It Just Isn’t America’s Year in F1

First the US Grand Prix goes they way of the dodo bird because Bernie has never met an opportunity to fleece somebody that he didn’t take; now the only American driver, Scott Speed, has been removed from his seat immediately.

Who is Scott Speed, and what is Toro Rosso? Well Speed is a 24 year old Californian who won a competition held by Red Bull and open only to Americans to fill a seat in one of its 4 (more on this in a second) cars. He’s ran mostly in European development series, which is why he’s so little known in the US; and why he never achieved the marketing goals that were really behind Red Bull hiring him in the first place.

Toro Rosso is a privateer team that is an offshoot of Red Bull racing. From a marketing standpoint its an excuse to have 4 cars with Red Bull on them. From a competition standpoint its kind of like the Arizona Cardinals owning an expansion team, and having the front office run both teams. Mark Weber had a podium finish at the last race and he seemed more surprised then anybody about it.

So what this mean for F1 in the US? Nothing. Hardcore fans follow the teams they’ve always followed, Speed was a side show and won’t sway anybody’s love of the sport. With most races coming on at 6 in the morning there aren’t a lot of casual fans, so it will remain a niche sport. But one without an American.

Note: LJ tag?  She raced for 6 years with Williams before she was fired for slapping around Patrick Head.

I Knew the Tour Had Fallen on Hard Times

All this guy got for winning was a stuffed lion? Has the Tour de France become a carnival game?

My Generation’s Vincent Bugliosi

Well not really, but Jose Canseco seems to have found himself a second career as a crime writer. While it remains to be seen how many books he can churn out of steroids abuse in baseball, it is becoming apparent that what he knows and says is far more credible then any one would have believed just two years ago. And given that his latest target is A-Rod, a player who isn’t really a contemporary; its raises the question of who and how he is getting his information? Is he being feed this from current players, or officials? And to what end, I doubt very much anyone is concerned with Canseco’s financial security; so is this a case of getting even, or of exposing baseball’s misdeeds to the world? Probably a little of both.

Note: LJ tag? She’s a world renowned crime writer under her pseudonym…

Yeah that’s the Problem

Apparently the problem is there aren’t enough weapons in the Middle East.  Enough high tech smart bombs that is.  And its worked so well in the past; look at what great friends we are with Iran!  And I’m only 90% sure Saudi Arabia will turn over all their tech to extremist, so there’s a 10% chance there’s nothing to worry about.

P.S.  LJ tag?  She’s the leading Middle East militarization expert in Florida.

Dirty Harry: Michael Mann Edition

I know what you’re thinking. “Did he fire seven hundred shots or only six hundred and ninety five?” Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself a question: Is that Robert Plant?  Wait I think that’s Ship of Fools, it is.

Why David Stern Shouldn’t Sleep too Well Tonight

Immunity.

The talk is about how much trouble Tim Donaghy is in; and what sort of punishment he faces at the hands of a federal prosecutor. But the fact is if he was involved with the mob he’s the small fish in this pond, and any good defense lawyer will know to take advantage of this fact; to have Donaghy tell all he knows in turn for a lenient sentence. And that’s going to include other refs and maybe players.

Stern took over a NBA that was just rebounding after a drug scandal plagued 70s, the idea of seeing his tenure end not as the most dominant pro sport commissioner; but instead as a Nero who worried about dress codes while his sport was being eroded from within by gambling has to the worst then any nightmare he could have had. Whether the NBA can rebound isn’t a question of if but when, but its going to be without Stern who at 64 has served one of the longer terms as a major sports head. Its hard to see him wanting to extend his tenure that long, besides it may be necessary for him to step down and let a fresh voice step in and handle the problem.

But who knows; maybe Donaghy was a lone bad seed. I really hope he is, I fear the effect this will have on basketball at all levels; but I’m not gonna hold my breath.

He Didn’t Quite Make it to Cambodia

Spalding Gray led a surreal existence, Swimming to Cambodia and Monster in the Box are prime examples of that.  Its not every person who finds themselves in Southeast Asia recreating the Khmer Rouge for The Killing Fields, or traveling to Nicaragua to witness the  atrocities there, or even appear as The Stage Manager in Our Town.   That he’s best known for his monologues as performance art is a testament to the strange blend of art, psychosis, and genius that was Spalding Gray.  This was a brilliant if troubled artist.

So it doesn’t seem that unusual to read of the grisly discover of his body in Esquire.   As his wife put it “All he ever talked about was his own death.”  He was obsessed with his own death, and that of his mother’s suicide; and I don’t think anybody familiar with his work was terribly surprised when he went missing; or when his body was found.  While his loss was a tragedy, this article seems an almost poetic end to his story.

Note to Verizon

Fuck off and die.  I’ve had it with your inept tech support, there is no reason after 6 calls over 7 days that you can’t at bare minimum acknowledge that there is an actual problem with my DSL.  Especially the dickless wonder who told me my DSL connection was perfect.  Does the word “intermittent” not have any fucking meaning you shit for brains basement dwellers?

So on Monday I’m gonna call the cable company; you don’t want to fix my DSL, I don’t want to pay for your fucking worthless service.

So go to hell.

P.S. I can’t even post this because MY FUCKING DSL IS DOWN AGAIN!

This Isn’t Funny; Except For The Part That Is

Sexual assault isn’t funny and in no way am I poking light at it.  But I’m not above making fun of poor news copy: Chewbacca, whose real name was not available, fled before police arrived, Torres said.

Really?   Next thing you’ll tell me the police aren’t handing out fliers with the picture of a large fictional space creature covered with hair.

Its the Barry Williams (B-Bunch) Show

If the reality craze hasn’t already jumped the shark (or Darva Conger) then this may well seal it. I can appreciate that the internet and the low cost of digital equipment are a great way to reach out to voters; but is showing staffer live from Dodd HQ really reaching out? Is showing President Clinton ordering a chicken sandwich at Dairy Queen? If at this point you don’t get that this isn’t Bill’s (and therefore probably Hillary’s) first time at a DQ, you just haven’t been paying attention. But isn’t that the problem with “reality” TV; that’s its as scripted as anything else?

The beauty of internet video for candidates is the ability to cut through 30 second sound bites, to take their message unedited straight to the viewer/voter. But what good is it if you self impose the rules? Bill and Hillary at DQ is nothing but packaging; at least Dodd offers his speeches. Not that its really much of an improvement, while he’s offering substance, he misses the opportunity afforded him to discuss issues in a more personal and direct manner; one that is more likely to connect with a viewer then seeing footage of a speech he gave in Des Moines.

The genius of the fireside chat was that FDR forsake the stentorian style common among politicians and spoke to the listeners as if they were having a conversation with him by the fire, instead of hearing him on the radio. It made the speeches more authentic, heartfelt, and sincere; and far more effective. The candidate that creates the “fireside chat for the 21st century” (and Sen. Obama’s podcasts come close, if only they were more then an occasional offering) will have an advantage over their opponents.

Note: For anybody curious about the title it comes from a Peter Gabriel song off the album Up released in 2002. Which now earns this post a LJ tag.