Talking Points

* My dream of Manny. Parking lot. Some kind of bbq. We board a bus for a press conference in which Steinbrenner is announcing the trade for Manny. Manny gets choked up. He needs to take a little walk. I say "We still love you, Manny!" He is visibly moved. He leaves and returns, giving me two pine-tar-caked helmets. I give one to the lady in the bus seat behind me.

* If you want to be considered for a Ny Post date like the one I had, let me know. Free meal & 15 minutes of fame!

* I've hosted 2 events with James Frey and I know that his book has helped a lot of people, he seems like a cool guy. If The Smoking Gun put its bright lights on *any* author in America, everyone would wither. Did anyone shine the highbeams in Hunter's eyes and say Did you really take 350 'ludes and bet on the Panthers in the Superbowl? It's 2006, it's creative non-fiction and why should The Truth get in the way of a story that fucking made Oprah cry for Fuck's Sake? J. T. Leroy, by the way, is a goddamned genius and I don't care if it's really a 76 year old fuck-donkey writing that shit. That the New York Times feels they can play gotcha with the Literature Set in America when they 1) widely reported WMD in Iraq long past the point that anyone was pretending WMD were still there 2) Shelved the greatest bit of journalism in the past 30 years because the President asked them to...Just sit back and enjoy the story, dicks. Although it is interesting that the New York Times has been scooped AHEM *once again.*

* How is it that no one had a clue the first place there would be a bird flu outbreak would be TURKEY? (If we can't joke about the potential death of half the Earth's population, what can we joke about?)

* Jim Rice *better* get in the Hall of Fame this year. Update: Congrats to Bruce Sutter. But Jim Rice dominated the league in the 1970s and deserves to get in. The Fucking Red Sox coud help him by finally (FINALLY) retiring #14. If voters ever vote in Bagwell, Frank Thomas, etc how will they explain not voting in Jim Rice? It won't matter--Kirby Puckett is in and Jim Rice isn't? Waa? Compare their first 12 seasons! Jim Rice kept playing--that doesn't undo what he did! That he's a prickly guy doesn't disqualify him! It's pure crap. Mattingly should be in, too. Complete bullshit.

* Have I told you about my Terrell Owens for Chad Pennington trade scenario? Depends on USC QB Leinart being available in the Draft at #4. That the Jets want to interview the Defensive "Co-ordinator" of the New England Patriots for a head coaching position? They came in last place with a REAL coach, they can come in last place without him.

* The Crush List (tm) is updated.

* Tony Tost puts scare quotes around the new name of my blog on his blog links. It's not necessary for anyone to link to this site, I'd prefer if no one did (I'm only going to link to things here as events warrant). The name of this site is implicitly skeptical. To state that skepticism with scare quotes on a link I didn't ask for, well, no one is asking you to. I am attempting to cast dispersions on the term. If you take the term *that* seriously, that's your problem. You are buying into a system that I do not buy into, one in which I feel like a guerilla soldier firing blowdarts down from the trees upon. If you want to be hit by such blowdarts, keep it up.