No MSNBC At The Kellog Center...What Am I To Do?

So I just got into the Kellogg Center for the two day gauntlet that is the Bar Exam, and I get into my room, and what do I find? No MSNBC. CNN, Fox News, Headline News, CNBC, even networks like G4, but no MSNBC. Which means, tonight, no Hardball. No Morning Joe tomorrow morning. No pre or post debate coverage. May be the best thing that ever happened to me (I can do my last second review of my hundreds of notecards without any distractions, and I can get to bed earlier than planned, but this is very distressing). How can there be no MSNBC? At least the debate will be streamed on MSNBC.com tomorrow night, but geez, this is a major disappointment.

I don't understand this.

A New Respect For Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson

I have a newfound respect for Hillary Clinton's Communications Director Howard Wolfson tonight. Over the past few months, I have come to loathe Wolfson in a very respectful way. For the kind of campaign Hillary Clinton is running, Wolfson is an incredible Communications Director, public advocate, and strategist. He has played a large role in helping Clinton overcome her defeat in Iowa, and he can get anyone off message and get anyone to believe practically anything he says (a trait all of the Clinton folks seem to be gifted with). He's exactaly the staunch advocate a candidate running a campaign like Senator Clinton is needs, and he deserves a lot of credit for what he's done for her and the campaign. Hence why he hasn't become one of my favorite political figures.

But, today, Reading Ben Smith's blog I came across this fact and story about Wolfson: The man doesn't fly. Well, that's not entirely true, he will fly on Air Force One, but that's about it, so as the Clinton campaign goes from Nevada to South Carolina to Iowa to New Hampshire (pretty much traveling the entire length of the continental United States) Mr. Wolfson has been following along by car.

“It’s all mishegoss—fear is not rational,” said Mr. Wolfson when asked to explain the root of his now decade-long aversion to air travel. “I could point to a couple of things but at the end of the day it just ascribes a level of rationality to it that doesn’t exist.”

He said the last time he was airborne was around the time of Mrs. Clinton’s 1999 Senate race, when he traveled on Air Force 1 and other military transports. When asked if he did so because those government planes seemed safer than commercial aviation, he said “That’s what makes sense to me,” but immediately added, “I want to make it very clear that I am not arguing for the rationality of any of this.”

Perhaps the gravest consequence of Mr. Wolfson’s fear of flying is that he has to spend hours and hours, and hours and hours, driving by himself.

“It’s usually alone,” he said. “There are not many other people willing to drive 17 hours.”

Wolfson echoes my sentiments exactaly. As I've written about before I have the same irrational fear, and like Howard, I try to skip planes when possible (although, unlike him, I would fly from Nevada to South Carolina, or, as I have in the past few years, from Detroit to Las Vegas and back) and I defend my avoidance of the air in a very similar way. I completely understand it's irrational and that I'm much safer in a plane than driving or taking Amtrack, but still, that doesn't make me feel any more secure once turbulence starts at 30,000 feet. I also think I too would fly on Air Force One because it would be presumably much much safer with much better pilots and failsafes than a normal plane.

Anyways, good for you Howard Wolfson, keep up the ground game.

Everyone Is Fighting For Change

This YouTube video is hilarious, and as is custom online, when you see something this ingenuous you have to pass it on and make it known to as many people as possible. As anyone who has followed this Presidential primary season knows, if one word could describe the campaign, it would be change. Barack Obama started it, then John Edwards and Hillary Clinton jumped on the bandwagon, and even Mitt Romney on the Republican side has become an agent of "change." Well, a great video is now on YouTube taking all these mentions of "change" and put them to music, namely David Bowie's song "Change." The hilarity that ensues is a must-watch.

Video of Nick Saban Comparing Loss to 9/11

Nick Saban is often one who attracts controversy, usually though it has to do with his decisions to continually hop jobs, from Michigan State to LSU to the Miami Dolphins to now Alabama. Monday, though, responding to his team's third consecutive loss, this time to lowly Louisiana Monroe, he compared the loss to a "catastrophic event" like Pearl Harbor and the terrorist attacks on September 11th. While watching Morning Joe this morning, their sports reporter, Fred Roggin, had video of Saban's comments.

An Alabama spokesman tried defending Saban's comments, by saying he was not trying to equate losing a football game with 9/11.

A Saban spokesman said the coach chose the 9-11 and Pearl Harbor references to illustrate the challenges facing his team.

"What Coach Saban said did not correlate losing a football game with tragedy; everyone needs to understand that. He was not equating losing football games to those catastrophic events," football spokesman Jeff Purington said in a statement to The Associated Press. "The message was that true spirit and unity become evident in the most difficult of times. Those were two tremendous examples that everyone can identify with."

Saban may not have meant any harm with his comments, but putting losing a football game on the same level as 9-11 or Pearl Harbor may go a bit too far. The logic of trying to get your team to come together after difficult times makes sense, but I'm sure there are many people who found Saban's comments, trying to use the tragedies of 9-11 and Peal Harbor to fire up his team is something a lot of people will find offensive.

Study: "K" Players Strikeout More Often

Here's something interesting (and rather strange) from Newsweek.com. A study done by two professors, one at the University of California, San Diego, and one at Yale, found that your name actually may affect the choices you make in life. They postulate, and I guess, through their study, prove, that there is some correlation (and perhaps causation) that those people whose names start with, say the letter "J" are more likely to drive a Jeep than a Saturn because it shares the same letter as their first name. I'm not making this up. They even studied baseball to help prove their theory.

Even weirder, they gravitate toward things that begin with their initials even when those things are undesirable, like bad grades or a baseball strikeout.

In what they call “moniker maladies,” a pair of researchers find that although no baseball player wants to strike out, players whose names begin with K (scorecard shorthand for a strikeout) fan more often than other players.

If the preference for people, places and things that share one of your initials is conscious, then it shouldn’t work if the thing you’re choosing is basically undesirable. Strikeouts are undesirable. Yet based on data from 1913 through 2006, for the 6,397 players with at least 100 plate appearances, “batters whose names began with K struck out at a higher rate (in 18.8% of their plate appearances) than the remaining batters (17.2%),” the researchers find. The reason, they suggest, is that players whose first or last name starts with K like their initial so much that “even Karl ‘Koley’ Kolseth would find a strikeout aversive, but he might find it a little less aversive than players who do not share his initials, and therefore he might avoid striking out less enthusiastically.” Granted, 18.8% vs. 17.2% is not a huge difference, but it was statistically significant—that is, not likely to be due to chance.

"Statistically significant" in math talk, maybe, but maybe, the two are really unrelated. Ken Griffey Jr. may take issue with the study, as might Keith Hernandez and Kenny Lofton.

Interesting, but I don't think GM's need to start forming new theories on which players to sign, based on the letters in their names, just yet. Though it does open the door to a lot of questions. What about players whose names start with the letter "S" do they strike out more? Did Hank Aaron hit so many home runs because his name starts with "H"? Did Pete Rose have significantly more pop-ups than other players? What about Ricky Henderson? Did he steal more bases because he liked to run? What about closers? Are they more likely to have "C" names? Inquiring minds want to know.

Jerry Seinfeld to Larry King: "Do You Know Who I Am?"

This video is making the rounds online, but it's too funny not to put up a post about. Jerry Seinfeld was on Larry King Live earlier this week, to promote his new cartoon film, Bee Movie. King, asking Jerry about the ending of Seinfeld, wanted to confirm his belief that Jerry chose to end Seinfeld, rather than the show being canceled. Seinfeld's reaction made for the following hilarious exchange:

I think my favorite part is at the end when Seinfeld says "Can I get a resume in here Larry can go over." I don't know if Larry found it funny, but I sure did.

Jon Kitna as "Naked Coach" Joe Cullen for Halloween

Halloween Update: The story has picked up legs, both nationally and locally on this Halloween day, so check the postscript below for an update on the "Kitna as Cullen" story, including a clip from tonight's Pardon The Interruption. And if you are joining us at Quo Vadimus for the first time (coming from The Big Lead, ESPN.com's Hashmarks, or Deadspin) welcome.

It was a low point in a low era for the Detroit Lions. It was right before Rod Marinelli's first game as Detroit Lions head coach, and one of his defensive assistants was arrested. The devil, though, was in the details, as Joe Cullen was not arrested for any ordinary offense. He was arrested for driving through a Wendy's naked. Cullen was suspended for a game by the Lions, suspended for another game by the league, and received treatment, and has, from all accounts turned his life around in a positive direction.

And Cullen's personal turnaround, and the all healing power of time, probably allowed quarterback Jon Kitna to have some fun with the incident at wide receiver Mike Furrey's for-charity Halloween Bowling Party Monday night. While some Lions dressed up as celebrities (Michael Jackson and Kid Rock were two such costumes) Kitna dressed up as a nude football coach, and his wife got in on the act by dressing up as a Wendy's cashier. The video from FOX 2 Detroit:

And the photo of Mr. and Mrs. Kitna:

While some think the stunt was in bad taste (As Terry Foster wrote today, former Lions linebacker Chris Spielman was in that category) I agree with FOX 2 sports anchor and Detroit Lions play-by-play voice Dan Miller, who writes the costume was all in good fun. And Jon Kitna certainly does not appear to a person who would dress up like that without either having the okay of Cullen or without genuinely believing it would not cause a problem.

And hey, when you are 5-2, you can have a bit of fun with a naked coach driving through a Wendy's.

Halloween, 10/31, Postscript: Lots of talk about Jon Kitna's costume today. First, Big Al over at the Wayne Fontes Experience had a nice rundown of the early talk, and drew a comparison of Kitna's costume to that of Scott Mitchell, who impersonated Wayne Fontes back in the day. Kitna defended his actions on WDFN radio Wednesday morning and said he spoke with Cullen after the party, and there was no problem with the costume. Drew Sharp, on the other hand, thought Kitna went over the line. The Pardon the Interruption crew, an in costume Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon, spoke about the gag on their Wednesday night, and they felt that while the costume may have been a bit over the line, it was funny enough to justify it.

Video: Customer Stiffs Roy Williams, Pizza Delivery Man

As I wrote about yesterday, Detroit Lions wide receiver Roy Williams, who made headlines, in a negative way, by saying he did not tip his neighborhood pizza delivery guy, received a a taste of his own medicine today when he joined forces with Pizza Hut to raise money to fight world hunger. Williams, who has since said he has learned to tip, spent two hours on Tuesday delivering Pizza Hut pizzas around metro-Detroit, pooling his tips together with his own $5,000 donation, showing he has learned his lesson about what life is like for pizza delivery guys. Unfortunately, his lack of tipping was well known to those he delivered pizza, and as he told the local media following him around, at home houses, he was stiffed, and left without a tip.

Roy Williams to Deliver Pizzas for Pizza Hut

Less than a month after saying that he never tips his Pizza Delivery guy, Detroit Lions wide receiver is doing an about face according to the Detroit Free Press. Despite impeccable logic (Williams argued that since you don't tip your mailman or the FedEx or UPS delivery guy, why would you tip a pizza delivery guy), Williams has said he has since learned to tip, and will do so in the future.

Now Williams is taking his learning experience a step further. Pizza Hut, after hearing of Williams lack of tips, challenged him to be a deliver Pizza's for a day to learn the hardships of being a pizza delivery man, with the tips Williams collects, of course, going to charity. Tonight the Free Press reports Williams has agreed to the challenge, and will be delivering pizzas in metro Detroit tomorrow afternoon.

Like when Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban managed a Dairy Queen for a day a few years back, I think these stories are great. They are fun, show the athletes (or owners) have a personality and can take a joke, and they raise money for good causes. So if you get a pizza tomorrow from an NFL player, give him a good tip. It'll go for a good cause.

Today's Example of Why Ann Coulter Should Have Her Michigan Law Degree Revoked

I usually don't pay much attention to Ann Coulter. Well, except for yelling at my television screen whenever she comes on the air. While I tend to be on the more liberal side of issues, I certainly don't turn a blind eye to columns and television appearances by most Republicans. I've expounded before on my enjoyment of MSNBC's Morning Joe, hosted by conservative Congressman Joe Scarborough. But, there's just something about Ann Coulter. Maybe it's her often racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and mostly outrageous remarks. Most of which are likely made to get her attention so she can sell her books and appear on even more television shows than she already does. I saw her on Tucker Carlson's show earlier in the week (hey, another Republican show I watch) and aside from hawking her latest book, she found time to plug a National Enquirer story about a politician she obviously has some sort of unhealthy obsession with. When you are citing and publicizing stories from the National Enquirer, that's one step above saying that Bigfoot exists because it was in the Weekly World News.

This makes me embarrassed to be an almost-graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, where, I'm sad to say, Coulter once attended. But this week, Coulter's really gone and upset me, and a lot of other members of the Jewish faith, by going on CNBC's The Big Idea (a very underrated show hosted by advertising guru Donny Deutsch) and claiming that the world would be better without any Jewish people in it. Excellent. There's somebody who people should be listening to and spending money to buy her books and keep her in business. Even after Deutsch gave her a chance to take back her obviously anti-semitic comments, she went further, saying that Jews needed to be "perfected" by converting to Christianity. Media Matters posted the video and transcript (And before people start, let me go on record saying that Media Matters is not perfect and gets things wrong, like the Rush Limbaugh fiasco a few weeks back, but they had the video and I wanted to post it) which I've embedded below.

I fear, though, that by even talking about her, I'm feeding the beast, so to speak. People (including me) need to start ignoring Coulter, in hopes that she'll go away. By talking about her offensive comments, it just encourages her to make more and more comments that are even more offensive than her original remarks. So, after this post, Quo Vadimus will return to being a Coulter-Free-Zone.

Until, you know, the next time she makes outrageous, offensive, anti-semitic remarks. So, in other words, check back in an hour or so.

11:00 Update: Reading TV Newser's report on Coulter-gate, I saw that somebody is taking my advice. The National Jewish Democratic Council has started a petition demanding media outlets stop giving Ann Coulter airtime. There's a novel concept.

We are writing to ask you to refrain from inviting Ann Coulter to participate as a guest on your network's news programming.

As you know, it has long been documented that Ms. Coulter takes liberties with the facts. Furthermore, her comments -- be they about Democrats, 9/11 widows, Jews, or others -- often border on hate speech.

While Ms. Coulter has her freedom of speech, you have the freedom to exercise better judgment. You wouldn't put people who claim Martians roam the earth to frequently comment on science. It is time to stop putting Ms. Coulter on the air to comment on politics, thus giving her free publicity and attention.

I think I would have written the petition a bit differently (Martians? Really?) it's the thought that counts.

Hulk Hogan to Host New American Gladiators: I Can't Make This Up

In what I thought was a great idea (and that's not sarcasm) NBC is planning on bringing back the hit (well, hit may be an overstatement) show American Gladiators. I'm all for bringing back the show, mostly for nostalgia purposes, as I remember watching the show as a kid and loving it. Hosted by Mike Adamle and Larry Csonka (and even Joe Theismann for a time), the show was ridiculous, but in an entertaining way. The Joust. The Eliminator. And the Gladiators, like Zap and Ice and Storm and well, that's all I remember.

You can watch the old repeats of American Gladiators on ESPN Classic, but in 2008, a remake of the show will air on NBC and according to TV website Zap2It the show will have a new host: Hulk Hogan. Yes, the former professional wrestler, movie actor (I refuse to call the man who starred in such hits as Mr. Nanny and Suburban Commando as a movie "star") and reality television personality will now add "American Gladiator host" to his resume.

Pro-wrestling legend and VH1 reality star Hulk Hogan is on board to serve as the show's host. Though the deal is still being finalized, TV Week reports that both NBC and the Hulkster (real name: Terry Bollea) are gung-ho about the series, which is likely to find a midseason berth on the network.

As with the original series, which aired in syndication for much of the 1990s, the new "American Gladiators" will feature amateur athletes facing off in a series of combative challenges against a group of professional "gladiators." The show is a pet project of NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman, who was developing a version of the show at his company, Reveille, before taking his new job. Reveille remains involved with the project.

I'll check out the new American Gladiator, but I can't imagine it being better than the repeats of the original which I can watch each night. And the addition of Hogan, while potentially entertaining in the short term, is more likely to be annoying in the long run. We'll see though, maybe Hogan will surpise.

The Geunius of Jake Byrd at the OJ Simpson Trial

I love the fact that OJ Simpson is back in the news and back on trial. It's great. First, it gives me a chance to redeem myself. See, back when OJ was on trial the first time, when I was in middle school, I was convinced of his innocence. I tried to tell people (and honestly believed at the time) that my opinion on the Juice's innocence had nothing to do with his past history as a football legend, but I was obviously blinded by that. Everyone signed my yearbook that year, no joke, "Have a great summer. P.S. OJ is Guilty." I still remember the afternoon the verdict was read. A huge group of us piled into Mr. Koponen's room (my 7th grade English teacher) because he was the only one with a working TV. And when the verdict came down not guilty, the room was silent. Except for me. I cheered. Not one of my prouder moments when I look back on it. Although, I still believe, as a matter of law, there was reasonable doubt in that trial, and the verdict was still likely the right verdict from a legal standpoint. From an actual "did OJ do it" standpoint, I'm no long in that camp.

So, OJ is in trouble again, which brings back so many memories of watching that trial (and I watched it from start to finish) and the launching of careers (like Fox News' Greta Van Susteren and ESPN sports legal analyst Roger Cossack who both worked for CNN at the time). It also brings out comedian Jake Byrd. Byrd loves getting himself on television, and yesterday, at the press conference OJ's lawyer held announcing his release from jail, Byrd planted himself right next to the lawyer (and the microphone) and "helped" answer many of the questions that were asked. He was hilarious, wore an OJ T-Shirt and an "I Heart Famous People" hat and Morning Joe this morning had the video. It's awesome video.

I do have to say though, OJ's lawyer really didn't impress me. Answering one of the questions on the video, the lawyer said he did not see a distinction between "not guilty" and "innocent" (Jake Byrd, helpfully, said "he's both dude!"). Of course there's a distinction though. "Innocent" means you didn't do the crime. "Not Guilty" means maybe you didn't do the crime, but in any case, there isn't enough evidence to convict you of that crime beyond a reasonable doubt. "Not Guilty" is a legal standard. "Innocent" is a categorical statement about whether or not you did it or not. At least regarding that question Jake Byrd, not the lawyer, had it right.

No Slurpee Machines in Las Vegas?

I'll get to a full trip report in a moment, but first this thought: Why are there no Slurpee places in Las Vegas? Or, at least, not very many. It's 107-degrees (or hotter) here and I can't find a Slurpee hardly anywhere. I found a 7-11 on Tuesday, and I remember there being an Icee place in the basement of Bally's, but in the various shopping areas, food courts, and other hotels on the Strip, Frozen Cokes/Slurpees are nowhere to be found. How can this be given the heat?

My dad and I are convinced that if we opened up a small storefront in each of these hotel food courts, put in 12 Slurpee Machines, made up some collectible souvenir cups, and sold them at $3.00 or $4.00 a pop, we'd make a killing.

Maybe there is some reason why Slurpee's are not easily found, but I've done my share of walking the past three days, and have not been happy with what I've found (or, in this case, have not found).

Why Being Afraid of Flying is not the Worst Thing in the World

I watch a lot of television. A lot. But, I tend not to watch television dating shows. I can justify watching Lost and 24 and The West Wing and Boston Legal and The 4400, and, and, well, you get the idea. Smart writing, great actors, witty characters. Fulfilling stories. Suspense. Action. Drama. Things worth putting down the Theodore Roosevelt biography I'm reading or worth changing the channel from MSNBC or CNBC for. In fact, the only dating shows I can ever remember watching were the original Joe Millionaire (which had ratings practically rivaling the Super Bowl if I remember correctly), Average Joe 2 (the house of 516 Walnut Junior year of undergrad got into that one for whatever reason -- Probably because of its star, Larissa) and, of course, MTV's awful Singled Out from when I was in middle school. But, at the time, the Chris Hardwick/Jenny McCarthy hosted show seemed like one of the best shows on television. Shows what I knew.

So, with that said, I have not been watching NBC's summer dating show Age of Love. For those that missed it (and I don't think you're alone if you have), the show features a guy in his 30s "dating" women from one of two groups, women in their twenties and women in their forties. Yeah, sounds great, I know. And NBC wonders why it's stuck in 4th place among the major television networks (and I'm a big NBC guy, so it pains me to write this).

Why am I writing about this show and what does it have to do with the headline to this story you ask (assuming, of course, you've read down this far and weren't turned away by the Singled Out reference)? My parents watch the show (maybe they are the only ones, I'm not sure) and they called me in the room tonight while watching this week's episode. Apparently, one of the twenty-somethings on the show, a college student named Megan, eliminated herself from the show. Why? Because she's afraid of flying and refused to board a plane taking her and some of the other contestants to Australia. My parents, knowing my intense fear of planes, now think they've found the perfect woman for me. And perhaps they're right.

Like Megan, I have a very strong fear of flying. I know it's irrational. I know driving is far more dangerous. I don't care. If I can avoid flying, I do my best to. Amtrak and Greyhound have been used (on trips to Washington D.C. and from Los Angeles to Las Vegas respectively) in the past. I fly when I have to, which basically comes down to when taking a train would take so long, it's impractical. Though, I guess some would say taking a 15-hour train ride to Washington D.C. would qualify as "impractical." I don't count myself in that camp though. I flew to Los Angles in 2005 to go to the Rose Bowl, and I'll fly out to Las Vegas later this month for a family vacation, but, likely until I get married and go on a honeymoon, that's it for me and airplanes. Unless, of course, Megan from Age of Love finds this post, we get married, and take Amtrak somewhere. That works too.

Dry Cleaners Lose Pants; Judge Sues for $67 Million

In one of those lawsuits which makes me sort of ashamed to admit I am in law school, a judge in Washington D.C. is suing his local dry cleaners for $67 million after they lost his favorite pairs of pants. No, that wasn't a misprint. Or a internet urban myth. Apparently these pants were quite meaningful to the judge, and he is suing for "mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort", the last two of which I don't really think are actionable. ABC News has more.

Pearson says in court papers that he took a pair of pants in to Custom Cleaners in the Fort Lincoln section of D.C. that year, and the pants were lost. So Jin and Soo Chung, the Korean immigrant couple who own Custom Cleaners and two other dry cleaning shops, gave Pearson a $150 check for a new pair of pants.

Three years later, Pearson says he returned to Custom Cleaners and - like some real life "Groundhog Day'' nightmare - his trousers went missing.

Again.

So, when they went missing the second time, he sued. And now, years later, the court case is causing a financial headache for the owner of the dry cleaner, who is being besieged with legal fees.

"It's affecting us first of all financially, because of all the lawyers' fees,'' Jin Chung said. "For two years, we've been paying lawyer fees... we've gotten bad credit as well, and secondly, it's been difficult mentally and physically because of the level of stress.''

While the judge's explanation for his $67 million claim at least has some basis in reality (According to ABC's story he's suing for ten years of weekend car rentals so he can transport his dry cleaning to another store -- though how this amounts to $67 million is puzzling, must be all that "mental anguish" he suffered) this whole case is sad. Sad for the dry cleaner who is being financially ruined by this silly lawsuit. Sad for the judge who obviously has some sort of vindictive nature to him to go this far with the case (the ABC report says he plans on calling 63 (!!) witnesses at the civil trial). And sad for our legal system, which gets another black eye because of this ridiculous lawsuit.

Stolen Wallet Returned -- After 56 Years

This is a great story. 56 years ago, back in 1951, Val Gregoire was robbed. His wallet was stolen. He was knocked unconscious. The thieves even took his pants.

56 years later, his pants are still missing, but Mr. Gregoire's widow has had the stolen wallet returned to her according to the Washington Post.

The wallet was discovered by a demolition worker at Boston's Paramount Theatre _ 56 years to the day Gregoire lost it.

"I was stunned," said Jeannette Gregoire, 75, of Lewiston, who got a call from Kathy Bagen, the worker's wife. "How could this have survived?"

There was no money in the wallet, but it contained Val's Navy ID, a copy of his Augusta birth certificate and more than a dozen photos. An Armed Forces Liberty Pass was dated "April 11, 1951," the same month and day Richard Bagen made his discovery.

Boris Yeltsin Passes Away

Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin died today at the age of 76, and while there are plenty of places to go read about his life and experience and all of his accomplishments (MSNBC has a great compilation of stories if you are looking for more information like that) I don't have much to say about his death. Not being a student of Russian history, I don't feel I have much to add to the conversation. But, what I can add, is some humor to lighten the mood for those feeling down after President Yeltsin's death. So, at the risk of being insensitive, here are the Top 3 YouTube videos featuring Boris Yeltsin.
3. Yeltsin Throws Young Girl In Ocean:

2. Yeltsin Shares a Laugh with Bill Clinton:

And perhaps the most famous clip of all, 1. Yeltsin Dances:

Mets Fan Charged With "Interference With a Professional Sporting Event "

I'll have some comments on the pathetic Detroit Tigers, high flying Detroit Red Wings, and (hopefully) 1-0 Detroit Pistons late tonight after the basketball game, but, for all you depressed Tigers fans in need of a pick me up (and you've already watched the Boston Red Sox pizza throwing video) here's another ridiculous baseball story.

According to our good friends over at the Associated Press, a New York Mets fan was charged with reckless endangerment and interference with a professional sporting event" (I'm not making that charge up).

A 40-year-old man arrested at Shea Stadium on Friday night is accused of trying to distract an Atlanta Braves pitcher and shortstop with a high-powered flashlight.

Authorities said Martinez flashed the powerful light at the players in the bottom of the eighth inning from his seat behind home plate. He was quickly ejected from the game.

A law making it expressly illegal to interfere with a professional sporting event was passed by the city in 2003 following a disruptive incident involving fashion designer Calvin Klein.

Klein stepped onto the basketball court at Madison Square Garden in March 2003 to speak with player Latrell Sprewell while a Knicks game was in progress.

There are a thousand things funny about the incident, but the flashlight guy is likely not laughing, seeing as he is now facing up to a year in jail as a result of the incident. A few comments are in order. First, great idea, but poor execution. Why waste it in a meaningless April regular season game? Why not wait until the playoffs, when blinding a pitcher could actually make an impact. I'm kidding of course. Kind of.

I think just the fact that there is an offense titled "Interference With a Professional Sporting Event" is a good enough laugh all on its own.

Boston Red Sox Fan Hit With Pizza

Now here's some great video. It's times like these I love running a blog, because I can paste these videos and everyone can have a good laugh. Check out this clip from Youtube of the Boston Red Sox game from Monday. Some fans spilled their beers going after a foul ball, and another fan, apparently upset that someone would waste any alcohol (or, likely just upset the fans interfered with the play), took a pizza and tossed the pie at the offending fans. This is something neither I nor the Boston Globe, where I first saw the story, can make up. The video just speaks for itself.

Oh, and yesterday's story about the Phillie's manager Charlie Manuel challenging a reporter to a fight? That video is posted on that story as well.

Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel Challenges Reporter to Fight

There are times I love that Jim Leyland is the manager of the Detroit Tigers, and there are times I really love that Jim Leyland is the manager of the Detroit Tigers. Today it's the latter. Because I can see what life is like for some other baseball teams. Take the Philadelphia Phillies for example. Struggling out of the gate, the team has not lived up to expectations this season. So when the media questioned manager Charlie Manuel about his team's poor performances, what did he do? Challenge the media to a fight of course.

After the Phillies were drubbed 8-1 by the New York Mets on Tuesday night, manager Charlie Manuel blew his top in his office, letting loose with a profane tirade and challenging a talk show host -- identified by the Courier-Post newspaper of Cherry Hill, N.J., as WIP-AM personality Howard Eskin, a longtime critic of Manuel -- to a fight.

"I think they see me angry more than you think they do. I think you probably don't see me angry. I can show you I can get angry, if you want to," Manuel said, according to the Inquirer.

"Why don't you drop by my office? I'll be waiting on you. I'll be waiting on you. I'll walk down there right now," Manuel said, according to the Courier-Post.

"We're going to win!" Manuel could be heard yelling in his office, The Associated Press reported.

The above photo is from Philadelphia's NBC-10, which has both a slideshow and video of the confrontation. Good stuff. It shows Manuel going after the reporter a few different times having to be held back by security. Here's video of the confrontation from a YouTube posting.