When I opened up Mozilla Thunderbird, my e-mail program of choice, I saw an e-mail purporting to be from Comcast that Thunderbird routed into my Trash folder as if it were spam. The e-mail said, in part: "In an effort to help prevent spam and ensure the security of our network and customers, Comcast has modified your modem’s settings to prevent the sending of email on port 25. That is the default port email programs such as Outlook Express use to send email. We’ve taken this action because we may have detected virus-like activity from your modem or received reports from other email providers that mail from your modem generated complaints from their users."
It went on to provide links for instructions to change the port setting to 587: "Port 587 uses authentication and is an industry-recommended alternative to port 25." I figured it was probably some sort of phishing e-mail and ignored it...until I tried sending an e-mail and got an error message saying "The message could not be sent because connecting to SMTP server failed..."
I changed the port setting in Thunderbird and tried sending my e-mail again, and got the "sent successfully" message. However, as I learned later, my mail wasn't received (hi, Kurt). I tried sending test messages to my Yahoo e-mail, and none of them were received. I called Comcast, and spoke to a woman who didn't really sound like she knew what to do. After explaining what was going on multiple times, she finally told me I'd have to send an e-mail to the abuse at Comcast.net address, and I couldn't call because the people in that department aren't available 24-7. At this point I lost my temper, but only a little. I raised my voice some but didn't curse her out or anything, and asked to speak to a supervisor.
She came back on the line and said the supervisor gave her another phone number that she didn't have, for Comcast Customer Security Assurance. I called that number and the tech guy had me send him a test e-mail, using the port 587 setting. He received it -- in his spam folder. He then said the problem is that I put a link to this blog in my signature. Since it doesn't have the same domain as my e-mail, it's considered spam. So I removed the link from the sig file, and now my e-mails are being received again (hi again, Kurt).
I asked him why port 25 was blocked and he said that someone flagged an e-mail I sent as spam. I explained that I did not send out any spam and I use the McAfee Security programs that Comcast provides free for their customers, which updates daily, so I shouldn't have any virus or malware or whatever. The tech guy said he wasn't allowed to tell me who flagged my e-mail, but he did tell me when the message was sent and which message it was. It was an e-mail I sent to members of my softball team forwarding information on the 7th Annual Gay Community Night at the Phillies.
I really hope that whoever did this did it by accident, or that their e-mail program did it automatically, because otherwise I am really, really pissed -- at all the trouble I had to go through, and because now I can't put a link in a sig file.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The latest J-Roll experiment: FAIL
As the Phillies concluded the interleague portion of their schedule in Tampa Bay and Toronto, Jimmy Rollins sat on the bench for four consecutive games. He wasn't used at all, even as a pinch-hitter or defensive replacement. He's having an absolutely horrible season. Charlie Manuel has tried sitting him for a game. He's tried moving Rollins down in the batting order for a game or two. Nothing has worked for very long. After a bad decision on the field helped give Tampa Bay a win, Manuel finally decided to sit Rollins for an extended period.
Tonight in Atlanta Rollins returned to the lineup, and back to the leadoff spot, no less. Oops...0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts in the Phils' 5-4 loss to the Braves, ending their brief 2-game winning streak. Three of the Phils' 4 runs came on solo homers. Rollins' average is down to .207 and his on-base percentage is below .250. Keeping him leading off is no way to jump-start an offense. Manuel needs to move Rollins down in the order and keep him there for more than one or two games. If he hits well for a month, then move him back up.
The Phils continue to be fortunate that the injury-riddled Mets continue to suck, but now they have to be concerned about the Florida Marlins, who have jumped past the Mets into second place.
Meanwhile, it doesn't look like Raul Ibanez will be ready to come off the disabled list as soon as he's eligible. Going on the DL now, though, is Antonio Bastardo, which means another starting pitcher will be needed either Thursday or during the weekend.
Monday, June 29, 2009
On the Michael Jackson circus
So Jermaine Jackson has moved up to second place on the list of most successful living Jackson sibling recording artists...
Yes, very snarky. I know. You may not want to congratulate him on this if you meet him in person in the near future.
If you're sick and tired of hearing about anything related to Michael Jackson, I apologize for contributing to the barrage. And a barrage it is. Between the radio stations playing his music, the TV networks' coverage, the Internet, the stories continue to pile up as the questions continue to swirl -- about his death, his family, his finances, his music, etc.
Just in the last two days (these are between 12:01 am Sunday morning and 8 pm tonight), Entertainment Weekly's various blogs contain the following Jackson-related posts:
I think the biggest weasel, though, has to be Joe Jackson. We haven't heard anything from him in years, and why would we? But now that Michael's dead, he's all over the place making statements and doing interviews. He showed up at the BET Awards and used the occasion to promote a new record label he's starting! As if it has a chance in hell of being successful. What has he ever accomplished that wasn't done on the backs of his children? Has he ever done anything since they all left him and got real management companies?
This is the man whose abuse may be primarily responsible for all of Michael's problems. The physical abuse, the emotional abuse, the loss of anything resembling a normal childhood, all of this may have led to the behavior we saw from Michael, from the plastic surgeries to the child molestation.
And now Joe Jackson will pimp Michael out one more time, posthumously. Someone stop him, please.
One other thing: I recorded the BET Awards show last night. Later I started watching it. The show opened with New Edition performing a Jackson 5 medley. It was a bit ragged vocally but it connected emotionally. Both groups hit it big while they were kids so it was an appropriate tribute. Then host Jamie Foxx hit the stage dressed like Michael from the "Beat It" video. He said it was to be a celebration of Michael's life, then made a cheap remark about Michael's nose and felt the need to emphasize that Michael was "a black man! He belongs to us and we shared him with everybody else." After the second time he yelled at Sean "Diddy" Combs, the second time saying something that was bleeped out, I turned it off and deleted it. It was that horrendous.
Yes, very snarky. I know. You may not want to congratulate him on this if you meet him in person in the near future.
If you're sick and tired of hearing about anything related to Michael Jackson, I apologize for contributing to the barrage. And a barrage it is. Between the radio stations playing his music, the TV networks' coverage, the Internet, the stories continue to pile up as the questions continue to swirl -- about his death, his family, his finances, his music, etc.
Just in the last two days (these are between 12:01 am Sunday morning and 8 pm tonight), Entertainment Weekly's various blogs contain the following Jackson-related posts:
- SMITH magazine asks readers to sum up Jackson's life in six words -- can you do it?
- Jamie Foxx does the Moonwalk at the BET Awards: Fitting tribute?
- Michael Jackson-themed 'American Idol' repeats tonight: Set your DVRs!
- Huey Lewis remembers recording 'We Are the World' alongside Michael Jackson
- Michael Jackson in 'Captain EO': A fellow dancer remembers
- TV Ratings: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett continue to dominate with viewers
- Michael Jackson's final rehearsal: 'He was at his best,' says associate choreographer
- Michael Jackson: LAPD interviews personal physician; second autopsy reportedly completed
- Jackson's former nanny talks about singer's drug use
- Janet Jackson appears at BET Awards
- Michael Jackson: Doctor's lawyer says singer was not injected with Demerol
- Michael Jackson's mother granted temporary custody of his children
- Joe Jackson: 'We're the parents. This is where they belong.'
- Michael Jackson radio play rises an astounding 1,735 percent
I think the biggest weasel, though, has to be Joe Jackson. We haven't heard anything from him in years, and why would we? But now that Michael's dead, he's all over the place making statements and doing interviews. He showed up at the BET Awards and used the occasion to promote a new record label he's starting! As if it has a chance in hell of being successful. What has he ever accomplished that wasn't done on the backs of his children? Has he ever done anything since they all left him and got real management companies?
This is the man whose abuse may be primarily responsible for all of Michael's problems. The physical abuse, the emotional abuse, the loss of anything resembling a normal childhood, all of this may have led to the behavior we saw from Michael, from the plastic surgeries to the child molestation.
And now Joe Jackson will pimp Michael out one more time, posthumously. Someone stop him, please.
One other thing: I recorded the BET Awards show last night. Later I started watching it. The show opened with New Edition performing a Jackson 5 medley. It was a bit ragged vocally but it connected emotionally. Both groups hit it big while they were kids so it was an appropriate tribute. Then host Jamie Foxx hit the stage dressed like Michael from the "Beat It" video. He said it was to be a celebration of Michael's life, then made a cheap remark about Michael's nose and felt the need to emphasize that Michael was "a black man! He belongs to us and we shared him with everybody else." After the second time he yelled at Sean "Diddy" Combs, the second time saying something that was bleeped out, I turned it off and deleted it. It was that horrendous.
What do nickels do to cassette tapes?
I was checking out Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch blog and found this item. The headline -- "Walkman more cumbersome than iPod, teen discovers" -- sounds like it came from The Onion, but it's not a satirical commentary. It links to an article from the BBC about a 13-year-old British boy who spent a week with an old Sony Walkman instead of his iPod and compared the two.
What I don't understand, though, is this one line from the EW.com post. It follows a quote from the BBC where the boy writes that he used the rewind button to create a makeshift shuffle and his dad warned him that his tape could get chewed up, leaving him with no music that day: "Worse than being musicless for the day, pal, is losing that tape forever. Also, don't store tapes near nickels. Man, the good old days."
Yeah, the good old days. I remember how thrilled I was when I bought my first Walkman. The pictured Walkman EW displays is similar to the one I bought. But, what's the deal with storing tapes near nickels? I never did that, but I still don't get it.
What I don't understand, though, is this one line from the EW.com post. It follows a quote from the BBC where the boy writes that he used the rewind button to create a makeshift shuffle and his dad warned him that his tape could get chewed up, leaving him with no music that day: "Worse than being musicless for the day, pal, is losing that tape forever. Also, don't store tapes near nickels. Man, the good old days."
Yeah, the good old days. I remember how thrilled I was when I bought my first Walkman. The pictured Walkman EW displays is similar to the one I bought. But, what's the deal with storing tapes near nickels? I never did that, but I still don't get it.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A minor miracle, plus: I did NOT pee my pants
The story of my day: woke up at 6:30 to get out the door in time to make it to the fields for morning softball. Lost two softball games; tough situation with two key players not playing today, but we did our best. Went home. Showered and changed clothes. Watched the end of the Phillies game while checking e-mail, surfing the Web, etc. Switched over to one of the MTV/VH1 channels that was playing nonstop Michael Jackson videos. Fell asleep for a half-hour.
Headed downtown for the softball Bar Of The Week. BOTW sucked -- the bar was virtually empty. Where is the support for a league sponsor? The "free buffet" was bereft of food, except for a bowl of pasta salad and what looked like potato salad -- two trays sitting over those little Sterno cans were empty; presumably they decided not to put out food until people arrived, which never happened. Drank three 23-oz. glasses of beer, so equivalent to about 4.5 sixteen-ounce bottles. Had a nice buzz, which would make this my first alcohol-enhanced post on this blog, except I don't really feel it now (though it caused me to laugh hysterically at the Simpsons rerun I DVR'd and watched when I got home).
After two hours of feeling sorry for the bartender who was earning very little in tips this day, I finally left but without stopping in a restroom first. Got on the "el" train to head home and really needed to pee. Arrived at the terminal, where I transfer to a bus to get home. The terminal has restrooms but also has signs saying they are closed from 8 pm to 4 am. On this night, though, the restrooms were still open at 9:30 pm -- hence, the first part of the title of this post.
After making room in my bladder I went to the newsstand and bought a diet soda. On the bus home, bored, I was fiddling with the empty soda bottle, including opening and closing the lid. I then looked down and saw that a small amount of soda had still been in the bottle, and it spilled out, right onto the front of my pants -- hence, the second part of the title of this post.
Headed downtown for the softball Bar Of The Week. BOTW sucked -- the bar was virtually empty. Where is the support for a league sponsor? The "free buffet" was bereft of food, except for a bowl of pasta salad and what looked like potato salad -- two trays sitting over those little Sterno cans were empty; presumably they decided not to put out food until people arrived, which never happened. Drank three 23-oz. glasses of beer, so equivalent to about 4.5 sixteen-ounce bottles. Had a nice buzz, which would make this my first alcohol-enhanced post on this blog, except I don't really feel it now (though it caused me to laugh hysterically at the Simpsons rerun I DVR'd and watched when I got home).
After two hours of feeling sorry for the bartender who was earning very little in tips this day, I finally left but without stopping in a restroom first. Got on the "el" train to head home and really needed to pee. Arrived at the terminal, where I transfer to a bus to get home. The terminal has restrooms but also has signs saying they are closed from 8 pm to 4 am. On this night, though, the restrooms were still open at 9:30 pm -- hence, the first part of the title of this post.
After making room in my bladder I went to the newsstand and bought a diet soda. On the bus home, bored, I was fiddling with the empty soda bottle, including opening and closing the lid. I then looked down and saw that a small amount of soda had still been in the bottle, and it spilled out, right onto the front of my pants -- hence, the second part of the title of this post.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
This Week's Comic Books 6-24-09
Yes, I've had them since Wednesday, which is the usual day new comic books are in the stores. So it's almost next week, not this week. I'm an occasional procrastinator, or I would've posted this sooner. I intend to make this a weekly feature, listing the books I bought that week with a short review of each. Nothing really in-depth -- unless you follow this stuff you're not going to really understand many of the stories and characters going on. Plus, I don't quite take it all as seriously as some others, analyzing the artwork and plots and past continuity and so on, but it doesn't mean I don't have an opinion. First, a little history...
For me, it started one day at Tower Records, when I saw a book on the shelf: The Death of Superman. Of course, I knew they had killed him off recently and that there were reports of huge sales. I didn't think much more of it beyond the general incredulity: how can Superman be dead after all these years? So when I saw the "trade paperback," or compilation of the entire set of comics which told of the demise of the Man of Steel, I made an impulse purchase.
I had bought some comics as a kid, and always was a Superman fan (the George Reeves TV series, the Saturday morning cartoons, and eventually the Christopher Reeve movies), but I never got into collecting them regularly. A very short time later, I was at Franklin Mills Mall and walked into a now-closed comic book store, and saw this:
This book led into a resumption of the various Super-books, four monthly at the time, each starring a different character purported to be the newly-returned Superman. I bought them all, and was hooked. (Naturally, it turned out that not one of them was the real deal, and the tale ended up with the one true Superman alive and well, but with long hair like Fabio. Eeek.)
My regular purchases now are the DC comics that Superman stars in, plus a few that are Superman-related, along with Simpson Comics and a couple of other titles from Bongo Comics, co-founded by Simpsons creator Matt Groening. (Oddly, Bongo Comics doesn't seem to have a website.) I do pick up some other DC titles now and then, particularly if it's one of their "events" -- various crises that nearly bring about the end of the world, or the universe, or at least the end of life as we know it. And some others are, like the trade paperback that started it all, impulse buys.
At long last, here's this week's haul:
Superman 689: Basically what is going on in the Super-books right now is this: Superman is nowhere to be seen. He's taken up residence on "New Krypton," which is revolving around the sun in the same orbit as Earth, but on the opposite side, with 100,000 or so Kryptonians, all now with his powers. That story is being told in a 12-issue miniseries. So here, we are stuck with his "replacement," a hero named Mon-El who is not Kryptonian but has pretty much the same powers, along with some other supporting characters. Most of the book revolves around Mon-El playing Earth tourist, seeing various landmarks, artworks, etc. and helping stop crimes in each country. There are some other subplots that are more interesting, but with Superman gone, Mon-El is supposed to be the star of the book and he's kind of boring.
Detective Comics 854: This is one of the Batman books, which I normally don't buy. It has something in common with the Superman books: Batman's not the star of the book right now. As a result of the most recent of those universe-shattering crises, this one labeled "Final Crisis" (yeah, right), Batman -- the Bruce Wayne Batman, that is -- may or may not be dead. This book has a cameo by the current Batman, Dick Grayson, who was the first Robin and then became Nightwing, but it stars Batwoman. There was a Batwoman in the past, but she's long gone. This one was introduced a couple of years ago, and quickly became newsworthy. Why? Because the writers made her a lesbian. Anyway, I like the character and the story they're telling, and I'll probably keep buying this for a while.
Gotham City Sirens 1: This is a brand new series tied into Batman, but with no Bat in sight. It stars three of the women in his life -- well, sort of in his life: Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Since it's written by Paul Dini, who produced and/or wrote many of the Warner Bros. cartoon series in recent years (including recent Batman, Superman and Justice League series as well as Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs), I figured it would be fun, and it is. I'll probably be buying this for a while as well.
Bart Simpson Comics 48: I normally don't buy this series because I picked up the first one and it seemed like it was a little more geared to kids. However, like every other comic book company, Bongo is doing a crossover story with this and two other books (last week's Simpson Comics 155 and next week's Simpsons Super Spectacular 9). It's "The Best Radioactive Man Event Ever!" The new publisher of Radioactive Man comics is none other than Krusty the Clown. He won it in a poker game. In an effort to increase sales (because you know Krusty is all about making money) he announced that there would be changes to Radioactive Man, but didn't say what they would be. It helps if you like the Simpsons to begin with, and if you're familiar with comic-book cliches, but it's really fun. They're taking aim at every facet of the comic book "event" -- the end-of-the-world crises, character changes, new costumes, deaths and rebirths of heroes...which brings us full circle back to what started me buying comics.
For me, it started one day at Tower Records, when I saw a book on the shelf: The Death of Superman. Of course, I knew they had killed him off recently and that there were reports of huge sales. I didn't think much more of it beyond the general incredulity: how can Superman be dead after all these years? So when I saw the "trade paperback," or compilation of the entire set of comics which told of the demise of the Man of Steel, I made an impulse purchase.
I had bought some comics as a kid, and always was a Superman fan (the George Reeves TV series, the Saturday morning cartoons, and eventually the Christopher Reeve movies), but I never got into collecting them regularly. A very short time later, I was at Franklin Mills Mall and walked into a now-closed comic book store, and saw this:
This book led into a resumption of the various Super-books, four monthly at the time, each starring a different character purported to be the newly-returned Superman. I bought them all, and was hooked. (Naturally, it turned out that not one of them was the real deal, and the tale ended up with the one true Superman alive and well, but with long hair like Fabio. Eeek.)
My regular purchases now are the DC comics that Superman stars in, plus a few that are Superman-related, along with Simpson Comics and a couple of other titles from Bongo Comics, co-founded by Simpsons creator Matt Groening. (Oddly, Bongo Comics doesn't seem to have a website.) I do pick up some other DC titles now and then, particularly if it's one of their "events" -- various crises that nearly bring about the end of the world, or the universe, or at least the end of life as we know it. And some others are, like the trade paperback that started it all, impulse buys.
At long last, here's this week's haul:
Superman 689: Basically what is going on in the Super-books right now is this: Superman is nowhere to be seen. He's taken up residence on "New Krypton," which is revolving around the sun in the same orbit as Earth, but on the opposite side, with 100,000 or so Kryptonians, all now with his powers. That story is being told in a 12-issue miniseries. So here, we are stuck with his "replacement," a hero named Mon-El who is not Kryptonian but has pretty much the same powers, along with some other supporting characters. Most of the book revolves around Mon-El playing Earth tourist, seeing various landmarks, artworks, etc. and helping stop crimes in each country. There are some other subplots that are more interesting, but with Superman gone, Mon-El is supposed to be the star of the book and he's kind of boring.
Detective Comics 854: This is one of the Batman books, which I normally don't buy. It has something in common with the Superman books: Batman's not the star of the book right now. As a result of the most recent of those universe-shattering crises, this one labeled "Final Crisis" (yeah, right), Batman -- the Bruce Wayne Batman, that is -- may or may not be dead. This book has a cameo by the current Batman, Dick Grayson, who was the first Robin and then became Nightwing, but it stars Batwoman. There was a Batwoman in the past, but she's long gone. This one was introduced a couple of years ago, and quickly became newsworthy. Why? Because the writers made her a lesbian. Anyway, I like the character and the story they're telling, and I'll probably keep buying this for a while.
Gotham City Sirens 1: This is a brand new series tied into Batman, but with no Bat in sight. It stars three of the women in his life -- well, sort of in his life: Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Since it's written by Paul Dini, who produced and/or wrote many of the Warner Bros. cartoon series in recent years (including recent Batman, Superman and Justice League series as well as Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs), I figured it would be fun, and it is. I'll probably be buying this for a while as well.
Bart Simpson Comics 48: I normally don't buy this series because I picked up the first one and it seemed like it was a little more geared to kids. However, like every other comic book company, Bongo is doing a crossover story with this and two other books (last week's Simpson Comics 155 and next week's Simpsons Super Spectacular 9). It's "The Best Radioactive Man Event Ever!" The new publisher of Radioactive Man comics is none other than Krusty the Clown. He won it in a poker game. In an effort to increase sales (because you know Krusty is all about making money) he announced that there would be changes to Radioactive Man, but didn't say what they would be. It helps if you like the Simpsons to begin with, and if you're familiar with comic-book cliches, but it's really fun. They're taking aim at every facet of the comic book "event" -- the end-of-the-world crises, character changes, new costumes, deaths and rebirths of heroes...which brings us full circle back to what started me buying comics.
Phils' Romero vs. idiot fan...oh, and a win!
I wrote about this and a couple of other drug-related issues for the Outsports blog, but I want to expound a little more on J.C. Romero.
Romero came back in early June from a 50-game suspension for his 2008 positive test for a performance-enhancer he says came from a supplement he bought over-the-counter. He’s suing both the supplement’s manufacturer of the and the two stores that sold it to him. After Thursday night’s game at Tampa Bay, a Rays fan was trying to get autographs from Phillies players. When some of them refused, the fan yelled at Romero a comment about steroids. He alleges that Romero told him to “shut the f— up,” grabbed him by the neck and pushed him. The fan called the police and has now hired a lawyer.
Three thoughts:
1) I don't know why grown men are trying to get autographs from athletes except to sell them, especially if it's a photo or a ball or some other collectible. It's ridiculous. Grow up. Leave autograph-seeking to the kids.
2) Romero has to be smart enough to know that jackasses like this guy are going to try and provoke him using the steroid issue, and he has to hold his temper.
3) If this happened in Philadelphia, with a Phillies fan and a visiting player, you just know where the national media morons would place the blame, and it wouldn't be with the player.
-----
And hey, the Phils won today! A 10-0 win at Toronto, with J.A. Happ pitching a complete game. Tomorrow they try again for two wins in a row.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Phils now losing road games as well
Nothing is going right at the moment for the Phillies. After tonight's 6-1 loss at Toronto they've lost 3 in a row and 11 out of 13, in the last 3 games they've been outscored 23-6, they're not pitching well, they're not hitting well, they're not fielding well, they're making mental mistakes...that pretty much covers every aspect of the game. There's nothing they're doing well, and they're not getting any lucky breaks either. It was bad enough when they were losing at home, but now they're losing everywhere.
The good news is that June is almost over and after Sunday they won't be playing any more interleague games. The month of June and the games against the American League were a problem last year, and we know how that ended, so...
Flyers make a possibly bad move
There's completely unexpected hockey news on a warm summer night here. The Philadelphia Flyers got defenseman Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks in a trade (along with someone I never heard of, center Ryan Dingle). This in itself isn't necessarily bad. What makes this risky is the rest of the story.
To make the deal the Flyers gave up forward Joffrey Lupul and his long-term, rather expensive contract, which is okay in this salary cap era. However, they also gave up a young promising defenseman, Luca Sbisa, as well as their first-round pick in this year's NHL draft (being held tonight) and their first-round pick next year, plus a conditional 3rd-round pick.
Pronger is 34 years old. It's hard to tell how long he'll continue to perform at a high level. It's pretty much impossible to judge what the draft picks would've turned into and Sbisa, while showing promise, still isn't a proven commodity. But Pronger only has one year remaining on his current contract. If he leaves after this season (and he once forced a trade from Edmonton because his family was unhappy there) the Flyers may have given up an awful lot for very little.
But for one year, at least, we get to stare at the guy on the left (and still kinda miss staring at Eric Lindros, the guy on the right).
Farrah Fawcett died too
It's not surprising that the news of Farrah Fawcett's death was quickly brushed aside in the wake of the passing of Michael Jackson. After all, he was a musical icon, a larger-than-life figure, a freak show in his later years, and his death was unexpected while her cancer had her at death's door. It's sad nonetheless.
While I can't say I was a huge fan of hers, she managed to move beyond the "jiggle TV" aspect of Charlie's Angels into more serious work such as the TV-movie The Burning Bed, and she fought valiantly against the cancer that eventually took her life, not to mention the tabloids that tried to exploit her condition.
I used to watch Charlie's Angels on TV a lot, especially that first season. I don't really know why. Looking back, I have three possible explanations:
1) I watched a lot of TV shows back then, especially ABC shows. ABC was cranking out the hits during the mid-1970s, so maybe I was just too lazy to change the channel.
2) Being part of a large family, I certainly couldn't just change the channel to whatever I might have wanted to watch if others were home and watching something else.
3) Maybe it was, to quote Patty Bouvier in The Simpsons "Treehouse Of Horror III" Halloween episode, "the last lingering thread of my heterosexuality."
While I can't say I was a huge fan of hers, she managed to move beyond the "jiggle TV" aspect of Charlie's Angels into more serious work such as the TV-movie The Burning Bed, and she fought valiantly against the cancer that eventually took her life, not to mention the tabloids that tried to exploit her condition.
I used to watch Charlie's Angels on TV a lot, especially that first season. I don't really know why. Looking back, I have three possible explanations:
1) I watched a lot of TV shows back then, especially ABC shows. ABC was cranking out the hits during the mid-1970s, so maybe I was just too lazy to change the channel.
2) Being part of a large family, I certainly couldn't just change the channel to whatever I might have wanted to watch if others were home and watching something else.
3) Maybe it was, to quote Patty Bouvier in The Simpsons "Treehouse Of Horror III" Halloween episode, "the last lingering thread of my heterosexuality."
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tasteless Twittering by OchoCinco
For a few weeks now I've been posting a feature to the Outsports Jock Talk Blog called "Sports Tweet Of The Week." I became fascinated by athletes' use of Twitter after a pro basketball player actually updated his Twitter page at halftime of a game. As more athletes began making news with Tweets (the strange word for a Twitter post) I began my STOTW feature, using sites like AthleteTweets.com that keep track of sports celebrities and their Twitter usage.
A short while ago I checked out AthleteTweets to see what was going on, and I came across an update by Chad OchoCinco, a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. (He used to be Chad Johnson, but had his name legally changed to a word reflecting the Spanish names for the two numerals that comprise his uniform number, 85. There's a reason for it, but I can't really explain in full. I'm sure Wikipedia or other sites can help you with that. Suffice to say it has to do with ego and money.)
Anyway, his most recent Tweet mentioned being "sincere and apoligetic" (sic). So I went to his Twitter page. (Note: based on my looking at it yesterday as research for my next STOTW, and seeing a video he posted there, I am comfortable saying it's a legit page. Twitter's had problems with celebrity impostors and is instituting a verification system.) Here is what he's "apoligetic" about:
A short while ago I checked out AthleteTweets to see what was going on, and I came across an update by Chad OchoCinco, a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. (He used to be Chad Johnson, but had his name legally changed to a word reflecting the Spanish names for the two numerals that comprise his uniform number, 85. There's a reason for it, but I can't really explain in full. I'm sure Wikipedia or other sites can help you with that. Suffice to say it has to do with ego and money.)
Anyway, his most recent Tweet mentioned being "sincere and apoligetic" (sic). So I went to his Twitter page. (Note: based on my looking at it yesterday as research for my next STOTW, and seeing a video he posted there, I am comfortable saying it's a legit page. Twitter's had problems with celebrity impostors and is instituting a verification system.) Here is what he's "apoligetic" about:
Okay, first Mrs. Fawcett now Mr. Jackson, please tell me that this is a mistaken rumor, if not this is just as sad as 9/11Wow. Unbelievably stupid. His Twitter followers apparently took him to task, based on some of his next updates:
okay not as bad as 911, its sad period, both situations my goodness people, they just said he is okay in the hospital,And it goes on. I have a screen capture of it...if you click on it you should see a readable version:
The 9/11 was a bit over the top, i am just in an emotional state right now, bare with me while i regroup people, be back in 10 minutes
@jahrasta311 Did you miss the part were i apoligized or you want to be an asshole just because you can be?
Sorry 85 million times, today sucks man, i still have my jacket with the zippers on it, wow
Michael Jackson: cardiac arrest?
Update: TMZ is now reporting that Michael Jackson has died.
TMZ is reporting that Michael Jackson was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, that he was in cardiac arrest and paramedics administered CPR on the way.
I badly want to find something snarky to say about this but I just can't. I still like his music, although it's difficult now to separate the music from the freak show his life has become. I don't think I'd ever pay to see him in concert again (I actually saw him with his brothers during the Victory Tour in 1984 -- at JFK Stadium, long ago torn down) and I might not even buy a new album, but I can't help but appreciate his brilliant work from the past.
With Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna all having turned 50 last year, it's just more proof that I'm soooo old.
TMZ is reporting that Michael Jackson was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, that he was in cardiac arrest and paramedics administered CPR on the way.
I badly want to find something snarky to say about this but I just can't. I still like his music, although it's difficult now to separate the music from the freak show his life has become. I don't think I'd ever pay to see him in concert again (I actually saw him with his brothers during the Victory Tour in 1984 -- at JFK Stadium, long ago torn down) and I might not even buy a new album, but I can't help but appreciate his brilliant work from the past.
With Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna all having turned 50 last year, it's just more proof that I'm soooo old.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
My Phillies pet peeve...
Okay, it's technically one of my Phillies pet peeves. At times there are many. But this one occurred in tonight's game, a 7-1 loss at Tampa Bay. Last night they broke their 6-game losing streak by scoring 6 runs in the first inning en route to a 10-1 win. The runs didn't come easy tonight. Starting pitcher Joe Blanton did a fine job for 7 innings, allowing only a 2-run homer by our old friend Pat Burrell in the second inning. The Rays scored 5 in the 8th to break it open, with a couple of not-hard-hit balls that fell in helping.
In the 4th, though, with the game still close the tide seemed about to change. Three straight walks by the Rays' Matt Garza loaded the bases with nobody out. Any moron can tell you that, when a pitcher is struggling to get the ball over the plate, if you're batting you stand there and take at least one pitch, if not more. Jayson Werth went up hacking, and grounded the first pitch he saw for a third-to-home-to-first double play. A golden opportunity turned to dust.
This is the biggest problem with this team when they're going poorly: lack of discipline at the plate. If Werth is Exhibit A tonight, Exhibit B is Jimmy Rollins, who hasn't had a hit in the last 5 games and is batting below .200 in June. Because of his defense you can't bench him, but he simply shouldn't lead off any more, not until he has about a month of great hitting.
There is good news: closer Brad Lidge is ready to return from his knee injury and will be activated tomorrow.
New idea for Jon minus Kate
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I had the most brilliant idea today. Poor Jon Gosselin will need a reason (excuse?) to be on television now. No one's gonna care about him without Kate and the kids. Their current show's probably going to fall apart anyway. It's already going on hiatus while everyone makes the adjustments to their impending divorce, and even if it does return for the final 30-plus scheduled episodes, whatever charms it may have held will surely be gone. With the apparent plan being for one parent at a time living in their house, when the poor kids are asking "Where's Mommy?" or "Where's Daddy?" all the time, it's not gonna be pretty.
Meanwhile, there's another woman out there. She's a single mom, she's got a lot of mouths to feed and she's trying to break into "reality" television herself, but people generally don't like her right now -- especially because of the circumstances by which she became a single mom. She's a woman who really, truly needs a man in her life, and once she has the right man, the public will come around. Her name is Nadya Suleman.
Hopefully coming soon to a TV near you: Jon and Octomom Plus Fourteen (Even Those Six Non-Octuplets)!
If any network turns my vision into "reality" I guarantee monster ratings.
Meanwhile, there's another woman out there. She's a single mom, she's got a lot of mouths to feed and she's trying to break into "reality" television herself, but people generally don't like her right now -- especially because of the circumstances by which she became a single mom. She's a woman who really, truly needs a man in her life, and once she has the right man, the public will come around. Her name is Nadya Suleman.
Hopefully coming soon to a TV near you: Jon and Octomom Plus Fourteen (Even Those Six Non-Octuplets)!
If any network turns my vision into "reality" I guarantee monster ratings.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
76ers go back to old logo
What's old is new again. Here's the new Philadelphia 76ers logo. It's the same logo they used prior to the 1997-98 season, and the one they used the last time they won a championship. Now, if only they could change players as easily as they change logos...
The new math: Jon and Kate plus eight minus Jon equals...
Let me see if I've got this straight, and since I've never watched the show this is just a general impression.
Jon and Kate Gosselin had twins, and then a while later they had sextuplets, thus inspiring a cable TV network to give them a "reality" show (and note the quotation marks: virtually none of these shows are remotely real) where they cashed in with lots of free goodies from sponsors, but no one really cared much until rumors surfaced that Jon was cheating with some other woman and Kate was cheating with a bodyguard.
Then the new season premiered with lots of hype and the two were mostly seen separately and discussed in vague terms the problems in their marriage. The ratings shot through the roof. The following weeks, ratings plummeted because the episodes didn't really deal with the only thing about these two that interested people. Suddenly, this week, promos for the latest episode featured ominous talk about "life-changing decisions." And on that show the couple announced their separation, and an on-screen graphic said that "On Monday, June 22, 2009, legal proceedings were initiated in Pennsylvania to dissolve the ten-year marriage of Jon and Kate Gosselin."
Does anyone else think that their eight children ought to be taken away from these two nutcases? There should be a law against kids on "reality" shows. They should be allowed to just live their lives until they're old enough to make their own decision to appear -- or, like that mysterious Osbourne daughter who wouldn't go on MTV with Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly, not appear. Now these eight Gosselins are going to be pawns in their parents' little divorce drama. Future episodes (they're contracted for over 30 more) are going to just be a laugh riot, aren't they?
Jon and Kate Gosselin had twins, and then a while later they had sextuplets, thus inspiring a cable TV network to give them a "reality" show (and note the quotation marks: virtually none of these shows are remotely real) where they cashed in with lots of free goodies from sponsors, but no one really cared much until rumors surfaced that Jon was cheating with some other woman and Kate was cheating with a bodyguard.
Then the new season premiered with lots of hype and the two were mostly seen separately and discussed in vague terms the problems in their marriage. The ratings shot through the roof. The following weeks, ratings plummeted because the episodes didn't really deal with the only thing about these two that interested people. Suddenly, this week, promos for the latest episode featured ominous talk about "life-changing decisions." And on that show the couple announced their separation, and an on-screen graphic said that "On Monday, June 22, 2009, legal proceedings were initiated in Pennsylvania to dissolve the ten-year marriage of Jon and Kate Gosselin."
Does anyone else think that their eight children ought to be taken away from these two nutcases? There should be a law against kids on "reality" shows. They should be allowed to just live their lives until they're old enough to make their own decision to appear -- or, like that mysterious Osbourne daughter who wouldn't go on MTV with Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly, not appear. Now these eight Gosselins are going to be pawns in their parents' little divorce drama. Future episodes (they're contracted for over 30 more) are going to just be a laugh riot, aren't they?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Talkin' 'bout my Phillies
The first real post here (not that the first one isn't real, but...) just has to be about your defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. It has been a surreal season thus far. It began with all of the attendant pomp and ceremony commemorating the 2008 champs, which was tempered by the death of legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas. The starting rotation, a strength down the stretch and in the postseason last year, got off to a horrendous start. It's gotten better but was weakened by the likely season-ending injury to Brett Myers. The bullpen was strong at the start but stints on the disabled list by Brad Lidge and Scott Eyre (and, as of tomorrow according to reports, Clay Condrey) caused a cascade of role adjustments and a series of lousy performances.
The offense kept the team afloat for much of the year despite a season-long slump by leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins. Raul Ibanez has been a godsend, putting up MVP-like numbers, but is now on the DL himself, and since then the team hitting has really taken a nosedive. Strangest of all, the Phils have a 23-9 record on the road, best in the major leagues, but are only 13-22 at home, second-worst in the majors (ahead of only the woeful Washington Nationals), after a just-completed 1-8 homestand, among the worst in team history.
Despite all of this, the Phils are in first place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the New York Mets in the NL East. It makes for a glass half-empty/half full debate: despite their many issues the Phillies are still in first place; or, despite all of their problems the Mets are right in the hunt -- and since both teams have struggled, the Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves are not far behind.
With all of this going on, especially lately, it would be easy to be outraged. I've been more annoyed than angry, though. I guess coming off a long-awaited championship will do that. Besides, I've figured all year that it will come down to September, and we all know what's happened to the Mets the last two Septembers.
Next up for the Phils is a road trip (what a relief) that starts with a World Series rematch against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Where do I begin?
Begin at the beginning, they say. Okay.
First, I was born, which goes without saying. But even in the hospital, the day I arrived, I knew I was different from the other kids. I couldn't figure out why, at first. Then, suddenly it came to me! I was a rabbit in a human world...no, wait. That was Bugs Bunny.
Watch What's Up Doc? in Animation | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
As for me, well, I am different from the other kids. I mean, do you know any other 47-year-old guys who have, among other things: never learned to drive a car; taken an early retirement (with a sharply reduced annuity) after 25-plus years with the federal government and haven't worked in the four years since; played softball in their local gay softball league for two years, quit, then went back 21 years later; made 19,867 posts in the last eight years on the Outsports.com discussion board, over 9,000 more than anyone else?
That's where the "Joe In Philly" comes from, by the way. I consider it my brand name at this point. That's also sort of part of the reason I've started this blog. Despite the large number of posts on that board there's a whole lot more that I want to say, but I feel I need an appropriate centralized venue. I had my own blog before but I wasn't really happy with it and didn't work very hard, and it eventually died of neglect. I'm now ready to try again, and this time I intend to really work to make it worthwhile. (And, perhaps, if things go well, maybe someday I'll be able to make some money from it. So when you start seeing ads, if you clicked on one every once in a while it might help. Plus, if you tell everyone you know to take a look at this blog, I'd really appreciate it. Also, I have a PayPal account under my e-mail address. I'm just saying.)
So, where do I begin? Stay tuned...
First, I was born, which goes without saying. But even in the hospital, the day I arrived, I knew I was different from the other kids. I couldn't figure out why, at first. Then, suddenly it came to me! I was a rabbit in a human world...no, wait. That was Bugs Bunny.
Watch What's Up Doc? in Animation | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
As for me, well, I am different from the other kids. I mean, do you know any other 47-year-old guys who have, among other things: never learned to drive a car; taken an early retirement (with a sharply reduced annuity) after 25-plus years with the federal government and haven't worked in the four years since; played softball in their local gay softball league for two years, quit, then went back 21 years later; made 19,867 posts in the last eight years on the Outsports.com discussion board, over 9,000 more than anyone else?
That's where the "Joe In Philly" comes from, by the way. I consider it my brand name at this point. That's also sort of part of the reason I've started this blog. Despite the large number of posts on that board there's a whole lot more that I want to say, but I feel I need an appropriate centralized venue. I had my own blog before but I wasn't really happy with it and didn't work very hard, and it eventually died of neglect. I'm now ready to try again, and this time I intend to really work to make it worthwhile. (And, perhaps, if things go well, maybe someday I'll be able to make some money from it. So when you start seeing ads, if you clicked on one every once in a while it might help. Plus, if you tell everyone you know to take a look at this blog, I'd really appreciate it. Also, I have a PayPal account under my e-mail address. I'm just saying.)
So, where do I begin? Stay tuned...