Guess who's back?

OK, it's been a while since I've blogged. Sorry about that.

A big reason for my absence was working on TRASH regionals questions. I think they went well across the country, and our local regional was very successful. Players of all levels seemed to enjoy the questions, and I did get to read a few humdingers between the top teams. On top of that, ThrasherGirl even got in on the action again, tag teaming with me on the scorekeeping/moderating. She's a very good reader, and I hope she can help out in Chattanooga in April.

With all the time off I've been taking lately (mainly because I've got a lot to burn), it's been high time to hit the cinema, although it's been tough trying to pick things I really want to see. So far, it's been four movies in about 10 days, I think:

Lost In Translation: The weird thing about seeing this movie was that I was the only one in the theater (granted it was a 1:30 show on a very nice Friday). Somehow it seemed pretty fitting, given the mood of the film. I did like Bill Murray's performance, although I wonder if it's "showy" enough to get the Oscar nomination many are predicting. Or maybe that's the reason why he's being considered. I'd really like to see Scarlett Johansson get some acclaim, though. It's hard to believe she's just 18 -- because she is pretty believable as a recent college graduate.

The story is pretty light, but there was just something about the whole mood/aura around the film that made it satisfying. It's hard for me to put my finger on it, other than the fact that I need to round up some people to do karaoke one of these days.

Pieces of April: Katie Holmes still proves she's the only Dawson's Creek actor with any hope of a successful career after the show because she actually has some talent. Although I couldn't help but think of her as "Joey gone bad" in this film, which was cute enough to be entertaining, although it was definitely very lightweight. I was amused with her adventures in cooking Thanksgiving dinner, but the whole other subplot of dealing with her dying mother seemed a bit forced (although Patricia Clarkson wasn't too bad in that role). I enjoyed it enough, especially given the time of year.

The Matrix Revolutions: Cooch and Evil Dave both seem to have the same feelings about this movie (and the whole franchise) as me. It took me a couple of viewings to really enjoy the first film outside of the fight scenes and special effects, which should've been a bad sign heading into the next two movies. Instead of tapping into the Matrix world, we get a lot of Zion, which I could care less about. And yes, we get more of it here, great. I'm sure there's plenty of symbolism involved with these films, but sometimes I think some people want to feel like they've gotten more out of a big budget sci-fi/action film. I felt like I needed to some completion to the whole experience by watching Revolutions, and I suppose I did, but it also makes me wonder why I even bothered with Reloaded in the first place. I think I'm like a lot of people in The Matrix -- I'm content with what's going on around me, and there is no reason to challenge that.

Elf: It seems ridiculous that there's so much Christmas stuff up in the stores already, and that one station down here is already trotting out the Christmas music. And yet here I am watching a film that probably shouldn't have been released for another couple of weeks. Still, for a silly holiday comedy, this one worked because Will Ferrell can play such a kid-like character very well. It won't be a Christmas classic, but it's not Jingle All the Way, either.

A couple of things stuck out for me: One, Zooey Deschanel seems to be competing with Reese Witherspoon and Brittany Murphy for the title of "cutest girl with the roundest eyes." But props to her for attending the alma mater.

Second, the movie seemed to be weighted down by a bunch of fat guys -- and that's not including Ed Asner as Santa Claus (a fun bit of casting there). Andy Richter and Kyle Gass had supporting roles as writers working for James Caan. Plus, Jon Favreau got to direct himself for a scene as a doctor. But I think I know why Favreau has gone behind the camera -- the dude just keeps getting bigger by the movie. I think I know why Vince Vaughn hasn't done a whole lot since Swingers -- Favreau ate him.

Well, I guess the SI cover jinx works even for regional covers. And if the Cubs were going to be sunk by the 1-2 punch of a jinx and a curse, I guess so were the Red Sox.

It's been one hell of a fall for the SI cover jinx, though. Working backwards from the past few weeks:
-- The Cubs and Red Sox lose in the LCS.
-- Jake Plummer loses and then gets hurt.
-- Oregon goes into the tank (and Priest Holmes was even slowed down).
-- Mia Hamm loses twice via the U.S. soccer team and then Nomar (plus Michigan falls to Oregon).
-- The Bills would win the week after they appeared on the cover, but they're 1-3 after that.
-- Ohio State struggled against San Diego State, but did win. It would take a few weeks later for the Buckeyes to lose.
-- The NFL preview had two retroactive cover jinxes as Chad Pennington and Michael Vick both had length photo sessions for the cover before being replaced by Kurt Warner, who got hurt and then lost his job.

All of this bodes well for Missouri, who faces cover darlings Oklahoma this weekend.

However, I wonder if the jinx would extend to the Web site? To think how much I power I might actually wield.

And for crazy baseball non-sequitirs ...

-- Does it add to the misery or is it just plain irony that John Henry Williams was diagnosed with leukemia?
-- Will the Steve Bartman movie be as rushed as either the D.C. Sniper, or even worse, the Pennsylvania miners, movie?
-- Speaking of Bartman, it wasn't the greatest of nights for the 6 p.m. SportsCenter after being duped by a Howard Stern fan. How long has Stern's influence on public prank calls been lasting, anyway? I remember one of my friends in high school spoofing a Donahue show, and that had to be at least 10-11 years ago.
-- What other former Oriole (other than Cal) is going to interview for the vacant managerial job? Eddie Murray, Rich Dauer and Rick Dempsey have interviewed so far. I guess Lenn Sakata, John Lowenstein and Tippy Martinez are next.

From the time the Cubs lost in Game 7 until somewhere around the time Jason Giambi hit his second homer, my interest in the playoffs waned. Then the roof caved in, and now I'm rejuvenated again after the Yankees' amazing comeback.

I suppose the way this series had gone, the way the whole playoffs had gone, this was the way to end it -- an extra-inning thriller.

I'm sure Fox was happy for such a dramatic Game 7 of the ALCS, but also realized that the World Series could be a real snoozer on the surface, but I think the Marlins have a talented team and are motivated enough to push it to the brink. I'm still not sure I'd go completely out of my way to watch the games if I'm not around, but we'll see.

Well, I guess Judgment Day will be avoided for another year, although I think Fox Sports would rather bump up the premieres of 24 and Joe Millionaire than show the Marlins in the World Series, at least after what could've been. In fact, I'm sure many will treat Yankees-Red Sox Game 7 as the de facto World Series game. It will have a lot more drama, intrigue, interest than either Yankees-Marlins or Red Sox-Marlins will have. Even as a Yankees fan, Marlins-Yankees doesn't do a lot for me. It either becomes like the '98 whooping of the Padres or the '01 stunner against the D'backs -- a lose-lose situation, in my opinion.

Hell, this year's baseball playoffs is turning into the NBA playoffs where the championship series is so anti-climactic after great series leading up to it. I guess it would make even more sense if the Yankees are in it since they own the Nets (at least for now).

And do the Marlins have the worst sense of timing for their successes? In 1997, they played a great World Series but knocked off an Indians team that hadn't won in ages (like the Cubs, or the Red Sox if they make it this far) and were sort of a sentimental favorite. Sure, the Marlins were an expansion team, but they fattened up with so many All-Stars that it seemed like a mercenary squad. The dismantling afterward helped to advance that point of view. There wasn't much of an identity to the team.

Fast forward to 2003. This team now has a great identity. Lots of young, up-and-coming players. A wise old manager. A spunky way of playing ball. Beating the Giants added to their likability, but they had to beat this year's "America's team." And now they enter the World Series being viewed as one of two things: an upstart who will continue another team's misery or the team that many fans will root for by default because they're playing the Yankees. I think I have a number of friends who would root for a team of serial murderers against the Yankees.

As for the Cubs, not much to say except that they choked. They probably took it easy against Josh Beckett, figuring they had a Wrigley clincher in their back pocket. Steve Bartman's unfortunate play on the foul ball just added to rattle a tired Mark Prior. And Kerry Wood didn't have it. But if you believe in curses, then the Cubs got a double, if not a triple whammy (if you want to consider the Bartman) -- there's that Billy Goat thing, but there's also the SI cover jinx back in action. The question is: Does the cover jinx work on a regional cover? If so, the Red Sox are screwed.

One last Cubs note, was having Billy Corgan the right choice for Take Me Out to the Ballgame on a night like this? It's cool and all, but this is one that screamed out for a Bill Murray or Michael Jordan -- someone with Chicago ties but more widespread appeal.

Do the Stipe shimmy
Victoria will have a much better wrap-up, but here are some quick thoughts from tonight's R.E.M. tour closer:
-- The sound system at Philips Arena leaves a lot to be desired, but our crappy seats (upper deck at an extreme angle to the stage) may have had something to do with it. Maybe it was my hearing, but I had problems picking out a lot of lyrics and a bunch of what Stipe had to say. The scary part is that the songs have become more intelligible as the years go by, but a lot of it seemed garbled from my perspective.
-- It's a much different crowd compared to the last time I saw them in 1995. It's definitely an older crowd, with the youngest group being in their early-mid 20s. You don't have the young crowd just picking them up off the most recent album. The greatest hits doesn't come out for a couple of weeks, and if you first picked up the band off Reveal, I'd be shocked.
-- Along those same lines, with a slightly older crowd who's had more time to digest a lot of the catalog, there was a greater appreciation for the "older" hits (i.e. stuff before Out of Time or Automatic for the People). I remember seeing them in '95 and hearing the whole crowd go nuts for stuff like Losing My Religion or What's the Frequency, Kenneth? But the ovation dying for things like Fall on Me. Not so this time. The biggest cheers came for the stuff that's played the most (Losing My Religion, Fall on Me, Radio Free Europe, Man on the Moon) regardless of year.
-- The Athens/Atlanta fan base from years back definitely were appeased as a bunch of the 28 songs on the list were from Chronic Town or Murmur. At times, we felt like they were just playing the track list from Eponymous.
-- I enjoyed myself, but a lack of cramming before the show got me a bit thrown off as to what was being played, and the sound system didn't help. There were a couple of tracks from Reveal and Up in the mix, but New Adventures in Hi-Fi got the most play of the recent albums. Automatic for the People also got a lot of play, but we couldn't find a single song from Monster on the set, which is a bit surprising, although that was the focus of the last big tour.
-- Still, the show seemed to appeal to all different levels of fans (minus those really wanting to hear Stand or Shiny Happy People): the big hits were mostly there, lots of underrated tracks for those who like things outside of the singles, plenty of older songs for the more hardcore fan. I'm not as much into the band as I was the last time I saw them, but it was still an entertaining show.
-- One last note: We see Mick Jagger continue to preen in his shows even though he's in his 60s. What will Stipe look like doing his goofy flailing dancing around if the band is still touring in like 10-15 years?

Fall brawl
Despite the Cubs' loss in Game 1, the NLCS looks to be a lot of fun, even if most people would rather not see the Marlins in the World Series, or else take away a lot of the luster of the Fall Classic. You know Fox would love to see Cubs in the World Series, and either AL team would be a huge jackpot.

With that said, what in the world is up with the split telecast of Game 1 of the ALCS and Game 2 of the NLCS? Wouldn't a situation like this call for the NLCS to be an afternoon game and the ALCS getting prime-time attention or vice versa?

Granted, it's one night, but this is the time for both series to have the spotlight on their own. I can flip back and forth between Fox and FX at home (or have two TVs going at work), but what about places without cable or without FX? And the list of cities getting each telecast on the local on-air Fox station is a bit random as well.

It's anecdotal evidence ...
But one of the better things so far from the playoffs was this amazing and scathing piece from Tom Verducci on Oakland's collapse. For all the Moneyball talk, it's hard to dismiss nine straight losses in clinching games, especially when there's a huge dismissal of "clutch" hitting by Beane and friends. But I guess "choke" hitting, pitching, defense, baserunning, etc. does exist -- you can quantify that just by taking the A's stats in those nine games.

To put this in a quizbowl context, I wouldn't be surprised if Beane and his disciples would want to ditch the playoffs altogether and just award the championship to the team with the best overall record at the end of the regular season, since all those models for creating a great team supposedly go out the window in a playoff tournament format (we'll save the discussion of best-of-5 and best-of-7 for another day).

Quadruple whammy
Could it be a worse sports night in Atlanta? I'm sure everything is going haywire over at the AJC with all the sad news.

First off, the Falcons lost again, although Peerless Price finally woke up.

Then, the Cubs ended the Braves' postseason hopes for another year, although that was fun for me to watch. We're getting that much closer to a Cubs-Red Sox World Series where I totally expect either Jesus to throw out the first pitch or, "Game postponed on account of locusts." (Granted, my dream matchup is close to coming true of Cubs-Yankees is also close to coming true.)

And when it couldn't get much worse, in comes the news of Dan Snyder's death in the Dany Heatley car wreck last Monday.

If you're looking for the fourth bit of sad news for this area, how about the U.S. women's team falling at the World Cup? First WUSA goes under, and now the tournament that might've helped to resurrect some interest in the sport ends with a big thud. I hardly watched the tournament since it was lost in the shuffle of the NFL, college football and baseball playoffs. Even a big event like this gets lost among the Cubs and NFL action (or the death of a hockey player in Atlanta's case).

The only pro team to escape unscathed Sunday was the Hawks, but they're so pathetic anyway, that it's hardly worth mentioning. They did pick up a couple of serviceable free agents over the weekend in Lee Nailon and Stephen Jackson, but they're still looking at lottery balls come next May.

Curses, foiled again
I think I will hear the screams of ThrasherGirl from Iowa when she hears this news about Dany Heatley. And she says there is no EA Sports curse ...

I would imagine EA Sports will avoid featuring any Braves on the cover of their baseball game next year given their track record with Atlanta athletes this year. Thankfully, they don't have to worry about jinxing any Hawks, they've taken care of that already, although I wouldn't be surprised if Jason Terry or Shareef Abdur-Rahim suffer a major injury playing NBA Live.

Living for the '90s
I guess it was inevitable that someone would go public with our nostalgia for the '90s, although The Onion did warn about the drying up retro gap six years ago.

What struck me was the supposed shock or surprise that one of the retro lunch hour shows was getting more requests for early '90s "obscure" few-hit wonders than for Nirvana or Pearl Jam.

First off, Nirvana and Pearl Jam is still in the regular rotation on the station. You can still hear "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Jeremy" on regular basis. Why bother requesting something that you can hear in a few hours. Secondly, this being a "retro" show, it's the perfect time to be nostalgic for stuff that just doesn't get the airplay anymore. Those shows drove '80s music back into public consciousness and even its own stations. It's now doing the same for '90s alt-rock (or in my case, literally "college" rock since I listened to most of this while at college). And thirdly, for a lot of listeners, I think it's just a lot more fun listening to Urge Overkill, Better Than Ezra or Dinosaur Jr. than the continuous assault of Linkin Park, Staind or Limp Bizkit that now comes with the format.

Fill up the tub
Along with getting geeked about baseball again, the hockey switch started turning on, although a lot of it had to with the first ever sale at Distant Replays where I snagged this and this for $35 each. And I could've loaded up even more on jerseys or retro hats, but I did have to pace myself a little bit.

Unfortunately, I was also thinking about the ice because of Dany Heatley's scary car wreck just a couple of miles up the street from my apartment. As chilling as it was to me when I heard it on the radio the morning after, it was worse for ThrasherGirl, who was working the hockey beat that evening and whose two favorite players are Heatley and Snyder.

I can't figure out how he could go 80 in that stretch of road, even in a Ferrari. It's a narrow, winding, hilly two-lane road with a few plates in the road. I struggle to get old Camry to 40 or 45 through that part of the road.

But out of all the wild things coming out of that story, I'm not sure anything can top the fact that Sanjay Gupta performed the surgery on Snyder.

Batter up
It's fun having baseball top of my mind again. It really hadn't been that way since maybe June or so, but with the playoffs now going, and a few of my favorites in the running, it's been a rush.

I got to see the first two games of the NLDS in what amounted to a neutral field as Turner Field was approximately 50 percent Cubs fans -- many making the trip from Chicago since it would be cheaper than actually buying tickets to a game at Wrigley, while others were carpetbaggers, bandwagon jumpers or just WGN watchers (before it was whacked from the main cable provider here).

I don't think Turner Field has seen this type of electricity in a long while. The presence of the Cubs fans energized the Braves fans as well. It's a bit unfortunate that it took a huge contingent of opposing fans to create a real atmosphere in the stadium, but that can happen among a complacent fan base. But hey, Braves officials can be happy that they got a huge gate thanks to the matchup and didn't have to give away lots of tickets like they did last year (for Barry Bonds and the Giants, no less).

What was amusing was one of the local sports radio guys here (one of the few I actually respect) trying to pin the blame on the lack of attendance/atmosphere at Turner in the past was 1 p.m. starts for playoff games, and saying that it would be the same at Yankee Stadium this year for Game 1, which was an afternoon game. While the Yankees lost, they did have a packed house (save for some dumbasses who couldn't tear tickets out of a book correctly).

I won't comment too much on the games, since that would go on forever knowing my writing style. Instead, I must point out that ESPN now has a commercial featuring this song advertising this.

To all those who attended the NIFL game back in June, here's more of what passes for news in Houma.

Taking out the SP
My friend Sean warns that ESPN is becoming more like MTV every day, and for all the wrong reasons. Oddly enough, some of the stuff that ESPN can and might do to re-invent the network is or has been on ESPN Classic. Those old episodes of Home Run Derby used to be staples of Classic in the pre-ESPN days and even appeared from time to time after that. And if they want a good competition, they should either bring back 2-Minute Drill, which was reasonably compelling before they buried it in various time slots. Better yet, how about the Super Bowl of Sports Trivia, played at the now deceased Boardwalk and Baseball amusement park outside Orlando, hosted by the svelte and not-so-bald Chris Berman?

Playing catch-up
Guess it's time to do an update, don't you think?

I went over home the weekend, and having the hurricane only alter my flight plans slightly Thursday night, for my 10th high school reunion. Unlike my fifth college one last year, this one was pretty much a bust. In a class of about 180 or so, only six or seven showed up, and only one was someone I actually knew well -- and I was grateful for that. The sad thing was the numbers were about the same for all the other 3s and 8s classes invited for the party. I want to be surprised by the turnout, but I'm not. Oh well, it was nice to see all the impressive changes to the school building, including a kick-ass gym and a bunch of new classrooms; and I did talk to my old quizbowl coach, who was somewhat surprised to see I'm still involved in the game.

Otherwise the trip was pretty quiet, which is the way I wanted it, although with my work schedule, I had to get up at 5 a.m. for my flight back to Atlanta and then work until about 1/3 of the way through the Emmys (instead of my 11 p.m. Sundays I had been pulling).

The award for greatest rotting of your brain goes to ...
Speaking of the Emmys, I guess "it's an honor just to be nominated" is the best way to describe most of the shows I actually like. I think I'd be surprised if something I do like actually wins an award. There seems too many bones thrown out there for the "critical/too-smart-for-their-own-good" audience to get them to care about the Emmys and then pull the rug from under them. That definitely would've been the case had Buffy ever gotten real consideration. Still, the show was entertaining enough but nothing memorable.

My imaginary job
I usually don't talk about fantasy football here since there's enough of it here, but it's interesting to note that in three leagues where I started out 0-2, I pulled out amazingly fraudulent victories, and in my experts league, I remained undefeated thanks in part to Marques Tuiasasopo playing mop-up duty on Monday night. So as much as we all try so hard to put together the best team each week, sometimes it just comes down to blind luck.

'Tis a silly place
Every classic TV show is destined to be turned into a movie, and every movie is destined to become a Broadway show, although I think this does lend itself for some stage work. The question is will Robert Goulet show up in some fashion?

When comedy becomes reality
Somebody is taking up Homer's offer of making Skittlebrau.

But at least that's someone keeping up with a joke. It's even stranger when the son of the guy who played Huggy Bear turns out to be a notable person (and I've gone nuts about this since his days at Michigan).

OK, so I just picked up the first two seasons of 24 on DVD. I wonder if I can pull watching all 48 episodes in one sitting?

So much for not tonight, I've got a headache.

Zoom zoom
Blogging for the first time with the new cable modem connection, although for the time being, I'm probably going to keep the Mindspring accounts active, however.

The relevance of death
Mark has already pointed out the interesting juxtaposition of the deaths of Johnny Cash and John Ritter. However, the news coverage on CNN this morning was a bit intriguing.

While The Man in Black is the top story right now on CNN.com, he was somewhat shunted coverage on American Morning in favor of Ritter. It was especially more evident on the ticker, where there was plenty of stuff about Ritter, even though Cash got top billing, so to speak.

Surprisingly, I can see how and why the coverage slanted the way it did. The amount of stuff on Cash written, produced, etc. over the years seems to be much easier to digest in the online medium where you can get both immediacy and depth/background. Cash's failing health also seemed to make it easier to have something ready just in case; however, it is interesting to note that he was just released from the hospital on Tuesday for an ailment that caused him to miss the MTV Video Music Awards.

In Ritter's case, the suddenness of his passing, not to mention that it happened overnight and didn't make most morning papers on the East Coast, seemed to play into the hands of the morning news show, or at least the way CNN runs theirs. They trotted out a lot of entertaiment reporters who could either think fondly of him or wonder what the future holds for his TV show that he was in the middle of shooting at the time of his death. Since he was still in mid-career and was at least a moderate star, his death got a lot of coverage and almost on par with Cash. Otherwise, it may not have been a

Cash was a music legend and icon, and was even relevant to today's youth thanks to his recent video. In some ways, I think CNN may have been a bit light on covering his death, especially you'd think they'd have as much stuff in the can as the online folks did. But, the morning show is a lot about the hosts, so the more people they can find to talk about this stuff live, the better for the show. It's probably not as easy trying to find other country legends for a TV interview that quickly. So out goes the prerecorded stuff, and in comes a roundtable discussion of entertainment news editors/reporters who happened to be on their way to work.

One bit I did catch at the end, though, that was a unique, if strange, angle to both deaths was bringing out Dr. Sanjay Gupta to explain the ailments that led to both men's deaths. It made for a solid explainer for some medical issues few would've been able to understand (especially in Ritter's case).

Setting the record straight
Sometimes you'll see corrections to stories made via the letters to the editor, but I dare you to find something as good as this retort (top entry), which then had me thinking of these guys.

Exhibit A against marriage
Merge The Osbournes and The Anna Nicole Show and you've got MTV's Newlyweds, the latest on my list of must-see (well, sorta) shows. It's a train wreck on many levels, and you've got to wonder at what point the cameras will be headed for some divorce lawyer's office.

There are few things I've picked up so far:
--I didn't realize Nick Lachey still had a music career. It seems like only the N'Sync guys could find work after the boy-band thing blew over. Then again, I think he's doing a good job of cashing in on the fact that he is married to Jessica Simpson.
--As much as I thought Nick was a prick on I Love the '70s, I think I know now why he is that way. He's got some weird Faustian deal going with this marriage -- get a hot wife who can improve your star power but deal with all the trappings of a married life.
--How many stereotypes of dumb, rich blondes can she fulfill in one shot? From the infamous "Chicken by the Sea" comment to the $750 for two sets of lingerie (including exasperated phone call to hubby at lunch with his dancers), you'd think she came out of central casting, or at least the grotto.
--Her extreme jealousy over Nick's dancers is hilarious. Her cattiness over women who are nowhere in her league provides for plenty of entertainment value.
--I wonder what she'd look like if applied the Shallow Hal treatment?
--Don't bring a spoiled clueless girl to the golf course. Then again, the "my boobs get in the way" remark as she tried to hit the ball was a gem.

Return to sender, address unknown
I guess this guy has never heard of AirTran or Southwest. Then again, I'm surprised there aren't more morons shipping themselves across the country instead of the usual ways of transportation. Of course, to pull that off, you'd need at least one accomplice to help pull it off, and I guess the guy had at least one Kramer-esque friend who thought it was a good idea. I think it's time for the guy to find some new friends, huh?

Some of the other weirdness of story includes the mother refusing to show her face on TV because she was humiliated by the whole experience. The fact that our friendly flier was busted for completely unrelated crimes, and that officials aren't sure with what to charge him. But at least DA Bill Hill has some perspective on the whole thing: "He violated the law of stupidity if nothing else."

I'm sorry, the Ultimate team has the football field between 4:30 and 6:00
There's a lot of symbolism in Vanderbilt's "elimination" of its athletic department, although the sports will go on. It may help reform in some places, although probably at smaller schools or institutions of Vandy's caliber (hmm, wonder if the alma mater will go that way?).

Still, the thought of major intercollegiate athletics falling under the same auspices of intramurals and club sports is somewhat amusing. We were envisioning sign-up sheets for the field, people having to bring the flags and cones. Players not showing up because of a study group. Unexplained absences by teams for major matches -- turns out the captain was sick. An all-star team of intramural players getting spots on the traveling squad, etc.

Granted, most of this won't even matter much given Vanderbilt's status, but some of it actually has the same eerie feelings as CBI-only teams showing up to invitational tournaments these days.

The job never ends
First off, might as well as alert folks to my latest column. It seems a lot different working on it at the office as opposed to just sitting at my laptop at home cranking it out.

Anyway, there wasn't much else to my weekend, mostly sports, plus a brief interlude Saturday night.

First off, I can see why many are opposed to a college football playoff -- the regular season takes on that atmosphere, too. That would explain the electricity of the amazing Miami-Florida comeback. Plus, there were a bunch of other upsets and close calls that had me flipping all over the dial during the afternoon. I was hardly even thinking of my pool picks -- I was just enjoying the ride.

However, I wasn't as happy with Northwestern's 22-21 loss to Air Force after the Cats were leading 21-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Three picks in the fourth quarter sealed the Wildcats' fate despite not having to play against Chance Harridge for most of the second half after he was ejected. The defense looked solid again, but have to avoid giving up the big play, which has happened a couple of times already. They did a decent job on the option, at least compared to last year's debacle. The Cats needed to get Jason Wright the ball a little bit more, especially when running out the clock. One last note, I may not have liked NU's road uniforms, but they were passable -- I just didn't like white-on-white. The home get-up doesn't do much for me, either, especially since they ditched the black. The bluish-purple doesn't look as good as the dark purple I've been used to, especially when it's monochromatic, for all intents and purposes.

Also Saturday, I thought CBS was going to have a conniption when Agassi lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero (not to be confused with Juan Carlos Fernandez of cinnamon rolls fame) and Andy Roddick was down two sets and match point to David Nalbandian, best known for making people have to care about him for the first time when he reached the finals of Wimbledon a few years ago. But in an amazing comeback I missed, Roddick somehow won the match, and made people care about the U.S. Open final instead of watching some of the mediocre late NFL games. I didn't even watch the women's final, only catching a glimpse of the trophy ceremony while I was out. Besides, I watched the real final with the three-hour classic semifinal match between Henin-Hardenne and Capriati (now playing the role of Aaron Krickstein).
The men's final was actually a bit of an afterthought for me, since I was working on said column, but there seemed like no way Roddick was going to blow this opportunity when everything else pretty much went his way. The final game was one of the bigger exclamation points on a title in a long way. A couple of things about the victory: We can stop whining about when the next big American will come through, that's happened. And can we please stop calling him A-Rod? It's not that clever with Alex Rodriguez, and it's sillier here.

Onto the NFL, it was a very strange Sunday to say the least, but enjoyable in fits and starts. Some quick observations from Week 1:
-- The Dolphins probably killed a ton of survivor pools by losing to the Texans. I know I got smoked.
-- The Rams looked very bad, and they need to give Marshall Faulk the ball.
-- It'll be a weird year for the Broncos since they won in spite of Jake Plummer.
-- Priest Holmes is just fine, thank you very much.
-- Yes, it's neat Craig Hentrich kicked three field goals relieving Joe Nedney, but remember that Hentrich was a kicker at Notre Dame. The ESPN guys were also impressed with Drew Bennett as a holder. Bennett was a backup QB at UCLA, and I'm sure holding had to be on his list of priorities.
-- Should the Lions-Cardinals stats even count for NFL or fantasy purposes? Anquan Boldin for 217 yards? As much as I praised him in April, does he get 217 yards the rest of the year?
-- Northwestern alums are getting their props: D'Wayne Bates caught a TD pass, Kevin Bentley picked off a Peyton Manning pass, Napoleon Harris had a bunch of tackles for the Raiders and Jeff Roehl ended up in the Giants lineup after Luke Pettigout's injury. BTW, what is it with the Giants and Notre Dame offensive lineman. Mike Rosenthal and Pettigout were alums and Roehl was with the Irish before transferring to Northwestern around the time Zak Kustok did a few years ago.

Suck, suck, suck
I was surprisingly low-key about the Jets losing the season opener. It was a close game despite the fact the offense could barely move the ball and always seemed to aim exactly two yards short of the first down on every third-down conversion. The defense did pretty well despite getting shredded by Patrick Ramsey early on, but it's not a good thing making Ladell Betts look like a Pro Bowler -- he'll be picked off the waiver wire next week (or now in those Yahoo! leagues). I guess I'm not expecting a lot from the Jets this year. Plus, I was frazzled after a long day at work, so all I wanted to do is watch a game and only think marginally about fantasy football.

I'm not a big fan of the whole Thursday night spectacle, though. For one, us fantasy leaguers get thrown off with just one game when we want to see a ton all at once. Plus, there are enough leagues that still lock rosters at game time of the first game of the week -- in this case, Thursday night. Thus, there are plenty of unanswered questions that have to be resolved earlier than expected. At least there aren't too many iffy injury situations to worry about at that point, but still, it's annoying. Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but what's the point of having this huge party to celebrate a game taking place a half hour away? I guess Britney, Aerosmith, the first lineman of soul, etc. weren't going to be allowed at halftime. Opening Day in baseball (whatever is left of it) and the first day of the NCAA Tournament draw plenty of excitement because of what's happening on the field, not some silly and irrelevant concert. There's no need for manufactured excitement. The NFL can do that on its own.

At least that concert gave me time to get home and watch the very nice Michael Chang tribute at the U.S. Open. I kinda feel bad for Chang, though. While Pete Sampras got his sendoff in front of a packed house in between a couple of cakewalks by top American stars. Thanks to all of the rain, Chang's ceremony was shoehorned between a couple of matches that got shifted around and delayed and in front of only some diehards who could withstand the rain and hang around for some good (but less than marquee) matchups. It almost felt like an afterthought. Still, I applaud the USTA for pulling out the stops for this. You know Agassi will get a similar ceremony when he hangs it up, which means that Jim Courier pretty much got screwed out of that class of American stars when it came time for him to hang it up. But at least he's approaching McEnroe in entertainment value in the booth.

How to feel old, fast
Beloit College (where I actually played my first intercollegiate quizbowl event) is back again with its Mindset List for the Class of 2007. Talk about a way to date yourself with the wrong references. Some of the stuff there I didn't know (snail darter) or didn't think was all that relevant (Samantha Smith). But some of it does make me feel old, and I was 10 when this current freshman class was born. I don't feel like it's been that long since I've been in college, but then I realize that both Letterman and Conan premiered around the time I started school and both just celebrated their 10th anniversaries.

On a quizbowl level, this does seem amazingly relevant. Plenty of us, who could be considered geezers on the circuit, like to poke fun at Charlie for some of his '70s and early '80s-based references whether in conversation, or through questions. This list could probably help guide folks in writing questions and wondering about accessibility. Granted, a good number of players would probably be bright enough to pick up on some of the stuff on the list, but sometimes you just can't beat living through something to realize its relevance or importance and just pick up by osmosis. That might explain why there's a gradual scaling back of '80s-based questions.

Next up, Britney waxes philosophical on the Dean campaign ...
I guess I should be disappointed that Britney Spears won't kiss any more women after the whole Madonna thing. However, I'm more amused since the interview from where that breaking news nugget emerged was conducted by Tucker Carlson. Exactly how and why did the bow-tied one get that interview? Even funnier was Britney's hair (was that some wig?) and the gum she kept on snapping during the interview. I'm sure she sounded thrilled to be talking about the kiss, not to mention the war on Iraq, with Tucker. (So like, who is this geek I'm talking to?) And I hope Tucker didn't act like Jeff Bezos did around Anna Kournikova.

Is it live or is it Jimmy Connors again?
I think Mother Nature really wanted to see Aaron Krickstein lose again given all the rain at the U.S. Open the past few days. Thankfully, there were plenty of baseball games (plus some crappy college football) on Labor Day, so I wasn't stuck having to pay attention a match that took place 12 years ago. Hell, I remember watching that match on TV and thanking Connors for tanking the fourth set while I took a nap and then waking up to watch much of the fun stuff.

A couple of "separated at births" from this year's Open so far: Taylor Dent and Ivan Rodriguez. And the scarier one: Patrick McEnroe and W.

Same as it ever was
I guess I've officially become a talking head. Like Cooch, I will be on TV soon, although I have zero clue when or where it will air. It was some trend piece on fantasy sports put together by some independent production company and fed to a bunch of local stations and something organized via AOL. If you actually dare to watch local news, you might actually stumble across it -- and I'd laugh at you for watching local news, but I digress.

Granted, I don't do much TV, but the whole process seemed strange, but then again I was dealing with a producer in D.C., a publicist in New York, and lots of stuff on the fly down in Atlanta, where I end up having to do a bit more logistical work than I should've been doing for someone who was the subject of the interview. I sure wasn't used to the lighting for the interview -- I felt like I was having my yearbook portrait taken or something, and if it's anything like my last couple of yearbook photos, it probably wasn't pretty. In fact, I took a look at myself on the monitor as they were testing out the camera, and I'd be damned if I didn't start looking like Craig on screen.

With that out of the way, it's now getting to be football time, and with that a bit more work and more of a sick feeling that I could/should be doing more at work because whatever I've got going, it's not right/enough/etc. Yup, I'm ready for the foosball. Woo woo.

Purple power
Well, Northwestern did win the season opener over Kansas 28-20, although they were nearly done in by a couple of freak plays. When they should've been running down the clock up 21-14, they did a quick three-and-out and then had a punt blocked. Somehow, the extra point snap was botched and the holder sacked -- thus keeping it 21-20. A late clock-killing TD drive did the trick, although there were tense moments at the end.

Jason Wright looked good at times. The 196 yards were great, but on 41 carries, well, you can tell there were some big runs plus a bunch of short gains. Roger Jordan has emerged as the go-to receiver, breaking the 100-yard mark. I didn't realize he was 6-3, 220. That's David Boston size. I would hope the Cats take advantage of him during the year.

However, I'm still not sure I like the new uniforms. The white-on-white isn't great, but the numbers are just strange looking. Even weirder than the digital Titans numbers from the 2000 season.

On a related note, former Northwestern tennis player Todd "Mr. Fantastic" Martin advanced at the U.S. Open in a match that was going on concurrently with the Cats game. It's hard to believe his match, a tough four-setter against Robby Ginepri, was about as long as the football game. Martin just seems to hang around and do just well enough these days, but he's always fun to watch during those night matches.

Pigskin overload
I'm surprised my brain hasn't exploded yet after flipping through tons of college football games, not to mention the U.S. Open. And with no NFL games this weekend, there's even more of it coming up. I wonder if my mind can take it all in.

Here are some other thoughts from the first bit of action:
-- I'm happy that Comcast Sports Southeast is picking up the Big Ten ESPN Plus package. As much as I like to listen to Northwestern games on WGN Radio, I'd like to actually see a few games without having to force myself to a sports bar. With the way the Cats could be this year, I expect a lot of those ESPN Plus games this season.
-- Speaking of TV, I think the cameramen and directors are still getting used to game action. There have been too many instances where cameras have expected playaction passes only to have it be a run.
-- What's up with the one-tone uniforms? I like some contrast between pants and shirts in football. I'm seeing it with FSU-UNC right now, although white (FSU) and Carolina blue (UNC) isn't too bad. But the all-orange ensemble Illinois was sporting was pretty nasty. And don't get me started on Oregon's space-age pajamas.
-- ABC's regional coverage of games is definitely a double-edged sword. It's good to appease different regions with games featuring local teams, but when there's an obvious national game of interest, it can be aggravating as a "national" fan or a transplant from somewhere else to see a somewhat "lesser" game. Tonight, Ohio State-Washington is on almost everywhere in the country, but since we're in ACC country, we're getting Florida State-North Carolina. It's happened a few times last year when a good Big 12 or Big Ten gets bumped here in favor of Georgia Tech-Clemson, for instance. Maybe when the "new" ACC forms next year will there be some better games on the board (or at least not feel so bad for missing out on a big game).

Well ... out with it!
What would it take to work for the athletic department at Faber College?

I suppose those of you sports fans on here go to the competition as opposed to the site where I work, so you may not have noticed the new look. The transition has been a bear to say the least, especially since it became official just I as got back from San Diego. Lots of headaches, that's for sure. So please bear with me if I'm crankier or more worn out than usual.

What a racket
Some news and notes about the U.S. Open, since I'm getting a nice dose of it during the day and the fact that it helps give me something else to follow other than baseball and football:

-- I was never a big Pete Sampras fan, although I definitely respected his game and his accomplishments. Maybe he was a bit boring, maybe it was because a family friend called him Pete sam-PRAS years ago when he won his first U.S. Open. I'm not sure what it was, but something never sat right with me regarding him.

-- I was obviously a Michael Chang fan growing up, although it seems sad that his going-away bash was so understated, then again he was barely hanging on to respectability at the end. It's also weird that he was the first of the post-Connors/Mac Americans to win a Grand Slam but never won any other majors after that. He helped set the tone for Courier (another favorite now doing the TV thing), Agassi and Sampras to win their majors. However, Chang is the one guy who barely aged from his early days to his final matches -- the hair is only receding a little bit.

Jon Wertheim has a nice tribute to Chang, although I somewhat disagree with his assessment that Chang brought a lot of Asian-Americans into the game. Asians, yes. He made for a great role model since he made so many appearances in Asia. But from what I could tell growing up, tennis was the sport of choice among Asian-Americans even before Chang hit the scene.

-- I suppose it's good that Sampras "went out on top" but his hints and false starts with his retirement were a bit annoying. At least he hasn't dragged it out as long as Martina Hingis, or done the NBA thing by having reports of retirement surface so many times that the real thing is an afterthought.

Sampras' farewell party was well done, although I'm wondering since when did the U.S. Open opt for a cheesy opening ceremony? After seeing the "Movin' Out" stuff, we wondered at work what artist would have their catalog become a musical next. "Silent Lucidity" -- the Queensryche musical. "Livin' on a Prayer" -- the dramatic interpretation of Bon Jovi. "A Flock of Seagulls -- the musical." And so on and so on.

-- Andy Roddick proves yet again that Reebok made a horrible decision by making those trucker-type caps cool again. Besides, is that any good for mopping up the sweat while you're playing?

-- Gee, Anna Kournikova isn't playing, and yet she throws out the first pitch at a Yankees game, does a bunch of PR appearances for XBox, makes Jeff Bezos look like Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty, and gets a "reporter" job for USA Network? OK, makes sense to me. Then again, did you see what she was wearing during her first segment? Sweet fancy Moses! However, I do wonder if Anna's segment was intentionally shown during Ashley Harkleroad's second-round match? And wouldn't you know, she lost -- although it was to a seeded player.

-- One intriguing second-round women's matchup has Mary Pierce facing Jelena Dokic. There are so many weird storylines flying: the vagabond nationalities, the crazy fathers, their "paper bag" looks.

-- Maybe they'll come later, but I really miss those marathon matches that take so long that they creep into the CBS late-night recap show.

-- Now that I've watched a lot of tennis, it's about time for me to get back on the court for the first time in ages.

Another preseason game, another major injury to a young star quarterback. Just another part of Jets lore, oh goody.

The whole NFL preseason is a strange monster. Teams charge full price for tickets and add them onto the season ticket plans. However, the stadiums are usually never close to being full, and for good reason. The starters usually don't play more than a half, and as we've seen, they're often exposed to potentially serious injury. However, those who really follow college football will get a kick out of "Hey, I remember that guy" when it gets down to the third- and fourth-stringers in the second half -- maybe. I have been happy to see Sam Simmons and Damien Anderson pull of big plays this preseason, but they're usually at the point when most fans have either left the building or switched off the TV.

And to think, I actually spent $34 plus $10 for parking to watch a Chargers exhibition game. I did see the first Falcons game as well, but I lucked into free tickets three rows behind the end zone thanks to a friend.

Rock on, Chicago
Unfortunately, we must say goodbye to the strange but compelling musical phenomenon that was Wesley Willis.

Nostalgia gone bad
Yes, I'm hooked on I Love the '70s, even though I was born midway through the decade and only remember bits and pieces of living during the decade. Yet somehow I remember much of the stuff being featured on the show, despite the fact that some of it came out before I was born. I suppose it was fun (and convenient) to bring back guys like Michael Ian Black, Hal Sparks, Mo Rocca and Rich Eisen, but these guys are only a few years older than me, so how could they have that much interesting or relevant to say based on actual experiences at the time. As long as you can crack wise, I guess it doesn't really matter if you could barely remember a Pet Rock or leisure suits. I'm sure I'll have more once I see the episodes on years while I've been alive.

However, the biggest thing to disturb me so far is the dueling hairstyles on Michael Ian Black. I guess he's on so much, that they needed him for at least two sittings and thus the two hairdos. Not even the best of editors can get over that lack of continuity.

No-no-notorious
The Michael Vick injury just continues a new curse of the Madden NFL cover boy (Faulk, Culpepper and George have all gotten hurt or slumped the year of their appearance), which is itself an offshoot of the Chunky Soup curse (see Terrell Davis, Warner and McNabb have been hurt during their sponsorship runs). While baseball and basketball seem to be safe for now, hockey is now an issue after Jarome Iginla struggled last season. That's why folks down here in Atlanta are even more paranoid with Dany Heatley on the cover of NHL 2004. (I'm sure Alyson has a mixed reaction to that.)

The more you walk, the more you toot
I finally got around to reading Moneyball during my travels, and I’m pretty torn as to how I feel about Billy Beane’s system and the whole stats-driven way of evaluating players.

On one hand, it’s cool and somewhat intriguing to see a team actually put stock in positive college/minor league stats. I’d always go nuts during the NFL Draft when top college players who put up big numbers get ignored, sometimes seemingly for having the stats as if the numbers were inflated to make up for deficiencies the scouts saw. (Although I sometimes think scouts also want to show off their relevance by digging up the diamonds in the rough from small colleges or combine freaks.)

During both the NFL and NBA Drafts, there’s always that inclination to draft “athletes” instead of “football players” or “basketball players.” So, in that sense, putting stock in stat-producing “ball players” is refreshing. Besides, there is a fair share of players notable for not looking like athletes (Babe Ruth, John Kruk, Tony Gwynn in later days).

I also enjoyed Lewis’ player stories, which helped to illustrate how the A’s scouting differed from most of the rest of the league. There are plenty of success stories, that’s for sure, and honestly, it’s the best way to illustrate some of the more arcane statistical arguments at work.

It’s definitely needed, because one thing I’ve come away from reading the book is that I don’t think I’m “worthy” enough to watch or write about baseball anymore. Many athletic types have always said you can't really appreciate a sport if you've never played it. But now the stats people say the numbers they've come up with are gospel and if you follow anything else (especially those from the "establishment"), you're a fool.

The old-school baseball guys have their own ways of evaluating players and approaching the game. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But for the most part, it comes from a love of the game, how it’s played, etc. Yes, they’re stubborn, and it’s an attitude fostered after years of being the lead dog because of their athletic ability.

On the other hand, the growing population of stat-intensive baseball fans/decision makers seem to have taken the fun out of the game. It’s hard to say these days, “It’s just a game,” but in this case it’s true. There’s too much money at stake, so it only makes sense that some would approach it with the same cold, calculating but thoughtful intensity of mathematicians, economists, financiers, etc. It’s somewhat odd to think that Billy Beane would rather watch games on his pager instead of on the field, but when given all he’s gone through, he’s seen the sausage factory and he’d rather not go back.

People like Bill James and his followers definitely have broken some amazing ground on statistical analysis, and it obviously takes a bright mind and passion for baseball to do what they do. We all have our questions about stats (I’ve always wondered why errors on a linescore, for instance), and they’ve taken it to a new level.

However, there’s also an arrogance among many of the disciples that what they’re doing is right and everybody else – the old-school establishment, the media, the fans – is stupid. It’s like an ivory tower approach to baseball. Unfortunately, you can see that Beane has picked up the same attitude. In an odd way, it’s like the battle between the nerds and the jocks, and Beane has crossed over to the nerd side (maybe we should call him Ogre).

The A’s approach as a whole season as opposed to a game-by-game basis is different, but it makes sense and helps to bring sample size and more statistically significant matters into the equation. Unfortunately, this calculating approach has little value when it comes to short playoff series. That's the one glaring hole in the whole approach -- not everything will even out in a short period of time, and things considered anecdotal like luck can actually wreak havoc with the results. Sometimes I wonder if all of those computer simulations of the World Series that used to be a popular staple of coverage in the ‘80s would suit the stat-types better?

Like anything else, Beane’s approach is just one way to look at and run the team. Unfortunately, Lewis got a bit too indoctrinated into the system and in the last few chapters, you can see him sort of acting like an A’s lapdog. If it weren’t for the success stories of underdogs like Jeremy Brown, Chad Bradford or Scott Hatteberg, Oakland comes across as the low-priced version of the Yankees -- nyeah, nyeah, we win because we’re better than you and there’s nothing you can do about it.

California adventure

Time to blog about the trip now that I’m flying over Arizona on the way home. The trip to San Diego was fun and somewhat productive. Getting away from Atlanta and the office for a few days but still spending time with friends and family was definitely helpful, even if it will be hell back at work come Tuesday morning.

My apologies if this runs long and even more self-serving than Monday Morning Quarterback …

Wednesday: A sudden morning downpour altered my plans for parking at work and taking MARTA to the airport. I then started a mad scramble for my alternate airport parking plans (going to a station next to the airport), although I did make it on time. It was just strange not having that hour-plus cushion I usually have when flying.

I was surprised that Finding Nemo was playing on my flight. I had no problems watching it again, although isn’t it still playing in a lot of theaters? If many movies have such quick turnarounds from theaters to airplanes, I suppose Gigli or From Justin to Kelly will be in Delta’s rotation next month.

Hotel sider: I’ve mentioned this before, but many times, the more expensive the hotel, the less you actually seem to get. The hotel where I stayed (and where the convention was) was in a great location just a couple of minutes from downtown and right next to the airport (I could see the terminal from my hotel room). Plus it had a nice lobby and bar, which got really busy the first two nights with all of us conventioneers. I guess it’s also a great place for those who own boats on the marinas near the hotel, but seeing all of those ships lined up together had me humming the tune to Gilligan’s Island over and over again.

However, the in-room cable left a lot to be desired, the charge for local calls could pay for ALF’s return to Melmac, and worse off, the hotel health club charged a lofty fee. Thank God for the nice scenic road by my hotel so I could put in a decent walk.

As for the convention itself, it was good to see a lot of friends and other familiar faces. Our local chapter was represented well, not to mention former Atlanta-based people who were popping up all of the place. The opening reception was at SeaWorld, so at least I didn’t have to spend big bucks to see the park or Shamu. I think we accidentally saw a lot of the attractions stumbling around to find the pavilion for our group. Unfortunately, just following the Asian people wasn’t good enough given we were in San Diego.

Thursday: The real opening of the convention started with a breakfast reception with the dean at Medill. I was and wasn’t surprised to see how many Medill alums are in the organization, although it may be slightly telling that the ones at the convention who knew me from school weren’t the ones in my class. I didn’t think I flew that far under the radar, but apparently I did.

We did hear about the blackout after lunch, and just in time for the Q&A session/damage control with Arthur Sulzberger Jr. He was briefly interrupted for blackout stuff, but otherwise went on for a while doing his best to explain the situation and everything else. Honestly, nothing really earth-shattering came from the talk, but it was fun to listen to nonetheless, especially with plenty of his editors hanging around as well.

Friday: Not only do I fly under the radar, I’m also so unique that it makes it hard for many people I meet, either other conventioneers or recruiters, to figure out who I am or what I do. Online is an emerging medium and sports is very popular, yet there are very few people at this convention that do either, and I do both. However, I was happy to see at least one person recognize me from my work, so I supposed I’m doing something right. At the same time, making the switch somewhere else could be somewhat dicey since there are very few positions that come anywhere close to what I do. I probably have a longer way to go than I think if I want to make a major switch in my career.

Still, I’ve got a long way to being successful at the networking game. The uniqueness of my position can actually be a detriment. Not to mention not being sure whether to pull out the sports/pop culture from my conversation arsenal for business use. I did get into a nice little talk about the NL MVP race with one guy, although it does feel strange doing so in what could be considered a job interview. But take a lot of that out of the equation, and I could be toast. Everyone has a certain zone where they feel comfortable and confident to carry out conversations with whomever; mine just seems to be very minuscule.

Saturday: I haven’t been in San Diego for years, so I did do a lot of touristy stuff when I could, and thankfully I had a lot of free time Saturday and Sunday. One of our connections in San Diego got us free passes for a club in the Gaslamp District for Friday night, but I discovered quickly why I usually don’t go clubbing. On the other hand, when I went back for dinner with my cousin Sunday night, I saw that the place was actually very enjoyable.

It should make for a great scene next year when the Litter Box opens. Parking may be a pain and a half, but the convention center across the street might help that, not to mention the trolley. So let’s see, a downtown ballpark in the heart of a popular restaurant/bar district and has some real public transportation to get there – two things Turner Field doesn’t have, and Philips Arena/Georgia Dome is lacking the restaurant scene minus whatever is at CNN Center. Good going, Atlanta!

Speaking of stadiums, I did go to the Q for exciting Chargers-Cardinals preseason action. The park wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was horrifying either. I was thrown off by the separate box offices for the Padres, Chargers and SDSU, causing me to venture further than I would’ve liked to pay way too much ($34 for an upper view seat) for a game that meant so little. But I was in town, and there was a game going on, so how could I pass it up?

The game was what you expected from these teams at this time of year. Lots of rust, lots of unknowns getting tons of PT, lots of fans disguised as empty seats (although that made traffic much more bearable). Neither offense looked good, and the Chargers backup offensive linemen could find work as matadors when they get cut. But I did go nuts when Damien Anderson tore off an 82-yard run on his first carry of the game. Other high/lowlights: a Special Olympics exhibition at halftime and plenty of screen time for the cheerleaders (at least they were performing for the entire game).

A trip to the Chargers team store (a tent next to the box office) was fruitless. When did NFL jerseys get so expensive and why are they charging close to full price for guys that aren’t there anymore (Seau, Conway, Harrison)? On the other hand, I was dangerously close to buying a Ryan Leaf jersey for $20 at a swap meet on Sunday.

Oh yeah, I did hear about the Vick’s vaporization on the ride to the game. If I wasn’t caught in slow moving stadium traffic, I might’ve run off the road (although probably into the shopping center down the street from the park). So much for my teams in the Mastermind Mock and ffWebmasters.

As for other parts of town, I did like Balboa Park a lot. Parts of it felt like a nice green oasis in the middle of town, but at the same time, it was like the San Diego version of the Smithsonian with all of the museums and the zoo. There’s a little bit for everyone. As for Old Town, my friend and I gorged at a great Mexican restaurant there, while the rest of the area seemed quaint but slightly hokey – nothing wrong with that, though. Some areas downtown and near the stadium had some amazing looking condos, apartments and lofts. I should’ve hit the beach and a casino or two, but maybe that’s something for another time. The areas I was in seemed reasonably easy to navigate, although I’m sure the traffic is much worse outside of town.

If you got this far, congratulations. More later as I think of it and get myself back on Eastern time. My clock got really smacked around watching sports on Pacific time.

California, here I come
It's off to San Diego for the AAJA National Convention. There will probably be some blogging along the way.

OK, who or what is getting piled on the most? Gigli, the Catholic Church, or fat kids?

It's interesting to see Baseball Prospectus go out on a limb with its Pete Rose reinstatement story, although I wonder what SportsCenter was doing blowing out a story that was denied by both MLB and Rose's agent. It did get one of its writers on ESPN and a little bit of extra publicity for the site, although I'm sure people who don't know much about them could think it was just another wild and far-flung fan/rumor site. My surprise was that the story didn't question Rose's Hall of Fame credentials because of a subpar OPS.

Your head-line here
I think at this point, you can tell you've lost your sense of humor (or been exposed to an environment where being overly polite/politically correct) when you can't come up with at least three "tasteless" headlines for this story.

It's nice to see one of my favorite puppet characters found some work since Greg the Bunny died a quick death.

Warning: AOL name blocked
Gee, it's taken three years to realize the AOL name may actually be hurting AOL Time Warner as a company? I think most of us would've figured out it was a bad idea from day one, and this is even during the height of the tech boom. Hopefully, this might actually boost the shares to half of the strike price I've got on those options.

Couldn't it have been called American Pie Pi?
Well I did cave and see American Wedding, mainly because I've been a sucker for the whole series and that Alyson Hannigan actually moves to the forefront (despite a not-so flattering photo on the movie poster), or so it seems.

They probably could've called it Stifler: The Movie and been just as accurate, and possibly made just as much money. Sure, there was some wedding stuff and all the other basic ingredients of a Pie movie, but if Seann William Scott really wants to shed the Stifler label, this isn't the way to do it. (Neither is the upcoming movie where he shares the screen with The Rock and Christopher Walken, which I saw in the previews.)

If you liked the Pie movies, you'll like this one. I laughed a lot, and yet at times I felt bad at myself for laughing so much at such a bad movie. It was entertaining enough, but there were some huge plot holes and time continuity issues that were hard for me to reconcile. The biggest issue was dealing with bride's parents. It seems like they were from out of town (or else why would they be staying at Jim's place?) yet the couple met in high school. Sure, they could've moved away, but it doesn't seem right. There were also some major questions about how things progressed from engagement to wedding plans to wedding. But then again, given who's doing this movie, it seems like they have few clues about how this stuff usually goes down. Besides, as I said before, it was just a platform for Stifler to do his thing.

One of these days, I'll actually see a good summer movie, but that may be a while.

Quiz time!
For those of you who think they know Chicago well, and that would include a few of my readers here, Alexis has a cool quiz about different landmarks and places. I'll try to come up with an Atlanta or New York-based one in the next few weeks.

Many of the regular readers know about this already, but here's another reminder to sign up for the 2003-04 edition of the Alison LaPlaca TV Dead Pool. It's tough call this year, considering the wealth of crappy new shows as well as series jumped the shark years ago and are still limping along with first-run episodes.

Gee, Northwestern alum Rick Telander and famed Northwestern basher Jay Marriotti don't get along. What a surprise! However, this article is interesting in how it paints the pictures of the two Sun-Times columnists. What's also intriguing is how those newsroom sets for Around the Horn actually bother others co-workers. The same could be said at the Denver Post, where Woody Paige does his thing.

I've done enough bitching about my job. How about something positive? Check out the results from the SI.com and the CBS Sportsline fantasy football "experts drafts" I've taken part in over the past couple of weeks. There are some common themes to be sure with my picks (and many people's picks in general).

Fun with the sports pages
First off, I'm pretty much worn out already by the Kobe Bryant stuff, but here's something that's right up my alley given my job description.

And when in doubt, Kobe could always change his name.

Then again, piss off the wrong people, and you, too could be headed for New York, or Seattle.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Governator!

I suppose it will be even more fun when I head out to California next week, considering just about everyone is running for governor now, including Arianna Gabor, excuse me, Huffington trying to pick up where her ex-husband left off. And if that's not enough, we've got the Whatchu talking about platform.

The trash report
I guess Viva TRASH Vegas may had a role in this, but this weekend's trash double play (Muck Masters and the Burns) both saw sharp decreases in attendance, which was slightly disappointing. However, it still was able to produce enough decent questions to play on both in Ann Arbor and Chattanooga. Even better was winning yet another Steinhice tournament as Finding Nimoy came away with the title in a small but very competitive field. (I suppose the offshoot of fewer teams/players is that the good ones still come out.) Plus, it was fun to play with a couple of the Emory folks for the first time ever. There are still some others out there I'm surprised I've never teamed with for a tournament (some of you know who would be on the list) -- some day, some day.

One thing, though, that rankles me is people saying I have an inherent advantage in some of these tournaments because I work in sports news. I especially got annoyed with the "shenanigans" comment that came up as our team was answering a sports bonus (and he wonders why I actually got pissed at him when he gloated over a victory over our team). Does my job help in getting questions? Absolutely. But then again to get the job to begin with, you really do need good knowledge of the stuff, it's only natural. However, I know enough people who are not in the business but would also know the stuff because they also devour it. And when it comes to marginal stuff like arena football, tennis or anything not of the major sports, I can get a lot of it because I actually care about most of it, at least tangentially. And very few people I work with can say that.

If we can all have travel blogs based on our latest adventures, why not Tom Daschle?

Talk about being ripped from the headlines. So who gets cast as Blair?

I'ts not just me
The whole dating game has always confused me, but I guess I should feel better since it seems people my age don't go on "real" dates anymore despite all the sites out there. Sounds right to me, I think. Then again, I've got a number of lingering issues out there I won't go into here, other than those in the know definitely know what's up.

Do a little dance ...
If you thought Elaine's disco dance (Dickinson, not Benes) was just the figment of some writer's imagination, then you haven't seen this. Yes, people are that stupid.

If police want to solve this mystery, they'll have to look between the two giant melons.

The inevitable happened this weekend, and it wasn't just Bob Hope's death (although I wonder if Jimmy and Bonnie live anywhere near his estate).

Nope, it was the lawsuit over the video game Max Payne by the washed-up wrestler of the same name. Now if the main character killed others with a Fujiwara arm bar, they're in trouble.

Six degrees of Chuck Woolery
I'm not sure I've seen a reality show deal with, well, reality with its subject ever. Sharon Osbourne's cancer wasn't diagnosed during the show's tremendous first season, for instance. But somehow, Naturally Stoned had to deal with the separation between Chuck Woolery and his wife that took place during the show's run. That episode was so awkward since most of the rest of the series was just goofy with some tension (Knudsen's cottage cheese anyone), but nothing really out of the ordinary. Then it ends with reality, and we wouldn't want that with our reality shows.

But what I found a little more interesting was seeing in the credits that some of the graphics for the show were done by someone I had met at the Chicago Tribune years ago while I was still in college. In a weird way, she helped lay down the foundation for me interning there a couple of years later, even though she was long gone by the time I started. Not only that, but I ended up becoming good friends with the girl who had set up that initial meeting at the Trib (we were both editors at the school paper at the time).

Born of frustration
I've actually held off on extreme personal venting for a while, mainly because I know this is public and who knows who will get to this. Granted, I think I know most of you who read this, but there's always that strange apprehension of giving away too much about myself in such a forum. That's kinda taken away from the point of this exercise, but oh well.

With that said, I am now keep asking myself if I'm any good at my job. I'm always surprised when people say they read my stuff, mainly because I'm under the impression that people only read ESPN and nothing else (especially based on all the links in my friends' blogs), thus not seeing my stuff. I'm often my own worse critic, as many people are, and I guess it gets magnified when I look over some of the competition. Add the fact that I'm working in a situation where it seems like people are allergic to complimenting people's work and ripping your colleagues seems to be a requirement for your job, you run into a crisis of confidence.

Am I being a bit too sensitive to this? Maybe. I'm also suspicious of most compliments, although that seems to come with the territory. Then again, from the general impression I get from just about everything out there, no one anywhere seems willing to appreciate anything. Right now, the line between genuine skepticism and paranoia gets blurrier every day.

I'll give Craig the credit for pointing me in this direction, but this song (down to the I-85 lyrics) seems to be an eerily good fit for the situation.

More time with Angie
It's way too fitting that Jason Sehorn's debut with the Rams will be delayed by a broken foot. He's arguably the most overrated player in football today, and I'm sure most of the Giants fans were happy to see him go away. What's amusing is after Kim Herring, who assumes the starting free safety job, the backups are guys I remember as quarterbacks. Nick Sorenson was a safety at Virginia Tech, but during Michael Vick's freshman year, the Hokies were decimated by injuries at QB that Sorenson was pressed into service and at least didn't screw up too badly. The other backup is Steve Bellisari, the former Ohio State quarterback of questionable ability.

I guess it's mainstream now
The AJC has finally done a story on the Homestar Runner creators. Now, time to get my figurines, but first, time to read Strong Bad's latest e-mail.

As if the '80s retro craze hasn't gone wild enough, we now have the revival of Garbage Pail Kids.

Shut your piehole!
Sometimes I wonder if some of my co-workers realize how good we have it in our office. Web surfing and instant messenging are crucial parts of our job, as is watching sporting events. Sure, there are things that could be better (just like any office), but from the way some would put it, it sounds like we're working in a sweatshop surrounded by idiots, including myself.

I bring that up because eBay has apparently banned talking at desks, seemingly making it like elementary school all over again. It definitely sounds ridiculous, but then again, if it can shut up the unnecessary and unwarranted whining, complaining and backbiting, it may actually have some merit.

(Thanks Steve for the link.)

Here come the brides
Thankfully, I wasn't anywhere near this spectacle either last night or this morning, or else get trampled by tons of future brides. Actually, it would've been funnier if some poor sap headed over to the Galyan's sporting goods store next door looking for a pair of sneakers or some camping gear got caught in the wave. To all my friends getting married soon, is this something you or your future bride would want to be part of?

The amusing part was listening to coverage of it on one of the morning radio shows while waking up. Sending out the resident "queen" was a natural fit, and the hosts even had fun ragging on a guy who got dragged to the sale with his sister-in-law.

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my fandom for Rachael Ray, Food Network's answer to Katie Couric.

Comes with gas can and matches
I'm not too sure much good can come with Armando Benitez joining the Yankees, especially since before his many Mets meltdowns, he's best known for inciting a riot by hitting Tino Martinez with a pitch and allowing the homer caught by Jeffrey Maier in the '96 ALCS. One of the ESPN talking heads had the best remark that attendance at Yankee games may go up thanks to Mets fans wanting to go across town to boo him. This should be an interesting situation. I wonder if this screams Steve Trout or Ed Whitson.

All-Star Game thoughts
Welcome to my Larry King roundup of this year's All-Star festivities:

-- The game still started way too late after all the introductions and other crap, but it went briskly (2:38) despite the commercials and the scoring. Maybe there are signs that a nationally televised game doesn't have to be three hours long. It even caught ESPN off-guard as it didn't slot SportsCenter until midnight, when it expected the game to end, even though the game ended at 11:20 with a few minutes of post-game stuff.

-- There were still a lot of players used, but at least there wasn't the urge to get everyone into the game, especially pitchers. Sorry Dmitri Young, Lance Carter, Mike Williams and Armando Benitez. We weren't sure we wanted you there to begin with, but at least we didn't have to see you after the introductions. Thankfully most of the players stayed in for at least five innings. That's why the fans voted you in to begin with.

-- It may be sacrilege, but maybe the All-Star Game is better off keeping a DH on a permanent basis. Some of the problems from last year's tie was using many of the sorta All-Stars as pinch hitters in the middle of the game, taking away some valuable bench spots not to mention really screwing up the 50 people who still keep score. This year, most of the starters played at least four or five innings and their capable replacements were decent. The lesser guys could've come in if needed in a pinch, but it wasn't necessary. Besides, you want to see the best hitters hit at the All-Star Game, and this does it in the best way without killing your roster.

-- The pitching was handled a lot better this year, although after all the hoopla over Dontrelle Willis, he never got to pitch. Then again, he worked a lot Sunday, so he was probably one of the last guys on the list. We also discovered that relievers, who are already overrated, got exposed even more here. They allowed nine of the 13 runs in the game. Shigetoshi Hasegawa (who looks oddly like Ron Darling) got smacked around, Eddie Guardado didn't look much better, Billy Wagner gave up Jason Giambi's homer and Eric Gagne gave up the game-winning homer to Hank Blalock. Dusty Baker had a great plan, though, by planning to throw Wagner, Gagne and John Smoltz in the seventh, eighth and ninth, but that plan got sidetracked.

Some of the choices for relief pitchers had much to be desired and the AL's bullpen weakness could've been exposed a lot more. With no Mariano Rivera or Troy Percival around, the AL turned to Keith Foulke to close out the ninth, and that was by far their best option. Otherwise, there was Lance Carter and Mike MacDougal. If things went long, the NL side still had John Smoltz, but after that it was Williams and Benitez, yikes.

The one good thing about this year was not purposely bringing in a pitcher for just one hitter like Barry Zito last year. Stuff like that cripples a pitching staff. When you get the ball, you're going at least an inning, unless you're getting pounded. With the expanded pitching rosters, stuff like that pays off when you get to extra innings. And I guess it allows you room to placate managers who beg not to use their pitchers at the All-Star Game despite overworking them during the first half (I'm looking at you, Carlos Tosca and Roy Halladay). You really do need to have a couple of pitchers in reserve to a work a bunch of innings in extras, and it doesn't hurt to have a few guys go more than two during the first nine.

-- So much for the fan vote meaning anything as both players selected for the "last" All-Star slot, Geoff Jenkins and Jason Varitek, failed to get into the game.

-- The two players who logged the most innings were Angels -- Garret Anderson played into the eighth inning and Troy Glaus was pinch-hit for in the eighth by Blalock. I guess Mike Scioscia really wanted to reward his guys. At least they couldn't be found eating Doritos on their couch as the game ended.

-- I didn't really see any added intensity from the players and managers because "this time it counts." Although I was surprised to see signs being used, not to mention Scioscia arguing a bad call by the umpire on a fan interference call.

-- Watching the game with a bunch of Braves/NL supporters at the bar, the Atlanta contingent represented well despite Rafael Furcal's laser beam throw into the AL dugout. Even the 6-7 Richie Sexson couldn't catch one of those darts.

-- Going back to the Home Run Derby, it was one of the better one in years in that there were still a lot of homers hit in the last two rounds, and that the final was both close and high-scoring. Too many times, the finals are anticlimactic since the sluggers tire out after some impressive displays and we end up with 3-1 scores. The Giambi-Pujols semifinal is a sight to behold. The biggest plus of the whole thing, I was watching it during my weekly trivia outing, so the sound was down -- no Chris Berman grunting and making silly comments.

-- I'm happy to see Garret Anderson get a lot of play on this stage. I think I underrate him a lot despite the numbers. Unfortunately, I get caught up in writing off the big numbers as flukes because he doesn't walk. He doesn't strike out a ton, either, which works to his advantage. Plus, he hits lots of doubles to go with his nice home run totals. Still, it's guys like him that make you wonder if all of the Billy Beane/Bill James/SABRmetric/OPS worship is a tad overrated. As I've told many of my friends, I'd love to see the Bill James disciples play softball. (Dude! You've got to swing at the ball!)

I hope this news doesn't mean they'll do away with Chuck Taylors or create an Air Chuck brand.

Will someone explain why the NBA allows teams to negotiate with free agents on July 1, but can't sign them until July 16? Right now, the NBA turns into a league where things are "reportedly" going to happen but never actually do. I'm surprised there isn't a headline: "Report: LeBron James plays summer league game."

Still turning left
Wow, someone who actually covers NASCAR takes issue with the messed-up Winston Cup scoring system.

All-Star follies
This must be one of the stranger All-Star rosters I've seen years. Surprisingly, the fans did a whale of a job voting -- there weren't many egregious selections. (Props to St. Louis fans, who had a nice late ballot-stuffing run to get Albert Pujols into a starting spot, with the most NL votes to boot.) Everyone on the team had a legitimate claim on being on the roster, if not necessarily as the starter. It was when it got to the new-fangled process involving players and managers and finally Dusty Baker and Mike Scioscia where it got screwy.

One problem lies with the way the votes were collected by the players and managers around the league. The players/managers had to vote for a set number of players per position, much like the fans did with their ballots (one at each infield position and catcher, three outfielders, five starting pitchers, three relievers and a DH in the AL). However, they were voting almost simultaneously with the fans. So, there's a good chance that the picks of many players/managers were the same as the fans, thus it goes to a second choice that many players may not have considered.

Plus, not all players/managers are as clued into everything around them as many fans are. Some of the picks were made by just looking at the league leader stats whenever the vote was taken. That could've explained why Pedro Martinez, Mariano Rivera, Troy Percival and maybe even Sammy Sosa aren't on the team.

Locking in players by positions really hurt when you discover most of the "mandatory team rep" positions came at the pitching and outfield spots. The top picks at the infield spots got in, and that's fine -- those choices were pretty good for the most part. But players and managers were only voting for three outfielders, three relievers and five starting pitchers, yet there were five outfielders, five relievers and seven starters -- it almost tied the hands of Scioscia and Baker when it came to filling those last spots. Carrying five outfielders isn't necessarily a bad thing, but many times you had to weigh filling them with the pitching slots, especially when it came to guys like Milton Bradley, Brian Giles, Aubrey Huff, who all got screwed in favor of pitchers -- none with the same All-Star credentials as these guys.

The wacked out thing was the pitching. It's hard to pick five capable starting pitchers and realize the rest would have to come from the "mandatory" reps. And why was there a pressing need for five relievers? It seemed like that was the place for the "mandatory" guys to fill up -- Armando Benitez, Lance Carter, Mike Williams? Have you seen the numbers? Might as well give them a gas can and a match as part of the All-Star gift basket. Those picks made the Mike MacDougal selection look genius. I don't mind having middle relievers in there, either, although it's odd to think Brendan Donnelly and Shigetoshi Hasegawa are All-Stars and not Roger Clemens or Mike Mussina (1-2 in the AL in strikeouts). Although a sub-1.00 ERA will do that for you.

This current system seems to make even more enemies of the mandatory team rep rule, which I like (and one of the five remaining baseball fans that do). Some of the way the voting and filling in the gaps of the rosters makes me yearn for when Joe Torre or Bob Brenly would fill the roster with their own guys who were at least moderately deserving of a spot. I would think they would've done a better job of getting the right roster balance down while still getting the guys who have to be there.

Surprisingly, with a game that's supposed to mean home-field for the World Series, the All-Star Game seems even more watered down than usual. With the way some of the pitching was handled, this All-Star Game could take on scoring of NHL or NBA proportions.

What will the snakes do now that he's departed? I guess Ruben's victory is necessary with Barry White gone and Luther Vandross still ailing, although I still have to wonder which of Vandross or Ruben's marketability will survive first.

Whoa, smart stuff
All I've got to say about this column is, "Dude!"

I knew you shouldn't trust Paula Abdul and a rapping cartoon cat!

Fun on the transactions wire
OK, the White Sox are three games out of the AL Central lead and below .500 but decide to trade for Roberto Alomar and Carl Everett. Yet, down just a couple of games to the Indians in 1997, the White Sox decide to give up and trade Roberto Hernandez, Wilson Alvarez and Danny Darwin to the Giants for prospects, although they included future closers Keith Foulke and Bobby Howry. Is there something I'm missing here?

In hockey, the free agent rules and designations confuse most people, and for the most part, it doesn't matter much. But it's fun to see the Rangers sorta play around with the rules with their paper shuffling trades of Mark Messier and Brian Leetch (similar to deals with Theo Fleury and Mike Richter in years past). Maybe they'll sign elsewhere, most likely they'll return. Check this out for a great reaction to the moves.

The whole thing sorta smacks of those silly NFL one-day contracts that let players "retire" with a favorite team. Maybe there's some pension or alumni stuff involved, but to most fans your "last" team is the last one on your football card/player/register/whatever.