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

What are you listening to?

"Deep In The Motherlode"/Genesis



Meal of Links

Bachmann is playing "American Girl" at her campaign stops. Tom Petty not thrilled.

The debate on marijuana. If legal, how do we cash in?

Check this out. The Netflix model for your local theaters. Unlimited movies for $50/month. This would allow more evening and weekend visits because of the prohibitive costs at night. I'm intrigued. It's called MoviePass. Starts in Frisco and it looks like AMC is on board.

Exercise Yard

I actually bet on a horse.

Merry-Go-Round Horse Race



Visitor

61 Across: Justice Samuel (5 letters) Answer: Alito

On Sunday night, S. and I were at the Rock Hall for the 3rd Annual Chef Jam. This raises money for the Ohio City Farm, which picked up a check for $5K, and education programs for the Rock Hall.

This year featured a higher ticket price, more music, less people and less vendors. But still rates fairly high on the fun list, as this year, even some of the vendors got into the act and started dressing the part. Prosperity had the Ramones, I think Melt had Kiss and there were some Beatles as well, dishing out some Yellow Submarine sammies.

The music started earlier with the band from Crop. As usual, they played "Whipping Post". The Naked Cowboy strolled around, publicizing Naked Cowboy Oysters, by mainly posing for pictures. There was of very good cover band, Abbey Rodeo, before the headliners appeared. That was the English Beat (actually only Dave Wakeling with other unknowns), who actually treated this as an appearance, and played more than an abbreviated set including some General Public stuff.

English Beat Setlist:

"Save It For Later"
"Tears Of A Clown"
"I Confess"
"Tenderness"
"I'll Take You There"
"Ranking Full Stop"
"Mirror In The Bathroom"

Sampling of Restaurants/Plates:

B Spot: Beef Sliders

Deagan's: Mushroom Stuffed Quail

Melange: Pork Belly and BBQ Beans

Melt: Fried Twinkie

Moxie: Whiskey River Gelato

Prosperity Social Club: Sloppy Joes and Mac N Cheese

Sweet Moses: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Bourbon Caramel Sauce w/Chocolate Candy

Sushi Rock: Spicy Salmon and Spicy Tuna

Meal of Links

Last night, I went to the Cinemark and saw the latest Woody Allen flick, "Midnight In Paris". I must say, moving his productions to the other side of the pond have revived the guy. This was sort of a "Back To The Future" for the adult set.

This time, Owen Wilson plays the Woodman Voice as a successful Hollywood writer with a deep love for '20s Paris. He is taking a shot at writing a novel and about to marry Rachel McAdams. I normally like McAdams, but she seemed off here. Michael Sheen eats some scenery as a friend, maybe former lover, of McAdams. He's an art professor, lecturing at the Sorbonne, so he knows everything about art and wind and just about everything else. Type of guy who corrects tour guides, Described perfectly as "pedantic" by Carla Bruni. Yes, stunt casting has Bruni in not just one, but two scenes.

Anyhow, as the clock strikes Midnight, McAdams and Sheen and his wife go elsewhere, Wilson is transported back in time on a nightly basis. Where he meets artists like Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, Cole Porter, Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Bunuel, Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali ("Dah-LEE"), those types. Accepted almost immediately and never questioned about his clothing, even at the most formal gatherings. Of course, he is smitten with Marion Cotillard during these throwbacks.

The story is a nice take on nostalgia. If you immerse yourself completely, it appears that Allen has decided it stifles you creatively. Because everyone has their own idea of what the greatest time was. For example, when you think Wilson and Cotillard are a match, she opts for the Belle Epoque period of Paris.

Definitely a love letter to Paris, especially the shots in the rain. Certainly worth the 90 minutes when it comes to cable. And, you have to admit it, Allen still has some interesting stories to tell. Hopefully.

Worst addictions, by decade. And how they were treated.

Best game show hosts of the '80s. Good to see Ken Ober on there.

A look at "The Wall". Yes, it still fascinates.

Hugh Hefner's fiancee decided not to marry him. She realized she was about to marry a fossil. So, Dr. Phil's son shows up. For her, not Hef.

In case you did not know, the CIA has drones over Yemen. Shouldn't there have been a vote on that or something?

After last night's Republican debate. Could this be their future?

Exercise Yard

Big Game 7 for the Bruins tomorrow. Newest hero: Brad Marchand, the Erich Barnes of the NHL.

Quote of the year:

Why did Marchand keep punching him then?

"Because I felt like it," Marchand said.

"Golf Boys" Video/Crane, Fowler, Mahan, Watson



Visitor

29 Across: 1983 Woody Allen title role (5 letters) Answer: Zelig

The anticipation for "The Tree of Life" is getting even higher. Terrence Malick is even allegedly coaching projectionists on the correct equipment settings.

But the Cedar-Lee has a Malick retrospective next week that somehow does not include "Badlands". They do have "The Thin Red Line" though. But they don't really write what makes the films special. We go to Nashville for that.

And they have "Badlands".

Meal of Links

It seems DJ Kishka gets more ink than Bic these days. Tireless promoting will do that. Niche is now permanently carved.

We go to walk our dog and we pick up a hitchhiker named Bono. WTF?

Here are 5 major companies that pay taxes. Maybe I should go to Costco.

No surprise. The global war on drugs has failed.

One of Sandra Bullock's early roles was in the US version of "The Vanishing". She's not in it very much (looks great, bitches at Kiefer Sutherland, does a cute little dance, then gets chloroformed) and it sucked. Ah, but the original, was much creepier and, by far, the better movie. And, of course, it did not have a Hollywood ending.

It's official. TV has run out of ideas. NBC reboots "Fear Factor". When does "Sledge Hammer" return?

Exercise Yard

If you find yourself watching the Stanley Cup Final (and how could you not with the Bruins FINALLY involved) Listen to the play-by-play guy. Here is Doc Emrick's story.

Visitor

26 Across: TV's Mrs. Peel (4 letters) Answer: Rigg

When I first read how small the actual budget cuts are, I felt kinda duped. Seriously, $14.7 billion? Then President Obama delivered his budget speech and I felt better.

"Just when you think you're out, they pull you back in."

Meal of Links

Mickey Rourke opens up. Seems like he's just kickin' it until his rugby movie starts. Next year.

The Sidney Lumet tribute on Turner is April 21. Seriously, you need to watch "12 Angry Men", "Network" or "Dog Day Afternoon".

The rich don't want you to know these things about taxes. Germany does it better.

Don't forget, it's Coachella this weekend. Streaming is here via YouTube. LA Times coverage is here

The Dead Milkmen make an appearance. With "Bitchin' Camaro" video. "I hope those guys have a good sense of humor and don't take us to court."

Ganga alert. Jamaica may decriminalize marijuana.

Strange, but the best rock interviews I've read lately have been in Financial Times. First, it was Roger Waters. Then, they asked a buch of questions to the Foo Fighters.

"Everlong"/Foo Fighters (on Letterman)



Smart Ass Cripple talks about adult sippy cups. He doesn't like plaid blankets either.

FIGJAM. Just a regular guy. Yep, he's like us.

Exercise Yard

When you want to know about sports and the law, you read Lester Munson. Here is his take on the Barry Bonds verdict.

Visitor

45 Down: Birch of "American Beauty" (5 letters) Answer: Birch

Opening Day 2011

Got my first look at the Indians of 2011 yesterday. Naturally, they lost. This time though, it was embarrassing. The White Sox absolutely pounded Fausto Carmona on their way to a 15-10 win. Gale and I had seats in Section 109, and I got to be "End of Row Boy".

Progressive Field was a beacon in the distance, two hours before game time.





















Things of note: Typically, everyone wants to know what's going on inside the park. No, I didn't go all the way around, but virtually everything inside has gone up in cost. Opening Day Parking, BTW, was stable. I paid $20 in the traditional Hanna Garage spot, and most places were charging that price.

Rabbi Feldman's grilled hot dog stand in right field has changed this year. It's a bigger grilled dog slathered in onions, called a Slugger Dog, and that'll set you back (gulp!) $8.50. Not sure if other grilled dog stands exist. We'll find that out later. You can get a Brat or Italian Sausage there for $6.75. Not sure about the price of vendor dogs.





















Cracker Jack is $4.00, Peanuts are $4.50, so Marc's still cannot be beat. New this year is multicolored Cotton Candy. This comes in a bag for the amazing price of $6.00. A unique concept of a product kids love, but don't like to share, at exorbitant prices! Bottles of water were $4.50 and Gatorade will set you back $5.00 a bottle.

But, what about the beer? OK, I didn't see the foreign beer stand where, in years past, you could get Guinness and others. The Leinie Lodge had $7.75 Leinenkugels.

Dad's Beer Stand, predictably, had the longest lines. You could wash down Andy Capp Fries and Beer Nuts with a 12-oz. Blatz, Gennesee, Iron City, Natural Light, Pabst, Rolling Rock, Schaefer or Stroh for $4.50. I honestly don't get the nostalgia here. There are some lousy beers in that bunch.





















Beer from a vendor? This is where the variable pricing model has run amok. You can get a 24-oz. can (yes, they are back this year) of beer for $10.00. Yes, beer has hit $10 at the park. Or you can get a 16-oz. bottle for $7.75. Even more choices, a Gennessee vendor has 24-oz. cans for only $8.00. That would be Gennesee, Genny Cream or Gennessee Ice.

Bob Feller Salute

I'll hand it to the Indians, they did a much better job with the Feller salute than with the Herb Score Tribute a couple of years back. Big time ups on the video. The team wore Number 19 uniforms in the pre-game. Mrs. Feller put the ball of the first pitch on the pitching rubber. Bunting. Balloons. Bigass Flag. As Always. Real nice stuff.





















The Game

Can we quit with the White Sox as an opener. Chicago's Mark Buehrle now has 9 Opening Day starts. Six against the Indians.

Even though I was in the park, I have yet to see the Indians score a run in person. in a tribute to Bob Feller...Redass, we did a "five-and-fly". We had good seats in right-centerfield, but our row should have been renamed Row P. Our row seated 24 people, but it might as well have been 100, because I have never had to let that many people out to buy a beer or pee in all of my years attending sporting events. Ever.

Combined with a joke of a game, where I think I saw Austin Kearns flag down seven balls in the leftfield corner and watch two homers fly over his head. And, while it was 14-0 in the fifth and watch the Tribe look at only four pitches in their half of the inning, it literally drove us to drink, cheaply, at Alesci's. Where we got to see whatever faux comeback fall short.





















White Sox kill the Tribe on Opening Day. Loss No. One, 15-10. Today, the smallest crowd in the history of the park watched them lose again. It's a shame, but that's Baseball 2011.

Meal of Links

I realize I am a bit late to this game, but I went to Outback Steakhouse for the first time on Thursday. Kind of impressed with the place. My Dad had been there before and got a 6-oz. size and enjoyed his potato soup. I opted for a 10-oz. ribeye that was chargrilled over an open flame with a baked potato and salad. At the very least, I'll consider this as a dining option and no, I have no idea why it took this long to get there.

Us polkateers went to the early morning viewing of "Polka: The Movie". So popular, the Film Fest had two showings this morning. I figured at least 300 people were there to see this one. Kind of an average movie, which suffered from some decidedly poor editing. We get it, the Slovenian neighborhood of Cleveland is in decline. They really needed more music here. It was like they got to the '70s and said OK, who still plays this stuff? If it was a history lesson, you never got the full version. Not even any "Polka Varieties" footage. Hell, even Paul Sciria was in "Kill The Irishman".

After the movie, we visited P.J. McIntyre's in West Park. Heavy Irish vibe, but really good food, liquor and beer selections here. Not a surprise, it's a popular place. I shared some Reuben Egg Rolls and followed that with some Angus Beef Sliders. Homemade chips, too.

Your cell phone as wallet. Coming soon.

Record Store Day is in two weeks. Here are the most interesting releases. Check out the new license plate in Tennessee.

It's the Ramones. Always good, no matter what is recommended.

Looks like Eddie Izzard will have another go at an FX series. "The Riches" first season was superb, I thought.

They have announced the 2011 Peabody Awards. Those you may have heard of: "Justified", "Men Of A Certain Age", C-SPAN, "Degrassi", "If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise", and ESPN's "30 For 30".

How to play well with drugs. Mainly, don't mix your drugs.

New book is out. "The Oxford Book of Parodies", which asks the question, "Mickey or Bugs?" As a cynic, I am solidly in the corner of Bugs.

Exercise Yard

Who won the World Cup of Cricket? Why, that would be India.

Visitor

30 Across: Mattingly's predecessor (5 letters) Answer: Torre

I took advantage of an early AMC start time and saw "The Lincoln Lawyer" this morning. Four were in attendance. Bottom line? This is actually worth seeing.

Matthew McConaughey is the Lincoln Lawyer, because he had a DUI and works out of the back of a Lincoln, driven by his own chauffeur. He had his shirt off for the briefest of moments here and no trampoline in sight. Marisa Tomei is around as his ex-wife, who works for the DA. Marisa is just starting to have old age creep in around her eyes, but still looks great. Ryan Phillippe is a wealthy guy accused of beating up a hooker and hires McConaughey to get him off.

Now that should put everyone on alert. Phillippe has the guy who ran Shawshank as his "family lawyer", but John Leguizamo is a bail bondsman who tells McConaughey he should take the case. And when we find out there was a similar case that McConaughey had worked on in the past, well, now we have ourselves a movie.

William H. Macy, in full "Shameless" mode, is McConaughey's investigator. Frances Farmer plays Phillippe's mother. Bryan Cranston takes time off from "Breaking Bad" and has a bit role as a cop, as does old hand Michael Pare. My God, Michael Pare was in this movie!

I liked this movie. This was actually written for adults and when you have a rogue attorney like McConaughey, you know that means interesting characters are gonna pop up. You have a good cast and when you combine it with a cool title sequence and a gem of a soundtrack, it's a keeper. I'm afraid it's going to get lost in a web of "Wimpy Kid", "Limitless", "Sucker Punch" and "Rango".

Seriously, a terrific soundtrack here. Bracketed by Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" with a new take on Ashford & Simpson's "California Soul". Plus, Eric B. and Rakim bring us "Don't Sweat The Technique". You gotta love this stuff.

Meal of Links

There's smart. Then there's Shaka Smart.

Passports make you liberal. It's a fact.

Happy Birthday, Leonard Nimoy



Have you seen the 2011 update for Faces of Meth? What a surprise.

Exercise Yard

Well, the Final Four has been decided. Yesterday's half of the bracket was where I was having the most trouble and I obviously did not have Butler or UConn. Going into today's action, I did have Kansas and Kentucky.

In the large pool that I play, I ended up Top 30 of 479, so I was not too disappointed with my performance. Especially how most of the brackets were getting blown up every day since Thursday.

In this part of the country, you had to go contrarian with Ohio State and Kentucky was my play there. There was lots of talk about how Kentucky was a good home team, but terrible road team. But they had five SEC losses from mid-January by a total of only 11 points and they did win the SEC tournament. Not an obvious pick, but one I felt confident with.

My Final Four was:

Wisconsin
Duke
Kansas
Kentucky

I thought a Pitt loss would open up the bracket. It did. Unfortunately, Wisconsin played a truly awful game against Butler. Duke just got steamrolled by Arizona and Kansas was probably the biggest disappointment, not beating VCU today. I had them winning a final against Duke.

So, we'll see how it goes. Everyone loves the Cinderella, but let's see who actually watches VCU-Butler besides me.

In what may be his finest hour, let's see if Kentucky coach John Calipari can make this one stick.

Visitor

None, on a cold sunny Sunday.

Elizabeth Taylor died today. Uh...those eyes. She gets the Turner marathon on April 10.

Meal of Links

Paul Reiser is back on NBC. But do they really want it to be a hit? Doesn't meet their age requirements.

The best journalism want ad ever. Great stuff. "We have all kinds of corruption, violence and scumbaggery."

Corey Feldman's jacket from "Dream A Little Dream" was stolen. I guess he still wears it.

Medical marijuana sales are now at $1.7 billion. Only $200 million behind Viagra.

If Trebek Did Football Highlights



Cartoon Network announces its new series. What? New productions of Bugs and Daffy? They better not be despicable.

Music from 1981. Rick James at his best. Plus two albums I've worn out. Elvis Costello with "Trust" and "Sandinista!" by The Clash.

Exercise Yard

This essay contains some of the best boxing writing you'll read for a while. We get Virginia Woolf, Gatti-Ward and Castillo-Corrales. Also video of Round 9 of Gatti-Ward and Round 10 of Castillo-Corrales. Long form writing at its finest.

Ditsractions at college basketball games. New this year: Giant cardboard heads.

That reminds me. Here are are your Sweet Sixteen winners.

Thursday:

San Diego State
Florida
Duke
Wisconsin

Friday:

North Carolina (I had Washington)
Kansas
Kentucky
Florida State (I had Purdue)

Visitor

46 Across: Slugger Ramirez (5 letters) Answer: Manny

Hey, what's this. The Seattle Times editorializes the legalization of marijuana. This is the new casino money. Ohio should not ignore that fact. Get real and start taxing the damn stuff. And think of the job creation.

Meal of Links

Be sure to look for the brother of Kenny Fuckin' Powers at the Oscars. John Hawkes swears a lot, too.

The Scott Walker Prank Call. Yep, it happened.

The Best GIFs from the Oscar nominees. I think "The Fighter" is the best one.

More Awards. This time it's Mr. Skin.

Exercise Yard

Now we know all about Tim Horton's deathly car accident. He was drunk.

Visitor

17 Across: Country singer with the 1961 hit "Crazy" (10 letters) Answer: Patsy Cline

"Crazy"/Patsy Cline

Hey, I have no heat today. WTF? And it's cold, too. Geez, this has happened at least twice before where it suddenly gets cold and blammo...no heat!

We'll see what this is gonna cost me.

Meal of Links

I saw "Faster" with The Rock back in an action movie and I absolutely loved it. Loved it from the moment when Tom Berenger gives him advice on leaving prison and what happens if he runs into any trouble on the outside. Berenger asks him if he has any questions and The Rock asks him, "Where's the exit?". Great stuff. Billy Bob Thornton is in this, as well, and is good. He explains his absence. And what have we learned from the movies.

Willie Nelson is arrested on a dope charge. That is not really a surprise.

The sexiest bartender in America lives in Cleveland. Never heard of her.

Best movie spaceships. Lots of cool ones.

Exercise Yard

Well, I suspected it very early this season. Michigan kinda sucks.

They waited until the OSU game to play badly on offense, defense and special teams in the same game. Season-low 7 points. My sense is Rich Rodriguez is gone.

Even if Jim Harbaugh, in fact, comes in, I can't believe he could coach 'em up that quickly. Because the recruiting of Rodriguez means the cupboard is bare, especially on defense.

Visitor

37 Across: Ludlum's amnesiac Jason (6 letters) Answer: Bourne

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

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

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

The Indians played this afternoon and they lost, 5-1. It wasn't on TV, so we listened to the game on the radio. Homer Mike commented on how the Twins take 20 minutes for bunting during batting practice. He said they make it a game and "they bet for Cokes". Homer Mike sounds like a very nostalgic kinda guy.

Former Indian Russell Branyan has channeled his inner Paul Shuey. His latest injury is one he got from trying to pick up his kid's flip-flop. See, he was at a pizza parlor and when he bent over, while on the edge of his chair, it slid out and he went boom. Of course he did.

This rivals Branyan's earlier injury just after the Tribe sent him back to Seattle. In that gem, he was attacked by a hotel room table.

Meal of Links

The best and worst things at the Toronto Film Festival. Not so much love for Edward Norton.

David Fincher has "The Social Network" arriving in a couple of weeks. This starts a look at his style. This reviews the title sequence of the "Alien" trilogy. Fincher directed the third installment.

1 in 5 Americans think President Obama is a cactus. Probably born elsewhere and brought here illegally, I'm sure.

The latest Pop 19 poll is in. 47% Yes, 38% No. That is legalizing weed in California.

Jim DeRogatis talks about "The Wall" coming to Chicago. It will be here next week and I'll be attending.

Exercise Yard

To be honest, I didn't know they still held the Commonwealth Games. For that matter, do the Pan-American games still exist? Anyhow, they are being held in Delhi in about 10 days.

The Scots think the accommodations suck. They called it "unsafe and unfit for human habitation". Uh, that can't be good.

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26 Down: '50s Red Scare gp. (4 letters) Answer: HUAC

I got the call from the bullpen earlier this week. Nomar Stalker came through with Orioles tickets for last night's Tribe game. His Dad's company has moved from Club Seats to tickets a few rows behind the Indians dugout. He knew I was trolling for cheap tickets sometime this week, so "F-R-E-E, that spells Free" came through for me and my Dad. Uniquely, a "Clash of the Titans" affair. Baltimore now with 40 wins (8 in their last 10 games) and the Indians remained at 47.

What did I take away from the game? Well, the Indians are in a rut. Their starting pitching has gone south. Last night was another game where the starter, this time Josh Tomlin, only went 5 innings. He gave up 10 hits and thankfully only walked one. Otherwise, the O's would have scored more than 3 off of him.

The Orioles had fantastic defense in this game, robbing the Indians of a few hits early. So much so, the Tribe only had two hits. A Valbuena single in the 5th and a Cabrera single in the 9th. This off a pitcher, Brad Bergesen, with an ERA over 6 and a non-winner since May 11. Really ugly, as Bergesen had an easy 6th through 8th innings, only having to toss 7 pitches, then 7, then 8 in those 3 innings.

They announced the attendance at 11,555. Probably accurate. But there was no atmosphere. How could there be when the final three in the lineup were Valbuena, Nix and Chris Gimenez. I need to hear an explanation on why Gimenez is still on this club. I don't think they could do it with a straight face.

I must say, the Indians do have a video that packages highlights from their history. They didn't even ignore Albert Belle, so that tells you something. It may have been one of the better videos they've produced. Shown late in the game, ostensibly to fire everyone up. Unfortunately, I think it depresses the hell out of those in attendance.

As we see that cavalcade of stars in the video, we naturally overvalue our present players. Shin-Soo Choo comes to mind. Don't get me wrong, he's a good player. I like him a lot. But let's not start elevating him beyond that.

For example, I used to call him the Asian Trot Nixon. Well, Trot had a three-year stretch in the early oughts where he averaged 26 HR and 90 RBI. But let's face it, he took a backseat to much better players on that squad, and was a cadaver by the time he arrived here.

So, let's compare Choo with Luke Scott (former Tribe farmhand) of the Orioles:

Shin-Soo Choo, 14 HR, 55 RBI, .291 BA, .386 OBP, .861 OPS

Luke Scott, 21 HR, 52 RBI, .293 BA, .353 OBP, .929 OPS

So, when we start talking about Choo at an All-Star level, keep in mind, he's barely our own Luke Scott.

The highlight for me was avoiding hot dogs at the game and getting some at Steve's Diner in Brooklyn after dropping my Dad off. Clean, no one there, got my dogs to go, it started raining. They tasted good, just like on Lorain.

Meal of Links

What happened to Yahoo?

After work today: Mow lawn or grill chicken? I decided to grill chicken. I used thighs and it was good stuff.

Look who dominated the DVD charts this week. "Kick-Ass"!

I've mentioned pot and Canada before. US legalization could cause a recession in Canada. With a picture of a guy smoking a "Bob Marley Joint".

I have a couple of favorite songs this summer. One is "Holiday Road" by The Dahlmanns. Yes, that's a cover of the old Lindsey Buckingham song from "Vacation". I can't thing of an easier sing-along while tooling around town. Then there is another cover.

This one by the Hotrats. Actually this came out earlier this year and somehow recently I stumbled upon them. This band was formed out of Supergrass. They have several covers including "Pump It Up", "Love Is The Drug" and "E.M.I" and an oddly haunting take on the Beasties" "Fight For Your Right". But they also perform a nifty version of Bowie's "Queen Bitch", of which I wish I had better sound.

"Holiday Road"/The Dahlmanns



"Queen Bitch"/The Hotrats



Exercise Yard

Who is advising these hoopsters? Chris Bosh admits he liked playing with people's emotions.

Visitor

2 Down: "Chocolat" actress (4 letters) Answer: Olin

Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band

Last night, a half dozen of us joined several others to watch a Beatle. This was a "I better see a Beatle before I, or most likely they, die" sort of concert. I'd given up on Macca live years ago, so Ringo comes to town every couple of summers and now that he's 70, I thought, yep, better see go him. It's kind of a jolt to see a sign at a rock show that reads, "Happy Birthday, 7/7/40". BTW, he looks fantastic for age 70.

The Venue: The "Sauna By the Sea", Nautica Pavilion. You know, the place where you have to sit in the bleachers, poised like a catcher, hoping you don't knee anyone in the back, hopefully avoiding the same treatment from the rear.

Stage Banter: Ringo actually got off a few good lines. About the weather: "They told me about some breeze that was supposed to come off the water". About the sales of his last album: "This is for the 9 of you who bought the CD. A couple over here, a couple over there, and the six of you over there who stole it".

The Tickets: S. used her Rock Hall Membership to grab Gale and I some General Admission tickets. We were on the left, maybe 10-12 rows up in the bleachers.

The Crowd: No chaperone hat this night. Distinctly older. Most people knew the words to most songs, including "Frankenstein". "Yellow Submarine" was a big sing-a-long, and, unfortunately, Rick Derringer sang the longest version ever of "Hang On Sloopy".

The Sound: The sound was actually really good. The only part I did not understand was when Edgar Winter spoke. I think it was in English.

There was no opening act.

The Stage: Fairly sparse setup. Left-to-right upfront were: Edgar Winter, Romantics Dude, Rick Derringer, Mr. Mister Mister and Gary Wright. In the back were Ringo and fellow drummer Gregg Bissonette.

The Music: Obviously, it was a lot of old tunes from the '70s and the '80s. The beauty of the format for the performers is they could rotate twice through the All-Starrs, so they could play their hits. One-hit wonders need not apply. Two-hit wonders, however, are welcomed with open arms. The beauty of the format for the paying customer is, if you had seen each of the performers at your local Ribfest, it would take two hours to hear each of them perform their two hits. So, this is a huge timesaver. Hey, I've seen Donnie Iris in that format. It's not pretty.

"Peace and Love...But Don't Send Me Shit...Peace and Love"






























Setlist:

"It Don’t Come Easy" (Ringo)
"Honey Don’t" (Ringo)
"Choose Love" (Ringo)
"Hang On Sloopy" (Rick Derringer)
"Free Ride" (Edgar Winter)
"Talking in Your Sleep" (Romantics Dude)
"I Wanna Be Your Man" (Ringo)
"Dream Weaver" (Gary Wright)
"Kyrie" (Mr. Mister Mister)
"The Other Side of Liverpool" (Ringo)
"Yellow Submarine" (Ringo)
"Frankenstein" (Edgar Winter)
"Peace Dream" (Ringo)
"Back Off Boogaloo" (Ringo)
"What I Like About You" (Romantics Dude)
"Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" (Rick Derringer)
"Boys" (Ringo)
"Love Is Alive" (Gary Wright)
"Broken Wings" (Mr. Mister Mister)
"Photograph" (Ringo)
"Act Naturally" (Ringo)
"With a Little Help from My Friends" (Ringo)
"Give Peace a Chance" (Ringo)

Encore:

None. That hasn't happened in a very long time.

Another view.

Meal of Links

Simon Cowell could be replaced by Chris Isaak. "Bullets ain't got no eyes."

Jenna Fischer got married a few weeks ago. The person who presided over that union? Why, it was Jeff Probst.

Speaking of Probst, Jimmy Johnson is on "Survivor: Guatemala". His hair cannot possibly survive.

Castro's niece has an interview. Cuban free speech prisoners are mercenaries paid by Washington. Huh?

There can be nice ditties about death. Here's a list.

Mitch Albom won this year's Red Smith Award. Dave Kindred addresses the elephant in the room.

Could you imagine this headline even 10 years ago? "Oakland allows industrial-scale marijuana farms".

More Palin. This time on Israel and the mosque.

Looks like a new "Seinfeld" movie. Not really, just a trailer.

"Serenity Now"



Exercise Yard

If you haven't watched the Tour de France this year, tomorrow is the day to change that. This Tour has been wild. We've seen injuries, we've seen suspensions, we've seen headbutts, we've seen tire fights, we've even seen the demise of Lance Armstrong.

The latest controversy involved the yellow jersey-wearing Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador, last year's winner. Schleck was attacking when his chain got loose. A previous unwritten Tour rule is you always wait and never take advantage of a mechanical failure of the yellow jersey. Contador said, "Fuck that!" and eventually gained 34 seconds on Schleck to get the yellow jersey and lead Schleck by 8 seconds, heading into the final 3 days.

All bets are off tomorrow in the mountains. I happen to like the Schleck Brothers (Frank went out on Day 3), so I hope Andy can pull it off. Big day tomorrow.

Visitor

22 Across: Sylvester Pussycat nemesis (14 letters) Answer: Speedy Gonzales

Speedy Gonzales Ad

Nike World Cup Ad

Drogba, Rooney, Ronaldo, Kobe Bryant and Homer Simpson!



Only 3 more weeks until USA-England!

Meal of Links

Marijuana seed dealer from Canada is extradited to the US. Punishment for the crime is a $200 fine in Canada. In the US, it's a 25-year jail sentence.

I guess "Law & Order" was big. It employed 5,934 actors with speaking roles and almost 21,000 total when you consider background actors. Seriously, I think I've watched maybe 10 of 456 episodes.

Net worth of all US Presidents. Man, some of those guys didn't have a lot.

Exercise Yard

Formula One may come back to the United States in 2012. This time at Monticello in New York State.

Visitor

13 Down: 1968 Columbia U. protesters (3 letters) Answer: SDS

Another weekend of football watching, so here we go with some picks.

New Orleans over Arizona. The Cardinals haven't played a bad offensive game the last two years in the playoffs, but I can't see them winning two shootouts in a row. The Saints, on the other hand, have had a lot of time to erase their lousy December/January. Saints will roll.

Indianapolis over Baltimore. I think Indy is one of those teams that can turn it on when they need to. Even with the Colts propensity to give up huge chunks of rushing yardage, it's the end of the road for the Ravens.

Dallas over Minnesota. The Cowboys will be a lot of fun to watch in this game, as the Brett Favre experiment may come to an end for the Vikings. Strange that this one got the Sunday 1:00 timeslot, as it's the best matchup of the weekend.

San Diego over New York. The Jets are a bit mouthy, but Philip Rivers sold me this year. If the Chargers get in trouble in this one, I think Rivers can will them to victory. He's that good.

Meal of Links

"Sometimes When We Touch" is a godawful song. Here is what Dan Hill thinks of the song he wrote.

Pot is getting closer to be legalized. Two states, California and Washington, should have November ballot issues.

Another long read. Rolling Stone has the news about the girl who conned the Ivy League.

Exercise Yard

Between games and lengthy commercial breaks this weekend, read the best analysis of the Marvin Harrison gun "incident" from a couple of years ago. Very insightful.

And with only 11 minutes of game action, you'll have plenty of time.

Visitor

27 Across: Title burglar played by Bruce Willis in a 1991 film (10 letters) Answer: Hudson Hawk

Siskel & Ebert Don't Like "Hudson Hawk" (But I Do!)

On the Fifth Day of Christmas

I am not sure where this rates among the Bruce Springsteen Christmas recordings. But the tune is really one of my holiday favorites. This is from 2002, when everyone looks much younger. Conan on guitar. Interesting blonde in the front row. Clarence jingling his bells. Presents include a blow-up doll for Max and a George Foreman Grill for Conan. "Well done, Santa."

"Merry Christmas, Baby"/Bruce Springsteen (on Conan)



Meal of Links

Let's do some catching up....

Yes, I was affected by today's Blackberry outage. You know when you look at your e-mail and you have had nothing for 4 hours.

The five laws of human nature. Still no law for E-Z Pass scofflaws.

Nickelback is the band of the decade! Everyone now...WTF?

Stephen Colbert's SI cover outtakes. The tie kills me.

Mr. Skin reveals his top nude scenes of 2009. I did not see any of them.

The worst movies of 2009. Didn't that John Cena movie. "12 Rounds", come out this year? That sucked. Here are the best. Jeezy creezy, there's "In The Loop" again at No. 6. Big ups to "The Hurt Locker". It is the best movie I saw in 2009.

Denver has opened the first marijuana restaurant in the US. Called "Ganja Gourmet".

Howard Dean continues his kill the bill campaign on healthcare. He makes a lot of sense, but I don't think it will happen.

Greece is all fucked up.

"Bad Santa" is revisited. Excellent timing.

It was 20 years ago today. Not Sgt. Pepper..."The Simpsons"! But do they matter?

Julie Benz talks about getting killed on "Dexter". Still a very compelling scene, several days later.

The 10 Worst Predictions of 2009. Some really bad ones, I think.

Opining on Reality TV.

Exercise Yard

Are NFL teams circumventing the Rooney Rule? The commish says the Redskins complied while conducting a seemingly quick Bruce Allen hire.

And I feel the Browns hiring of Fred Nance will somehow allow the Browns to hire Mike Holmgren, if it happens. It's easy to say Nance was interviewed for that job, but was more qualified for the job that he eventually received.

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46 Down: Comics cowboy Red and others (6 letters) Answer: Ryders