I was actually at the Tribe game on Thursday. The Indians had some insane deal (meaning advance ticket sales were dreadful) for the Toronto series where you can still get $44 tickets for $13 plus fees. Take that, StubHub!

But I wasn't there for this:



Somewhere, Bill Selby nods approval.

Anyhow, I'm not a master of the ALE (Always Leave Early) theory, but if you witnessed the first 7 innings of that game, no one would begrudge you leaving. Indians starter Zach McAllister threw 94 pitches in only 4 innings, while Carlos Villanueva for Toronto threw 110 in 6 innings.

I may have had a sense of kismet on the way home because I mentioned to my Dad that we had missed comebacks from large deficits in the past (ahem...the largest), so no big deal if we missed something that night. With that Joey Bats homer in the 9th to put Toronto up by 4, I thought that was the clincher.

But then Hafner came up and he smoked one. Good for them. Victories like that can really mean something come September.

Hey, at least the hot dogs were good.

Meal of Links

I don't know this guy from Adam. But he did co-invent Rotisserie Baseball. Deserves a parade.

What is with the fake fireworks? Child, please.

Another series jumps ahead in time. This time, it's "Dexter"!

There was a time if you had anything to do with baseball memorabilia, you knew the name, Barry Halper. Turns out most of his artifacts were stolen or forgeries. it's a long read, but fascinating.

Getting your kicks. On Route 66. Don't forget Winona!

Philly saves $2 million a year. How? By essentially decriminalizing marijuana.

Marc Maron does have a fine podcast. Listen here.

F-A-T. That spells fat.

Monkey self-portraits. Funny. Put a hat on hiim. Really funny.

Exercise Yard

We have two lockouts. One has been rumored as "close to ending" for weeks now (NFL), the other (NBA) has two factions divided like Korea.

Bill Simmons tries to solve the latter.

Visitor

10 Down: Pink Floyd's "The Wall:, e.g. (9 letters) Answer: Rock Opera

Cleveland State's white whale, Butler, comes to town for a Noon game tomorrow. Probably the largest attended CSU game since a Butler matchup in the Massimino era.

People are actually showing up. The confluence of an ugly sports year (CSU has more wins than the Browns and Cavs combined), cheap tickets and better marketing has boosted attendance. A far cry from an 11 a.m. game last year when I think 100 people showed up.

If you can bear the shitty ESPN broadcast team that is showing up, look for me on the tube. I'll be wearing black. Oh, wait a minute, we all are.

Meal of Links

The 5 sleepiest animals. Aren't squirrels on the most skittish list, as well?

Joyce Carol Oates on "The Fighter". Nails it, except for Wahlberg's performance.

I bet Marilu Henner remembers everything about this episode of "Taxi". I hope they break down a Vic Ferrari episode.

It's good to be the king. The Mubarak family's estimated worth is between $40 and $70 billion.

Joe Pos on Tiger Woods. It's difficult to watch Tiger struggle to even get three rounds out of four to go his way these days.

Michael Lewis turns his attention to the financial crisis in Ireland. "Now the Irish people finally caught a glimpse of the guy meant to be safeguarding them: the crazy uncle had been sprung from the family cellar."

Exercise Yard

The Super Bowl will never move to Saturday. But I can see it eventually moving to President's Day weekend with an 18-game schedule. Sorry, Daytona.

BTW, it'll be the Packers by 9 on Sunday.

Visitor

39 Across: Tesla, by birth (5 letters) Answer: Croat

"Tesla Girls"/OMD

If Jason Statham is in a movie, I am there pronto. So, today, Shaun and I hit the early viewing of the remake of "The Mechanic". Statham plays Arthur, the hitman who is really a no-nonsense kind of a guy. Gets the assignment, does the job cleanly, gets out, gets paid. And goes back to his fancy bayou home near New Orleans.

Donald Sutherland is his mentor, who gets involved with a mess with Tony Goldwyn, the top guy in the organization. After he gets taken out, his out of control son, Ben Foster, starts to learn the ropes from Statham. Foster wanted to be Statham, but Sutherland chose Jason to carry out all of the assignments. So, Foster wasn't exactly a neophyte. In the original, this was Charles Bronson taking Jan-Michael Vincent under his wing.

This version was better than expected. Contrary to the trailers, this was not a shoot 'em up from start-to-finish. It was only 90 minutes and after a bit of a slow start that actually included a couple of killings, it moved quickly to a very satisfying conclusion.

This was a Chartoff-Winkler production, sons of the team that did the original version. I was intrigued that they mentioned "The Gambler" was ripe for a remake, as well. Of course, that starred James Caan and he was outstanding in that one. One of my all-timers that is rarely seen these days.

Meal of Links

After that movie, Gale and I hit Vieng's Asian Bistro for some chow. I had the Hot and Sour Soup, which was really good today. And then had me some General Tso's. They also have Shiner on tap. Now, that was a meal that hit the spot on a cold day.

7 smart animals. Homing pigeons top the list.

It's The Coenfographic. The great thing about it is the rundown of the character names. From Garth Pancake to Gale Snopes.

Hangin' out at White Castle. Do their fries still only come in one size?

Exercise Yard

The LPGA is in a sticky situation. They hardly play any American events anymore and when they do, they run into this. They are going to stage a Founders Event next month, where the players don't actually get any prize money.

Visitor

5 Down: CNN Gulf War reporter (6 letters) Answer: Arnett

I'm still around!

Out of a potential 8 soccer matches I could see this week, I've seen 6 of them, with one more to choose this afternoon. Probably gonna lean toward Chelsea vs. Bolton. The best of the bunch was the Arsenal/Chelsea match on Monday. The Gunners may have tossed off some demons with a 3-1 win. It's a good time of the year with many matches, including a full slate on New Year's Day and more on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

I've seen two movies this week and it took me a long time to recognize actors in two key parts. In "True Grit", Barry Pepper plays Ned Pepper. I didn't get him until the credits.

In "The King's Speech", I didn't get it until his abdication speech, that Guy Pearce was playing Edward VIII.

As for the movies, "True Grit" is faithful to the book. This is the Coens at their best. Delicious language out of the characters mouths, Roger Deakins filming it quite beautifully, superior acting all around. This is a far cry from the John Wayne/Glen Campbell flick. A lot darker. Not sure it's going to have enough oomph for the Oscars, but it would be a shame to be overlooked.

"The King's Speech", however, is what the Oscars lap up. A personal journey of an historical figure overcoming an affliction to achieve greatness. This is the story of Queen Elizabeth's dad, King George VI, who overcame his stuttering to lead England after his brother's abdication, into the Big One, WW II. It's the story of Lionel Logue (played by "Shine Guy"), the speech therapist who helped him with his stammering. This movie is good, really good. My God, people applauded at the end. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are shoo-ins for nominations. Helena Bonham Carter is the Queen Mother.

I think it's gonna be a generational showdown at the Oscars. "The King's Speech" is clearly your frontrunner and it will butt heads with "The Social Network" come award time.

Both of these are excellent, but make sure you see "The King's Speech".

Meal of Links

Geckos as pets. My question would be "Why?".

Paris may ban SUVs within its city limits. Let's see if that works.

Best of TV 2010. With a "Terriers" mention for Best Theme Song. And "Rubicon" is here. And Mayhem.

Porter Wagoner. I actually do an imitation of Porter, "You can only find them in boxes of Breeze." Listen to the classic, "The First Mrs. Jones". Now, THAT'S a song.

I received a few gift cards for Christmas. How not to waste them.

Nate Silver shows us how snow and air travel do not mix. It's all about airline capacity.

Exercise Yard

Tucker Carlson subbed for Hannity last night. Fairly routine until he said Michael Vick should have been executed for killing dogs.

Visitor

16 Across: Stubbs of The Four Tops (4 letters) Answer: Levi

Hope you got to see another "30 For 30" tonight on George Steinbrenner by the great Barbara Kopple. Images of Thurman Munson abound. As usual, Kopple did not shy away from some topics (ticket prices for example) in the film. Really good stuff.

Upcoming topics include:

9/28 Terry Fox (this Steve Nash film premiered at TIFF last week).
10/5 Red Sox-Yankees 2004
10/12 Drazen Petrovic/Vlade Divac
10/19 Tim Richmond
10/26 Bartman
11/2 Marion Jones
11/9 SMU

And I think that finishes it up. Can't say enough about the series. It ranks with the best ESPN has offered over the years.

Meal of Links

Mmmmm. Peanut butter.

We haven't even seen the first episode of the new season of "Community". But we are already talking about their Christmas episode.

Leonard Skinner died. And if you have to ask, well...

Do not mess with "The King of Kong". The Wiebe-Mitchell rivalry is one of the greatest ever.

Save the gibbon! Many species are nearing extinction.

I saw a bit of "Annie Hall" last night. This scene kills me. "What am I, your son?".

"Annie Hall" Spider Scene



Lyle Lovett is returning to acting in "Castle". But, here's a look at his music. It's stuff you don't hear very often. "If I Had A Boat" gets some love. As does the terrific "L.A County". But I absolutely love his version of "Tennessee Flat Top Box".

"Tennessee Flat Top Box"/Lyle Lovett with Raul Malo and The Mavericks



"Don't Ask Don't Tell" failed today for the estimated 48,000 gays still in the military.. The WSJ had an impressive column on why conservatives should vote for repeal. Costs $42,000 to honorably discharge someone and they have booted out 14,000 gays from the military. That's a cost of almost $600 million.

This is another reason to get your dander up. Tim Geithner wins as Larry Summers announced today he is leaving his post at the White House. And that's a good thing. But President Obama's new Budget Director is Jacob Lew, Clinton's old Budget Director. Lew is part of the Summers/Robert Rubin gang who wanted the repeal Glass-Steagall, and led us into this economic mess. So, our President cannot possibly replace Summers with a Wall Street guy, can he? Let's hope not.

Exercise Yard

Mo Williams contemplated retirement after LeBron left. Wow, that's not a reaction I wanted to hear.

Visitor

10 Across: Country music pioneer Ernest (4 letters) Answer: Tubb

Let's see what the Browns do with the Chiefs tomorrow. Lots of the early picks seem to be going the Kansas City way. Weather may be a factor, 50% chance of rain. Let's not forget the Chiefs played in a monsoon on Monday and it didn't seem to bother them.

I think this is a good test. Once again on paper, a beatable team at home. The X Factor tomorrow is Seneca Wallace. Over the years, he has been a steady performer, so let's see how he does. Keep in mind, in last year's game against KC, despite Jerome Harrison gaining 286 yards, the Chiefs had a chance to win on the last play of the game. BTW, Wallace will be the 15th QB to start for the Browns since their return.

The other 14:

Detmer, Couch, Pederson, Wynn, McCown, Holcomb, Garcia, Dilfer, Anderson, Frye, Quinn, Dorsey, Gradkowski and Delhomme.

Announcer Alert: Don "Eric Wright is a shut-down corner" Criqui and Steve Beuerlein.

Meal of Links

Baltimore celebrates Frank Zappa Day tomorrow. Today is the 25th anniversary of his PMRC testimony. "Anal vapors"...Hah!

Lemurs as pets. Good God, that look would freak me out every time it greeted me at the door.

"As The World Turns" closed up shop yesterday. My favorite soap, "Ryan's Hope", is long gone.

"As the World Turns" Final Scene



Rolling Stone lists the 25 best record shops. Gotta go to Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati or Louisville to find one close.

Who knew that Gwyneth Paltrow had a website called "Goop"? Worth it for the GO section. She knows her food.

Kindles for kids. School saves money.

9 regrettable sports tattoos. That Mickey Mantle look is as freaky as a lemur.

Chocolate recipes.

Exercise Yard

Might wanna hold back on the Michigan resurrection talk. It's not a Rich Rodriguez problem anymore. It's a defensive coordinator Craig Robinson problem now. Whatever mojo this cat once had defensively, is long gone. Jeezy creezy, they gave up 217 yards rushing today.

Michigan gives up 37 to an FCS school, UMass. At home. Ugh!

Visitor

21 Down: Moe, for one (6 letters) Answer: Stooge

I liked the feature on Danny Greene in the PD today. Now, let's hope these projects can match what we remember from those times.

Meal of Links

Can a matchmaker be a matchmaker, even if she dumps her fiance? I'm leaning toward no.

The five best deal-hunting sites. I swear by Dealnews.

Undoubtedly, you know they will build a mosque near Ground Zero. Before we continue to literally raise holy hell about it, check out its neighbors. Including two strip clubs.

Reminiscing with George Barris. He only made the Batmobile, K.I.T.T., the "Back to the Future" DeLorean among others.

"Smells Like Rockin' Robin" Mashup



Pop-Culture Legos.

They found a new type of monkey species. In the titi monkey family. Monkeys and titis, what can I say.

Exercise Yard

So, I'm watching the PGA. It looks like Dustin Johnson is in a playoff until a tour official says, "Not so fast, my friend." It seems he played his second shot from a bunker and grounded his club. The two-stroke penalty eliminated him from the playoff. I get all that.

But what was with the horror that CBS claimed? Clearly, on their clips of the 18th hole they were showing all week, you can see the damn bunkers on both sides of the fairway. What, they magically disappear when the people are standing in them?

Then the PGA says look at the course sheets for rulings on these bunkers. Number One on the list. Plus, it had happened in the 2004 PGA played there, for precedent.

Sure, it was unfortunate. But it was the right call and the mock horror seemed misplaced. The only thing I would question is did this happen in any of the earlier rounds when the cameras weren't around? If you fess up now, can you be assessed a penalty post-tournament or called a cheater if you didn't call it on yourself? Not sure, but maybe it did happen only once this week, when the world was watching.

Maybe golf without Tiger competing isn't so bad. Certainly the poor sister PGA was the best of the majors this year and at the start of the year with Augusta, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews on the docket, that would count as a major surprise.

Visitor

None, on another hot Sunday.

Thought I'd pull this one from the archives.

Germany vs. Greece (Monty Python Style)



Meal of Links

Looks like Kabayashi will not be eating hot dogs at Nathan's this year. Complete with Man Vs. Beast video. And speaking of that long lost show.

Man Vs. Beast (Little People Vs. Elephant Pulling Planes)



BTW, YouTube has added a vuvuzela button to some of its clips. Just click on the soccer ball.

Dennis Kucinich on War



Cinema's most laughable bad guys. Vigo made it.

American democracy on film. My favorite line from "All The President's Men": "Nothing's riding on this except the, uh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters, but if you guys fuck up again, I'm going to get mad. Goodnight."

"Big Brother" returns next week. With a fantasy league.

Senator Byrd died today. Too early to look at his negative side?

Craig Kilborn is back.

Exercise Yard

Chris Henry had severe brain trauma when he died. The youngest ever diagnosed with CTE. He was 26 and without a history of concussions.

Visitor

26 Across: Orange Free State settler (4 letters) Answer: Boer

Hey, Frank Yankovic and his Yanks go international.

"The Acapulco Polka
Like Rum and Coke-A
Is here to stay..."

"The Acapulco Polka"/Frank Yankovic



Meal of Links

Are cameras the new guns? Three states now say you can't film a police officer in the line of duty.

A car powered by Mentos and Coke Zero? yes, those guys are back.

We can all rest easy. "Wizards of Waverly Place" got renewed for a fourth season.

More fawn news. Must be summer.

Sometimes I will watch an occasional rerun of "The Andy Griffith Show". And I know, by show's end, they will have tried to teach me a lesson. Here is an episode about a church sermon. Special Guest: Old Man Quartermaine!

Sixteen bucks for a movie. And it was not in 3-D. Two days until "Marmaduke".

What this must have been like. Alex Cox was one of Dennis Hopper's henchmen.

All about Brits. Ramsay, Cowell and Hitchens show up.

Exercise Yard

Bill Simmons latest effort on ESPN.com was on the NBA Finals. These guys didn't like it.

Visitor

44 Across: West of Hollywood (3 letters) Answer: Mae

Things I've tried lately:

I had Key Lime Drink, fruitsense from Old Orchard. Absolutely terrible.

Of course, we've all had Sun Chips. But have you had them in that new compostable bag? Yikes, try and sneak that into a theater. They admit the bag is loud, because it's compostable, but wait for your neighbors to complain. I imagine even your pets are wondering WTF.

I'm normally bullish on Bush Baked Beans. But, my God, Giant Eagle Onion Baked Beans are really good. Much, much thicker. And cheaper. Sometimes, I think a fourth of those Bush cans are sauce, but the GE cans actually have lots of beans.

With Cinco de Mayo nearing and no Bohemia the other day at Johnny Mango, I opted for Modelo Especial on tap. Boy, that hit the spot on a warm day.

Lay's came out with this new type of natural potato chip recently. The Garden Tomato and Basil is an odd flavor, at first, but it's tasty thereafter. The Tangy Carolina BBQ needs some work (I think Snyder's BBQ is the best by a mile). I still lean towards the Lay's Baked or Kettle Cooked variety when I get chips, which isn't that often.

For bagged salads, I've been in the bag for Fresh Express for a long time. I always get the Romaine. But I think I'm being slowly converted to Dole's Leafy Romaine. It's at Marc's. I don't know, it seems to taste better to me.

Mid's Salsa Italiano, get the Medium. When you don't wanna mix your own, you could do worse in a pinch. Full price, probably not, but Marc's had a coupon.

The best-tasting normal Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns out there have to be Pepperidge Farm. But whenever I'm in the mood for whole wheat buns, most of them are pretty flimsy. But then I discovered Nature's Pride 100% Whole Wheat Bakery Buns. Now, we're talking. Easily handles any sandwich you make.

Meal of Links

The Top Ten reasons you should quit Facebook. Quit it? I'm barely on the damn thing.

Who knew? Polar bears and grizzly bears are now mating. I have no idea what the consequences may be.

That oil spill in the Gulf changes everything.

Exercise Yard

Hey, what was with all that low scoring golf today?

Ryo Ishikawa shot a 58 in Japan and Rory McIlroy shot a 62 at Quail Hollow.

Needless to say, they both won. Combined age of the winners? 38!

Visitor

None, on a really lazy Sunday.

"Rain On The Roof"/The Lovin' Spoonful



Check out the Monty Python-like audience at the end.

I participated in my first "whiteout" at the Cleveland State-Butler game. You're supposed to wear white, so it looks good on TV. Since the game started at 8:00, it was a good opportunity to eat at Becky's. Remember the burgers are fresh, never frozen, there. It seemed more crowded there than at the game, as the Coat Chairs were intact. A hugely disappointing crowd of 2604 showed up, probably half the size of last year's game. This shows CSU still has some marketing to do.

Rumor has it Butler came in with the #1 RPI. I have yet to see that, but everyone keeps mentioning it. They have no seniors on their squad and were picked for middle of the pack in the Horizon League. Their freshman play as much as Valpo's, but there is a major difference. Butler's are really good at this point. They played as many as three freshmen during much of crunch time and believe it or not, the ball movement of this team might be the best Butler has ever had. Really impressive.

The second half was the difference. CSU had a pretty decent first half and was up 27-20 at the half. All you need to know is CSU shot 14% in the second half. Yep, 14%! Combine that with 56% foul shooting and, well, there you have it. Butler cut down on the turnovers after halftime and crawled back in it and had a chance to win on a final shot. Zack Hahn hit a three-pointer with no time left to win it for Butler. That was a dagger! The hallmark of Butler teams is they never quit and they still don't, even with a whole new team.

CSU loses, 50-48, in a heartbreaker. Next up: Grab the coonskin cap. It's the Mountaineers and Couch Huggins of West Virginia.

Meal of Links

"The Big Lebowski" returns to the Cedar-Lee on Saturday. So, celebrate with a White Russian.

All about those Hollywood studio logos. I still love that fanfare on those Fox movies.

Roger Ebert has some words for Ben Stein. Uh, he basically hammers him.

Wes Anderson talks about his early films. BTW, "The Darjeeling Limited" is making the rounds on the HBOs this month.

CNN cuts its science/environmental unit. That means no more Miles O'Brien. The Weather Channel dumped their environmental group two weeks ago, as well. And we'll have more cuts locally at Channel 3.

Snub-Nosed Monkey alert!

Exercise Yard

The Knicks are the most valuable NBA franchise. The Cavs are fifth at $477 million. Thanks, LeBron.

Visitor

26 Across: Ranting comic _____ Black (5 letters) Answer: Lewis

Good to see Opie, Andy Taylor, Richie Cunningham and The Fonz in action.

Ron Howard (and Friends) on the Election



Meal of Links

I've said for weeks, the books are being written right now on how John McCain had such a terrible campaign to be President. Well, it's starting. Fascinating stuff from the New York Times Magazine, especially about the choice of Sarah Palin.

"Office Space" is a movie I've tried to like. Sure, there are some laughs (I admit, I laugh more at the first hour of "Men at Work" than this) but some folks swear this is the funniest thing ever committed to celluloid. I'm still fairly lukewarm, although my actual viewings have been few and came pretty late in the game. Here's some love.

A giant spider eating a bird. No, really.

Hey, science to get me drinks faster. Whoo hoo.

How to make a Phot-O-Lantern. The example they use is Dwight Schrute.

A little colder in hell today. GNR's "Chinese Democracy" will come out. Now about that free Dr. Pepper.

Larry David worries about the election. I know of where he speaks. And if some clown declares a 2012 candidacy on November 5, I will seek him out and punch him.

The 25 Greatest Movie Soundtracks. I actually have a copy of "Beat Street".

Check out Dubai!

Exercise Yard

Next Tuesday, it's free tacos, everyone. Well, they got that out of the way early this year.

Visitor

21 Down: Saints' quarterback Drew (5 letters) Answer: Brees

Well, not only are the Browns sucking currently, this year's version of "As The Elf Turns" begins. I'm sensing this is going to end badly. I understand why the Browns suspended Kellen Winslow, but to introduce discipline to this bunch now is a bit ridiculous. I'm not sure Winslow's comments were as "disparaging" as Browns management thinks.

And it's now a given, unless we see a new coach around here, we won't see Winslow in the last two years of that contract. It's really a shame. I don't see anyone else on the squad as talented or hungry as this guy. Really a super player. Don't get me wrong, we have some talent at his position if he does leave, but I think he's too good of an asset to toss aside. And if you think I have a double standard on that, yeah, I probably do. If it was Brandon McDonald, I'd probably be sharpening my pitchfork.

Meal of Links

Crap. More creatures I have to worry about. What are the odds I will encounter the deadly Cone Snail?

Do Sarah Palin's children ever stay home? It seems they are on the campaign trail an awful lot and it appears this isn't a new practice.

10 good reasons to grow a giant beard. Hiding place for weapons, tools and snacks is a pretty good one.

"Dexter" reups for two more seasons. I think that's a good move.

Exercise Yard

EliteXC, you know Kimbo Slice's promoters, are out of business. Losses were in the tens of millions.

Visitor

40 Down: "The Bonfire of the Vanities" author (8 letters) Answer: Tom Wolfe (I have a copy if you need it)

Through the raindrops last night for the music of...

Nick Lowe

Last night, my brother and I saw Nick Lowe. It had been several years (decades?) since we had seen him. The last time was at, of all places, the old Variety Theatre on Lorain.

The Venue: The venerable Beachland Ballroom. Hadn’t been to the Beachland in a while, but it remains one of the best concert settings in town. They had the chairs set up for this one, with standing room along the sides and back, for this sold-out show.

Stage Banter:: I’ve always liked Lowe. He has an awesome sense of humor. I recall when Bowie came out with the “Low” album, he came out with one named “Bowi”. Last night, he looked like your uncle. Hair even whiter now (he's 59), he wore a white shirt and dark slacks and seemed to be having a great time. And last night, he had two soliloquies that made me laugh.

“Thanks so much for coming out tonight on this tour. It’s not really a tour, as I’m really on my way home. I came out to San Francisco to do a benefit with my two good friends, Ry Cooder and Jim Keltner. Then I appeared on two programs, “Prairie Home Companion” and then filmed a segment for “Austin City Limits”.

It is really an honor to be asked to appear on those American programs. They have been around for, what, 35 years? They are national treasures, really.

But I realized it was a terrific opportunity for me to present my music to an enormous audience of “Joe Sixpacks and Hockey Moms.”

Later on, before introducing a new song, he said this:

“I’d like to play a new song for you next. I understand when people pay good money to hear you play, there is always a pause when you hear that. Now whenever I’m in the audience and I hear something like that, there are two schools of thought. Much like you’re thinking right now.

The first is: “My God, start playing it already. I really want to hear this. The man’s a genius. Really, when does he sleep?”

The second is: “How long is this going to take?”

I tend to fall into the latter category. Trust me, I feel your pain. But, keep in mind, most of my songs run only about 2 minutes, 30 seconds. And remember. All of the songs you have come to cherish were at one time...unplayed, untested, unloved.”

Then he sang the new song, "I Read A Lot". Not that that's a tagline of mine or anything.

The Tickets: Got the tickets ahead of time for this General Admission show. We grabbed a couple of seats at the end of a row on the left. The back cushion of my chair fell off early, but we slid it back in with no further mishaps.

The Crowd: Absolutely no need for the chaperone hat. They could have called me “Sonny.” But, when we walked in, I said, “Gee, does Nick Lowe have any female fans?” A disarmingly male-to-female ratio at the start, got a little better as the night continued. Maybe with good reason.

Because this loud-mouthed bitch would not stop yapping. Seriously, this was a person who must wake up each day and say, “How can I be even more obnoxious today?” The type of person you want to tell that I’m lookin’ at my ticket and I don’t see your name on it. Very annoying. Finally, someone about 40 minutes into Lowe’s performance suggested that she be quiet.

The Sound: This was a solo show. Just Nick Lowe and his guitar. There was a terrible buzz during his first two songs, the second in which he abruptly stopped and said, “Can you hear that? I thought I was the only one.” A replacement microphone was installed and the sound was fantastic from that point forward.

There was an opening act. Greg Townson, who is in some local band (?), the Hi-Risers. He was solo, as well, with his guitar and played about 30 minutes. Most of his songs were in the Jonathan Richman mode. His high point was probably “One Note Joe”, a song about a guitar player.

The Stage: The setup is about as basic as you could get. Nick Lowe, in the center of the stage, with his guitar and a small amp in the back.

The Music: Lowe played about 85-90 minutes and covered a lot of material. This show was a terrific showcase of his songwriting ability. I was not familiar with most of his recent material, but he touched upon all phases of his career. There were times these songs were so beautifully constructed, you could hear a pin drop. Yes, even the loud-mouthed one knew when to shut it during these interludes.

Setlist: (I think)

"People Change"
"Soulful Wind"
"When I Write the Book" (from the Rockpile days)
"What's Shakin' on the Hill"
"Heart" (also from Rockpile)
"Lately I've Let Things Slide"
"Has She Got a Friend?"
"All Men Are Liars" with the lyrics:

“Do you remember Rick Astley?
He had a big fat hit that was ghastly.
He said I’m never gonna give you up or let you down.
Well I’m here to tell ya, that dick’s a clown
Though he was just a boy when he made that vow.
I’d bet it all that he knows by now.”

"I Trained Her to Love Me"
"I Read A Lot"
"Cruel to Be Kind"
"The Kind of Man That I've Become"
"I Live on a Battlefield"
"Hope for Us All"
"Without Love"
"Rome Wasn't Built in a Day"
"I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)"
"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" You tend to forget that Lowe wrote this song, as Elvis Costello has co-opted it all these years. But to hear it this way, solo, acoustically...Man, the melancholy just oozes out of the record.

Encore:

"Heart of the City"
"The Beast in Me"
"7 Nights to Rock"

Meal of Links

Top "US Celebrities in Japanese Commercials". The Ben Stiller one made me laugh. Peter Falk, who I love, but as a bartender, WTF?

Matthew Modine talks about his movie roles. I happened to catch the end of "Full Metal Jacket" the other day. It still rocks.

Al-Jazeera, of all places, exposes Ohio racism at a Palin rally. These folks actually reside in our state. “I’m afraid if he wins, the blacks will take over." Good God!

I have the debate recorded and have not watched it yet, but are we sick of Joe the Plumber yet? I heard the Couric interview today and he says, "At least with McCain, you know where he stands." Dude, Obama cannot be clearer. If you make more then $250,000, you'll have higher taxes. That's where he stands. Turns out Joe may have connections to Charles Keating. Ha ha.

The red squirrel. One tough bastard of a rodent.

Exercise Yard

Super Bowl tickets have reached the $1,000 level. That is more than I pay for a season's full of Browns tickets. Football is king.

Visitor

45 Across: "Law and Order" staple (6 letters) Answer: Lineup

Today was such a nice day, my Dad and I had lunch at The Harp. Great to knock down a couple of beers in the sunshine.

But, on the way back home after I dropped him off, I was at a stoplight. As I have "Cat People" by Bowie cranked, this bicyclist moves up to the corner, then backs up and decides to say something through my open passenger window. He must have noticed my bumper sticker which has Bush pointing one way and Truth the other.

He says, "He may not know much about the truth, but we haven't been attacked in 7 years." Well, Happy 9/11 to you as well, sir. I ignored him. I mean, I didn't feel like having a debate in my car with someone who wasn't actually in the car with me. And it was also Bowie on a rare play, I might add. I found it very strange, as that seems to be more of a 2004 argument for Bush. I thought if this was still a prevailing thought amongst the electorate, we're all in trouble.

BTW, two things about McCain-Palin today that are just unbelievable to comprehend. McCain actually said this about Palin's national security experience, "Energy. She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America. She's a governor of a state where 20% of America's energy supply comes from there. And we all know that energy is a critical and vital national security issue. We've got to stop sending $700 billion of American money to countries that don't like us very much. She's very well versed on that issue. And, uh, she also happens to represent, be governor of a state that's right next to Russia. She understands Russia."

That is a huge WTF right there. Energy as her bailiwick and because she is close to Russia, well, by God, that counts, too. I predicted they would use that as an example of her experience and can't believe it enters the discussion frequently.

The other was the Fred Thompson line, calling Palin "the most remarkable success story in the history of American politics.” What did these clowns drink over Labor Day weekend?

I think I need a day off from that shit, but they just keep on giving.

Meal of Links

The background that shapes McCain's war arguments. Two throwaway lines jump out at me: "...McCain’s incredulousness at the sight of Obama, a man he plainly does not respect..." and "...in Afghanistan, over time, we’ll grow an army...". The Afghan plan echoes Obama (re:Bin Laden), but that sounds rather Iraq-like to me.

The new DVD of "The Big Lebowski" is out. This article examines the politics within. (with 3 clips)

This is one angry bear. Palin nowhere to be found.

Gina Gershon as Palin



Billboard's all-time Top 100. "The Twist" is Number One.

Yep. He's my Congressman.

Exercise Yard

Could Ohio State and USC meet later on for the national title? Gee, I can't wait.

Visitor

22 Across: Formula One team that's a rival of Ferrari (7 letters) Answer: McLaren

My neighbors are moving, it appears. The U-Haul pulled up this morning. Isn't there something in the Neighbor Code that they need to tell you when they are moving, or did that go out in 1972? (Aside to Paul: If you waited, we coulda been neighbors!) Hopefully, Guitar Hero doesn't move in. I get enough music with Neil Peart living on the other side of me.

Meal of Links

I don't eat a lot of candy. And I certainly had trouble with this quiz. You try to identify candy bars via a cross-section. I regret to report I was 10 for 20 (/hanging head in shame) and that was with a late rally.

The art of the Thank You Note. I sent my goddaughter a gift for high school graduation recently and got a very nice Thank You in return, with humor. I liked it a lot. It's not that hard, but you gotta commit.

God knows I love monkeys. Spain does the ape world a solid by giving them some human rights.

Unless Warren Sapp surprises me, his time on "Dancing With the Stars" will be short-lived. Guaranteed his act of "Mean Face" followed by laughing will grow old quickly. I got tired of that about 10 years ago. Sapp answers questions.

NPR wants to know the Best Music of 2008, thus far. Here is the poll. My five choices were:

Drive By Truckers
MGMT
The Black Keys
The Raconteurs
The Ting Tings

Right now, Death Cab for Cutie and Vampire Weekend, which I also like, are running away with it.

"How To Get Into Any Club"



Exercise Yard

UGA VI died. He was almost 10 and handled University of Georgia mascot duty for 9 of those years. He'll be buried with the other UGAs. I'm surprised the press release didn't say "UGA VI has been moved to a farm in Pennsylvania."

Visitor

Across Down: Language family that includes Tamil (9 letters) Answer: Dravidian The only reason this was a Saturday puzzle was because of the phrases. Otherwise, it was not that tough.)

I guess I got it wrong. Moe Green is still alive! And that was Alex Rocco in the Audi commercial during the Super Bowl. I thought he died after that "Famous Teddy Z" TV series of yesteryear. I still maintain there is too much going on to figure out they are selling Audis, but good to see Moe Green is still kicking. Now, if we follow "The Godfather" correctly, shouldn't we all get an Audi?

Meal of Links

Here I am, minding my own business, when this comes across my desk. Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz in a lesbian scene. I don't even care that this is in a Woody Allen film. As always, I'm hoping Ms. Cruz doesn't speak, or in this case, moan in English in the flick. I'll see this one, oh, probably the minute it shows up in town.

The Bonnaroo lineup. I'd say it's very good. The SXSW lineup is here. I love that band name, Scissors for Lefty.

Animals that have somehow avoided entering my house, so far. Chimps in clothes! And, of course, "Maybe the dingo ate your Peppermint Jo-Jos." I still have one box left.

Jeezy creezy. "American Idol" as a theme park attraction. Isn't that karaoke?

If the writer's strike ends soon, here is what may happen with the remaining schedule. Looks like "The Office" is the only one that may have more than 7 episodes.

Who knew that G.O.B. was the voice of GMC Trucks? So, he can't do the voice of K.I.T.T., because it's a Mustang. BTW, Will Arnett is still alive.

Why Pete Doherty matters.

Exercise Yard

My Dad and I attended the CSU-Wright State game this evening. A scant three weeks ago, it was the high of beating Butler and Valpo back-to-back. And there were people there. Today with Wright State in town, after CSU dumped four in a row on the road, it was back to normal as I parked on the street. Although they listed the crowd at 2,793.

While "What a difference a day makes..." was playing in our collective heads, Wright State jumped out to a 15-2 lead. They never gave up that lead. It got as close as two in the second half, but in about 20 seconds, it was a Wright State three, a CSU turnover and another Wright State basket. "Game over, man, game over!" Five losses in a row have now marred a pretty promising season. 34% shooting by CSU tells the story.

CSU loses, 55-49.

Visitor

22 Across: He came after Jimmy (6 letters) Answer: Ronald

Remember the raccoon that I thought was just visiting a few weeks back? I was getting very suspicious that it was taking up a more permanent residence recently and sure enough, within the last week it was obvious that it was kinda liking his new living arrangement. So, it was time to call in the experts. These outfits are pretty much a hit-or-miss affair, because the bottom line is you want the animals trapped, you don't need theories or even patience on what's going on, you just need them gone. I used Critter Control and they set up some traps on my roof on Saturday. Per usual procedure, you have to call each morning by 8:00 to report any success.

Sure enough, by Midnight, the raccoon was trapped. Unfortunately, that meant almost zero sleep for me, because all you hear is clawing and cage rattling all night. Especially me, because I always worry if the cage is anchored properly, can the raccoon get out, can it bend the steel bars to leave, is it a shapeshifter, things like that. Finally, around 6:30, it finally gave up the ghost and I felt sorry for it. You see, it rained half the night and it looked completely exhausted and awfully wet. Yikes, the guy got here before 8:00 to pick it up and reset the traps for perhaps more visitors. Well, it was a female and you know what that means. It's the birthing season, so we have to find out if there are any little ones. Great, we may have to play midwife.

You have to wonder what the other nocturnals think about those who get trapped, because I'm sure raccoons are probably in the cool section of the population. You know, smokin' a cig, and holding a longneck in the same hand. I can imagine this conversation:

Oscar the Owl: "Where's Rocky?"
Samuel the Skunk: "Didn't you hear? She fell for that damn marshmallow and apple trick...the oldest one in the book."
OtO: "Shut up!"
StS: "And to top it off, It rained on her half of the night!"
OtO and StS: "Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha."
StS: "Shit, that could have been us."

Meal of Links

Here are some office pranks for April Fool's Day. This day really loses it's steam after you're what, 12?

Tooling around a Vegas speedway in an F1 car. It is way cool.

How are things in the Falklands? Some rough edges, but not bad overall.

Exercise Yard

The Cavs were in trouble late in yesterday's game. Then they remembered LeBron James plays for them.

National Anthems

Since this is the start of the new baseball season, leading up to Friday's Home Opener for the Tribe, let's look at some different ones.

Dropkick Murphys at Fenway



Visitor

None, it's Women's Final Four Sunday.