David Simon talks (briefly) about "Generation Kill". And says the most satisfying show he's done is "Treme".

NOLA's Dave Walker In Treme



Meal of Links

Is it too early to bitch about the American version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"? Boobs on a poster are not going to bring in the teens. If it was "The Girl With The Tyson Tattoo", maybe.

"Boys, we got ourselves a werewolf. Right here in River City."

Lots of talk about cloud computing lately. Here's the scoop.

Craig Ferguson takes his show on the road. To Paris?

End-of-life questions you may want to think about.

Tim Pawlenty. WTF? He wants tax cuts three times larger than the Bush tax cuts. So what then does Romney offer? Or Bachmann?

F1 finally bails on Bahrain. No one really wanted to go there.

Exercise Yard

Grantland debuted today. Simmons on LeBron. Boy, what we saw in Game 4 this year was as perplexing of what we witnessed in Game 5 last year.

That will remain one of the greatest sports mysteries of our time. Leonard Nimoy should do a show.

Visitor

53 Down: "Another Saturday Night" singer Sam (5 letters) Answer: Cooke

I was at the Cleveland State game tonight and what can you say. You schedule an NAIA opponent like West Virginia Tech because you know they run up and down the court and sorta try for rebounds. You get yourself an easy win, the team gets a good workout and you get to rest the starters and see your bench for a bit. That's it!

So, CSU remains unbeaten at 11-0. But it now gets tougher. Roadies at Sam Houston State (NCAA qualifier last year) and West Virginia from the Big East (Final Four member last year). In two weeks, it's another Big East team, South Florida, visiting. If they get two wins out of this stretch, I think the buzz will get louder.

I gotta say, right now, they are playing better than the 2008-09 NCAA team. Plus, they are still missing a starter and their best defender, D'Aundray Brown. I think the Horizon League is theirs for the taking.

Meal of Links

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. The Park Service dedicated a new visitor center today. Around 90 Pearl Harbor veterans were expected at the ceremony.

The first season DVD of "Treme" drops in March. David Simon talks about it and the "Treme" soundtrack that he's not so happy with. The marketing of, that is.

Lifehacker posts its most popular 2010 How-To Guides. I check here every so often and amazed at what you can find.

Afghans really don't like having bombs dropped on them. I wonder about the 23% who apparently don't mind getting bombed.

Danny Boyle says he may be getting closer to a "Trainspotting" sequel. But he and Ewan McGregor do not speak, so who knows.

For some reason, during last week's Browns game, Costanza as a hand model was brought up. Get this:

Insane Hand Model



DVR Alert! The "Mobsters" episode on Danny Greene is this Friday at 10. "Mobsters" is actually one of those shows if you stumble upon a good one, it'll hook you.

Well, it looks like the tax cut debate was not a complete disaster for the Democrats. Sure, the Bush tax cuts got extended for 2 years in exchange for 13 months of unemployment extensions and a 2% reduction in payroll tax for 2010. Now let's see if it passes.

Bernie Ecclestone has a laugh about his mugging. That's a pretty striking ad.

HBO says it may want to become a standalone service. Subscriber loss is the issue.

The highlight of Cavs-Heat last week? The revelation that Craig Sager shopped at Mr. Albert's. I guess he is a regular. Well, maybe not so much with LeBron gone.

Future jobs? Uh, movie projectionist may not be a good choice.

Exercise Yard

Major crime solved. They found Lee Corso's head. Mascot head, that is.

Visitor

56 Across: Kentucky county named after a trailblazer (5 letters) Answer: Boone

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

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

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

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

Here are my good predictions from last year:

I predicted 74 wins. Actual total: 69 wins.

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

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

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

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

Bad predictions:

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

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

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

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

Do you realize our Opening Day bench was:

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

Yikes!

Meal of Links

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

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

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

Exercise Yard

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

Visitor

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

I'm always looking for new recipes. I had some chicken thighs I had to use up by today. So, I tried this one that was sort of a KFC knockoff. I used the "GFC" version, as I didn't have any MSG. Very nice. Easy directions on the video. Speaking of cooking chicken...

Christopher Walken Cooks Chicken and Pears



BTW, did you know Henry Ford invented the charcoal briquette? Then he gave it to a relative named Kingsford.

Meal of Links

Another Pierogi Fest has ended. I'd like to go this thing once, but it's always so damn hot this time of the year.

These are cool. 50 clever logos.

Next up in DC. The Bush tax cuts.

"Inception" is not the first movie to keep audiences guessing. "Rosebud".

The Army Corps kinda fucked up in the Nashville Flood, admitting to 27 mistakes. Senator says, "I know Boy Scout troops that are more prepared than this."

Tony Hayward leaves BP. To be replaced by an American.

Exercise Yard

The dreaded "team orders" reared its ugly head once again in Formula One. This time at the German Grand Prix. It's supposed to be illegal and Ferrari has done it again.

Visitor

None, on a cooler Sunday.

Gale and I were at last night's Indians game, courtesy of cheap tickets via StubHub. Smallest crowd I've ever seen there. I'm pretty much through with Justin Masterson at this point. He gave up four runs in the first and mercifully got pulled after throwing 95 pitches in 4 innings. Off with ye to the bullpen. Now. That performance contributed to the overall mood of the joint, which was non-existent. Plus, it took John Danks of the White Sox 112 pitches to go 5 innings. They placated us with free Polar Pop coupons on the way out.

BTW, Uncle Petey wrote about the differing careers, at this juncture, of Miguel Cabrera and Grady Sizemore. Cabrera, a career .312 hitter and on pace for 500 homers, while Sizemore...? Painful to read and Grady is due for a visit to Dr. Steadman. Uh-oh. Looks like another lost year.

Meal of Links

Here are a couple of websites titled correctly. First, Rooms with Great Views. And if you see a celeb wearing sunglasses you like, it's Sunglasses ID. For instance, MacGruber wears Ray-Ban 3025s.

Charlie Crist stopped using "Road To Nowhere" by Talking Heads for his campaign. David Byrne sues him anyway, citing damage already done.

Hey, an old band is making a new album. And that band is OMD.

Ringo Starr seems to be famous for being something other than a Beatle. Peace and love.

Rita will make a return visit to "Dexter". They are not saying much. Probably a flashback of new scenes.

With Memorial Day coming up, be aware we now have more troops in Afghanistan than Iraq.

This is hilarious. Joe McGinniss is the new neighbor of Sarah Palin. If you recall, McGinniss wrote this Portfolio piece that exposed Palin's relationship with oil companies. He also wrote "Fatal Vision" and a book on a soccer team in Italy, so basically, he's aces with me.

Exercise Yard

I thought F1 was going to New York. Nope. They are going to Austin. Brand new track and a big contract. So, the US will host a Grand Prix race starting in 2012 and presumably lasting for at least 10 years. That is great news.

Visitor

37 Across: Owens and Henry? (13 letters) Answer: Couple of Bucks

"Truck Drivin' Man"/Buck Owens

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

For the British elections, Eddie Izzard talks about a "Brilliant Britain":



Meal of Links

Creepy babies in film. Requisite "Trainspotting" and "Eraserhead" nods.

Are we seeing more trailers at the movies? You betcha. Theater owners are getting paid for the first time to show them.

Christopher Walken goes home to Queens. Sort of a neat look at his past.

This year's Webby Awards. The five-word acceptance speeches are on June 14.

"Family Guy" hits a nerve. Again.

Details about the Times Square Almost-Bomber. Geez, it has a slapstick quality air around it, no?

Another form of protest on the Arizona law. The Phoenix Suns will don the "Los Suns" unis on Cinco de Mayo. Baseball's All-Star game is in Phoenix next year and the rumblings for a pullout are already there.

Exercise Yard

Is Formula One coming to New Jersey? I realize Jersey city is in the shadow of NYC, but this is a surprise.

Visitor

20 Across: Roger Clemens has won it seven times (12 letters) Answer: Cy Young Award

That healthcare bill may actually pass tomorrow. Then comes the hard part.

Meal of Links

Catching up with one of my Dad's favorites, Ray Davies. He also talks about a possible reuniting of The Kinks.

If you don't want or can't afford Apple products, here are some alternatives. Apple TV gets shredded all the time, get something else.

Jeff Dunham's show got cancelled. Well, that didn't last long.

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

Decided to jazz it up with this version. God, I thought he was gonna pull a Jerry Lee there for a minute.

"Linus and Lucy"/David Benoit



Exercise Yard

Merry Christmas! Michael Schumacher resumes driving in Formula One.

Visitor

43 Across: "What The Butler Saw" playwright (5 letters) Answer: Orton

Time to catch up on some things:

Yesterday's Browns game. I mean, really. Could that have been any worse? I continued the punishment by listening to the postgame shows on the radio. It didn't help! As the great John McKay, former Tampa Bay coach, once said, "Three or four plane crashes and we're in the playoffs."

But where do you start with this bunch? We have a rookie OC who seems risk averse in his play calling. We have a coach whose only trait different from the previous coach is he chews gum, so we know he has a pulse. We had the CBS #8 announce team and it showed..."Eric Wright is one of the best defensive backs in the NFL". My ass. We seem to have a quarterback who can't throw long, holds the ball too long at times, then other times has the quickest progression to the 3-yard dink I've ever seen.

What else? We can't run the ball. We don't seem to block very well. We don''t seem to tackle very well. And we still can't stop the fuckin' run. 186 yards yesterday. Buckhalter for a long TD. Buckhalter! I have better knees than that guy!

Truly atrocious yesterday. I subscribe to the theory that you cannot underestimate the pride of the professional athlete. But after yesterday's game, I'm convinced we have not much talent compounded by very little depth. The scary thing is that in the years since the Browns return, there have been reasonable starts where the team has hovered around or just below .500 through 6-8 games, then the season goes down the shitter. But after these first two games, I wonder if we are gonna revisit the early seasons of Browns Version 2.1 and be terrible from the get-go.

The schedule this year is not cooperating and it seems we have a whole lot of suck to endure before it gets better.

Meal of Links

20 literal album covers. "I, Jonathan" made it. As did "The Wall".

Hasselhoff has been hitting the vodka lately. So, now he's in the hospital.

Fourteen television shows about television. A great clip of "Half Wits" from SCTV. God, I loved that show. Plus, Tom Waits on "Fernwood 2 Night".

Neil Armstrong is about to be hosed. You know, he's not a scientist. Although he did walk on the moon.

What does the New York Times former food critic do now when the chore of reviewing is done? Looks like eat a lot of chicken.

I'm fed up with the word "Czar". People are bitching about the word and its use of Presidential assistants and they have little knowledge of its use or the actual role a czar plays in an administration. I saw one woman (on film) claim they were awarded land! Yes, Americans is stupid. Anyhow, I hope this ends the discussion.

Exercise Yard

The F1 cheating scandal moves on. This is one of the most heinous acts of cheating ever in sports. A Renault driver intentionally wrecking so his teammate grabs the lead in a race. But the driver who wrecked, Nelson Piquet, Jr. became the whistle blower and the house of cards crumbled.

Visitor

62 Across: Pop music's Hall & _____ (5 letters) Answer: Oates

I visited my doctor yesterday. He had this neat machine for taking blood pressure. The nurse told me they use this machine now to eliminate any factors that may influence the reading. I guess that means if she was Nurse Goodbody or the common white-coat syndrome.

Anyhow, it's on wheels and you sit in your chair instead of getting up and sitting on the table. They cuff you, she turns the machine on and leaves the room. After several seconds, it starts. It then takes your BP at six different intervals and they take the average for your reading. The nurse doesn't do the math, she only has to press a button for the results.

I told her that machine was a great idea. She said, "It has to be. It costs $20,000." I replied, "So much for home use."

The name of the product is BpTRU. Comes from a Canadian company. I thought they bad healthcare up there.

Meal of Links

By taking some time off to get to the doctor in the afternoon, I was able to round up my Dad and we went to a late afternoon showing of "Inglourious Basterds". I absolutely loved this film. It shows that Quentin Tarantino still has it. It has all the hallmarks of his movies: Great casting, superior writing, major soundtrack attention (Sergio Leone stuff, yeah!), character nicknames (The Bear Jew, Aldo the Apache) and, of course, violence. My Dad liked it, as well, and said afterward he had never seen a movie like it.

And what would you expect from a Jewish revenge movie against the Nazis? Brad Pitt, recovered from Benjamin Button, played Aldo Raine (yes, Aldo Ray played in all those war movies). The scene where he speaks Italian is a comedic gem. The SS guy, Christoph Waltz, is a real baddie. You know, the guy who always seems to already know the answers to the questions he asks. Outside of Brad Pitt, B.J. Novak, Mike Myers and a brief appearance by Rod Taylor as Winston Churchill, I don't think I recognized anyone. I heard the voices of Samuel L. on some narration and it was definitely Harvey Keitel on a phone. But it was well-cast and well-acted.

A lot has been written about the violence. I thought it wasn't that bad. Oh, yes, they take some Nazi scalps, there is a bad beating and there is some carving going on. But, in a long movie, these scenes may have taken 2 minutes. Mostly, it's a shoot 'em up.

I had a great time at this one. The tension is there throughout, there are enough laughs in it, and Bowie's "Cat People" gets some prime exposure.

What an anniversary. It's exactly one year since Palin haunted us.

I like these two people. Good for them.

Finally. The VA fights back against these ridiculous charges made by Fox and the Republican Party. This crap about "death panels" and "encouraging vets to commit suicide" is insane.

Speaking of Insane...



Exercise Yard

F1 has something unique in store for the Abu Dhabi finale. They'll finish the race at night.

Visitor

23 Across: Barry who played Lt. Gerard on TV's "The Fugitive" (5 letters) Answer: Morse

Playhouse Square has released its Cinema at the Square schedule. Once more, not much this year. The "West Side Story" sing-along should be fun. "The Godfather" returns for another showing on the big screen. "Ghostbusters" might be cool. The rest are kinda limited in their appeal.

Meal of Links

Some really encouraging news on prostate cancer. Inoperable tumors suddenly became operable ones. A big WTF?

Do you realize we will be getting "Best of the Decade" lists at then of this year? Anyhow, some choices for top album in '09, thus far. Good stuff. Ida Marie probably gets song of the year so far with "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked". But I've been hearing Phoenix and White Rabbits a lot lately.

How "Da Bears" was created.

Things are really getting ratcheted up in Iran. The pics and video are telling quite a story over there. Lots of rocks and militia.

Exercise Yard

Looked so forward to watching the US Open the last few days. Thought it would rain here more than it would there to make that an easy viewing choice. Instead, it rained there. And it is still raining.

Formula One appears to be on its deathbed.

Kerry Wood lost the Indians game today on a wild pitch. Before you say that's the craziest thing you've ever seen, remember Eric Plunk lost a game by throwing a wild pitch (they scored it a passed ball) on an intentional walk at Minnesota. BTW, there is no replay of that, because not one camera caught that action. The broadcast was showing the dugout or the on-deck hitter or something and missed it! That remains hard to top. The reason I remember that game? It happened on my birthday. That box score is here.

Visitor

61 Across: They have their ups and downs (13 letters) Answer: Teeter Totters

My Uncle and Aunt have been visiting this week from Georgia. The state, not the old SSR. Anyhow, to revisit our ethnic roots, we all went out to Babushka's Kitchen on Saturday. My brother and Dad have been out there several times but that was my first visit.

I only ordered a potato pancake, so I could try things off of everyone's plate. I tell you, you have to add this to your places for comfort food. The stuffed cabbage is outstanding. The pork and sauerkraut is really, really good and the cheesecake is mighty nice. Look, this is no frills dining but it is definitely a place worth trying. It's a gem.

Meal of Links

Yeah, I'm a sucker for auto racing. Especially on this day. You start with Monaco, have Indy in the middle, and wind up with the Coke race at Charlotte, if it doesn't rain and then the Coke race runs today. However, I am still bullish on Indy.

From the Purdue marching band, to Jim Nabors singing "Back Home in Indiana", "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!", those weepy Firestone "Take me out to the Brickyard" commercials, the winner guzzling milk, I'm in the tank for all of that stuff. But the race presentation on ABC was a bit off this year. To miss a crucial restart with less than 20 laps to go, after they made a point to clear the deck with a bunch of commercials was inexcusable.

Anyhow, Helio Castroneves goes from the courtroom to victory lane.

Drop Day in the EPL. The three teams included: West Brom, Middlesbrough and Newcastle. The last two teams fairly big names.

I liked this look at the Geography of Personality. Ohio looks like it's introverted, agreeable, fairly neurotic, not too conscientious, and devoid of being open to experience. Yup, that about sums it up.

Billy Joel's former drummer really doesn't like Billy Joel. Hasn't got paid in the longest time.

Dress Like A Roman



Exercise Yard

The Cavs are in trouble. Not too difficult to pick the main culprit here. Mo Williams, I think, is gonna bear the brunt. I put the Iso-Lite on Mo playing defense for a while during last night's game and the issue I have with him is he is cheating way too much. He is constantly creeping around to help out and is losing his man a lot. With the Magic consistently screen-and-rolling and pick-and-rolling with their big men (and Z, you can help here, as well), he is drifting amid all of the switching. And his man is getting open because of it. Now last night many of those shots did not go in, but Mo is absolutely killing the Cavs on both ends. That was the Cavs chance last night as they played better defense, and Orlando did not shoot as well they have in the first two games.

Other factors. Bench play. Again nothing from the Cavs. I guess Sasha wasn't "in tune" last night. Who does LeBron suggest in Game 4? Boobie Gibson? I think they may risk the defensive liabilities of Wally World, because they need someone, anyone, to make a shot.

I am really puzzled as to where the Cavs can get some help. LeBron has been good (averaging 40 points a game), but even he is missing crucial foul shots down the stretch. Z can't hit anything, but keeps firing up the longer shots. Guard play has been spotty. Delonte West played defense last night, but his offense is inconsistent. Both West and Williams launched quick threes that were ill-advised.

However, the one ray of light is the Cavs were close even with how poorly they played. If someone else besides LeBron can provide some offense, they might steal Game 4. Maybe it's as simple as David Stern needing "to make the call".

Charley Rosen breaks it down.

Visitor

6 Down: Composer of marches (5 letters) Sousa

That was another thrilling episode of Polka Happy Hour at the Happy Dog last night. They have excellent perch and tater tots there. Tots are cool.

This morning, I had the perfect crossword. I always do mine in pen. But, for a Saturday, zero mistakes in not too much time is really good. I usually don't start to do anything until I have that done and today, by God, I knew everything right off the bat. Even the answer "prescience". I know it was relatively easy for a weekend because we had no mythology, no saints, only one Russian composer, and very little geography. But still, I was very pleased.

Then, it was off to see "Knowing", where I counted 6 who attended the 10:30 show at the Regal in Middleburg. Thank you "Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D", that means early morning shows for the rest of us. I thought this was gonna be another chance to see Nicky Cage overact. I think he reined it in on this one. And I didn't recognize anyone else in the movie. But this story morphed from a pedestrian thriller into some otherworldly/religious statement (turn your pages to the Book of Ezekiel) I don't think I was prepared of. Mildly interesting. The lesson, I guess? Either go to church or we are not alone.

Today, there was a birthday party for my niece, who is now 7. We had this exchange the other day:

Niece: "Why does it say "Parma" on your glasses?"
Me: "That's Prada, not Parma." (I wanted to add, "My pretty!" at this point)
Niece: "Yeah, I didn't think anyone would have Parma on their glasses."

And, finally, another choice rerun of "Deal Or No Deal". I tend to stumble upon the CNBC reruns. Classic episode where they talk about how great this guy is, the phrase "life changing amount of money" comes up several times, but the dude is delusional into thinking his case has $500,000. He has slowly eliminated the left half of the board and is down to three cases: $10,000, $75,000 and $500,000. The offer is $129,000 and, of course, he rejects it, citing the number on his case and how lucky it has been for him. Next case he picks has....$500,000 in it. I then laugh my ass off. he must keep the case he has after that whole buildup and his contains....$10,000. I laugh even more.

Meal of Links

Oh, man. The ShamWow! guy slap chopped a hooker. Allegedly.

Why are these foreigners taking all of our TV acting jobs? "Yeah, they're takin' our jobs!"

Kids do the darnedest things.

This guy doesn't like spectator sports. I spectate 'em and I'm not sure I like 'em either.

Words To Live By

Keith David absolutely kills me in the movie, "Men At Work". Charlie Sheen with an appropriate response. The first hour of that movie still makes me laugh hard. Even harder then "Deal Or No Deal".



Exercise Yard

A pretty fair list of the greatest Formula One drivers ever. I think Schumacher, even with his faults, should have been higher. Never took a podium finish for granted, it seemed.

Visitor

44 Across: Speaker in Cooperstown (4 letters) Answer: Tris

Well, it looks like Gustav has made landfall. One criticism I have of today's coverage is that you heard repeatedly that "things were OK". What happened to "Let's wait for potential flooding before we all do the Happy Dance."?

For trustworthy coverage, go to the Times-Picayune site.

Today's silly coverage provided by Michelle Kosinski. Remember, she was the one who was in "a flood" in a canoe years ago, when people went WALKING by. So, maybe she deserves this beating from the elements:



And be sure to watch Geraldo on Fox News. I was at Best Friend's yesterday and this guy is a pleasure to watch in a natural disaster. He was the Fox Sunday Night main guy and he kept having technical difficulties and would repeatedly ask his fellow reporters where they were "hunkering down". So, we came up with "Geraldo Hunker Haiku". I happened to see him this morning in the middle of Canal Street with a wind gauge. "Look at this...66...63...67...59..." as he pointed the instrument towards the heavens. Compelling TV.

Meal of Links

I was at the Taste of Cleveland on Saturday. An increased number of food vendors this year, I'm happy to say. I was having some gastric troubles earlier in the day, so I mainly went to drink this year. But I did sample Buffalo Chicken Egg rolls from Willoughby Brewing, Sushi (once again!) from Otani, and Chicken Wings from Just Like Mom's. All very good and I didn't need a stomach pump later.

Squeeze, yes, that Squeeze, was the entertainment. Remember when Difford and Tilbrook were the next Lennon/McCartney? In all my years of attending these Saturday night events, this was the most poorly attended music portion. And, after they played "Tempted", things got really empty. I know they like to have '80s Night, but look for Classic Rock to return on Saturday next time. Having said that, I kinda liked the show. Lasted 90 minutes and there were enough of the 45s played to make it worthwhile. Hey, it was $5. A steal. And I want the yellow suit.

Songs by Squeeze that we knew and obliged me by playing:

"If I Didn't Love You" (Always fun for group sing-along)
"I Think I'm Go Go"
Take Me I'm Yours (Press Play)
"Cool For Cats"
"Separate Beds"
"Another Nail In My Heart"
"Tempted"
"Pulling Mussels from a Shell" (Mr. Mix on lead vocal for the chorus)
"Black Coffee in Bed" (Superb backup vocals by me)

It's so confusing. Sarah Palin's daughter is pregnant. Is, not was. Or is that Was (Not Was)? Anyhow, why did it take three days for this to come out and then bury it under the news of Gustav?

I seem to have lots of conversations with many people regarding pills for all of our ills. Therefore, this was a good read.

Exercise Yard

Miss Sprint Cup kills me. Have you seen her? She is the one who stands behind the winner of the race, and while he is being interviewed, she smiles and nods approvingly as if she's part of the winning team. Now, I see her creeping into the background on network interviews. Look for her at the end of the next race. It's a hoot.

Speaking of cars, check out Mario driving the Lotus John Player Special in Sweden in 1979. Those Lotuses were beautiful.



Visitor

1 Down: Playboy founder, familiarly (3 letters) Answer: Hef

Today is always one of my favorite days of the year, because there is typically a bunch of auto racing going on. Over the years, if the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend is rainy, I don't really care. Because I'm usually watching all three races: Monaco, Indy and Charlotte. I've stuck with Indy through thick and thin, so I'm not about to stop now.
















It started today with the F1 race from Monaco through the streets of Monte Carlo. It is way cool to see these machines on the city streets and today there was also some rain to contend with. Do we use dry tires, intermediates or wets? After that choice was made, there remains a lot of guys who are slipping and sliding, trying to pass where they shouldn't and generally a ton of mayhem. So, it was a good race to kick off the proceedings at 8:00 to see old friend Lewis Hamilton win.

With Monaco ending at 10:00, it's enough time to prepare eats. Because I was able to use my 4-10 method of cooking ribs. 4 hours in the oven and 10 minutes on the grill. Oh, there is beer and a rub involved, but it works every time. Fall off the bone action. And this time it worked perfectly, because I ran out of propane in my tank as I was finishing up.

Then it was into my Edward Scissorhands mode to trim some hedges and also mow the lawn. I just picked up a cordless Hedgehog from Black & Decker. It pairs up nicely with my Grasshog. Hey, no more cutting cords! Anyhow, I like the power in the Hedgehog. Gives a nice cut and the blades are a bit longer than I've used in the past, which makes things go quicker. And with Indiana now on Eastern time, it helps that the Indy 500 doesn't start until 1:00.

I really enjoyed Indy this year. Although the first 100 laps seemed to have more cautions than normal. Scott Dixon was your winner. There were enough lead changes, but the top cars seemed not to change most of the day. It appeared the Top Ten was pretty much the same all day, with places being interchanged. I must say, I'm tiring just a bit of Danica Patrick's act. You see, on the radio with her team, she came across as whiny. Yes, whiny. "My car is slo-o-w." Well, sister, there are a bunch of other cars with the same issue. She had a Top 10 car but it was obvious early on, she would not win. It's unfortunate she was tagged by Ryan Briscoe while exiting pit row. But that's happened before to many drivers and you need to be professional about it, while lambasting the idiot that hit you. Upon getting back to her pit and exiting her car, she started a slow walk to Briscoe's pit, until cooler heads prevailed. What was she going to do, punch him? Then the announce team jumped in with the old descriptors of "fire " and "passion" and that it was "good to see". No, it was the actions of someone who thinks she is deserving of more than her ability has taken her, thus far. Look, I'm happy she finally won a race earlier this year, but if anyone thinks she will eventually end up in NASCAR with that attitude, they are insane. Note how this incident will gain bigger headlines than Dixon's win. Even with this cute picture of the winning family.





















Finally, it was off to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. Side Note: James Carville and Bill Frist were in a Coke commercial where they are clinkin' bottles at the Washington Monument. How easy is it to get Coke in bottles these days? Anyhow, the race was really good, as it starts in daylight and ends under cover of the night. Close to 30 lead changes, with Kasey Kahne prevailing. The hated (not by me) Kyle Busch was third and Greg Biffle snuck in there for second. Side Note 2: All members of my fantasy team for tonight's race. 600 miles is a long test, but attrition had very little to do with the outcome. But the final laps had guys running out of gas, two guys into the wall and got pretty exciting for those who stuck with it. Side Note 3: Yao Ming was there, to fulfill a contractual obligation, I assume. Probably can't fit in a car.





















Meal of Links

Woody Harrelson wants to stop eating for 40 days. For grins, apparently.

Government economic data comes under scrutiny. This guy puts unemployment at more like 13%.

We need big thinking to change the way we use energy. Train travel, anyone?

Exercise Yard

While perusing the sportpage this morning, did you catch the article that mentioned managers in trouble? I was wondering if Hoynes had some info from a higher up, because for all of the fans whining, I believe this is the first time where there has been a hint that Eric Wedge could be in trouble.

Now, Hoynes may have been surmising, but I'm wondering if there's something to it. This is year 6 and Wedge has made one playoff appearance. Are the players turning him off? Have to look for more clues, I guess.

Visitor

None, it's a Racing Sunday.

I've got some major cable modem trouble this evening. I need to make this quick. Is our President coloring his hair? Seemed darker during his speech tonight. Hey, it's "CSI Song".

Meal of Links

Add The Cure to the list of bands who have rescheduled dates for a tour. Strangely, they are not here until June 2008. Looks like Quicken is anticipating the Cavs playing late in that month next year, as the venue was not announced. BTW, the AT&T Blue Room has the Austin City Limits Music Festival on this weekend.

Marc Bolan died 30 years ago this weekend. This guy was always very interesting.

Do not mess with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. To borrow a phrase from "Dragnet", he's got balls the size of churchbells. He brings the hammer down hard on the Patriots.

Exercise Yard

Lewis Hamilton lives another day to fight for the F1 drivers title. But his team, Mercedes McLaren, gets the Dr. Evil-like fine of $100 million dollars. They lose all of their constructor championship points, too. You see, they were cheating.

Visitor

20 Across: One who ran a Mickey Mouse operation (6 letters) Answer: Eisner

How could you not be entertained and yet simultaneously sickened by the Hot Dog Eating Championship yesterday? Joey Chestnut eats 66 dogs to win the title. As Dan LeBatard reminded everyone on ESPN yesterday, Kobayashi ate his own vomit to stay alive in the contest. It grossed me out so much, that at the conclusion, I had to change the channel in fear of seeing a replay. That's why a DVR comes in handy. Even ESPN is refusing to show that highlight anymore.

If that wasn't enough, the announcing was so over the top on television, it almost overshadowed the job that George Shea does with the live audience. I mean to say that Curt Schilling (re:bloody sock) has nothing on Kobayashi is priceless. Now if they could work Gus Johnson into the mix, it would be off the charts.

My favorite sound bites:

"The Houdini of Cuisine-y"

"Bertoletti is dedicating his performance to Nikki Hilton, because Nikki lives in Paris’ shadow and he lives in Chestnut’s shadow." Paul Page even marvelled at how he worked Paris Hilton into a Hot Dog contest.

“If you Google American heroes tomorrow, you would find would find Abraham Lincoln, possibly Neil Armstrong, Taylor Hicks and this man, Joey Chestnut.”

"This will be the greatest moment in American sport."

"Kobayashi just had a reversal. The judges will have to rule on that." No, he was EATING HIS OWN VOMIT.

Meal of Links














I am heading to the Great White North to see the White Stripes this weekend. You may know they are doing free shows in each city, thus far, in Canada. A bowling alley in Saskatoon, a bus in Winnipeg (where they sang "The Wheels on the Bus"), etc. Today, in Toronto, they played 8 songs at a day camp. Maybe, we'll get lucky and see them before the show.

Katharine McPhee shows her Stuff. Maybe she didn't sell many records.

Don't blame Canada. Blame Mr. Rogers. Or Chrissie Hynde, perhaps. She sings that she's special.

Exercise Yard

An interesting piece. If F1 can develop a Lewis Hamilton, why can't NASCAR develop a diverse superstar?

Visitor

20 Across: 1972 Chairman Mao visitor (14 letters) Answer: President Nixon

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

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

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

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

Meal of Links

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

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

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

Exercise Yard

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

National Anthems

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

Dropkick Murphys at Fenway



Visitor

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

Some thoughts as March Madness has taken "One Step Beyond". Remember when CBS actually played that as an intro for the tournament, lo, those many years ago.





















Pool Winners (Afternoon): Virginia, Tennessee, Memphis, Wisconsin, Oregon. Missed: Notre Dame, Creighton, Georgia Tech.

Pool Winners (Evening): Texas, Purdue, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Southern Illinois. Missed: Arkansas, Illinois.

First round total: 26 of 32.

To start, if you played it safe on your brackets, this was the year for you. Yesterday, the games were a bit more competitive, but only two of the lower seeds (Winthrop and Purdue) won. For the first time in memory, no #12 beat a #5. I had a solid #12 in Illinois over VaTech. Illinois played a perfect first half, dictating pace and extended for about 12 minutes into the second half. For a defensive-oriented team like the Illini, I was shocked when out of desperation, VaTech went to a press and they appeared to have never seen one. "Tell me, this press of yours, what's it like?" And, of course, the Illini folded, giving up the last 12 points to lose 54-52. I sat there stunned.

Other thoughts, Georgia Tech was another awful pick in a really badly played UNLV win. Disorganized was the keyword there. I thought the Winthrop pick was a little trendy and all, and I went with the Irish on Saint Paddy's weekend. That was my Marge from Accounting "I like the colors." pick of the year.



















The Hogs? Better left unsaid.



















I was reduced to watching the Miami-Oregon game on MMOD on my home PC. Strangely, CSTV picked up the Thursday at 5:00 game (Vandy-GW), but not the Friday at 5:00 game. Making the Miami-Oregon game the only one to have no chance of any national coverage. The boys did an alum proud, by not getting whipped and actually had a shot in this one. Oregon played at Miami's pace all day, which is slower than a snail. Odd first half as Miami leads 9-0. Oregon socres the next 20, but Miami comes back to a two-point deficit at the half. Late in the game, the score is 56-53, Oregon. With seconds remaining, Miami misses a three by inches off the front rim. They foul an Oregon guy and he hits two for 58-53. Miami tosses one in from midcourt for a 58-56 final. OK, it put everyone to sleep, but they almost pulled it off.



















I thought the two funniest things yesterday were The Sports Guy insisting that broadcaster Ian Eagle has to have a son. And name him "Ian Eagle II". Second, was CBS ran a promo for "Old Christine". Mike Gminski says, "I hope she doesn't dance like the old Elaine." The G-Man coming through with the funny.

Meal of Links

"Jeopardy!" had a three-way tie yesterday. Somewhere, Ken Jennings clucks to himself.

An "Idol" contestant is using his hair as a hypnotic tool. Vote early, vote often.

The "Da Vinci Code" killed someone. No, not me in the viewing audience, some obsessed artist/scholar.

Exercise Yard

After a round with basketball and the bottle today, don't forget that Formula One starts tonight. It comes from a land down under, where women glow and men plunder.

Visitor

5 Down: ESPN football analyst Jaworski (3 letters) Answer: Ron