That robot song had me in stitches

One episode in, I'm liking HBO's new comedy series, Flight of the Concords. It's part Extras, part mock-musical, and part indie rock hipster in-joke -- and very enjoyable. We'll have to see how it holds up over the course of several episodes, of course, but I'm hooked after just one. The premise of the episode was so simple -- two bandmates are temporarily torn apart by a girl -- that you wouldn't think it could sustain enough jokes for a 30-minute show. But you'd be wrong. And the musical numbers are actually the show's strength, which is saying something considering how I hold actual musicals in disdain and find little to laugh about as far as Tenacious D is concerned. I'm interested to read what the critics have to say, but in the meantime, do give it a try.

I'm also digging John From Cincinnati. I'm not sure if I'm ready to invest all this emotion in the characters just yet, and the show is already asking its audience to do just that after a dramatic episode two. (The writers wisely chose the kid to be the target of your emotion, and its hard to say no to that naive kid.) By and large, this is a show full of oddballs, and my three favorite characters so far are the hotel owner, Ted Bundy, and the namesake, who I can only describe as Rainman meets Morrissey.

As for the first episode of the second half of Entourage, I can already tell I'm going to tire of Billy's character -- and fast. Unfortunately, it looks like he'll be around for a good while.

N/P -- Peter Bjorn and John

Illini head to the Dance, undeservedly

While I thought we would get a bid to the Big Dance, I don't think we were deserving. Especially when you consider some of the teams that were left out, like Syracuse, Florida State, and Oklahoma State. The Big East didn't get as much love as I expected, which is surprising considering that I think it's the best basketball conference in the nation. Top to near bottom, it's a bitch. When you compare us to Syracuse, you can see why Jim Boeheim might have a good argument. SU beat Penn, 'Nova, Marquette, and G'Town, all teams in the Tourney. I think they're big two wins, over Marquette (on the road) and Georgetown (a game I watched) stand up much better than our two marquee wins over Indiana (at home and neutral). Then there's Oklahoma State, who has two elite college players, and beat Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and lost by just two to Tennessee. Florida State beat Florida, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Duke, and North Carolina State.

We're damn lucky to be dancing, methinks. And I think we'll get bounced in the first round by Virginia Tech, ruining the possible Weber-SIU matchup the tourney folks set up for round two. Here's what I know about the Hokies:

1) A Hokie is not a turkey, as their mascot would lead you to believe. It's actually an old-timey, sorta made-up word that basically means "hooray." True story.

2) They're beatable, as they proved in their non-conference season, beginning the year 4-3 with losses to Western Michigan, Southern Illinois, and George Washington. They dropped another game in surprising fashion when they lost at Marshall (by one). Other than that, their remaining losses were all to good teams within conference.

3) They're also damn good, as evidenced by their two wins over North Carolina. The Hokies can put the ball in the bucket. They scored 90+ points this season twice in ACC play, including a win over the Tarheels. They're led by guard Zabian Dowdell, who is averaging 18.0 points per game and hits 39 percent of his threes; Deron Washington, a 6-foot-7 wing with mad hops; point guard Jamon Gordon, a talented distributor and defender; and swingman A.D. Vassallo, their best three-point shooter. In general, they shoot fairly well from both inside and outside the arc, but like us can struggle at the line. They force a good number of turnovers and create havoc on defense with their athleticism. They remind me in many ways of a poor man's Ohio State -- poor in the sense that they're lacking a Greg Oden.

Our best bet to win: we take a sudden liking to feeding the post, hit a majority of what open looks we can get from beyond the arc, and better our season average at the charity stripe. My prediction: VaTech 61, Illinois 54.

10 random thoughts the morning after watching some incredible NCAA hoops

1) You can assume from the title of this post that I was not watching Big Ten basketball, because there's been far too few Big 10 games that would fall under the headline "incredible". (Even though the end of the Penn State-Iowa tilt was entertaining, at least.) No, the hoops I refer to was Texas A&M versus Texas in Austin. This game has been on my calendar for weeks, and unlike the teams' previous meeting @ A&M, this one was all it was billed to be -- tons of lead changes, and a close, well-paced game throughout. Kevin Durant, the best "big man" in college ball, versus Acie Law, the best guard in college ball. It did not disappoint. If you missed the game (eventually won by Texas by two points in double OT), then allow me a brief recap of the game's single-most defining moment. First, the set up: Durant drilled a three with around 20 seconds left in regulation to put Texas up by three. That set the stage for Law, who has earned his rep this year time and time again as the NCAA's best performer with the game on the line. With time winding down, Law dribbled to the wing past a screen, causing Durant -- he of the ninety-foot wingspan -- to switch onto him. Law needed a three to tie the game and send it into overtime. He had to shoot with Durant in his face, so he released a three-pointer that somehow arced over Durant's outstretched arm and, after dusting off the rafters while in orbit, swished through the hoop. Best shot of the year. No doubt. Law hit another three to send the game into a second overtime. But by that point, the Aggies, with two of their starters long-since fouled out, were dead-tired and just couldn't quite get it done on the road. To think that Law isn't being mentioned as a lock for a lottery pick just yet is sad. Yes, this year's draft is deep. But if Brandon Roy can go in the lottery and put up good numbers as a rookie, then Law is a lock to make some NBA team very happy. He'll be a great scoring-dishing PG in the pros. As for Durant, there's no doubt he's the best player in the country. He dominates games in a way that Greg Oden was supposed to, but never has.

2) In general, I've seen more memorable, entertaining NCAA games this year than in any year in recent memory, save for possibly the '04 Illini's run to St. Louis. The influx of freshman talent has had an astounding influence on the NCAA, and if you've been missing out, please pull your head out of your ass and try to catch a game or two before the tourney starts, especially if Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Wisconsin, North Carolina, UCLA, or Florida are on. One of those teams will win the title this year. That's not saying much, I realize, except that I don't think there will be any surprises in the final field of four this year. The cream of the crop is too good. My two darkhorses to make the Final 4: Pitt and Georgetown.

3) Enough NCAA discussion, let's talk pro ball. (Enter collective moan.) I was a bit shocked that the Bulls didn't pull the trigger to get Pau Gasol of the Grizzlies, as was widely rumored. But in the end, I'm still glad that Paxson didn't break up the nucleus. It's true that he also didn't improve the team's most glaring weakness -- interior scoring -- but I like the roll of the dice he's taking. He's got a talented team that defends relatively well and, if their shots are falling, will win at least one playoff round this year in the mediocre East. The Bulls hold a likely Top 10 (probably somewhere between 8-12) pick in the draft, and with that pick its still very likely they can get a very good big man who can step in next year and contribute offensively, say Al Horford, Spencer Hawes, Brook Lopez, or Aaron Gray.

4) My trip to Louisville with M proved rewarding, at least on the record-shopping end of things. The city in general isn't all that interesting on the surface. There's the Louisville Slugger Museum (pics from that later), which was interesting if you're a baseball fanatic but no so much otherwise, the Ali Museum (didn't go), some theater and art, and a variety of restaurants and locally-owned shops. However, we didn't get to experience much of that in the time we were there. There's one mile-plus strip -- Bardstown Road -- where a majority of those shops and restaurants are located, but it's a non-walkable, heavy traffic strip, which makes it difficult to discover much in one day. I concentrated on record stores, and found just two worth visiting: 1) Ear X-tacy, a truly great independent with massive selection and back catalog, but unfortunately no used vinyl, which is what I was after; and 2) Underground Sounds, which had some used vinyl but also a fairly decent '60s collection of new records from Sundazed and the like. I found a couple rarities of note there which I'll post about later on Good Moanin'. Certainly the town had more to offer in terms of music stores than Champaign, but that ain't saying much, of course. I was disappointed. Highlight of the trip: the fried pickle I ate at The Pub, a British pub knock-off. (They also had a diverse and plentiful selection of draft beers, but they were pricey.)

5) I can't wait for my first taste of baseball on TV this year. Wainwright -- remember him, Mets fans? Tigers fans? -- started our first game yesterday, tossing three scoreless innings against the Fish. Rick Ankiel -- remember him, baseball fans? -- went 2-for-2 at the plate. Today, Carpenter faces Glavine. Woo-hoo!

6) Al Green has one of the best voices, ever.

7) Would you read a well-written book on America's introduction of baseball to East Asia, their cultivation of the sport into a distinct style with their own branding, and then East Asia's come-full-circle influence on MLB? I'm gunning for such a book.

8) I've basically stopped taking this multivitamin that M tried to get me to start taking a while ago. I've had this huge bottle of 'em for some time. As foolish as this sounds, taking a daily vitamin makes me feel old, or at least older than I am. I suck at taking vitamins. Always have.

9) The Oscars suck. How did Jennifer Hudson ever defeat Adriana Barraza for an acting award? Of course, I was pitiful once again at picking the winners at this year's Oscars Party. I failed to finish in last, though. For the second year running, I was basically next-to-last, after winning last in my first try three years ago.

10) I like Rice Krispies treats -- a lot. There were some at the Oscars Party, and I enjoyed several. Maybe if I could just place a multivitamin inside a Rice Krispie treat...

Time for a change at the top

When Jamar Smith arrived on campus as a green freshman, I had a certain mental image of him that formed as a result of a couple articles I had read about him shortly after he had his break-out game against Memphis. The image was of a kid who was so determined to become the best basketball player he could be that he spent hour after hour, night after night, shooting jump shots in a rec center gym. He displayed a track record of discipline, drive, and determination. He hadn't been a highly-recruited high school player, yet he turned himself into a success story: all of a sudden, against immense competition, he couldn't miss a three-point shot. He was showing that he could raise his game to another level. So, how did this kid turn into such a mess in a little over a year? That's the question we need to find an answer to right now. While everyone debates what his punishment should be, I'd rather focus on how this basketball program has fallen from grace under Bruce Weber's watch.

I'm all for second chances. But in the case of Jamar Smith, his second chance needs to come at his hometown Bradley University, or some other college. He needs to lose his UI scholarship. No ifs, ands, or buts. He's out. Now.

The sort of unhealthy behavior Jamar demonstrated has been infecting this Illini team for some time, as we all know. From the burglary to the previous DUI to spitting on bouncers, this team has been spiraling out of control for some time. Of course, significant blame resides with the players. They are ultimately responsible for their actions. But what concerns me isn't that a group of college kids have made considerably poor decisions -- that's to be expected. It's that there doesn't appear to be a culture surrounding this team of helping each other to learn from mistakes and steer clear of trouble. For that reason, I blame Weber. The kids aren't responding to him, and he isn't making his point clearly. (Case in point: McBride's six-game suspension for a DUI -- a mere slap on the wrist if that -- doesn't lead to better behavior from the team; instead it leads to another, more serious, DUI.) Leadership begins at the top, and clearly Weber needs to increase his effort in this regard. He needs to get control of his team. Now.

Additional details from the police report indicate that multiple players are also at fault in this particular incident. It's quite possible that fellow Illini players were also drinking at this party, might have supplied the alcohol, and also made significantly poor judgments in both allowing Jamar to drive, and how they responded to the wreck. (Update: other Illini members were likely NOT drinking, but did make poor decisions post-wreck. Chet Frazier has been named.) If any of that turns out to be true -- and I'm down suspending my gut feelings on matters of UI basketball -- then those players need to be outed by the school and basketball program, before the police do Weber's job for him. Those players need to serve lengthy suspensions. Not during next season's pre-season schedule. Now.

I'm tired of the leadership of this program sending mixed messages to the team, as well as the fans of all ages who follow the team. Stop taking this shit too lightly, and start making lasting impressions. How did a gym rat with little trouble in his past end up with two felony charges on his record? And what is Bruce Weber going to do to change the culture that helped to create such a situation? Is he the right man to make such a considerable change? These are the questions we need to address. Now.

P.S. Fuck the Chief discussion. Let's concentrate on a real issue that matters, instead of the end of a dancing white kid dressed in fake feathers.

Ready for some baseball?

I am! And this is the perfect video to wake me from my off-season slumber. Thanks for passing this along, Tandy.

Yacht Rockin' in the snow

The only thing better than a Yacht Rock party when there's snow on the ground ... is Yacht Rock itself. If you're not in the know, you best be learning.

Obama 08

M and I and CM and L'felter got up early this morning to drive to Springfield and attend Barack Obama's presidential announcement. Wow, was it ever cold -- in the low single digits when we arrived. I haven't had frostbite on my toes since I was a wee lad. But it was worth it when Obama finally took the stage for a brief, 25-minute speech. His speech was what we've come to expect from Barack -- a message of change in our political climate, and what we've come to expect from our politicians; a message of ownership of America, of energizing a nation of despondent folks so that they may realize the true meaning of citizenship; a message of a country living up to its true potential, instead of accepting where its chosen to settle.

The big announcements: 1) Obama wants universal healthcare in America by the end of his first term; and 2) He wants to bring home all troops -- and give them the proper homecoming (medical and otherwise) they deserve -- by March of 2008. Neither of those messages necessarily separates him from Hillary -- I think she "shares" a similar viewpoint as we speak -- but in Obama's delivery one senses a sort of invigorating immediacy that's hard to resist. He also spoke bluntly of a need to accept our failures -- instead of blaming them on "the other party or gay people or immigrants" -- and seek to correct them, and the fact that no amount of U.S. soldiers in Iraq can resolve that country's civil war and age-old political power struggle. Hear his whole speech at his site, U2 introductory music included. (His closing music -- classic r&b like Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher" -- was a much better choice.)

I have no idea how many were in attendance, as it was hard to get any sort of vantage point that would allow me to take in the scene. But for a wild guess I would say 25,000 people. If anyone has read a more accurate number online, please post it in the comments. The turnout was impressive -- even in his home state -- considering how bitterly cold it was outside. Here's my snapshots, including a photo of the security detail that were atop most of the buildings surrounding the old Capitol building.

Snow days are back!

Woo-hoo! We trudged through the snow to eat sushi, then tossed snowballs in the park. (Well, actually I tossed snowballs and M complained.) And the apartment was toasty warm upon our return.

Prince gets...

...a big thumbs up on his Super Bowl performance. "Purple Rain" was quite appropriate and a great set-ender. Plus it totally made up for the Foo Fighters cover (coming out of "All Along the Watchtower" no less). Bold choice to do so many covers, but I liked that, as well as the marching band appearance (which reminded me of Outkast on the Grammys a couple years ago).

Heaven to me...

...is when form and function combine to give me the best set-up I've ever had for The Records Room.

R.I.P. Illini, Devine

Wow. Did the Illini suck today against Purdue or what? Let me count the ways in which their offense continues to be utterly inept. (Oh, fuck it. Who has that sort of time?) Frazier looked dumbfounded in the second half as the Purdue D gave him the Jason Chappell treatment and sagged into Pruit on the post. I keep attempting to come up with new excuses for this NIT-bound bunch, and I just can't do that anymore. They lack leadership, skill, and most importantly, smarts. I don't see how things are going to improve next year either, unless this McCamey kid is the second coming of Bruce Douglas.

In other sad news today, former Cards GM Bing Devine, who was the architect of the Cards '60s dynasty, passed on at the age of 90. Cubs fans will remember him as the mastermind of the Brock-for-Broglio deal. I was lucky enough to work with him on his memoir (titled Stealing Lou Brock) three years ago, and got to meet him. Incredibly nice guy.

I'll end on a bright note. The first book I have acquired hits the shelves this week. If you're a fan of baseball, the Negro Leagues, and history in general, it's worth a read.

10 random thoughts prior to having my picture taken

1) It's win or go home for the Illini tonight. Lots of reason to hate Coach Sanctions and IU, but tonight it needs to be about the W and not Eric Gordon. If we don't win tonight, I don't think we make the NCAA Tourney.

2) I realized yesterday that my driver's license expired in August, and I didn't renew it. Oops. So today I'm taking care of that little mistake, and getting my picture updated. For the first time, I'll have a piece of plastic in my wallet that has a photo of me on it with a beard, which seems odd since I've had a beard for what seems like forever. In reality, forever is just two years.

3) At work, I'm considering doing a book on an African-turned-American long distance runner who just happens to be an Olympian. That, and a book about the slimey underbelly of college basketball recruiting. Oh, and a coffee table book on the history of sports in NYC.

4) So far, so good in keeping up my stamina at the other blog. Some of my posts are just silly, which I realize. But silly is part of who I am (although I wonder if I lost that part of me a few years ago and have only recently rediscovered it).

5) The Cardinals resigned Mark Mulder. Barf.

6) The Records Room has been successfully remodeled. For those of you who weren't at M's b-day party, maybe I'll post a picture later. I'm happy with how it turned out. Quite functional. Quite comfortable. Quite to my style.

7) I've been toying recently with the idea of taking a class in Photoshop. It's been a long time since I've used Photoshop on a regular basis, and while I can do some things, there are plenty of other tricks I'd like to learn. I'm basically self taught, and I'd like to become proficient in it so that I can tack that on to my resume. Also, I'd like to improve at Quark while I'm at it.

8) Question for the sports fans out there: If you could have a lovely calendar hanging on your wall featuring legends from your favorite team (say a Cubs calendar featuring Ron Santo and Andre Dawson and Fergie Jenkins and Ernie Banks and Hack Wilson), would that interest you? Would you plop down $12 on that sort of wall art for the office?

9) I've been so utterly depressed from reading about the continued deterioration of the Middle East situation on CNN and Salon that I've sworn off reading the two sites during the work day. Too hard to concentrate on my work.

10) My office situation sucks. I work in a loft space, and my particular office has walls but no ceiling or doors. If I have my music on at the slightest volume, then everyone in the loft (even those 50 feet away) can hear what I'm listening to. I don't care about that, but they do. So I've had to bring in my monstrous over-the-ear headphones to both block out their noise and contain my own. I really miss my old office, with a window and a door and a ceiling. Oh, the little things...

For a good time...

...on the night of Wednesday, January 10, call Brian Randle.


(At the game I couldn't tell that he had pounded his forehead on the backboard on that dunk. That was insane!)

I-L-L

S-U-C-K.

That was a pathetic performance and complete collapse against an incredible team.

It's easy to look at the obvious lack of athleticisim and talent we ran out on the court compared to a team like Ohio State. We can talk about inferior recruiting all we want. But what I'm concerned with is Bruce Weber's inability to get his team to execute on offense, and to place them in a position to succeed. You've got use the tools you have. Weber's motion offense worked wonderfully when Deron Williams and Luther Head and Dee Brown and Roger Powell were on the floor for the Orange & Blue. But without them, it's a rather week strategy, don't you think? Against superior athletes, the Illini can not get open looks, whether running around screens or with ball in hand. Basketball is all about taking high-percentage shots, and this Illini team is simply not getting many. Weber needs to add more wrinkles and set plays. There's no reason why Smith, Carter, and Pruitt shouldn't take a collective 35-40 shots per game. It's Weber's job to create enough opportunities for them to accomplish that goal.

Other than that, I blame Weber -- who looks as if he's losing his team -- for not finding a way to challenge this team to rally against adversity. To fire the team up -- in game, in the huddle, on the sidelines. Make them the aggressor they are not. The fact that we don't get to the line very often and settle for too many contested threes will just continue to punish this team as the season wears on.

The 2007 Illini are an effective defensive squad. Even with Ohio State's intense offensive surge in the first half, the Buckeyes still finished the game shooting just 31 percent on threes and 34 percent from the floor. Great offensive teams will go through hot stretches, and that hot stretch essentially won the game for Ohio State, because we folded after it. But I can't fault the defense for the breakdown. It happens. However, offensively we took more bad shots in one game than we've taken in the previous five combined. We looked lost, without a game plan and without a leader.

It's easy to say, "Man, we should've nabbed Thad Matta as our coach when we had the chance." But that's not the hand we've been dealt. I'm okay with Weber as coach, as long as HE starts making some adjustments and finds a way to get his team to respond to a true challenge.

My two cents.

/end rant

I was dead-on in my guess of a 12-3 pre-conference mark. So far, my 9-7 guess for their Big Ten record may be a bit optimistic. Hope I'm wrong.

New Year's resolution

Same as some of you ... blog more. Longer posts will occasionally pop up here, but shorter, daily, less serious and often musical posts have a new home.