Comic for Tuesday, February 21st, 2006

Posted: 12:09 am, Tuesday, February 21st

Alright, we're back in the full swing of thangs today. There was a strip yesterday, in case anyone missed it. It is the episode in which Ron's boss gives him the Easy button. Mm, broad office humor. It's good stuff. I still can't believe they sell that freaking ad gimmick. And people probably buy it. No wonder we've got an illiterate in the White House.

If you look at yesterday's post, you'll note there's not a lot going on - I visited the site once during the day to drop a note instead of my usual thirty-eight times. This is because I was avoiding the internet like the plague (this is also why you won't see many links in today's post) so that I didn't ruin the results of the ice dancing competition for myself. That's right, I said it. Ice dancing. 2.0 and I spent entirely too much of Sunday watching the Olympics, and I got thoroughly hooked on the ice dancing. Tanith whasserface - boy, she sure is pretty. Also, the Italian lady just utterly hating her teammate after he dropped her Sunday evening made for some good viewing.

The little internetting I did do, I had to be careful with. Webcomics, thankfully, are largely devoid of any mention of sports (other than, you know, Soxaholix and I guess this one, from time to time). So I've got a few links for you, and one recollection that no one will care about other than Reggie Ho.

First up is a very long interview with Jonathan Safran-Foer, author of Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Both were excellent, the second is a bit easier of a read, I think. I actually haven't read the whole thing (notice that I keep doing that these days?), but JFS is apparently down with the Bright Eyes, and also seems to live in an unfurnished apartment with a dog, if the pictures are any guide.

Whew, I thought I had lost this one due to a fast-moving archivist at the Independent UK. OK, here's a scary, depressing article by a NASA scientist on global warming. The skinny is that we're more than likely fucked, and Shitwit would rather keep this guy from spittin' the truth and add 'theory' after every mention of the Big Bang on NASA's site than face the music. Greenland's melting twice as fast as it was a mere five years ago. This is going to result in about an extra 10-25m of sea level by the end of the century. I guess it's a good thing I can't afford to buy property in Brooklyn.

Anyway, now that that's depressed the crap out of us all, we deserve something light-hearted to cleanse our palettes. I've got other depressing stuff, but it can wait 'til a Wednesday. Let's see, what's fun? Well, there's a new Lesson Is Learned up, which makes absolutely no sense but is pleasant, anyway. Check out the comments on the strip down under the writer blog - I think everyone in there is on something. If that strip makes more sense to you for any reason other than overwhelming weirdness, you've got to go see a doctor immediately. The other thing, since I'm actually not finding much at the moment, is from last Thursday. Drink at Work, one of my favorite sites on the web, has a new format in which a different writer takes swings every weekday, with anything extra coming from Ces just a bonus. Anyway, here's the Thursday guy, helping you name your indie band.

OK, the vague recollection that no one other than Reggie Ho will likely find interesting. I was at NDNation yesterday because I figured no one there would talk about ice dancing in case it had happened yet, and they were discussing the ND-Texas game from our freshman year. First off, it is astounding to think that we beat a team with Ricky Williams *and* Priest Holmes on it. But Lou was still the coach back then, so we were actually very good. So, guys were commenting on the game for no clear reason, and someone brought up one of two things I remember from the game - Powlus's option pitch to Autry Denson that set Denson up to get absolutely *killed* by some dude on Texas. The dudes on the web couldn't remember if it was Denson or Kinder - I'm almost positive it was Denson. Reggie, you remember this one? It had to be seen to be believed. The option ran to the right side, and there was a linebacker maybe three yards away from Powlus, who chickened-out and pitched it to Autry. The corner was streaking at him at roughly Mach 8, and just drove smack into his chest. I have no idea how Denson didn't fumble that ball. He popped up, because he was tough, and told Powlus not to do that again. (The other thing I remembered was also brought up - Jim Sanson won the game on a field goal from maybe 45 yards out as time expired. Unfortunately, he still had three and a half years of eligibility remaining and hit at maybe a 55% success rate after that game. Nothing is more painful than a bad kicker. He missed four field goals against USC our sophomore year, if I remember correctly.)(I didn't - just checked, it was only three. Whew.)

OK, more tomorrow. I think we'll be getting a special new feature, too. I'll keep you all in suspense 'til then.

bullfrog

Yes, I do recall and I believe it was Denson as well. Lou Holtz is a God. Congress should declare Holtz's birthday as Lou Holtz day and close schools and post offices nationwide (but not banks because that's just inconvenient).

That recollection leads me to the question of the day, to which I am completely undecided...who is the biggest loser?... (A) Ricky "off in India studying Yoga" Williams; (B) Ron Powlus; or, (C) Bode Miller. I'm leaning toward Williams (shocking considering the pain Powlus put me through...but there's always a time to move on...just not sure if this is that time yet). On the other hand, this Miller guy can't help but rub me the wrong way. Big mouth and cocky commercials/website propoganda, yet he skis off the course every time (weird for a professional skier to do).

Reggie follows a little hopes and was left with a puzzled look on his face this morning after reading an article supposedly discussing the upcoming NBA trade deadline: "The surest of all things is that the Knicks will make a deal. Yet they've generated so much trade paradoxical speculation and gossip that there's no predicting which way they'll go." Is it really journalism to write an article discussing the trade deadline with respect to each NBA team to conclude by stating that there's just too much to write about? Damn, that annoys me. Mr. Writer, why don't you just do the rest of us a favor who sat through your useless article and give a shot at providing us some of the "paradoxical speculation." This is why I tend to read ESPN articles and not these half-ass excuses for writing on SI.com.

I'm going with D) Ryan Leaf. At least Ron Powlus got hired by his *own* school after bombing professionally. Leaf had to go to West Texas A&M or something.

Also, per Reggie's comment about the pain Powlus put him through.. You know the how the dad in A Christmas Story wove a tapestry of obscenity that's still hanging over Lake Erie somewhere? It had nothing on Reggie's curses directed at Powlus during our freshman year.

And it was well-deserved...he completed more passes to the front row of fans just beyond the well-landscaped sideline with those nice yellow flowers (approximately 20 yards from the field!) than he did to his receivers.

note to corgan: make the announcement already - is sp getting back together or what? i'll also take a zwan reunion. i can't say that thefutureembrace was all that great. jeez, come on dude:

http://www.blamo.org/sp/

Someone at Stereogum predicts they're the soo-prise guest at whatever fest they have out in Washington.. Sasquatch, I guess?

http://www.stereogum.com/archives/002332.html

Line-ups already pretty cool, but I'd guess Pearl Jam just because, you know, it's Washington.

ESPN, if I wanted to figure out stupid trade possibilities, I'd still be playing fantasy sports.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/trademachine

Found this interesting...did you know that sometimes no one gets an Olympic gold metal?

There's no set rule for what happens after an Olympic athlete returns his medal. The IOC decided not to give DeMont's gold to the runner-up; Australian Brad Cooper kept his silver, and the top spot remained vacant. In 1912, the American athlete Jim Thorpe lost his gold medals after officials ruled that he was not an amateur. (He'd earned a few bucks playing minor league baseball.) A gentlemanly runner-up didn't agree with the decision and refused to trade in his silver.

http://www.slate.com/id/2132510/

That Thorpe deal remains one of the all-time hosings of an athlete. Also, is there a cooler last name possible than "Thorpe"? It just sounds awesome.

Seems crazy, but Hunter S. has been gone a year already. His wife wrote a note for Page 2 marking the anniversary today, and it's rather nice.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?pag e=thompson/060221

MNP - are - you - kidding - me.

i've decided that Voldemort somehow has cursed our team. Maybe Chris Quinn is really Harry Potter in disguise.