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

"The Simpsons" Opening by Banksy



Meal of Links

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

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

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

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

"Castle" Bids Farewell to Stephen J. Cannell



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

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

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

Jenn Sterger. The perfect harassment victim?

Anderson Cooper. The accidental gay activist?

Exercise Yard

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

Visitor

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

On the Fifth Day of Christmas

I am not sure where this rates among the Bruce Springsteen Christmas recordings. But the tune is really one of my holiday favorites. This is from 2002, when everyone looks much younger. Conan on guitar. Interesting blonde in the front row. Clarence jingling his bells. Presents include a blow-up doll for Max and a George Foreman Grill for Conan. "Well done, Santa."

"Merry Christmas, Baby"/Bruce Springsteen (on Conan)



Meal of Links

Let's do some catching up....

Yes, I was affected by today's Blackberry outage. You know when you look at your e-mail and you have had nothing for 4 hours.

The five laws of human nature. Still no law for E-Z Pass scofflaws.

Nickelback is the band of the decade! Everyone now...WTF?

Stephen Colbert's SI cover outtakes. The tie kills me.

Mr. Skin reveals his top nude scenes of 2009. I did not see any of them.

The worst movies of 2009. Didn't that John Cena movie. "12 Rounds", come out this year? That sucked. Here are the best. Jeezy creezy, there's "In The Loop" again at No. 6. Big ups to "The Hurt Locker". It is the best movie I saw in 2009.

Denver has opened the first marijuana restaurant in the US. Called "Ganja Gourmet".

Howard Dean continues his kill the bill campaign on healthcare. He makes a lot of sense, but I don't think it will happen.

Greece is all fucked up.

"Bad Santa" is revisited. Excellent timing.

It was 20 years ago today. Not Sgt. Pepper..."The Simpsons"! But do they matter?

Julie Benz talks about getting killed on "Dexter". Still a very compelling scene, several days later.

The 10 Worst Predictions of 2009. Some really bad ones, I think.

Opining on Reality TV.

Exercise Yard

Are NFL teams circumventing the Rooney Rule? The commish says the Redskins complied while conducting a seemingly quick Bruce Allen hire.

And I feel the Browns hiring of Fred Nance will somehow allow the Browns to hire Mike Holmgren, if it happens. It's easy to say Nance was interviewed for that job, but was more qualified for the job that he eventually received.

Visitor

46 Down: Comics cowboy Red and others (6 letters) Answer: Ryders

Quick Browns thoughts. Brady Quinn is quickly approaching “Saint Tressel” status after only two games. Compiled a few games for comparison between Quinn and Derek Anderson.

Browns/Bengals: Anderson 15-24, 138 YDS/TD/INT/74.7 QB Rating
Browns/Jaguars: Anderson 14-27, 246 YDS/TD/Sack/95.6 QB Rating
Browns/Ravens: Anderson 17-33, 219 YDS/2TD/INT/Sack/80.2 QB Rating (His last start)
Browns/Bills: Quinn 14-36, 185 YDS/Sack/55.9 QB Rating

Note that I tossed the Giants game as an aberration. Anderson’s last 5 starts, 4 sacks. Quinn’s first 2 games, 1 sack. So the problem was not Anderson holding the ball and getting pummeled or being a statue. They went to that dink passing attack after the first Ravens game, which we are now getting with Quinn. I'll give you the fact that Quinn is more mobile, hence the bootleg and rollouts we saw last night.

In Anderson’s last 5 starts, his QB Ratings were:

Bengals 74.7, a road win.
Giants 121.3, a home win.
Redskins 57.9, a road loss.
Jaguars 95.6, a road win.
Ravens 80.2, a home loss.

In Quinn’s two starts, his QB ratings were:

Broncos 104.3, a home loss.
Bills 55.9, a road win.

“Quinn was 14-of-36 for 185 yards. Not great, but not bad.”-This is a Terry Pluto quote in today's PD. WTF? Barely 5 yards per attempt. No touchdowns, no long balls. If that was Anderson, he’d be hearing it today. Especially after having 11 days to prepare. The Browns certainly let everyone know Quinn’s QB rating against Denver was 104.3. I’m pretty sure we will not hear much about this week’s 55.9.

Any argument about "Quinn would have been better had not Braylon Edwards dropped passes" holds zero water. Because you could flip that argument to the two biggest drops that Anderson threw this year. One against Dallas, another against Baltimore.

All I’m saying is, if we are going to denigrate Anderson as mediocre, let’s not conversely anoint Quinn for doing basically the same thing. He's two games in, let's wait a while. Remember, we thought Anderson was the man after game 2 against the Bengals last year. And, yes, I am still not on the bandwagon, but am holding a reservation.

And don't get me started on the Browns run defense giving up 185 yards last night.

Meal of Links

Google is now hosting the Life Photo Archive. Why here's Joe DiMaggio at Dinky Donuts!






































Bruno strikes again. You'd think people would wise up.

How The New York Times met "The Simpsons".

Family Guy Spelling Bee

This put me on the floor.



Exercise Yard

Even Desmond Howard is not too sure about this Rich Rodriguez guy. Rodriguez has probably hired a food taster, at this point.

Visitor

27 Across: Brother of Curly (3 letters) Answer: Moe

Last night, I was outnumbered by women downtown about 250-to-1, because of all things, New Kids on the Block were in town. Gale and I were at Alesci's and it kinda got put in perspective by the young woman sitting next to me. I could only name three of the dudes in the group and she filled in the remaining two. She said, "You don't understand, when I was 9, I had these guys on everything in my room." I guess posters, sheets, the whole nine. She also felt a little funny 16 years later actually attending the show. But felt that even though those guys were older, look at all the women in the audience. The other thing that was amazing was how many guys knew the song "Step By Step". That's crazy.

















Later at the Clevelander, Kevin and I split $5 to play some rounds of Keno. We chose to play 5 games at a dollar each. We picked the four number method. Two of the five games netted us two numbers, so we made $4, for a total loss of a buck. Games start three minutes apart. You fill out a numbers ticket like the regular weekly lotteries. They print out a ticket with your choices and in the lower right, the games you are eligible for are printed. When you're done, you hand in the ticket to claim any winnings. They insert the tickets and you get the resultant payout. It's quite simple.

Meal of Links

All the presidential elections in map form. Still cannot figure out the 1824 election.

Redford on Newman.

Ten everyday things people do that ruin their cars. I never use the parking brake, doesn't enter my mind to use it.

Good news. Last Sunday's premiere of "Dexter" got good ratings. I'll cling to anything that keeps the show on the air.

Shows that should not have been cancelled. Good shoutouts to "Dead Like Me" (the first season is really good), "Frank's Place" (I absolutely loved that show and we got a Louis Armstrong theme, too), "Arrested Development" (with a collection of the Bluth family's chicken dance).

Homer Simpson Tries To Vote for Obama



Exercise Yard

Lance Armstrong's comeback is not going over well with lots in the cycling world. Greg LeMond is still on his case, the French aren't exactly thrilled, the anti-dopers are a bit perplexed (the thought of retesting old samples from 1999 has come up.)

It's been a rather fascinating few weeks since Armstrong announced he's coming back for the Tour. It appears he is in it to promote Livestrong. Not sure why he is coming back, I think no less than a first is a failure, simply because of all the doping talk. He's gotta prove he can win without a cloud of suspicion. As we've seen with baseball, that's tough to do.

Visitor

18 Down: "Only The Lonely" singer (7 letters) Answer: Orbison

Ralph Wiggum for President. Hah! A candidate so good, both parties wanted him.



Meal of Links

A reminder that "The Wire" kicked off its last season on Home Box last night. Last night's episode, once again, was really good.

Here's your chance, you non-Showtime types. "Dexter" goes to CBS in February.

The Golden Globes show has been cancelled. Sorta. it looks like they'll just announce the winners or some such nonsense. So, have a drink to honor the only awards show where alcohol is served.

Exercise Yard

Was that the weirdest sports press conference by Roger Clemens and his legal team? One thing to talk to the press, but to play a taped telephone call with your accuser seemed ludicrous to me. This is reminiscent of Floyd Landis.

Visitor

14 Across: Immortal name in daredeviltry (4 letters) Answer: Evel

Hey, I just realized hitting the space bar twice on the BlackBerry results in a period being typed. How did I miss that? I'm also curious as to what Marcel Marceau's last words were. Here are his funeral arrangements.

Today was the Browns first regular season road game and that meant a visit to Paul's. Today it was pulled pork sammies and they were good. I'm not really sure what to make of today's game. Actually, I do. Uh, we're not very good. Too many early penalties, the time of possession tilted heavily to the Raiders in the second half, and we had a blocked field goal at the end which would have won the game.

I am amazed we even had a chance to win. Oakland helped out by not scoring touchdowns inside the 5-yard line in the first half and settled for field goals. Once again, we could not stop the fuckin' run. Today, it was 186 yards. That is not acceptable. Derek Anderson had two Derek Anderson-like interceptions in the first half, but somehow cobbled a late drive to put us in position to win. Thanks to Kellen Winslow with two fine catches.

The killer play was in the fourth quarter, and it was the 3rd-and-23 screen pass that went for 27 yards by the Raiders. Now, that is unacceptable. Once again, the defense looked shabby and if Josh Cribbs had not run back a kickoff, I'm not sure we would have even been that close. Next week, it's the Ravens.

Meal of Links

Since it's an EPL morning, I got to have the big breakfast at home. I'm a fan of wheat bread, but I have been eating bolillo lately. I must say, it's pretty good. Nice change of pace from your normal wheat breads.

A nice contrast of movie references from "The Simpsons". Scenes from the show next to their movie counterparts. Probably more to come.

More Rove political schemes are uncovered. No surprise here.

Exercise Yard

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has a MySpace page. I laughed quite a bit at that one.

Visitor

None. Another great September Sunday.

The new "Simpsons Movie" opened last night. Gale and I ventured over to the sold-out Crocker Park for this one. It surprised me that I was perhaps only three or four removed from wearing the chaperone hat, as there were a lot of youths in attendance. All I know is the movie made me laugh. Sure, it may have dragged in a couple of spots and it was really just a lengthier version of what you see on TV, but I thought it was a good time.

I laughed when Bart was writing on the chalkboard, "I will not illegally download this movie." Homer makes me laugh. Comic Book Guy made me laugh, too. I don't know, for all the negativity out there regarding "The Simpsons", I had fun.

Meal of Links

If the presidential candidates were NFL franchises. For instance, Sam Brownback = Cleveland Browns.

Time to stock up. Here are the 100 items most likely to disappear during a national emergency. Soy sauce checks in at Number 75.

Everything you wanted to know about the AK-47. Except that he plays for the Utah Jazz.

Exercise Yard

Henry Hill chimes in on the NBA betting scandal. Excellent read.

Visitor

29 Across: Dramatist Behan (7 letters) Answer: Brendan

I got to visit a couple of my favorite haunts the last couple of nights. Last night, Drew and I headed over to O'Reilly's at Cedar Center. Ah, the specials were most of my favorites, including the Ribeye and the Turkey Burger, but I just had to select the Tomato Soup and that Po Boy. I couldn't get there early enough. I hate when work interferes with my ability to have an extra beer. I was shocked when Wheel of Fortune was changed on many TVs. To lacrosse, of all things. I wonder if Jeopardy is receiving the same treatment.

And tonight, my Dad and I headed over to the Union House. Apparently, he had not had a fish fry in a while, so I tagged along. I recommend it highly.

Meal of Links

The "Simpsonize Me" machine is up and running again. You can upload a photo and is it is "Simpsonized".

I got a letter from the Ohio State Department of Administrative Services a few days ago. DAS does not stand for Dumbass, but it could. Anyhow, I made the list. Yep, my info was on the infamous stolen laptop. The state tries to reassure you by saying only someone with "special knowledge" could crack the code. Yeah, I believe that one. BTW, the state also told us, at the start, that only 64,000 people were affected. That number is now up to 1.2 million. Oops. Heads are now rolling.

Another boost for "The Wire". If you haven't seen it, start now.

Exercise Yard

The NBA, especially David Stern, has to be agonizing over the referee betting scandal. I'm a fan of the league, but it is perpetually dogged by the thought that most people have...the game might be fixed. For years, we have joked that the refs "got the call from Stern" at halftime, and have cost the Cavs another game. I distinctly recall a playoff game in the early '90s against New Jersey, where the Cavs had built a decent lead at the half. In the third quarter, the calls started piling up against the Cavs and they ended up losing. Although not completely sold on the concept, after that game, the thought was permanently embedded in my brain as a possibility.

I'm sure we'll hear that it's the actions of a troubled rogue referee, but it shows how a ref can easily control the outcomes of games through foul calls, violations and ejections. Especially when he has two different partners for each game.

Visitor

25 Across: "Phooey!" (3 letters) Answer: Bah

I visited my Doctor today for a checkup. Interestingly enough, it was his last day, as he's moving on. Thank goodness they didn't start partying at lunch or anything. And I didn't get a discount or any selloff of equipment. I sort of feel like Al Bundy when his barber died. You know, you get comfortable after a while with the same person, so now I have to go looking for another doc at the Clinic.

Meal of Links

I have not mentioned Creed Bratton lately. Glad to see he made this list of TV's Top 10 Actors.

This guy really hates the current version of "The Simpsons". He probably likes a dial phone and black and white TV, too.

OK, I assume Jerry Rice at the ESPYs is sponsored by Crown Royal. I mean, let's hope so. I need that gig.

























Exercise Yard

Time to talk about Becks. And look at him.

Visitor

40 Across: Playwright Burrows (3 letters) Answer: Abe

With the White Stripes making what I think is a soon-to-be legendary trip across Canada, Best Friend and I headed up north to take in the show in London, Ontario (Population: 348,000). The concert took place at the relatively new John Labatt Centre.

















The Venue: For this show, the JLC was seated in a "hybrid" format. 5,400 showed up. It was General Admission on the floor with no seating. The lower ring seated about halfway around, while the upper ring was curtained off facing the stage, but open on the sides.

The Secret Show: The Secret Show remained a secret to us. But 300 people showed up at a flour mill in Arva, earlier in the afternoon, to see a set played out there.















Unforeseen Rules: The JLC seemed to be paranoid about these rock-and-roll shows. Because they have too many rules. First of all, you need a wristband to drink which certifies that you are old enough. Hey, the House of Blues does that locally, but they have a system that avoids lines, as they tag you on the way in. JLC only had two "Wristband Centers", both located downstairs, for the entire building. Long lines! Also, you cannot take alcohol inside the seating area. WTF? They limit you to one drink per person at a time. So, if you want to grab one now and one for later to avoid lines, you are SOL. They stop serving alcohol when the main act hits the stage. If you go out to smoke, you can't take alcohol outside into the smoking area. I may have had to pee blue in a cup to leave after the show, but I can't remember.

The Tickets: We were in the second-to-last row in the section closest to the stage, in the uppers. Fittingly, behind the handicapped section.















The Sound: We thought this was an issue, especially in the uppers. Despite it being a good show, the sound was too muddied. Afterward, however, everyone else seemed to think it was the greatest show ever. Londoners can't afford to be discriminatory, it seems. When asked about the shows that come to town, apparently Cher opened the building. Metallica was there once. However, the next big act to come to town...The Moody Blues. I think they are now a traveling archaeological exhibit.

The Stage: A rather neat setup, if you could see it. Unfortunately for me, I only saw Meg White from the neck down as her drums were positioned on the left front. Jack White was all over the place with nonstop energy. The stage floor was red and they had red stairs that led up to a riser at the back. Big red backdrop with lights up front, so their shadows were prominently displayed. A mirrored ball was employed at times and strobes were used for the seizure-prone in the audience. There were no video screens. No question, Jack White is positively the most electrifying personality in music right now. He has an ability to mesmerize a room like no one else, because you never know what the hell he is gonna do. And Meg just kills on those drums, too. To get that sound from only two people still stuns me.

















The Music: As usual, you never know what songs you are going to get. First part lasted 45 minutes and another 30 for the encore. Here is the setlist for London:

Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Icky Thump
Starts I'm Slowly Turning Into You then goes into
Canon
I'm Slowly Turning Into You
Hotel Yorba
I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman
Astro/Jack the Ripper
Death Letter
Cold Cold Night
Apple Blossom
The Union Forever
A Martyr for my Love For You
The Big Three Killed My Baby
I think I smell a rat (riff)
Little Cream Soda
Astro
I think I smell a rat

Encore

Blue Orchid
Party of Special Things To Do
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
Hardest Button To Button
Catch Hell Blues
We're Going To Be Friends
Seven Nation Army
Boll Weevil

As you can tell from that list, they may have a new album out, but they certainly weren't plugging it in London.

Meal of Links

I guess Live Earth didn't go over very well. Hey, I heard Phil Collins say "Fuck" during "Invisible Touch" on an XM cut today, which didn't make it to TV. Was that a highlight? Performances are here.

The Top 10 Most Beautiful Social Networks. I do recommend Threadless. Some of my favorite shirts are from there.

Vanity Fair flips for "The Simpsons". I know it's old and some people don't like it anymore, but I still laugh at it.

Exercise Yard

Did you participate in the Home Run Derby Drinking Game? If so, we'll hold your mail for the 28 Days you'll need to recover.

Visitor

34 Down: Author ___ Stanley Gardner (4 letters) Answer: Erle

While waiting for the Dick Bavetta-Charles Barkley race on TNT, the last bit of snow news is the car that was buried in front of my house was finally dug out. Most of that snow ended up on my tree lawn. The remainder of the snow left in the street was then pushed by the plow Thursday night onto my apron (I was with you, PFS, until that happened). So, I had to deal with that yesterday. And, is if on cue, both the truck and the car have resumed their usual spaces this morning.

The weather didn't stop me from going to two of my favorite haunts this week. On Thursday, the men in my family accompanied my niece to an Ice Cream Social at the Happy Dog. Yes, I know, it's odd to have an event like that in February, but I didn't plan it. They promote themselves as kid-friendly and they really are. There were maybe 15-20 kids there. There were balloons for the kiddies, face painting (which I will get next time), a guy sang Wiggles-types tunes for about 70 minutes and there was, of course, ice cream, with all the fixins. And beer for the adults, imagine that. Kind of a neat event and hopefully, they will have another one. And they had a Po Boy special that night that was terrific. I loves me my Po Boys.

Last night, Gale and I went to the Old Angle. Big crowd down there and I was able to peek at vintage soccer highlights via Setanta. Bridge was one of the streets that got paved in a half-assed way because of the parked cars. So there were streetwalkers down there. Not in the usual sense, but folks had to use the street to walk because no one appeared to own a shovel. Had to opt to park at Dave's. On Fridays, they have that Evel Knievel singer and I'm not sure people were paying attention. He tried to get participation on "Sweet Caroline" and it was a slow start, but eventually some of us joined in. Tex-Mex Hummus, of course, was really good and I tried the Pulled Pork for a change. Very good.

Meal of Links

The journey to watch all of these Oscar movies took me to the Cinemark. Oh, but it couldn't be the one in Valley View. No, I had to go out to the one in Aurora to see "Blood Diamond", because Valley View dumped it during the snowstorm. You know you're in Bumfuck when you see a sign that reads "Hiram 11". They have 10 screens there and the one I was in may have seated 85, tops, and nine of us deemed the film worthy of viewing. This movie is the shitstorm that was Sierra Leone in 1999, with the rebels taking over the country. Of course, "No-Conflict" diamonds were the issue. I guess we are supposed to feel bad about diamond rings, but it's an action-packed movie that tells us the story. I like smugglers in movies and DiCaprio plays a great one, who has managed to keep himself alive through all of these conflicts. When you see Leo on the screen, you know he's a movie star. Not many of the younger actors have it, but he does. So, we had lots of chases, gunplay, butchering of the locals, stuff blowing up real good, satphones during wartime, good guys who are bad, bad guys who are really bad, and lots of child soldiers. Jennifer Connelly at least looks the best she's been in a while (not sure about her role) as a journalist and Djimon Hounsou got a nomination for his role, as did Leo. I liked it. It's so old, it's probably on DVD soon and probably worth a look.

Driving all that way made me hungry for some soup, so I stopped at Zoup! for the first time. Bowl of soup with bread and a half sammie cost me $9.90. I had the Santa Fe Chicken Chili with French Bread and a Tuna Salad Sandwich. They crammed a lot on that sandwich, BTW. The chili was good and I thought the bread was better.

Joe Rogan calls out Carlos Mencia for stealing jokes. "Carlos Menstealia", hah! It reminds me of what Bill Hicks said about Denis Leary stealing his act: "I have a scoop for you. I stole his act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and to really throw people off, I did it before he did."

Video of the Week

Evel Knievel guy with all of his Who numbers made me think of "Happy Jack". The thing that kills me about this video is how young everyone looks here. The boys are gonna crack open a safe with Daltrey as the lookout. Things to look for: Everyone falling on Moon, causing him to limp; Daltrey flipping the coin; "FRAGILE"; Pete and his flashlight; Entwhistle eating the cake; Moon doing anything; the cop glancing at the mirror.

The Who-"Happy Jack"



Exercise Yard

It was great to see 7:30 a.m. soccer back on FSC this morning with the FA Cup fixture of Arsenal and Blackburn. Blackburn goalie Brad Friedel, from Bay Village, is playing out of his mind this year and made some unbelievable saves in a 0-0 draw. Begs the question, is he off the US team of his own volition and is there any way we can get him back on the team?

Visitor

36 Down: "The Simpsons" bar (4 letters) Answer: Moe's

Cleveland is in the running to host the 2011 Special Olympics. The first thing to remember is if you go, please do not laugh. Seriously, do not laugh.

I found it curious that the Opening Ceremonies would be at Cleveland Browns Stadium, but the Closing Ceremonies are at Canal Park in Akron. I don't get it, is that some sort of cruel joke? It's as if they confirm big-time event status at the beginning and then dare the contestants to find their way to show up in Akron. Almost like hey, they won't pay attention, so we'll switch the finale to Akron. That bugs me for some reason.

Meal of Links

WWDDD? Apparently, he'd get drunk before he would go on "The View". Oh yeah, he was there to promote his Christmas movie. Good grief.

Carolyn from "The Apprentice" found a new job. She now works for Microsoft to find the best small business idea.

How to calculate Pi by throwing frozen hot dogs. Roy G. Biv looks on intently.

Exercise Yard

Nomar Stalker and I headed over to the CSU-Kent State game tonight and a crazy thing happened, CSU won. They had a 10-point lead at half, extended it a bit, Kent battled back to a 4-point deficit and then CSU pulled away at the end. Kent seems like they will have a down year, but CSU is on the improve, winning 66-59. They better be as they play Butler, K-State with Coach Huggs, and then #1 Ohio State in the next 10 days.

Highlights included a Becky Burger and some beers. Oh, that was pre-game. During the game, CSU got killed inside and the bench was outscored 40-16. But they gave up no fast break points and outrebounded Kent. It wasn't pretty, but they finally gutted out a win, for a change.

Visitor

35 Across: "The Simpsons" bartender (3 letters) Answer: Moe

Moe: "Say, ya, Barn, remember when I said I'd have to send away to NASA to calculate your bar tab?"
Barn: "Yeah, we all had a good laugh, Moe."
Moe: "The results came back today. You owe me 70 billion dollars."

Randomness from today's Browns home game:

Gale is today's special guest. Browns Version 2.3 has been talking a good game about revenge this week. Yes, revenge for last year's 41-0 debacle against the Super Bowl Champs. We have won 2 of our last 3 games for one of the few times in recent history. A win at home will go a long way in restoring what little faith remains in this year's squad.

Today's opponent: The dreaded Pittsburgh Steelers. Our biggest rivals on paper, but in a rivalry, most teams share the winning every once in a while. They own us lately. But the Steelers have the same record as the Browns coming in, and the way they've played, gives us a chance, I think. Last year, I knew a month ahead of time we would lose, so there is some excitement this year.

The weather was abysmal today. If it's gonna rain, be warmer. If it's that cold, it might as well snow. It drizzled for most of the game, rained a bit and some strange wind kicked up ice pellets at one point. The ice came after the "Pittsburgh Sucks" chant. Ye football gods were angered. Unbelievably, after the game, it was the coldest I felt all day.

Today's giveaway: To combat the Terrible Towel, AT&T provided Browns flags. We arrived too late to partake.

Section 345 was rather subdued. But, once again, many season ticket holders bailed on this game and, oddly enough, many of those tickets ended up in the hands of Steelers fans. Not as bad as Christmas Eve 2005, but enough to be annoying.

The running game today was decent, as Reuben Droughns was hurt. Imagine that. Our smaller, quicker backs had an OK day running. Mmmmm.

The only time I saw G.E. Smith this week was in David Bowie's video of "Fashion".

Worst Browns play: Not many that were truly ugly. Probably the early reverse to Braylon Edwards for -8 yards qualifies.

Best line from me (After the game, while passing Public Hall. White smoke billowing from some outlet pipe, into the sky): "I guess they chose a new Levert today."

Best line from a random: "Hey, Steeler man. What are you lookin' at? I'm a motherfuckin' Browns fan." People are so civil.

Oddest Browns jersey: 81 Morgan (Is this guy so cheap, he doesn't wear shoes?) 95 Willie made me laugh.

No in-game purchases.

Best Browns play: No question, Joshua Cribbs kickoff return for a TD. The best return guy we've had since Eric Metcalf.

The cold prevented many costumes today. Lots of plastic wraps, blankies and gloves and mittens.

Best Fan Cam picture: More of a promo where the police dog barks at a guy on the ground, while hovering over him. Accompanied by Pink Floyd's "Dogs of War".

Worst stat: The Browns gave up 253 yards in the last quarter. Ugh!

2nd worst stat: The Browns gave up over 31 yards per kickoff return. Strangely, their best coverage came after Cribbs TD return, when we got an excessive celebration penalty. That forced us to kick from the 20 and we handled that well.

Most interesting stat: Our running backs caught only 2 balls. That means Frye was doing a better job of checking downfield.

Of course, this is the type of game the Browns always seem to lose. The defense was on the field a lot late, but it's a talent issue. I give the Browns credit for patching together a secondary this year. Superb safety play is making us look good on D. Brian Russell and Sean Jones are playing very nicely together. And Brodney Pool is stepping up in man coverage. But injuries have forced Jeremy Perry, Ralph Brown (my favorite whipping boy) and Daven Holly to garner significant playing time. Holly had two interceptions, one for a TD, but that group is forced to play a coverage that prevents the big play, but opens up a lot of underneath stuff. It worked for three quarters, but killed us late in the game today.

Charlie Frye didn't kill us today. The Steelers had just enough to beat us. Next week, the Bengals and their no-huddle offense come in. Not good news.

Meal of Links

I was so punchdrunk from the Browns game that I was absolutely giddy watching "The Simpsons" tonight. I almost spit out my Green Tea when after a day of "Vermonting", Bart said, "We learned lots of things today. Did you know candles are made by losers?"

Stopped at Melt after the game. That Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup is a killer. Had a bacon, ham and swiss grilled cheese that will be finsihed for a meal tomorrow.

All about "Dexter". OK, I pimp it a lot, but it's so different (to me) than anything on the tube these days.

Exercise Yard

Does anyone remember when Bonnie Bernstein didn't wear hats?















Her hat blended in with the crowd during a shot at OSU on Saturday, so you could play "Where's Waldo?"

Visitor

None, it's a blustery Browns Sunday.