Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

He really is that stupid.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

The revolution will be supervised.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Saturday Night Open Thread

Saturday Night Open Thread

by | 212 Comments

This post is in: 

It’s been just a really chilly, blustery, windy, rainy day here- the kind where even if you are ok with cool weather, you still get that chill down your spine and the sort of cold in your bones you just can’t get rid of no matter what. I’ve just given in and turned the heat on to 63 and threw on the pajama bottoms, slippers, and bathrobe, and am watching the USC/ND game, only because I get a big thrill watching Notre Dame lose. If they start to win I’ll probably move on to the Good Wife until SNL.

I think I’m about ready to brew some tea and get some serious pet lap action. You?

Oh, and btw- friends of the website the Political Carnival are having a fundraiser, so if you are fans of their work or have visited their site and liked what you have seen, pop on over and throw a buck or two in for them. They are good folks.

Reader Interactions

212Comments

  1. 1.

    Keith P.

    I’m just now starting my evening of celebration over Auburn beating A&M (and slamming Manziel good in the process). I put up with last season’s fiasco because a) Gene Chizik was gonna get fired (similar to why I’m not sweating the Texans sucking this year), and b) I was still on a high from the Year of Cam Newton. They’ve already exceeded my expectations, and I hope knocking off A&M gains them some fans. BTW: This was the best play of the game outside the Manziel hit.

  2. 2.

    Elizabelle

    My mother is a huge Notre Dame supporter. I shall not inform her of your USC predilections.

  3. 3.

    JPL

    Well, I have a tub of mutt sitting on my lap and I’m watching ION TV because I can. They have back to back Monk episodes and I love some Monk. I’ll probably check the Sox score often though.

    also, too… Johnny football lost to Auburn.

  5. 5.

    BGinCHI

    Also rooting against ND. It’s a season within the season.

    Also nice to see Johnny A-Hole over at A&M go down today. He’s good but he’s gonna get hurt before the end of the season, mark my words.

    ETA: I didn’t mean it was nice to see him get hurt. I meant it was nice to see them lose.

  6. 6.

    gogol's wife

    @WereBear:

    I’m waiting for Mark of the Vampire. I saw Freaks 10 times when I was in high school, but I can’t look at it any more. It’s just too, too sad.

    Burn, Witch, Burn was so good last night. And all the Vincent Price flicks this month are so much fun.

  7. 7.

    Violet

    Downloaded a film called “Unfinished Song” starring Terence Stamp to watch tonight. Baked potatoes in the oven, steaks for the grill, probably stir fry some snow peas to go with. Maybe a bit of wine, maybe not. Dark chocolate for dessert. Simple.

  9. 9.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @efgoldman:

    Hey bud, my Mizzou Tigers were ranked higher than Florida. That wasn’t an upset, that was just us taking care of business.

    In my mind, Mizzou is still a big 12 school under deep cover in enemy territory. I hate the SEC on principle and was really against Mizzou joining, but for now they’re doing alright.

  10. 10.

    Elizabelle

    @WereBear:

    October has been an embarrassment of riches on TCM.

    Missing “Freaks”, but it’s usually aired 2-3 times annually.

    A recreation of “London After Midnight” from stills later tonight.

    Saw it before; sort of OK.

    One of these days, a print of “London” will show up. Don’t you think?

  11. 11.

    Jimmi the Grey

    Just got done feeding folks and am home from working for the night. Catchin up on the day and playing fetch with the kittie. Gloating inside that i am 6-0 in my first year of Fantasy Football and predicted to squeek out the win this week (as a long time d&der this is just a really simple stats game).

    Life aint bad.

    Oh, is it normal for lurkers to get the 5min moderation for comments? Or is that just normal?

  13. 13.

    Spaghetti Lee

    I don’t care who loses so long as Alabama does. God, I fucking hate Bama. Not happening tonight obviously. You know, Nick Saban looks like someone who could play the devil in a movie. He’s got basically red-orange skin, a nice glare, and he sucks happiness and joy from any room that he enters.

  14. 14.

    Comrade Jake

    Can’t watch football anymore. Not judging, just can’t do it myself.

    Baseball, OTOH…

  18. 18.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Jimmi the Grey:

    This is my first FF year and I’m 2-4. I don’t have the D&D background, but maybe that would have helped. I lost Julio Jones, Drew Brees is on break this week, and next week I have half my team on bye weeks because I have so many Bears, Ravens, Chargers, and Colts. Do most FF players just take a hit when that happens to them instead of trying to overhaul their roster the week before? Because I already know I’ve been too quick to dump players who have a bad week.

  20. 20.

    JPL

    @Jimmi the Grey: haha.. we welcome everyone including trolls..

    not saying you are a troll.. if it is your first time posting, then sometimes it takes longer.. u should be all set from now on though. .

  21. 21.

    Bob In Portland

    Stanford took care of business over UCLA. Tonight the Oregon schools go around 7 o’clock. I moved up here a couple years ago and am slowly migrating my affection for the local teams, but I’m still holding onto Stanford. And on Sundays I’m still a Niner fan.

  22. 22.

    Spaghetti Lee

    Also, I don’t get why so many people hate Manziel, but then I also didn’t get why so many people hate Tebow.

  24. 24.

    BGinCHI

    Cole, did you know Frances McDormand went to Bethany?

    Guessing you do. You should really try to get her over for one of your parties. She’s amazing.

  25. 25.

    khead

    Had our first parental visit in five years today. In our new house that we had built, in part, to get closer to my wife’s Dad ’cause he’s the only parental unit we have left now. So we were glad to have him and his wife here and to go out for dinner.

  27. 27.

    JPL

    @Spaghetti Lee: Manziel is a talented college football player that pushes the limits and gets away with it i.e. underage drinking, not a problem, potential gambling, not a problem, signing autographs for money, 1/2 game suspension. Any way you get my point. If someone without his stature took money to see a dentist, they would be kicked out of the game.

  28. 28.

    Jimmi the Grey

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    I was advised by the tactics of my leaguemates that you spread out your biweeks and balance as much as possible with your bench. I think i have a full roster for every week but week 4 (which i won) and week 8. It did occur to me to just frontload a bad game and rock everything else through the playoffs. Balance does have me currently undefeated though.

    Not that it needs to be typed but other variables apply and YMMV.

  32. 32.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Jimmi the Grey:

    Well I did try to balance bye weeks at the beginning but I’ve done so much adding and subtracting since then it doesn’t matter. I’ll be missing my kicker, both my DSTs, and about 3 wide receivers, and there isn’t good quality waiver help there, so I think I’ll just hunker down and wait for week 9.

  34. 34.

    raven

    @JPL: Did you see all that bullshit that the officials “did a great job” stopping him from getting in the oppositions face? We lose the goddamn game because of 2 horse shit “targeting” penalties but this fucker can run around with his bullshit and it’s “great officiating” to let him get away with it.

  36. 36.

    Jimmi the Grey

    @gogol’s wife:

    Ah. That’s helpful info. Thx. Always saw the ‘am i in moderation?’ posts and just wondered. Took the opportunity presented by wandering into a fresh open thread.

  37. 37.

    BGinCHI

    @John Cole: That’s really cool. Check out her wiki page for her life story, which is really interesting. God squatters raised her. Just did Fargo in my film class last week and it occurred to me I had never looked up her bio. She’s a chameleon.

    Macy I love. And the performance in Fargo so underrated. Wiki says he did Vet Med at Bethany before transferring to Goddard. He’s from the hick part of MD.

    Great actors.

  38. 38.

    wini

    Hanging in Chicago after witnessing a quite lovely win by my Gophers today (it’s windy and I’m stilled chilled from the 11am game). Such occasions are somewhat few and far between, so I’m happy.

    (Re-posted from thread below)

  40. 40.

    John Cole

    BTW, not to front page this, but let me brag on my fraternity boys again. A professor emeritus here died at the age of 81, and he was a brother, so I said to one current brother we should get some guys to go to the viewing. I had a number of volunteers (more than I could fit in my car), and they dressed up, wore their pins, and were complete gentleman at the viewing, and it meant so much to the family.

    Just such good kids. Dealing with kids this age on both a professional and in this case, advisory status, it just infuriates me how the media covers college kids these days. They are so much better than we were.

  41. 41.

    Felonius Monk

    I’m about ready to brew some tea and get some serious pet lap action

    Tea? Seriously? Most guys have a few drinks or some beers when they get a lap dance. And the lap dance is usually performed by a woman not cats and dogs. You’re a little weird, Cole, but we all still love you.

    BTW, Go Irish!

  44. 44.

    gogol's wife

    @BGinCHI:

    That is amazing that both of them went to Bethany — two of the finest contemporary American actors. Take that, Yale Drama School with your Meryl Streeps and all.

  46. 46.

    JPL

    @raven: Yes.. I saw most of the game but not the second targeting penalty. I walked out at inopportune times though. FL/GA game should be interesting and it appears that Mizzou is going to play Bama in December. Wow!

  47. 47.

    Riley's enabler

    Went to pick up one 6 week old kitten from a feral litter left under a friend’s deck, ended up with two. So. I am forever and always marked as a giant sucker.

    They are so damn cute.

  49. 49.

    Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)

    To paraphrase Charles Barkley, Johnny Autograph made me do something I never thought I would – root for Auburn to win a game. Glad it happened.

    Still ticked UNC let Miami off the hook.

    Bama – Arkansas going about as expected.

    Obama – gibbering loons also went as expected.

    All in all, not a bad week off (first since last Christmas).

    Debating Halloween costume – Sisko or Fury?

  50. 50.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @efgoldman:

    If I held myself to that standard I’d have to stop watching pro sports. I dunno, at some point I just stopped caring what other people think about God/lack thereof as long as they’re not in my face about it IRL.

  51. 51.

    Linnaeus

    Wolverines win a wild one in Ann Arbor, 63-47. 711 yards total offense. Their WR, Jeremy Gallon, had 369 yards receiving. No, not all of their receivers put together. Just one.

    [ETA: On the flip side, U-M’s defense gave up 572 yards. That’s not going to work against MSU, Nebraska, Iowa, and Ohio State.]

    And now, some beer and the Tigers.

  53. 53.

    Redshirt

    Someone explain college football to me – specifically, if you did not go to one of the big schools.

    I don’t get the appeal, and I love the sports.

  55. 55.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    Drove to South Dakota today to get the boy his tattoo. It’s the only neighboring state where a minor can get inked with parental permission.

  56. 56.

    JPL

    @Spaghetti Lee: Manziel is different that Tebow. Manziel is a better passer and they are both great scramblers. Sometimes their play doesn’t mean success in the NFL. Although, I felt Tebow’s religious symbols, over the top, I never thought he was an ass.

  60. 60.

    different-church-lady

    Since you asked: cup of chai, watch the Sox return to the WS, and try to get as much sleep as I can before my 5:30 am call to be an extra in a truck commercial.

  61. 61.

    Mary G

    @John Cole: I was scholarship chairperson for a thrift shop I volunteer at for a couple of years and read a zillion applications. Some of the kids getting out of high school today are amazing. I get tired just reading everything they do. We had a pair of twins who lived with their mother in their car at the state park who both had straight A’s despite the fact that sometimes the skunks were so bad they couldn’t study at the picnic table but had to do it in the car. We didn’t even give them scholarships because we try to get the kids that might be on the edge of going to college or not to go and kids like these girls often get full rides, which they did. I read in the paper last June that they both made the honor roll at their university.

    So, is it true you are in talks to go to Greenwald’s new site? /ducks for cover

  64. 64.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JPL: Loves me some Monk. I am so old school I have all seasons on DVD. Maybe on some nasty-weather weekend in November, when I have nothing else on the agenda, I’ll do a Monkathon.

  65. 65.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I met a very sweet little marmalade kitten today. I can do a pretty awesome purr sound, and whenever I did, the kitten (“Annie”) came over to me, whomped herself on my chest, stuck her little head close to my mouth, and engaged in a Purr-Off with me. She’s probably not more than seven or eight weeks old. Just adorable.

  66. 66.

    Redshirt

    @raven: That’s football.

    What I don’t understand is why someone would get excited about, say, Brigham Young playing Boise St if you did not attend either school.

  70. 70.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Southern Beale: I know not everyone likes snakes, but I happen to be a fan, as long as they keep their distance (bats and spiders, too, for what it’s worth). Poor snakes. I feel very sad for them.

  71. 71.

    Elizabelle

    @gogol’s wife:

    Liked Burn Witch Burn.

    And today’s Hammer Studios Joan Fontaine flick: “The Devil’s Own” from 1966 was terrific. It runs later this month under its alternate title, “The Witches.”

    Teacher stalked by voodoo in Africa. It follows her to tea-swilling England. Great character actors in this one.

  73. 73.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Southern Beale:

    Has a home. But there is never a dearth of kittens, and I’m sure at some point the Perfect Cat will find me, foster me, and give me a forever home.

  74. 74.

    Mike E

    @Redshirt: For me, it’s to root against BYU, but with grudging respect for their ability which (hopefully) would make such a match up a real corker. Pro sports don’t allow this kind of charity to occur in my heart, being from Philly and kind of a spiteful fanatical bastard and all.

    Your teams suck btw.

  75. 75.

    Linnaeus

    @Redshirt:

    What I don’t understand is why someone would get excited about, say, Brigham Young playing Boise St if you did not attend either school.

    Sometimes the games are just plain fun to watch: the rivalries, the different ways of playing the game (more varied than in the NFL), the upsets, etc.

  77. 77.

    JPL

    @SiubhanDuinne: Any chance you know someone who wants a cat? My son and his SO found a two year stray male. They fed him and brought him inside. He’s definitely not feral but their little maltese is scared shitless of it. (That’s the accurate term btw). He brought the cat to the vet and had all the appropriate tests and shots done but did not neuter it. They put out signs, etc. The Atlanta Humane society is their next idea.

  80. 80.

    raven

    @Redshirt: Oh, I see. Well, I can only speak for myself. I have three schools that I have a direct connection with, Illinois, Virginia Tech and Georgia. I follow them pretty closely. When shit goes south like it is with Georgia and Illinois I enjoy football so much that I find reasons to be interested in games. Sometimes it’s better when my teams are out of it because I get so wound up when they are in the hunt. The Georgia win over LSU a month ago was the most exciting game I have been to since Illinois beat Ohio State to go to the 84 Rose Bowl. But now it’s pull for the Hokies to go to the ACC Championship Game and just enjoy the rest.

  84. 84.

    Redshirt

    @raven: You have relations with all those schools. I understand that. And if I went to Stanford, I could understand getting behind their football team and digging all Pac12 action. However, if you didn’t go to a big football school, I don’t get it. The sport itself seems marginally interesting for most of the season, given the many blowouts when SouthEast Bumfuck U loses to Oaklahoma 72-0.

    Throw in the heavy subjectivity in the rankings and the incredible number of dumb bowls (Dailykos.com Orange Bowl!), and it seems like a dubious sport – one I’ve never ever paid any attention to.

    Also too: I hate the hypocrisy inherent in big time college football. For example – like these kids are students and not semi-pros.

  87. 87.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JPL: I know some people who foster ferals, and as they are able, take them for spaying/neutering. I can ask.

  88. 88.

    JPL

    @Redshirt: This is my feeling.. Most student athletes will not go pro and they play football for the love of the game. The scholarship helps though. Even if they graduate in speech or whatever field, they graduate. I like high school football too, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

  90. 90.

    Mike E

    @Redshirt: Because of that, some Santa somewhere is gonna get it. Look what you’ve done…happy? [reaches for sack of D cells]

    I got asked by a (clearly) non-sports person what the ‘P’ on my cap stood for, and without hesitation I said, “Spite”. It’s Always Sunny is really a documentary, as much as I hate to admit it.

    ETA Carlton Fisk just poured himself a nice scotch, that ball missed by that much

  93. 93.

    Anne Laurie

    @Riley’s enabler:

    Went to pick up one 6 week old kitten from a feral litter left under a friend’s deck, ended up with two. So. I am forever and always marked as a giant sucker.

    Congrats! Handle them a lot, give them all the attention you can right now, while they’re still in that sensitive period (4-8 weeks) where they learn for life that humans are Good.

  98. 98.

    Steeplejack

    @WereBear:

    One of my recurring fantasies is to find something like the uncut version of von Stroheim’s Greed in some antique/junk shop or estate sale in the middle of nowhere.

  101. 101.

    RareSanity

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    In my mind, Mizzou is still a big 12 school under deep cover in enemy territory. I hate the SEC on principle and was really against Mizzou joining, but for now they’re doing alright.

    Well that doesn’t make much sense.

    You can’t buy the kind of exposure the university as a whole will get from playing football in the SEC. On top of that, the athletic department will attract even higher quality athletes, generate more revenue, which will be used to improve facilities…that brings in even more top notch athletes.

    In 5 years, Mizzou could have athletes in the midwest saying, “Why the heck would I want to go to Ohio State or Michigan, when I got an offer from Mizzou?”

    They wouldn’t be a championship game win away from playing for a national championship if they were still in the Big 12, because they wouldn’t have beaten the #5 and #22 teams if they were still in the Big 12.

  106. 106.

    RareSanity

    @raven:

    Fool’s gold…and Paul Johnson is the fool.

    I’ll take the win, of course. But anybody bragging about beating Syracuse since Donovan McNabb left, ain’t got much to brag about. LOL

  108. 108.

    Mike E

    @Redshirt: I revel in the stereotype, having witnessed some pretty egregious behavior since age 10, but that was a generation ago. It’s way better now, and I highly recommend catching a ballgame at the Phils’ park. Kid friendly, a sea-change from when I was wee.

    TRUE FACT: There was a magistrate’s court in the basement of Veteran’s Stadium because of the sheer volume of drunken (AND sober) football douchery. We kids were not allowed up in the 700 level during Iggles games, the natives were so out of control…and I even feared for my safety there during mostly-empty Phils games. I did not shed a tear when they imploded that concrete travesty of a sporting venue.

  111. 111.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Mike E:

    I don’t get the hate Philly fans have for the Reid/McNabb era. 8 playoff appearances, 5 division championships and an SB appearance? I know some Bills and Raiders fans who would trade their left arm for that. Yet most Philly fans seem to think they were failures. Yeah, part of it is race for McNabb, but did Cunningham get such focused hatred? And I don’t think Vick does now, not as much.

  112. 112.

    RareSanity

    @raven:

    Yeah, been bum’s luck all over the state of Georgia the past couple of months.

    But honestly, Georgia should still be better than this…they’ve got 4 and 5 star recruits all over that sideline. They just reload. They’re problem is that they can’t stop anybody, and they haven’t been hit as hard by injuries on defense.

    I’ve said it before, the Dawgs, like the Falcons, and like the freaking Braves, lack a certain “edge” that is necessary to championship teams. All of them have this business like, not-to-high not-to-low, way of competing that may get you good regular seasons…but you get beat up in post-seasons.

    Nobody is the least bit scared of the Falcons, Braves or the Dawgs…that’s a problem.

  113. 113.

    Redshirt

    @efgoldman: I’d get the Jets game in Maine if it were the CBS 1PM game and the Pats were playing Monday night or anytime other than Sun 1PM. I wouldn’t watch it, unless for Fantasy. But because of Fantasy, I used to watch every single iota of NFL – looking at film, in the parlance.

  114. 114.

    raven

    @RareSanity: 85 recruits compared to the 100 plus the rest of the SEC does. But Mark don’t oversign.

    eta I’m starting to think the bible thumpers got too much pull here.

  115. 115.

    RareSanity

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    Because Philly fans are the most miserable, low class human beings associated with sports. I went to the NFC Championship game there when the Eagles and Falcons played several years ago, and I have never experienced a group of fans that were more rude, confrontational, and just generally combative in my entire life. At one point, I honestly feared for my life because I was wearing a Falcon jersey…and that’s saying something because not only am I a 6’2″ 250lbs black, former football player…the fucking Eagles were WINNING…and they still wanted to fight me.

    You couldn’t pay me to ever attend another sporting event in that miserable city.

    The jail they used to have under Veteran’s Memorial Stadium wasn’t just for shits and giggles.

  117. 117.

    raven

    @RareSanity: I was at a Raider-Steelers playoff game in LA in 84. Some idiot Steeler fan had a Pitt jersey on and a hat with the fuck you finger on the bill. I swear those Raider/Bikers dudes beat his ass to a pulp.

  120. 120.

    RareSanity

    @raven:

    Them and the suburban wine and cheese crowd.

    They’re just like the teatards…it’s not about wanting to be champions, it’s all about ideology and how the teams carry themselves. (actually, they probably ARE teatards)

    It’s okay that the Dawgs don’t win national championships, because Mark Richt does things “the right way”. Same thing for Bobby Cox and Mike Smith for the Falcons. They also run off any player that dares to show any hint of personality.

    I can’t stand them.

  122. 122.

    RareSanity

    @raven:

    But I wasn’t even talking shit, or wearing anything offense…I was just watching the game and cheering for my team when they did something good. Those people in Philly have some serious and deep seeded issues.

  123. 123.

    Mike E

    @Spaghetti Lee: It’s personal, no other explanation. After all, they booed Mike Schmidt, arguably the greatest 3rd baseman of all time, and heartily at that. They saw McNabb as nonchalant in demeanor and projected that onto his on the field play, unfairly. He once threw 4 TDs on a taped up broken leg, that’s a crazy but true thing that would have made any other athlete a Philly legend for life but he gets vilified for not getting to more SBs and losing the one he did play in. With Reid, he wasn’t perfect when merely competent was three steps up in comparison to other mgrs (Dick Vermeil is an exception).

    Schmidt’s team won the 1st franchise WS, and he gets the same rap for not carrying them into more than the 2 he played in. There is definitely a racist thread in Philly, but this kind of illogical hatred has me kinda at a loss to explain why, and I’ve had to try to clue people into what the deal is more times than I can honestly say. It makes me try extra hard to be a decent ambassador for my oft beleaguered franchises.

  126. 126.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @RareSanity:

    Well, Atlanta isn’t a very rough and tumble city. When I think of Atlanta I think of Coca-Cola, Ted Turner, Newt Gingrich, A Man In Full, and glam rap stars wearing those stupid venetian-blind sunglasses. Not things that strike fear into most people’s hearts. Have you considered importing a decaying industrial district? Might help.

  128. 128.

    CaseyL

    I watched the Huskies game last week (can’t remember who they played). It was the first time since forever that I saw a college game, and I’d forgotten how utterly different it is from pro.

    They don’t break for commercials after every damn play, so the pace is a lot faster.

    The play seems “looser” somehow, either because of different rules or because the players are still kids. Not sure how many of the players are intent on going pro, and how many have no intention of going pro; so I couldn’t tell if that affected how they played.

    It was kind of a fun, breezy game… even though UW got its collective doggie ass whupped (not as bad as today, though; oy).

  130. 130.

    raven

    @CaseyL: Baloney, they stop constantly. Full commercials for and change of possession and 20 fucking minute half times. If you went as much as I do you’d hate it.

    “The problem of lengthy games certainly is not unique to USC. It is a college football problem, one the NCAA has attempted to work on the past few years. Re-starting the clock after the chains are set following a first down and stricter control over the length of TV timeouts have aided the cause.

    Still, the average time of eight SEC games on Saturday was 3:19. The longest of the group was USC-Vanderbilt, which dragged on for 3:38.

    By comparison, the average length of the 13 NFL games in Week 1 was 3:08. Part of the difference from the college game is halftime. NFL halftimes last 13 minutes. College halftimes, because of band performances, last 20 minutes.

    The NFL realized long ago that it was important for TV programming and for the entertainment value of the fans to keep length of games to three hours. College officials should continue to take note.

    Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/09/15/2982518/game-lengths-tire-fans.html#storylink=cpy“

  133. 133.

    NotMax

    @Redshirt

    Trivia; Though invented in New York, Philadelphia cream cheese was so named because (at the time) the name carried an air of refined urbanity.

  135. 135.

    Mike E

    @Redshirt: Heh, feared for my life numerous times growing up/going to school, but the time I got my ass kicked was in NYC! Go figure. Philly ain’t no baby anything, but it’s WAY better now than even 8-9 years ago when they won that NFC championship…I even took my 4 year old daughter on the subway and trolleys! She has nothing but love for Philly, having visited there nearly every year. From her perspective, with a playground every 5 blocks and swimming pools galore, it’s a kid’s paradise. But knowing where to go in that city is most of the battle, frankly. Some of the stories I can tell are really comically horrifying, truth be told. Still love that town.

  138. 138.

    Shalimar

    The announcers in the Alabama-Arkansas game are annoying me with their occasional talk about Bielema “changing the culture” at Arkansas. Arkansas was very good for years. They were a preseason top-10 team last year. The announcers do SEC games every week, they’re supposed to know this shit. One lousy year of John L. Smith doesn’t suddenly create a talentless program that needs to be totally turned around.

  139. 139.

    NotMax

    @many

    True story about traveling to on the old Penn Central (pre-Amtrak):

    Conductor stuck his head into the car and sang out “Next stop is Philadelphia! Philadelphia, the brother of lov-a-ly Sid!”

  142. 142.

    Mike E

    @RareSanity: Nah, dude, you had it comin’, trust me…[wink]

    My 6’5″ 300 lbs buddy went to that NFC championship that the Panthers won in Philly, but since he grew up in the Delaware Water Gap he knew the deal & had a leg up on how to achieve stealth mode…by the end he was hootin’ and hollerin’ with impunity since Iggle fans slinked outa that one early. Karma is a bitch…

  143. 143.

    SarahT

    @RareSanity: All true. Yes, Philly sports fans did throw batteries and bottles at Santa Claus. Yes, Philly sports fans are borderline-psychotic. BUT: Flyers fans also booed Caribou Barbie so loudly you could hear it over the super-loud pre-recorded cheers that management blasted over the P.A.., so they get some slack in my book, anyway…

  144. 144.

    Mike E

    @raven: Purgatory. These were some fine women, too, but from Charlotte if’n you know what I mean! Being from that close to SC ain’t no way to be.

  146. 146.

    Shalimar

    @raven: Agree about the scumbag, I would never hire him or play for him after what he did in Atlanta. But he can coach. Arkansas was much better with him than they are now. The “changing the culture” crap makes it sound like it isn’t partially Bielema’s fault his team just got destroyed. He’s building from nothing, these things happen.

  149. 149.

    Mike E

    @SarahT: [reaches into Bill Cosby’s freezer for some ice balls]…

    ETA Tim McCarver really is the Billy Packer of baseball commentary. Ugh.

  150. 150.

    cckids

    @RareSanity:

    Those people in Philly have some serious and deep seeded issues.

    Aren’t they the people who booed Santa, at some game?

    Although they booed Sarah Palin at a hockey game, so that is a mark in their favor.

    Edit to add: Or, what Sarah T. said.

  151. 151.

    different-church-lady

    How not to run the bases: Episode 41 — the bag is the white thing, not the dirt 3 feet in front of the white thing.

  154. 154.

    RareSanity

    @SarahT:

    Well, that’s somewhat redeeming…somewhat. :-)

    @cckids:

    Aren’t they the people who booed Santa, at some game?

    As @SarahT said…they didn’t just boo him, they threw batteries and bottles at him.

    I ask you, what kind of low-life throws batteries at Santa Claus?

  155. 155.

    Steeplejack

    After the other upsets today, I would love to see Ole Miss beat these LSU peckerwoods. Tied 24-24 with 0:03 left and Ole Miss about to try a game-winning field goal.

    ETA: WTF? They reset the clock to 0:06.

    ETFA: Field goal good. Ole Miss ahead 27-24 with 2 seconds left. It’s all on the kick return.

  158. 158.

    RareSanity

    I’m glad Florida State is back.

    I’m no FSU fan, but college football is just better when teams like FSU, Miami and USC are good. They’re kinda like the heels in wrestling…can’t have good guys without having bad guys.

  162. 162.

    RareSanity

    @efgoldman:

    Although, when you think about…the fact that Flyers fans only booed Palin, compared to how they greeted Santa Claus…

    It may be another black mark on the city to say: “Philadelphia, the city that treated Sarah Palin better than they treated Santa Claus”.

  163. 163.

    Linnaeus

    @efgoldman:

    Fielder (and maybe Cabrera, too) is gonna’ turn out to be one of those albatross contracts like A-Rod and Pujols

    Cabrera, I don’t think so. Fielder, on the other hand…

  165. 165.

    SarahT

    @RareSanity: Hmmm….never thought about it that way…that really IS messed up. Or maybe it’s just that they don’t sell bottles (or batteries) at the Wells Fargo Center ? But yeah, the Fat Bastard TOTALLY had it coming !

  166. 166.

    Mike E

    @SarahT: I went to Temple U (Cosby St.) in N Philly when it was the worst neighborhood in the city. Ol’ Bill grew up in the projects just a few blocks away from campus with his buds Fat Albert and Mush Mouth. We called it Beirut Campus because of the stripped/burned out cars and bombed out vibe, and got escorted by school security to the subway at nightfall if we didn’t crash there overnight. A classmate was shot dead at a pizzeria next to my film school in my freshman year, total random act; we went there often and thought there but for the grace o’God. My girlfriend at school lived in W Philly, which btw was no picnic either, because it was that much safer. Fun times. But, again, it’s WAY better now…I swear!

    Oh, that Santa was a fill in for the one hired to walk out onto Franklin Field but couldn’t, umm, walk because he was so drunk (I prolly woulda been too, can you imagine that gig?). They got some teenager to take his place (punk!) and since Iggle fans are so discerning, this ignominy was the reason he was booed and pelted. Standards, people.

  168. 168.

    RareSanity

    @Mike E:

    Oh, that Santa was a fill in for the one hired to walk out onto Franklin Field but couldn’t, umm, walk because he was so drunk (I prolly woulda been too, can you imagine that gig?). They got some teenager to take his place (punk!) and since Iggle fans are so discerning, this ignominy was the reason he was booed and pelted. Standards, people.

    Okay, that back story actually makes it pretty funny…

    I can imagine them now…

    “This injustice shall not stand! We shall register our displeasure with the ceremonial tossing of batteries and beer bottles.”

    “Wait, wait…finish the beer first, then throw it! Are you crazy or somethin’? That’s perfectly good beer.”

  172. 172.

    SarahT

    @RareSanity: @Mike E: I KNEW there was a good reason they bottled him ! Fuggin drunk-ass Santa probably got thrown out of Dirty Frank’s before the game – and McGlinchey’s afterwards.

    Yeah, I grew up in Philthy, and it was pretty rough then. My friends lived down the street from MOVE, so that was nice for them. Philly was also the meth capitol of the East Coast back then, which was very handy for, um, some of us at times. Guess Philly still IS pretty rough, unlike NYC (home for the last 30-odd years) which is probably why I still have a real soft spot for the place – that and the awesome museums, food, and people so fugly they make me feel like a supermodel during visits to Mom.

    Damn – now I want a cheesesteak. Wit whiz.

  175. 175.

    Mike E

    @SarahT: McGlinchey’s, no shit! When Yuengling draft was just 35 cents a mug, we use to joke, “Walk in with singles; stagger out with change.” Jesus, what a smoke stained dive that was. Good thing the waitstaff and barkeep were charming…heh. And yes, Pat’s beckons. Awesome hangover food!

    ETA THAT’S how you hit a homer to left at Fenway!

  177. 177.

    Yatsuno

    @Steeplejack: Pink ducks man. Pink. Ducks.

    And Wazzu still keeps it within 13. I am all about the moral victory here.

    EDIT: The Top 25 is gonna be a total mishegas tomorrow. I wuvs it.

  180. 180.

    different-church-lady

    OK, just what is it about that Galaxy smart watch ad that is so lame? It’s not a bad idea, but damm does the execution seem lackluster.

  181. 181.

    JoyfulA

    @Mike E: I went to Temple, too, and I loved it. My husband got a ticket for parking on the sidewalk where there was no sidewalk—

  182. 182.

    Mike E

    @SarahT: Go to Walt’s, but be careful…you’ll get crabs!

    ETA @JoyfulA: silly rabbit, that’s what the middle of the street is for, sheesh!

  187. 187.

    Mike E

    @NotMax: You have to read the Lazlo Letters…Don Novello of Father Guido Sarducci fame wrote pseudonymous love notes to every famous person including Rizzo, and got replies with swag included. His cranky letters to McDonald’s are hilarious.

    ETA DougJ will come immediately to mind when you read it.

    ETAA Victorino hit that other granny vs MIL in the NLDS, not the WS

  188. 188.

    SarahT

    @NotMax: Tell me about it. He was the reason my Dad quit working for the D.A.’s office – couldn’t work with that racist fuck as police chief. When Rizzo died my brothers went to the viewing to make sure the scumbag was really dead.

  193. 193.

    Mike E

    @SarahT: After he survived that refinery explosion, a prudent and warranted move. Although I didn’t attend his funeral, I certainly approved of it.

  196. 196.

    Steeplejack

    @different-church-lady:

    I think it’s because all those “two-way wrist radio” gadgets referenced in the ad seemed kitschy and slightly ridiculous the first time around, so the ad’s “Now you can have it for real!” message engenders a slight “Do not want!” feeling. But maybe it’s different for the yoots who don’t remember the “first time around.”

    But I haven’t thought about it that much because I’m still trying to come to grips with the two iPhone 5c “Greetings” ads, which make it seem like you have to be some exotic, edgy, “colorful” outsider to even deserve one. I hate myself for the fact that I can’t turn away because I always want to see the Japanese kitties at 0:24. The other ad is worse. “Dr. Flamenco” at the end gives me dark visions of a “stand your ground” scenario.

  199. 199.

    Steeplejack

    Red Sox beat the Tigers. Okay, this frees up a lot of time for me, because I can think of few things more boring than a Cardinals-Red Sox World Series.

  200. 200.

    Mike E

    @Redshirt: My buddy the Riverkeeper mentions Tricky Dick, sans irony, when talking to groups about the Clean Water/Air acts.
    Functioning gov’t is functional!

  210. 210.

    Steeplejack

    @The prophet Nostradumbass:

    I was hoping for Dodgers-Tigers. Neither team has been in a while. I don’t dislike the Red Sox, but for some reason the Cardinals bug the hell out of me, so that, combined with my “meh” feeling about the Sox, makes this a missable series. I’ll probably still watch a bit, but it’s not must-see TV.

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