So, last night at pub trivia at my favorite bar, Pacific Standard, I learned that the result of the Washington R******* [1] home game that immediately precedes Election Day has correctly predicted the winner of the every US presidential election since 1936 except for last year’s. Despite the recent break, Snopes points out that this still yields an impressive 94.4% accuracy rate.
The way it works is that if Washington wins the game, then the party that currently holds the White House will keep it. If the visiting team wins, then the challenging party wins.
Well, guess who won in an upset tonight?
Pittsburgh def. Washington, 23-6!
This was cool not only because of the auspicious nature of the result, but also because I really like the Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Now, I can’t resist noting that Mike Tomlin is one of only ten Black head coaches in NFL history. Moreover, the usual Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger went out with a shoulder injury during the game, bringing in second-string QB Byron Leftwich. So not only did the Steelers beat Washington, thereby bringing the luck of probability to the Obama campaign and beating the team with the single most offensive name in all of professional sports, but they did it with the relatively rare pairing of a Black head coach and a Black quarterback [2].
IT’S A SIGN PEOPLE, I TELL YOU!
[1] Because I really don’t know why it’s any better for me to say or write out that word than the n-word.
[2] Yes, I know that Washington QB Jason Campbell is also Black. But unfortunately he is also on the wrong side. Kinda like Condaleeza Rice. I know, I know, that was wrong.
I can’t claim to be all up on news about the Mets or even baseball in general (I’m a terrible Yankees fan, really). And from what little I know, I understand that the Mets haven’t been doing all that well and that Randolph was at the helm during last season’s spectacular meltdown, so there are certainly other factors at play. But I can’t help but think that Randolph’s comments and all the media b.s. surrounding them might have something to do with his the shoddy handling of the situation by the Mets management. I mean, even papers like the Post and the Daily News are calling the Mets owners and GM for their shitty treatment of Randolph.
I just hope Randolph finds another, better job with a team that won’t treat him with such disrespect and disregard.
Well, I always knew that rugby was pretty hardcore*. That’s part of why I’ll always watch it if I get to change to (which is infrequently) and why I wanted to play for a while in college (except I was quite out of shape and super over-committed to campus activism.) But this just takes it to a whole new level. From ESPN.com:
Rugby player Ben Czislowski kept competing for more than three months despite the headaches that started after a clash with an opponent…
“I’ve got the tooth at home, sitting on the bedside table,” he said. “If he [Matt Austin, the player to whom the tooth originally belonged] wants it back he can have it. I’m keeping it at the moment as proof that it actually happened.”
* That is, of course, if we measure hardcore-ness by the level of recklessness, violence, and likelihood of getting really, really dirty.
Manny Ramirez and Julian Tavarez of the Boston Red Sox act with surprising affection towards each other in this video, during which the sportscasters grow increasingly uncomfortable with the display and eventually respond with predictable ridicule and horror.
Kenyon Farrow responds to the video, saying that, while Manny and Julian may well have something more than platonic going on (which would be fun times, indeed), maybe they’re just perpetuating a rare phenomenon in US society: straight men touching.
But maybe they are straight! I actually wish more straight men would get over their fear of touching other men (Have you ever seen straight men in a movie theatre on on a train sit next to one another without leaving an empty seat between them?). Maybe they’d be less likey to feel the need to beat and bash women, children, queers or men they percieve to be less man than they. So whatever the case, Manny and Julian, be not moved by the naysayers! Hug on! Caress on! Fondle on! Wrestle on!
Whatever the larger import of this interaction, I’ll say this: while I’m a Yankees fan and am therefore pretty much required to hate Boston, this video made me love the Sox just a little bit. (Please don’t tell my mom, she already calls me a turncoat for attending the occasional Mets game.)
First off: GO COLTS! What a game. That last interception by Marlin Jackson – just beautiful.
With the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears winning today, that’ll put two Black head coaches – Indianapolis’ Tony Dungy and Chicago’s Lovie Smith – in the Super Bowl. This will be the first time ever that a Black head coach goes to the Super Bowl – and there’ll be two! Yeah, not exactly a monumental anti-racist victory or anything, but still, pretty sweet.
… when you’re watching overtime in the Fiesta Bowl, and instead of hearing “he knows how to read blocks,” you hear, “he knows how to read blogs,” and are very confused for a few moments.
Although, during the commentary on the various Bowl games today, there has been discussion about blogs, specifically on how bloggers are going to react to Michigan’s loss today. Yes, in case there were any doubts left, blogging has officially entered the mainstream.
