Last night was my first try at attending the Cleveland Oktoberfest . OK, I'll say it. I didn't have any German food. It was too warm to even think about having a pigout session. I just stuck with the beer at this sauna. Hofbrau's Oktoberfest Beer being a really keen brew. Beer was relatively cheap here. If you stayed away from promotional cups and all, the German beers were $5 and I think Buds were only $4 for a draft pounder. You cannot beat the carny food, as I had a gyro. Overall, a nice gastric experience.

The crowd showed up despite the heat, however. There seemed to be an unusual attraction from the human glockenspiel activity. These people would come out every hour on the hour. Do a little German dancing and then throw stuff to the audience. It sorta reminded me of the lines at the Food Show where people would stand in them for a lengthy time, just because something was free. The items tossed were mainly beads, but I think there were other trinkets and t-shirts were also distributed. I didn't really get this attraction, but it seemed to be very popular, so I won't quibble too much.

The Cleveland Pops Orchestra was scheduled to appear there during this evening's rain. Even with the shower, let's hope more people observed that than the clock.

Meal of Links

One of the great things about Harry Shearer is he tracks the Olympic movement. Well, lookee here. The no-fly zone in London next summer may bankrupt firms. You know, small companies like flight schools.

Not that I've watched it in years. And it's hard to believe that Channel 8 always used to cancel US Open Tennis coverage because of it. But it will be strange to see the MDA Telethon proceed without Jerry Lewis. Such an odd breakup.

How a cinema saved a town. Kind of a neat story.

Economy class is getting better. Apparently on airlines I don't frequent.

An R who left the cult. That's why even an off-year election is important.

Somehow this guy is always overlooked when it comes to hosting the Oscars. How about Eddie Murphy?

Another Ed Gein tribute. This time, it's "Ed Gein, The Musical". I am laughing so hard, I could barely type that.

Exercise Yard

The Cubs may stop serving Old Style at Wrigley field. That's a shame. However, even Giant Eagle has such a wide selection of beer these days, these old brands are bound to suffer.

Having said that, I'm off to finish a Modelo.

Visitor

None, on a cloudy Sunday.

Storm damage, for sure, but Irene was nothing as predicted, right? My sense is that this got so much coverage because:

a) It was a weekend
b) New York was involved

I get the uniqueness of NYC being a target of a hurricane. But it seemed the networks were just aching to show some familiar landmarks engulfed by a natural disaster. Then they blamed the fact that Irene's landfall hit in North Carolina took some steam out of it, plus it tracked a bit differently after that. I'm no meteorologist and even I know when a storm makes landfall, it traditionally weakens.

Unfortunately on Saturday evening, I saw a Weather Channel clip where two guys said there was no way they couldn't see flooding in lower Manhattan near Wall Street. Mainly because of a storm surge and high tides. That didn't happen.

Oh well, at least I got to see Geraldo doing hurricane duty. On Broadway.

"Reggae On Broadway"/Bob Marley



Meal of Links

Errol Morris with a different twist this time. A book.

I wanna stay in a hotel. That's cheap and chic. Here you go.

"Good Eats" is wrapping up this week. Always an excellent show.

Exercise Yard

I saw Joey Barton at the Wigan-QPR match yesterday. They need him.

Visitor

None, on a cloudy, then sunny Sunday.

It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.

Try a secret beach.

Meal of Links

Richard Jewell still had a court case against the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That case was dismissed last week. Unclear if it will be appealed.

The Weinermobile is now 75 years old. Not on my list for the next car I get.

The 5-album test. I kinda like it.

How about a limburger cheese sammie? I don't think I've ever had one.

The Gang of Six. And their plan.

Modern poverty includes an Xbox No, can't be.

As always, the day to watch the Tour de France is when they get to Alpe d'Huez. BTW, that is this Friday. It's also snowing in the Alps. Huh?

Borders is dead.

Exercise Yard

NFL free agency starts in a few days. And what a whirlwind that will be. 5 months compressed into a fortnight.

Avoid these types of players.

Visitor

67 Across: Buck of country music (5 letters) Answer: Owens

I was actually at the Tribe game on Thursday. The Indians had some insane deal (meaning advance ticket sales were dreadful) for the Toronto series where you can still get $44 tickets for $13 plus fees. Take that, StubHub!

But I wasn't there for this:



Somewhere, Bill Selby nods approval.

Anyhow, I'm not a master of the ALE (Always Leave Early) theory, but if you witnessed the first 7 innings of that game, no one would begrudge you leaving. Indians starter Zach McAllister threw 94 pitches in only 4 innings, while Carlos Villanueva for Toronto threw 110 in 6 innings.

I may have had a sense of kismet on the way home because I mentioned to my Dad that we had missed comebacks from large deficits in the past (ahem...the largest), so no big deal if we missed something that night. With that Joey Bats homer in the 9th to put Toronto up by 4, I thought that was the clincher.

But then Hafner came up and he smoked one. Good for them. Victories like that can really mean something come September.

Hey, at least the hot dogs were good.

Meal of Links

I don't know this guy from Adam. But he did co-invent Rotisserie Baseball. Deserves a parade.

What is with the fake fireworks? Child, please.

Another series jumps ahead in time. This time, it's "Dexter"!

There was a time if you had anything to do with baseball memorabilia, you knew the name, Barry Halper. Turns out most of his artifacts were stolen or forgeries. it's a long read, but fascinating.

Getting your kicks. On Route 66. Don't forget Winona!

Philly saves $2 million a year. How? By essentially decriminalizing marijuana.

Marc Maron does have a fine podcast. Listen here.

F-A-T. That spells fat.

Monkey self-portraits. Funny. Put a hat on hiim. Really funny.

Exercise Yard

We have two lockouts. One has been rumored as "close to ending" for weeks now (NFL), the other (NBA) has two factions divided like Korea.

Bill Simmons tries to solve the latter.

Visitor

10 Down: Pink Floyd's "The Wall:, e.g. (9 letters) Answer: Rock Opera

Now that football is gone for a while, one of the better things on Sundays is I get back to listening to Harry Shearer on "Le Show". Really good music today, like this:

"(Everytime I Turn Around) Back In Love"/LTD



And his news of the "greenest Olympics" in Sochi was really funny today. The best tidbit:

Perhaps Sochi's biggest challenge will come from the heavens: It's another temperate maritime city like Vancouver, where snow had to be trucked and airlifted in for the ski events in 2010, and adequate snow cover will be a challenge. As a climate scientist said last year, "I rolled my eyes when they picked a city on the Black Sea," said Simon Donner. "I'm pretty certain it never snows in the city. They grow palm trees there."

Meal of Links

BAFTAs or Grammys? I actually leaned more towards the BAFTAs tonight. Those winners are here. With Best Film handed out by Samuel L.!

BTW, Detroit has a significant indie movie presence. I applaud Cinemark for filling the void locally when a trip to the Cedar Lee is out of the question.

Top 7 destinations after 10 p.m. Good suggestions.

Prison economics. Fish and coffee are now king. I did not know cigarettes are banned in federal pens.

This Is Cool



Exercise Yard

Weird hockey stuff, including Ovie Christ. And this is choice:

Ovie. Russian Spy?



Visitor

None, on a thawed-out Sunday.

Our long national nightmare is over. CAVS WIN!!!!

And then this...

Wayne Rooney Goal



I was in the midst of eating a piece of bacon when, all of a sudden, it was a goal for the ages in Manchester. My jaw dropped, but the bacon hung on my lip like a cigarette. Last view shows how great it was. Goal of a career material.

Meal of Links

I saw "Blue Valentine" on Wednesday. Terrific piece of film making, but it would be hard-pressed to find an audience, given its $6 million gross, thus far. It's such a a gut punch, but not a proverbial country record, it's like a proverbial country album, complete with a dead dog.

After watching it, here's what the demographics say:

Singles: "Thank God!"

Divorced: "Hey, I lived that."

Happily married: "Whew!"

Hardly married: "Uh-oh."

Box office is around $7 million after 7 weeks. It's a hard sell.

Acting is superb. Michelle Williams is great and Ryan Gosling, as ever, just kills it. It's the story of a couple who has been married about 5 or 6 years and their marriage is coming apart at the seams. There are some flashbacks to when they first met, seeing their relationship develop and evolve into marriage, no matter how blindly they may have got into it.

For, you see, Williams was studying to be a doctor in Western PA, while Gosling worked for a moving company in Brooklyn. All their dreams come to a grinding halt when, shortly after dating Gosling, Williams realizes she's pregnant from another guy. They decide to get married.

Eventually, she becomes a nurse and he becomes a house painter. He winds up attached to the daughter more than her, as Gosling tends to act as a child for the most part. So, Williams is, in effect, raising two kids. Gosling wants nothing more out of life then what he has, she can't stand what's happening to them both.

And you get two hours of that. As I said, extremely well done, and a great movie for winter where it's already dark and gloomy.

Boeing's next-generation intercontinental plane. Much attention to first class space, in which you will never fly.

John Hughes-inspired art. There is some good stuff here.

This critic really dislikes Martin Lawrence. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Martin Lawrence, sole owner-occupier of his own special zone of terrible."

Mubarak used most of the last three weeks to save his fortune. Seems he may have gotten ahead of the Swiss banks.

Bourdain is doing some writing for "Treme". Even scenes with the infamous Alan Richman.

From the time flies category, "Arrested Development" has been off the air five years.

Uncle Jack



Speaking of John Hughes, there has been a recent news item. They have determined the dates of the baseball game played in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

Algeria might be next.

Mark Wahlberg. Big-time producer. Another show. This time, CBS hires Rob Riggle for "Home Game".

Now this guy can fill a scorecard. It shows how personal these can be. I'm just happy someone still keeps core at the ballpark. You have a better shot at seeing a Yeti.

John Dahl has been mostly involved in TV lately, directing some episodes of "Dexter" and "Californication". Hell, he even did an episode of "Terriers". But he also directed the noir gem, "The Last Seduction".

The hardest part about giving up drinking? Dating.

Regrets? The FDA Scientist who approved LASIK surgery has some.

Porn. An industry in financial trouble.

Exercise Yard

Norris Cole was a man today. 41 points, 20 rebounds (!), 9 assists. One shy of the first triple-double in CSU history. And they needed him, too.

In perhaps the sleepiest game of the year, CSU beats the Fighting Penguins of Youngstown State, 86-76. YSU is in last place and pushed the Vikings to almost the end of the game, as the three-ball kept them in it. Cole needed to be dominant and, thankfully, he was.

Visitor

49 Across: Knighted son of King Ban (8 letters) Answer: Lancelot

Today is Groundhog Day. Today was only the 16th time that the groundhog did not see his shadow. Huh? 95 shadows to 16 non-shadows?

What a hoax!

Meal of Links

Later this month, AMC brings back its Best Picture Fest. February 19 and February 26 are the Saturdays at Ridge Park.

Are you a tourist? Or a traveler?

Cast of "Community" kiss each other. Or not.

Well, this kinda sucks. The White Stripes have officially called it quits.

Nearly 11 percent of all US homes are vacant. That seems like an awful "lot".

Palin's phrenology. Charlie Sheen said he was a phrenologist in "Men At Work". My favorite line in that one: "Pizza Cong comes with us. Get him on his feet, I'll get Tricky Dick."

Rob Neyer moved over to SB Nation from ESPN, but he wrote this about Omar Vizquel a few weeks ago. I think Omar has his place in Indians history, but he is not a Hall of Famer. I think Neyer explains why.

A counterpoint to Beck's chalkboards. No fires, no snowballs.

Exercise Yard

Fascinating stuff. The large arm of Bernie Madoff was stuffed into the pockets of the Mets.

Visitor

56 Across: Sportscaster Cross (3 letters) Answer: Irv

The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday. And, for the most part, I think they got it right. I was a bit surprised of the love for "The Fighter". I did not think it was Best Picture-worthy, thus eliminating David O. Russell out of the Best Director category. But they both made it, unbelievably leaving out Christopher Nolan for "Inception".

Also, Amy Adams must now be the 21st century's Meryl Streep. She was good in "The Fighter" and for once, didn't play a nun. That somehow got her a nomination.

For me, the best nomination was the brother of Kenny Fuckin' Powers, John Hawkes, who was nominated for "Winter's Bone". Not onscreen that much, and I thought it would kill his chances, but he was one tough hombre in that role and deserved the nomination.

Other than that, I thought it was ludicrous to think "The Town" would get any nominations outside of Jeremy Renner. And it didn't get any other major consideration.

And the documentary nominations differed from the DGA list quite a bit. "Inside Job" and "Restrepo" made both lists. But Oscar went with "Gasland", which aired on HBO over the summer, "Waste Land", about a landfill in Brazil, and "Exit Through The Gift Shop" which if it wins, how do we know the real Banksy picks up the award? That's why the DGA didn't go for it. "Client 9", "Last Train Home" and "Waiting For Superman" were the other DGA nominations.

Where to see all this stuff? Crocker Park is the place to be this weekend as many of the nominated films and actors are out there. Even Franco, Kidman and Michelle Williams. Meanwhile, I'm psyched and will be there for "The Mechanic" with Jason Statham. The Capitol has the Oscar Short Films starting Feb. 11.

You can also catch these films on Time Warner On-Demand:

"Inception"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"The Town"
"Toy Story 3"
"Winter's Bone"

Turner starts 31 Days of Oscar on February 1.

Meal of Links

Leave it to Hitch. "The King's Speech" contains some untruths.

Yep. He's my congressman.

You don't hear much about Charley Pride these days. But he was big.

It's the last column for The Miminalist. Oh, Bittman will stay with the New York Times, but he'll be doing other things.

America's Top 10 New Sandwiches. I want the Crispy Drunken Sandwich immediately.

Marriott bids adieu to porn. I guess people are bringing their own.

I don't know what it is. But I wouldn't put my lips on it.

The Old Spice Guy returns.

Taco Bell. It ain't all beef.

You do realize there is a May 2 GOP debate? No one has declared yet. What if no one shows up?

I will be watching this series. Simply beacuse I was the only one in the theater to get the Stirling Moss reference in "The Crying Game".

Exercise Yard

Since I have tickets to March Madness this year, I am intrigued by the most recent Bracketology. Both CBS and ESPN have agreed.

If Ohio State and Pitt maintain how they're playing and both get No. 1 seeds, they will play here. That means we will see a No. 1 seed in both sessions on Friday and probably see them both again on Sunday. Not bad.

Visitor

17 Across: Diana Prince's alter ego (11 letters) Answer: Wonder Woman

The shooting of Congresswoman Giffords is a tough one to take. You know, the crosshairs, the rhetoric, etc. surrounding a rather conservative Democrat. But let's focus on the reporting for a bit, because we don't know much about the shooter (obviously a nutbag), his motives, or even if there is another person involved.

We've gone from Giffords being shot, to her being dead, to her "responding", to optimism about a recovery, to an induced coma, to now that she never awoke. How does that happen? If you are shot through your head, brain actually, optimism for recovery means what exactly? I sense that you'll survive, but at what capacity? That appears to be overlooked at the present. Maybe too tough to take, but man, there seems to be a lot of guessing or misinformation distributed over the airwaves.

Meal of Links

Kenny Dalglish goes back to Liverpool. This is comparable to Elvis returning. Of course, Liverpool lost their first game, an FA Cup match with Man U, upon his return. But, we'll always have this to look fondly on...

The Roy Hodgson Facerub



The 41 places to go this year. Even Durham, NC makes the cut.

BTW, my bad. Those weren't crosshairs, they were surveyor's symbols. Of course.

Exercise Yard

Seattle-New Orleans was a fun game to watch yesterday, really from nowhere. And the Jets beat Indy.

Today, Packers-Eagles looks good in the late game. I'll take the Pack and I really think the Ravens take it to KC.

Marshawn Lynch's Latest Highlight



Marshawn Lynch's Best Highlight



Visitor

None, on a cold, sunny Sunday.

The World Cup is all fouled up. Remember the 2022 bid that went to Qatar? You know, it's kinda hot there in the summer? Well, now Sepp Blatter thinks it could be held in the winter. What the hell, we have 11 years to figure it out. We'll conveniently forget that all the submitted bids were for a summer World Cup.

And certainly the World Cup butting heads with Lord Football is not a good idea. And I certainly never imagined I'd have to wear a Santa hat to watch any matches.

Meal of Links

While we all obsess over Ted Williams, here's a look at those he left behind. Now this is a story that should be celebrated.

ESPN looks like it will pay $2 billion a year to keep Monday Night Football. And keep NFL draft coverage, as well.

Dead wrestlers? We got 'em! Includes Ron Martinez, local Channel 43 announcer.

Bidding help for Priceline. Not a bad little assistant.

Facebook will fade. Stay tuned.

Aretha Franklin says she's OK. Somewhere Luther Vandross sang that sentence out loud.

Another Republican nutjob has power. I'm in a dream, aren't I?

Who is the world's most dangerous terrorist? Looks like Pakistan is the major threat to the West.

Palin in Alaska. Looks like her frontierswoman aura is debunked.

Matt Taibbi takes down Boehner. "The ultimate beltway hack..."

Exercise Yard

CSU played its worst game of the year losing to Butler. Game comes at the worst possible time, when they were getting more eyeballs in their direction. Let's see where the bandwagon goes after this defeat.

Visitor

55 Across: Law partner (5 letters) Answer: Order

I'm still around!

Out of a potential 8 soccer matches I could see this week, I've seen 6 of them, with one more to choose this afternoon. Probably gonna lean toward Chelsea vs. Bolton. The best of the bunch was the Arsenal/Chelsea match on Monday. The Gunners may have tossed off some demons with a 3-1 win. It's a good time of the year with many matches, including a full slate on New Year's Day and more on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

I've seen two movies this week and it took me a long time to recognize actors in two key parts. In "True Grit", Barry Pepper plays Ned Pepper. I didn't get him until the credits.

In "The King's Speech", I didn't get it until his abdication speech, that Guy Pearce was playing Edward VIII.

As for the movies, "True Grit" is faithful to the book. This is the Coens at their best. Delicious language out of the characters mouths, Roger Deakins filming it quite beautifully, superior acting all around. This is a far cry from the John Wayne/Glen Campbell flick. A lot darker. Not sure it's going to have enough oomph for the Oscars, but it would be a shame to be overlooked.

"The King's Speech", however, is what the Oscars lap up. A personal journey of an historical figure overcoming an affliction to achieve greatness. This is the story of Queen Elizabeth's dad, King George VI, who overcame his stuttering to lead England after his brother's abdication, into the Big One, WW II. It's the story of Lionel Logue (played by "Shine Guy"), the speech therapist who helped him with his stammering. This movie is good, really good. My God, people applauded at the end. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are shoo-ins for nominations. Helena Bonham Carter is the Queen Mother.

I think it's gonna be a generational showdown at the Oscars. "The King's Speech" is clearly your frontrunner and it will butt heads with "The Social Network" come award time.

Both of these are excellent, but make sure you see "The King's Speech".

Meal of Links

Geckos as pets. My question would be "Why?".

Paris may ban SUVs within its city limits. Let's see if that works.

Best of TV 2010. With a "Terriers" mention for Best Theme Song. And "Rubicon" is here. And Mayhem.

Porter Wagoner. I actually do an imitation of Porter, "You can only find them in boxes of Breeze." Listen to the classic, "The First Mrs. Jones". Now, THAT'S a song.

I received a few gift cards for Christmas. How not to waste them.

Nate Silver shows us how snow and air travel do not mix. It's all about airline capacity.

Exercise Yard

Tucker Carlson subbed for Hannity last night. Fairly routine until he said Michael Vick should have been executed for killing dogs.

Visitor

16 Across: Stubbs of The Four Tops (4 letters) Answer: Levi

I took a day off to get a lot of errand running done. One of the things was to get an eye exam at EyeMasters. They had a coupon a while back and it expired tomorrow, so to save $15, I went.

But this necessitated a trip to Parmatown Mall. I hate malls, but I swear the ad read that EyeMasters opens at 9. Uh, no they don't. It's actually 10. So, I had to kill 45 minutes. I grabbed a bench and looked around. Mall walkers! Yes, people still do this! Macy's and JCPenney are open early, but most of the people there are mall walking.

So, I proceed with the exam by getting in there right at 10. Do all the tests, get the eyedrops, etc. Everything checks out well. No glaucoma, no retina detachment, I just can't see and need a bit of a stronger prescription.

As I leave the mall, I notice there still aren't that many people and it's about 11:00. I know Strongsville had taken away a lot of business, hence, the WalMart at Parmatown. And Kohl's and Target are to the immediate South. But, man, it's dyin' over there. Parma has their recreation office there and even Dennis! has an office. And, if you drive by the strip portion, there are a lot of empty storefronts.

Honestly, I shouldn't have been surprised, but it threw me for a bit of a loop. It used to be insane getting around there during the holidays.

Meal of Links

Miley Cyrus hits the bong. It had salvia in it.

2010's Most Contagious. Indian Fever not mentioned.

Slate names its Best Books of 2010. I read "The Big Short", so I am 1 for 15.

Many Introductions (including "I'm your huckleberry!")



Catching up with Bin Laden. He is not moving rock to rock, cave to cave.

Do you have $418? You can travel the world.

Bruno Ganz talks about playing Hitler. And he's not really mad at anyone, like those YouTube videos.

The Best Fictional Parties. Damn right, you'd love to be invited to the wedding in "The Godfather". Plus the rehearsal dinner from "Rachel Getting Married" always looks pretty cool.

Proverbial Wallets. Awesome idea.

Exercise Yard

This guy. Again. I am really ambivalent towards this story. I like the fact our community is helping out a guy. Helps that he's white and a Browns fan. But how about helping our own? It's just nutty.

Visitor

43 Across: "This American Life" radio host Glass (3 letters) Answer: Ira

Crap. They didn't even give us a full week. "Terriers" is cancelled.

FX explains it here.

Creator Ted Griffin explains it here.

Eleven One-Season TV Wonders. Interesting that "Comeback", "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" are all in rotation on IFC right now.

I'm not giving up on FX though. In January, it's the debut of "Lights Out" and the return of "Archer".

Meal of Links

Don Meredith died today. He took a lot of unwarranted heat at the end of his career for the failure of the Cowboys to "win the big one". The Browns contributed to his demise in a 1968 playoff game. I am not sure, but I think he was responsible for the term "rubber band defense", applied to the Browns.

Obviously, he gained more fame in the Monday Night Football booth, when that was event TV. But look who did some time in the NBC booth, as well.

NBC Opening-1975 AFC Title Game



Google started a bookstore. You can download those Dickens books that Oprah wants you to read for "F-R-E-E, that spells free".

Got $3 million? Let's buy "The Godfather" house.

Jimmy Kimmel. The new Johnny Carson. I admit it, I rarely see his show.

I think I wanna go to this hotel.

Funny. Nicole Kidman tries to move her face.

Exercise Yard

The Patriots destroy the Jets. That was a hard knock.

Visitor

14 Across: "Tiny Bubbles" singer (5 letters) Answer: Don Ho

The Browns escaped with one-point win over Carolina. Geez, this one was nerveracking.

What did we learn today?

I like Jake Delhomme. And it looked like he was going to have a fine day. His passes to the middle of the field were superb. But his first two passes in the second half brought Carolina right back into the game. In fairness, these were routes that were not run in the first half. But that second pass. Yikes! Rated with the worst we've seen since the Browns return.

Oh yeah, that was really funny. Rob Ryan almost intercepted a pass late. Big laughs. Watch the replay, this idiot had his foot in play right before he gets hit. Jackwagon.

The end of two Browns drives in the 4th quarter were really bad. The 4th-and-1 when Peyton Hillis was stuffed at the Carolina 25 was painful. Quit calling for Lawrence Vickers election to the Pro Bowl, if you don't use him in that situation. My God, they had no Vickers and Evan Moore, noted in the PD as a bad blocker, and Royal Roberts in. No wonder it didn't work.

And the quick snap and QB sneak by Delhomme on 3rd-and-1 for no gain was ludicrous. Thank God, Phil Dawson hit the go-ahead field goal. Just when you think Brian Daboll had turned the corner as a playcaller.

Evan Moore fumbling inside the 5 was a killer. You knew right after the Browns went up 21-7, it was gonna be a long day. They have no right to think they'll stomp anyone until they do it regularly. You could see it in the body language that they relaxed.

Josh Cribbs was nowhere near being ready today.

Hillis should have run the ball 30 times today. Carolina could not stop him early.

Conversely, the Browns could not stop the fuckin' run either. 151 yards and a 5.5 average for Carolina.

The Browns had a trick play, the halfback option with Hillis, that should have worked. I'm not sure I'd have called it inside the 10, but Hillis had a terrible throw.

Overall, it's hard to squawk, because the Browns did win one at home. After so many close ones early that went for losses, hey, I'll take any win. But let's face it, at 21-7, plus Moore's fumble, the Browns should have put this one away early. As it turned out, they let a 1-9 team hang around and sometimes you don't escape those types of games.

Lucky to win? Maybe. I prefer to say they missed an opportunity for a big win and barely hung on for the victory. Browns win, 24-23.

Meal of Links

The Plain Dealer decided to run a travel piece from the Orange County Register on Kauai today. It's 2 months old, but still fits. Here is a view from Brennecke's, which the guy called his quintessential Kauai:

















Here is an interesting photo collection. Where gun crimes have occurred in London.

David Lynch. Pop Singer!

Speaking of Lynch...

Nicolas Cage Losing His Shit



Where we spend our money. Food. Damn food.

Enrico Pallazzo did not die today. But Leslie Nielsen did.

"It's Enrico Pallazzo!"



Goal celebrations! First, it's the Western Conference. And the Eastern Conference. Ric Flair, hah!

Exercise Yard

Cleveland State is really on a roll right now, upping their record to 7-0. Was at last night's game after my heat came on. The opponent was St. Bonaventure from the A-10 Conference.

Cleveland State shot a dismal 22% in the first half, but somehow were still ahead by 1. Then, over the next 10 minutes, the Vikings played their best stretch of ball since the 2008-09 season. They completely demoralized the Bonnies by cranking up the tenacious D (yes, like the band) and attacking the rim on offense. It was something to see. Then they cruised to the finish.

CSU wins, 69-51. And the Bart debuted three new concession stands, which I will test soon.

Next up: Bob Morris comes to town, tomorrow at 6.

Visitor

None, on a sunny Browns Sunday.

This made me laugh a lot.



As usual, the collection of star commenters has me asking...how much do they pay to be on the show?

Meal of Links

Odd Macy's balloons. Eddie Cantor? Plus some news on Crispy Critters.

When Jay Mohr subs for Jim Rome, it typically is a riot. Well, he's back in the sitcom game.

All about 3-D TV. Uh, not yet. I don't see a crying need for it.

Obviously, China has high-speed rail. Here's why the USA will never get it.

Noomi Rapace looks beyond her role as Lisbeth Salander. No question, she'll be very popular in the US market soon. She's got the look.

Exercise Yard

NBA Lockout coming? Looks like it.

Visitor

49 Across: Cle. hoopsters (4 letters) Answer: Cavs

The Browns lost a tough one today to the, and I can't believe I'm saying this, the first place Jacksonville Jaguars. The last time the Browns were in Jacksonville, they won a game no one thought they could win. Today, was a winnable game and I'm kinda miffed they lost.

What did we learn today?

Defense gave up 367 yards today. Could have been worse, because they got 6 turnovers. 24 first downs against them, which means Jacksonville was moving the ball fairly easily.

And yet, they still gave up a bad play, the MJD screen pass for 75 yards late. That had some pretty bad tackling when Sheldon Brown opted to tackle the ball, instead of Jones-Drew.

Colt McCoy got lucky at times, but still avoided the really bad turnover. Got sacked six times today, too. And the final two-minute drill was fairly inept. Always spike it on first down, dude.

Contrast in rush defenses today. The Jaguars kept Peyton Hillis in check, as he only had 48 yards, most of that in the first half.

The Browns couldn't stop the run today. 145 yards for Jacksonville.

The sub returner for Josh Cribbs was horrible.

Good game from Abe Elam today, probably his best as a Brown. Recovered a fumble for a TD.

Brian Daboll, the Browns O.C., probably gets the heat this week. Twice in the third quarter, the Browns got two turnovers in excellent field position. Once on the Jaguars 48, the other on the Jaguars 19. Both times, runs were called on first AND second down. The first time, the combined runs gained 4 yards. The second, they lost a yard. The results were a punt and a field goal. For the quarter, the Browns ran 9 plays and gained ZERO yards.

This happened once more in the 4th quarter, after another Jacksonville turnover at the Jaguars 35. Two Hillis runs gained 2 yards. Hence, Phil Dawson missed a 51-yard FG which is not a gimme. Getting turnovers is one thing, doing something with them is a completely different exercise in which the Browns failed today. And getting those turnovers in great field position has to result in more than 3 points.

In a headscratcher, the Jags win, 24-20.

Meal of Links

Look who voted to censor the Internet. There are some name here that I thought would know better.

Facebook wants to become your home page. And eventually take over the world. BTW, Path allows you to only have a much more manageable 50 friends.

The TSA is a mess, isn't it? We'll have to see what happens during these big travel days soon.

Can Arab-Americans save Detroit? Looks like they might.

Sarah Palin on bears and wolves. This isn't new news, by any means. Let Audubon explain.

Six cars that will save General Motors. I still think the Volt will fail. Too costly.

Exercise Yard

No question that boxing can spit you out when you are no longer needed. Look at Kelly Pavlik since he started getting hurt. Here is a look at another former champ, Iran Barkley.

Visitor

None, on a nice Browns Sunday.

I feel like the drunk yelling at the corner to no one in particular. Because I have seen the movie "Unstoppable" and it should have been named "Unbelievable". But somehow, the critics have been overly kind to this crappy movie. And I'm really at a loss as to why.

Once again, this movie pairs up director Tony Scott with actor Denzel Washington. For the fifth time. These two were responsible for the extremely underrated "Man on Fire". But they were also responsible for last year's dreck that involved a train, the remake of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3". After viewing "Unstoppable", they need to get off the train at the next station.

Look, I'm willing to suspend belief for most movies, but this one was tough to take. I'm not even sure Denzel had the most lines, as that honor went to Rosario Dawson. Let's face it, Hollywood still hasn't figured out what to do with her yet. Anyhow, she is the operations chief at one of the railyards. You know, where Jason Lee's brother from "Earl" carelessly hopped off an engine to pull a switch on a track, but then realized he was too out of shape to run down the train, as it moves out of the yard. Thought to be a "coaster", Earl's brother also allowed the throttle to fall to full, so the train is now cruising at 70 mph.

Of course, this is also a day some local kids are getting a train ride back to this station. Rosario is doing her best to inform her dispatcher and her boss as to what is going on. And is pretty much the focal point from this point forward.

Rosario: "Where are you, Frank?"
Denzel: "We just passed milepost number 57."
Rosario "7-7-7 is about three miles away."
Denzel: "Roger that."

Riveting, eh?

I'll take a timeout here to say the movie also tried to make some statements. Silly, as they were. Chris Pine from "Star Trek" comes on as a young buck who gets to work with the old train vet, Denzel, for the day. This causes resentment among the older members, because the kids "are takin' our jobs." As the train is barreling down the countryside, the Chairman of the train company is obviously on the golf course, because no executive actually works, right? And while figuring out what to do, the company's operations chief is more concerned with the bottom line, while a finance guy is only concerned with what an accident will do to the stock. Then they form their rescue plan, which doesn't work. Only about three times.

Meanwhile, Pine and Denzel are taking a train, which Pine conveniently added five cars as a mistake, on the same track toward the runaway. First up is the kiddie train. Of course, they move onto a parallel track in the nick of time. Denzel has to pass up a really easy exit out of harm's way because Pine's mistake won't allow the train to move completely off the track. Of course, they do finally exit in a close call as the runaway clips off one of the last cars on their train.

Then to set up the preposterous last third of the movie, Denzel and Pine decide they are going to chase that runaway, hook their engine up to it, and slowly work their braking magic and save the day. Did I mention they had to go in reverse?

Clearly, this had to be a comedy, as I laughed all the way through it. And I like action movies. I saw "Transporter 3", OK. But this was so inane, I couldn't take it.

By all means, spare the 90 minutes for cable and turn up the surround sound. But don't spend a cent on this garbage and encourage Hollywood to do more of the same.

This is the only spot-on review I could find.

Meal of Links

The Gus Johnson Top 10. "ha-HA."

TSA body scanners are getting the heat. I wonder if "Don't touch my junk" Guy is related to "Don't tase me, bro" Guy. Shocker that Michael Chertoff is involved with the scanner company.

Eva Longoria. Tony Parker. Very confusing.

This could be good. Joel McHale gets to host this year's Independent Spirit Awards.

This week, it's Buck Owens and the Bakersfield sound. "My Heart Skips A Beat" is my favorite record of his.

This guy really hates the dancing of Bristol Palin.

Gotta give it up for Hitch. Still doing the interviews.

Exercise Yard

This story absolutely kills me. You know, the one where the drunk Browns fan tackles the kid wearing the Jets jersey. if true, I'm sure the guy muttered something like, "I'm gonna sack Sanchez."

Wisely, the Dad is staying away from this story.

Visitor

42 Across: Vibraphone virtuoso Lionel (7 letters) Answer: Hampton

"Flying Home"/Lionel Hampton

24 years ago tonight...

"Little roller up along first...Behind the bag!...It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight...and the Mets win it! If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow. "



Meal of Links

Here are 8 things you still need to pay for when times are tough. Bald tires and brakes, too.

The 5 best hotel bars in the world. I was in Puebla once, and trust me, it wasn't at this place. I think we stopped at "Ptomaine Heaven".

Lookee here. It's a Johnny Cash auction. They have a lot of handwritten lyrics up for bid. But I want The Highwaymen-signed guitar.

Meg Whitman Endorses Jerry Brown



Catching up with David Simon. He says he could tell the "Treme" story in 5 years.

Food for thought. What if the R's pick up only 35 seats next week. Is it a failure?

Seinfeldian Economics 101.

Exercise Yard

Time Warner Cable (the Devil) finally allowed me access to ESPN3 today. I almost wept. I saw a replay of Napoli and Milan was on (flares in the crowd obviously), but more importantly Cowboys-Giants on Monday Night Football from the mothership is on. The picture? Outstanding.

Visitor

15 Across: "The ___": placekicker Lou Groza's nickname (3 letters) Answer: Toe

Boy, I had just an awful headache yesterday, so I watched local news for some inane reason. Did I miss something? I thought both forecasters that I saw predicted a nice day today. Unless I was delirious. Off I went to do errands much of the late morning/early afternoon.

Sure, it was warm enough, but where was Mr. Blue Sky? As it became increasingly dark, I kept putting off mowing my lawn, or should I say leaves. Anyhow, I watched the end of "Heat". I've only seen that a million times. After that, I thought I'd mow, but it started drizzling. WTF? Then A&E had "Murder By Numbers" on. One of the Sandra Bullock movies I had not seen.

I took advantage of long commercial breaks and would do part of the yard, then come back in to see more of the movie. And so on and so on. Not a bad effort. If you see it on and are completely bored, watch it.

Meal of Links

Juan Williams was fired from NPR earlier this week. Lots of people protested. Apparently, some NPR "viewers" also protested.

A look at movie purgatory. That Bradley Cooper-Renee Zellweger movie that just came out? Shot on 2006.

The Quaids are at it again. This time in Canada.

Trying to get Axl Rose to speak. Complete with old mugshot.

This is nice to dream about. The best first-class seats in air travel.

Exercise Yard

It's almost as if Wayne Rooney was going to do a LeBron and leave Manchester United (ahem, that's like Cavs to the 10th power) earlier this week. Same sort of situation, if you wanna leave, there are only a handful of clubs who can afford to pay you.

Cooler heads prevailed and Rooney ultimately signed a five-year contract to stay at Man U. The crazy thing is he is with one of the most recognizable clubs in the world. It's like starring with the Yankees and thinking the Angels would be a better fit for you. Might be better for Rooney to at least start scoring some goals for this to pass.

Ian Holloway is Pissed at Wayne Rooney



Visitor

25 Across: "Against the Wind" singer (5 letters) Answer: Seger

"Against The Wind"/Bob Seger

The sea was angry that day, my friends...

















Despite the unusually cold weather yesterday, my brother and I did something we had been longing to do for quite some time. Attend a football game at our alma mater! You see, Rhodes is in the Senate Athletic League and because it's a city school (meaning they don't have lights), they rarely play the Saturday home game. Most of their league games start at 3:00 on Fridays. And as Michael Stanley sang last night (another story), "Folks like us, we gotta work...", so it's really not conducive to attending these games.

As a matter of fact, it was the first time I had been back on campus since I left. I mean, when I was there, we didn't even call it a campus. We called it "school".

Anyhow, it turned out to be a blast. Not exactly a huge throng in attendance. The opponents were the Braves of Berea. They've been on hard times lately, as they only had one win in 2009. Against? You got it, the Rhodes Rams. Berea opened the season getting rolled by John Hay and Rhodes shut out neighborhood rival, Brooklyn, in their opener by a score of 27-0. So, an intriguing matchup ensued for the 1:00 Saturday start.

After getting wanded and frisked, we take our seats. The first thought that enters your mind is Rhodes doesn't have a lot of players. As a matter of fact, they suited up only 25 guys. Uh-oh. My pre-game speech involved the old, "Not the size of the man in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the man..." and other such nonsense.

















The second thing you notice is the Berea band's front line has more people than our football team. Rhodes doesn't have a band. They have something called a drum line. Maybe 5 drums, 3 cymbals and some brass only heard on the National Anthem. No uniforms.

















The vaunted Rhodes offense goes on the attack.

















I'm not sure why this happened, but on a 4th-and-1 from their own 31, the Rhodes coach decides to go for it. WTF? They hand off the ball to Justin Sangster and he goes 69 yards for a touchdown. Again, WTF? Rhodes has no kicker (isn't their a local mule anywhere?), so they miss the conversion. Then, weird shit started happening all over. Berea is driving on the ground and decides to throw their first pass. But Rhodes intercepts and Lorenzo Walls runs it back 72 yards for a touchdown! Two huge plays before the locals even realize there is a game today. Next possession for Rhodes, Sangster rips off a 43-yarder for TD. WTF, indeed! Visions of The Greatest Show On Turf are dancing through everyone's heads after this score.

















But, wait. There are still three more quarters of football left. Berea scores a TD. Then Walls rips off another huge play for Rhodes with a 51-yarder for a score. Berea decides they are just going to pound the ball up the middle. It works against an outmanned team and Rhodes starts getting pushed around on defense, for a 26-13 halftime score. This continues into the third quarter, as Berea scores another TD on a 19-yard run.

















So, as the game wears on, Rhodes is doing absolutely nothing on offense. The defense has been pushed around for almost two straight quarters. Berea is driving again. They threw their second pass of the game and the QB hit a wide-open guy right in the hands and he dropped it. An omen, perhaps? Quite possibly, as they tried to hit a pass near the goal line on a 4th down play. Working the tip drill to perfection, LeKeith Harper grabs the ball and runs 103 yards for the interception return! 103 effin' yards! It was unbelievable! Berea has now thrown 3 passes and two of them have been intercepted and returned for TDs. Breathing room returns, as they got the 2-point conversion.

















The Rhodes defense continues to be a sieve and Berea scores another TD in the 4th quarter. Less than 8 minutes remain and Rhodes is once more, hanging on.

















Look out for that man Sangster again. In another bit of go-for-it-in-your-own-territory-on-4th-down insanity, he goes around end for 59 yards! Rhodes is a huge play machine today. The score is now 40-27, with just over 6 minutes to go. Come on, clock!

















Berea scores with only a short amount of time left. Rhodes recovers the onside kick and secures the victory. In an absolutely wild game, the final has Rhodes beating Berea, 40-34.



















As I said, it was loads of fun to go the game and to watch such a mind-blower was the cherry on top. But I gotta mention the refs. I know it's tough to find people willing to ref and you're gonna get a mixed bag. But the refs yesterday were too old and out of shape to be refereeing. The speed, even at the high school level, is just too much.

I saw a guy spot a ball with his foot wedge, because he could not bend down. He also tossed a ball for another guy to spot by underhanding a ball directly into the Rhodes defensive huddle. Same guy hadn't called one holding penalty all day. Then when Rhodes is trying to put the game away, up by 13, he calls holding on two successive plays, one nullifying a game clinching first down.

They never called for a tee after a Rhodes TD. The kicker just dug a divot on the 40 and kicked that way the rest of the game and they scored 6 TDs! The Berea kicker had to wait for his tee, as well. On another occasion, the tee was still on the field, two plays later.

On Harper's 103-yard interception return, it was horrible. He could have stepped out of bounds 7 or 8 times (he did not, but it was tight) and it would not have been called because no one was in position nor could keep up. Shocking.

Clock management was an absolute joke. With no play clock at the field, time is kept on the field. Not one delay of game penalty called on either side, when they were obvious. Very late in the game, the game clock was abused and not one referee took sight of it. One Berea pass downfield took all of two seconds. Another one took (gulp!) 16 seconds.

The end of the game was a joke, as well. Rhodes falls on the Berea onside kick with 5 seconds left. As they line up, the game clock is somehow reset at 10 seconds. As Rhodes takes a knee, the ref throws a flag for illegal motion. Game can't end on an offensive penalty. Doesn't mark off the yardage, basically lets it go, the clock expires, game over. Huh?

Look, I commend the guys for giving back, but that performance was subpar.

Rhodes is now 2-0 for the first time in many years.

Meal of Links

Our annual visit to the Taste of Cleveland was last night. The entertainment was Michael Stanley and the Resonators. Sorry, the guy just does not resonate with me. While others seem to enjoy his take on "Sweet Jane/Wichi Tai To", I am rather bemused by it, as it seems unnecessary. Anyhow, the food I had was pretty good. Chico's Deli has not opened yet, but I had some really good Spanish rice with chicken from there. And the beer (and weather) were cold.

I would have posted this earlier, but I forgot. Ten tricks on improving your memory.

People Walking Into Glass Doors



Arthur C. Clarke predicts the future. In 1964.

I'm in Giant Eagle yesterday and got all excited. The cover of The Globe says Annette Funicello is in her final days. Then I was told I don't have her in The Dead Pool. I did last year.

Naughty by nature? How about dwarfed by nature. Awesome stuff.

A look back at rigging game shows. Today, most of the questions are way too easy.

Hat tip to Paul. For it's Mrs. LeBron Wade!

Exercise Yard

Browns made cuts yesterday to get down to the 53-man roster. I'm not a pessimist, but a realist. If you are still tinkering with the roster at this point and when you keep 12 linebackers, you are, you're in for a long season.

And, once again, two draftees didn't make it.

Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday of a holiday weekend.