I am now officially honked off at having a cold. I am now in Day 12 and seemingly not that much better than when I started. Now it's devolving into take a deep breath and immediately start hacking.

I swear I am now coughing up lung chunks. Lung chunks? Look for them in the frozen aisle of your favorite grocer. I keep hoping for some warmer weather which might help but, man, this is getting old.

So, when in doubt...Alcohol! I have poured myself a rye and ginger to help out. Who cares about any alleged healing powers after a few of these.

Meal of Links

I didn't see this coming. Frank Beckmann vs. Mitch Albom. Seems Albom is in favor of the Michigan Film Tax Credit (a proven loser for the state) and just happened to also get his own screenplay filmed in Michigan.

Danny Trejo. The Badass's Badass.

Dick Ebersol leaves NBC. Could this mean a Berman Olympics?

Two more days until...

"Rapture"/Blondie



Ruhlman has an excerpt of his book on Slate. He suggests sex while cooking.

Speaking of cooking...

My Drunk Kitchen Does Brunch



Stuttering songs. Another excuse to hear "Psycho Killer". And this...

"Surfin' Bird"/Family Guy



A driving tax? No fucking way. Very few of us get to work around the corner from where we live. And if anyone had vision in this town to build public transit to the South, lo those many years ago, I might sing a different tune. We only had three directions to build in this town and public transit barely benefits 2 out of the 3.

Exercise Yard

Man sets candlepin bowling record. I'd like to raise a practical question. What is candlepin bowling?

Visitor

24 Across: Fourth-cen. monastic (7 letters) Answer: St. Basil

Gathered the troops for a late morning viewing of "Unknown" with Liam Neeson. Good morning, Liam. This is the one where Neeson is a doctor visiting Berlin for a conference, who gets rapped in the head and suffers some memory loss. The only thing he remembers is a picture of him by a window with his wife, January Jones. Showering with January Jones. And having sex with January Jones. And then January Jones with a different hair color. Maybe that's what we all picture before our own demise, who knows.

But it takes Neeson a long time to realize who he is, but then it's not who he thought he was or something that Dennis Green would say:



Neeson is actually decent in his role as a doctor seeking his true identity. Bridget von Hammersmark (OK, the lovely Diane Kruger) plays a Bosnian cab driver who saves Neeson's life after a car accident, who later befriends him and joins in his search. January Jones doesn't really do much and is basically January Jones, standing around and looking pretty. Aidan Quinn is along to confuse matters as the guy Neeson thinks he is, and provides enough shenanigans to cloud the picture even more. Hitler, I mean, Bruno Ganz, plays a former East German spy who still has connections beyond the Cold War to also help Neeson. Good work from Frank Langella who calmly shows up late as Clarissa, and explains it all.

So, what do we have here? A short comment on the immigration problem in Germany via Kruger. A car chase in which Neeson, allegedly in Berlin for the first time, driving around as if he owned the streets. With complimentary reverse driving. We have the lamest German assassin ever, who fails to kill Neeson not once (because the guy was late to a train), not twice (Neeson was able to extricate himself from being tied up), but three times (Kruger and Neeson combine to kill the guy). Ex-spies still use cyanide. Biotech conferences have never been this action-packed.

Not a wait for cable type movie. Because there are some great throwbacks done well here. The second time the assassin tries to get Neeson is rather Hitchcockian and full of suspense. I thought a scene at a photo exhibit was straight out of the De Palma Guide. Not worth a full fare, but extremely enjoyable for a matinee price.

Meal of Links

Clarissa explains it all. For those who missed it.

Brett Butler remembers when she was the 20th Century Charlie Sheen. But I'm sure hardly anyone remembers her show.

I assumed "Rango" was in 3-D. But it's not. Gore Verbinski explains.

Shortest break-even periods for diesels and hybrids. Remember, no more tax credits for these.

15 great jingles for fake products. "Cheesy Poofs" and "Log" make the list.

The Cleveland Film Festival is nearing. I've circled two must-sees for me. One on Polkas and one on Bobby Fischer.

Has Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker lost the war. We'll see.

The Northwestern sex show...er...after-class assignment, at least introduced everyone to the (NSFW) "fucksaw". Now I know why she needed a partner. Black & Decker would be proud. Here's an account by someone who was there. Seems there was supposed to be a demo on female ejaculation.

Comparing the Qaddafis and the Bluths. Very funny.

Why bad teachers survive? "Cannot play with them. Cannot win with them. Cannot coach with them. Can't do it."

I recommend Jersey Mike's. The Big Kahuna was quite good.

Exercise Yard

You still can't applaud in the pressbox. SI's freelance NASCAR writer found that out the hard way.

Visitor

17 Across: Five-time All-Star second baseman (10 letters) Answer: Chase Utley

Hey, it's still snowing. Today was, by far, the worst snow of this event that started on Sunday. I hardly got any before this. But this a.m., I-77 wasn't even touched as the white-outs started. Got better further to the South, but that corridor from Pleasant Valley up to 82 was pretty bad.

On the drive home, I actually saw the sun for some fleeting moments. But no snow until what appeared to be the boundary, which was 480. And that wasn't that bad until you passed the Jennings. But I was right on the edge, a mile to my South seemed fine, but the further North you went, it was more snow.

Meal of Links

Connie Schultz "is on assignment". But she writes about the death of Elizabeth Edwards.

Wouldn't you like to watch first-run movies the day they are released, on a super-cool system? You got it. It's pricey.

Bananas. Good for the colon. Geez, Ugandans eat a lot of bananas.

It's Christmas. How 'bout a cookbook?

Top 10 Female Detectives. Lisbeth Salander makes the list.

John Lennon died 30 years ago today. And Howard Cosell broke the news to America.

Sex toy ads on TV. Haven't seen one yet.

Exercise Yard

Why does modern sports announcing suck? God, does it.

Locally, we have a sports talk station whose flagship show doesn't talk sports. Or fails miserably at it when they do. I never listen to the Browns radio team. The names "Homer Tom" and "Homer Mike" give you all the info you need on the Tribe. Joe Tait has lost a bit on the fastball, but is still an all-timer, when healthy. STO baseball may be the worst. I think Al Pawlowski is inserted in these broadcasts to prevent Rick Manning from tossing Matt Underwood out of the booth.

There is a commenter here though who nails it.

He brings up some of the underrated football broadcast teams of the past:

Dick Enberg-Merlin Olsen. From the era when they would play Haircut 100 leading into a commercial.

Pat Summerall-Tom Brookshier. Just to hear Brookshier say the name, "Diron Talbert" one more time. Redskins-Cowboys 4:00 Sunday game. Appointment TV.

Charlie Jones-Len Dawson. Before modern technology came on-screen, Jones was the best clock and down-and-distance guy in the booth.

Don Criqui-John Brodie/Bob Trumpy. Criqui is still at it, but the '80s were big for him, as NBC's number 2 guy. Classic Browns games in that era with Trumpy, including the Jet playoff game.

Today's guys:

I like Kevin Harlan on just about anything. Did the Final Four on radio last year and was terrific.

Much like Harlan, Gus Johnson is the man. Should work every night of the year and even do bowling.

MLB Network has long surpassed ESPN's "Baseball Tonight". Roger Goodell wishes NFL Network was this good. And NBA TV is getting better.

There are some others and when I have more time, I'll get to them.

Visitor

59 Across: Former CNN anchor Dobbs (3 letters) Answer: Lou

So, I'm at Giant Eagle this morning and I realize I forgot my list. So, I'm standing by the place where the weekly circulars reside, scanning one before I start my shopping.

All of a sudden I hear a voice say, "Do you always block the aisle like this?". Now, mind you, I thought this was uttered by someone I might have known, because I thought to myself, WTF? But I look up and I have no idea who this person is, besides "Annoying Customer".

Then he repeated what he said, and I realized he may have a speech impediment or be a bit off mentally. So I told him, "Yeah, I do this every week when I come here." and I moved my cart slightly.

Jeezy creezy, these things happen to me all the time. Admittedly, I lean towards zero tolerance sometimes...uh...more often than not...a lot, but not "Excuse me." or "Sir, your cart?" or something similar.

"I got a threshold, Jules. I got a threshold for the abuse that I will take. Now, right now, I'm a fuckin' race car, right, and you got me in the red. And I'm just sayin', I'm just sayin' that it's fuckin' dangerous to have a race car in the fuckin' red. That's all. I could blow."

Meal of Links

Pictures of early 20th century British drunks. Lots of hats.

The FreeCreditReport.com is (gulp!) French Canadian. Therefore, it's not him who is doing the singing. I'm guessing it's Martha Dash.

What life would be like married to a porn star. Lots of free time, I bet.

Exercise Yard

Joe Calzaghe has snorted cocaine. Uh-oh.

Visitor

None, on a rainy Sunday.

The Cavs beat the Lakers again. Clearly, they are the best team in the East and it's starting to become no contest. We'll see how they do without Mo Williams for a time, but it didn't have much of an effect this evening.

Anyhow, this guy loved it:



Meal of Links

Looking good on the dance floor. The Sexual Politics of Dancing.

"The Politics of Dancing"/Re-Flex



Apple announces something next week. probably a tablet. So, until then, you'll be reading lots of stuff like this.

A look back at "Requiem For A Dream". Saw it late-night, over the holidays, and it is still terrific. Strong performances by everyone (Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn), even from a Wayans Brother (this time, Marlon). A score that has become familiar. If you watch Sky Sports, you know what I mean. But, man, it's a tough one to watch.

How come their Cadbury's tastes better than our Cadbury's. Have not had a Caramello in quite a while.

One inch at a time...

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2:15



Exercise Yard

Owner says the Pistons may be for sale. With lots of other stuff, like theaters and arenas.

Visitor

13 Across: "April Love" singer (5 letters) Answer: Boone

My Dad and I were at The Bart to see CSU play Wichita State this afternoon. Yes, Saturday afternoon games are back on the schedule. I showed up, but the Vikings didn't. Godawful shooting as CSU missed 21 straight shots! Worst game at home in three years. CSU was soundly thrashed, 69-54.

Highlight: Postgame Becky Burger.

Meal of Links

50 interesting articles from Wikipedia. The discovery of human feet in British Columbia is a good one.

Someone on Craigslist needs to get pregnant. Fast. Like this weekend.

Maxim's 100 Funniest Jokes. "Tonto Kowalski", anyone.

Exercise Yard

Tough to find any good video on this, but Jimmy Bullard of Hull City is the leader in the clubhouse for this season's best EPL goal celebration. Timing is everything.

Visitor

50 Down: "The Hustler" author Walter (5 letters) Answer: Tevis

Kind of a weird Sunday again this week. No Browns game today and since I am passing on Monday night's game, I don't have to witness anything in person regarding the Browns for a while. Then tomorrow, I have an off-day, so I can watch Cleveland State play some bizarro world 11:30 a.m. game.

But I did learn some things today:

Robitussin-on-the Go: What a great idea for the addicted.

GEICO commercial: I've given up on the "I'm a pothole" ad.

Al Michaels hates fireworks!: He wanted to go off on indoor fireworks.

Cincinnati Bengals; The second Ravens game won me over. And with their upcoming schedule, they are in.

Cleveland Browns: Weird day in the NFL. Bad teams won some games or almost won. An omen?

Colts-Patriots: What a bungle by Belichick. Punt the ball!

Meal of Links

The Onion with yet another classic. Could not stop laughing at that one.

She blinded me with science. And hit me with technology.

Can a convict get anything he or she wants for their last meal? 24 tacos seems a bit much.

Lt. Bookman soles another case. Can't stand ya.

Exercise Yard

Manny Pacquiao delivered another gem of a fight in beating Miguel Cotto. The promoters love him because he gets the PPV viewers. The fans love him because he is always coming forward. Plus, he now has won belts in 7 different weight classes.

If he fights Floyd Mayweather, they break the bank.

Visitor

None, on a not-too-exciting Sunday.

Randomness from today's Browns home game:

Special Guest: My brother, Jeff. What screams "Hey, let's get together for your birthday" more than watching Browns football? I can think of a million things, but this is our plight. Besides we have already witnessed one of the worst games I have ever seen, a 30-0 shutout by a team which leads us to...

Today's Opponent: The Cincinnati Bengals. As Forrest Gregg used to say, "A fine football team". Many are pointing to this game as the proverbial "trap game" for the Bengals. Meaning they are looking ahead to their next opponent, overlooking the Browns. I am here to tell you, the Bengals are in no position to overlook anyone. They have yet to earn the right.

The Bengals are coming off their best game in a long time, a comeback win against the Steelers. They are vastly improved on defense. Cedric Benson has emerged from the recycle bin and may be the best back in the division. And Carson Palmer appears to have shaken off the rust and is nearing his prior form. I think it spells trouble for Browns Version 2.4.

And what about the Browns? Well, Dink II has been sent to the bench, lasting all of 10 quarters. And what a 10 quarters they were! Now, we can't even expect wins, we just want them to score a touchdown. Honestly, they should stop the game, if they happens. As usual, the Browns are right on the edge and it's only just become October. If they lose and drop to 0-4, it's over. Again. It would be tough to even attain respectability with that sort of start.

I've set my expectations for this game at the lowest bar. Anything better than a shredding by the Bengals should be considered a bonus.

Parking: East 6th northbound in a Truck Zone between Saint Clair and Rockwell. Same spot as Game 1.

Pre-Game Festivities: Today was the NFL's day to promote the fight against breast cancer. Therefore, the pink ribbons and shouts of "Save the boob!" were in abundance. Today's special alumni guests were Vince Costello and Ben Davis.

The Browns Spirit Flag was unveiled by breast cancer survivors and referred to as the largest Browns flag in the world. The National Anthem was played by John Popper of Blues Traveler. First of all, I never knew he was a local. Secondly, he played the anthem on his harmonica. I kinda liked it. It had that, "Oh, say can you see that train, train, take me on out of this town..." flavor to it. Jeff hated it with vigor.

Worst Feature (For Me): Once again, "Hang on Sloopy" at the end of the third quarter. Fans were in a more participatory mood today.

The Weather: Marky Nolan and Hollie Strano welcomed us to the game today after Braylon Edwards had already dropped a pass. Sunny early and brisk enough to have a wind with some bite. May have touched 60 with virtually no sun most of the game. Channel 3 Dual Doppler radar showed us nothing. Took me a while afterward to get warm.

Today's Giveaway: The "Limited Edition" Josh Cribbs poster sponsored by Ford Trucks. Hard to figure who was more prominent, Joshua or the trucks. Limited in the sense you can also pick one up at your local Ford dealer.

Section 345: Fairly quiet today. Oh, security had to run up near the back of the section a couple of times, but no ejections.

Best Browns Play: Josh Cribbs 58-yard kick return after the Bengals first touchdown. Of course, two plays later Jerome Harrison fumbled, the Bengals returned it, and it was 14-0, Bengals.

Best Bengals Play: On 4th and 11 of the final drive of the game in OT, Carson Palmer sends all the receivers downfield to set up what appears to be a long pass attempt. He elects to run up the middle and gains 15 yards. Essentially setting up the game-winning field goal.

Worst Browns Play: Opening drive of the second half. The Browns have marched downfield to set up a third-and-goal from the 8. The bad Derek Anderson shows up and throws an unconscionable interception behind the intended receiver, Steve Heiden. The interception return moves the ball to the Cincinnati 32. At least three points out the window.

Second Worst Browns Play: The fumble by Jerome Harrison. The Browns hardly had the ball after that TD and were already losing, 14-0.

Best Line from a Random: Guy by us singing "Here We Go Brownies, Here We Go". Solo for about three lines. Then he says, "Where the hell are the rest of you people?"

Oddest Browns Jersey: 2 Couch, 31 Green (tons of them), 63 Postal Dawg, 69 Your Mom.

Food Items: BOGOs on hot dogs and soda for a total of $9.50.

Worst Scoreboard Feature: I am really disgusted with the Browns mascots overacting on virtually every prize giveaway. And you thought Slider was bad.

The Fuckin' Run: Shockingly, the Browns did a good job against the run today. But still managed to give up 154 yards on 30 carries.

Worst Stat: At one time the Browns had given up zero first downs to Cincinnati, while getting 17 of their own. That stretch included 6 three-and-outs and a first down interception by the Bengals, encompassing most of the second quarter, all of the third and most of the fourth. And they still lost the game.

2nd Worst Stat: Probably Derek Anderson's 5.2 yards per pass attempt.

Most Interesting Stat: The Browns ran 4 plays in the first quarter.

Penalties: Nothing too egregious by the Browns. Eric Steinbach was blocking downfield on a screen once. And things got chippy for a time and there were offsetting unsportsmanlike penalties that were not costly.

The sad fact of today's game was it was winnable and the Browns didn't get it done. Especially for dominating on defense the way the way they did for most of the game. Jerome Harrison ran for over 120 yards, but really none were memorable, except for his fumble that tarnished his effort. Same goes for Anderson with his interception.

And we also got some welcome offense from two players ignored through the first three games, Steve Heiden and Mohamed Massaqoui. Heiden got a Browns TD and Massaquoi took advantage of double coverage on Braylon Edwards and got 8 balls for 148 yards.

So, while there were some signs of a better team effort, etc., it shows how the Browns must play a perfect game to win. And since those are rare, we are going to have to suffer through these kinds of games.

We had some issue with the play calling of the Bengals, but let's give the Browns defense credit. They came to play today. So, we can put to rest the coach getting fired, the players not playing for the guy, etc. But keep this in mind, it was a winnable game.

The Browns lose to the Bengals in an OT thriller, 23-20. They are now 0-and-4.

Meal of Links

We need to get Ted Turner on the case. Spoiled bison meat tends to smell.

Here's a guy who slept with 1300 prostitutes. And, yes, he always walks that way.

America's coolest small towns. None from Ohio, as you could imagine.

Exercise Yard

Peter King is everywhere. And he talks about it.

Visitor

None, on a Browns Sunday.

Today is mayoral primary day in Cleveland. So, the Plain Dealer devotes several column inches in today's paper on Flo from Progressive. I hate Flo. It's Flo and the combination of her customers that sets me off each time I see them. The latest guy with the remote. The "empowered" guy with his price gun. The guy agreeing, but yelling. Aaaaargh.

Anyhow, I voted for the mayoral race. I walk up there and it was the only race where I had to cast a ballot. I even turned it over to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I got up there around 6:30 and I was Number 68. That's not a very big turnout.

Meal of Links

A fascinating article on a phone phreak. This kid may have been the best ever.

Looks like Monopoly will take over the online world starting tomorrow. They promise "epic fun".

Tomorrow is 09/09/09. Why it is special. That reminds me, did I really see that remake of "The Omen" on 06/06/06? I guess I did. Why, it seems it was just yesterday when that film broke.

"Big Brother" finally gets decent ratings. After 9 years. And 11 seasons.

A local guy's revenge.

Kentucky whipped up on my alma mater last weekend in college football. But I have the last laugh. Because only 51% of the residents of that state are sure President Obama was born in the USA. To be fair, another 29% are not sure.

Novak Djokovic does John McEnroe probably even better than the real thing. Johnny Mac gets in one last passing shot (in long pants!) on center court.



Exercise Yard

Why the Browns suck. "They basically hired the understudies of the two men who led the team to three last place finishes, two top-five draft picks and zero playoff appearances in four years."

Visitor

41 Down: Ralph Kramden's pal (8 letters) Answer: Ed Norton

I've had some time to digest the Cavs loss now. We were at Paul's, so to have a Cleveland team lose while watching over there isn't exactly a new feeling. I'm not sure what went on last night because the Cavs layed an egg, almost from the start.

The early sign for me that they were in trouble was rebounding. The Cavs have been an exceptional rebounding team in recent years and it helps them get through some games where not a whole lot else is working. Final total: Orlando with 47, the Cavs with 34 rebounds.

Looks like Ben Wallace will retire. He was definitely not 100% in this series. The effort was there, but when he says "it's a young man's game now", he needs to keep his word on retiring. Can't have someone with limited offensive skills combined with self-doubt.

Wally Szczerbiak is done here. Two airballs last night and Game 7 against Boston last year are two black marks on his resume. Sasha Pavlovic probably joins him as an ex-Cav. Somehow became a savior in Game 2, ruining LeBron's celebration, BTW, then slinked back under a rock for the rest of the Orlando series, playing only 6 minutes the last three games. The trade for Joe Smith worked all the way to the Orlando series, where he lost a chunk of playing time. Only played 7 minutes total in Game 4 (a bad game) and 5, and took a DNP in Game 6...it's a mystery!

So, will the roster have a major overhaul? Daniel Gibson was awful, then hurt, last night. He took a -16 last night. I'd say he is a shaky returnee. We don't hear much about him being "LeBron's little brother" anymore.

Anderson Varejao gives the Cavs a lot of energy and actually had a really good season this year as a starter for a length of time. But when he fouls and doesn't get the flops called, oh, it can make for a long night. I believe he's a restricted free agent. Does he start next year, go back to the bench, leave, what?

Z was bad in Game 6. Could not handle Dwight Howard from the opening tip in Game 1. Showed some signs of life throughout offensively, but his defensive deficiencies, guarding the high screens and pick and rolls, caused everyone to work a lot harder on defense. He has a player option and I'm sure he's a starter next year.

LeBron was LeBron, as ever. A historic series, no doubt, but played sort of an odd Game 6. It had to be mentally and physically exhausting to carry everyone for the whole Orlando series. I don't hold too much against him for leaving the court immediately after the game. It's not like he can't text Dwight Howard an hour after the game or anything. The NBA will take care of not meeting with the media and fine him for that. No issue with him. A player for the ages.

Delonte West. His stock rose in my eyes. Tough player. He was a keeper in the Boston series last year and after a rough start in this series, he came around nicely. Took the tough defensive assignments without complaint and probably tried the hardest of someone not named LeBron James against Orlando. Look at the minutes played against the Magic: 47, 46, 43, 47, 41, 46. Nice moment when he congratulated his old college teammate, Jameer Nelson, after game 6. Not sure why he undressed to do it, but hey.

Brings us to Mo Williams. Thought to be the perfect compliment to LeBron...until about 11 days ago. Had a terrible playoff run. It was his first time through the playoff wars, so I'm not sure what to make of it. I do know that he will take the most heat of the players this summer.

Coach Mike Brown was stubborn against Orlando. He would not play LeBron on Lewis or Turkoglu for any extended period of time. It may have helped steal one of the losses, but Orlando shot so well in this series, I'm not sure what he could have done. Everything he tried, from fouling Dwight Howard to defending screens and pick and rolls, failed. Only bullet he had left at the end was Hack-A-Dwight and he chose not to do that. He will take lots of heat this summer.

The Cavs had a championship-worthy team, but fell short against Orlando. Losing Game 6, 103-90.

Meal of Links

Husband wants a rusty trombone for his birthday. Wife needs to look that one up.

The killing of an abortion doctor in a church in Kansas is dominating the news today. Here is an interesting read.

Larry the Cable Guy is not one of the Top 10 Most Influential Comedians this century. He's just not. Bill Burr makes me laugh.

Bill Burr



Exercise Yard

Joba Chamberlain starts against the Indians tomorrow. Mike Francesa is not impressed.

Visitor

None, on a beautiful Sunday.

While contemplating Garks playing outfield this season...

Nate Silver's been pretty busy after his election predictions. First, he picked the Tribe to win the Central. Then he battled with George Will over global warming. Now he predicts the Oscars. Check out that Supporting Actress pick.

BTW, the Best Picture nominees have not gotten much of a boost at the box office. Those "Frost/Nixon" numbers are pretty bad. As I said after I saw it, I don't think many folks can get into that movie when there are long stretches with not much happening. Oh, great story and I thought it OK, but I'm not sure it worked as a movie for the masses. Hence, virtually no word of mouth.

Meal of Links

I missed this episode of Ruhlman on popcorn. He's correct, nothing like poppin' corn in a pot.

Someone chooses the best Smiths songs. Hey, there's "Ask" again. And, by all means, hang the DJ.

Time lists the 25 best blogs. Some of these I'd rate as excellent.

Odd sex arrests. Yes, the picnic table one was in Ohio.

Exercise Yard

I don't know, but doesn't platelet-rich plasma therapy sound a bit like that old track and field favorite, blood doping? Could you use this therapy to go back to a four-man rotation in baseball, for instance. I find it's use very intriguing. Again, not so much performance enhancing, but helping with recovery.

Visitor

24 Across: 2003 Billy Bob Thornton holiday film (8 letters) Answer: "Bad Santa"

Last night, Nomar Stalker and I headed over to the Atlas Cinemas to watch the NBA All-Star festivities in 3-D. As an early adopter, I thought this would be a good opportunity to see if 3-D can get beyond traditional movies, animated movies and concerts. I am still amazed at the 3-D from the U2 movie, but you can cobble that from filming various concerts and put it through a rigorous editing process. Can 3-D translate to live events?

The verdict? Hard to say. I guess the good thing is there were about 75 people in attendance who paid $20 to see something that you could see at home for free. It shows that people are willing to try something new. Unfortunately, the very best 3-D shots were of the company logos who presented the event and trailers for upcoming 3-D movies including "Ice Age 2".

Some of the angles you thought may give you a nice 3-D picture didn't really occur. Those included the skills competition, where the contestants had to pass the ball through a circle. The camera was set up behind the netting and the ball would come through, but never really giving you the feeling it was coming off the screen. The same thing occurred with high angle shots for the 3-point contest and Slam Dunk competition, with side views of the rim in the foreground. These angles and replays don't have the capability to show 3-D at its best.

Low-angle shots from the baseline made the basket support and rim seem condensed as a player would approach for a dunk. Unfortunately, we never had a view from behind the basket where we may see the player eyeing the rim with a full head of steam. I think the directors of these live events are still trying to figure out the best angles for 3-D and that's probably a different thought process from regular filming.

Another detriment to the broadcast is it's a totally different production from the TNT version. For instance, Matt Devlin was the only announcer we had while Harlan, Miller and Fratello did the TV side. They simply cannot sync the voices over a different 3-D production that features different camera angles. And the 3-D production does not include many graphics. Plus, they continually reference the fact we are watching this in 3-D. I know, hence my glasses.

The pluses? The 3-D graphics, when used, are of superior quality. The 3-D glasses are very cool, black-rimmed affairs. If you wear glasses, they fit comfortably over them. Certain camera angles do give you a sense of being really close to the action. Many of these shots were of the variety where there was something in the foreground to give you a sense of depth. You may have a gaggle of cheerleaders running onto the court past the camera ("I think they may have forgotten a digit between that 3 and the D.") or simply a player sitting down, waiting for his turn at the Slam Dunk.

Overall, I think the normal left-to-right pictures you see on a regular telecast won't cut it for 3-D and we had a lot of that last night. And with 3-D for live events still in its infancy, they are going to have to scrape up the cash for more than five cameras. Otherwise, the dream of 3-D TVs for the home is not going to make much sense. One more thing. They need to sell beer at these live events.

And, by the way, Rudy Fernandez got absolutely hosed by the judges on this unbelievable dunk last night (with an appearance from the ubiquitous Spanish Announcers' Table):



Meal of Links

Hey, that's a bigass plane. And it bombs, too.

The Mayor of Mexico City has stumbled upon a way to get votes. Free Viagra.

Vanity Fair has an article on "The Godfather". And a fantastic-looking Kate Moss in a Versace ad in the print version.

Exercise Yard

The auto companies and NASCAR. Joined at the hip.

Visitor

None, it's Daytona, baby!

I was touting XM again and now news is breaking out they will file bankruptcy. It's those insane deals from Sirius for Stern and the NFL. Stern has one year left and I'm sure he'll head back to terrestrial radio then, because satellite won't renew him at his current rate. But that NFL deal, wow! Because what out-of-towners LISTEN to their favorite teams on the radio? That's why Sunday Ticket exists.

I understand XM's deal with MLB is exorbitant, as well. But people still listen to baseball on the radio, I'm guessing. Anyhow, we'll see how long it lasts. They gotta sell more cars to get more subscribers.

Meal of Links

Mr. Skin has the nominations for the Anatomy Awards. I'm guessing Anna Faris and Marisa Tomei win.

The White Stripes play Conan's last show on February 20. That's next Friday and get the DVRs ready.

8 Bizarre Sexual Fetishes. Lemme say this, objectophilia is really bizarre.

America's Worst Allies. Just begging for a miniseries or reality show.

Exercise Yard

It seems that Robbie Alomar's ex-girlfriend is suing him, allegedly because he has AIDS. People say he was at the closing of Shea Stadium last fall and looked fine. So, who knows?

Visitor

27 Across: Oklahoma Sooners rival (14 letters) Answer: Texas Longhorns

My Dad and I took in "Frost/Nixon" at the Cedar-Lee this a.m. I liked it, but if you are not deeply into the subject matter as I am, I suspect there are long stretches of this movie where you would think nothing is happening.

Meal of Links

The Best TV Episodes of 2008. No "Dexter"? Hmmm.

J.D. Salinger remains too old for my Dead Pool. Guaranteed that not many people would have him.

Yeah, my cable company sucks.

Now we're talking. The Top 50 Victoria's Secret Models of all-time. Molly Sims at #10 is a keeper.

40 Unusual Websites you need to bookmark.

Exercise Yard

Good news. The Tribe traded for Mark DeRosa today. And they did not give away any major league talent to get him. The bad news? He is 34 years old and they want to play him at third, instead of second base.

I just realized the Indians home opener is on Good Friday.

Visitor

46 Across: Tarzan player Ron (3 letters) Answer: Ely

Tonight's Presidential Debate comes from Belmont University, a place I have actually seen, in Nashville. This is the "Quasi Town Hall" format, favored by Senator McCain, who makes a point to mention that he finally got Senator Obama in this format. I watched CNN this time, so I could see the Men/Women Pulsemeter chart as the candidates spoke. It'll keep me awake. The moderator this evening...Tom Brokaw of NBC. Here are my notes:

McCain

He may have looked at Obama upon entering the arena. I repeat, may.
Looks like he got stuck with the high barstool. I know, I know, when he was in a box for 5-1/2 years, he didn't have a barstool.
"Good to be with you at a town hall meeting. Hi, I'm Senator Snarky."
"Energy independence."
"My friends." God bless ya, if that was in your drinking game.
"Not you, Tom." WTF? Was Brokaw the banker at a Monopoly game once? He should have said, "Phil Gramm" to make Pulsemeter go crazy.
eBay mentioned and Pulsemeter almost crapped out to the negative.
"Oliver, I prefer rescue to bailout. Now go to your room."
"Never heard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." Don't assume, we'll just skip over my MLK Day vote.
"Cronies." I love that word.
He has more voices than Bernie Kosar.
"The American worker is the best in the world."
Lieberman! I thought Pulsemeter died right there.
"I have reached across the aisle..."
$3 million overhead projector. Small business loan, anyone? That was for the Adler Planetarium, you know. Not the South Park Planet Arium.
"I think you can work on all 3 at once..." I won't choose yet.
"My hero, Ronald Reagan." He's dead.
"Internets. Huh? What?"
"Not rifleshots here." Cheney?
"Nailing Jello to the wall!" Pulling mussels from a shell!
"Herbert Hoover." Young folks scratch their head.
"I got some news for you, Senator Obama. The news is BAD!"
"Double tax exception for each child." Again, what about me?
"Tip O'Neill." More head scratching from the young.
"Nuclear power is safe." The French do it. I thought we hated the French.
"THAT ONE!" Oh, no he dint. Too much racialism.
"Hair transplant." Too much Bidenism.
"Can we hear the size of the fine?" Crickets.
"Teddy Roosevelt, my hero." Nursing home residents perk up.
"It was a joke. Come on. I joke about war."
"Rotten stinking corpse." Not McCain.
"Second Holocaust." Aw, jeez, not this shit again.
"I have a secret plan, but I won't tell anyone until I'm President."
"Russia? Evil? Uh, maybe. I don't want Putin rearing his head."

The thing that bugged me about McCain was that flippy thing he kept doing with the microphone. He kept dropping it into his right hand. And his jokes were really lame. He should quit now. This was allegedly his best format, but Obama just looked better. The age difference was very prominent tonight. And for Palin to say forget looking to the past, you Democrats, her boss invoked Reagan, KGB, Hoover and Teddy Roosevelt to Obama's safe JFK. He has the potential to get dusted.

Obama

Obama wins the toss. He does not defer (NFL Joke minted 2008).
Allan from the no-hair section with a question.
I think Obama ignored the old timers on that one.
"AIG? We own it now. Fire their asses."
He said, "Junket..." heh heh hehe heh heh heh
Warren Buffett as Treasury Secretary? Doesn't he have a job?
"Senator McCain is right."
Brokaw tries to enforce rules. Ha! The role of the moderator went out the window in the VP debate.
"Not surprisingly." Attack him!
"No one is innocent..." about the current economic crisis.
"JFK."
"You've got to prioritize, you can't say 'all at once' and think that's okay."
He said, "9-1-1." first!
Brokaw just said we're all drunk!
Brokaw invokes rules. This is not good.
"The Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one!" That made me spit.
"He's been there for 26 of them." But he's a Maverick.
"I'm just trying to keep up with John" and his mumbo-jumbo lies.
"Rwanda."
"Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran." Good one.
"Green behind the ears." An alternative energy, I presume.
"We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al Qaeda." And that's coming from a Democrat, my friends.

The great thing about Obama was that he tore a page out of Palin's playbook, where he ignored the rules. To answer the questions, mind you, but since all future moderators are neutered, what the hell, go for it. And he stayed and shook an awful lot of hands afterward. It looked like McCain could not wait to get to Strongsville on Wednesday and departed early.

Folks, I think this race is almost over.

Meal of Links

The voice of "Frontline", Will Lyman, talks about his gig. You can also hear him on the BMW ads. He possesses one of those unique voices. Look (or hear) for him in "Mystic River".

Christmas is coming. So to speak.

Liz Phair live from LA. She revisits "Guyville".

Berkeley Breathed ends "Opus" in a month. I am pretty sure "Bloom County" was the last daily strip I read with any regularity.

Exercise Yard

If you've been watching the baseball playoffs on TBS, you know what is coming. Yep, it's the return of Frank TV.

Visitor

17 Across: 1974 kidnap victim (11 letters) Answer: Patty Hearst

I played Miniature Golf last night for the first time this century with my new glasses. I hesitate to call it Putt-Putt, because I used to be pretty good at it. You know, that dark green carpet with the orange bumpers, nary a clown hole in sight, "Live it up! Play Putt-Putt." Gotta know all the angles to play well.

So, I had an opportunity to join the men in my family and my niece on an excursion to Mr. Divot. They had stationary obstacles, moving obstacles, even one with a Humpty Dumpty obstacle. Ugh! And with my new glasses, I couldn't read the greens properly.

I shot an awful 9 over par and my Dad beat by one. The only holes-in-one were tallied by my niece (who strangely enough shouted out scores of two and three on every hole, where I swear I saw more shots taken) and my Dad. My Dad's actually coming on a hole that involved bowling pins as an obstacle. Go figure. Anyhow, the course was not really a fair test. They had one hole involving a rocket. Actually, you needed to be a rocket scientist to hit up to this ramp to a platform that would empty your ball on the green. What a joke! That hole was responsible for most of my par overage. I may, no, I must take it up with the Commissioner.

I need my orange bumpers! This one is in Willoughby. I am so there.

Meal of Links

This is NFSW. A young lady (but it's the Internet, could be a guy) talks about porn and observes things critically. You don't see the phrase "genitalia spitting" very often.

The most influential indie albums of the '80s and '90s. Really good stuff here, I liked the list.

Did you happen to see the bear at the Senior Open the other day? There were no bear obstacles at Miniature Golf. They also had a muledeer pass through and a fox, as well.



Really bad time for this guy to be pulled over.

Could it be? Seems there might be potential for life on Mars.

Exercise Yard

I saw one of the funniest things ever on "Friday Night Fights" last night. Adonis Stevenson knocked down Anthony Bonsante with his first punch that landed in their bout. Not sure what the hell Bonsante was thinking. But he decided to lay down motionless with his eyes closed, as the ref starts his count. The ref gets to six, than stops the bout. All of a sudden, Bonsante hops up and starts complaining that he wasn't knocked out. I guess he decided to play possum. Why? I have no idea.

Here is the video. Go to about 2:22 for the fight.



Anyhow, the argument was just as funny as the decision. I had never seen that before. The bout lasted all of a minute.

Visitor

60 Across: Film featuring bikers Wyatt and Billy (9 letters) Answer: Easy Rider

Looking ahead to tomorrow's March Madness games, here are the teams I have winning in the Sweet Sixteen.

Thursday's Games:

Xavier, North Carolina, UCLA Tennessee,

Friday's Games:

Wisconsin, Kansas, Memphis, (I already lost Marquette, need Stanford over Texas)

How to stop the No. One seeds

Meal of Links

Rick Astley talks about "Rickrolling". It is such an odd phenomenon, but funny. Even the anti-Scientologists, Anonymous, use it at their protests.

The Raconteurs album, "Consolers of the Lonely" dropped yesterday. I've heard two tunes, thus far. "These Stones Will Shout" ends up sounding like The Who and the almost title track features Meg White-like drumming. I need to listen to a bit more before judging it. A not-so-good review followed by a good one.

Finally, judge shows are Emmy-eligible. I like "Judge Joe Brown", unless "Judge Judy" gets one of those lifetime-achievement awards a la the Oscars.

Flirting in Japan. I really think so.

One of my favorite documentarians, Errol Morris, has as his next subject, Abu Ghraib. I wonder if he still films the UPS Whiteboard commercials, which are very popular.

Every "South Park" episode is now available online. That's a good thing.

This week's presidential pardons. Under Bush, there have not been that many, 157 at last count.

Exercise Yard

Domo arigato, Manny!

















There is something to be said for watching baseball from Japan before you go to work. Nothing like seeing Manny crush one in the early a.m. We don't get a lot of live sports in the Eastern time zone.

You get the occasional Formula One race, the British Open, breakfast at Wimbledon (and the French Open, I suppose), British soccer, and I think that's about it. So, it's good to be "looking live' at some sport in the morning.

A recap of this morning's game.

Visitor

40 Across: 1930s-'40s pitcher "Schoolboy" ____ (4 letters) Answer: Rowe

Word of advice. Do not go to Giant Eagle on Super Bowl Sunday. You'd think it was Y2K or something going on. I actually saw adults pushing around those "car carts", because there weren't any regular ones. Hey, I draw the line on that and would rather wait for a conventional one. Nevertheless, it was madhouse status in there, rivaling Thanksgiving week.

Meal of Links

Stilettos help women's sex lives. Wow, what a surprise.

Stalking at the Super Bowl. I laughed.

When will this happen? Or at least move the game to Saturday. Especially this year, when you Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year in the same week.

Exercise Yard

Brock Lesnar wasn't much of a wrestler either. He lost his UFC debut. I don't watch UFC, I'm still hanging on to the Sweet Science. But there's been a dearth of good boxing matches lately.

Visitor

None, it's Super Bowl Sunday!

With all of these deaths today, where to start?

I'll start with Tom Snyder. Snyder was the host of the "Tomorrow" show on NBC during the seventies and if you were a night owl in those days, you were bound to watch his show. The format was great, it was smart TV, and the show remains one of my favorites. Just Tom, a guest and none of the trappings of the more traditional late night talk shows like Carson. Toward the end of his run on NBC, he had more musical guests on, which you can get on DVD (Iggy is there, too). U2 in 1981. Elvis Costello was another one who stood out. And the John Lydon guest spot remains a classic when Snyder told him, "It’s unfortunate that we are all out of step except for you."

What an intro he had,

“Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."

Isn't that cool?

You could not help but notice four things off the bat while watching his show. One was that cigarette. You used to see the smoke just covering the set at times. His laugh, which was out of control most of the time, allowing for parody. He had a disarming habit of leaning towards his guest when he asked a question that might not be normally asked of a guest. And he would lose his train of thought every once in a while and then joke about it.

Sure he bounced around after "Tomorrow" on the radio, then CNBC and finally CBS. But the old shows remain the best. He's no Carson Daly and that's a good thing.

U2 on "Tomorrow"-1981

My God, are they young.



Meal of Links

The world of film lost a giant today with the passing of Ingmar Bergman. If Turner runs a retrospective, watch a bit of art.

The sponge is back! And the spongeworthy along with them.

Anthony Bourdain is back with "No Reservations" tonight on the Travel Channel. Must Eat TV.

Exercise Yard

Another loss today was that of Bill Walsh. The architect of the West Coast Offense was a true football genius. What else did he do? He was the first to recognize the importance of the left tackle on offense in his quest to stop Lawrence Taylor. Was a promoter of diversity on his coaching staff. He started to script plays at the beginning of each game. Thank God, Paul Brown, in one of his dumbest moves, named Tiger Johnson as his successor on the Cincinnati Bengals, instead of the heir apparent, Walsh. Who knows what would have happened to the Browns in those days?

All you need to do is look at the QBs that Walsh worked with to realize his genius. I'm not talking Joe Montana or Steve Young with the 49ers or Dan Fouts with the Chargers. Look at some of the quarterbacks he used early in his career or when Montana or Young were hurt and what they did in those seasons. My God, he had Virgil Carter at Cincinnati, a 62% passer in 1972. In 1979, Steve Deberg threw for 3600 yards for the 49ers for a team that won 2 games. Jeff Kemp, a guy run out of LA two years earlier, was a 60% passer in 1986 with Montana hurt. That is amazing.

Visitor

41 Across: Grammy winner Jones (5 letters) Answer: Norah

Yeah, it's this guy again.






















Since it's the day of the NFL Draft, where to go, but Paul's? It's the annual ritual where the Browns select their next subjects to torment me. I, once again, took heat for saying I think Jessica Simpson is so stupid, I wouldn't have sex with her. Although I thought my best line was regarding "National Bingo Night". My brother said this was on ABC in a few weeks. My question was, "Do we get to play?". He said we could play along at home. I said that was good. Paul suggested, "Maybe you could get that machine at home. Put your balls in a cage and spin them around." I said, "I don't need Bingo to do that."

But the phrase you will hear about the Browns for the next couple of years is "a steep price to pay". You see, we picked Joe Thomas at number three. I'm sensing this is as solid a pick as they could have made. A left tackle for God's sake. Last time they took a first round tackle was Bob McKay...in 1970! Then Brady Quinn, the Notre Dame QB, kept dropping and dropping and dropped some more. STO was supposed to have a Phil Savage presser after the first pick, but we noticed he wasn't coming on. Then we figured out, hey, he must be trying to trade up to get Quinn. He finally found a dance partner with Dallas at number 22. But we had to give them next year's number one pick. Uh-oh. We certainly overpaid with the pick, but saved cap space getting Quinn that low. Last year's #22 signed for five years, $8.5 million. Overall, to get Thomas and Quinn was a coup for the organization, but they must win immediately.

The Browns also picked a guy with the dreaded "character issues", Eric Wright from UNLV. A corner they desperately needed. Draft grade at this moment: A. Good day to be a Browns fan. So much so, their website died.

The strange thing about today was GM Phil Savage sounding in Paul's words, "delirious". He appeared to be a guy who was not too happy with his job. He went on an unprovoked rant about JaMarcus Russell and how unfair media types were to him. Huh? The guy was still picked at number one and to be honest, I never thought the media was that harsh on him. I know Savage has known Russell for a while, but he seemed to talk more about him, than our other picks. Sheesh. He also commented about a lack of a first-rounder next year, and said that he deserved "some time off". What? It sounded to me like the pressure has got to the guy.

Meal of Links

Speaking of balls, I mean, you see this headline, you have to read the story, right? Good TMZ.

Hey, a DC sex scandal. A Sweeps Month special.

Should this guy be our next President? It'll never happen.

Exercise Yard

Paul Silas will be interviewing for the Charlotte Bobcats coaching job next week. He'll probably be seeing you next Tuesday.

Visitor

48 Down: Pitching great Carlton (5 letters) Answer: Steve