- Wonder which plague will strike the next time the New York Yankees play in Cleveland. You might remember that back in October 2007, a swarm of midges (ugly, flying, moth-like creatures) invaded the game during Game 2 of the 2007 American League Division Series between the Yankees and Indians. The midges so badly rattled Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain that he began throwing pitches all over the place and ultimately his wildness allowed the Indians to score the runs they needed to rally and win the game. Over the weekend, the Yankees were once again in Cleveland and once again, nature intruded upon the proceedings. This time, a flock of seagulls (No, not that Flock of Seagulls with the quintessential bad ‘80s ‘dos and crappy pop music) landed on the field in the seventh inning. The seagulls had been around Progressive Field for much of Cleveland’s eight-game homestand, but they became a problem for the first time during Yankee Nick Swisher’s at-bat against Cleveland pitcher Carl Pavano. The seagulls flew in from behind home plate when Swisher fouled Pavano's 2-1 pitch into the net. Had the stadium sound guy been on top of his game, he would have had A Flock of Seagulls’ 1980s hit, "I Ran (So Far Away)" cued up and let rip with the song, but sadly that didn’t happen. Instead, a distracted Pavano had to step off the mound before his next pitch. Once the at-bat resumed, he retired Swisher via strikeout. “Seagulls were flying over my head," Pavano said. "It was just a quick thing, but it caught my eye. I think it caught everyone's eye, because everyone, I think, got surprised by it.” Swisher managed to stay much calmer than his teammate Chamberlain did when nature confronted him in C-Town. “You notice it, but once you get into the box, you don't pay much attention to it. They're all over the place. It is what it is, and it's no problem. You can't worry about stuff like that,” he explained. The Yankees have now moved on from Cleveland, but the Indians now must figure out what to do about the gulls, which appear to have taken up residence at the park (My suggestions: a) give them a glove and see if they can play the outfield or b) count them as fans at every game and help boost sagging attendance numbers. Either way, Jim Fowler’s animal kingdom appears to have been reincarnated in Cleveland……..
- For weeks now, talk has been increasing of just when and how talks between the United States and Cuba would shape up in regards to rebuilding the two nations’ strained relationship. After decades of hating Cuba during the Fidel Castro era, Americans weren’t (and still aren’t, to a large extent) sure how to feel about their president and political leaders reopening communication with the dictatorial regime of the Communist island to the south. Finally, those talks are about to get rolling and the first two topics on the agenda will be migration and mail service between the two countries. Two senior State Department officials confirmed that Cuba has agreed to resume talks with the United States over those issues. Mail might seem an especially benign and minor issue, but rest assured that when the U.S. and Cuba are sitting down to talk, there are no “gimme” topics. Currently, mail service between the United States and Cuba goes through third-party countries, as we have maintained a policy of not sending or receiving anything to or from Cuba, aside from regular helpings of disdain and despisal. Depending on how the first round of talks goes, future chats could be held regarding counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism, and disaster preparedness and response. Cuban officials who met with State Department officials Saturday are hopeful that those talks are possible, and I honestly hope so as well. No timetable has been set for the talks, but being on amicable terms with Cuba would be a good thing. We don’t have to be their best buddies or openly accept their policies and ideologies, but not hating them to the point of wanting to bomb the hell out of one another would be cool. “This is a big deal," one senior State Department official said. "We see this as a very positive development.” I would concur, even if there are still a lot of Americans who involuntarily vomit in their mouths at the mere idea of making nice with Cuba…….
- For once, I’m convinced that the best movie actually ended up at the top of the earnings race for the weekend. Disney/Pixar’s Up shot to the top of the box office in its opening weekend, bringing in $68.2 million in a showing that's good enough for No.3 on Pixar's all-time list, trailing only Finding Nemo (which opened with $70 mil) and The Incredibles. The film was beloved by reviewers, fans and even by me. As much as an animated movie can be an action-comedy, Up was that and more. It was funny, clever and interesting throughout. The story centers on an elderly man (voiced by Ed Asner) who uses a bevy of helium balloons to set his house aloft on a journey to South America but has his fun thwarted when a young boy stows away inside the flying house. Oh, and the talking dogs were great too…..Squirrel! (an inside joke for those who have seen the movie.) Thankfully, the haunting memory of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as the top-earning film lasted for all of one week. Ben Stiller’s latest bomb-tacular “comedy” fell to second place with $25.5 mil. Coming in third was a movie I didn’t see, won’t see and am glad I will never see: Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell, which opened at No. 3 with $16.6 mil. Creepy, hell-themed horror flicks just aren’t my thing, period. Rounding out the top five were Terminator Salvation ($16.1 mil) and Star Trek ($12.8 mil), which has now earned $209.5 mil-to-date and became the first 2009 release to pass the $200 million mark. Once again, all hail the mighty spending power of no-life-having, never-kissed-a-girl, pasty dorks who break their piggy banks and force their moms to drive them to the theater despite being in their late 30s…………
- The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Facebook might just be fundamentally evil. After all, it did spark a fight between Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka and his wife that included her attempting to stab him with a pen, him throwing her down the stairs and the cops leading him away in the silver bracelets. Now comes word that Facebook is at the heart of a North Carolina judge being yanked from a child custody case and publicly reprimanded by the state’s Judicial Standards Commission for communicating with a lawyer of a trial he was presiding over. Judge B. Carlton Terry Jr. received a public reprimand for chatting it up on Facebook with defense lawyer Charles A. Schieck. After meeting with the two lawyers in the September 2008 case, Terry and Schieck began talking about Facebook and they soon become Facebook friends. The meeting itself was to review evidence of an affair by one of the parties in the case. That night, Terry checked Schieck's Facebook page, where the lawyer had posted "how do I prove a negative.” At that point, Terry should have realized that he was holding a child’s fate in his hands and that making contact with Schieck would blatantly compromise his judicial integrity. He should have realized that, but of course he didn’t. Terry replied on Schieck's Facebook page that he had "two good parents to choose from" and "terry feels that he will be back in court," which according to the reprimand meant that the case was not being settled. Clearly eager to compound one error with another, Schieck replied, "I have a wise Judge." The two went on to exchange several other Facebook wall posts and Terry also used Google to access a Web site of the plaintiff's photography business. On September 12, the case reconvened and Terry actually recited a poem that he found on the plaintiff's Web site. Terry told the commission that he quoted the poem because it gave "hope for the kids and the plaintiff was not as bitter as he first thought.” However, he failed to disclose to either counsel that he had conducted independent research on the plaintiff or visit their Web site. When the details of the case began to come out, the plaintiff's lawyer Jessie Conley filed a motion asking for Terry's order to be vacated, a new trial to be held and the judge's disqualification from the case. Why? Is it a problem if the judge hearing your child custody case is yukking it up on Facebook with counsel for the other party, citing poems from that party’s Web site and not disclosing any of this to you? I guess it was a problem for Conley and it definitely was a problem for the commission, which concluded that Terry's actions showed "evidence of disregard of the principles of conduct embodied in the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct, including failure to personally observe appropriate standards of conduct to ensure that the integrity and independence of the judiciary shall be preserved.” Terry accepted the reprimand and claims to regret his actions, which is good. However, I have to wonder whether someone so clueless, stupid and inept can avoid making similar mistakes in the future, even if he tries his best to avoid them. Just goes to show for all the kids and aspiring legal minds out there that being a moron does not preclude you from someday becoming a judge…….
- Put this one under the category of seemingly nice, noble gestures that are actually incredibly hollow. City officials in Cincinnati have announced free parking for electric cars and claim that the gesture demonstrates the city's commitment to the environment. Of course, industry estimates place the amount of cars and trucks in the United States that are all-electric at less than 1 percent. In other words, the city is going to hand out about four or five free parking permits and yet officials can point to the gesture and fool many IQ-deprived tools who don’t take time to consider just how few electric cars are out on the roads. Never mind that anyone who can afford an expensive, all-electric car can easily afford parking, dammit. The city was looking to make an empty, self-serving gesture to gain headlines and to that end, this will be a ginormous success. Again, this program applies only to vehicles that run exclusively on electricity, so hybrids don't count. The two people in Cincinnati who own all-electric cars must get a special city decal and they can then park for free at on-street meters or in four downtown lots or garages. Quite a gesture, Cincinnati. City officials actually claim that the number of all-electric vehicles in the city is eight, but even they aren’t trying to inflate the number beyond that. Of course, that didn’t stop councilman David Crowley from saying that the free parking offer shows Cincinnati is a leader when it comes to being a "green" city. I wouldn’t go that far, Dave. However, if you want to offer an elimination of property taxes for any home or business owner whose building is made entirely of recycled materials - including appliances, flooring, furniture, bathroom fixtures and electronics - I might reconsider. Hopefully the good people of Cincinnati are smart enough to see through this sham of an offer and realize what a bunch of ridiculous, pompous and disingenuous a-holes their city leaders are…..
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