Chili Dog Blog

Two weeks ago, one viewing the United States Open golf tournament was unable to discern what they were seeing.  Much of the time what was being shown was golf already played, as much as one year ago.

Never did NBC bother to display a graphic indicating such.  Granted the rain played havoc with the schedules, but certainly a “Previously Recorded” or a “Live” on the screen would have been appreciated.

Today, they are screwing with tennis fans.  NBC opted to show previously played matches instead of showing a live quarterfinal match between Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt.  This is especially unpleasant because by delaying the broadcast of a match between Federer and his under-matched opponent, NBC already knew the match was a blow-out and they showed it any way, while closely played matches were going on live.

NBC and ESPN 2 have partnered throughout the tournament, but it seems as if NBC has taken rights to some matches away, in favor of NBC showing them over its own air, despite the fact that the matches are several hours old.

An interesting blog post on the subject can be found here.

so why not pile on? slightly nsfw.

First from Andrew Sullivan.

Two more cited by Andrew Sullivan.

Hardee’s.

I had a serious conversation regarding Michael’s death with an editor of our local newspaper last evening.  She inquired of me what I felt Michael’s legacy is and whether the reporting should be favorable or cast aspersions.  If you have any doubts that the paper prefers to cast aspersions, recall a certain local funeral director’s obituary.

My short answer to her is that Michael Jackson is my generation’s Elvis Presley.

Both led sordid lives, although other than being fat and looking ridiculous in that Las Vegas jumpsuit, I am not sure the public was as aware of Elvis’ dark side and we are of Michael’s.  I would not qualify necessarily as an aficionado on the careers of either men, but I think it fair to say that their best work was crafted before they hit their late thirties.  Like Elvis, Michael was adored.

Fans have a way of being blinded to the truth about their hero.  But seriously why should they care what their hero does when he isn’t wearing the costume. A fan doesn’t sign up for the whole person.  A fan signs up for the whole persona.  There is a vast difference between the two, probably never more than in the case of Michael Jackson.  Some of us may make decisions whether to continue to support an artist who behaves in a manner we find offensive or immoral.  Others of us may believe that an artist’s behavior is part of what makes his artistry worthwhile.  Either way, it’s a personal choice and it is not the role of a newspaper to force a person’s misdeeds down the public’s throat.  Frankly, I don’t think anyone over the age of 20 hasn’t already heard all there is to hear about Michael Jackson’s pedophilia and I don’t think anyone under 20 gives a damn about the newspaper anyway.

My suggestion is to simply enjoy his musical legacy and let the rest dissolve into the ethos.

DMB is certainly a corporate entity.

I received this email this morning.

Get a jump on the season.  It used to be Christmas in July, now it’s just Christmastime.

via the consumerist.

I had this poster on my bedroom wall as an adolescent.

It stayed up until my parents discovered it.  Probably an hour or two.

Farah battled cancer all the way until the end.  She was a much too young 62.  She lives on in my mind’s youth.

Just listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One From The Road today and thought I would run through my top eight LPs recorded live.

The single criterion is whether the album captures the “raw” sound of the band both in musical quality and sound quality.

In no real order….

Live at Leeds.  The Who.

Live at the Hollywood Bowl.  The Beatles.

Frampton Comes Alive. Peter Frampton.

Blow Your Face Out.  The J Geils Band.

Live Bullet.  Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band.

Waiting For Columbus. Little Feat.

Stop Making Sense.  Talking Heads and guests.

Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out.  The Rolling Stones.

Anyone who has traveled from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas by ground has passed over the Hoover Dam.  That area is highly congested and checkpoints are required since 9/11.

A by-pass was begun in 2004, although today is the first I’ve heard of it.  It is scheduled for completion next year.  Visitors to this space know how I love a good bridge construction story.

There are some amazing photos of the project here, including this one.