Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Britney Thinks Midgets Are Funny
Britney Spears' husband K-Fed recently celebrated his 28th birthday. They celebrated at Tao in Vegas where Britney hired two female midgets to bring Federline his cake. The next night they went back to Tao and a Cher impersonator sang "I Got You Babe" with a mini-Sonny. The pair and their friends were reportedly in hysterics.
His Immature Attitude Towards Vegetables is Not Very Presidential
The Smoking Gun found the list of riders for John Kerry during the Presidential campaign. Among the things Kerry needs in a hotel, like Pizza Parlor Derek, the ability to order movies. That makes "JK very happy."
As far as good, he has a very specific list of foods he will eat. JK hates celery and NEVER serve him anything with tomatoes. Very surprising since he married the ketchup queen.
This comes in contrast to Dick Cheney, who had less specific dietary demands but required that all rooms have all lights turned on, all TVs turned to Fox News and the room should he kept at a comfortable 68 degrees.
As far as good, he has a very specific list of foods he will eat. JK hates celery and NEVER serve him anything with tomatoes. Very surprising since he married the ketchup queen.
This comes in contrast to Dick Cheney, who had less specific dietary demands but required that all rooms have all lights turned on, all TVs turned to Fox News and the room should he kept at a comfortable 68 degrees.
Julian Tavarez Will Bust Yo Lip
Combustible Red Sox reliver Julian Tavarez got into a fight yesterday with Tampa Bay outfielder Joey Gathright. You may remember Tavarez from Game 4 of the 2004 National League Championship Series, when as a member of the Cardinals hebecame incensed with himself and broke his left hand punching a dugout phone.
Yesterday he was covering home plate to catch a throw, because catcher Ken Huckaby had to run up the first-base line to complete a rundown.
As Tavarez braced for the throw home from second baseman Zach Borowiak, speedy Joey Gathright churned to the plate. Tavarez's left leg got caught on Gathright's right forearm as he tagged him out.
Gathright, angered by this, pushed Tavarez's leg and hollered something at him. As Gathright got up off the ground, Tavarez promptly gave him a right hook to the face, and then another punch to the top of the head.
"I slid in and then he was standing on my arm -- I can show you marks," said Gathright, who did have some scratches on his arm. "I was trying to get up. I couldn't get up, because he was putting more pressure on it. I was like, 'Get off my arm,' but he wouldn't move, so I tried to get up and push his knee back, and I was getting up. He swung at me, and that's when it all started.
"I was shocked. It was kind of funny, but it happens. I guess he was upset because he was getting hit a little bit, but whatever the reason was, it wasn't called for."
Tavarez, who gave up a hit, three unearned runs and committed a throwing error over two-thirds of an inning, said he was defending himself.
"You have to defend yourself, man," said Tavarez. "I don't have a twin brother out there. He was like, 'Hey man,' I tried to get out [of the way] and I wasn't going to let him throw a punch at me right away. You ever hear that whoever gets the first punch gets the win? That's what happened. That's how it goes."
Yesterday he was covering home plate to catch a throw, because catcher Ken Huckaby had to run up the first-base line to complete a rundown.
As Tavarez braced for the throw home from second baseman Zach Borowiak, speedy Joey Gathright churned to the plate. Tavarez's left leg got caught on Gathright's right forearm as he tagged him out.
Gathright, angered by this, pushed Tavarez's leg and hollered something at him. As Gathright got up off the ground, Tavarez promptly gave him a right hook to the face, and then another punch to the top of the head.
"I slid in and then he was standing on my arm -- I can show you marks," said Gathright, who did have some scratches on his arm. "I was trying to get up. I couldn't get up, because he was putting more pressure on it. I was like, 'Get off my arm,' but he wouldn't move, so I tried to get up and push his knee back, and I was getting up. He swung at me, and that's when it all started.
"I was shocked. It was kind of funny, but it happens. I guess he was upset because he was getting hit a little bit, but whatever the reason was, it wasn't called for."
Tavarez, who gave up a hit, three unearned runs and committed a throwing error over two-thirds of an inning, said he was defending himself.
"You have to defend yourself, man," said Tavarez. "I don't have a twin brother out there. He was like, 'Hey man,' I tried to get out [of the way] and I wasn't going to let him throw a punch at me right away. You ever hear that whoever gets the first punch gets the win? That's what happened. That's how it goes."
He's Still a Douche
Wilmer Valderrama, aka Fez, was on Howard Stern yesterday and spoke in detail about girls he's had sex with.
Lindasy Lohan: one of the best he's had
Ashlee Simpson: loud in bed
Jennifer Love Hugetits: an 8 in bed
Mandy Moore: she was his first love. He took her virginity
Jamie Pressley, Rosaria Dawson and Jessica Alba: just friends, he never slept with any of them
Wilmer also claimed to have an 8-inch penis and said that he had anal sex with a famous actress but wouldn't say who. He also occassionally records himself having sex but always erases it out of fear it'll end up on the internet.
Lindasy Lohan: one of the best he's had
Ashlee Simpson: loud in bed
Jennifer Love Hugetits: an 8 in bed
Mandy Moore: she was his first love. He took her virginity
Jamie Pressley, Rosaria Dawson and Jessica Alba: just friends, he never slept with any of them
Wilmer also claimed to have an 8-inch penis and said that he had anal sex with a famous actress but wouldn't say who. He also occassionally records himself having sex but always erases it out of fear it'll end up on the internet.
It's Better to Be Lucky Than Good
Russell Pleasant is leading ESPN's Tournament Challenge, as one of four out of the more than 3 million entrants who correctly predicted all four Final Four teams.
Last year 4,172 people got all four teams; a much easier year as Illinois and North Carolina were locks.
The problem with Pleasant, he thought he was picking George Washington, instead of George Mason.
"One night I was watching some of the games, and I saw George Washington," Pleasant said last night in a telephone interview. "I said that team is good; I like them."
Same first name, different last name. Oh, well.
"Man, all those Georges." he said. "I knew they were all from D.C. I like Georgetown, too."
In November, Pleasant watched George Mason take on Creighton on television. Even though Creighton won, 72-52, Pleasant said he remembered thinking that George Mason was pretty good.
"I thought I had George Mason in the Sweet 16," he said.
That schmuck stands to win $10,000 from ESPN if Florida beats UCLA in the final.
Last year 4,172 people got all four teams; a much easier year as Illinois and North Carolina were locks.
The problem with Pleasant, he thought he was picking George Washington, instead of George Mason.
"One night I was watching some of the games, and I saw George Washington," Pleasant said last night in a telephone interview. "I said that team is good; I like them."
Same first name, different last name. Oh, well.
"Man, all those Georges." he said. "I knew they were all from D.C. I like Georgetown, too."
In November, Pleasant watched George Mason take on Creighton on television. Even though Creighton won, 72-52, Pleasant said he remembered thinking that George Mason was pretty good.
"I thought I had George Mason in the Sweet 16," he said.
That schmuck stands to win $10,000 from ESPN if Florida beats UCLA in the final.
Randy Johnson Lovechild
Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson got himself in trouble with his Big Unit and now is trying to reduce his child support payments.
Johnson has a 16-year old daughter with a woman whom he dated before his wife. He now has four kids with his wife. He has only seen this daughter, Heather Roszell, one time, when she was an infant. Johnson now wants to recover nearly $100,00 that he paid for daycare services. That amounts to $750/month on top of the $500 he already pays.
Johnson admitted to being the girl's father after a paternity test in 1998, when the mother sought child support. His agent says he's willing to buy the girl a car and a computer but doesn't want to give the money to her mother.
Also, according to the documents on The Smoking Gun Johnson is required to have the daughter on his health insurance plan. So that means the Yankees/Diamondbacks have been paying for her braces.
Johnson has a 16-year old daughter with a woman whom he dated before his wife. He now has four kids with his wife. He has only seen this daughter, Heather Roszell, one time, when she was an infant. Johnson now wants to recover nearly $100,00 that he paid for daycare services. That amounts to $750/month on top of the $500 he already pays.
Johnson admitted to being the girl's father after a paternity test in 1998, when the mother sought child support. His agent says he's willing to buy the girl a car and a computer but doesn't want to give the money to her mother.
Also, according to the documents on The Smoking Gun Johnson is required to have the daughter on his health insurance plan. So that means the Yankees/Diamondbacks have been paying for her braces.
Monday, March 27, 2006
The Jewish Jordan
UCLA point guard Jordan Farmar is a hero the Jewish community.
Farmar was born on November 30, 1986 in Los Angeles to Damon Farmar, a minor league baseball player and his Jewish wife Mindy. The couple divorced in 1988, two-year-old Jordan remained with his mother, who married an Israeli immigrant named Yehuda Kolani who adopted Jordan. His stepfather raised Farmar in a Jewish home, took him to Israel and sponsored his Temple Judea bar mitzvah. Farmar doesn’t consider himself observant, but identifies himself as part of the Jewish people.
“That is part of me, of who I am,” said the 2004 Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame High School Athlete of the Year.
The bigger question: is Farmar black? The answer is yes, his father is black.
Farmar was born on November 30, 1986 in Los Angeles to Damon Farmar, a minor league baseball player and his Jewish wife Mindy. The couple divorced in 1988, two-year-old Jordan remained with his mother, who married an Israeli immigrant named Yehuda Kolani who adopted Jordan. His stepfather raised Farmar in a Jewish home, took him to Israel and sponsored his Temple Judea bar mitzvah. Farmar doesn’t consider himself observant, but identifies himself as part of the Jewish people.
“That is part of me, of who I am,” said the 2004 Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame High School Athlete of the Year.
The bigger question: is Farmar black? The answer is yes, his father is black.
Jews Love Chinese Food
Funny article in the New York Times about the relationship between Jews and Chinese food. You need a subscription so I'll just post the entire article:
"IT'S a yin-yang kind of thing.
New York Jews love Chinese food because it doesn't mix meat with milk. But half an hour later we complain we're hungry.
We love Chinese food because it's nothing like what we cook at home. But we get anxious when we can't tell what it is:
"Is this gray thing pork?"
"Omigod, you think it's pork?"
"It tastes like chicken."
"Oy."
New York Jews love Chinese food because you don't need a tie and jacket to eat it. We love it because the portions are big enough to share and Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas Day. We love it because Chinese waiters, like Jewish families, are kid-centric.
There's an e-joke making the rounds:
"According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5766. According to the Chinese calendar, it's 4703. That means for 1,063 years, Jews went without Chinese food."
Jews probably first tasted Chinese food around 718, the date on a bill of sale found in China and written in Judeo-Persian. By the 1920's, my grandmother was taking my mother to a Chinese restaurant on West 181st Street, above the Coliseum movie theater.
They went Thursdays, Alma's night off. (New York Jews gave their housekeepers Thursday and every other Sunday off.) My grandmother Nana Polly ordered chicken chow mein. Mom was allowed only to nibble from the bowl of crispy noodles. My grandfather, a restaurant man, was familiar with an urban myth concerning cats.
When Mom was 15, she met Dad. In that timeless Jewish dating ritual, he cupped her hand and tried to teach her how to use chopsticks. "Your father showed me 6,000 times," she says. "I didn't get it 6,000 times."
Although he came from a kosher home, Dad introduced her to sweet and pungent pork. "He wanted to educate me about other countries' food," she says. "Once" — she rolls her eyes — "I had to eat an anchovy."
In New York in the 1950's, Chinese food meant Cantonese-style. Every dish contained so much cornstarch, the ingredients appeared suspended.
Paul Novograd, my sixth-grade classmate and now the owner of Claremont Stables, ate at Sun-Wah on Broadway and 87th Street. "We had endless discussions with non-English-speaking waiters about splitting up the orders," he recalls. "What if you got two from Column A and one from Column B? It was just like the Buddy Hackett routine."
When I was 7, my parents and grandparents began taking us for Sunday dinner at the old Ruby Foo's on West 52nd Street. You'd walk through a dim entrance lined with beautiful bowing ladies wearing embroidered cheongsams. A towering porcelain Buddha in green robes presided over the dining room. His earlobes hung to his shoulders, something I worried would happen to my grandmother, who liked big earrings.
Dinner started with ribs, followed by entrees like war hoo hip har and moo goo gai pan. They arrived on stainless steel pedestal dishes with matching covers. The steam could frizz your hair.
Poppy, my grandfather, had permanently forsaken pork by way of thanking God for my grandmother. But just as we were about to dig in, he'd turn to my sister and me and say, "Darling, may I have one of those?" It was, of course, a test. He didn't want the ribs. He wanted to know if his granddaughters were selfish or generous, which in the end translated to, "Do you love me enough to give me a rib?"
My father's mother, Granny Ethel, kept kosher. No pork crossed her lips, at least not in front of Grandpa Charles. Before we'd "go Chinese," she'd swear me to secrecy, an unnerving betrayal. She would put on sunglasses and a hat, and look both ways before climbing upstairs to a Chinese restaurant with a vertical neon sign blinking, "Chopsuey." In the restaurant, Granny ordered almond char sue ding and ate with her sunglasses on. Were Chinese restaurants kept dark so kosher Jews couldn't see other kosher Jews?
By the 1960's, Paul Novograd was eating Shanghai cuisine at Chun-Cha-Fu in the Greystone Hotel on Broadway and 91st Street, and I was finally in Chinatown, always at Hong Fat, where the waiter cleaned the table by pouring hot tea on it and swiping it with a rag. To order, locals pointed to signs on the walls. Everything was written in Chinese except "Not Responsible for Coats." People knew about Hong Fat because it was so cheap. If you ate at Hong Fat, eventually you'd see everyone. It was the Cafe de la Paix of Mott Street.
When I met my first husband, we ate at a Chinese restaurant on Broadway and 112th Street in Morningside Heights. Dinner would go smoothly till we got to dessert. The waiter couldn't say "pistachio." He'd offer three choices of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla and moo-foo-STAZ-eeyo. Andy would look at him and say, "Chocolate, vanilla and what was that last one?" He thought this was funny. I should have known then. I would have been better off marrying Jerry, who tried to make waiters laugh by pretending to order in Chinese. He'd point to the letters on the menu and say, "I'll have a little box with a line through it and an upside down L, and an order of X with a lightning bolt and pi."
BY the 1980's, Sichuan restaurants were everywhere. The food was spicier, less stewed. Soon it was mixing with other cuisines. You could get cuchifritos with your orange chicken and sushi with your shrimp balls. The late Bernstein-on-Essex featured kosher chicken liver lo mein served by Jewish waiters wearing skull caps with tassels.
I began to wonder whether Chinese food in China was anything like Chinese food in New York. So on a recent trip to China, I packed a takeout menu from Empire Szechuan on 97th Street and Broadway. I gave it to Ellen, the local tour guide for our group. She promised to circle any New York dishes we ate on the trip.
Ellen agreed to warn us about "funny food" at meals. So at the Grand Hotel in Beijing I skipped the sea delicacy called big tan, composed of fish lips, fish bladder and tortoise apron. I steered clear of bowls of fried beetles, deer horn and the much-vaunted ostrich leg tendon. I avoided the four hot pot basics: ox tripe, pig blood, duck intestine and ox throat. In Guilin, where the specialty is dog, I went temporarily vegetarian. You don't see people walking dogs in Guilin. It would be like a New Yorker walking a turkey.
Ellen ate everything. When I asked, "What's that?" no matter what it was, she said "fungus."
From my Empire Szechuan menu, she circled thai ho fun (sliced chicken with bean sprouts), yeung-chow (fried rice), curry-flavored Singapore rice noodles, Peking duck, General Tso's chicken and mushroom with gluten. Everything else was news to me: The Schiaparelli-pink winter melon with snow-white flesh and microscopic black seeds. Warm walnut pudding on the road to Dazu. Roast goose buns and, on a mercilessly hot day, long strings of cucumber in a broth with shaved ice.
I never once encountered chop suey or chow mein. And no matter how many ribs I gnawed, not one came close to the heaven of Ruby Foo's."
"IT'S a yin-yang kind of thing.
New York Jews love Chinese food because it doesn't mix meat with milk. But half an hour later we complain we're hungry.
We love Chinese food because it's nothing like what we cook at home. But we get anxious when we can't tell what it is:
"Is this gray thing pork?"
"Omigod, you think it's pork?"
"It tastes like chicken."
"Oy."
New York Jews love Chinese food because you don't need a tie and jacket to eat it. We love it because the portions are big enough to share and Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas Day. We love it because Chinese waiters, like Jewish families, are kid-centric.
There's an e-joke making the rounds:
"According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5766. According to the Chinese calendar, it's 4703. That means for 1,063 years, Jews went without Chinese food."
Jews probably first tasted Chinese food around 718, the date on a bill of sale found in China and written in Judeo-Persian. By the 1920's, my grandmother was taking my mother to a Chinese restaurant on West 181st Street, above the Coliseum movie theater.
They went Thursdays, Alma's night off. (New York Jews gave their housekeepers Thursday and every other Sunday off.) My grandmother Nana Polly ordered chicken chow mein. Mom was allowed only to nibble from the bowl of crispy noodles. My grandfather, a restaurant man, was familiar with an urban myth concerning cats.
When Mom was 15, she met Dad. In that timeless Jewish dating ritual, he cupped her hand and tried to teach her how to use chopsticks. "Your father showed me 6,000 times," she says. "I didn't get it 6,000 times."
Although he came from a kosher home, Dad introduced her to sweet and pungent pork. "He wanted to educate me about other countries' food," she says. "Once" — she rolls her eyes — "I had to eat an anchovy."
In New York in the 1950's, Chinese food meant Cantonese-style. Every dish contained so much cornstarch, the ingredients appeared suspended.
Paul Novograd, my sixth-grade classmate and now the owner of Claremont Stables, ate at Sun-Wah on Broadway and 87th Street. "We had endless discussions with non-English-speaking waiters about splitting up the orders," he recalls. "What if you got two from Column A and one from Column B? It was just like the Buddy Hackett routine."
When I was 7, my parents and grandparents began taking us for Sunday dinner at the old Ruby Foo's on West 52nd Street. You'd walk through a dim entrance lined with beautiful bowing ladies wearing embroidered cheongsams. A towering porcelain Buddha in green robes presided over the dining room. His earlobes hung to his shoulders, something I worried would happen to my grandmother, who liked big earrings.
Dinner started with ribs, followed by entrees like war hoo hip har and moo goo gai pan. They arrived on stainless steel pedestal dishes with matching covers. The steam could frizz your hair.
Poppy, my grandfather, had permanently forsaken pork by way of thanking God for my grandmother. But just as we were about to dig in, he'd turn to my sister and me and say, "Darling, may I have one of those?" It was, of course, a test. He didn't want the ribs. He wanted to know if his granddaughters were selfish or generous, which in the end translated to, "Do you love me enough to give me a rib?"
My father's mother, Granny Ethel, kept kosher. No pork crossed her lips, at least not in front of Grandpa Charles. Before we'd "go Chinese," she'd swear me to secrecy, an unnerving betrayal. She would put on sunglasses and a hat, and look both ways before climbing upstairs to a Chinese restaurant with a vertical neon sign blinking, "Chopsuey." In the restaurant, Granny ordered almond char sue ding and ate with her sunglasses on. Were Chinese restaurants kept dark so kosher Jews couldn't see other kosher Jews?
By the 1960's, Paul Novograd was eating Shanghai cuisine at Chun-Cha-Fu in the Greystone Hotel on Broadway and 91st Street, and I was finally in Chinatown, always at Hong Fat, where the waiter cleaned the table by pouring hot tea on it and swiping it with a rag. To order, locals pointed to signs on the walls. Everything was written in Chinese except "Not Responsible for Coats." People knew about Hong Fat because it was so cheap. If you ate at Hong Fat, eventually you'd see everyone. It was the Cafe de la Paix of Mott Street.
When I met my first husband, we ate at a Chinese restaurant on Broadway and 112th Street in Morningside Heights. Dinner would go smoothly till we got to dessert. The waiter couldn't say "pistachio." He'd offer three choices of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla and moo-foo-STAZ-eeyo. Andy would look at him and say, "Chocolate, vanilla and what was that last one?" He thought this was funny. I should have known then. I would have been better off marrying Jerry, who tried to make waiters laugh by pretending to order in Chinese. He'd point to the letters on the menu and say, "I'll have a little box with a line through it and an upside down L, and an order of X with a lightning bolt and pi."
BY the 1980's, Sichuan restaurants were everywhere. The food was spicier, less stewed. Soon it was mixing with other cuisines. You could get cuchifritos with your orange chicken and sushi with your shrimp balls. The late Bernstein-on-Essex featured kosher chicken liver lo mein served by Jewish waiters wearing skull caps with tassels.
I began to wonder whether Chinese food in China was anything like Chinese food in New York. So on a recent trip to China, I packed a takeout menu from Empire Szechuan on 97th Street and Broadway. I gave it to Ellen, the local tour guide for our group. She promised to circle any New York dishes we ate on the trip.
Ellen agreed to warn us about "funny food" at meals. So at the Grand Hotel in Beijing I skipped the sea delicacy called big tan, composed of fish lips, fish bladder and tortoise apron. I steered clear of bowls of fried beetles, deer horn and the much-vaunted ostrich leg tendon. I avoided the four hot pot basics: ox tripe, pig blood, duck intestine and ox throat. In Guilin, where the specialty is dog, I went temporarily vegetarian. You don't see people walking dogs in Guilin. It would be like a New Yorker walking a turkey.
Ellen ate everything. When I asked, "What's that?" no matter what it was, she said "fungus."
From my Empire Szechuan menu, she circled thai ho fun (sliced chicken with bean sprouts), yeung-chow (fried rice), curry-flavored Singapore rice noodles, Peking duck, General Tso's chicken and mushroom with gluten. Everything else was news to me: The Schiaparelli-pink winter melon with snow-white flesh and microscopic black seeds. Warm walnut pudding on the road to Dazu. Roast goose buns and, on a mercilessly hot day, long strings of cucumber in a broth with shaved ice.
I never once encountered chop suey or chow mein. And no matter how many ribs I gnawed, not one came close to the heaven of Ruby Foo's."
MySpace Impostors?
Everyone has a profile on myspace.com now. Even Gerry McNamara and Eric Devendorf. Myspace has tons of phony profiles of famous and semi-famous people. But these two seem to be legit, in part because they are linked to each other. McNamara's also has a generic photo of about 6 SU players. I just wonder why McNamarma has as his main image, a picture of him and three other chicks. What does his girlfriend think of that?
Full Dancecard
We've received an overwhelming response to Friday' post about next year's East Regional at the Meadowlands on Friday March 23th and Sunday March 25th. So far, Derek, Isaacs, Mike, Stacey and my dad have all said yes. Including me that makes 6, the maximum number of tickets that can be ordered on one form. If others are interested please let me know immediately and we can submit another form. That leaves the possibility that if there is a lottery some of us will get in and others won't, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
At Least the Knicks Are Good at Something
In a season that has otherwise been a nightmare, the Knicks City Dancers advanced to the final four of the NBA's dance team tournament. It's going to be a tough matchup against the Heat Hookers in the semifinals.
Speaking of hot chick tournaments, the Best Damn Hotties Contest is down to 8.
Jessica Alba vs. Marissa Miller.
Stacy Keibler vs. Eva Longoria.
Ali Landry vs. Elisha Cuthbert. Landry upset #1 seed Pam Anderson.
Carmen Electra vs. Brooke Burke.
Speaking of hot chick tournaments, the Best Damn Hotties Contest is down to 8.
Jessica Alba vs. Marissa Miller.
Stacy Keibler vs. Eva Longoria.
Ali Landry vs. Elisha Cuthbert. Landry upset #1 seed Pam Anderson.
Carmen Electra vs. Brooke Burke.
Glen Davis is Hungry
Look out world, Glen Davis is hungry. Davis is LSU's 6'9", 310-pound forward is nicknamed "Big Baby." Dick Enberg called him that about 1000 times this weekend. He got the nickname because he's fat and used to whine a lot as a child. This is what Davis had to say during the postgame celebration: "Big Baby gotta say something. We still got tapeworms in our bellies. We still hungry. We not finished yet."
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Biggest Upset Ever?
Wow! George Mason just beat the UConn powerhouse. I'm shocked. Not since Man O' War lost to a horse name Upset has there been a bigger upset. UConn didn't even play badly. George Mason played great. They avoided the pitfalls of so many Cinderella teams. They didn't shoot too many threes, nor did they hold the ball forever hoping the clock would run out. They continued to get the ball inside to their big men, and they never got intimidated. Wow!
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Paul Esposito Gets $9m
For those of you that didn't go to Wagner, or don't remember, we went to high school with Paul Esposito.
From the Daily News:
"More than two years after the Staten Island ferry crash took both his legs, Paul Esposito won the second largest legal settlement in city history yesterday - nearly $9 million.
As part of the deal, the city agreed to pay the money directly into an annuity fund that, over the next 50 years, will pay the 26-year-old Esposito $25.6 million.
"The only thing Paulie wanted out of this lawsuit was to make sure his medical needs and his lifetime needs were covered," said his attorney, Derek Sells of The Cochran Group, the firm founded by the late Johnnie Cochran.
"Once we reached that number, Paulie just wanted to move on," Sells said. "He is focused on living and he feels wonderful."
Esposito lost both his legs above the knee when the Andrew J. Barberi ferry crashed into the St. George Terminal on Staten Island on Oct. 15, 2003, killing 11 passengers and injuring more than 70.
He owes his life to a quick-thinking British tourist who stemmed his loss of blood.
The ferry crash spawned 191 claims against the city, of which 100 have now been settled. Esposito's payment is roughly eight times greater than the next largest.
"The city continues to express its deep regret for this tragic accident and hopes that this settlement will in some measure bring closure to Mr. Esposito and his family," said Lawrence Kahn, the city's chief litigating assistant.
The deal comes three days after Esposito's lawyers mistakenly broadcast plans for a press conference to announce a deal - an event they were forced to cancel after city officials insisted the deal was not done.
Esposito, who has learned to walk on prosthetic legs and is planning to go back to college, was not expected to talk publicly until a Monday press conference.
"This will pay out for his whole life," Sells said of the settlement. "And that's what is significant."
From the Daily News:
"More than two years after the Staten Island ferry crash took both his legs, Paul Esposito won the second largest legal settlement in city history yesterday - nearly $9 million.
As part of the deal, the city agreed to pay the money directly into an annuity fund that, over the next 50 years, will pay the 26-year-old Esposito $25.6 million.
"The only thing Paulie wanted out of this lawsuit was to make sure his medical needs and his lifetime needs were covered," said his attorney, Derek Sells of The Cochran Group, the firm founded by the late Johnnie Cochran.
"Once we reached that number, Paulie just wanted to move on," Sells said. "He is focused on living and he feels wonderful."
Esposito lost both his legs above the knee when the Andrew J. Barberi ferry crashed into the St. George Terminal on Staten Island on Oct. 15, 2003, killing 11 passengers and injuring more than 70.
He owes his life to a quick-thinking British tourist who stemmed his loss of blood.
The ferry crash spawned 191 claims against the city, of which 100 have now been settled. Esposito's payment is roughly eight times greater than the next largest.
"The city continues to express its deep regret for this tragic accident and hopes that this settlement will in some measure bring closure to Mr. Esposito and his family," said Lawrence Kahn, the city's chief litigating assistant.
The deal comes three days after Esposito's lawyers mistakenly broadcast plans for a press conference to announce a deal - an event they were forced to cancel after city officials insisted the deal was not done.
Esposito, who has learned to walk on prosthetic legs and is planning to go back to college, was not expected to talk publicly until a Monday press conference.
"This will pay out for his whole life," Sells said of the settlement. "And that's what is significant."
How Does Mike Do It?
Once again Mike is pulling off a tremendous run in ESPN's tournament challenge. Right now his entry is ranked #2699 (tied) out of more than 3 million entries overall. If he can get the next 7 games right (UCLA losing to UConn in the final), that would be incredible and probably put him in the top 50 nationwide. What's crazy is Mike is fairly consistent about this. His highlight is picking Ohio State to the Final Four in 1999 when they had Scoonie Friedlander, no wait, Scoonie Penn. I also think he picked SU to win it all in 2003 and I remember him touting 6 seed Wisconsin last year, and they did go to the final 8 before losing to UNC. This year his pick was Georgetown. Although he had them beating Florida in another pool, in ESPN he picked Florida. Other than the major surprises (Bradley, Wichita State, George Mason) that almost everyone got wrong, Mike has been near perfect after the first round.
Friday, March 24, 2006
We Don't Need Him
For some reason a report recently asked Kobe Bryant about the lack of Jews in professional sports. At some point, after jokingly questioning the research, Kobe said "I wouldn't mind being Jewish. I wouldn't mind. Really." He then said he would pass Dolph Schayes as the great Jewish basketball player.
Catch the Madness...Next Year
In my hand I have an order form for tickets to next year's East (Rutherford?) Regional Semifinals and final (the rounds we're currently in, week 2 of the tournament). It costs $140 ($132 if I go to the box office in person) to see three games over the two sessions. Please let me know if you are interested. Tickets are given away on a lottery basis, if there are more applicants than available tickets. I can do a maximum of 6. Must have an answer in the next couple weeks.
Idiot Leaves Baby in Car
This story has me thinking there might be more to it. A guy gets on the train, then realizes "oh shit, I never dropped the kid off at daycare?" The baby was still in the car at the train station. By the time he got off and came back people noticed the baby in the car, fireman got the baby out and sent it to the hospital. Child Services released the baby back to the mother, evidently granting that it was indeed an accident.
Another Racial Firing
The latest guy to lose his job over a racial remark is a sports talk show host in St. Louis. Dave Lenihan was discussing Condoleeza Rice's supposed interest in the NFL Commissioner's job. He meant to say it would be a big "coup" for the league. Instead, he said "coon".
“She’s just got a patent resume, of somebody that’s got such serious skill,” Linehan said on the air. “She loves football, she’s African-American, which would kind of be a big coon, a big coon – oh my God, I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that, OK? I didn’t mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue.”
“She’s just got a patent resume, of somebody that’s got such serious skill,” Linehan said on the air. “She loves football, she’s African-American, which would kind of be a big coon, a big coon – oh my God, I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that, OK? I didn’t mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue.”
Simmons Gets a Push
Sports Illustrated has an article in its latest issue about sports columnists/bloggers on the internet. The article comes with a huge full page picture of Bill Simmons. I haven't read it yet but I expect it to focus on the fact that he has a huge readership and he seldom, if ever, does any real reporting.
Ok to Cry?
I don't think it makes Adam Morrison a sissy because he cried after last night's game. In fact a lot of players on teams that got eliminated have cried. JJ Redick did too, but he was a little Brokeback before this incident so the jury's still out. But I don't think crying is a sign of weakness. We all get upset, what's the big deal about shedding a few tears. Remember what Will Smith said "I don't care if you lose, long as you came with, its ok to cry, ain't no shame in it." That said, no man should ever cry tears of joy (except maybe birth of a child) or cry at a movie.
Toughness
I'll miss Pittsnogle. I can't wait to see what happens to him in the NBA draft. Hopefully teams were watching last night. A bloody nose did not deter him from hitting the game-tying shot with 5 seconds left.
Idol Chatter
Mike and Stacey started an American Idol pool, everyone puts in $10 and through a random draw you are assigned on of the 12 finalists. Winner take all. Kate and I drew Bucky. Bill got Chris and Alison got Mandisa. Finale night should be interesting in their household.
Here are my latest American Idol odds and some other prop bets:
Chris 3 to 2
Mandisa 2 to 1
Katharine 100 to 1
Taylor 200 to 1
Pickler 300 to 1
Ace 400 to 1
Elliot 500 to 1
Paris 600 to 1
Lisa 700 to 1
Bucky no chance...in hell
Kevin off
Melissa off
other bets you can place
Pickler says to Constantine "you want to put that where?" 2 to 1
Taylor dies on stage after a seizure 5 to 1
Paula is involved in another scandal when she throws her panties on stage while Ace performs 10 to 1
Diabetes is blamed when Elliot gets voted off 15 to 1
Katharine will someday be on the cover of Maxim 25 to 1 (I hope so)
Kevin Covais is romantically linked to Becky O'Donoghue 100 to 1
Mandisa wins and within 6 months loses 100 pounds but refuses to say how 10 to 1
Chris quits the show to replace Eddie Vedder in Pearl Jam 3 to 1
Here are my latest American Idol odds and some other prop bets:
Chris 3 to 2
Mandisa 2 to 1
Katharine 100 to 1
Taylor 200 to 1
Pickler 300 to 1
Ace 400 to 1
Elliot 500 to 1
Paris 600 to 1
Lisa 700 to 1
Bucky no chance...in hell
Kevin off
Melissa off
other bets you can place
Pickler says to Constantine "you want to put that where?" 2 to 1
Taylor dies on stage after a seizure 5 to 1
Paula is involved in another scandal when she throws her panties on stage while Ace performs 10 to 1
Diabetes is blamed when Elliot gets voted off 15 to 1
Katharine will someday be on the cover of Maxim 25 to 1 (I hope so)
Kevin Covais is romantically linked to Becky O'Donoghue 100 to 1
Mandisa wins and within 6 months loses 100 pounds but refuses to say how 10 to 1
Chris quits the show to replace Eddie Vedder in Pearl Jam 3 to 1
Tough Way to Go Out
Two great careers ended in difficult fashion tonight.
My favorite player Kevin Pittsnogle hit a huge 3 with 5 seconds left to give West Virginia a tie against Texas. That game about a minute after getting swatted in the nose and having to come out of the game to stop the bleeding. He made the shot with cotton stuffed in his nostrils. Unfortunately Texas' Kenton Paulino hit a 3 as time expired to give Texas the win.
In slightly less dramatic fashion Adam Morrison's career ended with a loss to UCLA. Gonzaga led the whole game but Morrison hit 2 free throws with 3:27 left to give Gonzaga a 71-62 lead, those were the last points the Zags would score. He missed a couple shots down the stretch and UCLA got a couple big plays and timely hoops. I had Gonzaga in the Final Four and was feeling pretty confident, but they blew it. With about 10 seconds to go Gonzaga inbounded to Morrison, UCLA wouldn't foul him, but he had to give it up. He threw it to Batista who got stripped, UCLA converted that into the go-ahead basket.
My favorite player Kevin Pittsnogle hit a huge 3 with 5 seconds left to give West Virginia a tie against Texas. That game about a minute after getting swatted in the nose and having to come out of the game to stop the bleeding. He made the shot with cotton stuffed in his nostrils. Unfortunately Texas' Kenton Paulino hit a 3 as time expired to give Texas the win.
In slightly less dramatic fashion Adam Morrison's career ended with a loss to UCLA. Gonzaga led the whole game but Morrison hit 2 free throws with 3:27 left to give Gonzaga a 71-62 lead, those were the last points the Zags would score. He missed a couple shots down the stretch and UCLA got a couple big plays and timely hoops. I had Gonzaga in the Final Four and was feeling pretty confident, but they blew it. With about 10 seconds to go Gonzaga inbounded to Morrison, UCLA wouldn't foul him, but he had to give it up. He threw it to Batista who got stripped, UCLA converted that into the go-ahead basket.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Duke Goes Down
Just like I said, if Redick had a bad shooting night, Duke is very susceptible to an upset. He shot 3-18 in a McNamara-esque performance and left the court for his last game with tears in his eyes. LSU did not play great (they had a long scoreless streak early in the second half that let Duke back in the game) but they did play good defense on Redick and they did stay in the game while their two best post players sat on the bench in foul trouble. While I did have Duke winning this game I picked Texas to reach the Final Four from this region, so that pick got a slight boost.
Finally
Those bastards at Cablevision and those bastards at SportsNetNY (who refused to even interview me) finally reached a deal so I now get the Mets network. First program I checked out was Mets Classics from September 17, 1986. The Mets clinched the Eastern Division behind Dwight Gooden. One side note, Rafael Palmeiro hit his second career home run in that game.
Bonds to Sue
Barry Bonds apparently sent a letter to the authors of "Game of Shadows" threatening to sue them. I guarantee this will never happen. As Paul's Poop legal expert, The Concierge, says, the truth is the best defense. We know most if not all of the book is true so I can't figure out what Bonds is going to say. The only thing I think he can say is that his grand jury testimony was illegally leaked, but in that case, isn't the leaker responsible?
Who's Brad Mem?
Unfortunately he's nobody. Kate enjoyed last week's Bradley-Pittsburgh game because the scorebox on CBS said "BRAD -- PITT"
Tonight's Tournament Action
The NCAA tournament resumes with four games tonight:
At 7:10 in Atlanta (probably the national game) Duke plays LSU:
Of course we know the evil Duke will win this game because if they get behind the referees will randomly start to make bad calls. Somehow this always happens. LSU has two chances to win the game. First, Big Baby gets Shelden Williams in foul trouble. But that won't happen because refs look the other way like when Jay Williams raped Steve Blake during the 2001 national semi. Second, JJ Redick has a bad night. This is a real fear for Duke because he hadn't been shooting well, then he missed a bunch of free throws. Also no one on Duke's supporting cast has stepped up to become a scorer. Duke 76, LSU 71
At 7:27 in Oakland (4:27 local time) Memphis plays Bradley:
Despite the support of dearly departed one-year alum Kirby Puckett, Bradley's tournament run is over. Patrick O'Bryant (not Irish) has enjoyed the ride and has moved way up draft boards. He looks like a mobile big man who can score, defend and run. Memphis has too much size and athleticism to fall victim to the plucky 13 seed. Memphis 68, Bradley 55
After that game in Oakland (probably the national game) UCLA plays Gonzaga:
UCLA has been playing great but there comes a time when great guard play runs into great big man play. I know Pizza Parlor Derek and love Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, but I don't think he can keep up with Morrison. Although Morrison is really starting to piss me off with his antics I think he may be ready to carry this team to the final four. If he has two good games he can do it. Gonzaga 81, UCLA 78
The last game (after Duke-LSU in Atlanta) is Texas against West Virginia:
It all depends on WVU's shooting. If they are hot from the outside they can build a big lead and Texas won't be able to catch up. But as much as I love Pittsnogle, I think LaMarcus Aldridge and PJ Tucker will be too much for him inside. The Mountaineers really have no inside game. Texas 63, West Virginia 54.
At 7:10 in Atlanta (probably the national game) Duke plays LSU:
Of course we know the evil Duke will win this game because if they get behind the referees will randomly start to make bad calls. Somehow this always happens. LSU has two chances to win the game. First, Big Baby gets Shelden Williams in foul trouble. But that won't happen because refs look the other way like when Jay Williams raped Steve Blake during the 2001 national semi. Second, JJ Redick has a bad night. This is a real fear for Duke because he hadn't been shooting well, then he missed a bunch of free throws. Also no one on Duke's supporting cast has stepped up to become a scorer. Duke 76, LSU 71
At 7:27 in Oakland (4:27 local time) Memphis plays Bradley:
Despite the support of dearly departed one-year alum Kirby Puckett, Bradley's tournament run is over. Patrick O'Bryant (not Irish) has enjoyed the ride and has moved way up draft boards. He looks like a mobile big man who can score, defend and run. Memphis has too much size and athleticism to fall victim to the plucky 13 seed. Memphis 68, Bradley 55
After that game in Oakland (probably the national game) UCLA plays Gonzaga:
UCLA has been playing great but there comes a time when great guard play runs into great big man play. I know Pizza Parlor Derek and love Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, but I don't think he can keep up with Morrison. Although Morrison is really starting to piss me off with his antics I think he may be ready to carry this team to the final four. If he has two good games he can do it. Gonzaga 81, UCLA 78
The last game (after Duke-LSU in Atlanta) is Texas against West Virginia:
It all depends on WVU's shooting. If they are hot from the outside they can build a big lead and Texas won't be able to catch up. But as much as I love Pittsnogle, I think LaMarcus Aldridge and PJ Tucker will be too much for him inside. The Mountaineers really have no inside game. Texas 63, West Virginia 54.
Paulo's Book Club: "Blink"
On my cruise I had time to read, finally. I read "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwelll and absolutely loved it. The book starts with a story about an ancient statue that a museum was considering buying for millions. All their research insisted that the statue was authentic. But several art specialists independently all had a bad feeling about it in the first two seconds after seeing it. Blink is about those two seconds. The statue was eventually shown to be a fake.
Blink is about how the mind's initial judgments are so powerful, and about the things that influence our decisions. How packaging for food makes people like the taste better. It also explains that autistics lack the skill of picking up on people's facial expressions. And how the cops who shot Diallo became momentarily autistic due to the pressure and missed all the cues in his face and body language that he was not a threat. My favorite chapter was about jusTON. It was called "The Warren Harding Error: Why we fall for tall, dark and handsome men." After reading that chapter I had a much better understanding of why everyone loves Justin.
The author, Malcolm Gladwell, also did a very interesting Curious Guy with Bill Simmons. He knows a lot about sports and uses his knowledge of the brain to analyze sports in an interesting way.
Blink is about how the mind's initial judgments are so powerful, and about the things that influence our decisions. How packaging for food makes people like the taste better. It also explains that autistics lack the skill of picking up on people's facial expressions. And how the cops who shot Diallo became momentarily autistic due to the pressure and missed all the cues in his face and body language that he was not a threat. My favorite chapter was about jusTON. It was called "The Warren Harding Error: Why we fall for tall, dark and handsome men." After reading that chapter I had a much better understanding of why everyone loves Justin.
The author, Malcolm Gladwell, also did a very interesting Curious Guy with Bill Simmons. He knows a lot about sports and uses his knowledge of the brain to analyze sports in an interesting way.
Duke Sucks
This e-mail exchange has been making the rounds on the internet. It's between a Cameron Crazy and former Duke player Elton Brand from 1999, when Brand became one of the first players to leave Duke early for the NBA. Brand confirmed in general that this is factually accurate, in general, maybe it's been changed a little.
From a Cameron Crazy:
"I graduated from Duke last May and just wanted to express my disgust for your decision to leave the Duke program after only two years. As an alum, not only do I hold the school in high regard, but the basketball program as well, especially since both have deservedly garnered such a great deal of respect for their accomplishments. As part of our basketball program, you represent Duke as a whole. We are first and foremost an academic school, you clearly did not belong at Duke in the first place if this was the extent of your commitment to Duke and a college education in general. You have not only insulted the current students who are putting in four years at a school they love, but also the thousands of alumni who have realized the value of a Duke education and what an honor and privilege it was to be there for four years.
If you do not realize the opportunity you have in front of you to play for Coach K and at the same time attain a Duke diploma, then that is certainly your loss. I just wish that you had spared us the notion that you were continuing in the tradition of being a Duke student-athlete, in emphasizing excellence in both academics and athletics. You will not be considered part of the Duke family, in my mind as well as many others. You have by no means proved yourself worthy of that title.
Sincerely,
(name not published)"
Response from Elton Brand:
"Thank you very much, for reminding me of the reason why I left Duke. People like you cannot and will not ever understand my situation. I'm sure daddy worked very hard to send your rich self to college. While real people struggle. I would also like to extend an invitation for you not to waste your or my time ever again. Never being considered a part of your posh group of yuppies really hurts me to the heart. Yea Right because I don't care about you or your alumni.
Sincerely,
Elton Brand #42 NBA"
From a Cameron Crazy:
"I graduated from Duke last May and just wanted to express my disgust for your decision to leave the Duke program after only two years. As an alum, not only do I hold the school in high regard, but the basketball program as well, especially since both have deservedly garnered such a great deal of respect for their accomplishments. As part of our basketball program, you represent Duke as a whole. We are first and foremost an academic school, you clearly did not belong at Duke in the first place if this was the extent of your commitment to Duke and a college education in general. You have not only insulted the current students who are putting in four years at a school they love, but also the thousands of alumni who have realized the value of a Duke education and what an honor and privilege it was to be there for four years.
If you do not realize the opportunity you have in front of you to play for Coach K and at the same time attain a Duke diploma, then that is certainly your loss. I just wish that you had spared us the notion that you were continuing in the tradition of being a Duke student-athlete, in emphasizing excellence in both academics and athletics. You will not be considered part of the Duke family, in my mind as well as many others. You have by no means proved yourself worthy of that title.
Sincerely,
(name not published)"
Response from Elton Brand:
"Thank you very much, for reminding me of the reason why I left Duke. People like you cannot and will not ever understand my situation. I'm sure daddy worked very hard to send your rich self to college. While real people struggle. I would also like to extend an invitation for you not to waste your or my time ever again. Never being considered a part of your posh group of yuppies really hurts me to the heart. Yea Right because I don't care about you or your alumni.
Sincerely,
Elton Brand #42 NBA"
Pa Beers Turns 29
Happy Birthday to Evan and Dylan's daddy. To celebrate they plan to watch Ice Age...for the 30th time.
Tom, Terrific
Pedro has backed out of pitching on Opening Day. That means Isaacs, Shawn and I are going to have to watch Tom Glavine. Hopefully Pedro will be ready to pitch later on that week.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
CBS Overrun with Dukies
In case you didn't notice last week, CBS's coverage of the tournament was dominated by Dukies. Seth Davis was in the studio, and 3 of the 4 broadcast teams for Thursday's games had Dukies doing analysis (Jay Bilas, Jim Spanarkel & Mike Gminski). The funny thing was none of them were nearly as biased as Dick Vitale, and he didn't even go there. One more funny thing, Stephen Bardo who was with Gminski and Tim Brando in the only 3-man booth at one point called Gminski, G-Unit. I thought that was funny.
Car Melo
Carmelo Anthony invested in an IndyCar. Car-Melo will be the number 91 car, and featuring Melo's portrait. It will be driven by P.J. Chesson. Melo says "For the record, I'm not getting in the car. I can't fit into no IndyCar."
Best Damn Hotties
Another tournament of hot chicks. This one includes only girls who have appeared on the Best Damn Sports Show Period. The Dibble bracket looks strong with #1 seed Jessica Alba, but Stacy Keibler is a force to be reckoned with. There's also an interesting first round match between Brooke Burke and Brooke Burns. A tough one for me pits Gabrielle Union against Elisha Cuthbert.
Hot For Teacher
Charges were dropped against hot teacher Debra Lafave. The 25-year old had sex with a then 14-year-old boy two years ago, in school and at her house. Most of us don't think this kid was damaged by this because he probably became the coolest kid in school for banging the hot teacher. But now all the attention got to be too much for him.
Muhammad Ali, Compulsive Gambler?
A report in the Washington Post says there is evidence that the treatment for Parkinson's Disease causes people to become compulsive gamblers and sex addicts. The drugs may increase dopamine in the brain which is associated with addictive behaviors.
Stool Sample
My stool sample revealed that I came in contact with Campylobacter. It could have been from undercooked poultry, contaminated water or maybe some other unclean situation.
Boozer's Wife is Pissed
Carlos Boozer rented his $12m, 10-bedroom mansion in West Hollywood to Prince for 8 months, for $70,000/month. Now Boozer is suing because Prince painted the exterior of the house with purple striping, the ‘Prince’ symbol, and numbers 3121.”
Prince installed a purple monogrammed carpet in the master bedroom. He had plumbing and piping added in the downstairs bedroom “for water transfer for beauty salon chairs.”
As part of the promotion for his new CD (3121), Prince is expected to hold a private concert at his Purple palace for fans who find a Wonkaesque “purple ticket” inside their CD cases.
Prince installed a purple monogrammed carpet in the master bedroom. He had plumbing and piping added in the downstairs bedroom “for water transfer for beauty salon chairs.”
As part of the promotion for his new CD (3121), Prince is expected to hold a private concert at his Purple palace for fans who find a Wonkaesque “purple ticket” inside their CD cases.
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