What the hell is up with these ridiculous two-game series? And what the hell happened to that team that swept three from Seattle on the road? Beats me. After stumbling in Kansas City over the weekend the Twins came home and, facing 23-year-old Cleveland pitchers on back-to-back nights, looked anxious and undisciplined at the plate. … Read more
When I was a kid, we often took votes at the dinner table. More often than not, the count was four to one, with my Dad being the one. After the count, he’d invariably announce, “Well, I won again.” When we’d protest, he’d explain, “My vote is the only one that counts.” (My brother soon … Read more
SPORTS Boxing in Minnesota? No kidding. It’s not too often I see the words “boxing” and “Minnesota” together in a sentence — unless of course that sentence is about how there’s little to no boxing here. Being a huge boxing fan, this displeases me, but today I am quite pleased indeed. ESPN2’s Fight Night will … Read more
A few items while I wait for Wednesday night’s Warriors-Mavs and Nugs-Spurs games… There have been many fine tributes to author David Halberstam (my favorite is the superb excerpting of his work by Glenn Greenwald in Salon), and I’d have to put The Making of a Quagmire and The Best and the Brightest alongside Michael … Read more
It came as no surprise that the Star Tribune’s new ownership, Avista Capital Partners, dismissed a call from its Guild for an independent investigation into the rather serious charges asserted against publisher, Par Ridder. The presumption is that it did do knowing full well that the legal process is both glacial and unlikely to produce … Read more
Jane Eyre, 1944 My wife likes costume dramas; I’m a fan of Orson Welles. Our interests meet this week with the DVD release of Jane Eyre. If you ask the both of us, Welles is ideal as Mr. Rochester. The big boy’s histrionics perfectly suit that literary madman (and over the years Rochester’s never been … Read more
Last weekend, I stopped by a certain tax accountant‘s office/art gallery to soak up the scenes. Among them: The Gap has really foisted this hoodie-and-tie trend upon us, which I don’t entirely dislike. It’s sort of like an updated version of the tie-with-tweed look, since it, too, is worn mostly by brooding wimpster types. (Don’t … Read more
where can a brother get some ribs? Sunday ended up with a rainy jaunt to the Albertville Outlets. With four kids to clothe in cargo shorts and ridiculously expensive paper-thin tees, I need all the break I can get, so northward we trip. I’m not a crowd-shopper, I reach my patience limit quickly. Needless to … Read more
Ok, that was brutal. And long. Jesse Crain may have taken the loss –and he was awful– but you can pin this one on the offense. Here’s the ugliest fine print from the boxscore, and the best indication of the difference between the the two teams in terms of hitting approach: Minnesota pitchers threw 236 … Read more
Am I too old to see the fairies dance? I cannot find them anymore. –Langston Hughes, from “After Many Springs” That the light would last forever. That a silent abracadabra was the appropriate blessing to be conferred on even the grayest new morning. That a dog was both a lantern and a life preserver. That … Read more