My day started by finding out I had a slow leak in a tire and it was on its way to going flat. Well, that kinda sucked. I'll have to go Monday to the Slow Leak Shop to take care of that.

BTW, the Halloween candy goes like this for 2010 (a bag each):

Kit-Kat
3 Musketeers
Snickers
Hershey
M&M's
Twix (One kid said, "Twix, yeah!")
Milky Way
Reese's
More Snickers

Standout costumes tonight:

Lady Gaga
Julius Caesar (I asked him, "Et tu?")
Rugby Guy
Lots of Spideys
A Penguin
A toddler as a lamb

Meal of Links

Some of these are gems. The 100 Best Signs from the Rally to Restore Sanity.

Dressing up for Halloween? "Jerry, it's a new relationship killer!"

Roger Ebert talks about lists. He doesn't like 'em.

The future of local commerce. Facebook + Foursquare + Yelp + Groupon. FYI, I rarely look in on Facebook, I mean rarely. I'm not familiar with Foursquare. I use Yelp a lot. Groupon has some good deals every once in a while.

Exercise Yard

Ashton Kutcher. NCAA rules violator. Huh?

Visitor

None, on a Halloween Sunday.

Did you ever try cooking popcorn with Coconut Oil? How about trying to find it? Anyhow, I had to get my Halloween candy from Target yesterday, mainly because I could get a pack of light bulbs over there for 50 cents (with a coupon) and I had a ton of candy coupons. So, with Giant Eagle right next door, I went over to the 117th Street complex.

After Target, I go to the Iggle and grab a rotisserie chicken and some other provisions and find myself in the oil/cereal aisle. First of all, they have a shitload of corn oil, then canola oil followed by olive oil. I even saw a small amount of peanut oil, then some sunflower oil. So, as I am mesmerized by these oils, a little kid comes by and says, "Excuse me." I thought she wanted to get her cart by, so I move away and she says, "Excuse me." again. And I said, "What do you need?"

I noticed she was with her Mom and two sisters. The mother wearing traditional Muslim garb. The girl, who I gotta say, had a lot of spunk, then asked, "Can you let us know what cereals we can buy? You know, it's kind of a second language thing.", as she gave me the head nod to her Mom who had the food stamps out. OK, now I get it.

I guess they were allowed a box (any box? sugary good ones, too?) up to the 18-oz. size or, at least, that's what their coupon said. I then realized I don't buy a lot of cereal, but those sizes were all at the bottom shelf and I told them to make sure you get the largest box you can, then I saw the WIC sticker and and had the epiphany of what they could buy.

(Later study showed you cannot load up on the Sugar Smacks. They confine you to the likes of Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Life, Special K and Chex. Looks like Grape Nuts got eliminated on the yuk factor for the kids.)

See, not all my trips to the market are bad ones. And I still can refer to myself as "Ambassador".

Meal of Links

Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert Rally



















There was talk of attending the Jon Stewart Rally in DC today. But after watching it on TV today, I'm really glad I didn't go. Truly, this was a made-to-watch-on-TV event. Although the roster of entertainers was good, wow, it kinda skewed old. I would have grumbled quite a bit if I travelled all that way and spent $ on gas and lodging to see Fr. Guido Sarducci.

Favorite Signs:

"Hawaii Birthers For Statehood"
"Sarah Palin Stole My Cane"
"I Masturbate AND I Vote"
"This Sign Mocks Extremists In A Witty And Humorous Manner"
"Bacon IS Good For You!"
"Down With Zippers"
"Colbert For Dicatator"

Clearly, Stephen Colbert had the funniest lines of the day, perhaps by design. When he interrupted Yusuf Islam during "Peace Train" and called him "Joe", I lost it. But, we haven't heard "Peace Train" that much these days and although the bit was funny (Islam with "Peace Train"and Ozzy with "Crazy Train" folded into the O'Jays "Love Train"), it might have been nice to hear the whole thing.

Setlist:

"Thought At Work"/The Roots
"Dear God 2.0"/John Legend and The Roots
"Hard Times"/John Legend and The Roots
"I Can't Write Left-Handed"/John Legend and the Roots
"National Anthem"/Four Troops (a terrific job)

(Note: Stewart takes the stage for the first time and it's 1:00. Colbert joins shortly from his Fear Bunker. Then we hear Fr. Guido Sarducci give the benediction. Skewing old, remember? Seriously, I thought Burl Ives was backstage.)

"Peace Train"/Yusuf Islam
"Crazy Train"/Ozzy Osbourne
"Love Train"/O'Jays

(Note: Like Glenn Beck, both Stewart and Colbert handed out medals. Stewart's went to: Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga, Obama questioner Velma Hart, Wrestler Mick Foley (God, everyone loves Mick!) and Koran saver from the Internet, Jacob Isom. Colbert's went to: All the news organizations who banned their reporters from attending, Anderson Cooper's tight black T-shirt and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg.)

"You Are Not Alone"/Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples
"The Least That I Can Do is Care"/Kid Rock, T.I. and Sheryl Crow
"Peaceful Feeling"/Sheryl Crow
"America the Beautiful"/Tony Bennett (My God, that guy still has it)
"I'll Take You There"/The Cast

And then it's off to start my day.

The Amish. They have electricity.

It's starting already. Yusuf Islam backlash.

WTF? A tribe in the Congo thinks Bryan Ferry is a god. Not like Clapton, like a real god.

Exercise Yard

Little bit late with this, but Joe Pos had a post a while back about 32 great calls. That is, sports announcing calls.

The most striking of the 32, Howard Cosell's absolute excitement in his voice during the George Foreman-Joe Frazier bout, which gave us "Down goes Frazier!". From a time when a Heavyweight Championship Fight captured most of the attention of the sports world.

Visitor

13 Down: Dan Aykroyd's birthplace (6 letters) Answer: Ottawa

Drew (picking up Clooney air miles these days) and I were at O's last night. First time I had a burger there. I selected the J.V. Burger. On an English muffin, with a bit of bacon, tomato, lettuce and bleu cheese. Very good. And, of course, I had the Tomato Soup.

They had the Cavs and the World Series on, as well. So, it was a good time. Drew may be the only person I know who has been to New Brunswick. Not a suburb of Brunstucky. Canada.

Meal of Links

Jim Rome started a day early and warned everyone with his annual "If you are older than 12, and you are wearing a Halloween costume, you are a loser" rant. How appropriate are costumes at work?

Frank Jarvis died. Don't know him? He was a driver in "The Italian Job". You know, the one where Michael Caine says, "Just remember this. In this country they drive on the wrong side of the road."

Could "Moneyball" work at Liverpool? Not sure. Just because there will be a cut in player wages isn't an automatic adoption of "Moneyball" principles. Huge late Saturday match this week: Manchester United vs. Tottenham.

Here are 15 Black Friday myths. I have snagged some good deals on Turkey Day before, without waiting until Friday. This year, I'm trying for a Thermapen.

Remember Newy Scruggs?



Danno gets booked for heaven. Last of the original Five-O cast.

"I'm about to fuck you up with some truth." "Big Love" ends. Both "Bored to Death" and "Eastbound and Down" get renewed by HBO.

Karl Rove blasts Sarah Palin. Keep your eyes on Delaware, Nevada and Alaska on Tuesday.

How do these pumpkin offerings from chains actually taste? I had a pumpkin muffin from Giant Eagle last week that was really good.

The 10 Most Disturbing Horror Scenes of the past decade. Didn't see any of them.

This is old news. Really. I heard this shortly after the controversy died down that this was a prime motive of all involved.

Exercise Yard

A look back at the post-season managing of Mike Hargrove with the Indians. Oh, God, the pain.

They're all here:

1995: Jim Poole in Game 6 of the World Series.

1996: Casey Candaele pinch-hitting for Jim Thome in Game 3 of the ALDS vs. Baltimore. Jose Mesa for a FOURTH inning in Game 4.

1997: Surprisingly devoid of stupidity.

1999: Jaret Wright in Game 3 of the ALCS. Forcing both Bartolo Colon and Charles Nagy to go on three days rest.

2001 (OK, this was by Uncle Cholly): With Ricky Rincon warming up, Bartolo Colon remained in the game to pitch to Ichiro.

Hence, no title since 1948.

Visitor

2 Down: Stern with a Strad (5 letters) Answer: Isaac

I'm not naive enough to think that language never evolves and we must adhere to the old rules. Although the old rules are pretty good. Take for instance the great unwashed having difficulty with "gone" and "went" these days.

But the next person who utters something like, "That's the biggest surprise of my entire life...", I am gonna throw down with that person. Listen. your life doesn't need a descriptor. As in, "That's the biggest surprise of my life..."

I've warned you. Thanks!

Here are some recent photos.

Proof I went to Tim Hortons last week. Timmah!





















Not sure I mentioned the Petting Zoo at the Pumpkin Show. Uh, for an extra $5, you could ride a camel!





















Yes, the sky was kind of odd tonight. Started as a pumpkin color with a rainbow to the east and then wound up like this.

















Meal of Links

Want to go broke slowly? Have a kid.

God help us. This year's Rose Parade grand marshal? Paula Deen. Do they want people not to watch?

You just can't step on a woman's head. Has it really come to this?

Finally. A school system with some guts. No snow days! In Ohio, they have dropped the amount of snow days from five to three.

The Jon Stewart event looked like a great thing to attend. But where are the details?

Exercise Yard

Paul the Octopus died today. The world will miss him.

In honor of Paul, we take a moment for this...

Amazing Grace on a Vuvuzela



Visitor

58 Down: Archvillian Luthor (3 letters) Answer: Lex

24 years ago tonight...

"Little roller up along first...Behind the bag!...It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight...and the Mets win it! If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow. "



Meal of Links

Here are 8 things you still need to pay for when times are tough. Bald tires and brakes, too.

The 5 best hotel bars in the world. I was in Puebla once, and trust me, it wasn't at this place. I think we stopped at "Ptomaine Heaven".

Lookee here. It's a Johnny Cash auction. They have a lot of handwritten lyrics up for bid. But I want The Highwaymen-signed guitar.

Meg Whitman Endorses Jerry Brown



Catching up with David Simon. He says he could tell the "Treme" story in 5 years.

Food for thought. What if the R's pick up only 35 seats next week. Is it a failure?

Seinfeldian Economics 101.

Exercise Yard

Time Warner Cable (the Devil) finally allowed me access to ESPN3 today. I almost wept. I saw a replay of Napoli and Milan was on (flares in the crowd obviously), but more importantly Cowboys-Giants on Monday Night Football from the mothership is on. The picture? Outstanding.

Visitor

15 Across: "The ___": placekicker Lou Groza's nickname (3 letters) Answer: Toe

Today was the biggest win in Eric Mangini's tenure as coach of the Browns, defeating the Super Bowl champ. This easily surpassed last year's home win against Pittsburgh, the defending Super Bowl champ. This was also the biggest win since the Browns return in 1999. For this win surpassed the victory against another defending Super Bowl champ, the New York Football Giants, on that fateful Monday night in 2008.

The reason? Well, both of those games were in doubt for a long, long time. But today, the Browns were pretty much an afterthought going in and they grabbed the game by the throat almost from the opening kickoff. Would not be surprised if they were promised some extra time off during the bye week if they had won. Because they were definitely playing as though they had something riding on the effort.

Absolutely not a day to quibble. Although, I will say before we go all Winston Wolf on each other, the Browns offense only had 12 first downs and gained a paltry 210 yards.

So, let's celebrate the "Emptying of the Playbook" today:

Peyton Hillis throwing a pass to Colt McCoy, of all people, for 13 yards.

The Josh Cribbs to Eric Wright pass. ON A PUNT! For only 62 yards.

Reggie Hodges getting 68 yards on an improbable fake punt with the Saints parting like the Red Sea.

David Bowens with not one, but two Pick-Sixes, capping the second one by tumbling over the goal line.

The Browns defense, low on sacks and interceptions coming in, getting 3 sacks and 4 interceptions.

The NFL this year is really a crapshoot, so it's doubtful if this is a sign of things to come. So, for one day or several through the bye week, let's enjoy a most improbable win. Although Drew Brees still has the stats, maybe we had a bit of the Madden Curse on our side.

The Browns actually do a "Whoa Dat", beating the Saints, 30-17.

Meal of Links

We've heard it all before. But is this, truly, the death of Cable TV?

Sony bids adieu to an old friend. The Cassette Walkman.

Mark Cuban loves Netflix. He says Netflix is as smart as shit.

Employers are thinking about their health insurance options. Uh oh.

P.J. O'Rourke says, "This is not an election on November 2. This is a restraining order."

Before you vote, here are some things the public thinks they know. And they are wrong.

Exercise Yard

Wayne Rooney should stop complaining. Chicharito is the real deal.

Chicharito with the Impossible Header

Visitor

None, on a beautiful fall Sunday.

Boy, I had just an awful headache yesterday, so I watched local news for some inane reason. Did I miss something? I thought both forecasters that I saw predicted a nice day today. Unless I was delirious. Off I went to do errands much of the late morning/early afternoon.

Sure, it was warm enough, but where was Mr. Blue Sky? As it became increasingly dark, I kept putting off mowing my lawn, or should I say leaves. Anyhow, I watched the end of "Heat". I've only seen that a million times. After that, I thought I'd mow, but it started drizzling. WTF? Then A&E had "Murder By Numbers" on. One of the Sandra Bullock movies I had not seen.

I took advantage of long commercial breaks and would do part of the yard, then come back in to see more of the movie. And so on and so on. Not a bad effort. If you see it on and are completely bored, watch it.

Meal of Links

Juan Williams was fired from NPR earlier this week. Lots of people protested. Apparently, some NPR "viewers" also protested.

A look at movie purgatory. That Bradley Cooper-Renee Zellweger movie that just came out? Shot on 2006.

The Quaids are at it again. This time in Canada.

Trying to get Axl Rose to speak. Complete with old mugshot.

This is nice to dream about. The best first-class seats in air travel.

Exercise Yard

It's almost as if Wayne Rooney was going to do a LeBron and leave Manchester United (ahem, that's like Cavs to the 10th power) earlier this week. Same sort of situation, if you wanna leave, there are only a handful of clubs who can afford to pay you.

Cooler heads prevailed and Rooney ultimately signed a five-year contract to stay at Man U. The crazy thing is he is with one of the most recognizable clubs in the world. It's like starring with the Yankees and thinking the Angels would be a better fit for you. Might be better for Rooney to at least start scoring some goals for this to pass.

Ian Holloway is Pissed at Wayne Rooney



Visitor

25 Across: "Against the Wind" singer (5 letters) Answer: Seger

"Against The Wind"/Bob Seger

Yesterday was another trip to the Circleville Pumpkin Show. That is a true slice of Americana. Crowded once more and just a terrific fall day with the temp nearing 70 and not a cloud in the sky. The day started off to meet Mr. Mix at the local Tim Hortons. I'd drive 150 miles for one of those Butter Caramel Smoothies. Wait a minute, I think I just did.

This year's largest pumpkin checked in at 1622 pounds.




















It was grown by the guy they call "Doctor Pumpkin". He is near the top of the standings each year and this was his 4th straight win. I don't know if you knew this, but 2010 was a bad year for growing large pumpkins. It's the heat that is a killer. Combined with dampness, well, let's just say a lot of pumpkins didn't survive.

It's hard to believe that the first 1,000-pounder at Circleville was in 2004, so the last few years, they are getting some really large pumpkins. I know last year, rumor was there was one with world record potential. This time around, it was good to see a newcomer in second place with an 1150-pounder right out of the gate. So, maybe there will be some competition for the top spot.

But it's a great day for pumpkins in the heart of Republican country. The street preacher is still preachin' and this year, you could sign a petition to stop mandated healthcare.

The food is still terrific. You can get Pumpkin "Just About Anything". Sloppy Joes, donuts, chili, ice cream, coffee, burgers, etc. Plus the Midway is full of Throw-Up Rides!

Remember, it starts the third Wednesday of October every year. Good times, people.

Meal of Links

Not a happy topic, but interesting nonetheless. What it feels like to want to kill yourself.

Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James talk about "Terriers". This week featured an appearance of a newer version of the Lone Gunmen. "Why are Finnish people so good at Halo 3?"

Famous screams. Yes, Shatner made it.

R.I.P Chips Cunningham



The one and only Patsy Cline. All the hits are here.

The moon has more water than we thought. Lots of it.

GOP sources blast Palin. Campaign stories, for sure, but the timing here is sorta odd.

A conversation with Hal Hartley. Reminds me, I haven't seen "Simple Men" in a while.

Exercise Yard

The guy who invented the Rally Monkey is out of work. So, he's selling his World Series ring. Best quote in the article: "Monkeys are funny." And that's how a legend was born.

Visitor

5 Down: 1980s-'90s slugger Fielder (5 letters) Answer: Cecil

Why do an Indians recap when DiaTribe does it better. Lots of good stuff, especially on next year's targets at third and starting pitching. And reasonable arguments on why the Indians should not extend Chris Perez and Asdrubal Cabrera just yet.

Two things need to take place next year. The Indians need full recoveries from Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana. If so, they have 4 positions taken care of. Santana behind the plate, Sizemore in LF (Yes, I think he moves), Michael Brantley in CF and Shin-Soo Choo in RF. 5 positions if you pencil in Travis Hafner as DH against righthanders.

Next year, we still have question marks all around the infield. Third base was really a black hole and they need to find someone who can catch the ball over there. Cabrera really took a step back in 2010, but I'm leaning towards giving him a pass because of his injury. Second base was an issue. Jayson Nix hit when he played there but sucked at third base and I'd like to see more hitting from Jason Donald. I think we are forced to give Matt LaPorta a pass because of his injury-filled season. But I was very disappointed in him. 2011 is make-or-break for LaPorta, in my opinion.

Chris Perez is a definite find at closer and Rafael Perez basically saved his career, by being superb after June 1. They probably need to find another veteran out of the bullpen and revisit the scrap heap that provided them with Kevin Millwood in 2005 and Carl Pavano in 2009.

Here are my good predictions from last year:

I predicted 74 wins. Actual total: 69 wins.

I predicted a 4th place finish. Actual finish: 4th place.

I predicted 15 wins for Fausto Carmona. Actual total: 13 wins.

I said that Jake Westbrook would get 10 wins. Actual total: 10 wins (6 CLE, 4 STL)

I said Chris Perez would be OK as the closer. Actual totals: 2-2, 23 Saves, 1.71 ERA.

Bad predictions:

I predicted 10-12 wins for Justin Masterson. Actual total: 6 wins.

I predicted major innings for Aaron Laffey. Actual total: 56 innings.

I predicted 10 agonizing wins and more losses for David Huff. Actual totals; Well, I had the 11 losses right but missed big on the 2 wins.

I said Travis Hafner would be a 20-100 guy, if healthy. Actual totals: 13 HR, 50 RBI (Can't explain the 29 doubles though.)

Do you realize our Opening Day bench was:

Russell Branyan (traded to the Mariners on June 26)
Mark Grudzielanek (released on June 10)
Austin Kearns (traded to the Yanks on July 30)
Andy Marte (Sucked at 1B, but 3B stats: .306 BA, .355 OBP, .510 SLG, .865 OPS)
Mike Redmond (released July 16)

Yikes!

Meal of Links

Last night was the finale of "Rubicon". I really thought this had no chance of going to a Season 2, then I saw James Badge Dale doing a promo for AMC and thought it odd if they were getting ready to cancel the show. They closed up just enough loose ends to bookend the series if it was the last episode. And left a few open, just in case they come back. If the first 4 episodes were better, who knows what press it might have gotten. It's too bad because Arliss Howard was absolutely off-the-charts with his portrayal of Kale Ingram.

Opening a show or movie with a sex scene. Yes, the good "Crash" is here. Marisa Tomei, too. Lila from "Dexter". And a recent "Eastbound and Down".

More privacy issues for Facebook. This is a recurring theme, it seems.

Exercise Yard

James Hunt had some unusual training methods in his F1 glory years. 33 stewardesses in 2 weeks.

Visitor

52 Across: She replaced Paula Abdul as an "American Idol" judge (14 letters) Answer: Ellen Degeneres

On a weekend where Jackass 3-D made $50 million...

The Browns played the Steelers today and, obviously, the Browns lost.

What did we learn today?

Colt McCoy looked decent. Had a QB rating of 80.5. Second interception was a bad one, first one, not necessarily his fault. Give him credit. Most people thought he'd be on his back a lot and the Browns would lose, 41-3. Too early to tell, but it was a promising debut.

Defense gave up 378 yards. Ben Roethlisberger on his return, gave a standard issue performance, with 16-27 for 257 yards for the Steelers.

The Browns didn't run well today, getting only 70. Peyton Hillis was 12 for 41.

James Harrison put down two Browns with helmet-to-helmet hits and was flagged for neither, Joshua Cribbs and Mohammed Massaquoi.

Joe Haden had an interception and was a challenge to bring down on his return.

Slight controversy at the end, when the Steelers threw for a TD after a Browns timeout with under two minutes to play. If you wanna extend the game, the Steelers have a right to jam it in your face. And they did.

There really wasn't much to squawk about or get overly excited about. To me, it was the typical sort of game against the Steelers. Sure, there signs of life every once in a while, but overall, it was just a slow march to the inevitable ending of another loss.

Browns lose, 28-10.

Meal of Links

Louis C.K. America's liberal comedian.

Canada's most dangerous cities. Saskatoon made the Top Ten. I love saying Saskatoon.

"Runnin' Back To Saskatoon"/The Guess Who



The best drunk dances. The drunk driver is great, but the pole dancer at the wedding takes the cake, so to say.

I normally do not watch "30 Rock", but I thought the live show was pretty funny. Here are the differences between the East Coast and West Coast versions. "Kenyan Liar" vs. "Barack Obammunist", for example.

The saga of Officer Bubbles. Hah!

Roger Ebert talks with and about his good friend, Bill Nack. You hear Nack these days, mainly on ESPN, talking about his old beat, horse racing. He had a fine essay on yesterday's broadcast from Woodbine on the final race of Secretariat.

Keith Richards says if there are any new drugs, he'd like to road-test them. Very admirable.

The web is watching. Includes evidence of Eric Stoltz as the original Marty McFly.

The next "30 For 30" on Tuesday is on Tim Richmond. That guy was ahead of his time in NASCAR.

Exercise Yard

Eric Wedge gets a new job. And it's managing the Seattle Mariners. How he can survive on a team with absolutely no power is beyond me. Plus, Milton Bradley is on the team.

Get your popcorn ready.

Ben Crane, Cutup? Who Knew?



Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday.

The world of soccer went nuts this week. First of all, Montenegro tied England in the Euro qualifiers. Then Serbian fans went batshit crazy the same day and forced a postponement of their match against Italy. Not only did the Serbian fans bring flares into the stadium, they attacked their own team bus.

Seems they didn't like the goalkeeper switching teams back home, so they decided to harm him for the Italy match. He actually hid out in the Italians dressing room to prevent further trouble.

Here is the backstory.

Serbian Fans Go Nuts



BTW, they arrested the masked guy with the tats before he left the country. Even Belgrade is worried.

Meal of Links

Sufjan Stevens talks about his new record. It's a departure.

25 Anti-drug PSAs. That is Rachel Leigh Cook in #8. Even MacGruff makes an appearance. Or two.

An interesting take about seniors. How hard hit are they by the recession? The two main issues, unemployment and healthcare, don't really affect them.

Might be longer lines at the local Starbucks. Baristas have been told to slow down and only make two drinks at a time. Seems quality has been an issue lately.

Dropping In On The Big House



The absolute joy that is "Kung-Fu Hustle". Gotta watch the clips!

While you're at it, take a look at the career of Martin Scorsese. In addition to the obvious ones, deserved props to "The Aviator" and it's probably time to take in another viewing of "The King of Comedy".

It's nearing Halloween. Therefore, time for AMC to crank up "Fearfest" again. Starts on Monday. Hey, "Jeepers Creepers 2" is on the schedule.

Exercise Yard

Did you see that Indy put 33 winning cars on the grid to commemorate its 100th anniversary?

Standouts include:

Row 2: Al Unser's 1970 Johnny Lightning Special

Row 5: Jim Clark's 1965 Lotus

Row 6: Mario Andretti's 1969 STP Brawner Hawk (the original is in the Smithsonian, BTW)

Row 8: Mark Donohue's 1972 Sunoco McLaren

Visitor

1 Across: Hip-hopper who married Beyonce (4 letters) Answer: Jay-Z

The Browns bid adieu to Jerome Harrison today. It's a classic "I'll trade my bad guy for your bad guy" trade. So, the Browns get Mike Bell in return.

Harrison is one of those guys who seemed to be the People's Choice. Many words have been written about him, urging the Browns to use him more. Outside of an unbelievable stretch at the end of last year, he had good results that were few and far between.

This year, it's almost like he was wearing cement shoes. Absolutely no fire and obviously disgruntled, so the Browns got what they could for him under the circumstances.

Let's see how much production he'll get in Philly behind Shady McCoy.

Meal of Links

An adult film star tested positive for HIV. That means studios start going on Operation Shutdown.

You buy a car, there's always that pesky insurance you need. Here are the cars that provide the most and least expensive insurance.

Zach Galifianakis has another "Between Two Ferns" up. This time with Bruce Willis. "Did you know that some actors turn down roles?" Genius.

The most powerful bald men in America. Charles Barkley is Number One.

Chris Dudley. Former Cav. Oregon gubernatorial candidate. Minority?

Another appreciation of Sally Menke.

Confessions of a Bad News Bear. Don't get too excited, it's good, but it's Toby.

Joe Queenan writes about the author, Jimmy Carter. Carter has now written 25 books. Very funny.

Exercise Yard

This is so sad, it's beyond words. Tommie Smith is selling his gold medal.

Visitor

12 Down: Joan of "Knots Landing" (6 letters) Answer: Van Ark

Check out Banksy's opening for "The Simpsons" from last Sunday. Absolutely skewers Fox. Pretty dark. And it was originally darker.

"The Simpsons" Opening by Banksy



Meal of Links

Lots of times, financial issues are really difficult to grasp. But this is the best primer on the current foreclosure crisis.

You know the old saw about Canadians who cross the border for healthcare. Well, it isn't true.

Wes Anderson helps shoot an ad for Stella Artois. That is a beer I seldom drink. BTW, "The Darjeeling Limited" gets the Criterion treatment.

Alec Baldwin texts during a movie. Deservedly, he gets the M&M treatment.

"Castle" Bids Farewell to Stephen J. Cannell



Wal-Mart is already discounting toys for the holidays. Ten bucks for Monopoly seems reasonable.

Songs that mention other songs. Appearances by "Bowie" and Shooter Jennings.

Everything you wanted to know about "The Empire Strikes Back".

Jenn Sterger. The perfect harassment victim?

Anderson Cooper. The accidental gay activist?

Exercise Yard

Confessions of an agent. Good read, but I wish the guy had represented some better-known players.

Visitor

25 Across: Stand-up guy who played Tobias Funke on "Arrested Development" (10 letters) Answer: David Cross

Browns lose to the Falcons, 20-10.

What did we learn today?

How could we possibly be duped into thinking that Jake Delhomme was healthy enough to start today's game. There was still a legitimate question a couple of hours before kickoff on who was going to start at QB for the Browns. So, again this was Mangini trying to fool the opposition. Let's see how this is handled after they had to play the Delhomme card today. Pittsburgh knows both Delhomme and Seneca Wallace have injured ankles and there will be no mobility from either next week. Maybe it's Joshua Cribbs! Yeah, sure. After his interception against the Steelers last year out of the Wildcat.

Delhomme is taking a lot of heat from the fans today, but there is no way he was healthy to play. Makes you wonder what is going on with Colt McCoy's progress.

Wallace didn't make any mistakes today and maybe the outcome would have been different if he stayed in the game. I doubt it though.

Why do we continually give credit to the Browns defense? Sure, they held the Falcons to two redzone field goals and a blocked FG, but look at the horrendous playcalling by the Falcons down there. First FG came after two Michael Turner runs get stuffed, including a weird looking misdirection on second down. Then a third down pass was incomplete. The second FG comes after Turner gets a first down at the Browns 14, then a run, a really short completion and an incompletion. The blocked FG comes after Turner rips off a 55-yard run to the Browns 12, then one run, an incompletion, followed by an incompletion on an insane shovel pass. Therefore, once again proving my theory of Offensive Coordinators: "It's not enough to beat you, I have to show everyone I'm smarter than you." Shovel pass, are you kidding me? It's the Browns, they cannot stop the fucking run. 165 yards by the Falcons today, if you need 'em.

Oh, and the only time the Falcons go deep today, it's a Matt Ryan-to-Roddy White special for a 45-yard TD. Ryan was 6-18 at the half, but ended the game 16-28 for 187 yards.

We got nothing from Joshua Cribbs and Joe Thomas, who most would consider the Browns best two players. Cribbs is getting nothing in the return game and the Wildcat is basically non-existent. Cribbs had a catch for 8 yards and two runs for 11. Had one chance at a punt return for 3 yards and had 3 kickoff returns for 64 yards. Very blah.

Joe Thomas had a bad day at the office today. Too many times, he was beat on the left side today. John Abraham doing most of the damage. Abraham had only 7 tackles in the first 4 games, today he had 5. Abraham had a sack early, his sack of Wallace put him out of the game, and he basically punched Delhomme in the head contributing to Delhomme's second interception. Just awful.

Then there is the walking contradiction known as Peyton Hillis. He fumbles early. Runs 10 times for a paltry 28 yards. But makes a beautiful 19-yard TD catch.

Three turnovers including a pick six, the third one this year from the Browns. Absurd penalties. Remember Jerome Harrison running for 286 yards against the Chiefs last year. At today's pace, it would have taken him 286 carries to do that. Plus, the Browns had bad clock management at the end of the half with Delhomme basically wasting 18 seconds without running a play from the 50.

Then, at the start of the third quarter, the Browns OC, Brian Daboll, decides that a gimpy Delhomme is well enough to start firing the ball over the place. 10 of the first 14 plays in the second half were passes. So much for the Browns "identity".

This game left me sour. The final score was in no way indicative of how poorly the Browns played today. Only helped by Atlanta playing to their level.

Next up, it's the Steelers.

Meal of Links

Solomon Burke died today. One of the best.

The next 10 years. From a radical pessimist. Say goodbye to the middle class.

The truth about Titanic is finally revealed. The guy made a wrong turn.

Must be Christmas. The ice rink at Rockefeller Center opened today.

Truly Awful Onside Kick



Exercise Yard

Mariano Rivera. Hall of Fame pitcher. Probably the best closer ever. All-time Yankee great. So, for his first national TV ad, he decides to star in a commercial for...Taco Bell?

Mariano Rivera for Taco Bell



As Leonard Pinth-Garnell would say, "Monumentally ill-advised!".

Visitor

None, on as beautiful of an October Sunday as you'll see.

I spent a few hours this afternoon at the Lake County Oktoberfest. This was held in the Our Lady of Mount Carmel parking lot. Beautiful day. Beer. Polkas. What more could you want on a Saturday afternoon. So, we dragged my Dad, my brother and my niece out there for the festivities.

Scary thing was when I got there around 1:00, there didn't seem to be too many people in attendance. And second, there were not a whole lot of people drinking beer. I soon corrected that. Music was provided by the Chardon Polka Band. Good group of 20-somethings playing the classics, some covers and some originals. Good stuff. They stopped when Mass started, although that's when the Sausage Eating Contest took place. That was the signal to head back home.





























It's interesting that at the real Oktoberfest in Munich, they drank a record 7 million liters of beer this year. And there were 37 kids who were lost. Hard to believe.

Meal of Links

Well, this has to be good. David Mamet writing and directing and Al Pacino starring as Phil Spector.

Speaking of HBO, I can't wait to see what Michael Mann does with "Luck". What, a series about horse racing? This combined with FX debuting a boxing series, "Lights Out", in January makes me wonder of these sports have enough interest in them.

What looks better the second time? "Barton Fink"...yeah. "You're a sick fuck, Fink."

Chick Transforms Into Jared Leto



They are remaking "They Live"! One of the greatest lines in cinematic history is in this film: "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

They tracked down the "Cigar Guy". I still can't figure out why so few got that Jimenez connection. I knew that immediately.

Exercise Yard

More Beadlemania. This time in NBA Jam for Wii.

Visitor

27 Across: It lost to "Moon River" for a Best Song Oscar (15 letters) Answer: Girl From Ipanema

"Girl From Ipanema"/Astrud Gilberto

I feel obligated to beg. "Terriers" is my favorite of the new shows on TV this fall and no one is watching. Less than 500,000 this week and Dish Network dropping FX does not help. Granted, the promos for the series that FX ran in August were really lame. Plus, the title (an old name for P.I.'s) is not very good.

But don't feel you are a latecomer to this series. This Wednesday at 10 on FX is the appropriate time to jump in, because one story arc is going on the backburner for a while. So, we get some new stuff this week.

Don't allow another series that I love to end prematurely. Because I'm tired of it happening over and over. There is still more than half a season left, so please watch "Terriers" this week. Make me happy.

Meal of Links

10 foods that help blood circulation. Or just look at Angelina Jolie all day.

10 live recordings that trump the studio version. And we can hear the live versions! Excellent choices. We even get a Townes Van Zandt song! But if you only have time for one, listen to the musically impeccable "Bigmouth Strikes Again" by The Smiths.

Johnny Depp visits a school today. Dressed like Jack Sparrow. OK, his coolness factor is now doubled.

Togo has had to deal with a fake national soccer team. "Fake national soccer team" is not the strangest phrase I've heard this week. That title belongs to "Mennonite drug cartel".

This is awesome. You can now get a Steadicam device for your cell phone.

Lou Dobbs has used illegal immigrants for cheap labor. Isn't he the guy who used to bark about illegals...oh, never mind.

Chasing Fox News.

Exercise Yard

Dan Patrick talks about life after ESPN. His DirecTV show starts on some regional sports networks in two weeks. I am assuming Fox Sports Ohio is along for the ride?

Visitor

50 Down: Artist known for spatial impossibilities (6 letters) Answer: Escher

While watching Roy Halladay throw only the second no-hitter in postseason baseball history...

I saw a movie the other day that I don't think old timers would like. Gale and I took in "The Social Network" on Monday. Hey, only $4.50 at the AMC and you put the butter on your popcorn.

It was good, but I'm not sure it lived up to some of the hype that I saw ahead of time. The story is about the founding and subsequent early days of Facebook. Not done chronologically with hopping back and forth between two legal depositions. Because Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had a tendency to screw over people and didn't seem to care. I mean, this guy is portrayed as one giant asshole. An extremely unlikeable character. Of course, why would the real Mark Zuckerberg care. He's the world's youngest billionaire and could make his own movie if he wanted.

Written by Aaron Sorkin, so we were going to get some rat-a-tat dialogue. David Fincher directed and kept things moving along nicely. It clocks in at two hours and it's got a nice pace from the opening chords of the White Stripes "Ball and Biscuit" to the inevitable conclusion. BTW, Trent Reznor with the score.

The two leads, Jesse Eisenberg (as Zuckerberg) and Andrew Garfield (as his best friend co-founder) do a terrific job and nominations may be talked about. Justin Timberlake is along for the ride as Sean Parker, a co-founder of Napster, who convinces a clearly hypnotized Zuckerberg to go to California. Rooney Mara is a friend of Zuckerberg's who provides the original motivation for the development of Facebook. Fincher has tabbed her for his version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo".

Meal of Links

There is a new Sad Keanu. It's the Cigar Guy from this Tiger Woods photo at the Ryder Cup:





































I am guessing he was dressed as Miguel Angel Jimenez, the Most Interesting Man in the World...er...the Spanish golfer.

Before the Giants-Browns game a few years ago, I described "The Pit" as a descent into hell. Well, Network Parking is now charging a "Pedestrian Fee" just to walk through or meet friends down there. Plus, it now costs $30 to park there.

They finally got around to Loretta Lynn. Hooray!

"Portland, Oregon"/Loretta Lynn and Jack White



Help with your Halloween costume. Well, Joaquin Phoenix looks original.

Behind the Scenes with "Dexter". Via TV Guide.

Here's an odd anniversary. The NC-17 rating is 20.

Joe Miller incurs the wrath of the Palins. Palin is not exactly helping Carly Fiorina in California either.

The 25 most valuable cable channels. What a crime. Fox Soccer Channel is not listed.

Is anyone guarding Puerto Rico today? The largest police corruption case in FBI history came to light today.

Sun Chips finally gives up on the biodegradable bag, except for the flagship flavor. God, that thing was noisy. Sheesh, sales dropped 11% since the bag was introduced.

Rick Sanchez apologizes.

"Under Pressure"/Homeless Puppeteer Guy



Homeless puppeteer guy is not homeless. But others need help, if you can.

Exercise Yard

Red Sox owners want to purchase Liverpool. They need help, not only financially, but on the pitch.

Visitor

5 Down: Harris of country (7 letters) Answer: Emmylou

I was over at the Lakewood Winking Lizard today. Mr. Mix threw Mrs. Mix a surprise birthday party. And it actually worked as a surprise. But they had a nice spread on the stage area regarding the food. Fun had by all.

I was there during the Browns game and there were a lot of Steelers fans there. Many other fans, too, because of the Sunday Ticket. But the roars of the Steeler game were overwhelming any Browns action. The Browns didn't have most of my attention, but they won their first game today against the Bengals. Even though the defense was torched by Carson Palmer, who had looked average coming into the game.

Meal of Links

My Dad and I, being the wise horsemen that we are, thought we would see a sneak preview of "Secretariat" at Crocker last night. Unbeknown to us, they stuck it in a smaller basement theater, therefore we arrived after it was sold out. So, making a quick decision, we opted for "The Town".

"The Town" is directed, written and starred by Ben Affleck. Let's take a look at the men in the movie. Chris Cooper (as Affleck's prison-bound father) and Pete Postlethwaite (as a crime lord florist) are pro's pros in their limited screen time. I could not get beyond the "Hey, it's Ben Affleck with a Boston accent" view. Jeremy Renner, as intense as ever, is a solid casting choice. A scuffed up Jon Hamm is dominated in almost all of his scenes by another character even when he should be the dominant one. A fault of the writing, not him.

But the real revelation, once again, is Rebecca Hall as the female lead. I'm telling you, Hall is the most natural actress on screen since a young Sandra Bullock. You never get the sense she is reading her lines, but is actually the character on the screen. She gets to display all the emotions here and does a great job with what is obviously an unbelievable storyline. Clearly, I am smitten.

But the movie is one where the whole is greater than any of the individual pieces/parts. Not a great movie by any means, but entertaining enough to offset the $10.50 I paid to see it.

How Disney is selling "Secretariat".

The 5 most dangerous places in the world. New Orleans is the only US city, with Mogadishu the leader in the clubhouse.

Donald Duck Explains the State of the Nation (with Glenn Beck)



The Best Film Books. By 51 critics.

Watch Andy Kaufman be Alive. Absolutely incredible.

Exercise Yard

A blast at that Canadian institution. "Hockey Night in Canada".

Visitor

None, on a mainly cloudy Sunday.

On my way home from work, I listen quite a bit to Pete Domanick's show on XM. I think he has a most interesting stable of guests and allows caller questions and it's a pretty good show. Sometimes, he interrupts callers way too much, but other than that, things are fine.

Unfortunately, I missed the show on Thursday, where Rick Sanchez of CNN decided to call Jon Stewart a bigot. That line got a "Whoa." from Pete immediately, as it should, given that Stewart was his old boss. But then Sanchez decided to utter the old, tired line, "The Jews run the media." Well, that resulted in Sanchez getting fired by CNN. And, let's face it, his primetime run was ending and the timing may not have been better.

(As an aside, one of the few times I've seen Sanchez recently was when he was front and center with the Laura Schlessinger N-word story. He kept tripping over the "NAACP". He could not say it correctly and kept trying. And trying. And trying. So much so, it ruined the story because you're laughing at him.)

So, here we have this uncommonly good political show on satellite radio that no one knows of, and now everyone has at least heard of it. Just in time for Pete's new CNN show that debuts on Saturday at 2:30. Funny how things work.

Meal of Links

Matt Dillon is suing over "Crash" profits. Wants a $100,000. Seems light.

Arnold moves to decriminalize marijuana in California. So, I guess people will be loadin' up the truck and movin' to Beverly. Hills, that is.

Today's idiot. Epic.

Stephen J. Cannell died yesterday. Responsible for three of my all-time favorite shows: "Rockford Files", "The A-Team" and "Wiseguy". You always saw him at the end of the program. Note how that office changed over the years.

Stephen J. Cannell's Production Logo History



"Todd Margaret" starts tonight on IFC. David Cross, Will Arnett. Gotta be good.

Super Wi-Fi? Oh, it's coming.

Exercise Yard

It rained most of the day at the Ryder Cup. Too bad the USA's raingear wasn't exactly rainproof. They had to buy new gear straight from the merchandising tent.

Visitor

61 Across: Genesis brother (4 letters) Answer: Seth