A few quick takes on news events that I missed while I was away:
DEATH OF A CROCODILE HUNTER: Yes, I was sorry to hear that Steve Irwin passed away, even though I was never that big a fan. My first thought is that I feel sorry for his wife- not only was he probably uninsurable, but she probably can't sue the stringray. Secondly, the "Russell Crowe, Finding 'Round the World" episode of "South Park" probably can't ever be broadcast again.
DIRTY BIRDY: Bert Blyleven is in trouble for accidentally cursing on the air during a Twins-Yankees telecast last weekend. I am shocked, shocked! that profanity escaped Bert's lips. And now they want to suspend him? They're lucky Bert didn't show his ass on the air.
"MASTURBATING MAN FREQUENTS TENNIS COURTS, EVADES POLICE": When I saw this e-mail subject line I just assumed it must be a FARK thread from LilB, or something, but nope, it's actually the front page headline from the latest issue of the Brandeis student newspaper. Come to think of it, LilB was up in Waltham last week...
LEE SIEGEL SUSPENDED FROM TNR; BLOG CANCELED: Yes, Lee was nabbed playing the old "make up a fake name and praise your own blog posts in the comments" trick. I always thought he was the worst writer on the magazine by a significant margin, so no I won't miss him.
EAGLES CUT TODD PINKSTON; VIKINGS PICK HIM UP: I think Todd will benefit from no longer playing in a city in which every single fan thinks he's the anti-Christ. But I'm not expecting too much from him, or the Vikings. Though they made things up to me when they cut another ex-Eagle, Mike McMahon. Seriously- getting rid of him might have made a difference of 3 or 4 wins this year.
TOM CRUISE SIGNS PRODUCTION DEAL WITH DAN SNYDER'S COMPANY: Signing over-the-hill stars just because they're big names has been Snyder's calling card ever since he bought the Redskins, so I don't see why his movie venture should be any different, or go any better. Call Cruise the new Deion Sanders.
THE SETH MNOOKIN BOOK: I liked it a lot, and it really got the root of what's wrong with the Sox this year. Yes, it's clear that Theo was right and Larry was wrong, which makes it weird that everyone thinks Mnookin is an apologist for the owners. My only beef was that Mnookin made it very clear who his favorites (and not-favorites) are. He really made Dan Shaughnessy look like a bastard- not that that's hard to do.
What a sad debacle this Red Sox season has been. I guess all the injuries and hospitalizations add credence to the theory that the Sox made a deal with the devil to win in '04- and I thought that even before traded prospect Anibal Sanchez threw a no-hitter tonight.
ROBERT CHRISTGAU FIRED FROM VILLAGE VOICE: He's obviously been slipping as a critic for a couple of decades, adding to the absurdity of a man in his 60s reviewing young rock bands for a living. But Christgau's contributions to the world of music criticism cannot possibly be overstated, and he'll be missed. I still love the Pazz & Jop poll every year.
"THE WIRE" RETURNS: I absolutely can't wait for Sunday, and I've been watching the last season all week to catch up. The odd thing is, I don't know a single person who also watches it, so I can never talk about it with anyone. Luckily, there's House Next Door, which is posting long essays about individual characters all this week. Gracias.
Posted by Stephen Silver at September 6, 2006 10:51 PMWhy is it you always say crackheaded things about somewhat serious subjects? I think Steve Irwin's wife is far from thinking about insurance or suing a stingray. also Steve Irwin seemed like the type of guy who would have thought the South Park episode was funny and would want people to enjoy it.
Posted by: at September 7, 2006 09:18 AM