While still puzzled at Chris Berman referring to Retief Goosen as "The Iron Goose"...

I took my niece to see an a.m. version (Hah! My dollar, my rules.) of "Mr. Popper's Penguins". I vaguely remember the children's book as some British business guy ending up with penguins. Written when penguins were not all that popular. But Jim Carrey (has he fallen this far?) takes the lead as a real estate developer. His assistant, Pippi, still uses all words that begin with "p".

Probably the funniest scene (and, believe me, not many to choose from) is when Carrey has to bribe the doorman of his townhouse, so he isn't turned into the board. Angela Lansbury plays the owner of the Tavern on the Green, who will not sell to anyone. Least of all, to Carrey, or so it seems.

Carla Gugino in a pedestrian role as Carrey's ex-wife. Two kids round out Carrey's family. None of them really wanna see Carrey, until the penguins arrive. Bookman from "Seinfeld" plays Carrey's boss.

I will say the overall theme of the penguins presence fueling the family to get back together is so pie-in-the-sky, I hope kids don't fall for that crap. Other than that, an average flick. My niece liked it, hey, she's a kid. I thought maybe 6 on a scale of 1-10, and that's pretty generous. The closing song over the credits? "Ice Ice Baby", silly.

Meal of Links

Catching up with Louis C.K.. "Louie" starts up again this Thursday.

Keith Olbermann returns this week. Have you found Current yet with your remote?

The forgotten treasures of a Gen-X childhood. My favorite? "Halloween Candy Paranoia"!

Clarence Clemons died. Saw him 3 or 4 years ago and he looked bad back then.

The editor of Pollstar says Ticketmaster is not to blame for their fees. It's your favorite artist. Who allows you to blame Ticketmaster. This is what happens when everyone downloads music.

This song is now 25 years old this week...

"Bigmouth Strikes Again"/The Smiths



All the TED talks are here. With descriptions and dates.

Pictures of famous people. With their records. The Brando one kills me.

Exercise Yard

Bruins win the Stanley Cup. And their owner is still a dick.

Visitor

5 Across: Bean counter (10 letters) Answer: Numbers Guy

My day started by finding out I had a slow leak in a tire and it was on its way to going flat. Well, that kinda sucked. I'll have to go Monday to the Slow Leak Shop to take care of that.

BTW, the Halloween candy goes like this for 2010 (a bag each):

Kit-Kat
3 Musketeers
Snickers
Hershey
M&M's
Twix (One kid said, "Twix, yeah!")
Milky Way
Reese's
More Snickers

Standout costumes tonight:

Lady Gaga
Julius Caesar (I asked him, "Et tu?")
Rugby Guy
Lots of Spideys
A Penguin
A toddler as a lamb

Meal of Links

Some of these are gems. The 100 Best Signs from the Rally to Restore Sanity.

Dressing up for Halloween? "Jerry, it's a new relationship killer!"

Roger Ebert talks about lists. He doesn't like 'em.

The future of local commerce. Facebook + Foursquare + Yelp + Groupon. FYI, I rarely look in on Facebook, I mean rarely. I'm not familiar with Foursquare. I use Yelp a lot. Groupon has some good deals every once in a while.

Exercise Yard

Ashton Kutcher. NCAA rules violator. Huh?

Visitor

None, on a Halloween Sunday.

Drew (picking up Clooney air miles these days) and I were at O's last night. First time I had a burger there. I selected the J.V. Burger. On an English muffin, with a bit of bacon, tomato, lettuce and bleu cheese. Very good. And, of course, I had the Tomato Soup.

They had the Cavs and the World Series on, as well. So, it was a good time. Drew may be the only person I know who has been to New Brunswick. Not a suburb of Brunstucky. Canada.

Meal of Links

Jim Rome started a day early and warned everyone with his annual "If you are older than 12, and you are wearing a Halloween costume, you are a loser" rant. How appropriate are costumes at work?

Frank Jarvis died. Don't know him? He was a driver in "The Italian Job". You know, the one where Michael Caine says, "Just remember this. In this country they drive on the wrong side of the road."

Could "Moneyball" work at Liverpool? Not sure. Just because there will be a cut in player wages isn't an automatic adoption of "Moneyball" principles. Huge late Saturday match this week: Manchester United vs. Tottenham.

Here are 15 Black Friday myths. I have snagged some good deals on Turkey Day before, without waiting until Friday. This year, I'm trying for a Thermapen.

Remember Newy Scruggs?



Danno gets booked for heaven. Last of the original Five-O cast.

"I'm about to fuck you up with some truth." "Big Love" ends. Both "Bored to Death" and "Eastbound and Down" get renewed by HBO.

Karl Rove blasts Sarah Palin. Keep your eyes on Delaware, Nevada and Alaska on Tuesday.

How do these pumpkin offerings from chains actually taste? I had a pumpkin muffin from Giant Eagle last week that was really good.

The 10 Most Disturbing Horror Scenes of the past decade. Didn't see any of them.

This is old news. Really. I heard this shortly after the controversy died down that this was a prime motive of all involved.

Exercise Yard

A look back at the post-season managing of Mike Hargrove with the Indians. Oh, God, the pain.

They're all here:

1995: Jim Poole in Game 6 of the World Series.

1996: Casey Candaele pinch-hitting for Jim Thome in Game 3 of the ALDS vs. Baltimore. Jose Mesa for a FOURTH inning in Game 4.

1997: Surprisingly devoid of stupidity.

1999: Jaret Wright in Game 3 of the ALCS. Forcing both Bartolo Colon and Charles Nagy to go on three days rest.

2001 (OK, this was by Uncle Cholly): With Ricky Rincon warming up, Bartolo Colon remained in the game to pitch to Ichiro.

Hence, no title since 1948.

Visitor

2 Down: Stern with a Strad (5 letters) Answer: Isaac

While watching Roy Halladay throw only the second no-hitter in postseason baseball history...

I saw a movie the other day that I don't think old timers would like. Gale and I took in "The Social Network" on Monday. Hey, only $4.50 at the AMC and you put the butter on your popcorn.

It was good, but I'm not sure it lived up to some of the hype that I saw ahead of time. The story is about the founding and subsequent early days of Facebook. Not done chronologically with hopping back and forth between two legal depositions. Because Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had a tendency to screw over people and didn't seem to care. I mean, this guy is portrayed as one giant asshole. An extremely unlikeable character. Of course, why would the real Mark Zuckerberg care. He's the world's youngest billionaire and could make his own movie if he wanted.

Written by Aaron Sorkin, so we were going to get some rat-a-tat dialogue. David Fincher directed and kept things moving along nicely. It clocks in at two hours and it's got a nice pace from the opening chords of the White Stripes "Ball and Biscuit" to the inevitable conclusion. BTW, Trent Reznor with the score.

The two leads, Jesse Eisenberg (as Zuckerberg) and Andrew Garfield (as his best friend co-founder) do a terrific job and nominations may be talked about. Justin Timberlake is along for the ride as Sean Parker, a co-founder of Napster, who convinces a clearly hypnotized Zuckerberg to go to California. Rooney Mara is a friend of Zuckerberg's who provides the original motivation for the development of Facebook. Fincher has tabbed her for his version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo".

Meal of Links

There is a new Sad Keanu. It's the Cigar Guy from this Tiger Woods photo at the Ryder Cup:





































I am guessing he was dressed as Miguel Angel Jimenez, the Most Interesting Man in the World...er...the Spanish golfer.

Before the Giants-Browns game a few years ago, I described "The Pit" as a descent into hell. Well, Network Parking is now charging a "Pedestrian Fee" just to walk through or meet friends down there. Plus, it now costs $30 to park there.

They finally got around to Loretta Lynn. Hooray!

"Portland, Oregon"/Loretta Lynn and Jack White



Help with your Halloween costume. Well, Joaquin Phoenix looks original.

Behind the Scenes with "Dexter". Via TV Guide.

Here's an odd anniversary. The NC-17 rating is 20.

Joe Miller incurs the wrath of the Palins. Palin is not exactly helping Carly Fiorina in California either.

The 25 most valuable cable channels. What a crime. Fox Soccer Channel is not listed.

Is anyone guarding Puerto Rico today? The largest police corruption case in FBI history came to light today.

Sun Chips finally gives up on the biodegradable bag, except for the flagship flavor. God, that thing was noisy. Sheesh, sales dropped 11% since the bag was introduced.

Rick Sanchez apologizes.

"Under Pressure"/Homeless Puppeteer Guy



Homeless puppeteer guy is not homeless. But others need help, if you can.

Exercise Yard

Red Sox owners want to purchase Liverpool. They need help, not only financially, but on the pitch.

Visitor

5 Down: Harris of country (7 letters) Answer: Emmylou

Another Halloween has come and gone. At first, I thought there were no Caucasians trick-or-treating. But man, it was starting to get cold, so after 60 minutes of distribution, I ran out of the candy I wanted to give away.


















Best Costume: By far, Michael Jackson. The kid had it down. Sunglasses, hat, glove, shoe, jacket. It prompted this exchange:

MJ (in full character): "Trick or Treat-ah!"
Me: "Michael, I thought you died."
MJ: "Naw, I'm still around."
Me: "Still a Thriller, eh?"

Second Best Costume: Captain America (with shield).

Third Best Costume: A penguin. Not THE penguin, A penguin. Off the charts on the "Awwwwwww!" Scale of Cute.

Worst Costume: Guy pulls up in a Time Warner Cable car. "Hey, that guy is dressed like The Cable Guy!". I really need an audience of more than 2 neighbors on Halloween.

Second Worst Costume: Guy on crutches trying to catch up with his family, is in the middle of the street until he arrives at my neighbor's sidewalk.

Me: "I take it that's not a costume?"
(Crickets)
(Family gets candy, he walks away)
Me: "Apparently not."

Third Worst Costume: Some kid was dressed as Matt Hasselbeck, quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. A big WTF.

Worst Trend: Clueless kids being escorted around in strollers by Moms. Seemed to be a candy grab for the Moms, while Junior had no idea what the hell he was freezing his ass for. Although someone texted me saying Mom was looking for a certain type of candy...Sugar Daddy.

Best Trend: No Halloween lights on the block this year! Oh, we had a gravesite and someone had scary music playing, but I did not have the orange-and-black wakeup call this year.

Second Best Trend: Not once did I have to ask someone: "How old are you?". As Tim Robbins once said, "...you know, for the kids."

Favorite Candy: Kids were choosing the Nestle Crunch. I had thought that was surpassed a long time ago. Really, it's the first time I gave that away in eons.

Meal of Links

How to build a bigass HDTV antenna. I'll never do it, but I must say, Time Warner Cable remains the devil. I had two days this week where more than half of the HD channels were not even tuned. Of course, after I make an appointment for service, they magically appeared later the next day.

Ten Sex Scenes Involving Costumes. Meh.

Making a case in the defense of extreme pornography. Let's just say, Roman Polanski gets more coverage than these folks.

"Dexter" is still pulling in viewers. It is the one show I never fail to watch. I rather liked Deb's crying scene last week. Done a la David Lynch, I thought. Not the weepy, whiny stuff, but the real-life-can't-catch-your-breath stuff.

Exercise Yard

How the World Series may have turned last night on a stupid pitch. As memories of Sam McDowell suddenly enter my head.

Visitor

None, on a refreshed Daylight Savings Sunday.

Here are some idle thoughts:

I think I bought too much candy for Halloween. I had several coupons and must have blacked out as I walked in. Anyhow, I bought bags of: Kit-Kat, 3 Musketeers, 3 Musketeers Mint, Hershey's Chocolate, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfinger and Nestle Crunch. Yikes!

I failed to mention the Browns dumb penalty the other day. Shaun Rogers tripped a guy! Yeah, he was taken out of the play and with his back to the runner, stuck his leg out. It worked, then he got 15 yards.

I like the smell of Suave Humectant shampoo.

I've really been getting into the ESPN "30 For 30" docs. The one last night on the Ali-Holmes fight was the best, thus far. Howard Cosell on the broadcast: "Legends die hard...". What a shame to see Ali already battling the effects of Parkinson's Syndrome. Hard to imagine he had another fight after this one. But nice to see Larry Holmes, truly the forgotten Champ.

The fee for bouncing a check at National City is now $34.

I believe I have successfully avoided anything regarding Christmas at this early date. But I sense the tidal wave rumbling.

Gale and I saw "The Informant" the other day. It was just OK and Matt Damon was good, but it's a very different sort of movie. I enjoyed the book a lot more.

"On the Road with Charles Kuralt" is now out on DVD. WTF? No "Mannix", but this?

I am always surprised at how good "The Point After" is on Mondays after a Browns game. Best local sports show in eons.

Speaking of sports, here is a quote from Manny Acta's press conference regarding acclimating his players over the winter or waiting until spring training: "Winter is too far away, my friend. That starts tomorrow." Yep. Manny Acta, the Most Interesting Manager in the World.

Meal of Links

Curry spice kills cancer cells. And nose hair.

Larry David peed on Jesus and I thought it was one of the funniest things I've seen. But, alas, some don't agree.

Vigilantes have found a home in Mexico.

The DirecTV ads are always kinda fun. But I'm not sure about the latest one with David Spade and Chris Farley.

Ridiculous rap lyrics. "I live by two words: "Fuck you, pay me". Uh, Kanye, that's four.

Brad Lidge, Phillies closer. And religious archaeologist?

Exercise Yard

OK, start the tidal wave. I want this book for Christmas.

Visitor

47 Down: Robert of "The Sopranos" (4 letters) Answer: Iler

LeBron James hosts Jay-Z in Last Chance for Change

Last night, Gale and I saw Jay-Z. I had not seen Jay-Z in the flesh before, but thought this would be a great opportunity to check him out. Of course, this was under the guise of a concert sponsored by the Ohio Democratic Party. The agenda was encouraging people to vote and all, but really everyone was there to see Jay-Z.

The Venue: Quicken Loans Arena. This was a General Admission show where gates opened at 6:30 for an 8:00 start. Even the uppers were opened for this one.

Stage Banter: Quite frankly, LeBron looked like a fool for most of the night. He was on stage for virtually all of Jay-Z’s performance. If Jay-Z was on the left, LeBron would be on the right and vice versa. Never really getting in the way, but inserting himself into the proceedings was downright strange. Thank God, he didn’t have a mike. Let me be sure everyone understands. He rapped along with Jay-Z on virtually every song, but did not have a mike. I mean, Jay-Z already has one “rap partner”, Memphis Bleek, on a few tunes, he doesn’t need another. LeBron would stroll to the front or side of the stage and wave his arms, point, or in general look out of place.

Imagine, if you will, you on stage with your favorite artist. You can’t sing, you can’t play an instrument. You’re just there, hogging the spotlight. While people utter, WTF?

Here’s what LeBron said: “You know who I'm voting for, I'm voting for Obama…For real!". Ugh!

Jay-Z chimed in with a: “We're here to have fun tonight, but there's an important election coming up. We the youth are going to show them our power." For real, I say! He also pulled a “Peace and love” comment a la Ringo Starr.

And, of course, he shouted out to all the “niggaz” and “muthafuckas” in the house. More than once. I got lumped into the “Westside” comment.

The Tickets: As I said, this was a General Admission show. I got my tickets from the Obama Election Office in Kent last Friday. I got floor seats. Lower-level and upper-level seats were also distributed, but if you wanted to get a prime location, you had to get there early. No way would we do that. We were able to watch the Obama commercial and then stroll in about 8:40. We set up near the press location near the back of where you could stand on the floor. Wasn’t really that bad back there, lots of room to move and drink my beer in peace.

The Crowd: I have never been in a venue with that many black people before. No lie. Of the 20,000 in attendance, I estimate maybe 1,000 were white. And thank God, Frank Jackson was there. Yes, the mayor saved me from chaperone status. Although the PD interviewed some 63-year old, who was probably cowered in a loge somewhere.

My brother and I saw George Clinton many moons ago at Peabody’s. I’m not sure if the ratio of black-to-white was greater, but the sheer scope of the crowd was something to see.

The Sound: The sound was excellent once again at the Q. It’s all in where you sit (or stand) these days, I believe. Jay-Z has a band that really rocks out and those guys were in fine form. No worries here.

Opening Act: There wasn’t any. Oh yeah, that had a lame DJ who tried to keep the crowd occupied until 7:55, from what I heard. Then the Obama commercial was shown from 8:00 to 8:30. As we walked in, the Politician Parade started. First, Frank Jackson came out. Don’t believe the hype, he got booed. A lot. Then Chris Redfern, the chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, came out representing the white people in the hizzy house. After him, an unknown man came out. Jay-Z came on about 9:10.

The Stage: Awesome setup. He has a video screen on each side of the stage. And a much larger video screen hovers above, almost the length of the stage. Jay-Z has a “rap partner” with him up front. And his band is dressed in ties, black vests and pants, and white shirts.

This band was unbelievably good. In the back, left to right, he has three horns, percussion, drums and keyboards. In the front, left to right, it’s keyboard/DJ, bass, and guitar. Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek roam around the front of the stage, with Lebron there for good measure. Great mix of sound and visuals.

The Music: Jay-Z played for around 80 minutes, the show lasting from 9:10 til about 10:30. I must say, if you ever get the chance, you need to see him live, he is the real deal. I put him on par with Springsteen or U2, where mostly everyone knows the words and sings along to every song. It is quite the spectacle. I know tickets were free, but whatever he would charge for a concert, is fair. The man knows how to put on a show. It’s not hard to see why his music still resonates with the youth, he is an amazing entertainer.

Setlist:

“Say Hello”
“U Don't Know”
“Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)...”
“Jigga My Nigga”
“Can I Live”
“Blue Magic”
"Minority Report"
“Public Service Announcement (Interlude)”
“Swagga Like Us”
“Put On (Remix)”
“Dirt Off Your Shoulder”
“A Billi Freestyle”
“I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)”
“Jigga What, Jigga Who (Originator 99)”
“Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”
“Can I Get A...”
“Show Me What You Got”
“I Know”
“Excuse Me Miss”
“La, La, La”
“Song Cry”
“Memphis Bleek Song”
“99 Problems”
“Jockin' Jay-Z”

Encore:

“Big Pimpin'”
“Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem)”

Last Chance for Change Video



Meal of Links

Harry Shearer checks in. Catch Le Show, Sundays at 1:00 on 90.3, if you can. I still marvel at how good of a radio show that is.

How can you not like "Rounders"? Great on the big screen. Which reminds me, I should program that Playhouse Square summer movie schedule. I'd get asses in the chairs for sure. This movie turned my opinion, to the better, on Matt Damon. And, absolutely sold me on Edward Norton's acting ability. For being a supporting actor, his scenes absolutely leap off the screen in this one.

Roger Ebert with advice for film critics. Very funny.

The Onion had Roy the Forklift Driver from Ohio 15 years ago. History repeats.

Kids today are not ingenious enough to use the Halloween Candy Code. Of course, they love me around here.

Exercise Yard

I guess this is how you celebrate winning the World Series. With a bottle to the head!



Visitor

36 Across: First name in country (5 letters) Answer: Merle

Today is always one of the best days of the year. The men in my family came over for another viewing of The Breeders Cup. This event now incorporates two days of racing. Friday is for the ladies, Saturday is for the Men. So, we men watched six hours of horse racing from Santa Anita, where it was a nice 92 degrees with no fires locally.

Didn't bet this year, as I really had watched very little racing since the Triple Crown and hardly read anything this week. But the juices got flowing while watching some races a few weeks ago and I suggested we put the big TV to work today. The broadcast was split between ABC and ESPN. My God, ABC's bass was working terribly. I could not figure out if this was a Channel 5 problem, an ABC problem, or a Time Warner Cable issue. Anyhow, the sound was incredibly bad and I could not wait for 3:30 to come around to see the rest of the races on ESPN. The sound issue went away, thank goodness, on ESPN. But that sound issue remained a problem throughout the Michigan-Michigan State and Ohio State-Penn State games on ABC, so I have no idea who was at the switch.

Since the racing was from Santa Anita, we get Trevor Denman and his "Away they go." calls. he did a much better job this year. And even without wagering, you get to see the most unique venue for a race in the States. And that is the turf course at Santa Anita where they employ the hill. When they start the race on TV, you don't even think you're watching a race from the same course. It's almost like "over the river and through the woods" racing. They used it for one race today, a 6-1/2 furlong sprint on the grass, where Richard Migliore, "The Mig", won on Desert Code:

Breeders Cup Turf Sprint



Later on, of course, they asked Frankie Dettori, a European jockey, about the difference between American grass and European grass, where I always get to reply: "I'd say it's less harsh." Oh, we said many jokes today.

Here's Frankie leaping after one of his two wins:



























You know, in his younger days, Dettori used to really get up in the air on these, where it could be legitimately called a flying dismount. Looking at this picture, it looks goofy, as if he tripped getting out of the saddle or something. Hopefully, it's the camera angle. I fear it is age creeping in, however.

Since it was near Hollywood, we saw: Kurt Russell, Dennis Hopper, Turtle, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Bo Derek (still gettin' it done, BTW), Ahnold, Gary Player, Stacy Kiebler, the All-Star Buglers (with "Bohemian Rhapsody" before a call to the post) to name a few.

But we had lots of fun this year and hope to attend Churchill two years from now. Hell, it's back in Santa Anita next year and hey, let's think about that one, while we're at it.

Meal of Links

Halloween candy is purchased. Here is the list:

Butterfinger
100 Grand
Milky Way
Dark Chocolate 3 Musketeers with Mint
Snickers

Speaking of Halloween. Try your hand at Cat Bowling.

Sarah Palin is a "diva". That quote comes from the McCain camp, incidentally.

Check out O'Reilly's Electoral Map. Hahahahahahahahaha!

Unlimited solar power. Wouldn't that be nice. Somehow cheap and easy to implement sounds good, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Exercise Yard

This is what makes boxing so interesting, you never know. ShoBox had a fight on last night with a finish that looked very fishy.

The ref explains himself.



Visitor

28 Down: "The Getaway" actress (10 letters) Answer: Ali MacGraw

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

Ron Howard (and Friends) on the Election



Meal of Links

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

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

A giant spider eating a bird. No, really.

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

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

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

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

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

Check out Dubai!

Exercise Yard

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

Visitor

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

Another Halloween is in the books. For the first time in a long time, I actually had leftovers from last night. I think the time change really hurt my neighborhood. There was not a lot of activity by me until after 6:30. So, I didn't get out there until 6:45 and really had 35 minutes or so before it was dead. Plus, not as many houses were participating.

(CoCo and Ice-T)






























Highlights:

The best costume, by far, was Sexy Pirate Mom who was accompanying her spawn. Wearing one of those Errol Flynn swashbuckling outfits. She can swab my deck anytime.

The older kids do not even try anymore. I had one kid who had a mask on top of his head. I told him, "I didn't think I'd have to card anyone tonight." His friend was so old, I told him, "You should be giving me candy." I gave them both Tootsie Pops in a defiant move. After I was done, I walked over to Subway, where I saw the maskless one smoking.

(Becks and Posh look-alikes)























Not much imagination at all. I saw a Darth Vader that was pretty cool, but is this 1986?

An odd girl said, "Trick or Treat", opened her bag, then took off before I could put candy in her bag. I asked her to come back and her Mom asked, "Was she scared?". I said, "No, impatient."

One kid was dressed as T.O. I gave him two pieces of candy, because I told him he had guts. Of course, his T.O. outfit was an Owens jersey and a Cowboys cap. He should have done pushups in everyone's driveway or had pills spilling out of his pockets or something.

I had one Spidey, a Buzz Lightyear, an Incredible, a Jason and way too many princesses.

One little "angel" actually grabbed a handful of candy from the bowl. Oh, no, you dint. She then chose one.

My Dad handed out Dum-Dums again. Dum-Dums! I told him you know they hate you when they leave. He understands, because he likes to bitch about Halloween. He discriminates this way: Locals get 2, the members of the vanned-in crowd get one.

Speaking of transients, it wasn't too long before the traditional minivan of Hispanics parked by my house. The door opens and it resembles the clown car at the circus. I swear, 50 kids come pouring out and all you hear is "Mira aqui!". Oh, it's quite the sight.

(Kyle MacLachlan)




















One house on my street actually had a keg going. Not sure if that was for parents strolling by, or for themselves, or maybe the kids. I should have introduced myself, "Hi, I'm Thirsty."

One mother was several houses away from her brood. As she passed my house, I heard her mutter this to herself, "I hope this ends soon, I gotta pee."

Meal of Links

The Weblog Award nominees are up. Always a great place to find something new.

I don't think the Chinese have anything to do with this pizza recall. I don't buy these brands anyhow.

Don Imus returns on December 3. Looks like no TV and no satellite radio. For now.

Exercise Yard

Eagles coach Andy Reid lives in a house described as a "drug emporium". And no, he doesn't live at Wakgreen's.

Visitor

25 Across: Bond (15 letters) Answer: Film Secret Agent

Manny Ramirez tuning in to that old Cleveland refrain, "Wait Until Next Year":




























Game 7 Thoughts

Joel Skinner has to send Kenny Lofton from second base on the ball that ricocheted off the leftfield stands. The crime is Skinner is normally aggressive windmilling runners in (see Peralta, Game 2 against the Yanks). On this particular play, at the very least, Gutierrez gets to second on the throw home. If Lofton is out, the tying run remains in scoring position. If he's safe, the go-ahead run is now on second. That is a big momentum shift. I've watched the play several teams and Skinner obviously makes the decision too quick. Manny Ramirez couldn't charge the ball and scoop and fire. He would have had to pick up a ball that had stopped rolling with a bare hand and throwing motion all at once and make a perfect throw to get a guy with speed. I would have risked it.

Lofton was clearly safe on his attempted double earlier. Very curious there were no arguments, mainly from Lofton, but where was the bench?

Travis Hafner had the ugliest series you could imagine. Very poor.

Jake Westbrook defied the Fox broadcasters by lasting six innings. Very tough in innings 4 through 6, BTW. Geez, McCarver and Buck seemingly wanted to see C.C. in relief for some reason. More double plays from Westbrook in this game.

Oddest thing was current Oriole and former Red Sox player Kevin Millar at the game. Not only attending, but throwing out the first pitch at Fenway and reading the Boston lineup on Fox. One of the biggest WTFs of the season.

Dice-K was becoming pretty shaky through five innings and the Red Sox did him good by yanking him. Still nibbles way too much, but the walks were not there last night.

Jhonny Peralta was the master of getting the bad hop in this series. It's amazing he wasn't killed.

Boston bullpen was tough, especially Papelbon. He is unbelievable.

How bout that guy in the first row with the Robert Redford imitation last night? Red scarf and all.

Rafael Betancourt finally had a bad game, at the worst possible time. I can't remember the last time a team ganged up on him.

Yukon Cornelius hit a ball that might still be orbiting our fine planet.

Joe Borowski had very little effect the entire playoff run. That was a miracle.

Really, it's not the day for this kind of talk:

"We still love our Indians."

"We're so proud of our team."

"They can hold their heads high."

Quite frankly, this collapse makes me wonder if any team in this town will win a title. Can't blow a 3-1 series lead, just cannot do it. The Tribe loses the game and series, 11-2.

Meal of Links

More on Chief Wahoo. Maybe he's the reason behind any sort of curse.

Just in time for Halloween. Scary Movie Scenes, so turn the lights on. Movie links are on the side, some with video. Oh boy, there's "Blue Velvet" when Frank comes home. "Marathon Man", tee hee. "Reservoir Dogs" with the ear. Good to see "Night of the Hunter", Robert Mitchum is one creepy guy. "Mulholland Drive" is number one. Lots of good ones, with some flicks represented more than once. And please read Quint's story from "Jaws" out loud with his accent.

TripAdvisor has a listing for Schrute Farms. I'm wishing for "The Office" to get back to the 30-minute episodes soon.

Exercise Yard

I don't have the NFL Network. Well, I did when I had Adelphia, but the big sucking sound of Time Warner Cable sent it down a black hole. Hell, I'd pay for the damn thing. Anyhow, the NFL Network isn't doing well. Or so it seems.

Visitor

18 Down: Janet of "Psycho" (5 letters) Answer: Leigh

Boy, this warm weather is great. Especially in time for playoff baseball. I decided to order Chinese for the game last night and also realized I need to get to the grocery soon. I like hot and sour soup and it was especially tasty yesterday.

Also had a visit from the General and it was good.

Meal of Links

Will music eventually be free? This Radiohead experiment is very interesting. I joined up already.

Patrick McGoohan has a biography out. I believe USA is doing a remake and a 40th Anniversary Edition of "The Prisoner" is out on DVD.

It's good to be the King. Even for Halloween. Doesn't he play for the Browns? Funny, I have an old Shawn King jersey. If I paired it up with this mask...

Who knew Charlie Brown was in the majors? Ted Lilly serves one up for the Cubs.

Exercise Yard

Thoughts on the Tribe game:

In C.C. Sabathia's last playoff start in 2001, the Indians beat Seattle, 17-2. Last night, it was 12-3 over the Yanks. His playoff run support, thus far, is overwhelming.

I'm not sure what to make of Kenny Lofton's acquisition. I'm of the opinion he didn't do too much of anything since he got here. Until last night. Lofton had only 14 RBIs since his arrival. Last night, he had 4.

I don't know what to make of Kenny Lofton's DHL commercial. Sure, it's funny. But how come his eventual stopping point, Cleveland, was not mentioned?

I believe there is a new show on TBS, "Frank TV", with Frank Caliendo. I don't think they advertise it enough.

The key inning for the game was the Yankee fifth. Derek Jeter not bunting with men on first and second and no outs is rather un-Yankeelike for the playoffs. I know Jeter's career batting average against Sabathia is .500, but that situation screams bunt. Especially since Bobby Abreu, hitting behind Jeter, had already walked twice. Then A-Rod follows him. As it turned, after Jeter's out, Abreu's double, and A-Rod's walk, Posada's at-bat became the game-changer. After falling behind, C.C. went to his old tricks and just brought the heat. His strike three to Posada was the best pitch he threw all night and he threw 115 pitches. C.C. got Posada and the next hitter and he was done. But what should have been a huge inning for the Yankees pretty much sealed their fate.

Is the sign, "Sorry Wang, Wong Number" in bad taste or just edgy?

The Indians emptied the bullpen late to give the guys some work and they were good. Perez, Lewis, Betancourt allowed Jobo to not enter the game. Keep in mind, he needs work soon.

Fear of the Indians not hitting was put to rest early as they worked Chien-Ming Wang for several walks and hits before his departure in the fifth. Nice homers from Cabrera, Martinez (the big blow), Hafner and my favorite, Ryan Garko. Wang gave up two homers in a game for only the second time this season. If there is a Game 5, our hitters' confidence should be high.

When the righties were up last night, that guy in the first row with the cellphone was absolutely killing me. Then his kid joined the act. Ugh!

The Tribe wins, 12-3.

Visitor

48 Across: "The Cosby Show" son (4 letters) Answer: Theo

I ran into the Best Buy at Steelyard Commons today. But it wasn't an ordinary Best Buy. It was like a Mini-Best Buy. They only have two cashiers. I didn't walk around too much. It seemed the TV section was comparable, and I didn't get a good look at the DVD/CD sections. Not sure if I was disappointed, as it probably meets the needs of most people in the neighborhood.

Meal of Links

It was 50 years ago today, Sputnik began to play. Actually it's tomorrow.

Go to Slacker.com. Click on Slacker Spotlight. Then click on SPIN Punk. First song I hear is "See No Evil" by Television. Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Then I skip a few tunes and there is "I'm Waiting For The Man" by Velvet Underground. OK, I'm sold.

Gene Simmons on a pumpkin. Bono, too.

Exercise Yard

The Tribe starts their playoff series against the Yanks tomorrow night. My fear is the Yankee lineup hitting and our lineup failing to hit. I think we are OK with Sabathia and Carmona pitching Games 1 and 2. What I don't like is if we split the first two games, it's Westbrook and Byrd in NYC. Not thrilled about that. I think C.C. has to start Game 4, regardless of who is leading 2-1.

And then there's Jobo to close the games. Let's start crossing everything now, saying those prayers and lighting some candles.

Visitor

40 Down: Fictional crime family name (8 letters) Answer: Corleone

I wasn't waiting for an armoire or anything, but I headed over to The Souper Market after work. Last week, I missed out on some sort of butternut squash bisque, but I noticed one of the special soups this week was Mullagatawny. Mullagatawny, yes! Oh man, was it good.

And I got my bread, but no nice face discount. Mmmmm.

Meal of Links

I am in a current sleep pattern where I'm hitting the hay about 1:00 or 1:30. Not sure why, it just sorta happened. Here is how you can cheat on your need to sleep. I'm all for taking naps during the day, but isn't that sorta frowned upon in the workplace?

Halloween is coming quicker than you think. Here are the Top 30 Greatest Ghosts. OK, Steve Fossett at #25 made me laugh.

This guy is obviously not a Canadian. However, he gives us great tips on where to store your stash. It's his gift to the world.

Exercise Yard

Who doesn't remember Johnny Utah from "Point Break"? Keanu Reeves as the ex-Ohio State QB turned FBI agent who goes undercover in the surfer community. No stretch there. But there is now a play called "Point Break Live!". Sounds cool. Especially the fact that Keanu's part is played by a randomly chosen audience member who reads cue cards, because "...this method manages to capture the rawness of a Keanu Reeves performance...".

Visitor

27 Across: Member of a popular '70s Scottish rock group (13 letters) Answer: Bay City Roller