Two minutes from the 1948 World Series

The last one won by the Cleveland Indians, just for the record. Maybe they'd have won another, if not for Jose Mesa.

Sandy Koufax and Booker T.

It's fun to listen to the music even if you don't like to Dodgers. What a pitcher!

You just gotta listen

Paul and Storm from their days with Da Vinci's Notebook. This is a little bit off color, but what the heck, right?

Paul and Storm again (It's been too long, hasn't it?)

Now that I can post videos, you can see Paul and Storm with just one click. Here's two good ones:



This song beats a joke to death so gleefully it's hare not to love. (Actually, this is DaVinci's Notebook, but never fear. Almost the same thing.)

I never know how seriously to take these things

Hmmm ...

If only Bat Boy was involved.

Hail to thee, fat person

Allan Sherman tell us why getting fat is patriotic.

The Jetsons, as you've never seen them before

An episode of The Jetsons, as created by John Kricfalusi, of Ren and Stimpy fame. Apparently, this aired on the Cartoon network at some time or other and I completely missed it. Thanks, YouTube!

MisterCellaneous: Edj-a-macating the public

Tom Lehrer again with "New Math." Now, those of us who went to school after, say, 1950 learned the new math, but this is funny nonetheless.

Ambush Bug returns

One of the most unique characters in comics history returns to DC tomorrow, namely Ambush Bug.

Keith Giffen's creation got his start annoying Superman, then starred in a couple of limited series and specials back in the 1980s. I happen to have somehow identified as funny and bought these comics as a teenager.

Ambush Bug is unique because he's the only character in the DC universe who knows he's in a comic book.

Most of his appearances were parodies of various comics or creators. Some of the jokes were so subtle I didn't even get them unit much later. Other things, well, they were completely over the top. Especially absurd was the Bug's sidekick, a stuffed toy named "Cheeks, The Toy Wonder."

Another running joke in one aeries was Darkseid making a sudden appearance at the end of every issue, seemingly threatening our hero. The next issue left off with no mention about what had happened. Finally, it was revealed that the Darkseid the Bug had been seeing was an inflatable doll. (I have no idea what a person would be doing with an inflatable doll.) (You sicko you.)

And who could forget "Quantis, the Killer Koala?"

The comic was so funny because of the constant reference to obscure DC characters and nit-picky continuity points. Because Ambush Bug knew he was in a comic book, he was in a perfect position to not only meet these characters, but make fun of them, too. These teenety-weeney continuity details now are things fans obsess over, and so there may be even more fertile ground for Giffen and Fleming to mine for jokes than there used to be. For that matter, there's something like 20 more years worth of stories to make fun of. (Of which to make fun?)

Here's a list that tells about various Ambush Bug appearances.

And, here's what DC tells us about the new series:

Written by Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming; Art by Giffen and Al Milgrom; Cover by J.H. Williams III; Variant Cover by Giffen
The wait is over — everyone's favorite Bug is back, courtesy of the original AMBUSH BUG team of Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming! Cities will be destroyed! Cats and dogs will live in sin! Every unanswered question of the DC Universe will be answered! Live heroes will die and dead heroes will live! Okay, none of that actually happens, but join us anyway for this totally irreverent romp through the DC Universe as only Ambush Bug could give you!

All this and a cover by the immortal J.H. Williams III? If it fails to show up at the comic shop tomorrow, I'll cry.

He-he-he

Still, nothing can make me happier than oil prices tumbling.

Here's the latest.

Today isn't Dec. 7, but ...

Here is a YouTube video that plays some of the audio of President Roosevelt's Pearl harbor speech. I just thought you'd like to hear it.



I think I'll start finding and linking to some great speeches.

MisterCellaneous: Edja-ma-cating the public

Never let it be said that this site is not educational. Here's Tom Lehrer to teach us a thing or two.

Since we linked to Wir Sind Helden before ...

... here's another one, a video released last year.

(One other note: How come I have to go to Germany to find a band that actually seems to have fun playing music? Well, I shouldn't be so hasty. For all the German I know, they are singing about peeling back their toenails with keys from Spam cans.)

Nixon: No illegal campaign contributions, but will keep dog

Here's a YouTube video of one of the earliest speeches on TV: vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon's "Checkers" speech from 1952. Here's a link that explains what it's all about, for those of you who don't remember these things.

This was one of the first times TV was used by a political leader to directly address the country.

Nothing could make me happier

Yahoo! News tells us, "The price of oil recorded its biggest weekly drop ever, and a gallon of gas finally pulled back from its record high."

Kinda brings a tear to your eye, eh?

Remember, oil companies always say prices are set by supply and demand. As I have written elsewhere, what this really means is they have the supply and they can demand whatever price they want for it.

Maybe the drop off in demand from gas going over $4 a gallon is enough to convince them that Americans may be addicted to driving, but they may be more than willing to break a dependence on gasoline.

Another new DHP online comic

This issue features a story about cowboy insects (who doesn't wanna read about a bunch of bugs shooting it out in the old West?).

The really interesting piece is only two pages long. Not much story there, but Tara McPherson has a very unique art style. I have only seen it in a few places before, but I really enjoy it.

Have fun!

Pretty pictures

The recent covers on "Detective Comics" have been really awesome. Here's an example. I have not been buying the comic for a long time, but it's sure fun to look at the covers.

How about if we only use him as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded?

Russell Branyan of the Milwaukee Brewers has 11 home runs and 19 RBI. That has to be close to some kind of record for driving in the fewest runs with that many homers.

Think about it: the lowest number of RBI you could possibly have with 11 homers is 11. By contrast, in 1985 Tommy Herr drove in 110 runs with only 8 homers.

At Branyan's rate, if he hit 30 home runs, he'd have under 60 RBI.

Brook Jacoby once had a similar year, only with a lot more at-bats than Branyan. In 1987, he had 32 home runs and 69 RBI in 540 at-bats. Branyan, so far, has 106. At the current rate, for a full season, he'd hit something like 55 HR and only have about 95 RBI. Jacoby still had more than two RBI for every homer. Branyan is still below that.

Strangely enough, Branyan has had pretty low RBI to home run rates. Last year, Branyan had 10 HR and 26 RBI, in 2003, 9 HR and 26 RBI, and in 2004 11 HR and 27 RBI.

I remember hearing one of the Indians' broadcasters say when Branyan came up with the Indians, one scout — it may have been Ted Simmons — said he'd hit 500 home runs and strike out 2,500 times. I may have the numbers wrong, but I have the sentiment right.

Branyan hasn't had enough playing time for either of those milestones, but he still hits a lot of home runs and not much else.

Talk about feast or famine.

Ask and you shall receive ..

Crazy frog

The best video I barely understand

One semester of college German leaves me nearly functionally illiterate in German. When I went to Germany in 2005, I was amazed when I understood a few single words, like after I paid for my food at Burger King and the girl at the register said, "Danke."

On that little trip, I spent a lot of time on the night shift watching MTV Pop, which is some kind of German MTV. A lot of time.

This video was in heavy rotation and, no matter how much I saw it, it fascinated me. It's a lot like the really old pre-music-video video of Bob Dylan flipping the little signs with words from "Subterranean Homesick Blues.". This is slightly different approach than that, using backwards and forwards photography. It looks like it may have been shot in one take, but maybe not. I think the fellow who choreographed it deserves some kind of award.

At any rate, here's my favorite German band, Wir Sind Helden, and their video for "Nur ein Wort."



I just watched it again. Man, that's just mesmerizing. I better quit now or I'll never go to bed.

Is the glass half full? Was the defense secretary half-right?

This is an interesting article about Donald Rumsfeld. Draw your own conclusions. I think history will judge him with a great deal of ambivalence.

Spinning in Orbit

This is pretty cool. On this site are lots of music clips and a video called "Wavegirls," from William Orbit.

He is an electronica/ambient/dance music artist who doubles as a producer for such artists as Madonna (remember "Ray of Light" and "Beautiful Stranger?", U2 and Pink, among others.

(Some observers may remember the theme song from the WFAL radio show called "The Big Boat" circa 1996 used a William Orbit song as the theme for the show.)

I have never heard anything by Orbit that I have not liked. I have had no success in finding his latest album, however. I have yet to order it online, but I suppose I could do that. I either have or used to have all the rest. Here's an Amazon link to his "best of" album, from, wow, 12 years ago.

Perhaps his greatest song was "Water from a Vine Leaf." I wish I had a bigger musical vocabulary to describe it. You can find a clip of it at the Amazon link, though.

Orbit's music probably isn't for everyone, but he's certainly contributed to his fair share of hits and I sure like it.

Serial cereal blogging

I ate "Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries" twice this weekend. Both times, after an hour or so, I completely crashed and wanted to sleep. Monday, I think it was, I actually took a nap.

Usually sweet cereals don't have that effect on me, with the energy from the sugar giving way to a listless feeling. I can eat Fruity Pebbles with no ill effects.

I don't like "Crunch Berries" that well, anyway. "Cap'n Crunch" is so hard, it irritates my gums. The only way to stop it is to let it soak in the milk, and then it becomes "Cap'n Soggy."

Serial (but not) cereal blogging

This coming under the heading of food ...

I think I am addicted to "cherry lime aid" at Sonic. I have had three in the last couple of weeks. A perfect blend of sweet, sour and fizzy. They are half price from 2-4 p.m., if you are interested.

Stan Freberg perfoms "Heartbreak Hotel"

... as only he can.

Gary Burbank signs off -- a news clip

Here's a news segment about Gary Burbank's last show. Now that I know how to embed these things properly, these videos are a lot more fun.

Our favorite Highland Appliance commercial

Hello, you!

Conest! Contest Contest!

An official Marvel Comics No-Prize (I have stored them away in my underground vault, many miles beneath the Earth's crust.)is to be awarded to the first person who can name all three movies in which the fictional baseball teams listed in the Joe Borowski poll appeared.

Bob Feller clocked at 98 plus miles and hour

Here's a clip of Bob Feller Pitching

A minute or so of Satchel Paige

Here's a minute-or-so-long clip about Satchel Paige. He was one of the first major league baseball players whose biography I ever read. People always sai how skinny he was, and looking at this clip, I can see why!