I avoided enough of the raindrops tonight and made it over to Cinemark to see "Senna". For this documentary, there were more in attendance than some features I have seen. It's not really difficult to see the hold that Ayrton Senna still has over people. The greatest Formula One driver ever. And this doc is actually quite brilliant, catching all of the Senna magic. Great use of archival footage and no talking heads. Uses interviews from the past and only voiceovers from the same participants today.

Covers a lot in Senna's racing career. You can't dream up a hero like Senna and the villains, across the board, in the world of Formula One. We get the drives in the rain (including Monaco), Senna in the John Player Special (the best looking car ever in F1) for Lotus, the rivalry with Alain Prost at McLaren and then Ferrari and Williams, the politics of the FIA, the many dramatic incidents at the GPs of Japan, the first win at Brazil, some late Nigel Mansell and early Michael Schumacher driving, the three World Championships, the move to Williams and the fateful weekend at Imola (including Barichello's horrific crash and the deaths of Ratzenberger and Senna).

This is an ESPN Films production, so I have to believe it gets an airdate there. Has to be a Documentary Oscar nominee...it's that great.

Top Gear Senna Tribute



Meal of Links

Cliff Robertson died today. For all of his roles, the one that sticks out for me was "The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid".

Uh, about that Arab Spring we heard so much about. You can't predict what happens in a vacuum.

Beers that America no longer drinks. All you have to do is see the expanded shelf space at your local grocer. Lots more choices.

Exercise Yard

Third weekend for the EPL. Is it already a two-team race?

Visitor

55 Across: "Dead Man Walking" Oscar wnner (8 letters) Answer: Sarandon

Storm damage, for sure, but Irene was nothing as predicted, right? My sense is that this got so much coverage because:

a) It was a weekend
b) New York was involved

I get the uniqueness of NYC being a target of a hurricane. But it seemed the networks were just aching to show some familiar landmarks engulfed by a natural disaster. Then they blamed the fact that Irene's landfall hit in North Carolina took some steam out of it, plus it tracked a bit differently after that. I'm no meteorologist and even I know when a storm makes landfall, it traditionally weakens.

Unfortunately on Saturday evening, I saw a Weather Channel clip where two guys said there was no way they couldn't see flooding in lower Manhattan near Wall Street. Mainly because of a storm surge and high tides. That didn't happen.

Oh well, at least I got to see Geraldo doing hurricane duty. On Broadway.

"Reggae On Broadway"/Bob Marley



Meal of Links

Errol Morris with a different twist this time. A book.

I wanna stay in a hotel. That's cheap and chic. Here you go.

"Good Eats" is wrapping up this week. Always an excellent show.

Exercise Yard

I saw Joey Barton at the Wigan-QPR match yesterday. They need him.

Visitor

None, on a cloudy, then sunny Sunday.

The men in my family took my niece to see the old alma mater take on Brooklyn. I don't even know what they call this rivalry these days. The Backyard Brawl? The Battle of Biddulph? All I know is Rhodes is dominating this series lately and won last night, 64-14. That's right they scored 64 points! Would have been 70 if they had a kicker or were not just 4 of 8 on 2-point conversions.

First of all, it's a pretty cheap night. $5 to get in, pop and pizza squares were a dollar and it's $1.50 for popcorn. But there seems to be a malaise hanging over the football games at Brooklyn. Clearly, the kids who go in don't even care about the game as they congregate and do their own thing seemingly miles apart from the game. The cheerleaders don't have any focus and don't seem too thrilled to participate. They have a mascot without any direction. The band doesn't seem fired up. If I were an administrator at the school, I'd be embarrassed, or at least concerned, about the overall production.

Shockingly, Rhodes actually had fans show up on their side. They have a band this year, as well. And the guys really play hard on the field. Seems like some good things happening there.

But, much like last year's game we attended, Rhodes had big plays all night. I mean plays you wouldn't think would result in 6 points. They led, 20-0, at the end of the first quarter and it was inconceivably 40-0 at the half. Rhodes only put the ball in the air three times that I recall. A stupid backward pass on the first play of the game that failed and resulted in a turnover. A beautiful two-point conversion that made it 20-0. And a failed pass attempt on a 4th down play late in the fourth quarter. Otherwise, they must have run for at least 500 yards. Seriously. Their big running back, Wall, totaled 116 yards on his first two carries and had TD runs of 94, 36, 55 and 3 yards.

Here were the TDs:

A 94-yard run (6-0)
A 64-yard run (12-0)
A 36-yard run (20-0)
A 70-yard punt return (28-0)
A 10-yard run (34-0)
A 55-yard run (40-0)
A 3-yard run (46-0)
A 15-yard run (52-0)
A 45-yard fumble return (58-7)
A 65-yard kick return to finish the game (64-14)

Needless to say, lots of fun to watch.

Meal of Links

Irene must be important because I see Wolf Blitzer on my TV. No Geraldo sighting yet, my favorite part of hurricanes. Details here. Mail was delivered in Virginia Beach today. Kudos.

Now I find this interesting. Fox, yes, Fox, the big network, will start showing tape-delayed EPL games on a few Sundays they don't have football doubleheaders. And on Super Bowl Sunday, Chelsea and Manchester United will be on Fox that morning. As long as Michael Strahan makes no appearances and my drinks are cold, that will be the start to a great day.

Do you have any of the !00 Most Sought-After Out of Print Books. Some interesting titles, but I don't have any of them. Although, I thought I had a copy of "Cards As Weapons' by Ricky Jay laying around here, but have his other book, "Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women". That's out of print, but not as popular, I guess.

How to discover new music. I still haven't had time to comprehend Spotify, but I will.

More "Louie". Although his Afghanistan looked a lot like the Korea of "M*A*S*H".

"Say Something Nice"



Upping the antihero. "Breaking Bad', "Psych" and "Dexter".

Exercise Yard

Ric Flair not only has trouble inside the ring, he's got huge issues outside the squared circle. A long history of failed marriages and financial turmoil.

Hey, my favorite sign from last week's show: "It doesn't matter what my sign says".

Visitor

3 Down: Country that eliminated the United States at the last two World Cups (5 letters) Answer: Ghana

Hey, the Browns played this evening. There is a reason they call it an exhibition game though. Because it doesn't count. It's a little too early to start finding those elusive diamonds in the rough. Because the second and third-stringers are playing guys most likely to be cut.

I recall Coye Francies (who?) getting buzz a couple of years ago and believe it or not, he's still with the team. I saw him in for two plays before going to the bench injured.

So, we need to pump the brakes before we start declaring the Browns division champs. Do like I do. Observe and then pencil them in for 4 wins, like they always seem to achieve.

Browns win, 27-17.

Meal of Links

Catching up with Glen Campbell and his Alzheimer's. Lots of mixed emotions here.

We have Rick Perry in the race and Bachmann beats Paul for the Iowa Straw Poll. Sure she's nutty, but you have to admire how quick she dispatched Pawlenty. With Perry, it will be different. It'll be interesting to see if they beat up each other and Mitt is left holding the bag.

How we became Vodka Nation. It all started with the Moscow Mule.

Exercise Yard

Today is like Christmas, in addition to the Browns, it was Opening Day for the EPL. Last we left him, Joey Barton was unwanted by Newcastle. But they kissed and made up and Barton, with his new Travis Bickle haircut, is still with the team.

Naturally, he caused trouble today. He tweeted afterward: "O Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet."

Joey Barton Makes Me Laugh



Visitor

66 Across: He came out of retirement to play Winston Churchill in "Inglorious Basterds" (9 letters) Answer: Rod Taylor

Last night, Best Friend and I went to see the Lake County Captains. They kinda suck this year, in fact, losing yesterday, 12-0, to the dreaded Dayton Dragons.

It was my first time at a Captains game. Well, the first game I actually watched. An ill-fated attempt several years ago ended with me not gaining attendance to a sellout.

But the Captains certainly do a good job with gameday presentation. Since it's Class A ball, you get a lot of stuff, you know, "for the kids". Run with Skipper through the outfield, race Skipper from second base, throw the ball into the cup on the other kid's head, an inflatable horse race. a Beer Batter (if he whiffs, discount beer!) and, of course, a fish race won by Wally Walleye. And fireworks, which we could see as we were driving away on 91.

Two things stood out, I got to high-five Skipper and they have really good gyros. The concessions seemed to run about two bucks less than Progressive Field. Parking is $5.

I gotta say, it was actually a lot of fun. And with the specials they run throughout the week, it's a top-notch value for the entertainment dollar.

Meal of Links

Speaking of baseball, why is MLB attendance flat? I think it's the time commitment. Even the Captains game was three hours long, but with not-so-good pitching, I guess that can be expected. But the majors are beyond help.

VISA wants to dominate mobile payments. They just may.

What happened to Obama? and just wait a minute on Obama.

Exercise Yard

The Community Shield was supposed to not mean anything, as it was the annual game for charity to kick off the EPL season. But with the two combatants being Manchester United (last year's League champ) and Manchester City (last year's FA Cup winner), we got something else.

A damn fine match.

Nani



Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday.

While on vacation...

I was getting bids on my roof, as I have to get a new one. So, on Saturday, I got a call from a prospective bidder, who said he would be over but about 20 minutes later than planned. This gave me an opportunity to run to the bank.

So, as I was heading up to Third Federal on Ridge, I encountered some slow traffic on Pearl past Brookpark. I mean REALLY slow. I was third through the light, but, damn, the first car through was like following a horse and buggy. Naturally, I bolted to the right lane for a seemingly easy pass. Just as I was about to make my move into the left lane. I check my mirrors and now the guy is right next to me. WTF?

Yep, it was the old "I was going slow, but I will now prevent that guy from passing me" move. Some sort of strange behavior where he is judge and jury on YOUR driving. As we come to the next light, I decided to get behind this car, which is obviously being driven by an old-timer. As we are now stopped, he looks in his rearview, starts yelling, and seems to be writing something in the air.

I am now truly puzzled, but he is still yelling. I decide to yell back, "Whatever you're writing, you are! Yeah, that's you! That's what you are!" As we approach Ridge Road, I realize this dance is gonna be played again because:

a) We are stopped at another light.
b) We are both turning left onto Ridge.
c) We both know I am passing him pretty much as that light changes and I get onto Ridge.

So, as we complete c, I see him once again crazily pointing his arm towards the right side of the road. It finally dawns on me. He is pointing at the speed limit sign! Which reads 25! So, this is what he had been drawing at the previous light, the number "25"!

Yes, while on vacation, I yelled at a old-timer and called him, in not so many words, a "25".

Meal of Links

S&P downgrades U.S. Treasuries. That kinda blows. First time ever.

The verdicts in the Danzinger Bridge shootings, alluded to very much on "Treme" are in. 5 NOLA cops guilty.

Why the markets are tanking. And not a lot can be done.

The best 2011 road trip vehicles. Porsches, of course.

"Louie" had another great episode last night. It actually touched on the accusations of Dane Cook stealing material from Louis C.K.

WTF? Martha Stewart's empire is actually crumbling?

I mentioned the lack of Joey Barton for Newcastle in Columbus last week. Now Newcastle doesn't want him anymore. For a free transfer.

Exercise Yard

Joe Pos on a forgotten moment of Track & Field. Carl Lewis and the 30-foot jump.

Visitor

18 Down: Wile E. Coyote's supplier (4 letters) Answer: Acme

Newcastle United at Columbus Crew






















Since I had some time off, I went to Columbus yesterday to see Mr. and Mrs. Mix and the dogs. Because I enlisted Mr. Mix to attend the international soccer friendly between the Columbus Crew and Newcastle Utd. of the EPL.

It was my first entry into Crew Stadium, the first venue built strictly for soccer in the U.S. Although, Journey and Brad Paisley are playing there soon. I think this vision was the one co-opted by the Wolsteins, when that soccer stadium was being considered along Route 8. Of course, that didn't happen and we still do not have a team.

First live soccer match for me in a long time. But the Magpies are a mid-level English team and this was their third of three preseason matches in the U.S. before their kickoff against Arsenal in two weeks. They had played two 0-0 ties, the last against Sporting KC.

I was hoping to get a glimpse of Joey Barton, the notorious Newcastle midfielder and a fave of mine. But, alas, Joey was denied a visa for the U.S. tour because of his criminal record. Damn, he's gotta be trouble-free for two more years. So, he went to the Netherlands for training and will join Newcastle for their upcoming match with Leeds.

We had seats on the east side of the stadium. They have bleachers with backs for most of the seating. Actually the last row of the lowers on the aisle. Quick jaunt to get beer. Two on tap were an RFD Lager and a Hudson Street beer, I guess made for the Crew.





















As you can tell, not a huge crowd showed up for this one. Although it was a fairly comfortable evening, considering what we've had to work with lately, only 11,224 showed up for this one. Lots of Newcastle fans, too. Newcastle went ahead early with a goal in the 9th minute. And controlled much of the action.

Then, at the stroke of halftime, there was a play where the Crew keeper went way off his line, out of the penalty area, and was tagged with a deliberate handball call. Not sure that really happened. Anyhow, he was sent off with a red card and the Crew had to play with 10 men for the second half.

Their keeper in the second half was the MLS pool goalkeeper. Yes, he's the Eddie Money of Major League Soccer. He just sits by the phone and when a team, any team in the league needs him because of an injury or suspended goalkeeper, well, he answers the call.

And, of course, at halftime, you must get the youth involved.






















The Magpie defense was pretty stout throughout. Newcastle added two goals in the second half. The prettiest one was a nice bender by Haris Vukcic to close it out right near the end.

On second thought, maybe it wasn't Newcastle so much as a pretty nondescript offense by the Crew. They only had one shot on goal for the game and for a team in midseason, looked inept at times with the ball.





















Regardless, a good time had by all.

One would say Randy Lerner has had a track record of not hiring well when it comes to his sports teams. It seems he is going to do it again with the signing of Alex MacLeish as the new coach of Randy Lerner's Other Team. You see, MacLeish was the coach of their local rival, Birmingham City. I say was, because he got canned from Birmingham after they found out he was talking with Aston Villa. This was after Birmingham had committed to him even though the club had been relegated.




















So, Villa fans have been in an uproar. They had 1,000 fans storm Villa Park last night. You know, with the usual obscenities and graffiti. Many have said they will turn in their season tickets if MacLeish is hired, which looks like a go for Friday. A Facebook page "Aston Villa Supporters - We don't want Alex McLeish" has 17,000 followers. Did the Browns ever have protests like this? Oh yeah, the Dawg Pound Mike fiasco.

The main thing we are realizing with this latest coaching circus at Aston Villa is this. Randy Lerner is trying to do it on the cheap. They'll sell some more players this offseason and won't spend for the replacements. That's why they are ending up with a coach many do not want. The better candidates have been ignored or have stayed away.

The scoop.

This guy says the Villa fans are wrong.

BTW, next year's fixtures come out tomorrow.

Meal of Links

Speaking of soccer, Fox Soccer Channel becomes Fox Soccer in August. New logos, new studios and let's hope they get us to matches 5 minutes earlier. It wouldn't hurt to see the players come onto the pitch.

And the new sponsor of the FA Cup was announced today. It's Budweiser! The King of Beers hosts the match at teatime.

Cheer up. Keanu Reeves is an author. Who eats sandwiches.

"Moneyball" Trailer

How to eat when you're broke. I'm thinking "cinnamon crispas".

Polkas. Weird Al style. I guarantee you will smile. If not, listen to the one with "Loser" on it.

"America's Next Great Restaurant". Not so fast.

Mitt Romney is NOT unemployed. He's just not working.

Today's meme.

Exercise Yard

I thought Shaq was supposed to enjoy his retirement. I don't think an attempted murder and kidnapping trial is where he wanted to focus his time.

Visitor

10 Down: Dudley Do-Right's gp. (4 letters) Answer: RCMP

Letterman's drum solos from this past week. With video. Including an Ed Shaughnessy/Buddy Rich throwback.

Is it just me or does Neil Peart look like a cross between Shemp Howard and Bill Laimbeer?

Meal of Links

I once was in Chicago and had a same-day copy of The National in my hands. The story of its demise. Still legendary.

Jack White divorces Karen Elson. They both decide to throw a party to celebrate.

10 scientist rock stars. I guess Skunk Baxter is non-degreed and not necessarily a scientist?

Here is the song I recorded (I mean my hit record) from yesterday's Google Doodle. It was for Les Paul's 96th birthday.

The best soccer stadium in America just opened. The team? Sporting KC. Huh?

Palin's e-mails.

Exercise Yard

While the NFL idles, Randy Lerner's Other Team is having some issues. Brad Friedel left for Tottenham. Ashley Young is headed to Manchester United. And Aston Villa are having some troubles getting a new manager.

The latest target, Roberto Martinez, decided to stay at Wigan. A rarity, Martinez humbly displayed loyalty by turning down three times his current salary to stay at Wigan, a much smaller team. The Chairman there even referred to him as "a son".

Hadn't heard that kind of talk from a team since Modell and Kosar.

Visitor

63 Across: One of the Allman Brothers (5 letters) Answer: Duane

Need to put a hold on that Saint Tressel Statue. As Jim Tressel resigned this morning.

This whole scandal started with something I thought would be his doom. That is, knowingly playing ineligible players. The NCAA looks the other way on some things and completely ignores others, but that's not something they are going to let slide. With the Ray Small comments burning up sports talk for another two days this past week, it became obvious this would be what OSU would deal with until they met with investigators in August.

They have no distractions of spring football or actual games. So any comments by former players or, heaven forbid, any hint of further allegations was going to muddy the waters the next two months.

SI has the goods.

Meal of Links

I'm convinced it's part of a viral campaign. But if there were any doubts about David Fincher being capable of handling "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", this alleged trailer solves that. Shaky camera at beginning and end. Trent Reznor/Karen O. "Immigrant Song" "The Feel Bad Movie Of Christmas". Book it now.

"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" Trailer



Is it too early to talk about the Oscars? Clearly, nothing released stateside yet is a contender. "Tree Of Life" is here this month, so that'll signal the start.

First it was IFC. Now it's PBS. Commercials during programs. BTW, last night I stumbled across "Wedding Crashers" on TBS, I think. "Jesus Christ" was dubbed in for "Cheese and rice.". So, Isla Fisher is hitting Vince Vaughan and he is yelling, "Cheese and rice!" multiple times. Amazing.

Patriot Act. It's still here. Debate in the house lasted all of 30 minutes.

The economics of barbecue. Eastern NC BBQ great. Western NC BBQ tragic.

Exercise Yard

Swansea beats Reading and joins the Premier League. The first Welsh side to make it.

Visitor

49 Across: Slurpee seller (11 letters) Answer: Seven-Eleven

After the Rapture...

The EPL closed up shop for the season today and what a day it was. Five clubs were in danger of being relegated, with West Ham already down. There were 81 possible combinations. So many possibilities that some teams could win and stay up, while at the same time, they could lose and stay up. That's how nutty it was. Relegation means $50 million in revenue because of all the TV contracts, so staying up is huge as you compete for players, etc.

At the start of the day, the bottom of the table was:

Wolves 40
Blackburn 40
Birmingham 39
Blackpool 39
Wigan 39
West Ham 33

Of the five teams left, I like Ian Holloway, the coach of Blackpool. They are a small team from the seaside, and nicknamed the Tangerines. A real breath of fresh air in the league this year.

I like Wigan and their coach, Roberto Martinez. He was part of ESPN's World Cup coverage last year. A sharp, young guy who never offers excuses. They are the smallest club in the league and if they could find some goal scorers, life would be a lot easier for them. They played the match of the year last week, relegating West Ham, after falling behind 2-0. A late goal won it for them.

And I like Wolves. Mick McCarthy is a straight-shooting coach and their fans are nuts.

We had three matches available to watch. Manchester United and Blackpool on ESPN2. Man U had not lost at home since last April and won every home match this year, except for one. Birmingham and Tottenham on Fox Soccer. I didn't think this would have enough drama. I opted for Blackburn and Wolverhampton on Fox Soccer Plus. Both teams there in real danger.

So, what happens? Blackburn scores three in the first half. I had given them up for dead about a month ago and now they looked solid. Great camera work by the Sky Sports crew as they ran the gamut of emotions by the fans. At the Birmingham match, I saw someone dressed as a nun (maybe a real nun) praying as they fell behind. At Wolverhampton, those fans were put through the wringer. Down 3-0, they were willing their team back. They scored to make it 3-1, but Birmingham had scored to start making them bite their nails again. Wigan scored at Stoke to lead, 1-0.

That made it clear. Wolves needed not a win, but just one more goal to stay up. Blackburn scored off a goal kick earlier in the match, which is rare, but by God, Wolves did the same as Stephen Hunt fired one in, in the 87th minute. Bedlam. Combined with a late Tottenham goal over Birmingham, Wolves could celebrate. Probably the biggest LOSS in the team's history and people ran on the field, kissed the TV cameras, were carrying players off the pitch. It was insane.
























At the end of the day, the bottom of the table was:

Blackburn 43
Wigan 42
Wolves 40
Blackpool 39
Birmingham 39
West Ham 33

Wigan had spent 75% of the season in the bottom three and survived. Birmingham is the first winner of the Carling Cup to be relegated. Mick McCarthy and Wolves can breath normally for a change. Blackpool and Ian Holloway go back to the Championship.

So, I get my Sunday mornings back until early August with only one match remaining. But it's the big one, the Champions League Final. Barcelona and Manchester United at Wembley this Saturday.

Meal of Links

How Fox's Roger Ailes failed to find a strong Republican candidate. He appears to be a Chris Christie man. Everyone else...meh.

This guy doesn't really like "SNL". Calls it "The embarrassing uncle of American comedy".

Randy "Macho Man" Savage died on Friday. It was a cause to remember him, so everyone did their "Oh, yeah" impersonations. Plus you could snap into a Slim Jim, if you preferred.

Randy Savage is Insane



Exercise Yard

Looks like LAPD has a suspect in custody from the Opening Day beating of a Giants fan. One of last week's Giants games in LA was the lowest attended in the series since 1997.

Visitor

None, on a warm Sunday.

I think I'm done with the rain. Luckily, I used that window of nice weather on Friday to get the lawn mowed. Yesterday, I had a neighbor mowing his lawn in a driving rain. That's how weird it's getting.

Meal of Links

Hollywood North wraps in Vancouver. The TV portion, that is.

NBC unveils its 2011-12 schedule. I don't see much.

The Misery Index is at a record high. Even larger then when Carter was President. And that was bad.

Exercise Yard

We knew it for months, but West Ham was officially relegated today. Not a surprise, Avram Grant was allegedly sacked in the tunnel afterward.

So, West Ham will sell off some players and get some cash. Plus, they get the Olympic Stadium in London, starting in 2012, so I don't see them gone for long.

Two other relegation spots remain undecided, so next Sunday's fixtures are going to involve lots of channel changing.

Visitor

None, on a rainy Sunday.

This is not how you want to see one of your Derby picks at the end of the race. Usually you want to see your jockey still atop the horse. The things we learned about Archarcharch? Well, never will I bet the #1 in the Derby again. Ferdinand won from that slot only because he is a Hall of Famer. So, Archarcharch literally turned into a lame pick.





















Soldat, on the other hand, was near the lead and what did we learn about him? Well, he doesn't like dirt kicked in his face. We know that for a fact now.

Here's a nice race pictorial from the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Meal of Links

Can you cut the cord on cable? Lot easier than it used to be.

This is an interesting Canadian court case. They didn't extradite a prisoner to the US, because we have become and untrustworthy state when it comes to handling prisoners. A superior court upheld the decision.

You'd think prisoners would flock to this Norwegian prison. Tanning beds. Chicken risotto. WTF?

Uh, about that GOP Medicare plan. It kinda sucks.

Exercise Yard

After today, two weekends are left in EPL play. Big three matches today. Wolves beat West Brom, 3-1. So, Wolves have escaped the relegation zone for now. Arsenal lost to Stoke by the same score, so they officially spit the bit today. Leaving it all up to today's featured match, the alleged Match of the Year, first-place Manchester United against #2 Chelsea.

Manchester scored with only 36 seconds gone and eventually won the game, 2-1. So, they are the unofficial official champs this year. Just have to wait for the math the next two weekends.

In other news, Randy Lerner's Other Team officially escaped relegation this weekend. So, they will be back in the Premier League next year. The relegation zone currently consists of Blackpool, Wigan, and West Ham. Blackburn, Birmingham and Wolves are still in danger. Wigan and West Ham is the biggie next week and Wolves get Blackburn on the final weekend.

Coming up next year, for sure, are QPR (Queens Park Rangers), after a long absence, and Norwich (the Canaries), back after a 7-year absence. Those playing off for the last spot are Swansea, Cardiff, Reading and Nottingham Forest.

Visitor

None, on a hopefully turn-the-corner weatherwise Sunday.

Last week, the discussion was the Indians had to deal with lots of reasons for fans not attending. The Highlights:

A palpable hatred of the Dolans.

1994 Fan too accustomed to wins. 1964 Fan goes regardless.

The economy.

Ticket prices.

Gas prices.

Hard to support a team that has really stunk the last two seasons.

No stars on the team.

This week? People upset that Mitch Talbot went on the DL. Jeanmar Gomez returns.

See how things change when you win? Today they got homers from:

Grady Sizemore, in his first game back from serious injury.

Carlos Santana, who had hit only one ball to the outfield this past week. Sits out 2 games, hits 2 warning track flyballs on Saturday (one robbed by Adam Jones) and seems to have corrected things.

Travis Hafner. As I said, it's not 2005 Hafner, but he recommitted to getting into shape and look at his line: .354 BA, .407 OBP, .646 SLG, 1.053 OPS. That is insane!

I'll get a look at them against KC when they come back.

Meal of Links

Break up the Indians! Here is the at-bat music of the team. Grady Sizemore is into BRMC? Uh-oh, I may have to sling less arrows that way.

Five brain hacks that make you better at sports. Celebrating was one of them.

Nicolas Cage was arrested for a dispute with his wife in New Orleans. Here's how he acted during Mardi Gras.

There was a Sony factory in Sendei, the Japanese earthquake city. They manufactured HDCAM SR tape used in the film and TV industry solely in that factory. Hence, a shortage.

Hitch reads the Bible.

All about balancing the budget. Stop the Tax cuts!

Exercise Yard

Just when you think the FA Cup doesn't matter. Manchester City beat Manchester United yesterday. Then, Stoke beats Bolton today by a 5-0 score. Stoke! Biggest win in the FA Cup since 1939.

Visitor

None, on a cool Sunday.

While still looking for Worcestershire Sauce at Marc's...

My new blender finally arrived. I ended up with a Blendtec. I have never seen their infomercials, but I guess they can chew up an iPhone. They had some insane sale around the middle of March that was so good, it backed up their shipping. BTW, I'd never buy it at its original price, but the sale was too good to pass up.

I like it, because it takes the place of a couple of machines I had. But the noise it makes will allow me to wake up the neighbors once the weather gets warm.

Meal of Links

Sidney Lumet died today. What a movie legacy this guy left. I mean the guy started with "12 Angry Men". Only got an honorary Oscar after directing "The Pawnbroker", "Serpico", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Network", "The Verdict" amongst others.

New Beasties?



No offense to the Art History folks. How to get a real education at college.

Budget talks point out that old Republican myth. We are for veterans rights.

King Kenny has no idea who LeBron James is. I'm sure they'll battle it out for kingdom rights. Anyhow, LeBron is now part owner of Liverpool. He joins the owners of the Red Sox for global icon marketing purposes. This seems to be replace Dan Gilbert's entree to Asia, as Liverpool is sponsored by Standard Chartered, and is already touring Asia this summer.

WTF? Iggy on "Idol"



Seems like a contrarian opinion. But maybe Pia deserved to be voted off "Idol".

Trump's hair? The rarely executed double combover.

Exercise Yard

Watching a lot of the Masters this weekend. Curiously, FIGJAM was hardly mentioned today until this exchange:

Feherty: "At -3, with the leaders at -9, I think Phil Mickelson has a chance to win."
Falso: "Really?"

That statement by Feherty was ridiculous and even moreso after Rory McIlroy still had 5 holes to play at the time. File that under Absurd Popular Name Invoking.

As his caddy said, McIlroy is playing beautifully right now. The only knock him coming in is that he hasn't learned how to win yet. But now that he is leading by 4, that point may be moot.

It was a strange day at Augusta. No one from the bottom of the pack played well. And McIlroy was the only one up top to play well. The middle was where all the action was, but at the end of the day, those guys were still anywhere from 4 to 7 shots back. If McIlroy strings another good round on Sunday, he'll have lapped the field.

Visitor

24 Across: 2003 Cy Young Award-winning reliever Eric (5 letters) Answer: Gagne

I just recovered from March Madness. It's not so much the physical exhaustion of watching the games (I was home by 10:30 on Sunday night), it's the mental strain. But it figures I would pick up my first cold of the winter, just as it is ending. I have been sneezing a lot for the last two days. Cannot decide if it was NCAA or NIT people who gave it to me.

To add to the confusion, Marc's did not have an ad this week. How can they do that? They are getting to be like NASCAR. They toss in those odd dark weeks.

Meal of Links

Chloe Moretz has a huge career ahead of her. Probably the best child actress since Natalie Portman.

Whatever happened to Mickey Rourke? He even lost out on "Taken 2", which went back to Liam Neeson.

Randy Lerner's Other Team, Aston Villa, is getting dangerously close to the relegation zone. Who's going down? Probably Blackburn for sure, with QPR definitely up.

Programming, Motherfucker! Do you speak it?

Soap operas have been dying fairly rapidly. Is "All My Children" next? It's moving to LA for production. Or dying in NYC.

Movie Characters Saying Their Title



Jack made a new whiskey. It's called Tennessee Honey. For the chicks, apparently.

Amazon has some digital albums for 5 bucks. Good shit here. From Frampton to Dropkick Murphys.

Digital media in the Middle East and Africa. Who's next?

Yep, he's my congressman. And may still be what's left of any anti-war movement we have in this country.

Sure, these candidates are awful. But don't write them off.

The Blackberry Playbook arrives. Same pricing as the iPad. I need to see more of it.

Exercise Yard

My Conspiracy Spider Sense is tingling. The new NFL kickoff rules have tripped it. I realize the owners have decided to move the kickoff back to the 35-yard line under the guise of safety. At least the two-man wedge and touchbacks to the 20-yard line survived.

But in the process of making the game safer, they have taken away one of the more, if not the most, spectacular ways to score. Along with the one play that can be a huge momentum swing.

What I really think the owners have done is eliminate one more specialist they have to pay. You won't see the likes of a Devin Hester contract anymore or even a Josh Cribbs sorta cashing in like he did. There's no need for them anymore and they have to earn their keep at another position.

Visitor

18 Down: Poet Ogden (4 letters) Answer: Nash

For reasons I can't really explain, I found myself at the Golden Corral after the CSU game yesterday. I think this joint has now replaced the mall as the place to watch what's wrong with the world these days.

First of all, you have people willing to stand in a long line, almost out the door, for their place at the feeding trough. Then you have no semblance of rules or order at any food station, requests for additional drinks or any other exercise you go through.

And trust me on this one, very few people in attendance are getting the appropriate exercise. Except for the kids who use the Golden Corral as their own personal playground.

Plus, since you are stuffing your piehole, you'll eat any combination of food to get your money's worth. I had salad, tacos, bourbon chicken with rice and a piece of steak. I can't recall the last time I polished off tacos and said, "Boy, I could go for a steak right now." BTW, the salad was fresh, tacos were OK, bourbon chicken average, but the medium steak I had was actually pretty good.

In my defense, I didn't have lunch nor dinner, so this was kind of the in-between chow and I didn't have a meal later. I'll have to go sometime later to see if there are still Menu Changers on Sundays who show up before breakfast ends, but stay until that day's entrees come out, to get the best of both worlds.

Meal of Links

Is Roger Ailes about to be indicted? We'll know this week.

Hitch wonders if President Obama is secretly Swiss? Might be true.

The Razzies were held last night. Here are the winners. I mean, losers. Shyamalan rules as we knew he would. "The Last Airbender" was criticized intensely.

Exercise Yard

I'm watching the Carling Cup Final this morning and suddenly, Obafemi Martins (who may be as old as Greg Oden) comes on as a sub. Geez, this guy has bounced around. Showed up in Birmingham three weeks ago. I remember his goal celebrations always consisted of some handsprings and flips. So, he scores the gamewinner.

Visitor

None, on a snow-melting Sunday.

Well, they said the airport got 8.9 inches of snow today and I firmly believe it. Because I shoveled it for a long period of time today. I had the plow come by twice today. The first time was the small deposit, as usual, at the end of the drive.

The second time? Yikes! It was as if the guy wanted to get to the exact measure of the curbside. I can't recall a dumping well up the driveway like that. I saw it up the street where he had not earlier because of a parked car and man, it just poured over the sides like a tsunami.

All we can do now is wait for the flooding.

Meal of Links

The Cavs made some interesting moves before the NBA trade deadline. But has the NBA become the EPL? There are parallels.

This may be why the App Store and Google Apps beat RIM's App World. It is a difficult process to become a developer.

50 ads starring Oscar winners. F. Murray Abraham and Richard Dreyfuss as tough New Yorkers. Dustin Hoffman for VW! George Clooney in a rather obvious Nespresso ad. Al Pacino likes coffee.

A look back at the movie version "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Johnny Depp is perfect as Hunter S. Thompson. I thought the scene where Depp is thrashing away with the fly swatter was genius.

Ken Jennings is still talking about Watson. Trebek was not happy.

Sympathizing with both Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen. I expect Charlie to visit just about every radio show in existence.

Americans is stupid. Only 52% think the healthcare reform act is the law of the land. 22% of our idiots think it has been repealed.

Would you pay a congestion fee at the supermarket. If it gets you ahead at Disney, why not the Iggle?

What is the real Best Picture? I think my last pre-Oscar task is the Live Shorts on PPV.

Kathleen Parker finally leaves "Parker Spitzer". I happened to catch a snippet of a program earlier this week and it was uncomfortable to watch. Spitzer asked multiple questions of Libyan experts while Parker sat there calmly, adding nothing to the proceedings. This continued when Spitzer even took the audience to the commercial break, which I thought Parker would do, to remind people she was still there. Unwatchable.

Exercise Yard

While the owners and the NFLPA are still meeting with the mediator, what to do about that schedule? Should it be 18 games or go back to 16 game in 18 weeks?

I think we are on track for the Super Bowl to become a Presidents Day Weekend tradition. Which would supplant Black Thanksgiving and the already-moved Daytona 500.

Visitor

19 Across: Danish poker star Gus (6 letters) Answer: Hansen

Our long national nightmare is over. CAVS WIN!!!!

And then this...

Wayne Rooney Goal



I was in the midst of eating a piece of bacon when, all of a sudden, it was a goal for the ages in Manchester. My jaw dropped, but the bacon hung on my lip like a cigarette. Last view shows how great it was. Goal of a career material.

Meal of Links

I saw "Blue Valentine" on Wednesday. Terrific piece of film making, but it would be hard-pressed to find an audience, given its $6 million gross, thus far. It's such a a gut punch, but not a proverbial country record, it's like a proverbial country album, complete with a dead dog.

After watching it, here's what the demographics say:

Singles: "Thank God!"

Divorced: "Hey, I lived that."

Happily married: "Whew!"

Hardly married: "Uh-oh."

Box office is around $7 million after 7 weeks. It's a hard sell.

Acting is superb. Michelle Williams is great and Ryan Gosling, as ever, just kills it. It's the story of a couple who has been married about 5 or 6 years and their marriage is coming apart at the seams. There are some flashbacks to when they first met, seeing their relationship develop and evolve into marriage, no matter how blindly they may have got into it.

For, you see, Williams was studying to be a doctor in Western PA, while Gosling worked for a moving company in Brooklyn. All their dreams come to a grinding halt when, shortly after dating Gosling, Williams realizes she's pregnant from another guy. They decide to get married.

Eventually, she becomes a nurse and he becomes a house painter. He winds up attached to the daughter more than her, as Gosling tends to act as a child for the most part. So, Williams is, in effect, raising two kids. Gosling wants nothing more out of life then what he has, she can't stand what's happening to them both.

And you get two hours of that. As I said, extremely well done, and a great movie for winter where it's already dark and gloomy.

Boeing's next-generation intercontinental plane. Much attention to first class space, in which you will never fly.

John Hughes-inspired art. There is some good stuff here.

This critic really dislikes Martin Lawrence. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Martin Lawrence, sole owner-occupier of his own special zone of terrible."

Mubarak used most of the last three weeks to save his fortune. Seems he may have gotten ahead of the Swiss banks.

Bourdain is doing some writing for "Treme". Even scenes with the infamous Alan Richman.

From the time flies category, "Arrested Development" has been off the air five years.

Uncle Jack



Speaking of John Hughes, there has been a recent news item. They have determined the dates of the baseball game played in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

Algeria might be next.

Mark Wahlberg. Big-time producer. Another show. This time, CBS hires Rob Riggle for "Home Game".

Now this guy can fill a scorecard. It shows how personal these can be. I'm just happy someone still keeps core at the ballpark. You have a better shot at seeing a Yeti.

John Dahl has been mostly involved in TV lately, directing some episodes of "Dexter" and "Californication". Hell, he even did an episode of "Terriers". But he also directed the noir gem, "The Last Seduction".

The hardest part about giving up drinking? Dating.

Regrets? The FDA Scientist who approved LASIK surgery has some.

Porn. An industry in financial trouble.

Exercise Yard

Norris Cole was a man today. 41 points, 20 rebounds (!), 9 assists. One shy of the first triple-double in CSU history. And they needed him, too.

In perhaps the sleepiest game of the year, CSU beats the Fighting Penguins of Youngstown State, 86-76. YSU is in last place and pushed the Vikings to almost the end of the game, as the three-ball kept them in it. Cole needed to be dominant and, thankfully, he was.

Visitor

49 Across: Knighted son of King Ban (8 letters) Answer: Lancelot

I was at the CSU-Butler game and now we know how many people it takes to fill the Bart with its curtain in place. Word is it was considered a sellout at 8490 and, even the last rows of the upper were filled. That, by far, is the largest crowd since North Carolina visited several years ago. It was a Blackout day where everyone was encouraged to wear black and even the players got to sport spiffy new black jerseys.

Don't let the casual fan describe what happened today. The refs today were not that good, but I am a firm believer they never really cause you to lose. You have to play through these things. And I find it unacceptable to follow the "homered at home" crowd when CSU was 19-25 from the line. CSU had Butler in some early foul trouble, as Matt Howard sat most of the first half with 2 fouls and for some reason, CSU did not attack Andrew Smith when he remained in the game with 2 fouls in the first half.























People have to realize that Butler is a bad matchup for CSU. Kind of like Orlando vs. the Cavs two years ago. Today, CSU moved Tim Kamczyc to guard Howard and Aaron Pogue took Smith. With Howard out, Kamczyc drew Khyle Marshall and that puts him in a quandary. Not big enough to guard Smith, and not athletic enough to guard Marshall.

Butler had an excellent floor game today with only 6 turnovers (1 in the first half) and 55% shooting in the second half helped a lot. That's tough to beat. And, obviously, very disappointing for the newbies and grizzled old veterans of the home crowd.

Butler forced CSU into a halfcourt game and it's not how the Vikings get the job done. I hope the people come back.

CSU loses, 73-61 .

Meal of Links

Melissa Leo goes rogue for her Oscar campaign. Let's see if it works (or was even necessary).

Super Bowl wings? Use Frank's, of course. Or you can get some hot dogs from places featured in the Rachael Ray Hot Dog Bracket. Those would be from Skyline, Seti's or Steve's.

Landing in LA



It's David Lynch. Sorry, I'm hooked on the guy.

Exercise Yard

Insane day of soccer. Most goals ever in one day of Premier League play. It was like hockey scores on a rainy day in England.

Biggest win: (Last place) Wolves 2, (First place and unbeaten) Manchester United 1.

The big one tomorrow, which deserves the Big Breakfast on Super Bowl Sunday: Liverpool at Chelsea.

Visitor

16 Across: Actor who said "Some people have youth, some have beauty. I have menace." (15 letters) Answer: Edward G. Robinson