The Samberg-Wahlberg Feud Continues

After sounding like a man who doesn't have much of a sense of humor about Andy Samberg's imitation of him (maybe having to promote a movie like Max Payne has something to do with that), Mark Wahlberg stopped by SNL and showed that maybe he can laugh at himself, after all.



Yeah, I know everyone's talking about Gov. Mooseburger's appearance on the show. Okay, maybe she showed she's a good sport. But c'mon, was she really that funny or was it everyone else around her? Any publicity is good publicity, I suppose. (Unless you're with the McCain campaign and watched Meet the Press this morning, that is.)

That sounded cranky of me, didn't it? Hopefully, the cure for that fever comes in 16 days.

Watch Out for Those Terriers, Muslins, and Jers

I don't know if anyone else expected the "Crazy McCain Rally Lady" (the one who said she couldn't trust Barack Obama because she believes he's "an Arab") to pop up on SNL's "Weekend Update Thursday," but I sure didn't see that coming. But thanks to Hulu.com, we all get to see it again.

The clip runs a bit long (and includes other stuff), so if you're pressed for time, the Republican nominee's enlightened supporter interrupts Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers's newscast between the 1:14 and 4:04 marks.



Brilliant! And much funnier than anything in the presidential debate parody that began the program. Kristen Wiig is a national treasure. She nailed that clueless, somewhat disheartened "No... ?" perfectly. If SNL gave her the chance, I get she could do a better Obama than Fred Armisen, too.

Late Night with Barack Obama

If Barack Obama becomes President of the United States, I can only hope that his State of the Union addresses go something like this:



Making a Superman reference will always go a long way with me, Senator.

John McCain also had his chance to roast at last night's Al Smith Dinner. I'm obviously biased, so I thought he was more mean-spirited and less funny, but you can see that clip here.

Finally, a note to MSNBC: I'm a fan, but "Breaking News" for that? Really? C'mon.

20 Years Ago, Gibby Gave Us Greatness

I'm a day late on this, but... has it really been 20 years since Kirk Gibson's home run off Dennis Eckersley?



Vin Scully's call - "High fly ball into right field... she is GONE!" - still gives me chills to this day. (Jack Buck's "I don't believe what I just saw!" is great too, capturing the sheer exuberance of the moment, but I love Scully's understated awe just a bit more.)

Even if it was a bittersweet note for Detroit Tigers fans, watching "our guy" in another uniform, helping his new team toward an eventual World Series victory, and perhaps making us feel something like seeing an ex-girlfriend with a new man (or ex-boyfriend with a new woman; we're equal opportunity melancholy here), did you feel great for Kirk Gibson? Did you feel envious of the Dodger fans? Did you just love baseball?

If you watched the game at the time, the anticipation building up to that moment was incredible, too. Would the guy that helped carry the Dodgers to this point, the man who eventually was awarded the National League MVP that season, be able to bite down and tell pain to go sit down while he walked to the plate to bat against the best closer in baseball?

Gibby's homer was also a testament to the vital importance of scouting, with Mel Didier's infamous advice, "Partner, as sure as I'm standing here breathing, Eckersley throws a backdoor slider on 3-2." With that in his pocket, Gibson just had to flip his bat at that pitch. How did the ball go that far with that kind of swing?

I still remember my phone ringing as soon as the Dodgers celebrated victory. It was Aaron Thompson, with whom I had a bet on the World Series, picking the Oakland Athletics to win. (Yet I'd won our previous bet, picking the Dodgers to beat the Mets in the National League Championship Series. Go figure.) "Did you just see that!" he screamed into the phone. I couldn't even be upset. I was too amazed. Ah, gambling among youth...

Former baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti once wrote of the game, "It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart." For the Dodgers fan, is there no more vivid example of this than remembering this great moment on the same day your team was unceremoniously eliminated from the 2008 NLCS?

Here's a look back at one of the great moments in World Series history, courtesy of MLB.com.

Paul Krugman Should've Gotten a Prize for This, Too

In honor of Paul Krugman winning the Nobel Prize for Economics yesterday, let's post this clip of him arguing with Bill O'Reilly on Tim Russert's MSNBC interview show. I remember watching this on a Saturday afternoon in my Iowa apartment four years ago and howling at O'Reilly's bullying histrionics. (The captions are supplied by Jim Gilliam.)



I love that O'Reilly attempts to explain what a recession is to a man who happens to be a professor of Economics at Princeton University. His supremely clueless arrogance is astounding. From there, O'Reilly tries to intimidate his point across by just yelling louder. But if you're already familiar with Bill-O, you know that's what he does.

Unfortunately, the part where Krugman really gets under O'Reilly's skin by saying "this isn't your show; you can't cut my mic" is mostly cut out. You hear Krugman say that, but don't see O'Reilly's "Hey, that's a cheap shot, pal!" reaction.

If you're curious about the work that got Krugman the Nobel Prize, Justin Fox of TIME magazine blogged about an article he wrote nine years ago that detailed those theories.

McCain Salvages His Soul?

I'm a couple of days late with this, but surely, you've already heard that John McCain had to talk down a couple of his supporters at a campaign rally Friday night in Minnesota, telling them that their fear-mongering (which has been unquestionably provoked by him and Gov. Mooseburger) was misplaced, and finding himself in the awkward position of having to defend the opponent he'd been savaging at every opportunity.

I read Ana Marie Cox's account of this incident at TIME.com, which described an escalation of the anger and fear that was increasingly being expressed at McCain events throughout the week, but wanted to see some video before posting something about this particular outburst. Fortunately, Talking Points Memo had clips later in the evening:



I don't know how else to say it: This is some horrifying shit. The ignorance and deep-seated prejudice expressed by the two people in that video is almost beyond comprehension. (I say "almost," because I think we all knew these feelings existed in some circles; it's still just jolting to hear it voiced.)

What does that woman (and I won't mention her name, but it's been reported) mean when she says she doesn't trust Obama because she believes he's "an Arab"? (Reportedly, she actually said "Arab terrorist," which I suppose makes her statement a bit less blatantly racist, and also might help to explain McCain's response, which might not otherwise have seemed particularly enlightened in itself.)

What exactly are those people afraid of? What do they imagine is going to happen if/when Barack Obama is elected to the presidency? What might they be capable of doing if their irrational worst fears are suddenly realized?

Four years ago, after the 2004 election, I expressed my dismay at how culturally and morally divided the country seemed to be. I think we've all come to realize that the schism wasn't as pronounced as it appeared back then, but there are still clearly some fissures between certain factions in our society, and it's getting ugly on the other side, man.

It's one thing to disagree with a politician based on policy or ideological differences. If you don't support Obama because you think he'll raise your taxes or take away your guns, that's a disagreement. But to believe he's a terrorist, as if he was some Manchurian Candidate-like sleeper agent just waiting for orders to carry out jihad, which was the accusation being leveled at McCain events throughout last week, is based on nothing but xenophobia.

Misguided indignation plus anger times ignorance is a dangerous equation.

And what we saw from McCain on Friday night, trying to bring some civilization to a festering mob (and getting booed for it by several of his supporters), appeared to be a realization that this has gone too far and a campaign that had become based on inciting fear had lost its way. At least that's what I hope. I'd love to believe that McCain went back to his bus after that rally, sat in a corner alone, and just put his head in his hands, wondering where it all went wrong.

Or maybe I've just seen too many movies. But if this article from The Times (London) is to be believed, perhaps rediscovering his civility is also causing friction within his campaign. And maybe, just maybe, he realizes that teaming up with Sarah Palin, who packages sarcasm and hatred in that perky folksiness/feigned normalcy of hers, while barely concealing her ruthless ambition for power, was a huge mistake.

McCain has long seemed like someone who had sold his soul to achieve his ultimate goal. Maybe now he's seen what that has truly cost him.

Interview with the Blogger

Please indulge me for a little bit of cross-blogging today. Patrick Hayes from MLive.com's It's Just Sports blog asked if I'd like to participate in their "Better Know a Blogger" series of interviews, perhaps knowing that I kind of enjoy talking about myself.

But even if he didn't have that intuition, he's already talked to Natalie of Need4Sheed and Kevin from SideLion Report, and I'm happy to be included with them.

If you're not into the Detroit Tigers, our chat might not interest you. Consider yourself warned. Topics of discussion include the position changes for Brandon Inge and Carlos Guillen, what moves Dave Dombrowski might make this off-season, and some quick thoughts on several Tigers. And if you're interested, we talk a bit about my background, my approach to blogging, and favorite Tigers memories. Patrick asked some great questions that were really fun to answer.

Please click on over to the interview, if you're so inclined, and tell us what you think. And thanks to It's Just Sports for including me in their interview series. Have a great weekend!

Marky Mark Gets Marked

Tina Fey's channeling of Sarah Palin (it's so much more than an impersonation now) gets all the attention on Saturday Night Live - and rightly so - but this past weekend's show was the first with a couple of other skits that were worth watching. Since The Happening is being released on DVD (which won't be "happening" on my Netflix queue, if you know what I'm sayin' - HA!), it seems like a good time to post "Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals."



Who could blame the goat for keeping its mouth shut about The Perfect Storm? That movie stunk. (I would've said "baaaaad," but, you know, wrong animal.)

Andy Samberg's comedic gifts are often lost on me, but I'd totally watch him in a re-remake of Planet of the Apes as Wahlberg. (He was funny in this digital short, too.)

Say hi to your mother for me, okay?

'Everything is Amazing Right Now... and No One is Happy'

Let's take a bit of a mental break from Mooseburger target practice, courtesy of Louis C.K. He appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien last week, with some particularly astute observations at how unhappy we seem to be as a culture, despite the amazing innovations we're surrounded by each day.



Yeah... I loathe air travel, so I know I've been that guy complaining about delays.

So I'm envious of Rob, who's going to see Louis C.K. in East Lansing on Thursday. That should be a fun show. And what's with his newest comedy special being on Showtime, instead of HBO? Do I have to change my premium cable subscriptions? Showtime's looking much better than HBO lately. Even Louis C.K. would have to give me that.

Tina Fey Sends Little Starbursts

I think we're actually getting to the point where anything SNL can do to make fun of Gov. Mooseburger isn't quite as funny as the real thing. But thankfully, they'll keep trying because Tina Fey is totally locked in now. What a maverick.

Once again, for those who didn't see last night's opening sketch, here you are:



Did that skit make you sit up a little straighter on your couch? You betcha.

Whomever had the idea to cast Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill should at least get a pat on the back. If only Ifill really made the same bewildered expressions that the Queen kept flashing at Fey. And a pretty nice job by Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden, though the writing made his impression much better than the actual impersonating.

Is SNL really off next week? Oh, wait - they'll be doing Thursday shows up until the election. Maverick-y!

Mooseburger Meets Marge

Gunderson, that is. Not Simpson. And how many of you thought of Brainerd, Minnesota's Police Chief the first time you heard Gov. Mooseburger speak?



If aliens came to my front door and asked me what the big deal was about YouTube, this might be the first example I'd give them.

(via Andrew Sullivan)

The Horror! The Horror!

My immediate reaction after last night's vice-presidential debate - much to the surprise of those I spoke with, post-mortem - was that Gov. Mooseburger (Hey, can I call you Mooseburger?) held up under the spotlight. Of course, I was half-expecting her to spark, sputter, and shut down with smoke coming out of her ears in a meltdown of incompetence at some point.

What we all should've expected was what we got: a talking points sputtering robot (Energy! Maverick!) who was going to say what she wanted, and convey the image she wanted to portray, regardless of what the debate called for. I don't know whether it showed candor or naivete for Gov. Mooseburger to just outright admit that she wasn't going to answer Gwen Ifill's questions, in favor of rambling out the points she had written down on her notepad. You betcha.

(By the way, Governor, the mainstream media attempts to tell viewers "what they've just heard" because after listening to you answer a question from a reporter or debate moderator, we have no idea what the fuck you're talking about.)

And I don't trust anyone that winks to try and buddy up to you. It's disingenuous and skeevy.

But while Gov. Mooseburger was constantly diverting the debate so she could stay on the McCain campaign message, she said one thing that should truly terrify everyone, something I hope is reverberating through all of our heads when we're in that voting booth on November 4:

I'm thankful the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president if that vice president so chose to exert it in working with the Senate and making sure that we are supportive of the president's policies and making sure too that our president understands what our strengths are.

"A bit more authority given to the vice president" if he or she "chose to exert it in working with the Senate"? First of all, we just had eight years of a vice president exerting far more power than one has ever held, especially in terms of foreign policy, and where the hell has that gotten us?

And Mooseburger wants more? She wants to control the Senate? It's been a long time since I sat in a civics class, but I know that the vice president's role is to cast a tying vote, if necessary. The VP isn't supposed to exert influence or take sides.

Caribou Barbie wants to go to the floor and tell the Senate what to do? Assuming she knew what the hell she was talking about, that is horrifying.

So is the idea of the hockey mom being in the situation room if the President isn't in Washington. And let's not even contemplate the idea of "Joe Six Pack" fulfilling her only Constitutional duty, that of becoming President if should the actual President become unable to serve. Little children should run to their parents' bed when hearing that. Hell, parents should run to their children's rooms and hide under the covers.

Say it ain't so, Joe. This can't even be allowed to have a chance of happening.

Gov. Mooseburger, Legal Scholar

There had been rumblings, courtesy of Politico.com, of a clip from the Katie Couric-Sarah Palin interview that hadn't aired because of its embarrassing nature.

Of concern to McCain's campaign, however, is a remaining and still-undisclosed clip from Palin's interview with Couric last week that has the political world buzzing.

The Palin aide, after first noting how "infuriating" it was for CBS to purportedly leak word about the gaffe, revealed that it came in response to a question about Supreme Court decisions.

After noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases.

There was no verbal fumbling with this particular question as there was with some others, the aide said, but rather silence.

Last night, CBS News broadcast the clip. And if there was "silence," it had been edited out. However, the substance (or lack thereof) of the answer was no less absurd.



Wow, I'm pretty sure I've had job interviews like that. (I can't see myself anywhere in five years.) And you know what? I didn't get the job.

In fairness, if you were to ask anyone on the street about a Supreme Court case other than Roe vs. Wade, I don't know what kinds of answers you'd get. (Living in Ann Arbor, I could come up with at least one off the top of my head.) But those people aren't being interviewed by Katie Couric. And they're not campaigning for vice presidency of the United States of America.

Maybe if Gov. Mooseburger read a newspaper or magazine, she'd have picked something up about one or two historic cases.



Great googaly moogaly. She couldn't just say "USA Today" or "People"? C'mon, man. (Could she have wanted to say the New York Times, but her campaign programming prevented her from doing so?) Couric couldn't have teed up a softer question.

Maybe Gwen Ifill can give her a second chance at that one tonight.

Four-Color Truthiness

What would be more realistic for those who might feel angry and disenfranchised if John McCain were to win the 2008 presidential election? Moving out of the country (Bill Maher is offering suggestions with his "Exit Strategy" series) or moving... to the Marvel Universe? In Spider-Man's world, Stephen Colbert is running for president.


At the very least, the presidential debates would be highly entertaining. No word on Colbert's running mate, but presumably the candidate would be able to name a newspaper or magazine he or she reads.