#84 Jerseys Now In The Clearance Rack

What will I do now that I have one less reason to laugh at Vikings fans? The way they bent themselves into pretzels to rationalize Randy Moss's behavior was hilarious.

What will Oakland Raiders fans do once they realize that too-chickenshit-to-catch-a-ball-thrown-over-the-middle circus act wide receivers don't win you Super Bowls?

What will Randy Moss do once he figures out that the Raiders don't exactly have the brain trust or talent in hand to win a Super Bowl or contend on a regular basis? My guess: Pout, mail it in, and take his sorry act elsewhere. There will always be a gullible NFL general manager willing to pony up.

#2 Winter Question: What Are "Choppers"?

Last night I was having drinks with a friend and used the word "toque." She asked me what a toque was and I explained. Googling "toque" today brought up these notable links:

The Toque - a Canadian attempt at Onion-like humor

Toque Games - the Olympics of unicycling

iPod Toque - huh?

Jay's Canadian Toque - those guys are everywhere

A bunch of stuff you may or may not need to know about toques

And finally, my new toque

More WWII Stuff...

The Minneapolis Public Library has World War II posters for sale.

The collection also includes humor.

The Birth Of Cool

The NBA All-Star game was held in Denver yesterday. On Friday there was an ABA reunion party in Denver, site of the 1976 ABA All-Star game and pro basketball's first slam dunk contest. Nice article in the Denver Post.

They gave us the dunk as art form.

They gave us the soaring grace of the 3-point shot, the spinning patriotism of the red-white-and-blue ball, the big hair and, yes, the wrestling bear.

But mostly, before its four top teams were beamed up in an NBA merger and the remaining clubs evaporated in a sea of empty seats, the ABA gave us pure, sweet cool.

Hunter S. Thompson, RIP

"With the possible exception of Nixon, Hubert Humphrey is the purest and most disgusting example of a Political Animal in American politics today. He has been going at it hammer and tong twenty-five hours a day since the end of World War II - just like Richard Nixon, who launched his own career as a Red-baiting California congressman about the same time Hubert began making headlines as the Red-baiting Mayor of Minneapolis. They are both career anti-Communists: Nixon's gig was financed from the start by Big Business, and Humphrey's by Big Labor ... and what both of them stand for today is the de facto triumph of a One Party System in American politics."
- Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72

Never Saw John Wayne On The Sands Of Iwo Jima

There were two flag raisings at Iwo Jima.

Great story in today's Strib about a Minnesota vet who fought at Iwo Jima. (Registration required, try bugmenot.com.)

"We're Paratroopers, Lieutenant - We're Supposed To Be Surrounded."

I just finished watching "Band of Brothers." It's the greatest thing I've ever seen made for TV.

I'm Drinking My Morning Coffee From A Piggly Wiggly Mug

I gave a mix CD to my favorite bartender as a Valentine's Day gift. Girls who bring you beer rule. The album is all songs about drinking and/or bars:

1) "I've Been Drinking" – The Jeff Beck Group
2) "A Six Pack To Go" – Hank Thompson
3) "Chug-A-Lug" – Roger Miller
4) "Bottoms Up!" – Van Halen
5) "Swingin' Doors" – Merle Haggard
6) "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" – John Lee Hooker
7) "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me)" – Jerry Lee Lewis
8) "Cold Gin" - Kiss
9) "Pop A Top" – Jim Ed Brown
10) "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" – ZZ Top
11) "Here Comes A Regular" – The Replacements

My Advice: Bring In A Certain North Dakotan Named Phil Jackson Next Season

I generally don't watch the NBA during the regular season and jump on the Timberwolves bandwagon come playoff time. That said, I still will miss the Dangerfield-esque mannerisms of Flip Saunders while he coaches. Good luck, Flip.

Oh, and Latrell Sprewell is the subject of today's "Boondocks" comic.

Like When I Yell At The K Or The Current: "Just Play Some Goddamn Rock 'N' Roll!"

I was at a party last night when a rather cool girl pooh-poohed an older guy for using the term "rock 'n' roll." Something about the term being antiquated, that the correct term is "rock."

I thought, but did not say: "I say 'rock 'n' roll' all the time."

A Fun Top Five

Migwire posted his top five favorite TV characters of all time. Here are mine, in alphabetical order:

Frank Burns
George Costanza
Arthur Dietrich
Barney Fife
Homer Simpson

It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know

Pursuant to my January 28th post below, I scored copies of The Rank Strangers' "Ana Voog Is Sleeping" b/w "Life During Wartime" single:

1) The great Roadrunner Records had a copy in their singles bin. It appears to be from a limited run of 300, with a hand-colored sleeve. Oddly, the label on the vinyl reads "Life After Wartime." (I also scored a used vinyl copy of Curtiss A's first album, Courtesy.)

2) Jason Nagel emailed me an mp3 of the Strangers' "Life During Wartime." His action jumps to early #1 status as favorite for "Rocks Off Clutch Move Of the Year."

He's Either Onto Something Or He's On Something

The Common Man just reiterated my stance that Roger Maris is the true single-season home run champion

The Coming War With Iran?

Seymour Hersh on the Bush administration's plans to invade Iraq.

War Nerd explains the stupidity of the idea.

Life During Wartime

Man, I have always always always despised the Talking Heads. But tonight on my area's new music station, The Current, Mark Wheat played an absolute haunting and stunning version of the Heads' "Life During Wartime" by Minneapolis heroes The Rank Strangers. I gotta admit, the lyrics are pretty cool.

I did some websurfing and have come to believe that the Rank Strangers' version of the song was only released as the b-side of the seven-inch of "Ana Voog Is Sleeping" in 1998. I'll have to hit the indie record stores soon and see if by chance any copies are still out there.

I may write more about The Current after a couple more weeks of listening. One good thing: Hearing Mary Lucia's voice again. One bad thing: "The Current" sounds like a name of a pro roller-hockey team.