!

Look, I empathize with those who start doing the crosswords. There is nothing like finishing the harder ones as the week goes on and you figure out the nuances and certain words that pop up all the time. But where is the learning and, I might add, fun, in achieving that status simply because the puzzles are easier. And I understand the newspaper's plight in attracting new people to these puzzles. But, my God, this is really a sad commentary on what passes for intelligence these days. And i would wager to say the NYTimes would not do this.

Actress Tea _____, are you effin' kidding me on a Saturday puzzle?

Meal of Links

You like autumn? Well, here's your autumn. I think we call it fall, in these parts.

I thought this would start when the Limbaugh Rams takeover got public play. Would black players sign with the Rams? Probably not. Then again, these are better players talking and they have choices.

More fun with Google maps. This time in Toronto.

If you haven't started reading Letters of Note, you should. This one about The Beatles and the implied Beatlemania was really funny. "I'm 15 and feel like 80."

Guess what you can get at Wal-Mart? Kiss M&Ms!























Exercise Yard

The Baltimore Marathon is being run today. The Baltimore Sun has printed a map of where the most dangerous parts of the marathon route are located. Including the homicides.

Visitor

10 Across: Hero at the Battle of Cabra, 1079 (5 letters) Answer: El Cid

Boy, I've been slowly crawling out from under a malaise, but I was not very happy the Browns traded Braylon Edwards. I do realize his time here was probably short (although he probably would have been only a RESTRICTED free agent if there is no CBA), and I understand it was probably better to get something, anything, for him now. But I may have to revise my prediction of 4 wins.

I thought this week's game against Buffalo was winnable. That is a terrible team, while the Browns opponents up to this point are really good, with a 14-2 record. But if you think that a wide receiver lineup of Massaquoi, Furrey, Stuckey and Robiskie is going to strike fear in any opponent, well, I just don't see it.

Does it matter? I thought the season ended last week against the Bengals, so I see where that move could be made. It bugs me though that the season may be a lot worse than I even I had imagined. And maybe having Don Criqui and Randy Cross calling this week's game is more proof of that.

Meal of Links

A "Family Guy" maze. Oh well, if LeBron can have one, anyone can.

I'm sure you've seen "Calm Guy vs. Punk Asshole". Well, "Calm Guy" is a Gulf War black belt. He took out "Punk Asshole" with one punch.

I thought this was interesting. Pasadena wants to build a park honoring the local Robinson brothers. Do you name it only after Jackie Robinson or do you include his brother, Mack, who actually stayed there?

Looks like some form of public option is gaining steam. Looks like the states can "opt-out". Of course, the details (yeah, those silly things) need to be worked out.

The 50 Greatest Animated Films. Terry Gilliam helped with the list and it has "My Neighbour Totoro" as Number 1. Of course, who hasn't seen that? Ahem, "Snow White" was runner-up.

Exercise Yard

Still think the NBA can give it a go with replacement refs. Well, they called 75 fouls which resulted in 102 free throws in a Houston-Boston preseason game. Ugh.

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18 Across: Jam on the brakes (9 letters) Answer: Stop Short

Tonight marks something I have been looking forward to for a while. It is the debut of ESPN's "30 For 30". To celebrate ESPN's 30th anniversary, the network decided to produce 30 documentaries. Seems sort of run-of-the-mill, considering their track record, right? Well, this is different.

The premise of these docs is that they cover stories that, at the time, were the front and center of the sports world, but over time, have faded away. And, more importantly, they have gathered some of the best film makers to produce the films.

Tonight, Peter Berg tackles the trade of Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to LA. For the next several Tuesdays, there is a new one each week. I mean, just look at this list:

Barry Levinson ("The Natural", "Diner") on the Baltimore Colts Marching Band.

Albert Maysles ("Gimme Shelter") on Ali-Holmes.

Dan Klores ("Crazy Love", "Black Magic") on Reggie Miller and the Knicks.

Brett Morgen ("The Kid Stays in the Picture") on June 17, 1994 (O.J.!!!!)

Alex Gibney ("The Smartest Guys in the Room") on Steve Bartman.

Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") on the trial of Allen Iverson.

Steve Nash on Terry Fox.

Ron Shelton ("Bull Durham") on Michael Jordan in minor league baseball.

Yes, Jordan played baseball (with Harry Caray goodness):



Barbara Kopple ("Harlan County USA" and "Fallen Champ", the unbelievably good Tyson doc) on the Steinbrenners.

My God, they even have one on Johann Olav Koss.

I think it is shaping up as one of the best things ESPN has done, let alone, tried.

Meal of Links

People are really upset that Gourmet has ceased publication. It seems Bon Apetit (BTW, Ape tit in the spell check) has won out.

Who's on Twitter. I am not.

Really lengthy songs that are worth the time. "Autobahn" makes the list. I was actually thinking about "The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys" today and that made it, as well.

Speaking of cool projects, Roseanne Cash has come out with "The List". It seems when she was on the road with her Dad, he wanted to make sure she learned some of the songs he thought were classics. He created a list of 100 tunes and 12 of them appear on this album. It sounds great. And she already has a Volume 2 lined up.

Jeezy creezy. if I saw clouds like this, there would be a cleanup on aisle 9. Could not get out of the way fast enough.

Merrill Markoe remains one of the funniest women I've ever heard. Her comment on David Letterman: "As you can imagine this is a very emotional moment for me because Dave promised me many times that I was the only woman he would ever cheat on."

Exercise Yard

OK, the Rush Limbaugh buying the Rams jokes have already started. "They'll always run right."

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53 Across: Thurman of "Kill Bill" (3 letters) Answer: Uma

Randomness from today's Browns home game:

Special Guest: My brother, Jeff. What screams "Hey, let's get together for your birthday" more than watching Browns football? I can think of a million things, but this is our plight. Besides we have already witnessed one of the worst games I have ever seen, a 30-0 shutout by a team which leads us to...

Today's Opponent: The Cincinnati Bengals. As Forrest Gregg used to say, "A fine football team". Many are pointing to this game as the proverbial "trap game" for the Bengals. Meaning they are looking ahead to their next opponent, overlooking the Browns. I am here to tell you, the Bengals are in no position to overlook anyone. They have yet to earn the right.

The Bengals are coming off their best game in a long time, a comeback win against the Steelers. They are vastly improved on defense. Cedric Benson has emerged from the recycle bin and may be the best back in the division. And Carson Palmer appears to have shaken off the rust and is nearing his prior form. I think it spells trouble for Browns Version 2.4.

And what about the Browns? Well, Dink II has been sent to the bench, lasting all of 10 quarters. And what a 10 quarters they were! Now, we can't even expect wins, we just want them to score a touchdown. Honestly, they should stop the game, if they happens. As usual, the Browns are right on the edge and it's only just become October. If they lose and drop to 0-4, it's over. Again. It would be tough to even attain respectability with that sort of start.

I've set my expectations for this game at the lowest bar. Anything better than a shredding by the Bengals should be considered a bonus.

Parking: East 6th northbound in a Truck Zone between Saint Clair and Rockwell. Same spot as Game 1.

Pre-Game Festivities: Today was the NFL's day to promote the fight against breast cancer. Therefore, the pink ribbons and shouts of "Save the boob!" were in abundance. Today's special alumni guests were Vince Costello and Ben Davis.

The Browns Spirit Flag was unveiled by breast cancer survivors and referred to as the largest Browns flag in the world. The National Anthem was played by John Popper of Blues Traveler. First of all, I never knew he was a local. Secondly, he played the anthem on his harmonica. I kinda liked it. It had that, "Oh, say can you see that train, train, take me on out of this town..." flavor to it. Jeff hated it with vigor.

Worst Feature (For Me): Once again, "Hang on Sloopy" at the end of the third quarter. Fans were in a more participatory mood today.

The Weather: Marky Nolan and Hollie Strano welcomed us to the game today after Braylon Edwards had already dropped a pass. Sunny early and brisk enough to have a wind with some bite. May have touched 60 with virtually no sun most of the game. Channel 3 Dual Doppler radar showed us nothing. Took me a while afterward to get warm.

Today's Giveaway: The "Limited Edition" Josh Cribbs poster sponsored by Ford Trucks. Hard to figure who was more prominent, Joshua or the trucks. Limited in the sense you can also pick one up at your local Ford dealer.

Section 345: Fairly quiet today. Oh, security had to run up near the back of the section a couple of times, but no ejections.

Best Browns Play: Josh Cribbs 58-yard kick return after the Bengals first touchdown. Of course, two plays later Jerome Harrison fumbled, the Bengals returned it, and it was 14-0, Bengals.

Best Bengals Play: On 4th and 11 of the final drive of the game in OT, Carson Palmer sends all the receivers downfield to set up what appears to be a long pass attempt. He elects to run up the middle and gains 15 yards. Essentially setting up the game-winning field goal.

Worst Browns Play: Opening drive of the second half. The Browns have marched downfield to set up a third-and-goal from the 8. The bad Derek Anderson shows up and throws an unconscionable interception behind the intended receiver, Steve Heiden. The interception return moves the ball to the Cincinnati 32. At least three points out the window.

Second Worst Browns Play: The fumble by Jerome Harrison. The Browns hardly had the ball after that TD and were already losing, 14-0.

Best Line from a Random: Guy by us singing "Here We Go Brownies, Here We Go". Solo for about three lines. Then he says, "Where the hell are the rest of you people?"

Oddest Browns Jersey: 2 Couch, 31 Green (tons of them), 63 Postal Dawg, 69 Your Mom.

Food Items: BOGOs on hot dogs and soda for a total of $9.50.

Worst Scoreboard Feature: I am really disgusted with the Browns mascots overacting on virtually every prize giveaway. And you thought Slider was bad.

The Fuckin' Run: Shockingly, the Browns did a good job against the run today. But still managed to give up 154 yards on 30 carries.

Worst Stat: At one time the Browns had given up zero first downs to Cincinnati, while getting 17 of their own. That stretch included 6 three-and-outs and a first down interception by the Bengals, encompassing most of the second quarter, all of the third and most of the fourth. And they still lost the game.

2nd Worst Stat: Probably Derek Anderson's 5.2 yards per pass attempt.

Most Interesting Stat: The Browns ran 4 plays in the first quarter.

Penalties: Nothing too egregious by the Browns. Eric Steinbach was blocking downfield on a screen once. And things got chippy for a time and there were offsetting unsportsmanlike penalties that were not costly.

The sad fact of today's game was it was winnable and the Browns didn't get it done. Especially for dominating on defense the way the way they did for most of the game. Jerome Harrison ran for over 120 yards, but really none were memorable, except for his fumble that tarnished his effort. Same goes for Anderson with his interception.

And we also got some welcome offense from two players ignored through the first three games, Steve Heiden and Mohamed Massaqoui. Heiden got a Browns TD and Massaquoi took advantage of double coverage on Braylon Edwards and got 8 balls for 148 yards.

So, while there were some signs of a better team effort, etc., it shows how the Browns must play a perfect game to win. And since those are rare, we are going to have to suffer through these kinds of games.

We had some issue with the play calling of the Bengals, but let's give the Browns defense credit. They came to play today. So, we can put to rest the coach getting fired, the players not playing for the guy, etc. But keep this in mind, it was a winnable game.

The Browns lose to the Bengals in an OT thriller, 23-20. They are now 0-and-4.

Meal of Links

We need to get Ted Turner on the case. Spoiled bison meat tends to smell.

Here's a guy who slept with 1300 prostitutes. And, yes, he always walks that way.

America's coolest small towns. None from Ohio, as you could imagine.

Exercise Yard

Peter King is everywhere. And he talks about it.

Visitor

None, on a Browns Sunday.

Only Ohio could screw up EZ-Pass. I think the idea behind the technology is to allow those who have the transponders to easily glide through the toll booths with limited waiting. But on Day One, these geniuses decided to have zero dedicated lanes to EZ-Pass. That's right, at both I-77 and Route 8, there were no dedicated lanes.

So, we had to go among those who still had tickets and were unaware of the price increase that was about to hit them. Therefore, there were many confused drivers and really long lines. Backed up onto the Turnpike in both cases.

Today, lo and behold, there were dedicated lanes! However, I had to deal with a cheater who had a ticket in front of me at Route 8 this morning. The guy saw no waiting, he knew he had no EZ-Pass, but he went there anyway. I realized now that these booths are not equipped when someone jumps the line like that, so someone has to reset the machine so it can take a ticket. And that I means I'm behind the guy...fuming!

I-77 worked like a charm this evening though. Massive lines at the ticketed booths. But nary a soul at the lone dedicated lane. I easily passed 40 cars in about 5 different lines to go on my way. I can't think of a better commercial.

Meal of Links

The 100 Greatest Live Albums. No Pat Travers? I'm kidding. Biggest omissions: "Live Bullet" by Bob Seger, "The Last Waltz" by the Band.

Did Jon Stewart hurt America with his "Crossfire" attack? Look what replaced it.

The "Seinfeld" reunion start Sunday. Sort of. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has been pretty, pretty, pretty good this year.

I want one. Like down the street from me.

Exercise Yard

This is a very long read. But a good one. How one pathologist discovered the disease of what is going on with former NFL players who go off the deep end. The story of Mike Webster's brain and how the NFL would not accept the findings of its study.

Visitor

46 Across: Hedren of "the Birds" (5 letters) Answer: Tippi

"I think it’s how you finish, not how you start."

Eric Wedge uses his own words to perfectly frame his managerial career here. His horrible April starts have contributed to the Indians playing catchup for virtually his entire occupation here. And the two seasons which are touted as his best, both ended in collapses of, if not epic, fairly significant proportions.

The 2005 team which had 51 losses heading into August, only lost 18 the final two months of the season (remember Scott Elarton's 5-0 September). Unfortunately, Grady Sizemore dropped a fly ball in KC to start the final week, then they lost 6 of 7 and resulted in Ozzie Guillen giving Tribe fans the choke sign. And in 2007, the blowing of the 3-1 lead against Boston in the ALCS. So, even in the good times, ugliness was just around the corner. His other seasons were nondescript, until this year's slide.

There are several things I did not like about Wedge as manager (besides rarely wearing a uniform, overall twitchiness, and language):

Strategy: How many times did I have to see Casey Blake tossed out on a hit-and-run? He also eschewed the bunt. His base coaches didn't know when to send a guy and when to hold them. I was at 2 games this year where the first-base coach's laziness cost us baserunners. Not the third, but the first-base coach!

Bullpen: Way, way, way too late in making a move. I'm of the school where you can let a guy get of his own mess, but Wedge never made the move fast enough. Jeremy Sowers is a perfect place to start. Earlier this season, he had stretches of going only 4 or 5 innings before blowing up. If you know you have a 5-inning pitcher, get someone ready! And those were winnable games. Too many times, Sowers would be about to or actually lose the lead before a change was made. If you carry 13 pitchers, use them.

Fringe Players: Why did he fall in love with Bill Selby, Lou Merloni, Joe Inglett, Mike Rouse and Chris Gimenez? Can't figure that out. Again, in a season considered good, Rouse hit .118 in 2007 and took a roster spot until August. Matt LaPorta could call up Gimenez in July of this year and ask him how it was going in the majors. Amazing.

Favorites: Grady Sizemore finally broke down this year. Yet, Wedge escapes blame for trying to play him every inning of every game for several seasons. And Sizemore absolutely killed the Indians this year by playing through those injuries. His handling of Brandon Phillips and Andy Marte was abysmal. Josh Barfield may be scarred for life, as well.

Calling Out Players: Shapiro: "Fans want to see those, on the shirtsleeve, they want to feel the frustration, they want to feel the emotion, and Eric, to protect the players, didn’t often do that." Uh, Mark. Tell that to Jhonny Peralta. I always say the team knows it's over when players start getting called out in the media. Even Sam Rutigliano did this. Wedge did this more in 2009 than I care to remember. Always a bad sign.

Lineups: Let's see if Ryan Garko plays in the outfield more than 15 times the rest of his career. This year, the craziness was at its height.

Don't weep for Wedge though. He's 41 and can grind out fatherhood for a year and get paid $1.3 million. And he will resurface somewhere. The Royals, Nationals and Pirates may look at his almost .500 career record and salivate at the possibilities.

Meal of Links

It keeps getting harder to keep up with these things. Now the Missing Link has been disproved.

This is even better regarding live music. Hulu broadcasts the ACL Music Festival. The Dead Weather appears Sunday.

A Ramones biopic is in the works. I think that would be interesting.

LeBron and his high school coach talk about "more Than A Game". We should feel lucky. It's here and in limited release tomorrow.

Lindsay Graham talks about Glenn Beck. Limbaugh, too. With video.

James Franco will appear on "General Hospital". Not just once, but for two months! I sense a ratings boost.

Terrell Suggs intercepts a Ravens team photo. I think it's pretty funny.

Exercise Yard

Joe Mauer and the art of stealing signs. Verlander needed to put one inside to Kubel. That would have ended it real quick.

Visitor

65 Across: D'oh (15 letters) Answer: Homer Simpson Cry