Surprise, Surprise

I Tried to Warn You...

...but did you listen to me?

So you've got no one to blame but yourself if you lost 50 IQ points listening to this pander-palooza...

Can you spot the socialist? (It's a trick question.)

Predictably (thanks in part to the relatively mild questions that were put to the candidates--something moderator Anderson Cooper promised beforehand), nothing new was said last night, and the dynamic of the "race," such as it is, remained unchanged.

No one was quite sure why Lincoln Chafee was running even before last night's debate, and after seeing his inept performance the only explanation for his presence is the DNC's desire to convince voters that Hillary had to "fight" for the nomination by defeating multiple challengers, that the nomination wasn't simply handed to her. That, and Chafee's insufferable ego.

Jim Webb is wildly out of step with the voters of his preferred party, which is a shame. Once upon a time, Democrats made room for someone like Webb. They don't anymore, and I'm surprised he wasn't actually booed on the stage.

Pandering nitwit Martin O'Malley is most likely angling for the VP spot on what he assumes will be Hillary's successful ticket. He certainly didn't look or sound like someone willing to take her on as a candidate. He appeared to expect thunderous applause with his line about this country needing a "green revolution." Instead...

Bernie Sanders argues forthrightly for an idiotic ideology. No matter how "kindly" he seems, there is no denying that what he wants is a radically less free and less prosperous America.

And Hillary? She did what she always does: She laughed, waved her hands, dissembled like mad, and counted on not getting asked any truly challenging questions. She's got her "I've already answered these questions" dodge polished to a mirror-like shine, and her lawyerly evasions ("I'm being as transparent as I know how to be") seem to fool her fans easily. She even got bailed out on the matter of the criminal investigation into her email shenanigans by one of her so-called "opponents"! The progressive liberal media (but I repeat myself) has already launched the narrative about what a triumph last night was for her.

She did say one interesting thing, though. Referring to FDR's famous line about being "proud" of the enemies he had made in his career, the moderator asked each candidate to name the enemies they were proudest to have made. Hillary Clinton said: "Republicans." Then she laughed, as the audience applauded.

Please keep that in mind every time this black-eyed skank talks about how "divisive" and "hateful" and "un-American" Republicans are as the campaign unfolds...

"Sure, I'm evil personified, but you should vote for me anyway because uterus!"

Things That Make Me Happy: Playoffs Edition

No matter what else happens in this season's baseball playoffs, this was fun to watch...

A rarer sight than Halley's Comet.

The Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 yesterday afternoon at Wrigley Field, winning their NLDS series 3 games to 1. It was the first time the Cubs have ever won a postseason series on their home field. My beloved Kansas City Royals have had several occasions for such celebrations on their home field over the years, including last year's American League Wild Card game, followed by the ALDS series with the California Angels, and culminating with the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles, all of which ended well in front of delirious hometown fans. Good for the Cubs for delivering that thrill to their long-suffering fans.

The Cubs now await the winner of the Mets-Dodgers NLDS, which is tied at 2-2. The decisive Game 5 will be played in Los Angeles on Thursday.

And for the first time in five seasons, the Cardinals will not be involved in the NLCS...

"Tell the truth. You danced when the Cardinals were eliminated, didn't you?"

I did not...but only because my legs were too sore to do a proper Irish jig...

TMI: Technology Edition

From the wonderfully droll comic strip Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, which you should read every day, as I do.

Housekeeping

Just a reminder that when you come across a hot link (like this one) in the text or even in a header, you should probably click on it. A lot of the fun (and much of the useful information) depends on clicking at least some of those links.

I also wanted to remind you that comments are always welcome. Agree or disagree, I would love to hear from you!

Until Next Time...

On October 14, 1977 I was a few weeks into my first year as a classroom teacher, and about four months removed from the death of my first wife. When I heard on the news that Bing Crosby had passed away at age 74, it hit me pretty hard because Crosby had been a big part of my childhood. He was my parents' favorite male vocalist, and of course he was enormously popular with Irish Catholics thanks to his portrayal of Father Chuck O'Malley in Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's. Crosby won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the first film, and was nominated for the second, making him the first actor ever nominated for playing the same character in two different films (a feat subsequently accomplished by Peter O'Toole, Al Pacino, Paul Newman, and Cate Blanchett).

Thanks to my parents' enthusiasm for music as I was growing up, I got to hear a lot of male vocalists, including Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, etc. But Crosby was king. There was just something about his voice, and his style, that really moved my parents (and grandparents), and their enthusiasm transferred to me. There are still any number of Crosby songs that can reduce me to a blubbering wreck, but by far the all-time champion in that category is his rendition of "Danny Boy."

Practically the national anthem for Irish Catholics, "Danny Boy" is a poem that was matched with the popular instrumental folk song "Londonderry Air" early in the 20th century. If I had a dollar for every artist who has recorded a version since then I could stop playing Powerball. I actually have more than a dozen versions in my iTunes collection, and they are all beautiful and moving. Bing Crosby's version, though, will always be special to me because it is the only record I knew of growing up that could make both my mother and her mother cry. And I knew it brought a lump to my dad's throat, too, though he'd never admit it...

Today's send-off pairs Bing's 1941 recording of the song (for his Merry Christmas album, released in 1945) with various images of the Emerald Isle. Requiescat in pace, Bing...

Fair Warning

Cavalcade of Liars

Although the Democratic National Committee and it's half-witted chairman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz have done their best to prevent an actual race for the Democratic nomination for president, the televised joint press conferences we call "debates" these days are expected by the public. Tonight will be the first of just six such events the Democrats have scheduled (DWS is banishing people calling for more of them). For fans of classic progressive/socialist rhetoric (a.k.a. ridiculous, fact-free ranting) from 20-30 years ago, this should be a feast. For the rest of us, not so much...

"For 35 years, Republicans have argued that if we give more wealth to those at top by cutting their taxes and letting big corporations write their own rules, it will trickle down, it will trickle down to everyone else."
                         --Hillary Clinton

"Do we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, or do we fight for a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all?"
                         --Bernie Sanders

"Powerful, wealthy special interests here at home have used our government to create — in our own country — an economy that is leaving a majority of our people behind. We are allowing our land of opportunity to be turned into a land of inequality."
                         --Martin O'Malley

"I propose Prosperity through Peace. I want to restore American prestige by working with our partners in the United Nations to pursue strategic international agreements that reduce tensions, increase security, attack climate change, and promote civil liberties and fair trade."
                         --Lincoln Chafee

"Forget the polls, the noise and the nasty TV ads. The challenge before us is far greater than the task of winning an election. It is how to govern, with foresight, fairness and administrative skill, once an election is over."
                         --Jim Webb


Tonight it will be class warfare rhetoric wall to wall, plus the usual Democrat magical thinking on foreign policy. If you can bear this kind of tedium, the sheer shamelessness of it might have some entertainment value...

"Especially if you're the kind of person who watches NASCAR races just for the crashes."

Exactly.

Things That Make Me Happy: Late Rally Edition

Well, my beloved Kansas City Royals certainly did their best to give me cardiac arrest yesterday afternoon...

"That's the worst misspelling of 'bacon' I've ever seen."

Shut it.

Anyway, the Royals staged one of the most improbable comebacks in postseason baseball history. Trailing 6-2 as the top of the 8th inning began, they rallied to stun the Houston Astros 9-6 in Game 4 of the ALDS at Minute Maid Park. The game is already being compared to the Royals' shocking come-from-behind victory over Oakland in last year's AL Wild Card game

After the Royals opened the inning with five consecutive singles to make the score 6-4, DH Kendrys Morales hit a grounder up the middle that was tipped by pitcher Tony Sipp and which then eluded SS Carlos Correa (in a brutal scoring decision, Correa was given an error on the play). Two runs scored on the play and it was 6-6, still nobody out. With one out, a walk loaded the bases. And then...

"Just put the ball in play, and sometimes good things happen."

LF Alex Gordon's ground out drove in
1B Eric Hosmer with the winning run, and Eric added some insurance with a two-run home run in the top of the 9th that pushed the score to 9-6.

"Door? Slammed."

Given a lead, manager Ned Yost wasted no time bringing in closer Wade Davis to pitch the bottom of the 8th inning. Knowing he'd have an off day if the Royals held on to win, Ned asked Wade to go two innings (the way all closers used to once upon a time).


Wade answered the call, recording the six outs he needed with just 24 pitches.

The decisive Game 5 will be played tomorrow night at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals will send Johnny Cueto to the mound. Johnny pitched six innings in Game 2 last Friday, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits. He was not the pitcher of record when the Royals rallied to win the game 5-4. The Astros will start Collin McHugh, who beat the Royals in Game 1 of the series, holding them to 2 runs on 4 hits in his six innings of work.

It has been an exciting, hard-fought series to this point, and there is no reason not to expect the same from the finale. I just hope my heart can take the stress...

Details, Details

From the indispensable webcomic xkcd, by Randall Munroe, which you should read every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, as I do.

Until Next Time...

On October 13, 1965 four young men trooped into IBC Studios in London for a recording session. They were a struggling rock band calling themselves The Who, and although they had had a couple of successful singles they were still looking for a breakout hit.
It was tough to manage one of those in 1965, since BBC radio at that time did not play popular music. Hits in those days depended on "pirate radio" and word-of-mouth.

The song the group recorded fifty years ago today, "My Generation," seemed to perfectly capture the mood of the times, and Roger Daltrey's halting, stuttering delivery of Pete Townshend's anthemic lyrics was like nothing kids had ever heard before (there are as many stories regarding the origins of that famous stutter as there are stars in the sky).

Sleeve for the U.S. 45rpm single

The single was a Top 5 hit in several markets around the world (including No. 2 on the U.K. charts), but only reached No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 in America.

Eventually, its significance would come to be accepted on this side of the pond as well, and it is now universally considered one of the great songs in the history of rock 'n roll. It is enshrined in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame.



Today's send-off pairs the original mono recording of the song with film clips of English life in 1965. Enjoy...

Umday

Saying Dumb Stuff Makes You...Smart?

I've been weary of the "Democrats smart / Republicans dumb" cliché for a long, long time. It is apparently a notion that appeals to a lot of what are now called "low-information voters" (back in the day, we used to called such people "nitwits"), and certainly it is reinforced in every way imaginable by the progressive mainstream press (but I repeat myself). I've been paying attention to politics for nearly 50 years, though, and it seems to me that this meme has things exactly backwards.

Consider the brilliance we're getting lately from the leaders of the Democratic party...

In a contentious 60 Minutes interview aired yesterday, President Barack Obama said (among other nonsensical things): "My definition of leadership would be leading on climate change, an international accord that potentially we'll get in Paris."




Translation: "My definition of leadership is getting a piece of paper signed (which
I haven't actually accomplished) that will do absolutely nothing to affect the global climate situation, but which will severely damage the United States economically if
we do what the piece of paper says we have to do."

That sound "brilliant" to anybody?

In an interview on PBS Newshour last Wednesday, Hillary Clinton denounced the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade deal.

The problem? She has been praising the deal and urging its passage for five years.


People noticed the flip-flop. She doesn't care, so long as her New and Improved Position™ makes her more appealing to the progressive left. Honesty and intellectual consistency are for suckers.

Hillary's not the only Democrat saying dumb things about trade. In his appearance on Meet the Press yesterday, socialist and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was bluntly asked if he opposed every trade agreement the United States has ever negotiated.

"That's correct," he replied.


Translation: "I think consumers should have fewer choices and have to pay higher prices for everything they buy."

But the Republicans (especially those icky conservative ones) are the stupid people.

Right...

Things That Make Me Sad: Lost Season Edition

For all intents and purposes, the 2015 NFL season for my beloved Kansas City Chiefs ended yesterday with their second consecutive late-game collapse at Arrowhead Stadium. Despite leading 17-3 at halftime against a team that came in at 1-3 on the season, the Chiefs lost 18-17 to the Chicago Bears. Just as in the hideous collapse against the Denver Broncos in their previous home game, the Chiefs defense allowed a struggling offense to drive down the field with relative ease (got to love that "prevent" defense, eh?) and score twice in the final three minutes. (In fairness, in the Denver game the TD the defense gave up in the final minute only tied the score. It required a fumble on the next play by the offense to hand Denver the winning touchdown.) In both games, the visiting team never led until the last few seconds.

Only nine times in NFL history has a team started out 1-4 and still made the playoffs. The Chiefs will not become No. 10 on that list. Looking at the remainder of their schedule, it isn't easy to find one game they should be expected to win. They will be the underdog in every game left on their schedule with the possible exception of the game against Detroit, which will be played in London.

The biggest reason the Chiefs won't make that list isn't the schedule, though. It's because they lost Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. It was a non-contact injury (i.e., a hit by an opposing player didn't cause the injury), and almost certainly ends Charles's career with the Chiefs (he turns 29 in December, is in his 8th season in the league, and has already had a torn ACL in his left knee in 2011). Not the way you'd want to see your team's all-time rushing leader finish his career...

Thanks for everything, 25. Gonna miss you...

At least the horrific record the Chiefs are about to put up this season will get them a high spot in the NFL draft, so we're sure to get some immediate help that way.

Oh, wait...

• 2015 Draft: 1st Round - Marcus Peters CB, No. 18 overall (looks like the kid can play, gets burned often, though), 2nd Round - Mitch Morse OT, No. 49 overall (bust at both G and T, moved to C out of dire necessity, failing there)
• 2014 Draft: 1st Round - Dee Ford LB, No. 23 overall (not starting, can't beat out guys aged 31 and 32, has "bust" written all over him), 2nd Round - No pick due to earlier transaction
• 2013 Draft: 1st Round - Eric Fisher OT, No. 1 overall (bust, can't beat out journeyman Donald Stephenson for LT job, currently failing at RT), 2nd Round - No pick due to earlier transaction

So, yeah, don't be looking for the current regime to turn things around with a good draft, either...

"On the plus side, your Sundays will be freed up for other stuff now."

Yes, I would way rather vacuum and do laundry than watch football. Great...

 Meanwhile, Back at the Zombie Apocalypse

More zombies on the Season 6 premiere of The Walking Dead last night (lots more),
but all of the same human problems...

"You're saying Pepsi's better than Coke? Just who do you think you're talking to?"

The season has gotten off to an excellent start, and I'm already eagerly anticipating next Sunday's installment.

A Typical Trump Supporter

From the wonderful comic strip Non Sequitur, by Wiley Miller, which you should read every day, as I do (even though Wiley is a squishy liberal).

Until Next Time...

I was fiddling around with iTunes the other day and noticed a playlist in there that I haven't listened to for awhile. It is a collection of covers, performances by one artist of songs originally written (and usually performed) by a different artist. There's nothing new about this practice, of course. Artists have been recording each others' material since forever.

The songs in my iTunes playlist, though, are covers which, in my opinion, are superior to the original version. Today's send-off is one such instance. I much prefer Sarah Polley's cover of "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)" to the original version by The Tragically Hip. This video blends Sarah's cover with clips from the film The Sweet Hereafter, in which she played a major character. Enjoy...

 

Zombie-pourri

They're Baaaaaaaaaaacck!

Season 6 Promotional Poster

Today is going to be special for me because AMC's excellent series The Walking Dead has its Season 6 premiere tonight. For a Zombie Apocalypse aficionado like me, this is like Christmas morning!



It isn't easy to explain my fondness for this type of storytelling to non-zombie fans, but I have really missed my weekly fix of ZA goodness...

"That is SO sweet! We missed you, too!"

Fans' appetites (pun intended, always) for the upcoming season were whetted by the trailer promoting the 6th season which AMC released at this year's Comic Con in San Diego back in July:

"I like to eat the ants before they can turn zombie."

Uh...okay...

Pigskin Saturday

"This is NOT going well."

It wasn't a great Saturday for me, as my beloved Missouri Tigers couldn't do much offensively and lost to Florida 21-3 at Faurot Field. The Tigers are now 1-2 in conference play and can forget about winning the SEC East title for a third consecutive season.


A bowl game of any kind is not assured at this point, so the Tigers will have to step it up the rest of the season...

There were a few other results that were okay, though. Notre Dame won, my best friend's alma mater Penn State won at home against Indiana (which pleased me greatly, as the Hoosiers upset my Tigers in Columbia last season), Nebraska lost on a last-second field goal in Lincoln (I was fortunate enough to tune in just in time to cheer the kick breaking the Husker faithfuls' hearts), and the detested Kansas Jayhawks got bombed on their home field 66-7 by Baylor. Iowa State lost, unfortunately, but those other results cheered me up some.

Now if my beloved Kansas City Chiefs can just pick up a much-needed win today at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chicago Bears...

Bite Me

So, in last night's playoff game between the visiting New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Dodgers trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th inning when this happened...

The New York sports media is losing its collective mind, not even attempting to be objective about the play (check out the headline in the New York Daily News game summary, for instance).

All of the New York media outrage has a familiar ring to it for Kansas City Royals fans. In Game Two of the 1977 American League playoffs, the Royals' Hal McRae slid hard into Yankees second baseman Willie Randolph...

 ...and the New York sportswriters predictably threw a fit, even though Randolph was not injured on the play. The next thing you know, we've got the so-called "McRae Rule" in place. But, in the end, how you feel about the take-out slide at any given time will depend on whether your team is on the giving or receiving end of such a slide.

Whether Utley's slide was or wasn't "dirty" will be endlessly debated in the days ahead (because a New York player got hurt, and New York sportswriters dominate the media outlets), but Utley wasn't called out under the "McRae Rule," and when a replay showed that Tejada hadn't made contact with second base at any point (which ruled out the "neighborhood" call that bugs so many fans), Utley was ruled safe, and scored the go-ahead run in the decisive Dodgers rally.

Funny how these same sportswriters weren't screaming bloody murder on this play from earlier in the season...

Of course, it's different when a non-New York player gets hurt. That's just "the way the game was meant to be played."

You'll forgive me if I don't join in the lynch-Utley pity party Mets fans are having. Suck it up, buttercups. And as for you hysterical Big Apple sports media types? Re-read this section's heading...

Good One

If you're not old enough to get this joke, here you go. And if you're inclined to dismiss this sort of thing as non-existent (i.e., you're a Democrat), here YOU go...

"You really enjoy pissing off Democrats more than is healthy, I think."

I'll be the judge of that...

Until Next Time...

One of the many pleasures of The Walking Dead is the show's skillful use of music to enhance the storytelling. Composer Bear McCreary's incidental music is always evocative, and occasionally haunting. Here he is talking about the process by which he created the show's famous opening theme...

In addition to the music he composes for each episode, McCreary also selects actual songs by other artists as well, depending on the needs of a specific scene and the emotions he wants to evoke. I have an entire iTunes playlist of such songs, including some which aren't on Volume 1 or Volume 2 of the soundtrack albums AMC has released (which I own, of course). There are several artists whose music I would never have discovered had they not been featured on the show, so I am grateful to McCreary for that as well as for his own music.

Today's send-off is a music video of one of the more memorable songs he used in this way, "Oats in the Water," by Ben Howard. It appeared in the Season Four episode "Internment," and is associated with the popular Hershel Greene character. Enjoy...

All Smiles

Smart-Aleck Hall of Fame

"Morals are morals. Money is money."

As I have noted before in this space, one of the joys of my Saturday mornings is the Law and Order marathons they usually run on the TNT Network.

The quality of the writing and acting on the series makes these reruns a pleasure to watch, even though I have seen every episode many, many times over the years.

Over the course of 20 seasons there were seven different Assistant District Attorney characters on the series. My favorite of these is sharp-tongued Texan Abbie Carmichael, memorably portrayed by Angie Harmon (a Dallas-area native in real life).



Her dialogue was scripted, of course, but her delivery of those tart one-liners in that husky Texas drawl...well, let's just say I've had a crush on her for a long, long time. She more than earned her spot in my Smart-Aleck Hall of Fame.

"She's still single, isn't she? You should give her a call."

You should mind your own business...

Things That Make Me Happy: Comeback Edition

My beloved Kansas City Royals bounced back from their disheartening 5-2 loss to the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the ALDS Thursday night with a gutsy, hard-fought 5-4 win in Game 2 Friday afternoon at sold-out Kauffman Stadium.

The game did not begin well. The Royals sent Johnny Cueto to the mound in what amounted to a must-win situation, but as he has done in almost every start since he joined the team (he's 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA, and the Royals also lost two Cueto starts where he was not the pitcher of record, making the team 4-9 in his 13 starts), Cueto struggled early. The Astros put up 4 runs before he could record 7 outs, but Johnny settled down and limited the damage, retiring 12 of the next 14 batters he faced to get
the game to the bullpen. Scott Kazmir. (who had a 2.10 ERA against the Royals in 21+ innings this year) turned in a steady performance, giving up a solo home run to
C Salvador Perez in the 2nd and a single run on a double-play grounder in the 3rd.
He carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 6th, but gave way to Oliver Perez after
CF Lorenzo Cain doubled with one out. Perez was not effective, giving up an RBI single to 1B Eric Hosmer followed by DH Kendrys Morales's single. After Perez walked 3B Mike Moustakas on four pitches to load the bases, the Astros brought in Josh Fields, who promptly walked Sal Perez to force in Hosmer with the tying run.

"New ballgame, baby!"

I was working on today's "Until Next Time..." section when the bottom of the 7th inning began, and the second video clip included in that section was just ending as Alcides Escobar laced his lead-off triple to the opposite field. If you're not familiar with how YouTube works, very often when one video finishes playing another one begins right afterward if you don't stop it. That happened in this instance, as I was too busy cheering to keep the next video from starting up automatically while Alcides slid in safely to third. That video (also by The Monkees) was still playing when Ben Zobrist's single drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run. What song were the boys performing in that next video? "I'm a Believer."

Swear to God...

"Well, you should be a believer! 95-67 wasn't a fluke, you know."

Nobody says "Pwned" anymore, dumbass.

But your point is well-taken, though, Ben. And thank you for one of the peak moments of my life-long love affair with the Royals. Dallas Keuchel will be tough to beat in Houston on Sunday (he hasn't lost at home this season, in fact), but in his only outing against the Royals this year (July 26 at Kauffman Stadium), he pitched his second-worst game of the season. On the other hand, in Royals Game 3 starter Edinson Volquez's only start against the Astros this season (July 1 in Houston), he pitched his third-worst game of the season.

All we can do is play hard and see what happens, of course. And no matter what happens, the Royals' magical season can't end on Sunday...

If I Were a Superhero...

From the excellent comic strip Non Sequitur, by Wiley Miller, which you should read every day, as I do (even though Wiley is a squishy liberal).

Until Next Time...

On October 10, 1966 the cultural phenomenon known as The Monkees skyrocketed with the release of their first album, The Monkees. The groundbreaking NBC TV series featuring the pop/rock group had debuted a month before the album's release, and was
a legitimate hit (I tuned in every Monday night, like every other kid I knew). It would
go on to win the Emmy for Best Comedy Series that season. The show's famous opening sequence is one of the most memorable in television history...

Is "cultural phenomenon" a stretch? Well, besides the hit TV show, The Monkees reached
No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart on October 17, and spent 13 straight weeks as the No. 1 album. What displaced it? More of The Monkees was released on January 9, 1967 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. After bumping The Monkees from the top spot, the second album held that position for 18 consecutive weeks thereafter. The band's third album, Headquarters, was released on May 22 and reached No. 1 on June 24, holding the top spot for another 8 consecutive weeks (it was eventually displaced by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band).

I think it is fair to say that a band with a hit TV show topping the album charts for 31 straight weeks (and 39 weeks total) qualifies as a "cultural phenomenon."

As a dweeby 8th grader back then, I didn't know about or care about all the stuff regarding who wrote their songs, who played the instruments on their albums, etc. (they did do their own singing, for the most part). I still don't care. All I know is, these guys were a HUGE part of the soundtrack of my puberty. That means I will love this music forever. Period.

One of the many innovations of the TV show was the inclusion of what amounted to very rudimentary versions of music videos, featuring the band lip-syncing to one of their songs. Almost every episode of the show included at least one of these, and rather than
a fairly static "performance" these videos incorporated multiple camera angles, blended footage of different performances of the same song, etc. All of these techniques would become commonplace during the music video boom that began 20 years later.

The big hit from the debut album was "Last Train to Clarksville," which was the group's first single to hit No. 1 on the charts. Today's send-off is the video of the song which was featured on Episode 2 of the TV series. The jangly guitar riff that begins the song is one of the most instantly-recognizable intros in rock 'n roll history. Enjoy...

Sideshow

Thank Dormammu It's Friday!

"No, you may NOT use my head to toast marshmallows!"

Drama Geeks

Previously on Real Nitwits of Capitol Hill...

Speaker of the House John Boehner of Ohio

After a brief encounter with Pope Francis in the Capitol Building, Speaker of the House John Boehner weepily announced on September 25 that he was resigning his post and his House seat at the end of October.

His reasons for doing this remain murky, but apparently it involved conservatives being mean to him. Or something.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California

Yesterday, there was supposed to be a vote among House GOP Caucus members to select a successor.

The heavy favorite was the No. 2 man in the leadership structure, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.

Also in the race were Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, and Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida.

To the shock of those assembled, McCarthy withdrew from the race, and Boehner postponed the caucus vote. McCarthy had been under heavy fire from conservatives after suggesting in an interview that the House committee looking into the debacle at the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi was intended to damage Hillary Clinton. His attempts to talk his way out of that bonehead play were unconvincing, and so it became clear to him that a certain core of conservative House members would not support him, making it problematic for him to get the needed 218 votes to become speaker.

On his way out the door, McCarthy decided to take a parting shot at conservative members who declined to support him, saying that the GOP caucus in the House might be "ungovernable" (read: unwilling to keep quiet and do what they're told without question). His comments resulted in some predictably idiotic commentary in the liberal mainstream press (but I repeat myself). None of that blather will matter much, either.

Most people, you see, couldn't care less about all of this (if they're even aware of it), and that isn't likely to change.

It all reminds me of a poster I used to hang in my classroom back before I switched to fine art...

No one much cares, House GOP. Get your shit together, or don't, but please don't kid yourselves that the fate of the Republic hinges on what you decide to do. You haven't been much help these last few years anyway...

Things That Make Me Sad: Playoff Edition

Last night my beloved Kansas City Royals turned in a lackluster performance in Game 1 of the ALDS, losing 5-2 to the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium. The odds are now long for the Royals to even reach the ALCS, much less return to the World Series.

"A little over-the-top on the pessimism, even for you."

I predicted we'd get swept in three games if we lost the opener, and nothing I saw last night makes me think I'll be wrong about that...

Game 2 is this afternoon, and the Royals will have to find a way to beat Scott Kazmir (7-11, 3.10 ERA). Kazmir is 1-2 against the Royals this season, but he's been unlucky.
He has gone at least 7 innings in all three of his starts against us, with a 2.10 ERA. The Royals will start Johnny Cueto, who has given up fewer than 3 runs in only 2 of his last 11 starts. Given how sleepy the Royals bats have been lately (including last night), it isn't a promising match-up.

And probable American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel (20-8, 2.48) will start Game 3 for the Astros in Houston on Sunday.

I should be optimistic because...?

Origin of The Insanity Defense

From the marvelous comic strip Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, which you should read every day, as I do.

Until Next Time...

Fifty-four years ago today, the incomparable Ray Charles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Hit the Road, Jack," one of his most popular and iconic performances.
It was one of my parents' favorite songs, so I heard it a lot growing up. I didn't come to fully appreciate Ray's artistry until the late '60s, but once that happened I became a fan for life.

It certainly helped that Brother Ray was one of the first artists recruited by Coca-Cola when they began featuring popular music acts in their TV and radio commercials in the 1960s. This 1968 spot was always a favorite (apologies for the abrupt cut at the end; whoever did it wasn't very good with the editing software)...

That commercial was edited down from a somewhat longer version of the song that was only rarely shown on TV...

Anyway, today's send-off is a TV clip of Ray performing his No. 1 hit with backing from The Raelettes. Enjoy...

The Lyin' Queen

This Town Ain't Big Enough

So, World Class prevaricator and serial fabulist Hillary Clinton breezed through Council Bluffs yesterday on her "We Need a Uterus in the Oval Office" tour...

"I ate at the Main Street Cafe. That's homespun and folksy, right? Right?"

...and in the course of her brief visit managed to tell a bunch of whoppers to the rubes who turned out to catch her shtick. In fairness, these are lies she tells everywhere she goes. She didn't even bother to come up with any new ones for us here in the Bluffs. Among other things, she said:

• "Gun violence kills 90 people every day, many of them children" -- she didn't mention that nearly two-thirds of those deaths were suicides, or that most of the rest were gang-related shootings, or that the vast majority of the "children" in her statistics are aged 18 to 19 (i.e., adults), or that none of her "common sense" ideas would do anything to help the situation
• "Gun show loophole" -- there is no gun show "loophole"
• "Universal background checks" -- a terrible idea that wouldn't do any good
• "Women should get paid the same as men for the same work" -- even the liberal-leaning Washington Post is calling bullshit on this lie, finally

She also hit several other tunes on the progressive hit parade, including raising the minimum wage (bad idea), "ending incentives for companies to ship jobs overseas"
(ban capitalism?), creating a "national infrastructure bank" to pay for fixing roads and bridges (in places where the locals won't do it themselves, I guess), and instituting universal pre-kindergarden (bad idea). She also claims to have a "comprehensive plan" to deal with the "drug epidemic," but of course offered no specifics. She didn't mention how she would pay for any of her ideas, either, but then that's par for the course for a progressive.

"New ideas? Why on Earth would I need any new ideas? The '90s were awesome!"

There was absolutely nothing in her remarks that would have sounded out of place from a Democrat running for president 20 years ago, 30 years ago, etc.

If recent polling is any indication, the more folks hear her talk about what she would do as president, the less favorably they view her.

And, of course, her staff persists in believing that if we only knew the "real" Hillary we'd elect her by acclamation...

Uh, no...

Things That Make Me Happy: Baseball Hoopla Edition

For the second consecutive year my beloved Kansas City Royals are part of major league baseball's postseason party. The last time the team accomplished that feat was the 1984/1985 seasons, so the rest of the world will have to forgive lifelong Royals fans if we revel a bit more in the silly hoopla than most fans would. And if we choose to puff our chests out a bit because the Royals had the best record in the American League this season, or because they're the only team from last year's American League playoffs to make it into the postseason again this year, that is certainly understandable.

The American League Division Series with the Houston Astros begins tonight at Kauffman Stadium, and I'm sure the pregame festivities will be at least as entertaining as last year's version...

Aircraft from nearby Whiteman AFB do a Kauffman Stadium flyover.

"It's okay to admit you want them to win, you know."

Of course I want them to win. It is just difficult for me to believe that they will. That's par for the course when you're a pessimist by nature...

Meanwhile, In the National Inferior League...

Last night saw the National League's Wild Card playoff game, in which the Chicago Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

I was rooting for Pittsburgh in that game in part because my best friend grew up in Pittsburgh and in part because the Pirates endured a playoff drought nearly as long as the one the Royals had to go through before breaking through two seasons ago. Last night marked the second consecutive year the Pirates lost the Wild Card game in front of their home fans. That's tough to take.

I was also pulling for the Pirates because I'm sick to death of hearing about the fucking Curse of the Billy Goat, which the announcers won't stop talking about until the Cubs are eliminated.

But for the moment I'm forced to become a Cubs fan, because now they're playing...

...these assholes.

Live-Action Cartoons

I try to avoid watching congressional hearings, which are usually tedious events even when the subject is something I care about. Every so often, however, something happens at one of these things that rivals the funniest stuff my heroes like Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck ever pulled off.

During a hearing on climate change yesterday, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas asked Aaron Mair, President of the Sierra Club, if his organization was willing to accept scientific data indicating that there has been no planet-wide increase in temperature for nearly 20 years. Incredibly, Mr. Mair declined to answer, and instead retreated into a particularly stupid version of the appeal to popularity fallacy...

"So, when confronted with actual scientific evidence...?"

"...the Sierra Club will continue hiding behind the debunked '97 percent' claim, yes."

Watch the whole thing. It is astonishing to me that someone so close-minded and anti-intellectual could become the head of a major environmental group. Then again, maybe it isn't...

Justice In the Afterlife

From the excellent comic strip Non Sequitur, by Wiley Miller, which you should read every day, as I do (even though Wiley is a squishy liberal).

Until Next Time...

Twenty-seven years ago today, British progressive rock band Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon dropped off of the Billboard 200 Album chart. Ordinarily, this section of the blog doesn't celebrate that sort of anniversary, but when DSOM dropped off the charts it was the first time in 741 consecutive weeks since its 1973 release (more than 14 years) that it wasn't among the Top 200 albums. Although it only occupied the No. 1 spot on the charts for a single week, it is the third-largest-selling album of all time, behind only Michael Jackson's Thriller and AC/DC's Back in Black (from which yesterdays' send-off was taken).

Although the song "Money" was more commercially successful as a single, "Time" is in many ways the most iconic song on the album. Today's send-off is a remastered version of it from 2011 that was included in the band's Discovery series of album re-issues. Enjoy...