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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Tuesday Links (11/17)

Happy Tuesday morning, folks. Before we get to the day's links, I had a few TV thoughts I wanted to share...

-- Interesting discussion that cropped up on the blog yesterday about purchasing a delay device so that you can listen to the radio broadcast of games while watching the television coverage. Note to ESPN: In a brutal recession, fans would rather pay to listen to the radio guys than listen to your broadcasters for free. What does that tell you?!?!?

-- Between football and a hefty DVR schedule, it had taken me a few weeks to watch first few episodes of the new season of "Friday Night Lights," but I sat down Sunday and watched all three back-to-back-to-back. I have to say, I'm thrilled with the storylines this year. It seems to be what they had hoped to do with Season 1 but never delved to deep into because every week was a quest for ratings. Now that they have this year and next year guaranteed, they can take their time developing the stories, and I think that will lead to an already great show getting even better. I won't be waiting three weeks to watch any of the remaining episodes.

-- Loved, LOVED, LOVED the last episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Seriously, how much did it make you wish they really were doing a "Seinfeld" reunion? The rehearsal scenes were so good and so funny, with all the pace and dialogue and humor of the real show that it was hard not to think of it as all part of the fake show within the show. The inside jokes were great: the ongoing joke about the first finale being awful, the twist on the joke that black people never watched "Seinfeld" (something Wilbon talks about on "PTI" all the time!) and the Michael Richards stuff. The mingling of the regular "Curb" characters with the "Seinfeld" cast was amazing -- Funkhouser's dirty joke or Leon's pep talk to Michael Richards ("Gotta recharge that Mitzvah!") and, best of all, Leon's reaction to Newman. It was all great. But I think my favorite part of this season has just been watching Larry and Jerry interact. You get a feeling of what it must have been like for them to work on the original "Seinfeld" episodes, and I would happily pay to just sit around and listen to them talk about how to make a TV show. It's been great.

-- And while I opened by bashing ESPN, I'll close with this... how great is it that they're showing 24 straight hours of college basketball games? Nothing like live hoops at 6:30 in the morning.

Now, onto the links...

-- You may not have noticed, but Geno Atkins has been a beast for the past four games, as I wrote about for today's Telegraph.

-- There are plenty of folks who would like to see Mike Bobo get the axe, but here's some statistical analysis that says he probably deserves a raise. Tough to argue with those numbers. (h/t Blutarsky.)

-- I gave some kudos to Joe Cox in my Grading the Game post yesterday for some intangibles, and Dawgs BUI takes a look at Cox from a more tangible approach.

-- Dawg Stephen gives credit where credit is due for Mark Richt.

-- Bleacher Report wonders -- like many of you -- whether Georgia's strong performance in the final three quarters against Auburn may have saved Willie Martinez's job.

-- Rex Robinson thinks Willie will definitely be back in 2010.

-- Chris Low looks at the rising stars in the SEC this season, but his list doesn't include any Dawgs. That's not a knock on the list, which includes plenty of fine performers, but just sayin'. If I were to pick one UGA player for this, however, I'd probably say Justin Houston belongs.

-- Speaking of which, Houston will get his shot to tee off on a freshman quarterback this week after Kentucky's Mike Hartline underwent surgery that will cost him the team's final two games.

-- Bubba N Earl deliver a reminder that Kentucky is not generally much of a threat at Sanford Stadium. It reminded me, however, that next year's game in Lexington comes in October, which means a trip to Keeneland. I can't wait.

-- Rich Brooks is on the hot seat? Yikes. Talk about fans with an undeserved sense of entitlement.

-- As coaching rumors go, this one has to be my favorite: Urban Meyer to... the Cleveland Browns?!?!? (h/t Jim)

-- Two of the three freshmen involved in the armed robbery at Tennessee have been booted from the team. Quote from Lane Kiffin about the dismissals: "It was all part of the plan." OK, I made that up.

-- Check out the convoluted mess the Pac-10 could turn out to be at year's end -- so bad that USC still has a shot at the Rose Bowl.

-- The Senator has done a great job over the last two years of convincing me I should want to support the BCS, but it's crap like this that makes it really tough. This stinks of the same B.S. that put Kansas in a BCS game over Missouri two years ago.

-- The Detroit Free Press credits Matthew Stafford for toughing out another rough season in the Motor City.

-- Roger Clarkson writes that Drazen Zlovaric might end up playing a bigger role than expected for Mark Fox's Dawgs this season. By the way, important to note that UGA capped a 3-0 weekend with Fox's first win Friday, the big win over Auburn on Saturday and a huge upset for the Lady Dawgs against Oklahoma on Sunday.

-- Look out over-40 single ladies of Brooklyn... Wally Backman is headed to town.

-- I've got to hand it to Paste. They are really going all out with these end-of-decade lists. Their latest? The top 25 American Breweries of the decade... and the brewery in my home state gets the No. 1 spot!

-- In honor of the 40th anniversary of "Sesame Street," this blog comes up with an extensive list of Muppet doppelgangers. I think my favorites are Pepe and Steve Buscemi and Rolf and Hurley.

-- And speaking of extensive lists, this blog counts down the 100 greatest quotes from "The Wire." Sadly, none of my favorites are fit for print on a family-friendly blog.

-- And in the "this is officially getting to be a bit too much" category... we have the best commercials of the 2000s. Thankfully, no appearances from the Free Credit Report guys.

-- Alan Sepinwall gives his thoughts on Sunday's episode of "Curb."

-- I've enjoyed "Community" this season, although I'll admit it hasn't felt like the show has quite developed its voice. For that reason, among others, the LA Times says it should be banished from NBC's Thursday night lineup.

-- Sad news... Ken Ober, who used to host "Remote Control" on MTV, died suddenly at age 52.

-- And finally, Wikipedia put a quick end to it, but here's a screen grab of the entry on Lorenzo von Matterhorn.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Oh, and by the way, if you were wondering, the "TED MOSBY" works."

Blog Goliard said...

Ken Ober? Dang. Much too young.

"Remote Control" was a great show. Yes, with the benefit of hindsight, one can see that it helped launch MTV towards being...well, something completely other than MTV. Still, though--great show, good times.

Is it true that all these cable channels, from MTV to ESPN, have drifted away from their proper purpose and aren't as good as they used to be...or am I just getting old? I dunno.

What I do know is that the ongoing TV follies make me ever more convinced that what we really need is a C-SPAN for sports. My extended pitch for "C-SPORT" I'll break into a separate rant below.

Blog Goliard said...

"Is your favorite thing about watching sports...video montages over out-of-date popular music? Announcers who go off on irrelevant tangents? Analysts who decide what the 'storylines' will be before the game and hammer away at them incessantly? A screen full of distracting clutter--bugs and bottom lines, and graphics and ads superimposed on the field? Constant interruptions to show you hours-old highlights from entirely different sports? Holding up the game an extra minute here or there so you can see what Todd Blackledge had for breakfast?

"No, me neither. My favorite thing about watching sports is watching sports. Imagine that. Maybe that's why I tune into channels that broadcast sports.

"If you're like me, then C-SPORT is exactly what you've been looking for. It's just like buying a ticket and sitting in the stands. Yes, we'll give you multiple camera angles and some replays. And even some injury updates straight from the sidelines, from reporters you hear but do not see. Put apart from those few enhancements, we want it to be just like being there. No more, no less."

Paul said...

I have a "delay play" radio. I love it and yes, it is worth it to not have to listen to Mike Patrick.

And, yes, I did notice that Atkins is turning it on.

I guess Hartline's absence means we'll be seeing Cobb play QB? That seems to be an upgrade given our challenges on defense with those types of QBs... If I recall, Cobb had some success against us last year in a very tight game.

NCT said...

I met Ken Ober once at a Doors movie cast party / contest prize at the Whisky a Go-Go (people really win on MTV). Nice guy.

Blog Goliard said...

I get the sinking feeling that if I'd only gone to the NATS, I'd be able to walk into my local Radio Shack with a $20 bill and walk out with everything I'd need to build my own delay-play device...which would, of course, also be convertible into a fully-operational light saber.

copti said...

I know tons of UK fans, I haven't heard a one of them call for Brooks' head.

Not sure where the AJC is getting that.

Universal Remonster said...

David, you know how many times I've gone to the freezer looking for frozen waffles and not found them? Millions. But when I go to the freezer looking for popsicles, or the remote control because Lily and I are having a fight and she hid it there, do you know what i find? Frozen waffles. That's how it works. You go out looking for a paper, and you're coming back with frozen waffles. And in this case frozen waffles is a guy. Also, could you pick up some frozen waffles? In this case frozen waffles... are frozen waffles.

Will Q said...

Ken Ober's death makes me sad. "Remote Control" was one of my staples when I was in middle and high school.

As far as playing Randall Cobb goes, Rich Brooks would be an idiot if he didn't after the way Cobb gashed us last year.

Anonymous said...

FNL is hands down my favorite drama on TV. The season opener was amazing and it has continued to impress.

i felt like I heard somewhere about Curb being syndicated. how would that ever work? TV-MA?