Newcastle United at Columbus Crew






















Since I had some time off, I went to Columbus yesterday to see Mr. and Mrs. Mix and the dogs. Because I enlisted Mr. Mix to attend the international soccer friendly between the Columbus Crew and Newcastle Utd. of the EPL.

It was my first entry into Crew Stadium, the first venue built strictly for soccer in the U.S. Although, Journey and Brad Paisley are playing there soon. I think this vision was the one co-opted by the Wolsteins, when that soccer stadium was being considered along Route 8. Of course, that didn't happen and we still do not have a team.

First live soccer match for me in a long time. But the Magpies are a mid-level English team and this was their third of three preseason matches in the U.S. before their kickoff against Arsenal in two weeks. They had played two 0-0 ties, the last against Sporting KC.

I was hoping to get a glimpse of Joey Barton, the notorious Newcastle midfielder and a fave of mine. But, alas, Joey was denied a visa for the U.S. tour because of his criminal record. Damn, he's gotta be trouble-free for two more years. So, he went to the Netherlands for training and will join Newcastle for their upcoming match with Leeds.

We had seats on the east side of the stadium. They have bleachers with backs for most of the seating. Actually the last row of the lowers on the aisle. Quick jaunt to get beer. Two on tap were an RFD Lager and a Hudson Street beer, I guess made for the Crew.





















As you can tell, not a huge crowd showed up for this one. Although it was a fairly comfortable evening, considering what we've had to work with lately, only 11,224 showed up for this one. Lots of Newcastle fans, too. Newcastle went ahead early with a goal in the 9th minute. And controlled much of the action.

Then, at the stroke of halftime, there was a play where the Crew keeper went way off his line, out of the penalty area, and was tagged with a deliberate handball call. Not sure that really happened. Anyhow, he was sent off with a red card and the Crew had to play with 10 men for the second half.

Their keeper in the second half was the MLS pool goalkeeper. Yes, he's the Eddie Money of Major League Soccer. He just sits by the phone and when a team, any team in the league needs him because of an injury or suspended goalkeeper, well, he answers the call.

And, of course, at halftime, you must get the youth involved.






















The Magpie defense was pretty stout throughout. Newcastle added two goals in the second half. The prettiest one was a nice bender by Haris Vukcic to close it out right near the end.

On second thought, maybe it wasn't Newcastle so much as a pretty nondescript offense by the Crew. They only had one shot on goal for the game and for a team in midseason, looked inept at times with the ball.





















Regardless, a good time had by all.

I am officially on...



Big day on the Tour day, as the snow cleared in the Alps. My main man, Andy Schleck, decided to attack with, oh, only 60 KM left in the race and got himself back in line for a shot at the yellow jersey with basically only two days left. Tomorrow may be a repeat as it's Alpe d'Huez, followed by the time trial in Grenoble on Saturday. With the ride into Paris on Sunday, a symbolic one, the finish will be bang-bang, as Rick Manning likes to say.





























Schleck's ride today will be epic, especially if he wins the Tour. Probably the best one-day ride since Floyd Landis in the infamous Stage 17 in 2006. You guessed it, shades of Eddy Merckx. But the leader, Thomas Voeckler, didn't crack and hardly anyone can believe he still has the yellow jersey. But the Schleck ride cracked Alberto Contador and Sammy Sanchez.

So, it's probably down to 4 guys. The Schleck Brothers, Cadel Evans and Voeckler. After tomorrow, the leader will be one of the Schlecks, so it all comes down to Saturday's time trial.

But the Tour finally started today.

Allez!

Meal of Links

Going to the movies in Australia is like buying books in Canada. The prices are high.

Debt ceiling talk. Yeah, it's important.

"Dexter" cranks up Season 6 on October 2. New trailer is out.

Did someone mention R.E.M.?

The endorsements are starting for US Women's Soccer. Not a bad idea, as that team competes in the Olympics next year in London. I think the real star is Megan Rapinoe.

Richard Lewis was back on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" last week. He chats about Larry David.

Comeback of the Year? WWE Wrestling!

Exercise Yard

I'm actually on Team Stevie on Steve Williams firing by Tiger Woods. Yeah, that Stevie, the scourge of photogs everywhere. Boy, are there a lot of folks giving Stevie the business over how much money he received for being Tiger's caddie.

But, let's face it, he was not on some mystery retainer and he hadn't worked that much in the last 18 months. Typical caddie pay is a Missed Cut will get you zip, 5% of earnings for a cut finish, 7% for a Top Ten, and 10% for a win.

I'm not sure how much loyalty comes into play, when you are deprived of a job you like to do and you get that itch to get out there and do something. I'm sure Stevie was tired of sitting.

But, man, is he getting blasted for being "The Caddie".

Visitor

44 Across: PETCO Park player (5 letters) Answer: Padre

While trying to determine the odds of the deer I saw running through my neighborhood this a.m., actually seeing tomorrow...

I've been watching women's sports for a long time. The US Women's Soccer team is the better team. But, jeezy creezy, if you blow a game like they did today, you gotta take the heat like the men do. Instead we are treated to platitudes like Bob Ley insisting that some "were already calling it a classic". How? Why?

Is it the resiliency of Japan or the fact that the US was up twice and gave up goals late in the second half and also in the second half of added time. Good teams don't let that happen. So, they go to Penalty Kicks and the Japan keeper is getting all the credit, while I see the US having two terrible PKs to start. On the broadcast, it seemed the third US PK was somehow deemed as not good, but that clearly was a good save by the Japan keeper.

Meanwhile, Hope Solo makes one save out of four tries and in the highlights after that save, Brandi Chastain makes this statement after the match, "Hope Solo does what Hope Solo does...makes saves!" WTF? Did you just see her make only one save of four? And did you notice the ref was having none of Solo's PK shenanigans this time around, actually ordering her on to the pitch before the first US PK.

And the US coach needs to come under some scrutiny, as well. Against Brazil, her PK lineup was Boxx, Lloyd, Rapinoe, Wambach, Krieger. Today, for some unknown reason, she pulled Rapinoe in the latter stages of extra time and did not have Alex Morgan in the lineup, who has been consistently on target with her shots and scored the first US goal and assisted on the other.

So, today's lineup was Boxx with a not-so-good first attempt that was saved. Lloyd, who air-mailed the goal. Heath, who had only subbed for Rapinoe in the 114th minute, had a good attempt blocked, but I think Morgan deserved that spot. Wambach nailed her attempt and I'm not sure who Number 5 would have been.

But we don't get any of that breakdown. No, we're allegedly teaching the world to sing tonight and we'd like to buy it a Coke. Bah!

"It's The World Cup, Bro!"



Meal of Links

This was one thing that was hard to figure about the Murdoch controversy. He put Rebekah Brooks in charge of the internal investigation when she was in charge at NOTW. She resigned last week and has now been arrested.

Terrence Malick had been thinking of "The Tree Of Life" for some time. Like since 1979. You actually see some of these early thoughts in the current movie.

This is rather odd. In Taiwan, they have stripping at funerals.

Ron Howard has finally stopped wearing a hat. It was getting ridiculous.

A pretty fair look at John Kerry. And the role he plays in our foreign policy.

Exercise Yard

Indians lost their second in a row to Baltimore. Now they head to the Twin Cities for 4 games. Have you noticed the Twins lately? They are only 5 games back.

Even Tiger refers to this series with his favorite word: "Huge."

Visitor

None, on a warm Sunday.

They had polkas at the Market today with DJ Kishka. So what better way to spend an afternoon than guzzling beer at Great Lakes Brewing. Had only been there once since the Great Smoking Controversy. That was for the Bourbon Beer Debacle as the annals report.

They are still on high alert when someone's about to smoke. No smokes inside the railing, Mister.

Anyhow, it truly is a Cleveland success story. Outside was packed. Beer garden was packed. Bar was packed. Downstairs was packed. At 2:00 on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. I know they are closed on Sundays, but man, that's pretty good business.

Meal of Links

Bachmann left her church when she decided to run for President. Sort of a reverse Jeremiah Wright going on.

Fox News has a segment on hacking. Jocularity ensues.

Hope Solo: Blonde. Against Hope Solo: Brunette. Either way, she has to stop the type of goal she gave up against France.

Exercise Yard

Minnesota is in the throes of a government shutdown. Vikings owner decides this is the right time to continue lobbying for a new stadium.

Visitor

2 Down: Frontman on the 1987 debut album "Appetite For Destruction" (7 letters) Answer: Axl Rose

I happened to be going through the dial when I saw the Penalty Kick portion of the US Women-Brazil Women's World Cup quarterfinal. Unbeknown to me, the US scored during Stoppage Time of Extra Time. In the 122nd minute, if you will.

"Major Onions" US Goal by Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery



The Real Call by Ian Darke and Julie Foudy



But when it came time for PKs, what the hell was with the Brazilian goalkeeper? Every shot she is way off her line. Wa-a-a-ay off her line. The ref nailed her on the first US attempt and gave a rekick. The US made that goal and the next four for the win, but I was curious to see if any other US miss was going to be given a rekick.

As for the US during PKs, Hope Solo has to be a bit more careful with her psych jobs. She sits off on the side, unlike most keepers, well out of the way, but on the field of play. She then makes a slow torturous walk towards goal, while the opponent is already lining up their kick. Again, unusual because the goalkeeper is almost always ready before the shooter. She will then do a lot of stretching and gyrations in front of the shooter before she gets on the line. To be fair, once on the line, she is not moving before the kick or still waving her arms, which is really getting out of hand by most goalies. But with one yellow card already in the match, that was too dangerous a time to be messing with the rules.

I am not going to call this the greatest comeback win in any sport, as ESPN already did. It seemed like a great finish but wake me up next Sunday and tell me who wins.

USA wins on PKs, 2-2 (5-3).

Meal of Links

Rutger Hauer is in a new movie. Best title since "Snakes On A Plane". It's "Hobo With A Shotgun".

The power of Rupert Murdoch. Clearly, he sacrificed News of the World for BSkyB.

Chris Hansen's affair probably cost him a job as "Dateline" anchor. Well, when he asks, probably more people know who he is now.

The world of obit writers. Not as humorless as one would think.

8 Secrets About Disney. I was actually in that Club 33 once. I didn't see Depp there, but I had an adult beverage.

Exercise Yard

I guess Travis Hafner's grand slam on Thursday did not propel the Tribe to gerater heights, as originally thought. Don't look now, but the White Sox and Twins are now the closest to the division lead than they have been all year.

I heard Manny Acta pregame and for the first time, I thought, yeah, the Indians may deal to find a bat. Then I read Chris Antonetti's comments and I'm not so sure again.

Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday.

Not much goin' on except the grillin'.

Friday-Burgers

Saturday-Drumsticks and Roasted Corn

Today-Pork Chops, then Burgundy Mushroom Burgers.

Tomorrow-Looks like Ribs.

Meal of Links

I didn't know Celeste Holm was still around. She's embroiled in a family feud.

The Ten Greatest Liars. We know a few of these.

Worst Non-Handball Call Ever



Jim Morrison's been dead for 40 years. They are reissuing "LA Woman".

Exercise Yard

Hey, Wimbledon's over. Did you know Cinemark had both the men's and women's finals in 3D? That's why you pray for rain in these situations. Instead, it's grilling and yardwork for me.

Anyhow, Jon Wertheim breaks it down. Always the best recap if you watched nary a deuce.

Visitor

None, on a terrific Sunday.

It's a thankless job.

Some overeager student from my alma mater tries to get me to donate money.

The question which always sets me off is: (Alumnus first name here), when was the last time you visited campus?"

I wonder when the glow from Bubble City actually ebbs for this kind of person. So, I always reply with, "The point of this call is you are trying to get a donation, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can't do that right now."

"It doesn't have to be a big donation. You know, any donation matters."

"Yes, I know."

Awkward silence ensues.

Call ends.

Not trying to be cynical, but maybe it comes off that way. I don't care.

Meal of Links

Newspapers are always finetuning the Comics. But the Denver Post yanked "Doonesbury", and there was nary a peep. Hard to figure how "Beetle Bailey" and "Blondie" survive though.

Trippy movies. Why there's "Inland Empire".

Bachmann announces her candidacy. And, so it begins.

Inside "TMZ". I must say, a guilty pleasure is stumbling into the one-hour weekend show.

Throw-up time. One of the biggest costs of committing to wars in Afghanistan and Iran? That would be air conditioning. To the tune of $20 billion annually.

Do you realize cereal consumption in the US is dropping>? Special K was down 16% from 2007 to 2010.

Breaking down the US Gold Cup loss to Mexico. Naysayers, like here, say it's the coaching. Others say, they almost had 4 goals themselves to tie Mexico. But they didn't.

Exercise Yard

Joe Pos with a beautiful sendoff for Nick Charles.

Visitor

52 Across: Mule's parent (3 letters) Answer: Ass

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

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

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

Meal of Links

Myspace. What an epic fail

The new Florida? It may be Wisconsin.

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

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

Regrets from the dying. Definitely things to consider.

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

Exercise Yard

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

With water cannons!



Visitor

None, on a nice summer Sunday.

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

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

Meal of Links

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

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

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

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

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

Palin's e-mails.

Exercise Yard

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

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

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

Visitor

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

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

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

The USA comes in dead last at No. 203.

Meal of Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Exercise Yard

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

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

Visitor

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

The Tribe won today to get back on track, after dumping three in a row. Here are some things we should be talking about, going into today's game:

Jack Hannahan is hitting .185 in May, with only 2 extra-base hits.

Big hit for Shelley Duncan today. He was hitting .135 in May. But still hits lefties at .303.

Orlando Cabrera has walked only 6 times.

Carlos Santana has knocked in 4 runs in May. Lou Marson has 1. That's 5 RBI from the catcher this month.

Michael Brantley is at .259 before his big triple and single today. Looking good.

Shin-Soo Choo is apparently coming out of it. Last 2 weeks, .353 BA, .439 OBP, .500 Slugging. Those are Choo-like numbers. Has to sustain that to get back to his levels of last 2 years.

No numbers necessary. Asdrubal Cabrera is your All-Star representative.

Matt LaPorta is not really doing anything great. Plugging along at .250, slugging and OBP down in May.

That's why it's not so much the pitching this year. It will be the hitting that takes the Tribe to wherever they wind up this year.

Meal of Links

Commuting. It's killing us.

Cities accept crazy people. Corporations do not.

Ten myths about bedbugs. Beware.

Exercise Yard

The Champions League Final proved one thing. Barcelona is the best club in the world. Complete domination, starting with about 70% possession, of Manchester United. Goals by Messi and Villa offset one by Rooney.

Uh...Messi is Great



Barca wins, 3-1. Crank up the "greatest club ever" talk.

Visitor

48 Down: Willem of "Spider-Man" (5 letters) Answer: Dafoe

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

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

Meal of Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

Exercise Yard

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

Grant Wahl chimes in.

Visitor

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

Last night was a great opportunity to zip through the dial and see who gives you the best weather coverage. The combination of lots of storms and violent ones at that, allowed us to see who was at the top of their game.

Channel 3

Kling makes a strong case for being calm and not at all panicky. Although she kept using the phrase "place of safety", which I guess means your basement, closet or bathroom on your lowest floor. Not very compelling to see someone watching a computer, so they had the irritant of Ramona and then the 7:00 crew sit by and offer up some tidbits. Kling must have the stalkers though, because she showed her phone after receiving an alert from Channel 3 Weather. "I get alerts for Cuyahoga County because that's where I work. You can also choose additional counties. I have the "county where I live" and two adjacent counties, as well."

Channel 5

OK, Mark Johnson has the Power of 5 on his side. Too much begging for photos and interrupting the broadcast with them. Did a decent job, but had the line of the night, early on in the proceedings, when the wind and hail were issues for the western counties. "Three-inch hail? How'd you like that coming down on your car? Three-inch hail. How'd you like that coming down on your kids? What are they doing outside? Get'em indoors!"

Channel 8

Didn't linger here too much. But I did hear Andre Bernier at 7:45 mention we would not miss a minute of "American Idol". Even as storms were closing in on Cuyahoga Falls.

Channel 19

Easily the clusterfuck of the evening. It seemed that every storm chaser that went west got there after the storm had already passed. Tanchak had to redirect everyone eastward. The Vampire, Eddie Gallek, sent in some video that was not even legible. I guess they filmed from the car, but who could tell. Even Tanchak looked like he was gonna comment, but bit his tongue. Tanchak's highlight was demanding that a Tornado Warning be called for Portage County and actually said, "If the Weather Service is watching us...". No wonder they have no upticks in ratings when the weather turns sour.

Kling is probably the winner, with 5 and 8 reasonably close and 19 huddled somewhere in it's "place for safety".

Meal of Links

Friends of Jeff Bridges talk about Jeff Bridges. Good stuff.

Palin is making noise again about entering the fray. I'd like to see her in a legitimate Republican primary season with no holds barred.

Guinness does taste better in Ireland. Why? Crazy little thing called freshness.

Oh, boy. VH-1 decides it wants more "Pop-Up Video".

Outstanding. Mugatu will be back for "Zoolander 2".

Vermont adds another first. They go to single-payer health care.

The 10 Greatest War Movies. I've seen 9 of them. This is actually a very good list.

Gov. Kasich's poll numbers are pretty bad. And they are still dropping. I think part of it is he never seems happy. Always mad or grousing about something.

The Ted Williams Bio is on tonight. Wonder how that Cavs job is going.

Exercise Yard

It was rather interesting to see David Beckham back at Old Trafford for the Gary Neville Testimonial. The fans
still love him there.

Hey, I know it was a friendly, but he looked pretty good. Did a lot of passing to the opposite side of the pitch and was on target virtually all the time. And almost put in a free kick. Odd that he played the full 90 minutes, but they Probably figured if he got hurt, he doesn't play there anymore.

Visitor

2 Down: Baseball's "Old Perfessor" (7 letters) Answer: Stengel

Casey Stengel

After the Rapture...

The EPL closed up shop for the season today and what a day it was. Five clubs were in danger of being relegated, with West Ham already down. There were 81 possible combinations. So many possibilities that some teams could win and stay up, while at the same time, they could lose and stay up. That's how nutty it was. Relegation means $50 million in revenue because of all the TV contracts, so staying up is huge as you compete for players, etc.

At the start of the day, the bottom of the table was:

Wolves 40
Blackburn 40
Birmingham 39
Blackpool 39
Wigan 39
West Ham 33

Of the five teams left, I like Ian Holloway, the coach of Blackpool. They are a small team from the seaside, and nicknamed the Tangerines. A real breath of fresh air in the league this year.

I like Wigan and their coach, Roberto Martinez. He was part of ESPN's World Cup coverage last year. A sharp, young guy who never offers excuses. They are the smallest club in the league and if they could find some goal scorers, life would be a lot easier for them. They played the match of the year last week, relegating West Ham, after falling behind 2-0. A late goal won it for them.

And I like Wolves. Mick McCarthy is a straight-shooting coach and their fans are nuts.

We had three matches available to watch. Manchester United and Blackpool on ESPN2. Man U had not lost at home since last April and won every home match this year, except for one. Birmingham and Tottenham on Fox Soccer. I didn't think this would have enough drama. I opted for Blackburn and Wolverhampton on Fox Soccer Plus. Both teams there in real danger.

So, what happens? Blackburn scores three in the first half. I had given them up for dead about a month ago and now they looked solid. Great camera work by the Sky Sports crew as they ran the gamut of emotions by the fans. At the Birmingham match, I saw someone dressed as a nun (maybe a real nun) praying as they fell behind. At Wolverhampton, those fans were put through the wringer. Down 3-0, they were willing their team back. They scored to make it 3-1, but Birmingham had scored to start making them bite their nails again. Wigan scored at Stoke to lead, 1-0.

That made it clear. Wolves needed not a win, but just one more goal to stay up. Blackburn scored off a goal kick earlier in the match, which is rare, but by God, Wolves did the same as Stephen Hunt fired one in, in the 87th minute. Bedlam. Combined with a late Tottenham goal over Birmingham, Wolves could celebrate. Probably the biggest LOSS in the team's history and people ran on the field, kissed the TV cameras, were carrying players off the pitch. It was insane.
























At the end of the day, the bottom of the table was:

Blackburn 43
Wigan 42
Wolves 40
Blackpool 39
Birmingham 39
West Ham 33

Wigan had spent 75% of the season in the bottom three and survived. Birmingham is the first winner of the Carling Cup to be relegated. Mick McCarthy and Wolves can breath normally for a change. Blackpool and Ian Holloway go back to the Championship.

So, I get my Sunday mornings back until early August with only one match remaining. But it's the big one, the Champions League Final. Barcelona and Manchester United at Wembley this Saturday.

Meal of Links

How Fox's Roger Ailes failed to find a strong Republican candidate. He appears to be a Chris Christie man. Everyone else...meh.

This guy doesn't really like "SNL". Calls it "The embarrassing uncle of American comedy".

Randy "Macho Man" Savage died on Friday. It was a cause to remember him, so everyone did their "Oh, yeah" impersonations. Plus you could snap into a Slim Jim, if you preferred.

Randy Savage is Insane



Exercise Yard

Looks like LAPD has a suspect in custody from the Opening Day beating of a Giants fan. One of last week's Giants games in LA was the lowest attended in the series since 1997.

Visitor

None, on a warm Sunday.

I found out something new about my Blackberry Torch today. For the last few days, I could not figure out what the hell was causing it to drain the battery. I couldn't get past 2:00 in the afternoon without it dying on me.

Alas, it was the constant running of Google Maps. I guess I opened it inadvertently and with it constantly looking for GPS, I was hosed. Maybe there should be a better way to signal you have open apps, but I'm glad I found it. Because I was going bats.

Meal of Links

New stuff at Progressive Field this year. Great, there is a Hafner Burger in April. Probably a single. Then there are Steak Sammies from the Food Network. Plus, "Your Dad's Beer" stand. Lemme guess, Pabst and P.O.C. I'll be at the Opener next Friday.

A look back at "Highlander". Actually saw this in the theater. Not sure if it's good, it's just different. Plus, there is Queen. They used to play this at the start of Cavs games in Richfield. Now they shoot fire out of the scoreboard.

"One Vision"/Queen



I'm not too disappointed about this one. But add another show I've watched to the scrap heap. It's lights out for "Lights Out".

Zidane Still Has It



Exercise Yard

Gus Johnson broadcast the March Madness games from New Orleans tonight. He made a horribly strange non-Gus error near the end of Florida-BYU by asking if BYU should foul Florida with 10 seconds left and the game tied. WTF?

Plus, Westwood One put Kevin Harlan on the least significant Friday matchups for the radio coverage. Why is he doing Kansas and Richmond? Another WTF?

Visitor

50 Down: Volleyball great Gabrielle (5 letters) Answer: Reece

What do you do when there is no real football (Pro Bowl doesn't count) since September? You watch TMZ Weekend and laugh your ass off. I don't see the daily show very often, because they keep moving it around locally. So the weekend effort is chock full of funnies.

Oh, I could also talk about the hefty lesbians in line in front of me (boy, were they jolly) at the grocery, but I'll save that for another day. If you thought fake laughing was rampant on NFL pre-game shows, you had to witness this.

And you see there is already a Winter Storm Watch posted for Monday night through Wednesday morning. Am I the only one who thinks these postings are coming earlier and earlier?

And, last night, I watched that old classic. "Bad Day at Black Rock". Man, they don't make 'em like that anymore.

Meal of Links

How many Twitter Revolutions have there been already? Stop it.

This is a no-brainer. I have tons of cable channels I don't watch. But it's probably time for Al-Jazeera English to be added.

By now, we should probably bank on this being truthful. That Spider-Man musical must blow hard.

Finally saw the Season 2 opener of "Archer" from last Thursday. Trust me, it has not lost a beat since last year.

Exercise Yard

Qatar had a test run for the World Cup by hosting the Asian Cup. The result? Uh, not so good.

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None, on a decent winter Sunday.

On the First Day of Christmas

I am typically not a fan of these videos. I think the most famous one was a Mannheim Steamroller or Trans-Siberian Orchestra song that got posted, went viral, and got co-opted by a beer company. So, it was nice to see something different. Might be an old video, but the song is worth it just for the line, "world's smallest turkey...".

Sign o' the times. This year, only two displays on my block.

"Christmas Wrapping" (Lighting Display)/The Waitresses



Meal of Links

Dissecting "The Larry Sanders Show". It's on DVD again. This time in its entirety, and the reaction is very positive.

Inside Anonymous. A glimpse into the world of hacking.

"Zoolander 2". It's getting closer.

The 20 Best Live Acts of 2010. Missed 'em all this time around.

Racist cupcakes? I dunno, certainly goofy-looking, but Duncan Hines pulls the ad.

Another icon destroyed. "Cash Cab" is fake.

Exercise Yard

Akron beat Louisville, 1-0, for its first NCAA soccer title. Their only loss? Why, it was Cleveland State.

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15 Across: Ruthless J.R on "Dallas" (5 letters) Answer: Ewing

The world of soccer went nuts this week. First of all, Montenegro tied England in the Euro qualifiers. Then Serbian fans went batshit crazy the same day and forced a postponement of their match against Italy. Not only did the Serbian fans bring flares into the stadium, they attacked their own team bus.

Seems they didn't like the goalkeeper switching teams back home, so they decided to harm him for the Italy match. He actually hid out in the Italians dressing room to prevent further trouble.

Here is the backstory.

Serbian Fans Go Nuts



BTW, they arrested the masked guy with the tats before he left the country. Even Belgrade is worried.

Meal of Links

Sufjan Stevens talks about his new record. It's a departure.

25 Anti-drug PSAs. That is Rachel Leigh Cook in #8. Even MacGruff makes an appearance. Or two.

An interesting take about seniors. How hard hit are they by the recession? The two main issues, unemployment and healthcare, don't really affect them.

Might be longer lines at the local Starbucks. Baristas have been told to slow down and only make two drinks at a time. Seems quality has been an issue lately.

Dropping In On The Big House



The absolute joy that is "Kung-Fu Hustle". Gotta watch the clips!

While you're at it, take a look at the career of Martin Scorsese. In addition to the obvious ones, deserved props to "The Aviator" and it's probably time to take in another viewing of "The King of Comedy".

It's nearing Halloween. Therefore, time for AMC to crank up "Fearfest" again. Starts on Monday. Hey, "Jeepers Creepers 2" is on the schedule.

Exercise Yard

Did you see that Indy put 33 winning cars on the grid to commemorate its 100th anniversary?

Standouts include:

Row 2: Al Unser's 1970 Johnny Lightning Special

Row 5: Jim Clark's 1965 Lotus

Row 6: Mario Andretti's 1969 STP Brawner Hawk (the original is in the Smithsonian, BTW)

Row 8: Mark Donohue's 1972 Sunoco McLaren

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1 Across: Hip-hopper who married Beyonce (4 letters) Answer: Jay-Z

I feel obligated to beg. "Terriers" is my favorite of the new shows on TV this fall and no one is watching. Less than 500,000 this week and Dish Network dropping FX does not help. Granted, the promos for the series that FX ran in August were really lame. Plus, the title (an old name for P.I.'s) is not very good.

But don't feel you are a latecomer to this series. This Wednesday at 10 on FX is the appropriate time to jump in, because one story arc is going on the backburner for a while. So, we get some new stuff this week.

Don't allow another series that I love to end prematurely. Because I'm tired of it happening over and over. There is still more than half a season left, so please watch "Terriers" this week. Make me happy.

Meal of Links

10 foods that help blood circulation. Or just look at Angelina Jolie all day.

10 live recordings that trump the studio version. And we can hear the live versions! Excellent choices. We even get a Townes Van Zandt song! But if you only have time for one, listen to the musically impeccable "Bigmouth Strikes Again" by The Smiths.

Johnny Depp visits a school today. Dressed like Jack Sparrow. OK, his coolness factor is now doubled.

Togo has had to deal with a fake national soccer team. "Fake national soccer team" is not the strangest phrase I've heard this week. That title belongs to "Mennonite drug cartel".

This is awesome. You can now get a Steadicam device for your cell phone.

Lou Dobbs has used illegal immigrants for cheap labor. Isn't he the guy who used to bark about illegals...oh, never mind.

Chasing Fox News.

Exercise Yard

Dan Patrick talks about life after ESPN. His DirecTV show starts on some regional sports networks in two weeks. I am assuming Fox Sports Ohio is along for the ride?

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50 Down: Artist known for spatial impossibilities (6 letters) Answer: Escher

Now, here's a contest we can all get behind. Consumerist.com is looking for the worst ads in America. The great thing is the links take you right to the commercial.

Look at these categories:

Absolute Worst Ad in America

Most Grating Performance By A Human Being

Most Annoying Animated Spokesthing

Duo Or Group That Most Needs To Be Broken Up

Celebrity Who Must Have Lost The Most Money In Housing Crash

Creepiest Commercial

Many of my "favorites" are included. Flo and the Agreeing (or should I say Annoying) Guy. The State Farm Guy, too! I was talking during last week's Browns game how I can take the good insurance ads: The Funny Lizard, President Palmer and abhor the bad ones: Flo, State Farm Guy. And I even dig Mayhem!

I am surprised that the Ed Burns Guy from 5-Hour Energy didn't make it. But his sub, the "2:30 Guy", did.

The jerkface McDonald's guy who hasn't had his coffee was nominated. Sadly, that one was in heavy rotation this past weekend.

Jimmy Johnson may be OK on "Survivor". But on those Extenze commercials, he makes me a tad uncomfortable.

I know Jamie Lee Curtis shills for Actvia. But I'm not sure I wanna know what's in that product.

And then, there's that "low price" Staples campaign. Sheesh.

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Tim Goodman hates "Shit My Dad Says". Calls it unwatchable. The Toronto Sun is pining for the GEICO Cavemen series to return. That's how bad this is.

They foreclosed on this Florida guy. Wait a minute though, he didn't have a mortgage.

Woody Paige has some wise words after the suicide of Bronco wide receiver Kenny McKinley. You see, Paige wanted to kill himself a while back.

Nate Silver has the latest senate polls up. His prediction is 52 Democrats after the election. But the R's will take over the House.

Paste lists the 40 Best Little Radio Stations in America. Locally, WAPS 91.3, The Summit, makes it.

Exercise Yard

The bad economics of European soccer. "Huge debt, cash crunches, mismanagement -- all the warning signs are there of an economic collapse, of the dominoes falling." Yikes!

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10 Down: Jessica of "Sin City" (4 letters) Answer: Alba