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.

I found myself at Champps last night. Mr. and Mrs. Mix were in town, so Jeff and Gale and I had a meetup at Crocker Park. Hey, they have Harp on tap there and I had a Fan Favorite known as a Club Sandwich. Anyhow, we found out Mrs. Mix and her family celebrated Dyngus Day for years. What Secret Society is this?

Anyhow, most of the TVs had the Tribe game and I noticed there was some MMA on, as well. Perhaps some old reruns from Spike or something. Boy, as soon as 9:00 came about, most of the TVs were tuned to MMA. Now, I realized it was the PPV event from Toronto. As I looked about the room, I noticed all the Affliction shirts and figured this was the reason for the crowd. Because it was kinda packed. No doubt these places get people to show up, because of the high PPV price for home use.

I'm still old-school boxing, but we saw a bout end in 20 seconds last night by a questionable referee's decision. So, at least that carries over from the Sweet Science. If you care, here are last night's MMA results.

Meal of Links

Our Governor is a Steelers fan. But he loves Cleveland. So, in the unlikely event of the Browns ever making the Super Bowl, sorry, but he cannot participate.

Never buy expensive HDMI cables. Why? It's science.

You are a thief. You need electronics. Where do you go? Starbucks.

The thing I like about President Obama is he handles these types of things with a pretty good delivery of these funny lines. Trump! Hah!

Obama at the White House Correspondents Dinner



Clay Matthews. Comedian.

Looking back at the Playboy Clubs. I am assuming there was not one here.

Exercise Yard

I just found out that the Tribe is serving Christmas Ale. Stand by Section 153. That's not a bad idea, but wow, if the crowds get bigger, it may go quick. I'm not sure I've ever had that when the temperature outside was warm.

On the field, things are looking good. Another win today.

Visitor

None, on a cloudy Sunday.

Finally took care of some technical issues around here. It really was the Tale of Two Technical Support Teams. The first was Time Warner Cable. For some reason, I stopped getting e-mails earlier in the week, but was still receiving them on my Blackberry. So, I dialed up the Time Warner Cable staff. Basically, I had to change my POP and SMTP addresses, because each time I was logging onto e-mail, I had to enter a User Name and Password. Hell, I had no idea what my password was. Only to find out from them it was a 16-character string of gibberish. When the person tells you they can't tell if a character is a "zero" or an "O", you know you're in trouble. Anyhow, they supplied me with those new addresses.

Well, that didn't work. Then I used the Web-based mail as they gave me a new password and voila! I was receiving my e-mails once again. But not on my Blackberry. BTW, 35 minutes to figure that out via Time Warner.

So, on to AT&T because I could not validate my e-mail to get the Blackberry running again. I was instructed to log on to the web-based e-mail after my new password from Time Warner was not working. Thinking I mistyped or something. Guess what? They sent me a password and it was completely different than what they told me the previous day. With that new password I went to the AT&T site and it validated my e-mail. Total time with AT&T: 5 minutes.

But I was still receiving the error message when grabbing my messages via Time Warner. The problem? They didn't tell me to use the new POP and SMTP as my Default and it was still checking both new and old. After I deleted the Old and made the New my Default. I then got every e-mail I was sent in the last 7 months. Again. So, I had to clean that box.

I guess Time Warner was OK, but it's as if they only got things 75% right. I mean, no excuse for changing passwords on me nor forgetting to tell me to make the new addresses the default. AT&T, as always, right on the ball for me.

Meal of Links

Last night, I was in the mood for some mindless entertainment, so I went to see "12 Rounds". Oy vey. Renny Harlin (remember him?) actually directed this. It starred Aidan Gillen as the villain. Gillen was the mayor in "The Wire" and actually did a good job in this, given the material. The lead was John Cena, the wrestler, as a Nawlins cop. It's sad that I like his acting in the ring better than his acting on screen, which was almost lifelike. OK, no one will see this and when you see the ads for the DVD in about two months, you'll say, "Oh, I vaguely remember something about that." New Orleans, on one hand has "Benjamin Button" filmed there, on the other, "12 Rounds".

It's not that it was "walk out" bad, but it was "stupid" bad, and you really did wanna stick around for the end. Cena has to cutoff a car at a bridge in the opening sequence. Is it a car chase? Of course not, did I mention this is a WWE Studios production? So, Cena outruns the car, which takes the most indirect route for an escape ever recorded on film. Meanwhile, Cena is running through backyards, down alleys, through a house (a la "Raising Arizona") and eventually stops the car. Gillen's girlfriend, who was driving, gets out of the car and tries to make a run for it, then gets splattered by a truck. Gillen, an alleged arms dealer and wanted by the FBI, vows revenge after Cena arrests him.

Exactly one year later, Gillen shows up in the Big Easy once more, after escaping from a Florida prison. One thing you will notice about this movie. Security is awfully lax in this time of the "Axis of Evil". Anyhow, Gillen forces Cena to go through "12 Rounds" after which a winner will be declared. Thank God this is not 1979 or I would have had to sit through "15 Rounds". To show where this is headed, Gillen calls Cena and then blows up his house, killing his plumber (who offered marital advice to Cena before his demise) and we're off and running again. Literally, as Cena tries to outrun a ferry. You see, Gillen is about to kidnap Cena's wife and Cena tries to stop it. He fails and we are onto Round 3.

Needless to say, the action sequences could have been better as Cena is put up to these tasks by Gillen, in an effort to beat the clock and move on to the next round. You have Cena driving fire trucks, rappelling down buildings, outrunning out-of-control streetcars at 35 mph, leaping off roofs onto helicopters. I have to mention the climactic helicopter scene where Gillen has forced Cena's wife to help him load body bags of money he stole from a division of the US Mint into the copter. I told you security was lax and plot be damned! Gillen has used Cena to this point to help set up the robbery and escape.

You may wonder why Cena's wife then? You see, she works at the hospital. It's mentioned early on, she has a night shift. You're thinking nurse, right? Not so fast, my friend. She flies the hospital emergency helicopter! Of course (smacking forehead), that's how Gillen can use her to escape...by flying the copter into the night. She stalls just enough to allow Cena onboard as an unwanted passenger and perform the eventual closing stunt of the movie. Well, I did seek mindless entertainment.

It was no wonder why only 8 were in attendance. Trailers were: "Dragonball: Revolution", "Crank 2 High Voltage", "Terminator Salvation", the "Black Guy Ritchie" film, "Next Day Air", and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".

Speaking of trailers, the trailer for "Bruno" is out. Oh yeah, this looks good. Already has the NC-17 tag. More importantly, long-lost Richard Bey still has a show. At least I think so, according to the trailer.

Worst "Jeopardy" answer ever. Even if trying to be funny, he's not.

Steven Bach died earlier this week. His book, "The Final Cut" remains one of the best books about movie studios ever written. I still have that around here somewhere.

Neil Young loves his eco-car. He wants it to get 100 miles a gallon.

The new Hulu commercial with Seth MacFarlane makes me wonder. Does he go into these other voices at inopportune times?



Remember where Andy Dufresne met up with Red in Mexico at the end of "Shawshank". Um, they have drug wars there.

Guy steals TV. Rides a bike to and from crime scene. Someone takes a photo. He's arrested.

Another Palin relative is arrested. Looks like the law is rearing their head.

Exercise Yard

Hey it's Easter soon. How about this for a service? Jesus is the Ultimate Fighter, he doesn't tap out.

Visitor

33 Across: Spaghetti western director Sergio (5 letters) Answer: Leone

Well, not only are the Browns sucking currently, this year's version of "As The Elf Turns" begins. I'm sensing this is going to end badly. I understand why the Browns suspended Kellen Winslow, but to introduce discipline to this bunch now is a bit ridiculous. I'm not sure Winslow's comments were as "disparaging" as Browns management thinks.

And it's now a given, unless we see a new coach around here, we won't see Winslow in the last two years of that contract. It's really a shame. I don't see anyone else on the squad as talented or hungry as this guy. Really a super player. Don't get me wrong, we have some talent at his position if he does leave, but I think he's too good of an asset to toss aside. And if you think I have a double standard on that, yeah, I probably do. If it was Brandon McDonald, I'd probably be sharpening my pitchfork.

Meal of Links

Crap. More creatures I have to worry about. What are the odds I will encounter the deadly Cone Snail?

Do Sarah Palin's children ever stay home? It seems they are on the campaign trail an awful lot and it appears this isn't a new practice.

10 good reasons to grow a giant beard. Hiding place for weapons, tools and snacks is a pretty good one.

"Dexter" reups for two more seasons. I think that's a good move.

Exercise Yard

EliteXC, you know Kimbo Slice's promoters, are out of business. Losses were in the tens of millions.

Visitor

40 Down: "The Bonfire of the Vanities" author (8 letters) Answer: Tom Wolfe (I have a copy if you need it)

Gas was at the unheard-of-for-a-while price of $2.79 today. As the world goes to hell in a handbasket, at least we'll be getting there on a full tank that is a bit cheaper. Speaking of that, I had 46 cents off on my latest GetGo visit yesterday. But I still think it is not worth it to go to Giant Eagle for all of my grocery needs. They've ripped me off for so long, you know. So, I have been spreading the wealth around.

I'm on a mission to consume what I have lying around to avoid these trips. Sure, I'll pick up some meat or chicken or greens or fruit or soda along the way. I have been making some dents. But this is what I have presently. In my freezer, I am down to:

Crab Cakes
6 1/4-lb. Hamburger Patties from GFS
Trader Joe's Chicken Stir Fry
Hash Browns
Steamfresh vegetables

Refrigerator:

Condiments: Ketchup, Mustard, Stadium Mustard, Tartar Sauce, Cocktail Sauce, General Tso's Sauce, Horseradish, A-1 Marinade, Teriyaki Sauce, Light Mayo, Ortega Taco Sauce
Salsa
Gatorade
Eggs
Water
Vodka
Two Bottles of Bloody Mary Mix
Bigass Kosher Dills
Stuffed Olives with Jalapenos
Jalapeno Slices
Hamburger Dills
Vidalia Onion Salad Dressing from Ken's
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Turkey Pepperoni
Olivio (squeeze and tub varieties)

Pantry:

Progresso Soups
A Bag of Cousin Willie's Popcorn
Brown Rice
5 Boxes of Toasted Crackers
3 Boxes of Zatarain's
Hot Sauce (Tabasco and Frank's)
A-1 (Cracked Peppercorn and Regular)
Worcestershire Sauce
2 Ken's Dressings-Lite French and Lite Italian
Skippy Natural
Chicken Broth
Redpack Diced Tomatoes
2 Kool-Aid Packets
2 Taco Seasoning Packets
3 Tuna Cans
Mid's Pizza Sauce

And there's a lot of spices and cooking oils, etc.

Not exactly eatin' great in the neighborhood, but in case of attack, I can sustain for a while. Amazingly, I have no science experiments, except for two limes that look they are not going to make it. I also have 2 Bananas and a Honey Crisp Apple left.

Meal of Links

Catching up with Diane Lane. With a very nice photo. They mention "Streets of Fire". OK, it bombed, but I love that movie. Hey, the Blasters are in it. Look at ol' Michael Pare playin' the tough guy in this scene.

"I Can Dream About You"-Dan Hartman from "Streets of Fire"



Is Kimbo Slice marketable? I say definitely not. That display on Saturday still honks me off.

Really neat photos.

If you're feeling a little bit down, watch this episode of "Family Guy". It has it all: "Surfin' Bird" endlessly, Fifties references including polio, "Midnight Cowboy", Star Jones, Allan Sherman, the printer-smashing scene from "Office Space", Tom Cruise dropping from the ceiling in "Mission: Impossible", Jesus, Marlee Matlin calling Moviefone, George W. Bush, Jay Leno, Dane Cook, Pussycat Dolls.

"I Dream of Jesus"-Family Guy



Exercise Yard

Five Most Overhyped Athletes. This list is actually wide open for debate. Ryan Leaf and Brian Bosworth should be up there.

Visitor

18 Across: Reggae singer Peter (4 letters) Answer: Tosh

I had a strange thing happen regarding my car, the Scion xB today. I get in and start it up, throw it into reverse and three warning lights appear, including traction control and check engine. I ran a couple of errands including a stop at Giant Eagle. Start the car up there and no warnings. I'm wondering if the engine was cool or just a faulty sensor.

But it was like hitting the side of your TV to get it to work or rebooting your PC. "I'll just turn the ignition off and see if it works when I restart." It's the first time those lights came on, so I'll see if it recurs.

Can't let an October go without watching Manny. I believe he is attempting to slide in this photo:

















Meal of Links

You never know what you'll find on the Internets. How about Rate My Turban?

Could not figure out Sarah Palin's attack on Obama using William Ayers this weekend. Well, I guess I can. It was a lame attempt to cite the New York Times, you know part of that nasty Mainstreet Media, pointin' out she actually read it once or sarcastically sayin' it must be true if it's in there. Or, the even better, let's throw shit at the wall and hope it sticks. I'm sure Reverend Wright makes a return visit soon. BTW, Obama leads Ohio by 8. Using the 5% racist buffer that you know we have to employ on November 4th (read the final quotes in that Dispatch piece), that's a good lead.

My Dad and I watched a bunch of horse racing on Saturday and some horses from Dubai were entered throughout. But there is a dark side to Dubai.

Exercise Yard

Did anyone see the Kimbo Slice farce on CBS last night? The worst fraud perpetrated on the public since, I dunno, Sarah Palin. It's why I've always had doubts about getting into MMA. I realize Elite is not exactly the best promoter when it comes to MMA, but my goodness, Slice is a joke. Elite probably runs out of money after this stinkbomb of a main event.

Slice was supposed to have a bout with the washed up Ken Shamrock. Shamrock gets injured and pulls out the day of the event. Elite moves Seth Petruzelli to the main event and all he does is whip Kimbo Slice in the mind-boggling time of 14 seconds.

Kimbo seemed really broken up about it by saying, "It's all good.", meaning "Hey, I got mine." I think he was paid more money after he learned Shamrock was out and then proceeded to advertise his afterparty immediately after getting his ass kicked. Now Petruzelli gets nominated to be a modern-day Rocky Balboa. Unfortunately, he just beat a tomato can with dollar bills poking through the top.

It was a joke.

Visitor

None, it's a Bye Week.

Not sure what to make of the MMA fights on CBS last night. I know a little bit about it, but this was my first extended look at a card. Let's say this, I'd be surprised if there are any other primetime bouts on CBS. I can see the protests lining up already, because there's too much blood. Quite simply, a faction of society is going to protest and I bet CBS is going to have to relegate future broadcasts to late night. But it was good network exposure for EliteXC and it may boost some PPV sales down the road. And nice to see Gus Johnson involved with the play-by-play. I loves my Gus!

This was the EliteXC faction that has already had some broadcasts on Showtime. I believe they are considered second fiddle to UFC at this point. But I see some problems. First, you need competitive matches. The first two that were shown last night, I would consider a joke. I understand that the smaller gloves render the bout almost a bareknuckle affair, but it seemed one punch would get these guys in trouble, down they go, the other guy hops on him, match over. That kinda sucks. In some divisions in boxing, you can go as many as six deep and get a quality bout. In MMA, it appears there are is not enough bench strength. I was flabbergasted to hear virtually each contestant hyped to the max to find out they had only participated in a handful of matches.

Second, there is sort of a wrestling flavor to the proceedings. The one announcer was straight from wrestling mode when he mentioned one guy's cauliflower ear resembled "an alien lifeform". And some of the ring entrances were preposterous. Some guy came out and was introduced as the "New York Badass" with lots of pomp. I dunno, he seemed to have a following. They mentioned his massive left hook, massive heart, and some other massive thing. I said, "What about his massive ego?" (see why I need others around when I watch this stuff?) But he turned out to have a 10-9 record and was one of the guys who suffered an early beatdown.

Third, way too much time between bouts. I see CBS working, keeping the main event til way past the scheduled finish time, but the pace should have been a lot quicker.

There are some other things I noticed. Gina Carano is "the face of Women's MMA". Fine. But you have to make weight. Jee-zus, nothing irritates me more than an alleged professional not making these commitments. And she was 4.5 pounds over! She knows CBS is going to carry the bout anyhow, but good God, at least try. I don't think that fact should be minimized. Having said that, she beat the shit out of her opponent and the doctor had to call that one after Round 2. Carano looked like she broke the left cheekbone of her opponent. Afterward, she was asked if she was committed to the sport. Not sure, but she has a nice look and is using this as a stepping stone, I think. Probably tough to find opponents and how big are these purses anyhow. I see a couple of more fights, then "Dancing with the Stars" in her future.

The fourth bout was the closest match in terms of quality. That actually went late into Round 3, when the doctor had to call that fight. You see, there are actually rules, and you can't eye gouge your opponent. Kneeing his skull is OK, but a Moe Howard move is a no-no. Go figure. There was an accidental eye poke. The guy gets five minutes to recover and the doctor is called in to exam the eye. The dude says I can't see right now, not once, but twice, but give me the five minutes and I'll be good. Uh, that's a fight ender of an answer. Of course, since the bout actually had action, the people started yelling, "Bullshit!". So, apparently the guy's vision isn't too important, because he's simultaneously spilling blood. Sheesh! The doctor actually had to stop two bouts last night and we're worried about horses breaking down?

The final bout featured English Tomato Can with the bad ear against, whom everyone came to see, Kimbo Slice. Kimbo Slice is a sensation currently, given that he did some backyard brawling and apparently was opening up cases of whoopass on victims. He was a CMA presenter and is on the cover of the most recent ESPN Magazine and may have the largest nostrils since the two-car garage that Judd Nelson carries around. I was laughing my ass off during Slice's intro when the Classy Jimmy Lennon, Jr. referred to him as "street-fighting legend from the Internet". If that doesn't speak to modern celebrity, I wouldn't know HD if it sat on my lap and called me "Mama". Then you realize Slice has a 2-0 record in "legitimate" MMA and could have been beating up "Parking Lot Guy" to enhance his legendary status on some old guy's lawn. Anyhow, Slice is on his back within 30 seconds of the bout, stunning virtually everyone. Sadly, he has not very good skills on the ground. I guess his forte is stand-up fighting, but this is MMA, Mr. Slice! And there was one point in the bout where the camera is up close and then zooms back to a view from about 100 yards to disguise some shenanigans. Did Kimbo tap out and they covered it up? So, English Tomato Can with the bad ear is actually winning the fight through two rounds. The non-Internet legend of Kimbo may die a quick death, but he throws a punch in Round 3 that basically explodes English Tomato Can's ear, spurting blood everywhere! ETC gets hit with a couple of more and staggers backward and the REF STOPS THE FIGHT! This call basically saves Kimbo's bacon on this evening and was one of the worst stoppages I've ever yelled at on my cable TV. ETC had gotten hit several times previously in the bout and staggered back with a clueless look and then continued to put Kimbo down. Unbelievable where guys proclaim they'll fight to the death that this one was stopped. Shame, shame, Elite XC! If the wrestling analogy holds, Kimbo Slice will be looked upon as a fraud and the fans won't tolerate it. I've seen this before, wrestling fans will not cut you slack if they think you are an overhyped fraud. See "The Rock" as "Rocky Maivia". It could happen with this guy. Slice was so gassed at the end, he had to cut the interview short and find a stool. He may sleep for a week. If I was EliteXC, I'd pay English Tomato Can some hush money, because that was, to channel Bill Walton, "horrible". And Kimbo may need to get on "Dancing with the Stars" quickly. He needs to cash in now.

BTW, you can gamble on this stuff. If Vegas thinks this stuff is fixed, that sport is done.

Here is a more seasoned viewer with his views. They parallel most of mine, especially the issue of not making weight.

Some guy who fought in the first bout has already called out Kimbo. Keeping with the wrestling angle, I suppose.

Some more truthful analysis and judges scorecards.

Meal of Links

Speaking of Google Maps. Here are the best Street Views.

I took my Dad down to Wendy Park, which is cool, because no one is down there. Really nice day, too. I suggest going to Carvel, too. Good ice cream in Valley View. My Dad was wearing his sundae, but hey, we had a coupon.

Breaking down the movie, "Sex and the City". From the male perspective.

"Is that hot?"
"Fuck, yeah, it's hot. Very hot."
"Really?"
"It says it right here on the package!"

Exercise Yard

The Euro 2008 site is up on ESPN.com. The four-letter has done a pretty good job with the TV commercials, too. I especially liked the Italians.

Sadly, the announcers are calling the matches from Bristol. Ugh!

Visitor

None, it's a sunny Sunday.