I don’t know what to say about this video. I grew up a Baltimore Orioles fan, but don’t follow the team much anymore. Part of it is a busier lifestyle. Part of it is my gravitation towards soccer. But a lot of it is the absolutely shitty way Peter Angelos has run the team.

When I hear the song “Orioles Magic,” I honestly get chills. I remember when it started on June 22-23. The Orioles won the game on the 22nd in the ninth inning with a home run by Doug DeCinces, did the same thing in the first half of the doubleheader on the 23rd when Eddie Murray went deep, then broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the eighth to win the nightcap. I remember listening to the doubleheader on the radio as my family cooked out that night. We all knew that team had something special.

Orioles Magic just happened. It developed into a marketing campaign, but that wasn’t the intention. The concept grew from a gritty team that went on a wonderful march on the way to the World Series. Orioles Magic truly meant something to the people who followed the team back then.

I certainly appreciate the energy of the current team and their willingness to connect with the many fans like me who just can’t believe what Peter has done to our team. But Orioles Magic is much more than a music video. You can’t just trot the song out with new players because when you show the new highlights, we see how empty the stadium is, and we know why.

With all due respect to Kevin Millar, he’s no Rick Dempsey, no Eddie Murray, no Doug DeCinces. I’m glad the team has started to play some better ball, but it takes a lot more than a cheesy video and a decent April to make up for what longtime Orioles fans have suffered. Show us some real magic, something close to a pennant race, then you can try and connect with the old days.

I don’t know who to blame for not letting the Buzz Bissinger-Will Leitch “debate” die. Bissinger hasn’t shut up, trying to explain over and over again that his point still stands, but he shouldn’t have been such a dick. I say, if you have to be such a dick in the first place, it kind of kills your point, but who am I?

Some of Bissinger’s friends have weighed in, repeating the blogs are bad because they aren’t professional while showing a lack of professionalism by not doing a good job researching the topic. For instance, Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post defended Bissinger, including more complaining about blog commenters.

Bissinger and Shapiro and their buddies are so worried about how blog commenters - which are really just the guys from the bar with computer access - are bringing down society with rude and profane discussion. I just wonder why don’t they take a few minutes to praise sites like Fire Joe Morgan, which includes little commentary and all of it submitted via e-mail so the bloggers (which include Michael Shur, a writer and producer for “The Office” and the guy who plays Mose Schrute on the show).

I guess it’s easier to blast the commenters instead of showing that there are lots of different blogs. Sure, they now know enough to say you can’t speak about blogs generally, but then they do it anyway, ignoring the ones that disprove their negative point.

At the same time, the bloggers and commenters continue to respond, some of them in a really negative tone. But Christmas Ape, aka Michael Tunison who lost his job at the Post because of his blogging at Kissing Suzy Kolber, makes perhaps the best point of all at Deadspin, one which Bissinger and Shapiro will never get.

… haven’t many already made the claim that our culture’s obsession with sports alone is evidence enough of a “dumbing down”? My opinion is that sports is entertainment first, no matter how much significance you wish to attach to it.

The fact that we’re talking about how people write about sports has never really entered the conversation here. It’s sports, for God’s sake. Games and how we perceive them. If we can’t have some fun talking about athletics, what’s the point? Sports bloggers aren’t dumbing down society. They just realize that taking the act of men chasing a ball around a field too seriously is just laughable.

For a few moments, I felt as if I had lost a child.

I came home from work on Monday to an empty house. I had to stay late for an event at work, so Maria took Bridget with her to the PTO meeting.

I figured I would cook myself a small dinner, plop myself down in front of the television, and relax until they got home.

But something funny happened when I went into the living room to turn on the TV. The box on top of the TV was flashing some crazy numbers. I had no idea what was happening.

I did what any guy would do in the situation. I unplugged the cable box, then plugged it back in.

(more…)

I love comedian Dave Attell.

I love the old comedy show The Gong Show.

Put the two together, and I’m not sure how much I love it. That hasn’t stopped Comedy Central from making that move.

“The Gong Show with Dave Attell” will consist of eight to ten off-beat and hilarious acts that will be judged by a panel of three revolving celebrity judges. The search for talent has already begun and submissions are being accepted at gongshowcasting@aol.com.

First off, using comedians to host game shows on Comedy Central doesn’t always work out. I barely got through one episode of Lewis Black’s new show, and I love Lew.

Secondly, THEY HAVE A FREAKING AOL ADDRESS FOR THEIR E-MAIL. For God’s sake, I have my own freaking domain name and unique e-mail. How low-budget will this thing be if they are using an AOL address?

I know comedy is tough and standup performers, especially ones like Attell who don’t necessarily have a family-friendly act, need to try and expand their presence and make some cash somewhere. But you have to draw a line somewhere.

Adam Sandler is involved from the production side, so maybe this thing has a chance. I don’t have high hopes though.

As I have said before, I don’t have very many heroes. I try to see everyone for their humanity and try not to raise one person above another.

But Zach Feinstein, he’s different.

Zach has a dream. He just completed his junior year at Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in Systems Engineering and Applied Mathematics. Engineering and counting won’t play a big role in Zach’s future, however, if things work out the way he hopes.

Zach has applied for and received a spot on the list of players eligible for the National Basketball Association Draft on June 26 in New York. If you have not completed your college eligibility, you need to apply to have your name in the draft pool. Luckily for Zach, the NBA approved his application despite one hitch.

He doesn’t play basketball. Hasn’t since the third grade. The fact that he’s 5-8, 130 and has a double major in engineering and math at Washington might have something to do with it.

That hasn’t stopped Zach. He dreams of taking his mad pickup basketball skills to the NBA, and the league has given him the opportunity. I just feel bad that he won’t be at Madison Square Garden next month to hear his name called.

He’ll be in China doing research. Hopefully research about dunking on Yao Ming.

First, the Wii let you play golf in your living room. Then, they brought beer pong to your gaming system. So, what’s next for the greatest game system ever?

Pole dancing.

Yes, pole dancing. A company which makes portable stripper poles has announced that they are working on developing a pole dancing application for the Wii.

I love this country. Yet, I can’t stop thinking of how this will end badly. Sure, pole dancing is now gaining acceptance as a great way to exercise, but that won’t satisfy Americans.

Next thing you know, there will be a virtual strip club buffet, virtual Pacman Jones, and virtual alibi game for when you come home with stripper dust all over your clothes. Not that I know anything about these kinds of things.

Summer TV comes a little early when American Gladiators returns on Monday night. NBC had a bug on the screen announcing the premier for a little while, but I finally saw a press release about it yesterday.

The season will debut from 8-10 on Monday night. The release didn’t say what time the show will be on after that. I am guessing 8-9, but am too lazy to go look it up.

The two winners from last season will return as Gladiators and another female Gladiator has joined the group. They will introduce two new events and have re-vamped the Eliminator. I also hope they have done something about Powerball to reduce the chance of injuries for the competitors.

The bad news is that Hulk and Leila will continue to deliver insipid commentary. Oh, well. You can’t win ‘em all.

If you haven’t already, read the item below about my decision to get rid of my traditional cell phone for a pre-paid phone in an attempt so save money. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

*whistles*

OK, now, as Paul Harvey used to say, here’s the “rest of the story.”

When I first got my new phone, I had little trouble transferring the number to my new phone. Of all the things associated with this decision, that worried me most since I use the phone for personal and work stuff. I didn’t need a hiccup with this to get me in trouble at work.

After that happened, I went to activate the new phone. I had a little trouble at first and needed to call customer service. They had me put in some codes, and the phone started working fine. I was slightly annoyed I couldn’t do it online, but it didn’t bother me that much.

The service came with 10 free minutes, but I had bought a card for 400 minutes. All the advertisements said adding minutes was a snap. You could do it either through thephone or online. Piece of cake, I thought. Until I tried.

(more…)

I remember when I bought my first cell phone. Maria was pregnant with Bridget, and I was working in downtown Baltimore.

Just in case the kid decided to come at an inopportune time, she needed a way to get in touch with me. So I headed off to the mall and picked out something cool, but affordable.

I remember looking at all the available calling plans. My instincts told me to pick the cheapest one, but I harbored odd fantasies of getting calls day and night from friends I hadn’t heard from in ages just dying to catch up now that I had a cool new phone.

Yeah, that never happened. In fact in the almost eight years I have had a cell phone, I have learned that I hate talking on the phone whether it’s in my house or can fit in my pocket.

(more…)

As the tour to support “Accelerate” approaches, Peter Buck has started to puff out his chest because, as he puts it, he finally got his way.

I always complained and I always suggested that we work quicker and more spontaneously. The other guys weren’t into it. I think maybe the reception (’Around the Sun’) got kind of shocked them and made them realize … I was right, we can’t work like this any longer.

Those comments came from a Billboard interview where Buck also said he has written a bunch of songs for the next album (the thought of that pumps me up beyond belief), and he hopes Mike Mills and Michael Stipe agree that fast, loud, and quick is the way to go.

Peter also said that the set lists for the tour, which kicks off May 23, will go back deep into their catalog. He referenced how the band resurrected some oldies during their Dublin “live rehearsals” about nine months ago.

I have a few “requests” and can’t wait until I get to see them in mid-June.