tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28738317702013157342012-02-16T10:23:25.526-05:00Now like a journal or diary, only without the sincerity.JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.comBlogger761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-42588657511033052702007-12-07T14:57:00.000-05:002007-12-07T21:14:41.697-05:00

So, remember when my purchase of a gift for my father resulted in an Amazon email recommendation for the slutty Golden Girl Rue McClanahan's soul-baring memoir, My First Five Husbands...and the Ones Who Got Away?!Well, the e-marketing auto-recommendation team has outdone themselves once again. My long-ago purchase of the 4th season of the Sopranos (By the way, whatever happened to Furio? David

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-6900981543478685882007-11-15T17:47:00.000-05:002007-11-15T17:54:31.071-05:00

Asked in all earnestness by one Maury Povich, who also instructs his guest that she's "going to have to confront them." And by "them," he means, "the pile of pickles my stage hands are carrying around on a deli tray." See for yourself.The writers' strike is a lost cause: Television has peaked. You won't see anything this entertaining again, regardless of who writes what.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-28626264602542473462007-09-26T13:31:00.000-04:002007-09-26T13:33:47.504-04:00

Minimum."It's shocking. Things like that just don't happen out here. I just can't believe it happened," Lekki said.(Thanks to America's Mayer--I'll say it again: Trademark Guiliani!--for the tip)

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-2739706172344969802007-09-26T12:47:00.000-04:002007-09-26T12:53:16.419-04:00

The Google."The Google will have all the same information currently found on regular Google, but with the added features of not stealing your credit-card numbers or giving your computer all kinds of viruses," said Rick Tillich, The Google project director.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-64489807425472675672007-09-20T21:34:00.000-04:002007-09-24T14:44:24.421-04:00

I can connect nothing with nothing. Too bad that T. S. Eliot isn't here to weigh in on this nonsense with the Pats because, well, because he spoke kind of funny. At this point in reading PK, I am become a humble man who expects nothing. O Lord Thou pluckest me out...NEW YORK -- Here's the one thing I feel sure about in the wake of Spygate: If Roger Goodell thought Bill Belichick wasn't going

HPPnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-76053101115814008122007-09-12T20:50:00.000-04:002007-09-13T14:18:36.466-04:00

We all know that taking potshots at PK isn’t especially difficult, but taking potshots at offseason PK just seems cruel (not 8th-Amendment or rape-stand cruel, but a little too cruel for me. And too easy.) But, with the advent of the new football year (and two games on NBC for PK to pimp), let’s get started with another season fellating Favre, crushing Carr, and maligning Moss (remember that

HPPnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-35532915965356306242007-08-07T16:04:00.000-04:002007-08-07T16:06:37.446-04:00

Navin Johnson would be proud.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-34336852269437282622007-07-31T09:50:00.000-04:002007-07-31T09:54:39.730-04:00

Why I spent 10 minutes on a Burger King website (like the time I spent 1/2 hour drawing a moustache on my dog on another BK marketing ploy), I do not know. But here I am, Simpsonized. I was going to do the Dale Berra photo, but it wasn't big enough. So it's just me instead, and here I am.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-10509916824298230722007-07-18T11:53:00.000-04:002007-07-18T12:00:13.112-04:00

I know I'm not posting much this summer, but I can not let this pass unnoticed.The American Mustache Institute's "Best Sports Mustache of All Time" contest. I feel as if we have tread this ground before, but I can't find the more substantial posts on the subject of baseball and mustaches, and certainly the AMI didn't steal the idea from us. It must just be part of the zeitgeist (as it should be).

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-57663730737602651482007-06-27T21:49:00.000-04:002007-06-27T21:55:24.610-04:00

Why not to have kids.To my 8.5-months-pregnant sister: teach your kid to drink coffee early. It will make plane travel much easier for everyone.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-50972864546285790882007-06-20T11:08:00.001-04:002007-06-20T11:37:01.728-04:00

So, I’ve been lax in my obsession with some things Peter King the last two weeks, though I would be unduly self-critical if I didn’t note that Peter King has been lax with some things Peter King the last two weeks. I like to think that he literally phoned it in (to some poor, poor intern). This week doesn’t seem much different, but I’m rested and reinvigorated in my quest to be an asshole.

HPPnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-63532792035352359832007-06-20T11:02:00.001-04:002007-06-20T11:04:15.050-04:00

The complete Traveling Wilburys is now available on CD. This has not been accessible since 1990. This is fantastic news.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-35554529800962361942007-06-20T08:15:00.000-04:002007-06-20T08:22:26.236-04:00

Is he busy, lazy, and bored with his own jokey perspective? Is he perhaps out of town?ORHas his brain been removed from his skull and held captive in an electrified bath of formaldehyde by a diabolical chipmunk/hamster genius for use in dangerous and forbidden thought-experiments?Stay tuned...(Click the picture to play video.)

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-1218158596051098012007-06-17T17:50:00.001-04:002007-06-17T17:50:48.013-04:00

Ivan Drago is always good for a chuckle.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-87413166358895295582007-06-15T22:28:00.000-04:002007-06-15T22:33:55.739-04:00

...then I put the Blue in."Results are in from the Jacksonville Mullet Contest.Well, we now know at least one person saw Joe Dirt, or at least part of it.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-30725052954790798292007-06-11T18:23:00.000-04:002007-06-12T01:20:44.170-04:00

1986."Former Bradley University student Ali al-Marri, is shown in this undated file photo."UPDATE to Carolyn in comments: You are wrong. I have only seen Knocked Up in the theater, though I've got reviews of Curse of the Golden Flower, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Charlotte's Web, Volver, and Fast Food Nation coming from my DVD consumption. Patience.As for Mr. Al-Marri's photo (note to gov't: just charge

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-59098983249139769632007-06-07T09:55:00.001-04:002007-06-07T13:00:55.043-04:00

FOUR?Up to 50mph.FIFTY MILES PER HOUR?"Police said the man was unharmed and unfazed by the incident. The young man said it was quite a ride."UNFAZED? QUITE A RIDE?I don't have anything to say.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-4727233055230191712007-06-06T19:46:00.001-04:002007-06-07T09:44:54.343-04:00

But the young lady featured in this NY Times article has the single most pretentious name I can think of that isn't Fontleroy or doesn't have a III after it. And even though I'm criticizing a name is directed more at the girl's parents than the child herself, giving her a little bit of the treatment she is certain to dish out in a few years on her non-blond classmates named something more plain,

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-2480239666930580472007-06-05T20:54:00.000-04:002007-06-27T21:55:56.119-04:00

Quentin Tarantino on the state of Italian filmmaking:"New Italian cinema is just depressing," Tarantino said. "Recent films I've seen are all the same. They talk about boys growing up, or girls growing up, or couples having a crisis, or vacations of the mentally impaired."Tell me about it. If I see Roberto Benigni in another "Rain Man Lives La Dolce Vita," sto andando vomitare, if you know what I

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-48951745823405995692007-06-04T17:04:00.000-04:002007-06-04T17:13:22.324-04:00

I like a good managerial rant now and then, and do think that sometimes (oftentimes, in fact), umpires take themselves far too seriously and purposely escalate disputes to exercise a bit of otherwise atrophied authority. Calling balls, strikes, and outs can get tedious, I guess, and as an ump, no one ever really enjoys your work. You're either unnoticed or thoroughly excoriated. Still, it's what

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-47130892893501630122007-05-30T16:59:00.000-04:002007-05-30T17:15:51.681-04:00

Well, this exists.Also: these things are not cheap!Some highlights:Warning: Buying a Utilikilt may lead to feelings of smugness, freedom and absolute, unabashed manliness. We've got 7 styles of Utilikilts to cover your ass in every occasion. Stock up and donate your pants to the homeless.The Workman's also has our Modesty Closure System. This is simply a snap at the bottom front of the kilt

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-18816698445383238512007-05-29T10:33:00.000-04:002007-05-29T10:43:57.661-04:00

Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards showed up a 15-year-old kid's surprise birthday party, and hung out in the basement watching basketball. I wouldn't even do that, mostly because kids that age are generally pretty big jerks (strange hormonal times, you know?), so good for Caron.My favorite part of the article about the party, though, is the crack reporting that went into getting this story:

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-35227715618068222182007-05-24T09:46:00.001-04:002007-05-24T10:09:40.041-04:00

From a very interesting article (interesting mostly for the pictures, I'll admit) about deep, deep sea life, we get this image of an "as yet unidentified species":Since this picture exists, I'll assume by "unidentified" they mean "not yet named." If any marine biologists are out there reading, angry that becoming a marine biologist did not necessarily guarantee them a chance to tumble with Shamu,

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-74197955107996726292007-05-22T11:36:00.000-04:002007-05-22T11:44:28.650-04:00

Courtesy of America's Mayer (Trademark, Guiliani--in your face!) we get the whole 911 call of the wickedly entertaining stoned cop and amateur baker. Apparently, he did call his mom--well, his mother-in-law--and he's a Detroit Red Wings fan. It's worth listening to the whole thing. I especially like his evasiveness on the question of how much pot he "bought" (he confiscated it as a policeman, in

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-8160226974855964902007-05-22T11:10:00.000-04:002007-05-22T11:21:47.383-04:00

News Flash: Peter King starts his column about an NFL game in Europe and then reveals at the end that he will vacationing there next week. Maybe PK = pro Köln (Zenturio). NEWS FLASH: The Chiefs are likely to be the next international host for a regular-season game. Look for Kansas City to play in Germany against a still-to-be-determined foe -- probably in 2008. My guess is the opponent will

HPPnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-28095635700965234482007-05-20T17:43:00.001-04:002007-05-20T18:05:29.509-04:00

My dad sent this along, and posting it here probably violates some copyright laws or syndication contracts or something. (So if you find this here, Universal Press Syndicate or whoever, I'll take it down. I just don't think you'll ever find me. Welcome, if you do.) It's really here to lead me to an entirely insignificant observation I made while driving through a well-to-do neighborhood near mine

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-32754276884542885742007-05-20T16:27:00.000-04:002007-05-22T11:44:02.160-04:00

Everyone gets a kick out of this news story, especially Parella (not pictured) and the other members of the Q13 news team. The clip is only a minute, but depending what kind of snack you just ate, it might last a really really really really long time.Other calls this officer might have made before dialing 911:To the classic rock station: "I requested 'Stairway to Heaven' like an hour ago, dude,

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-18887105876079947762007-05-20T13:27:00.000-04:002007-05-20T13:39:00.097-04:00

This might not mean much to many people, but it means something to me. Leon Spinks's legend lives on, in his son, Cory Spinks. Spinks fils, who apparently is or was the welterweight champion, fought and lost a close split decision last night against middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.Adding to the excitement, Don King is Spinks's promoter.I do not really like boxing, but I do like the memories

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-91844115816602746072007-05-17T16:22:00.000-04:002007-05-17T17:43:01.768-04:00

A break down of MMQBTE, in which PK reveals that he and BF, while not BFF, are BFFib“B”YMtOGCaRAoWftOGitFGCfSI (that is, Best Friends Forever if by “Best” You Mean that One Guy Carries a Ridiculous Amount of Water for the Other Guy in the First Guy’s Column for Sports Illustrated) So, the big topic this week is that Brett Favre, in a fit of pique because the Packers didn’t acquire Randy

HPPnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-12341652458107863992007-05-17T09:41:00.000-04:002007-05-17T12:08:44.626-04:00

Operation Shutdown is over, people. And it's ending with a team called Oil Can Boyd's Traveling All-Stars. Derek Bell returns May 18th in a game against the always tough New Haven County Cutters. The All-Stars are touring to celebrate Negro League heritage and the tradition of barnstorming, which is a great way to remember the past. They're also doing it with Derek Bell, which is an even better--

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-24146727747846566792007-05-16T13:42:00.000-04:002007-05-17T00:40:27.553-04:00

In an unembarrassed failure of imagination, 20th Century Fox has announced it's going to begin production on a film set in Las Vegas titled, you guessed it, "What Happens In Vegas..." Now, you and I know that product and even place marketing and the film industry have a long history together, but actually using an advertising slogan as the title of a movie is, I don't know, crass, even for Las

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-15690348840703822592007-05-16T13:00:00.000-04:002007-05-16T13:39:10.327-04:00

If this week’s MMQB is titled “New School Meets Old School,” does PK = pre-K? He does give us a “head start” on the NFL. Sitting in new coach Mike Tomlin's office the other day, I got the impression he will be about as meat-and-potatoes as any other coach in football. On the wall of his office are three blown-up Steelers prints. One is an artsy, tight line-of-scrimmage shot from the 2006

HPPnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-70682733760891125302007-05-16T10:56:00.000-04:002007-05-16T13:07:59.823-04:00

So here's another Onion article:If Someone Wanted To Publish My Blog Entries For Money, I Wouldn't Say No.onion_embed {background: rgb(256, 256, 256) !important;border: 4px solid rgb(65, 160, 65);border-width: 4px 0 1px 0;margin: 10px 30px !important;padding: 5px;overflow: hidden !important;zoom: 1;}.onion_embed img {border: 0 !important;}.onion_embed a {display: inline;}.onion_embed a.img {float

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-60621462761753951282007-05-12T00:39:00.000-04:002007-05-12T00:40:54.477-04:00

Before bed, another one for old times' sake.Blues Singer's Woman Permitted To Tell Her Side.onion_embed {background: rgb(256, 256, 256) !important;border: 4px solid rgb(65, 160, 65);border-width: 4px 0 1px 0;margin: 10px 30px !important;padding: 5px;overflow: hidden !important;zoom: 1;}.onion_embed img {border: 0 !important;}.onion_embed a {display: inline;}.onion_embed a.img {float: left !

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-18442942484117297632007-05-11T23:09:00.000-04:002007-05-11T23:10:50.840-04:00

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-79811520523222278692007-05-11T14:20:00.000-04:002007-05-11T14:57:22.439-04:00

Sorry, though, no greased up man-skin here, just a short entry introducing my corner of the world to the burgeoning "Meat Cake" phenomenon. You'll thank me the next time you pass on that German Chocolate Cake for something really delicious.A gallery of meat cake photos is here. (Again, sorry people, no David Hasselhoff pics here. OK, then, just this one. Well, and another. And this third, but I

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-61656568465950860952007-05-10T13:21:00.000-04:002007-05-11T15:00:45.509-04:00

In an unanticipated turn of events, I just won $100 as a result of my participation in a survey on public transit that I filled out on the bus about six months ago. While the contrarian in me wants to turn that hundred bucks into quarters and just drive around town parking at meters and flagrantly avoiding the bus all summer, I think instead I'll just say thanks and kudos to the people of the

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-10743882636886456662007-05-10T10:32:00.000-04:002007-05-10T11:06:29.913-04:00

Flash forward to this mayoral election in the fall, and help me come up with some headlines for the article on the results.Tim Julian (R) is the incumbent, and he's running against Frank Meola (D). The rap sheets:•In 1995, state police charged Julian with felony criminal possession of stolen property while investigating two men who were selling stolen tools. Julian eventually pleaded down to a

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-70881488739500621982007-05-09T11:05:00.000-04:002007-05-11T15:52:24.050-04:00

More PK, in the bite-sized form of MMQBTE. Anyone who has consistently read Peter King’s work knows that he carries a lot of water for the quarterback with the misspelled name, and his most recent opus is no different, focusing on why Favre should keep playing for the Packers, how the Packers let him down with bad drafting, bad talent, hell, probably bad Gatorade. Let’s start with a reader’s

HPPnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-90869209442846718982007-05-08T15:31:00.000-04:002007-05-09T13:21:53.770-04:00

I offer a little PK, having recently imbibed on a pony keg (in honor of the Kentucky Derby, of course. Place your bets—for Funny!). As he frequently does, PK begins strong, thoroughly explaining why Trent Green has not yet been traded to the Dolphins and using the access that perhaps only Peter King possesses, but then: News item: It's official: The wise guys like New England. According to

HPPnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-88314188776334291882007-05-07T22:10:00.000-04:002007-05-07T22:21:18.213-04:00

But neither do I understand what she's doing."I think this is my way of slowing down and paying homage to these animals," she explained. "I don't particularly find it offensive, but I understand why some people who don't understand what I'm doing could find it that way."This is a new spin in the Ann Coulter "I'm-sorry-that-you-took-offense-at- the-perfectly-innocent-thing-I-said" school of

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-30703005891694531262007-05-06T21:19:00.000-04:002007-05-09T10:05:41.238-04:00

The itsy-bitsy spiders climbed up the ear canal.Dr. David Irvine said it looked like the boy had something in his ear when he examined him. When he irrigated the ear, the first spider came out, dead. The other spider took a second dousing before it emerged, still alive. Both were about the size of a pencil eraser....."It was real interesting, 'cause, two spiders in my ear — what next?" Jesse

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-56084463006205547232007-05-06T21:08:00.000-04:002007-05-06T21:17:22.438-04:00

I bet this guy needed a couple martinis to unwind every day after work.Ledur also said the employee's alcohol dependency had worsened in recent years and that even on vacation, the employee felt like drinking the same amount of beer he drank at work.Most people drink at least twice as much on vacation than they do at work. (Twice as much, three times, pick a number: 2 x nothing is nothing.) So,

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-20355564786248801412007-05-04T14:26:00.000-04:002007-05-06T10:09:20.065-04:00

So my weekly insanity is coming a little late, but all you loyal readers will have something to do over the weekend. More Peter King zaniness: "On Friday,'' he [Browns GM Phil Savage] said, "I called [Quinn's agent] Tom Condon. I'd heard some stuff in the press that he might be negotiating with the Raiders for Brady to be picked at number one. And I had so much respect for Brady through this

HPPnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-71313120305283714222007-05-04T11:03:00.000-04:002007-05-04T11:51:37.899-04:00

I guess we can call this Video Week here at The Incongruities, but I can't resist posting this commercial, which has been retrieved to the collective consciousness by Pat over at the top-notch Pittsburgh Pirates blog, "Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke?" (The answer, for you literalists out there, is "Detroit." You're all reading everything you can get your hands on about the Pirates, anyway,

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-8328885960387369002007-05-02T15:06:00.000-04:002007-05-02T21:46:18.587-04:00

George Utley has passed.In honor of the now-late character actor, I found the opening to this very-short-lived 1990 sitcom, "Good Grief," which has a few strange things about it:a) the opening sequence is set in a graveyard/golf course, and Tom Poston, seen leaning against a headstone at the end, is now deceased.b) It stars Howie Mandel.c) Howie Mandel used to have a lot of work.d) Howie Mandel

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-2294753777792267802007-05-01T09:28:00.000-04:002007-05-01T09:30:44.393-04:00

Was I? Anyway, this is funny.In The Know: Do You Remember Life Before The Segway?

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-38215436483271594862007-04-27T20:32:00.000-04:002007-04-27T21:15:27.072-04:00

I like Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball, but I think his suggestion that sabermetrics will account for steroids is ridiculous. I am also a firm believer in the value of sabermetrics, to the point that a snarky sabermetric-based blog is one of my favorite and most frequently visited sites (even if it is certainly not the most frequently updated of those sites). And I do think that steroids

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-10719547023045109232007-04-26T13:58:00.000-04:002007-04-26T14:29:41.183-04:00

I've been meaning to post this article for a while, because I found it "deliciously" entertaining. (I want to punch myself for writing that.) It's about a British food critic who takes on the gastronomic habits of the "obese but happy son" of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, for a week. I've been trying to think of a way to lose some weight without dieting (or exercising, as I am somewhat injured

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-50799638380064444802007-04-26T11:50:00.000-04:002007-04-26T12:57:17.467-04:00

From the You Learn Something New Every Day Dept.:Abraham Lincoln got his famous nickname because he was so fair while refereeing cockfights!People don't want to believe it, but even in 1920, efforts to debunk this idea were unsuccessful. From Arthur E. Morgan's 1920 essay in The Atlantic Monthly, "New Light on Lincoln's Boyhood":I thought to take the opportunity to correct statements which have

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-63571893347072479262007-04-25T22:12:00.000-04:002007-04-25T22:17:59.449-04:00

Not to laugh at a kid's suffering or to encourage bullies, but it's possible these kids were just testing a theory.According to police, the boys called him names and used sticks to hit the 11-year-old in the back and head. The sticks were about 30 inches long and between one and two inches in diameter. The boy suffered minor injuries, but his mother took him to the hospital after calling the

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-49024737115360559562007-04-25T20:31:00.000-04:002007-04-26T14:26:31.260-04:00

In our two-dog house, we're relatively concerned about the world-wide conspiracy to rid the Earth of dogs (you'll never best Romania, conspirators!), so I appreciate Mr. Van Patten's decision to throw off the Mr. Bradford cardigan in favor of the Chef Woofgang apron. Beyond that, I have to question the marketing angle here, which feels like a half-hearted effort at becoming the Epcot Center of

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-15921443087042490252007-04-25T11:35:00.000-04:002007-04-25T13:47:45.730-04:00

A brief welcome to HPP, who will contribute his weekly analysis of Peter King's insanely long, inanely detailed, and profanely self-righteous Monday Morning Quarterback, and occasionally anaylsis of PK's MMQBTE (that's Tuesday Edition).The post below (warning: it is extremely long; that's they way we like 'em) is, if my estimation is correct, about 45th in an ongoing series. As he said below,

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-79463922864310302822007-04-25T09:23:00.000-04:002007-05-08T18:32:48.036-04:00

A brief prefatory note: every week, I spend an embarrassing amount of time breaking down Peter King’s weekly opus “Monday Morning Quarterback” and sending my analysis (mostly smartassery with the occasional touch of facts and stuff) to two of my friends, one of whom happens to be the very JLD who authors this blog, who invited me aboard for this weekly exercise. And, since there ain’t a whole

HPPnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-41040581258081769012007-04-23T15:05:00.000-04:002007-04-23T15:34:12.460-04:00

and before Chris Sabo and Horace Grant made wearing them cool for about 17 seconds, there were all these guys, Tom Henke's Army. That linked entry from Joe Sports Fan represents just about everything I stand for, athletically, intellectually, nostalgically, culturally, politically, romantically, religiously. Everything.Here is Leon "The Bull" Durham:Everything.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-5251295925202976952007-04-23T12:59:00.000-04:002007-04-23T14:25:00.570-04:00

On my walk into the center of campus today, I heard three college students--male, and of the frat-chic sartorial style--break into (nearly) spontaneous song in (nearly) impeccable three-part harmony, while they were walking. These lads did not appear to be prepping for glee club performance, nor did they appear to have any reason to be singing, other than personal desire.I was literally stopped

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-91284003260287528812007-04-23T09:25:00.000-04:002007-04-23T09:46:50.996-04:00

Since we bought our wedding rings, I've bought more gold at RadioShack than at any jewelry store, but that's not saying much. As you can see from the link, I only spent $10 anyway. Buying that coupler, though, took three salesmen, ranging in age from what looked like 11 to what looked like the ageless undead. And that was only half of the sales staff on duty in an otherwise empty shop in an very

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-18318599252607733312007-04-18T14:25:00.000-04:002007-04-25T14:58:52.945-04:00

"I do at times, but it's a timely thing," Manuel said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We're still hustling. We're still playing hard. We might be trying to do too much. For me to go in there and stand up and throw a fit, I can go in there and tear the whole ... locker room up. I could come here and throw every ... chair in here out. What the hell? I don't see how that's going to do me

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-27028380187575916372007-04-15T23:53:00.000-04:002007-04-16T00:12:31.004-04:00

Here is the most media space I have seen dedicated to three stitches since our graceful commander-in-chief took out an unsuspecting Scottish cop while bike-riding.The Andre "It was completely an accident. I do not abuse my wife, especially with tennis rackets (you'd just love that, wouldn't you)" Agassi-Steffi "Conspicuous No-Comment" Graf accident is covered by the AP here with such detail,

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-29427012217425810242007-04-15T20:38:00.000-04:002007-04-15T20:53:58.148-04:00

Houses with highways running through their front yards are typically at the lower end of the real estate market, but houses where the highway is actually in the yard (and more specifically in the house) are now at the upper end, it seems. Nothing particular funny here (other than the ridiculously posed couple in the fourth pic), but I read about this Big Dig House somewhere else (the New Yorker?)

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-55501493624924742032007-04-12T15:38:00.000-04:002007-05-10T10:50:33.005-04:00

Maybe the good people of Ogden, Utah, need to join forces with IBI, inc."Stench is not the lasting memory that we want people to have in Ogden," he said.I've never been there, and stench is already my lasting memory of the place, thanks to this very public referendum on Ogden's malodorous reputation. Just like I always think of feral dogs when I think of Bucharest.A device known as an

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-23674904999345421052007-04-12T13:29:00.000-04:002007-04-12T13:52:16.754-04:00

I am not hot for various reasons, including the facts that I am neither "fly" nor "taking it to the Bay" (in fact, I've never taken it to the Bay, though I would like to), but mostly because I have never heard the song "This is Why I'm Hot" or heard of its performer and, presumably, author, the rapper Mims. I certainly did not know it was the number 1 song in America. However, thanks to the

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-11774474336093029012007-04-12T09:45:00.000-04:002007-04-12T14:17:10.167-04:00

Kurt Vonnegut, etc.To mark his rest, a small and resigned meditation by Vonnegut, from Slaughterhouse Five:If what Billy Pilgrim learned from the Tralfamadorians is true, that we will all live forever, no matter how dead we may sometimes seem to be, I am not overjoyed. Still--if I am going to spend eternity visiting this moment and that, I'm grateful that so many of those moments are nice.May he

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-58320285740657323682007-04-12T08:17:00.000-04:002007-04-12T14:25:10.915-04:00

I bought the Thunderbolt Kid book for my dad for his birthday, and now I get messages like the following once a week. Last week it was Carol Burnett, which I almost understand. This week, eh, the connection seems tenuous to me. Did one person buy both books in the same order and spur a whole email campaign? I've bought dozens of books from Amazon over the years, why is this the marketing I get?

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-46037139273008337652007-04-11T18:49:00.000-04:002007-04-11T19:45:05.826-04:00

Courtesy of my good friend, JCB, a valuable translation to help you parse out the Don Imus controversy, from an article by Joshua Chaffin and Jonathan Birchall in London's Financial Times (that pink newspaper):Three advertisers, Procter & Gamble, Staples, and Bigelow Tea, announced this week that they would withdraw support from Mr Imus' programme after he referred last week to the members of the

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-33958123867812056922007-04-11T18:39:00.000-04:002007-04-11T18:46:27.346-04:00

I present what is perhaps the only context in which a statement like the following makes sense. From an article about the hiring of Tommy "Mock Turtleneck" Amaker as Harvard's new basketball coach:Harvard was 5-9 in the Ivy last season. Those in the Ivy League have always considered Harvard to be the hidden gem among the league and with a transition going on at Princeton and Penn there is a

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-63617266681369399602007-04-11T14:41:00.000-04:002007-04-11T14:42:27.331-04:00

Achievements in Applied Science, Volume 1.Why post this, you ask? Why not?

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-55287350235044472052007-04-10T23:43:00.000-04:002007-04-10T23:51:23.447-04:00

For those who might care, or merely be amused, I'd like to share that I have just discovered that Gary "The Rat" Gaetti is the new hitting coach of the Durham Bulls.No current information available on Kent Hrbek.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-58743551307828314742007-04-09T15:29:00.001-04:002007-04-09T16:40:24.537-04:00

Christopher Hitchens, the last honestly mean media supporter of the Iraq War (the others fake their meanness, if not their vapidity, for ratings; this guy is a bona fide asshole, and you have to respect that in a way: see this vicious takedown of Mother Teresa of all people; who's next, Hitch? the Dalai Lama? Santa Claus? Your own grandmother?), takes note of an interesting phenomenon that you,

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-41760775855075570882007-04-06T16:22:00.000-04:002007-04-06T16:39:24.469-04:00

Fans of the Brazilian soccer club Corinthians ran onto the field during practice or warmups and threw powdered soap on the players in what is, if my research is correct, the single weirdest fan protest I have heard about since the Pakistani cricket coach was strangled to death in his hotel room after a loss a couple weeks ago. So not that weird, but I do not understand the metaphor of "cleaning

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-10797751771911837252007-04-06T11:33:00.000-04:002007-04-06T13:23:58.478-04:00

Keith ("There's Something About Mary") David will, unfortunately for us, be appearing in a movie we will intentionally not see (rather than the 600 or so movies he's been in that we unintentially missed by virtue of not having ever heard of them): the upcoming Larry the Cable Guy vehicle "Delta Farce," which comes attached with one of the most unimaginative taglines possible: "War isn't funny...

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-50013649679684335762007-04-05T00:35:00.000-04:002007-04-06T14:45:36.472-04:00

Via Deadspin, a new favorite website (and probably a book worth a look, as they say... somewhere), with images and analysis of "ridiculously blatant" cheating by Major League Baseball players. I love cheaters, especially multi-millionaire cheaters who are preternaturally talented at the thing they're cheating at. I wish someone would start a site devoted to tracking cheating in the high-stakes

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-79956223942749723702007-04-05T00:26:00.001-04:002007-04-05T00:31:10.704-04:00

Well played, Brandeis youngsters. Well played.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-79722651941057510762007-04-04T22:50:00.000-04:002007-04-06T12:39:08.673-04:00

I have just heard that Luis Guzmán will have a role in the new David (Deadwood) Milch series "John from Cincinnati," a show which reportedly involves surfing and potentially an alien. Luis will play a character named "Ramon." Improbably, I find no evidence that Luis Guzman has ever played a character named "Ramon" before. Difficult to believe, but true.

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-89010452041258521712007-04-03T18:31:00.000-04:002007-04-03T23:00:23.541-04:00

Every single thing about this is bizarre. Every little part of it. Or, perhaps you could say, every detail, since God is in the details, especially the super-unique detail of choosing the "Papyrus" font for your marketing collateral.A few delightful incongruities: "The natural oils of Virtue(R) blend with the wearer's own body chemistry to form your own signature fragrance. Uniquely beautiful and

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873831770201315734.post-83865613406560284722007-04-03T15:57:00.000-04:002007-04-03T16:28:44.456-04:00

Overheard yesterday on a mostly empty bus: A strangely overdressed college girl (perhaps on her way to a job interview), takes a cell phone call as she's getting on the bus. I'm almost certain I heard correctly:Future Business Leader: No, Reagan is acting like a 12-year-old.(Pause)Oh, I'm sorry that I'm such a hassle for her.(Pause)Well, if she doesn't want a meatball, she won't get a meatball. F

JLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061286933303387974noreply@blogger.com0