MLB had nothing better to do today, so they released the 2012 schedule . The Indians open against the Blue Jays on Holy Thursday. So, that means hot dogs unless there is a rainout. Next year, the season extends into October.

The Red Sox and Yankees only come in once, but both are here in August. Interleague is awfully strange with the new "Miami" Marlins, Pirates, and Reds at home and the Reds, Astros and Cardinals on the road. Memorial Day and Independence Day are at home. This may be the year to take a roadie out to Seattle or Minnesota, during the dog days.

The other thing you notice is those dreaded two-game series. They have two of those in May and only 9 home games in June. The June schedule is tough, because if they suck, they are out of sight, out of mind. Or, if they play well, you wish you could see them more.

Meal of Links

Frank Deford called this, "the most important article ever written about college sports". Well worth the time.

The "Austin City Limits" schedule is up. As always, it's worth watching. Jeff Bridges this year.

Your Fall TV Cancellation Forecast. Yes, there are many duds awaiting us.

Elizabeth Warren. Populist.

Exercise Yard

What happened to my alma mater's football team? After whomping on Brooklyn, 64-14, they got shutout at JFK. Last week, they were getting shutout at Cleveland Central Catholic when a brawl erupted in the third quarter. That game got called. So, being shorthanded, they did what any smart team would do. They will forfeit this week's game to Glenville. That was allegedly a home game, but they were playing it at Marshall.

On an unrelated note, we get Marv Albert for this week's Browns-Colts game!

Visitor

52 Across: Seven-time Grammy-winning jazz singer (9 letters) Answer: Al Jarreau

21 ways to relax and recharge on Labor Day.

My idea of relaxing was to take in the Tribe game against the Tigers this afternoon. Bonus was "jets flying aroung making loud noises" from the air show during the game. That would have been greater if there had been less clouds today.

Anyhow, my Dad and I sat in the Clubs for a game that would probably determine the Tribe's season. Crowd into it early. Ubaldo looking unhittable with 5 K's in the first two innings from mainly high heat. Then in the fourth, Victor Martinez, in a year where his power has diminished, hit his ninth homer of the year for the Tigers. Too bad for Ubaldo, it came with two guys on.

After that, the crowd moved on with their lives. Fister continued to handcuff the Indians and Jimenez got back on track after that. But the damage was already done.

So, in a game where Ubaldo allows only five baserunners, Detroit wins. The Indians inept offense just can't make up any ground against good pitching. Once Detroit pushed across their 4th run, it was definitely over.

Thanks For Playing



Meal of Links

What is really behind the financials of the Postal Service. And no, there is no default coming.

All about the Netflix-Starz relationship. Starz is probably not a big loss for them.

21 Forgotten TV Subplots. From many shows I did not watch.

Billy Buck was on "Curb" last night! Absolutely loved it. Buckner palling around with LD, because he had nothing better to do.

TIFF starts up this week. Here's a preview . "Moneyball" arrives here in 2 weeks. Shut the fuck up. "Senna" actually gets here this weekend. HUGE buzz. I am there.

Sports can play a role in history. Ali beating Foreman, for example.

Exercise Yard

You can't ask to have the Notre Dame coach fired for cursing, can you? I'm starting to wonder if Brian Kelly is in over his head there? Losing to South Florida in your home opener? Terrible.

Visitor

39 Across: Designer Karan (5 letters) Answer: Donna

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

Today, in tech world, it was like Black Friday. Because the HP TouchPads were being dumped on the market at prices that would make Crazy Eddie proud.

Two of the biggest online retailers haven't dropped their price yet. That would be Newegg and Amazon, but that'll happen later today or tomorrow. Best Buy claims they still have some in-store and will be sold starting tonight or tomorrow, but that seems completely random, as they allegedly sent all their stock back. But the Office Depot/OfficeMax/Staples Axis of Evil seems to be out. As are Target and Wal-Mart and your warehouse clubs.

Meal of Links

Groupon is running low on cash. This is really good insight as to how the company actually operates and how they get paid. And how accounting principles allow you to tell a story that is kinda true.

Probably the quintessential piece on the demise of Borders. The last time I was in the Crocker store was last Christmas and could not believe how much that store had changed. Especially when I found they now opened at 10:00.

Controversy about the Gay Softball World Series. Who knew?

Emeritus interviews Michael Vick in GQ. I found it interesting that after probation ends next summer, Vick can legally own a dog.

You can get a PBR around here for, what, $2? In China, that'll set you back $46 a bottle.

The new sports talker in Cleveland starts on August 29. Finally.

The Postal Service has to change for its survival. The battle starts in Washington when the recess ends.

Top 10 things you don't need to buy because they are already in your home. Vick's VapoRub solves itching? WTF?

Did the Libyan rebels actually pull this off? Gadhafi flees Tripoli. I guess illegal wars can work.

I see Wolf Blitzer once in a while. Yes, he's boring.

This is why Jon Huntsman matters. A Republican who says you can't shun science.

Finally got a look at "Ebert Presents: At The Movies", while stumbling around the dial after the Browns and Indians last night. A trip down memory lane as Roger and Gene talked about overlooked acting of the '80s. Got affirmation when Gene mentioned Gene Hackman in "The Conversation" and Roger piped up with James Caan in "The Gambler". Looks like WVIZ runs this on Fridays at 10:30 with overnight reruns on early Saturdays and Sundays.

Recent news about Ted Williams. The voice guy.

Exercise Yard

A nice story about the Tribe. Well done, men.

Visitor

37 Across: Classic Leontyne Price role (4 letters) Answer: Aida

My thoughts on the Indians trades last night?

I love them. I've actually seen this written on the Land of Ignorance (Cleveland.com) that some are comparing this trade to Rocky Colavito for Harvey Kuenn, which is currently the dumbest analogy on the boards. Colavito, the most popular player ever for the franchise compared to 4 minor leaguers who have appeared in a combined, what, four games for the club.

This is why I love the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. First of all, this trade is so anti-Shapiro, can we finally put to bed the idea that he is still the GM, instead of Chris Antonetti? Antonetti's got balls the size of church bells with this deal.

He locks up a 27-year old Jimenez (a pitcher ALL of the contenders wanted) through 2013 with a fairly cheap contract. $2.8 million this year, then $4.2 million and $5.75 million for 2013. Years, if you recall, when we were actually supposed to contend. Quite frankly, Antonetti should demand something else from the Rockies for starting Jimenez last night. That is not how it works.

Losing Matt McBride and Joe Gardner...meh. I thought Alex White looked good in his stint here in April. But if he is targeted as a non-closing relief pitcher in the future, this deal's pain only lies with losing the upside of Drew Pomeranz.

If Jimenez plays a part in the Indians making the playoffs, let's say 2 of the next 3 seasons, how is this considered a bad move? And if I see one more person cite Ubaldo's ERA this season, I will take action. The dude was injured and seems to be fully recovered. Toss out the first month-and-a-half, and he's a different pitcher.

Remember the year C.C. Sabathia was traded? Every contender wanted to trade for him. His record that year when the Indians finally did trade him? Age 27, 6 wins, 8 losses, 3.83 ERA. He's been 66-22 since. Not saying Ubaldo can equal that, but he's a damn fine pitcher.

Mid-market teams must take these risks.

As far as Orlando Cabrera being traded, Keith Law said it best. "The Giants, tired of playing a statue (Tejada) or an automatic out (Crawford) at short, acquire Orlando Cabrera, who is both."

How we got a breathing human in return for Cabrera is a mystery.

Jeff Passan breaks down the trade.

Meal of Links

Samuel L. talks about, well, what it's like to be Samuel L. Loves that golf.

Lunch with Angelina Jolie. She had the penne with chicken.

They called it "Football".

Babes of the '80s. Then and now. Daryl Hannah seems to have made a turn, not from the '80s, but from as recent as "Kill Bill". Jennifer Beals needs to be studied, she remains outstanding.

Exercise Yard

One of the best things ESPN has ever done, "30 For 30", returns this fall. Finally, the much-delayed Alex Gibney doc on "Bartman" is first out of the gate.

Other topics include Renee Richards, Chuck Wepner, and Charismatic. Charismatic should be good as Chris Antley's story will intersect.

Visitor

None, on another hot Sunday.

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

OK, I am still alive. S. and I were over at the House of Blues on Sunday to see the Dropkick Murphys. I'll talk about that tomorrow. Since then, I've seen two movies, had really good paczki, had my first fish fry for Lent and had a flat tire.

Gale and I saw "The Adjustment Bureau" at the Capitol on Monday. Sort of a "Men With Hats" thriller. This starred Matt Damon and Emily Blunt and they had some really good chemistry to sell this one. Damon was a politician and Blunt was a modern dancer. They decided they were meant for each other, while The Adjustment Bureau's data said "Nope."

Until the Bureau realized they should have been together and that caused the whole mess to become messier. This is probably the best movie for adults so far in this calendar year. Not a classic, but entertaining enough. And you'll be on the lookout for men wearing hats for a time after seeing it.

Last night, my Dad treated all of us, including my niece, for a showing of "Rango". My niece did a great job of not spoiling it, as this was already the second time she saw it. This starred Johnny Depp as a chameleon turned gunfighter in "Rango". Absolutely loved this one, as this was the best overall movie so far this calendar year.

Old Western references abound and you even had a bit of "Chinatown" thrown in there. Because when you control water, you control everything. There was even an homage to the fly swatter scene from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Other references from "A Fistful of Dollars", "Once Upon A Time In The West", "Apocalypse Now", "Raising Arizona", "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly". Even "The Spirit of the West" is represented by a poncho-wearing Clint Eastwood.

Not really for the kiddies, this one might attain classic status. It's that good.

Meal of Links

I still can't believe the city of Detroit does not want a statue of Robocop. I would definitely go there, if this became a reality.

Early Bowie photos. I mean early.

NPR has 50 great voices. Nice list.

Wisconsin passed the collective bargaining bill. Boy, this looks court-worthy.

Keith Olbermann says Charlie Sheen is doing an impression of Brian Wilson. hearing him interviewed in the offseason, I think he's right. BTW, a bar around the corner from me is advertising "Tiger Blood Shots".

Jason Bateman thinks the "Arrested Development" movie sounds great. He's anxious to get filming.

Great year for music? How about 1977?

Mel Gibson The Rude Warrior.

Exercise Yard

Well, it looks like Saint Tressel is taking a beating these days. Two things you've already heard from the OSU acolytes: "Every school does this." and "A coach cannot control his players for 24 hours a day."

One thing that bugs me about this is Tressel said he feared for the players during this investigation and that trumped following the rules. Huh? Really? You don't take that concern to the AD or GC of the University?

Second, Tressel knowingly playing potentially ineligible players is mind-boggling. If he acknowledges this e-mail in April, the players selling of memorabilia becomes known, OSU self-reports, and I sense maybe a one-game suspension at the start of 2010. So, now he doesn't do that, it now becomes an NCAA issue, that organization will probably add to his supension and fine, and I think the 2010 season is probably on its way to being vacated.

Certainly not a fireable offense nor one requiring Tressel to quit, but jeepers, the guy is 58 and this is really one dumb move. Will it hurt OSU? Only if scholarships get pulled and a limit on TV appearances or perhaps a season without a bowl game. Other than that, it's only Tressel's reputation that suffers and around here, that will only be a little bit.

Visitor

32 Down: "Mad Max" star (9 letters) Answer: Mel Gibson

The situation in Wisconsin was inevitable with their newly-elected Governor Walker. Trust me, this is the start of John Kasich's wet dream. he's got a lot in common with Walker. They have both rejected high-speed rail and want to balance their respective state budgets with a little union-busting along the way.

I don't think Madison's seen these types of protests since Vietnam. The pictures are pretty awesome. And Columbus hasn't seen anything like this in 25 years.

Time to join Progressives United.

Meal of Links

With the Oscars coming up soon, how about a look back at "Inception"? This deals with the architecture and the mind.

Banksy has a unique Oscar campaign. How can he not be seen doing his work?

We knew it was coming. Post-bankruptcy Borders.

Uncle Leo died. Can you believe he was only in 15 "Seinfeld" episodes?

Uncle Leo



Working at the Apple Store. True confessions.

Why Meg White matters. Maybe not so much today.

One scene wonders. Alec Baldwin: "Fuck you is my name." Also, "Boogie Nights" and "Network". Should have had Wilford Brimley in "Absence of Malice".

Scott Raab talks to Chris Rock. Rock is pro-LeBron, pro-Howard Stern and pro-Louis C.K. and a tip to this funny guy:

Hannibal Buress



The Ghost Signs of Chicago. There are still a few of of these in town.

If Walker and Kasich think they have government employee issues, look at California. Jerry Brown adopted a real mess.

Exercise Yard

Speaking of "Seinfeld", the poisoning of the Auburn trees is nuts. That Bama fan holds a grudge longer than Khomeini.

Visitor

32 Across: #1 tennis player for much of the '80s (9 letters) Answer: Ivan Lendl

The bowl season has finally ended. Let me say this, I don't know how professional gamblers do it. Here I am, in this pool for the bowls, and I found myself watching more post-season NCAA football than ever. Yes, that was me watching the Kraft Hunger Bowl late on Sunday, pleading with Boston College to score in a 20-10 game, as I was getting 9.5 points. They obliged with a late, barely-made field goal to make it 20-13.

BTW, I have to go back to Christmas Eve and blame Tulsa for my avid interest this year. While driving home late after dinner, I had the Hawaii Bowl on the radio, lamenting the fact that Hawaii was getting killed. Two days later, I realized I had picked Tulsa over Hawaii and that gave me a 5-2 start. Somehow, that signalled to me that it was "Game on".

So, the Kraft Hunger Bowl allowed me to be in the running for not even first, but second place in the pool. That shows how crazy it was. All for a tie for second place, but with a cash prize. I had Oregon getting 3.5 points, and expecting a track meet, I had 81 points in the Tie-Breaker to win second place. As soon as I heard this from Kirk Herbstreit on Oregon's first drive: "Oregon is running a formation they have not used all year...", I knew I was cooked. That said to me that Oregon didn't feel they could beat Auburn using their prolific offense, so they had to try and outsmart Auburn. Hence, new plays, trick plays, any new look to confuse the opposition. I shut it off at 11:00, knowing my point total would not be reached. Not even close. So, I guess I'm happy Oregon covered, but it didn't mean anything to me.

However, I may have stumbled upon the proper betting technique. In this pool, you pick all 35 bowls ahead of time. That means any spreads that change, coaches that get fired, and other items don't matter. By December 17th, you have to look into the crystal ball and make your picks for all the games. I did and out of the 35 bowl games, I was 25-10 against the spread. Maybe I should bet events three weeks out from here on. OK, I spent maybe 20 minutes on the whole process, but still, I was awfully prescient this season.

And my interest really picked up on New Year's Day. That was really the make or break day for me, as I had kinda stumbled between the holidays. And I had a good New Year's, picking 5 of the 6 games correctly. After the early non-cover of Texas Tech over Northwestern on 1/1, I had the next 12 games in a row right, to put me back in contention.

So, what did I learn?

Virtually every team that scored first ended up winning. If you fell behind early, you were cooked. As a matter of fact, I think the only comebacks from a significant margin were Florida International over Toledo (17 points) and Louisville over Southern Miss (14 points). I had both Florida International and Southern Miss and they beat the spread.

Bad beats?

The late interception return by Iowa over Missouri cost me.

The salute after a TD by the Kansas State receiver against Syracuse. Missed the subsequent 2-pointer, which may have led to an overtime win.

Northwestern had a late interception return against Texas Tech.

Worst games (Blowout Division)?

Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14.

Alabama 49, Michigan State 7.

Troy 48, Ohio 21.

Worst game (Non-Blowout Division)?

Central Florida 10, Georgia 6.

Total misreads?

Did not see these wins at all: Illinois over Baylor, Washington over Nebraska, Maryland over East Carolina.

Late steals?

By far, the late Florida Pick-6 against Penn State with 55 seconds left. That was the only way I could win that one. Florida giving 7.5 and up by 6. It was either Penn State scoring or, if not, Florida running out the clock.

Wisconsin, getting 3.5, and scoring a TD with 2 minutes left against TCU to make it 21-19. They blow the conversion, TCU runs out the clock, OT is avoided, spread is beat.

Meal of Links

It may be getting near the end for Borders Looks like it's another Circuit City.

This will make you think. Or cry.

Seattle superhero gets "Kick-Assed". Unbelievably funny.

Peter Yates died the other day. "Bullitt" is still one of my all-timers. The scene where Steve McQueen's Mustang first appears in the bad guys rear-view mirror, and obviously the subsequent chase, is a classic. There should be a tribute on Turner. If there is, "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" needs to be included. Absolutely loved that one.

DVR alert. First, I'm gonna try the boxing series on FX. "Lights Out" premieres tonight. Tomorrow, "The Dude Abides" is on PBS. And if you have to ask who The Dude is, well...Thursday, Michel Gondry directs "Jimmy Kimmel Live".

A look back at the Ravishing one. Rick Rude.

Diet Myths. From the "Eat This, Not That" dude.

Jenny McCarthy and vaccines. Again.

Here he is. Johnny Paycheck, Job Shover. That one song clearly obscures his greatness.

ABC gives the Oscars more red carpet treatment, up to 90 minutes this year. Hopefully, better hosts!

Palin's missed opportunity. Seems she'll lay low for a while.

Exercise Yard

Michigan signed Brady Hoke as its new coach. Probably not a bad choice. He comes Lloyd Carr-approved and for a defensive coach, he surprisingly has had some prolific offenses.

He had Nate Davis at Ball State, and if you watched the bowls like I did, San Diego State had a fun offense to watch. Can easily see him improving the team immediately.

Visitor

43 Across: Actor Neeson (4 letters) Answer: Liam

I think we've all heard about the homeless guy who has these great pipes and then there's a video by the side of the road in Columbus, then there's a job offer from the Cavs, acceptance of work from MSNBC and Kraft, then there's also visits to the "Today Show". All the time, my spider-sense is tingling (well, maybe my cynical side) about this guy's past.

I mean, no one ever stepped up immediately and said, yeah, used to work with him, a peach of a guy, but he fell on some hard times. Nothing. Not one peep. Now, the truth is coming out bit by bit and no one wants to pee on the parade. I guess, because these feel-good stories sometimes have a dark side to them. And no one wants to admit that.

I get that this has an "Only in America" feel to it, but jeezy creezy.

I think the worst part was other local media outlets looking for talent among our homeless. Shameless.

Meal of Links

A very special episode of "The Tonight Show". Clips show Johnny Carson in a visit to LA before the permanent move a few years later.

Cable TV doesn't really like Netflix. They will be denied lots of content.

Fireworks. Hooray.

More Top 10 Movies. Love for "Scott Pilgrim".

Italy bans plastic bags. Only biodegradable going forward.

Who knew they still gave out the People's Choice Awards? Looking at the winners, it may be time for an overhaul.

Rich vs. poor. The poor do not exist in the eyes of the rich.

Exercise Yard

The upcoming BCS National Championship Game is the best-selling game in StubHub history. They had to pull the game, because of some sellers who didn't have tickets.

Visitor

41 Across: Reliant Stadium NFL team (6 letters) Answer: Texans

I still have lingering pain with my foot today, but it's better than yesterday. If I move around, it seems OK. But, I didn't do too much of anything.

After spending much of the morning watching soccer, I found myself watching OSU and Iowa. As a matter of fact, I thought the best thing about the Ohio State game today was Saint Tressel's jacket. that looked sharp.




















Meal of Links

Aw, jeez. Ten reasons parents should love cougar women.

I will have issues with President Obama if he caves on the Bush tax cuts. My patience is wearing thin.

The pain of poker. A really cool read.

LeBron James is one of NBC's People of the Year. No reason to get upset when you realize Kim Kardashian is on the list. I guess Matt Lauer needs ratings.

Fox moves "Idol" to Wednesdays and Thursdays. I thought it was already on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Sometimes you just can't understand verdicts. Jim Leyritz walks.

Exercise Yard

One of hockey's best coaches, Pat Burns, died yesterday. Burns coached 4 teams, and was in charge of the Bruins for a time, but had better success elsewhere with Montreal, Toronto and New Jersey.

Best quote: "You don’t cry because it’s over, you’re happy because it happened."

It's too bad they could not get him in the Hall of Fame. It is strange he got passed over this year.

Canadiens Tribute to Pat Burns



Visitor

33 Down: Quantum theory pioneer (9 letters) Answer: Max Planck

It's been a long-standing history of misleading previews on "Dexter", but I thought this past week was really absurd. In it, we have Lumen in Dexter's old house and someone is trying to come in through the kitchen door. Methinks it's going to be Dexter's sister, Deb.

And another piece indicates that Robocop may have the goods on Dexter and Lumen. Clearly, he has pics of Dexter and Lumen leaving on the boat, but I don't think his long lens took anything else but that. Plus, he is still going on the theory that Lumen and Dexter were an item before Rita was killed. And we know that's wrong.

At least, that's what I gathered this past week.

Meal of Links

One of the guys from "Restrepo", Sal Giunta, will receive the Medal of Honor tomorrow. Very much worth viewing the ceremony, because they are not handing out these medals with great frequency. Book it now. "Restrepo" will debut on the National Geographic Channel on November 29.

NBC shakes it up. Thursday gives you three hours of comedy. "Community" stays at 8, "30 Rock" moves to 10.

"The Night of the Hunter" gets the Criterion treatment. Oh, it's creepy.

All about the Keith Olbermann suspension. Pretty sure Comcast will not tolerate him when it takes over.

PC Magazine picks its top blogs for 2010. Lots of stuff in here.

Exercise Yard

Wrigley hosts football this weekend. It's Northwestern vs. Illinois and not much room beyond the endzone at the outfield wall.

Something like six inches at times.

Visitor

62 Across: Poet ____ St. Vincent Millay (4 letters) Answer: Edna

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

"The Simpsons" Opening by Banksy



Meal of Links

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

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

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

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

"Castle" Bids Farewell to Stephen J. Cannell



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

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

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

Jenn Sterger. The perfect harassment victim?

Anderson Cooper. The accidental gay activist?

Exercise Yard

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

Visitor

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

Browns lose to the Falcons, 20-10.

What did we learn today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next up, it's the Steelers.

Meal of Links

Solomon Burke died today. One of the best.

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

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

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

Truly Awful Onside Kick



Exercise Yard

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

Mariano Rivera for Taco Bell



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

Visitor

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

What is with this pastor who's going to burn Korans on Saturday? I take it, on a good day, he speaks to about 50 people at most. Yet, he can parade around on TV and get more than the 15 minutes he's due, when the world thinks he's a tad overzealous?

Gainesville has a Florida Gator home game this weekend. So, they have to deal with the security of 90,000 at the game and addressing this nutjob at the same time. Could you imagine being in law enforcement and get taken off stadium detail to deal with this crap? I wouldn't be happy.

My sense is that God puts Glenn Beck on hold and tells this pastor to cool his jets on this subject by Saturday. Because he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to call it off.

Meal of Links

What a way to go. The bassist from ELO died by getting crushed by a hay bale.

You think you have problems. Check out these frustrating relationships from literature.





























I don't watch "Psych" very often. But a "Twin Peaks" episode intrigues me.

Now, this is art. A 600-member Hanna Barbera Cartoon Character Matrix.

They watch TV in Canada, too. The best Canadian shows of the past 25 years. "Degrassi", of course, and "The Kids in the Hall" make it.

Jeezy creezy. The judge in that Don Johnson "Nash Bridges" trial doubled his damages to $51 million.

Cannot wait. Donal Logue is back on TV tonight with the debut of "Terriers".

A look back at Tammy Wynette. Of course, they include "D-I-V-O-R-C-E". I think she is very under appreciated these days.

A review of "I'm Still Here". Yep, the Joaquin Phoenix doc draws nigh.

The importance of David Bowie. And a re-release of the 6-song masterpiece, "Station to Station". I just heard "TVC15" a week ago and I marvel at how good it still sounds.

"TVC15" (Live Rehearsal)/David Bowie



Exercise Yard

Lord Football starts tomorrow. Saints vs. Vikings. Look for Drew Brees to start the "Who Dat?" chant.

Visitor

12 Down: Punk rock icon Joey (6 letters) Answer: Ramone

"Judy Is a Punk"/Ramones

The sea was angry that day, my friends...

















Despite the unusually cold weather yesterday, my brother and I did something we had been longing to do for quite some time. Attend a football game at our alma mater! You see, Rhodes is in the Senate Athletic League and because it's a city school (meaning they don't have lights), they rarely play the Saturday home game. Most of their league games start at 3:00 on Fridays. And as Michael Stanley sang last night (another story), "Folks like us, we gotta work...", so it's really not conducive to attending these games.

As a matter of fact, it was the first time I had been back on campus since I left. I mean, when I was there, we didn't even call it a campus. We called it "school".

Anyhow, it turned out to be a blast. Not exactly a huge throng in attendance. The opponents were the Braves of Berea. They've been on hard times lately, as they only had one win in 2009. Against? You got it, the Rhodes Rams. Berea opened the season getting rolled by John Hay and Rhodes shut out neighborhood rival, Brooklyn, in their opener by a score of 27-0. So, an intriguing matchup ensued for the 1:00 Saturday start.

After getting wanded and frisked, we take our seats. The first thought that enters your mind is Rhodes doesn't have a lot of players. As a matter of fact, they suited up only 25 guys. Uh-oh. My pre-game speech involved the old, "Not the size of the man in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the man..." and other such nonsense.

















The second thing you notice is the Berea band's front line has more people than our football team. Rhodes doesn't have a band. They have something called a drum line. Maybe 5 drums, 3 cymbals and some brass only heard on the National Anthem. No uniforms.

















The vaunted Rhodes offense goes on the attack.

















I'm not sure why this happened, but on a 4th-and-1 from their own 31, the Rhodes coach decides to go for it. WTF? They hand off the ball to Justin Sangster and he goes 69 yards for a touchdown. Again, WTF? Rhodes has no kicker (isn't their a local mule anywhere?), so they miss the conversion. Then, weird shit started happening all over. Berea is driving on the ground and decides to throw their first pass. But Rhodes intercepts and Lorenzo Walls runs it back 72 yards for a touchdown! Two huge plays before the locals even realize there is a game today. Next possession for Rhodes, Sangster rips off a 43-yarder for TD. WTF, indeed! Visions of The Greatest Show On Turf are dancing through everyone's heads after this score.

















But, wait. There are still three more quarters of football left. Berea scores a TD. Then Walls rips off another huge play for Rhodes with a 51-yarder for a score. Berea decides they are just going to pound the ball up the middle. It works against an outmanned team and Rhodes starts getting pushed around on defense, for a 26-13 halftime score. This continues into the third quarter, as Berea scores another TD on a 19-yard run.

















So, as the game wears on, Rhodes is doing absolutely nothing on offense. The defense has been pushed around for almost two straight quarters. Berea is driving again. They threw their second pass of the game and the QB hit a wide-open guy right in the hands and he dropped it. An omen, perhaps? Quite possibly, as they tried to hit a pass near the goal line on a 4th down play. Working the tip drill to perfection, LeKeith Harper grabs the ball and runs 103 yards for the interception return! 103 effin' yards! It was unbelievable! Berea has now thrown 3 passes and two of them have been intercepted and returned for TDs. Breathing room returns, as they got the 2-point conversion.

















The Rhodes defense continues to be a sieve and Berea scores another TD in the 4th quarter. Less than 8 minutes remain and Rhodes is once more, hanging on.

















Look out for that man Sangster again. In another bit of go-for-it-in-your-own-territory-on-4th-down insanity, he goes around end for 59 yards! Rhodes is a huge play machine today. The score is now 40-27, with just over 6 minutes to go. Come on, clock!

















Berea scores with only a short amount of time left. Rhodes recovers the onside kick and secures the victory. In an absolutely wild game, the final has Rhodes beating Berea, 40-34.



















As I said, it was loads of fun to go the game and to watch such a mind-blower was the cherry on top. But I gotta mention the refs. I know it's tough to find people willing to ref and you're gonna get a mixed bag. But the refs yesterday were too old and out of shape to be refereeing. The speed, even at the high school level, is just too much.

I saw a guy spot a ball with his foot wedge, because he could not bend down. He also tossed a ball for another guy to spot by underhanding a ball directly into the Rhodes defensive huddle. Same guy hadn't called one holding penalty all day. Then when Rhodes is trying to put the game away, up by 13, he calls holding on two successive plays, one nullifying a game clinching first down.

They never called for a tee after a Rhodes TD. The kicker just dug a divot on the 40 and kicked that way the rest of the game and they scored 6 TDs! The Berea kicker had to wait for his tee, as well. On another occasion, the tee was still on the field, two plays later.

On Harper's 103-yard interception return, it was horrible. He could have stepped out of bounds 7 or 8 times (he did not, but it was tight) and it would not have been called because no one was in position nor could keep up. Shocking.

Clock management was an absolute joke. With no play clock at the field, time is kept on the field. Not one delay of game penalty called on either side, when they were obvious. Very late in the game, the game clock was abused and not one referee took sight of it. One Berea pass downfield took all of two seconds. Another one took (gulp!) 16 seconds.

The end of the game was a joke, as well. Rhodes falls on the Berea onside kick with 5 seconds left. As they line up, the game clock is somehow reset at 10 seconds. As Rhodes takes a knee, the ref throws a flag for illegal motion. Game can't end on an offensive penalty. Doesn't mark off the yardage, basically lets it go, the clock expires, game over. Huh?

Look, I commend the guys for giving back, but that performance was subpar.

Rhodes is now 2-0 for the first time in many years.

Meal of Links

Our annual visit to the Taste of Cleveland was last night. The entertainment was Michael Stanley and the Resonators. Sorry, the guy just does not resonate with me. While others seem to enjoy his take on "Sweet Jane/Wichi Tai To", I am rather bemused by it, as it seems unnecessary. Anyhow, the food I had was pretty good. Chico's Deli has not opened yet, but I had some really good Spanish rice with chicken from there. And the beer (and weather) were cold.

I would have posted this earlier, but I forgot. Ten tricks on improving your memory.

People Walking Into Glass Doors



Arthur C. Clarke predicts the future. In 1964.

I'm in Giant Eagle yesterday and got all excited. The cover of The Globe says Annette Funicello is in her final days. Then I was told I don't have her in The Dead Pool. I did last year.

Naughty by nature? How about dwarfed by nature. Awesome stuff.

A look back at rigging game shows. Today, most of the questions are way too easy.

Hat tip to Paul. For it's Mrs. LeBron Wade!

Exercise Yard

Browns made cuts yesterday to get down to the 53-man roster. I'm not a pessimist, but a realist. If you are still tinkering with the roster at this point and when you keep 12 linebackers, you are, you're in for a long season.

And, once again, two draftees didn't make it.

Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday of a holiday weekend.

Did you ever take a look at something that obviously needed to be fixed, like a water main, and it seems no one's really in a hurry to fix it? Late last week, there seemed to be a water main that burst or a major leak on Ridge Road by Biddulph. Tons of water.

Later that day, there were at least two other places up the road a piece where the water department was addressing situations. I swear one part looked like Old Faithful. Now that was a gusher. I think they needed those fixed, before they could move on.

It's funny, they had the wood prepared to build their walls around the problem for two days and finally had it constructed today. I wonder if they have to wait for experts, or if they are really that busy. Meanwhile, we still have water escaping in parts.

Meal of Links

Inside the secret world of Trader Joe's. I am not sure we learned any deep, dark secrets, but it is interesting.

Do you remember quicksand? All I remember is that it always popped up when you least expected it. And it seemed like a horrendous way to go. Although someone could rescue you, typically with that large, unattended branch that happened to be nearby.

Karl Pilkington travels the world. And then whines about it. Maybe there will be "Monkey News"?

Jim Jarmusch is planning a documentary on the Stooges. Iggy, not Curly.

TicketMaster knows you hate service fees. They are now attempting to change their policy and let you know upfront what you'll be charged. But they will keep charging for the fees.

20 things to know about travel. I have to believe if we had the same off-time as Europe, we would all travel a lot more.

We will get bombarded this week with remembrances of Katrina and rightly so. Here is a record to download to help some organizations in New Orleans.

Damn, it's a traffic jam. One that goes for 60 miles in China.

It's amazing how things can evolve so quickly these days:

"Bed Intruder Song"/North Carolina A&T Marching Band



Frank Costanza goes home. Reminisces about paella. Watch the video, it's rather sweet.

Remembering Hank Thompson. Get that "Six-Pack To Go".

America isn't buying houses. Key quote: "The number is so low that it looks like a statistical aberration: let’s hope it is. Because if it isn’t, the news is gruesome. It means that despite record-low mortgage rates, people aren’t able to buy houses: essentially all the benefit from those low rates is going to people who already own their homes and are taking the opportunity to refinance."

Exercise Yard

Tim Couch has a new job. He'll be an analyst on a weekly SEC show.

Visitor

15 Across: Linguist Chomsky (4 letters) Answer: Noam

It was worse than a snow day today. I bugged out of work a tad early today and escaped with no traffic on 8. Forty-five minutes later...complete mayhem. See, there were accidents that shut down the Turnpike east of me, and 271 was also closed in both directions between 8 and Forbes.

And there was a massive delay northbound on 77 for the morning rush. i saw a a stalled auto carrier in addition to an accident. So, those folks were stopped from at least Wallings to beyond the Turnpike.

Long days all around.

Meal of Links

David Fincher finally picked his Lisbeth Salander. It's Rooney Mara. When he wanted an unknown, he really picked one.

An account of the Tila Tequila incident. They pelted her with rocks and garbage.

Economic charts. China is Number Two with a bullet.

Now this is unexpected. HBO picked up "The Life & Times of Tim". It was cancelled. I admit this show isn't for everyone, but I really like it.

22 TV characters who ruin good shows. Yep, John Burns from "Taxi" and Klinger from "M*A*S*H" show up. Of more recent vintage, Sonny from "Treme" and Rita from "Dexter" (well, not anymore) make it.

Exercise Yard

Joe Pa doesn't look like he's gonna last the season. If your local sports editor asks if he should be driving, That's a cause for concern.

Visitor

10 Across: "Java" trumpeter Al (4 letters) Answer: Hirt

"Java"/Al Hirt

Thought I'd pull this one from the archives.

Germany vs. Greece (Monty Python Style)



Meal of Links

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

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



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

Dennis Kucinich on War



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

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

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

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

Craig Kilborn is back.

Exercise Yard

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

Visitor

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

Boy, Toyota finds itself in a mess. Safety concerns have caused them to stop production on several models. I just happened to hear an interview with a car expert last week and he was going on about the quality issues at Toyota.

Quality is (was?) considered a hallmark of that company. It used to be that Toyota would slowly develop manufacturing facilities in places where they wanted to expand. But, apparently that expansion had become too widespread and quality was suffering big time. They have made executive changes to stem the tide a bit, but the bloom is of the rose now. This production halt being the latest problem.

Meal of Links

I don't think of haggis all that much. But who knew the Scottish version was banned in the US? Not anymore.

A few months ago, Newsday put its Internet content behind a pay wall, Guess how many people decided to pay for that content? 35 subscriptions! The owners? The Dolans, of course.

Dr Pepper is now 125 years old. And that Heritage Dr Pepper tastes pretty damn good.

It's hard to believe I saw David Bowie on what is probably going to be his last tour. I even have a bootleg of that Cleveland show. It was that great. We haven't heard all that much from him since 2004, but there is a DVD of that tour that came out today. It's the "A Reality Tour". Oh, and "Paris, Texas" got the Criterion treatment.

Yes, I have unabashed love for The Who. And, yes, they will do all of the CSI songs.

"Won't Get Fooled Again"/The Who



Old country? Ladies and gentlemen, Kitty Wells.

Twitter fun. About Brett Favre.

What if Comcast lets NBC die? They should put that "Red Zone Channel" on football Sundays and watch the ratings zoom.

Exercise Yard

Two things about that Saints win the other day. The Times-Picayune keeps selling out of their Super Bowl editions.

And the ratings were tremendous. The highest ratings of any show since the "Seinfeld" conclusion. And the highest rated non-Super Bowl since "The Catch", played during a deep freeze in much of the country.

Lord Football does it right these days. It wasn't that long ago where Wild Card and even Conference Championship games were still played at 12:30 and 4:00.

Visitor

16 Across: Big name in tequila (10 letters) Answer: Jose Cuervo