Jeter Tops #40

This is supposed to be funny and I'm told hilarious among baseball card collectors. It's not an "error card", it was intentionally edited to include the image of President George Bush, waving in the stands and Mickey Mantle in the dugout. I should point out that the photo was taken at Yankee Stadium. We will probably see a version, soon, with Hillary and other versions with each of the other presidential candidates. This one is #40 in Topps' series of 660. The card was created as a joke and is actually included in Topps' initial sets. A corrected edition will be found in later sets, this year.

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Delta Zeta

The more things change, the more things stay the same! Before I start with the meat and potatoes of this story, I should point out that I went to college. It was a long, long time ago, but they had fraternities and sororities, even way back then. I rushed a fraternity and didn't see much point in joining. I don't think that it would have been possible to drink any more beer. I already had friends. Oh, I dated a sorority girl, once. She preferred fraternity guys and was very happy when she started dating one! Different things are important to different people. It's a shame because I really liked that girl, she may even have deserved me. She was a Delta Zeta at Indiana University of Pennsyvania. This brings me to our story:

The Depauw University chapter of Delta Zeta Sorority makes national news by evicting many of their members. Among the ousted sisters were the only black, and all those of Asian ancestry and all of their overweight girls. The chapter started with 35 girls. 23 were eliminated. Of the remaining 12, six quit in disgust. Wanna buy a house?

The national chapter claims that nobody was kicked out. Fact is, these were the words used in the message to the former DZers: "The membership review team has recommended you for alumna status. Chapter members receiving alumnae status should plan to relocate from the chapter house no later than Jan. 29, 2007." They were kicked out of the house and given $300 each to find housing.

Depauw University is the most expensive college in the state of Indiana. That is fact. Girls, your inflated tuition has just taught you a very valuable lesson in life. Good looks, sex appeal and the ability to "fit in" are important to certain organizations. General's advice: Keep your chins up and keep repeating one of my favorite sayings: "I've been kicked out of better places, before!"

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Antonella Should Sue

Antonella Barba (pretty hair) is a contestant on American Idol. From what I gather, she doesn't have much of a chance of winning. In the past few days, she's been linked to a number of pictures showing her engaged in sexual activity. Assuming that she does not want these pictures to be viewed pubically, she should sue! Sue who? Anybody who is making money on them! I'm sure that there are many lawyers in New Jersey willing to "dive in" on this one - especially if the pictures are not of her! They may want to check out the American Idol producers, too. This kind of cheap publicity is priceless! After all, who cares about a young lady's reputation? A network show's ratings are what really matters!

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The Judge Larry Show

There are ways to go about doing things. If you have a certain talent or ability and you want to go into show biz, eventually, you have to pass an audition.
Miami Judge Larry Seidlin succeeded in embarassing every judge in America with his recent sthick involving the ruling of Anna Nicole Smith's burial. He also added to the arguement against TV cameras in courtrooms. This action should have been effectively done in less than one day. Hey, Larry, you want to be in show biz? Make a tape and take an audition. In the meantime, you embarass the legal system, NYC Cab Drivers, along with former New Yorkers like myself.

There may be some good in this - Hillary may have spotted a candidate for a Supreme Court appointee!

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Playboy Sees Scarlett

Ursula Mayes
Playboy Magazne has come out with their sexiest celebrity for 2007. It's Scarlett Johansson. Not a bad selection. Of course, I don't agree. But then, my tastes matter little in comparison with Playboy Magazine. They write, "Scarlett Johansson is the apex of beauty and sensuality - from her porcelain skin to her fully feminine figure to her mysterious charisma, which is at once palpable and indefinable." Nice words - perhaps a bit much?


My pick? Are you on the edge of your seat? My pick, if it has to be someone "famous" would be Ursula Mayes, model #5 on "Deal Or No Deal." She looks mighty fine to me...and she can "open a case" like nobody else in the world!

My not so famous pick, doesn't matter - you wouldn't know her anyway, but that's OK. She tells me that she reads this blog.

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Britney & Anna Nicole

What do Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith have in common? No this isn't a joke, but it could be. Each would be a good poster child for rehab. Their problems aren't (or weren't) with substance abuse. The problem was far more basic. They chose to surround themselves with people who don't care. Britt and Anna Nicole are (or were) simply commodities. I guess that if you're a star you have the opportunity to choose your company. It's sad to see people choose to not be around people who love them. These are simply two more cases where talent (or whatever) has nothing to do with being smart enough to make good choices.

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Why the Two Hour Delay?

Here in western Indiana most of the schools and daycare facilities have been operating in February on a two hour delay. Why? Because the two hour delay gives mother nature time to warm up and for the sun to rise up so we can see what we are doing. A two hour delay means a 25% loss of productivity. (Keep reading, Mitch) Parents, it means that you're getting 25% less child care for your money! It may be interesting that in Illinois, just a few miles to the west, a two hour delay is rare. Why? Because it's a hour earlier already! So what? It's proof that Indiana is in the wrong time zone! For practical reasons we should be on central time (all year) It works for Chicago. It works for St. Louis. It could work for Indianapolis.

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Marty Schottenheimer

There's a fine line between being obsessed with winning the Super Bowl and with being plain stupid.
Exhibit one: The firing of legendary coach Marty Schottenheimer. He's won more than 200 NFL games in his career. He took his San Diego Chargers to the NFL's best record, this past season, at 14-2. So what's his sin? I mean aside from not reaching and winning the Super Bowl? Here's his sin: His general manager doesn't like him. In this case, general managers outrank head coaches. My advice to Marty Schottenheimer is to do absolutely nothing for one full year. This way you can collect every penny of the $3 Million that the Chargers have agreed to pay you for next season.
Hey Marty, write a book - everybody's doing it!

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Yo Crowe, Say It Aint't So

Now is this really necessary? Oscar winner Russell Crowe is doing away with scantily-dressed cheerleaders from his Sydney football (rugby) club because they make some people uncomfortable. Crowe, who co-owns one of Australia's oldest rugby league clubs, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, will replace the club cheer girls this season with a drumming band of men and women after his wife Danielle Spencer (aha! his wife!) and other fans complained.

Crowe, a long-term Rabbitohs fan, bought the cash and win-strapped club in 2006 with Peter Holmes a Court, the scion of one of Australia's wealthiest families.

In an effort to research this matter completely, I visited the Rabbitohs Cheer Girls web page and I don't see any problem! This is probably not a big deal but could you imagine someone buying the Dallas NFL franchise and doing away with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders? Heads would roll!

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Death Of Anna Nicole

Here's a shocker:

MIAMI (Reuters) - Former Playboy Playmate and billionaire's widow Anna Nicole Smith has died at the age of 39 after apparently collapsing in a Florida hotel room, her lawyer said on Thursday.

"I can confirm that she is deceased. It's as shocking to me as to you guys," Smith's attorney, Ronald Rale, told Reuters. "I don't know anything further. (Her lawyer and husband) Howard (K. Stern) obviously is speechless and grieving.

Smith was found in her hotel room and given CPR by Seminole tribal fire rescue and Hollywood fire rescue workers, said Michael Bloom, president of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Smith's nurse called hotel workers at the hotel at 1:38 p.m. and security went to the hotel room, hotel officials said. Fire rescue workers from both the Seminole Indian tribe and from Hollywood arrived minutes later and Smith was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood at 2:10 p.m.


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Honest Hack

Here's a story to make you feel good.
There's a NYC Taxi Driver named Chowdhury Osman has become famous for doing what you and I would hopefully do. The Queens, NY cabbie, a Bangledesh native, took a 30 cent tip on a $10.70 fare. Later he discovered that his passenger left something behind. It was a bag with 31 diamond rings! He went out of his way to find the owner and accepted a $100 reward only because he lost some business while he was locating the owner, a Texas jeweler.

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Gays Ain't Snicker-ing

OK, I can see why gay men might not like the Snickers Super Bowl commercial. But, hey, it's not that bad! Two grown men kissing is not customary for most of us. Much of what is humorous comes from actions which are a combination of accident and uncustomary. If you are gay and offended by Snickers, don't buy a Snickers or any Mars products. Mars has pull the ad.

Silly me, I thought the commercial was poking fun at homophobic rednecks. Take a look:



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The Deal With Ryan O'Neal

Here's the mugshot of actor Ryan O'Neal, who was arrested Saturday morning at his Malibu home and booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and negligent discharge of a firearm after a fight with his son, Griffin. He was released after posting $50,000 bail.

Police tell TMZ that O'Neal, 65, fired at least one gunshot during the scuffle.

Cops say he was booked at the Lost Hills Sheriff's station without incident. He was released at 5:30 AM.

Sheriff sources say that Griffin's 22-year-old, 7 month pregnant girlfriend was "inadvertently" injured at the scene and transported to a local hospital. Sources wouldn't confirm that the injury was a result of the gunshot.

Griffin O'Neal, son of Ryan and Joanna Moore, is also no stranger to the law. The 42-year-old spent 18 days in jail for not performing the community service ordered by a judge who found him guilty of reckless boating in a 1986 accident that killed the son of film director Francis Ford Coppola.

Griffin also has a history of substance abuse. He pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge in 1989. In 1992, he agreed to spend one year in a live-in drug rehabilitation program after pleading no contest to charges he shot at his estranged girlfriend's unoccupied car.

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Astronomical Screw-Up/Lust in Space

Could you call this "Lust In Space?" Or maybe, "The Dark Side Of The Lune?" NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, a mission Specialist on the Space Shuttle Discovery mission in the summer of 2006, is pictured in this undated portrait, left. Nowak was charged February 5, 2007 (picture on right) with attempted kidnapping, battery, attempted vehicle burglary with battery and destruction of evidence by the Orlando, Florida police department. Ms. Nowak is 43 years old, married and mother of 3 children. She's also a Navy Captain. Police say that she drove 950 miles from Houston to Orlando wearing diapers - so she wouldn't have to stop to urinate! I should point out that no car can travel 950 miles on one tank of gas. She had to stop once, maybe twice. A love triangle is the suspected reason for all of this.

Stay tuned! This is bound to get better and better. Expect a Lifetime movie based on this!

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SuperRatings

Super Bowl XLI did quite well in the ratings! Two things are important to remember. There are more Americans (potential viewers) now than there have been in the past. The ratings people are providing us with audience estimates. An estimated 150 million people saw at least part of theSuperBowl program with an average of 93 million watching at any one time. Super Bowl XLI will go down as the third most watched program ever, behind the final episode of M*A*S*H* (106 million, in 1983) and Super Bowl XXX (94.1 million, in 1995). Best commercial? According to USA Today's annual survey, Budweiser's Crab commercial was the best. Again, this survey was taken with a mere 238 adults. Don't crabs walk sideways? I miss the frogs!

Super Bowl

It was good to see the small-market Indianapolis colts defeat the Chicago Bears. Being a moderate Colts' fan, I remember when watching the Colts was like watching an Arena Football League team in the Hoosier Dome. Things change. This game was not won by MVP Peyton Manning. It was won by the Colts defense. If the Bears defense played a little better, the score, if not the outcome, would have been different. Congratulations to the Colts and their fans, particularly those who can afford to regularly attend the games. And Coach Dungy, special congrats to you - after having been fired by Malcolm Glazer in Tampa, this world championship must be especially sweet.
Oh, a word about the Super Bowl commercials. These are high-budget productions! They were mediocre at best! I've written and produced well over a thousand radio commercials so I may know a little about the subject. Can't you guys on Madison Avenue do any better? The Chevy HHR spot shows that the car appeals to homeless guys who wash windows at urban streetcorners. What the hell is that? Does that make me want to buy or drive an HHR? It should hurt to be stupid!