Connie Schultz leaves the PD. Probably under a cloud, as her Tea Party mea culpa was a scant two weeks ago. Generally, I thought she had an important voice, but for some, they couldn't get beyond Mrs. Sherrod Brown was in their paper. All you need to know is to read the comments on Cleveland.com to find out there is no middle ground.

Meal of Links

Aaaaar, matey! It's International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

It's your Emmy winners. I obviously watch the wrong programs.

A Feist sighting! It's been a while. I think it's been at least 1-2-3-4, probably 5 years.

Look at what Best Buy was selling 15 years ago. 28.8 modems! Packard Bell equipment! You Don't Know Jack games! VHS movies!

Another dumb politician.

Netflix has survived a lot over the years. Lately, it seems they cannot do anything right. It's obvious they need to concentrate more on streaming, while not totally abandoning DVDs. Now, they can't even name the spinoff without catching heat.

Exercise Yard

College realignment is all the rage currently. But, look at the current Big East. They expanded in 2005 (including Marquette, Louisville and Cincinnati) and now certain schools, like Pitt and Syracuse, several years later decide, eh, it's not so good here. Eventually we get those 4 super conferences and a football playoff system.

Nate Silver makes your head hurt with stats.

Visitor

45 Across: Scotch partner (4 letters) Answer: Soda

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

Housh Still Rules Fantasy



Kills me every time.

Meal of Links

The Dude lives. At the NYC Lebowski Fest.

Nate Silver on Rick Perry's electability. I just can't see it. I actually like what Jon Huntsman (However, he blew the Iowa debate) and Gary Johnson (He skipped Iowa every way possible) have to say, but they have worse than a snowball's chance.

Edmunds has a new car inventory tool. Instructions here.

Time has the Top 50 Websites of 2011. Pretty nice selection.

McNulty from "The Wire" is in a BBC America show like "Mad Men" with a bit of "Rubicon". I watched the first episode. I'm in.

The summer of the Woodman continues. "Midnight In Paris" is actually adding theatres. It is a good one.

Exercise Yard

The legend that was, or could have been, of Arvydas Sabonis. The greatest Lithuanian hoopster of all time.

Visitor

42 Down: Laker teammate of Magic (6 letters) Answer: Kareem

I already have a deposit down on a new roof, so days like this remind me of why I need a new one. Probably will be done sometime in the next 3 or 4 weeks. Minor nuisance, but I expect nice weather until this thing gets constructed.

Meal of Links

Pawlenty gives up. That concludes an awful week for him. But he was a cipher as candidate.

A rather lengthy conversation with John Sayles. Maybe the last of the independents.

Julian Assange says the UK riots allow the government to trample more rights. Especially cyber rights.

Speaking of social media and "flash mobs'. Philadelphia has had a rough go lately. Mayor tells curfew-age kids to buy a watch. We don't have any apps with a BlackBerry, but we sure have encryption!

Exercise Yard

Choo is back. Fukudome is hitting similar to Beltran, thus far. Kipnis is tearing it up. Orlando Cabrera is now OPSing worse than when he was here.

Bullpen seems to be coming back around. Chris Perez with two easy saves in a row.

Although there was a rainout today, things are looking good at Progressive Field.

Can we start thinking about postseason? One weird thing about this year's early start, I just realized the season ends on a Wednesday and the ALDS starts two days later. And the only off-days in the playoffs are travel days.

Visitor

None, on a rainy Sunday.

It rained this evening. And I had pea-sized hail littering my yard. Have you felt hail lately? It's pretty cold.

Meal of Links

The rioting in England, certainly opportunistic thievery instead of some socio-economic statement, claimed a Sony warehouse. At least 120,000 DVDs went poof! They even got a Jamie Oliver restaurant in Birmingham. Now soccer matches are being postponed or cancelled.

Brokers with hands on their faces. The downturn brought it back!

An oral history of "The Dana Carvey Show". Steve Carell, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Robert Smigel, Charlie Kaufman. How did this fail again?

Best upcoming trailers. There are some good ones here.

Exercise Yard

Hey, two guys robbed of cash and credit cards. Happens a lot. Wait a minute. Two sportswriters got robbed at the Reds ballpark? That's different.

Visitor

9 Across: Rap's _____ Rhymes (5 letters) Answer: Busta

You can tell CSU has a new Athletic Director, I had been getting calls from my ticket rep a couple months ago about renewal. I was thinking, pump your brakes, dude, as I had been able to renew virtually up to tipoff of the new season. So, I get a letter today and their new renewal date is August 1.

I guess, like most schools, this allows them to sell the non-renewals as season tickets. It seems they also have lopped some heads in the athletic department. The new Senior Associate AD is a woman, so I assume she is being groomed to take over the whole thing eventually. They also have a new SID and The Ticket Guy is also gone.

Meal of Links

Are we witnessing the death of the DVD? Netflix adjusts pricing and divides streaming and DVD rentals.

Are you still reading the newspaper? There are the same number of newspapers in 2011, as there were in 1890.

"Mad Men" reruns on Sunday mornings, from the beginning. Time to catch up.

The most popular e-reader is? The Nook Color? Not Kindle? Mmmm.

I Will Not Be Riding "The Takabisha"



Can you think of a street sign that is constantly stolen? How about Stoner Avenue?

Joe Jackson. I think, at one time, I had memorized the entire "Look Sharp" album. So, "Got the Time" seems appropriate. This is my favorite song of his...

"Right And Wrong"/Joe Jackson



PolitiFact takes on Sarah Palin. And Slim Jims.

Exercise Yard

Michael Irvin champions gay marriage. Another twist in his story.

Visitor

25 Across: "Two Tickets To Paradise" singer (10 letters) Answer: Eddie Money (At the Pickerington Violet Festival in Pickerington on July 30)

Eddie Money Commercial

Casey Anthony is off to find the real killers.














Meal of Links

It's the American way. Making fun of Hitler.

Have you seen the light? The world's greatest light bulb.






















One of the most hilarious things I read today was Hollywood's reaction to the Tot Mom verdict via Twitter. Kim Kardashian, of all people, was shocked at the verdict. Prompting this response. Dexter Morgan was also trending high on Twitter, as if he were a real person who could take care of Tot Mom.

David Simon has a real knack for season-ending montages. He did it again with Sunday's season-ender on "Treme":



Simon talks about "Treme" here.

What's lurking in a navel? Strange stuff.

E-Harmony guy says don't get married. Wait a minute. What?

Exercise Yard

Nate Silver writes about the NBA lockout. The financial distress of the owners is a canard.

Visitor

9 Across: Jake LaMotta, e.g. (5 letters) Answer: Boxer

I must confess, today's Klitschko-Haye fight was an abomination. This was wrong on so many levels from one of the strangest ring entrances by both fighters (featuring cameos by Lennox Lewis and George Foreman) to an apparent lack of security ringside. Plus, this was held at an outdoor stadium in Hamburg where patrons only 10 rows back were getting rained on. All sides should be glad there was no controversy or this could have ended badly for lots of people.

One more thing, the ring entrances were so tardy, HBO comes on at 4:45 local time and the opening bell sounds at about 5:27. Lamps kept blaming German TV. Anyhow, once the fight started, Roy Jones insanely insisted Haye's strategy was to beat Klitschko with one punch and it didn't matter when it came. Larry Merchant, around Round 5, said that may be true, but Haye was wasting his time. God bless Larry Merchant! Harold Lederman with, "Haye bobs, he weaves, he ducks, he moves. But he doesn't throw any punches." It was that bad.

For Haye didn't do anything. He had a habit of ducking around Klitschko's knees and Klitschko would oblige him by helping him to the mat. This happened about 5 times, like bad wrestling, before Klitschko had a point deducted for pushing. It continued later a few more times, and Haye even made a feeble attempt to steal another point. Finally, late in the fight, the ref, fed up like everyone else, gave Haye a standing-8 to stop him from doing it.

I wish I could describe any action. But it was like that movie title, give me "Something, Anything", and until a bit of a flurry in Round 12, there was nothing.

The disappointment of this fight is endless. I have to believe HBO will go back to avoiding the heavyweights. After the fight, Haye blamed a broken toe, suffered three weeks ago, as an excuse, and didn't want to drop out. You know, for the fans. Last time I looked, you don't throw punches with your feet.

Each guy got paid between $15 and $20 million for the bout. Haye should get down on his knees and thank his favorite deity for that check. For the "Hayemaker" should retire before he's known as the "Paytaker".

This one will leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth for quite a while. Or, maybe not, as the heavyweights will continue to be ignored.

Meal of Links

Kutcher vs. Village Voice seems to have more fight than the boxing match. Advertisers are leaving.

The Top 100 Products on Amazon. I actually have that OXO Can Opener and the OXO Tongs. Those tongs are great for the grill. Also have the "iPad Blender", but it's not an iPad. It's a Blendtec. Love that thing. Got an insane deal on it earlier this year.

NYPD blows up 5,000 lbs. of illegal fireworks...

Happy Birthday, America!



It was sort of tragic to see Spike Lee in attendance at the NBA Draft. He hasn't made a feature film in thre years, because he can't get funding.

Exercise Yard

The Tour started today. Two major pileups. The booed Alberto Contador is way back already. He'll be the story, if he catches up.

Visitor

15 Across: "The Defense Never Rests' co-author (10 letters) Answer: F. Lee Bailey

I was coming back from Best Friend's last night and saw something that I had heard about, read about, but had not yet seen. I somehow missed it going eastbound on 90 because I must have been distracted by some music.

But it was late and I'm paying attention to the road when out of the corner of my eye, I see it. At first, jeezy creezy, I didn't know what it was and it scared the living daylights out of me. After thinking I was hallucinating, I realized what it was...

It was that damn wind turbine at Lincoln Electric! WTF, that thing is huge. It makes that one at the junkyard off of 480 look like a damn TinkerToy.

Meal of Links

Myspace. What an epic fail

The new Florida? It may be Wisconsin.

There is a new "Harry Potter" movie coming out soon. Will it make money? Beware the accounting.

How to land your kid in therapy. Most kids do not learn the skills of perseverance, resiliency, and reality-testing.

Regrets from the dying. Definitely things to consider.

The most connected city in the world? Seoul, brother.

Exercise Yard

River Plate is one of the most successful soccer clubs in Argentina. A 33-time champion. Things were OK, until they got relegated. Let the riots begin!

With water cannons!



Visitor

None, on a nice summer Sunday.

OK, I'm back. Tons of stuff happened the last few days, so let's get to it.

Went to the Happy Dog the other evening for their belated take on National Hamburger Day. The same toppings, this time on a burger. Very nicely done.

They actually found Whitey Bulger! He was the topic of one of those gangster hours on the Bio channel not too long ago. Truly a badass who became an informant and basically ran the Boston office of the FBI. He was Most Wanted #2 after Bin Laden and people were questioning if the FBI really wanted him found. Looked for him for years with no luck. The U.S. Marshals joined the hunt and within 7 months they found him. Back to Boston already. This'll be one to watch.

Was over at Paul's for the NBA Draft last night. I guess that draft class was weak. Still waiting for Dan Gilbert's pledge of excitement.

Meal of Links

Google should buy Hulu. It is up for sale and that match would be quite good.

Peter Falk died last night. He was much more than "Columbo", which is still pretty good if you catch it somewhere, but he'll always be remembered for that role. He was terrific in "The In-Laws", but my favorite Falk role was playing himself as an angel in "Wings of Desire".

Companero Scene from "Wings of Desire"



The end credits for "Rango". Great designing work.

The 6 Best Organized Burglaries. Ronnie Biggs? Still alive!

X is coming to town in October. Exene talks.

"Tree Of Life" apparently puzzles some viewers Remember, no refunds.

The films of Robert Altman. The one that is rarely shown is "California Split". I love that one.

This year's BBQ Mix. I honestly think I could do better. BTW, I just heard the other day that Level 42 has sold 30 million albums in their career. Huh? You best believe they also included this classic...

"Hot Fun In the Summertime"/Sly and the Family Stone



Judge Judy snores. Do you realize over the last year, she topped Oprah's ratings? From that mix, cue "She's A Bad Mama Jama".

Exercise Yard

Patrick Cantlay is an amateur golfer. He's been making lots of news lately. Low qualifier in Columbus for the U.S. Open. Low amateur at the U.S. Open.

He's playing in a PGA tournament this weekend, the Travelers Championship. Today, he shot a 60.

Visitor

54 Across: Valuable Ming (3 letters) Answer: Yao

The men in my family started Father's Day by taking in a morning screening of "Bullitt". Great to see it on the big screen. This is Steve McQueen. In a Mustang. In San Francisco. With Jacqueline Bisset. Does it get any better? And this was a few years before "Dirty Harry" in the same city.

My brother informs it was the first movie that contained the word "bullshit". Nice to see a decent crowd at the Capitol, as well. We feared it might be lightly attended and were surprised by how many were there.

Meal of Links

Funky Winkerbean is still awful. Please remove this from the same page as the Crossword Puzzle.

My brother's foot asks, "Why are air conditioners so heavy?". It's the copper. Or science.

Top 100 Apps. Look how few actually make it to a Blackberry. Sigh.

The 25 Most Influential Videos. I like "Sabotage".

30 Songs about Domestic Violence. I do hear The Crystals song every once in a while on The Underground Garage and I always ask, "1962? Really?". It stands out.

Norm Macdonald tries to save his Comedy Central show. Sort of.

The little engine that could. Netflix. Still baffling the experts.

The last time I saw Ryan Dunn was last night. He was on "Minute to Win IT" with Steve-O. Not many obits are mentioning that, even if it was a rerun.

I'm watching the US Open Golf with my Dad yesterday afternoon. After a Rory McIlroy par, NBC goes to some weird shot of the Congressional clubhouse and Dan Hicks apologizes for a video or something. We had to rewind it and we hear that Hicks apologizes for a video that was supposed to be a military salute that used an edited version of the "Pledge of Allegiance'. Without even thinking, I said, "They didn't edit out "under God", did they?". Of course, they did.

Exercise Yard

Jennie Finch named her son, Diesel.cThat is all.

Visitor

58 Across: Brad of "Ocean's Eleven" (4 letters) Answer: Pitt

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

Hey, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup last night. Well, that only took 40 years.

How about that city? In the last decade, each of their major sports team has won a title. We are still waiting since 1964. For any team.

Look out for the riots in Vancouver. Apparently you riot-win or lose.

Meal of Links

"Spider-Man" officially opened on Broadway. Oh, it still sucks, but in more of an official way.

The 100 Greatest Non-Fiction Books. I haven't read a lot of these.

NPR lists their 25 favorite albums from this year, thus far. That's a lot of unknowns there.

E! has a show tonight on commercial stars. The Most Interesting Man in the World is featured.

Facebook lost 6 million users in the USA during May. Even Bill Gates couldn't take it.

Exercise Yard

Progressive Field will host an Ohio State-Michigan game. In hockey!

Game will be held on January 15.

Visitor

21 Down: Actor Matthau (6 letters) Answer: Walter

"The Fortune Cookie"

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

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

Meal of Links

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

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

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

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

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

Palin's e-mails.

Exercise Yard

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

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

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

Visitor

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

I go to Giant Eagle this a.m. and when I leave I discover, after opening it, my right front window will not close. I'm kinda happy it didn't rain today.

Meal of Links

Large breasts on Chatroulette. With male expressions. It's probably a tie between Column 1 and 3 with some priceless gems. Guy under blanket, for one.

The HBO doc on Bobby Fischer airs tomorrow at 9. I saw this at the Film Fest and it's well worth the time. Especially to those who may not be familiar with Fischer.

Selena Gomez attends a Justin Bieber soccer match. Looks like the local chicks hate her.

Why can't they just admit it? She's an idiot.

More death. The smartphone is really killing the PC. Even faster than predicted.

What we're tired of at the movies. You're kidding. They are doing a "Battleship" movie.

100-year old Ohio woman has had an account at the same bank since 1913. "I get along good because I don't have many wants."

Exercise Yard

Donald Brashear wins another fight. This time as an MMA fighter.

Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday.

Usually, it's only Cleveland that ranks dead last in various and sundry lists. But this time it's all of America.

You see, the North Koreans just did a study and they found the No. 2 place for happiness in the world is...North Korea. They suck up to the Chinese and make them No. 1. Rounding out the Top 5 are noted cheerful places like Cuba, Iran and Venezuela.

The USA comes in dead last at No. 203.

Meal of Links

Bill Simmons and his new website, the ESPN-named Grantland. I think the neat thing is some of the writers are going to get more eyeballs on their work. And adding Klosterman and Gladwell to the roster are certainly not bad moves. I've been reading this guy since the AOL days and the good columns still outweigh the duds by a significant margin.

Your home and renting vs. buying. Obviously, the trend is renting.

Older Japanese are volunteering for nuclear plant cleanup. They feel they can't have the young participating.

Letterman has a "Drum Solo Week" next week. Sheila E. and Neil Peart show up.

If you hate Time Warner, read this. Very funny.

Was 2001 a good year for music? Missy Elliott, Daft Punk, Jay-Z, White Stripes and Kylie Minogue. With Minogue's great Michel Gondry-directed video, "Come Into My World". Plus his White Stripes stuff.

Palin's back. Trump and his pizza. He's like Mr. Pitt.

Exercise Yard

Here's how you get a World Cup in Qatar. From the Argentina head: "Yes, I voted for Qatar, because a vote for the US would be like a vote for England, and that is not possible." That's like Sam McDowell throwing a curve to Dick Tracewski.

The English still hate Sepp Blatter. But he ran unopposed and "Captain Corruption" gets 4 more years at the helm.

Visitor

61 Down: Big name in ice cream (3 letters) Answer: edy

Alan Sepinwall writes about Jeff Conaway. I always thought he was the fifth wheel on "Taxi" and not sure I liked him until the trainwreck he provided us late in life. Sepinwall does us a favor by including the classic clip where Ignatowski tries to pass his driver's exam.

He died today at age 60 and it's pretty astounding he lasted this long. This is one of the reasons we've already turned our attention away from Charlie Sheen. Trainwrecks always end up badly.

Meal of Links

The 25 Best Progressive Rock Songs. Get the black light out. At least 23 of these will make you cringe. Save "Time" and "Shine on, You Crazy Diamond. Lots of Tull, ELP, King Crimson, early Rush, Genesis and Yes. Run.

How is Lawrence O'Donnell doing at MSNBC? He has retained Olbermann'a audience, probably making management happy.

Urban Outfitters stole another design. This time, though, social media put the smackdown on them.

John Tesh is still getting mileage from his "NBA on NBC" theme. "Roundball Rock"!

Birthday "whammies"? Delivered by a padded hockey stick? What is going on at school these days?

FIFA may be as corrupt as Cuyahoga County. Maybe even more.

Exercise Yard

Hirsh talks about tomorrow's Champions League Final. Could be the first time in a while, that Man U could actually be looked upon as a plucky underdog.

Grant Wahl chimes in.

Visitor

44 Down: High Sierra director Walsh (5 letters) Answer: Raoul

While watching Bin Laden watching himself on TV...

Today is Kentucky Derby Day. Even if Uncle Mo had not been scratched, this was gonna be a pretty mediocre Derby. Let's face it, the favorite is probably going off at 5-1, which means you don't really have a favorite.

Regardless, I have lit upon two horses that I think have a chance. That would be:

#1 Archarcharch -and-

#17 Soldat

Archarcharch is your Arkansas derby winner. he has one of the best speed figures in the race. But he drew the dreaded #1 post. No doubt, he'll be flying late.

Soldat gagged as the Florida Derby favorite last time out. Maybe Thunder Gulch revisited? He's got the speed and class to win this. If he doesn't get to the front, does he like the dirt in his face? In Florida, that answer was a no.

Meal of Links

The other day, I visited Palookaville Chili for the first time. I had the Texas Beef Chili, Cornbread and Chili Chips. Chili and 2 sides is $9. I just wish the bowl of chili was bigger, because it was really good. I had cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and onions added. They don't add a lot of volume, but just enough for some more kick. No beans and really good beef here, so i understand the pricing. Cornbread was only so-so, the chips very good.

What happens when a merely distinct movie gets branded a "classic"? See "A Bronx Tale" at Cannes.

OK, I understand oil prices took a huge drop this week. But the increases at the pump lately are blamed on speculators and Bernanke.

I turn my head and Gus Johnson may be leaving CBS. I think Twitter exploded the other day.

The new era of Internet search. Answers, not just links.

"Hey, those Muslims make me uncomfortable." So, they are removed from the plane. their destination? A conference on prejudice against Muslims.

TV has officially run out of ideas. Now, it's a second sitcom based on the life of an ESPN Radio host.

They made a movie about Paul the Psychic Octopus. Seriously.

Seinfeld has his own website. Looks like a few clips per day.

Oprah should have waited to start her network. Already fired the CEO.

Catching up with D.A. Pennebaker. That guy knows how to shoot a doc.

The problems with celebrity charity. Lengthy read.

I've picked up a couple of Groupon deals. Here is their model.

This is very cool. The dogs of war.

Exercise Yard

Seve Ballesteros died today. Deserves every accolade he gets today. The most emotional golfer ever, truly an entertainer. Invented the European Tour, saved the Ryder Cup from its negligent period, and a 5-time major winner. If you think Phil Mickelson can't keep it in the fairway, you should have seen this guy. Really a big loss for golf at age 54.

Visitor

48 Down: "Tommy" rockers (6 letters) Answer: The Who

The Browns have completed their first three rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft. Honestly, who knows how any of these guys will turn out. But we hope and we pray the front office knows what it is doing. Although many teams have gone from last to first in the NFL, we have never felt this phenomenon, as the Browns are perennially in last.

First rounder Phil Taylor from Baylor was allegedly the best run stuffer in the draft. Since we haven't stopped the run since 1999, I see this is a good development.

Jabaal Sheard from Pitt was their first pick in Round 2. A defensive end who played in a 4-3, by golly. The Browns addressed a need with this pick. He once "threw a dude through a window", but we're willing to overlook that. He was a captain at Pitt and Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Shitty against the run, but that's why Phil is here.

Greg Little is a receiver from North Carolina, who was suspended last year. Did UNC have a draft pick who actually played last season? Anyhow, he looks like he has the size and his combine numbers look good. Strong, but not lightning quick, and isn't the greatest route runner. The Browns addressed another need with this pick. Unfortunately, they still have about 50 more needs.

All the picks are profiled here.

Meal of Links

Since the DOJ shut down the big online poker sites, online pros face a dilemma. You can move out of tehe country and maintain the lifestyle you have now. Or move near a casino and play live games. Each has its own drawbacks.

We've all been here before. Hey, maybe $30 for that early DirecTV showing isn't a bad thing.

I didn't see it. But The Big Picture does the Royal Wedding. And the other commoners who got married today. Did you see what the Guardian did? Online users could click for a Republican version or a Royalist version.

The Steely Dan Infographic Project. Today, it's "Change Of The Guard". Click the title for a listen. Earlier this month they asked the musical question, "Is there gas in the car?".

Speaking of older acts, have you seen the lineup for this year's Rib Cookoffat Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica? Seether, Collective Soul and Bruce Hornsby. Bruce will test my theory that his music always sounds better on a rainy day. The way this spring is going, that may not be a stretch.

Speaking of the NFL Draft. Thursday night's ratings were down. On both ESPN and the NFL Network.

'90s film nostalgia. Why exactly?

Exercise Yard

Did you see it? Carlos Santana hit a walkoff grand slam to beat the Tigers. I said earlier in the week, I saw him not swing twice when he had a fastball count. Uh, he swung today.

The Indians are now 18-7. There are now 137 games left. Do the math. Cooling off to .500 the rest of the way puts them at 86 wins. In 7 to 10 days, we may have to start thinking ahead.

Visitor

10 Across: 1970 NBA expansion team (4 letters) Answer: Cavs

Happy 4/20 Day.

In case you haven't noticed, DirecTV is about to premiere Premium VOD for the price of $29.95. This allows certain studios to have their product in your home only 60 days after its theatrical release. Now, I don't know a lot, which includes: Where is all the demand for this type of product coming from?

Certainly, in another 30-60 days, you'll get the normal PPV and DVD release for a much cheaper price. Plus, if you go the hardcopy route, you own the thing. The PR on this stuff seems to include a hard-to-quantify clamoring for "movie nights". Meaning call up the family, neighbors and friends. We're too cheap or inconvenienced to go to a theater. So, we'll spend $30 on the latest Ed Helms flick for a "Movie Night" at home. WTF?

I see this scenario. Good luck with the chip-ins on the $30. And you better have good popcorn and shut these people the hell up while I'm trying to watch this on your shitty TV. Of course, within the prescribed 48-hour download period.

James Cameron and some other Directors are honked off.

Seven questions about the service.

Theater owners hate the concept.

I still like going to the theaters. Love that timpani.

20th Century Fox Fanfare



Meal of Links

"Restrepo" is such a gut-wrencher to watch. One of its co-Directors, Tim Hetherington, was killed in Libya today. Lots more online, if you are interested.

What a cool project. They want to make an app for Matthew Modine's "Full Metal Jacket Diary". I hope they meet their funding goal.

News organizations are turning more to outside help for comment moderation. Troll through cleveland.com for some local gems.

Have you thought about locating some obscure movie or music? As this article states, everything is available. Nice mention of Dylan's "Hard Rain".

I have never seen "Top Gun". Well, the 25th anniversary is coming up and it's in theaters. But not locally. Whew!

Reddit has this AMA (Ask Me Anything) Feature. I think Danny Pudi showed up recently. Today, I was thinking, crap, I remembered this kid being interviewed in the aftermath of Columbine. 12 years later (yeah, time DOES fly), it's interesting to read his thoughts.

Columbine



A chat with Morgan Spurlock on his new doc. All about the promotion. Pom being the title sponsor. His suit reminds of Greg Kinnear in "Mystery Men". Hey, Sheetz is in it! Just had lunch there on Monday. I call it "The Grassy Knoll" because, well, that's where they are located. The flick debuts here in 2 weeks.

The descent of Charlie Sheen. From the crew.

Exercise Yard

Remember the tased guy at PNC Park. There was a woman yelling in the background to stop it. Well, she's a KDKA producer and yelled other things, as well. She's guilty.

Visitor

42 Down: Thurman of "Kill Bill" (3 letters) Answer: Uma ("Uma, Jerry, Uma!")