The Greatest Grunge Song Ever?

Jac concludes his list of the Top 40 Grunge songs of all time.

It had to be Nirvana. It just did.

It may not have been the song I'd chosen, but who cares?

Quote of the Day About Palin

Just as Obama needed to pick a candidate to help with gaps in his experience, McCain needed to pick someone who he could credibly point to and say “this person is qualified to become President of the United States if something happens to me.”

Has he done that with the Palin pick, or has he picked someone that, like Dan Quayle, the public will come to perceive as a lightweight ?

We don’t know yet, because essentially what McCain has done is close his eyes, throw the football, and hope that Sarah Palin can run it into the end zone.

- Doug Mataconis, at Donklephant.

I've been telling my kids all year long to pay close attention, because this was going to be the most interesting presidential election in our lifetimes. McCain's pick of Palin just made it more interesting, and for that alone I think it was a great one.

Just Reading This Made Me Feel Good...

The estimable Sideways Mencken posts an old vent that is destined for the Hall of Fame.

[Warning: rough language ahead!]

The Incredible Shrinking Bee

The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento's hometown newspaper, has undergone a number of changes in recent weeks, none of them positive. A reduction in size, a reduction in staff, and subtle changes here and there have all contributed to a reduction in the quality of the newspaper, and if the slide continues at its current pace, within a year or so there may be no reason for the paper to continue - it will be nothing more than a compendium of wire stories and articles from other newspapers than can be found elsewhere. There are still a number of talented writers on the staff, but that number is dwindling at an alarming rate.

Yesterday, The Bee had a small story, one they did their best to hide from readers, announcing that The Public Editor position was being discontinued. The incumbent in the position, Armando Acuña, will be retained, but no longer play that role. According to the article,

The decision at The Bee "acknowledges several realities, the most pressing being our company's need to focus our resources on newsgathering, advertising sales and customer service," Publisher and President Cheryl Dell said in a memo. "Times have changed since the era in which many ombudsmen and public editor jobs were established. Readers now have multiple ways to be heard within the newspaper and in the community."

It may seem like a small thing, but this decision, more than any which has preceded it, is a clear indication that The Bee is a paper in the throes of a major crisis (and that the industry, unless it develops a new business model, is one facing the prospect of extinction in our lifetime). Set aside for a moment how insulting the Bee's rationale for the decision is to its readership (which is an arguable point, but that's my opinion). Instead, consider the description of the Public Editor function that Mr. Acuña himself wrote, in an email exchange I had with him earlier this year:

"...The Public Editor designation was established to give my office more territory to talk about things occurring not only at the Bee, but at other papers and with the media generally, such as various trends or controversies. The ombudsman designation implies a more rigid structure, where all a person does is take complaints and looks into it. I do that, too, but much more as well."

And that function is what The Bee has decided is no longer necessary to have as a regular feature in the paper. It's a terrible decision on the paper's part, and one that I hope is reconsidered. But I'm not holding my breath.

Happy Birthday

He's probably going to kill me when he finds out about this, but so be it - the story is too good not to commit to the airwaves.

Today is son #2's 14th birthday, and the story of the day he was born is one that not many people I've known can top. Actually, nobody I know can top it. But I'm sure that somewhere, someone can.

To set the stage, in early 1994 my youngest brother had announced that he was getting married to his longtime girlfriend, and that the couple had set August 27 as the day of the wedding - which just happens to be his birthday. At the time, my wife knew she was pregnant, but I'm not sure that we had done the math yet to figure out just how much August 27 was going to be a problem.

As summer went on and the day got closer, and we both found out that we would be part of the wedding party, we began to wonder - although it would have been early, August 27 was certainly within the realm of possibility as far as the birth date was concerned. But by that time, it was like "whatever happens, happens...it's not as if it's in our control or anything."

It would have been one thing if the wedding was in town, but that wasn't the case - it was going to be in Santa Rosa, at least a two-hour drive from our regular doctor and hospital. Since August 27 was a Saturday, Debra made sure to schedule a doctor's appointment for the Thursday prior to the wedding, just to make absolutely sure that everything was going to be OK and that we could get the green light for travel.

"Oh, sure," the doctor said, "this baby isn't going to be born for at least a week." Cool! So we motored down on Friday afternoon, enjoyed the rehearsal dinner, and put ourselves to bed that night confident that things were going to go smoothly.

When the morning rolled around, just about the first words out of Debra's mouth were...well, I can't remember exactly what they were, but the gist of it was, "I think I'm going to have this baby today!" So we contemplated our options, and at one point Debra suggested that she could drive back to town, and son #1 and I could stay for the wedding. To which my other brother (who was sharing a hotel room with the three of us) and I said, "OK...let's imagine for a moment that we said yes to that suggestion. How do you think our mother will react when she finds out that we let you drive yourself back to Sacramento to have a baby?" So, based on logic that I have to admit escapes me today, we decided to wait a couple of hours, to see how things progressed. (By the way, I should add that we had addresses and phone numbers for the closest hospital nearby, so it wasn't as if we were completely unprepared). So Debra went off to have pictures taken with the rest of the bridal party, and my brother and I took son #1 swimming.

The next time I saw her, it was in the church, and everything seemed OK. We had made plans to leave that night and leave son #1 with my parents just to be on the safe side, but right then it seemed as if that was an unnecessary precaution. The wedding went smoothly, we both looked fine in our wedding attire (if I do say so myself), and we headed off to the reception.

I think it was a couple hours into the reception, after food, drinks and a little bit of dancing, that we had the following conversation.

"I think we need to leave."

"OK...do you think we can stay until the cake?"

"Umm...I think we need to leave NOW."

And so we left, on the trek down I-80 from the Bay Area back to Sacramento, armed with someone else's cell phone just in case something went really wrong.

Around Vacaville, she grabbed my hand, and began to squeeze progressively tighter until we arrived at Sutter Memorial Hospital, just after 8 p.m. She was in her bridesmaid's dress, and I was in my tuxedo. When the doctor saw me, he did a double take, and sarcastically commented, "well, I certainly hope that we're not keeping you from something!"

Less than an hour later, son #2 was born.

And that is the story of how it happened.

Happy birthday!

[Coming in December: the story of son #1's birth, which is pretty cool as well]

The Magic Tour - That's A Wrap

Marking a celebratory but at the same time melancholy occasion, Bruce Springsteen’s Magic Tour formally concluded earlier this week in Kansas City. The tour began in Hartford, Connecticut in October 2007, and saw the band criss-cross the country twice, as well as make two jaunts across the pond into Europe. While the tour was a triumph – I saw them twice, and can attest to the fact that the band sounded better and stronger than ever – there was also tragedy along the way, with the loss in April of Danny Federici to melanoma.

The boys in the band aren’t getting younger, so with each passing E Street Band tour, the likelihood that this one will be the last increases. Of course, people have been saying that about the Stones since 1978, but consider: there were three years between the Reunion Tour and The Rising Tour, and nearly five years between that tour and the current one. Since the turn of the century, Bruce has demonstrated a desire to stretch out, following The Rising with an album of near-solo material (Devils and Dust), and following that with something completely out of left field, The Seeger Sessions (complete with full band tour). So who knows how long it will be before we see another E-Street Band album. I’ll be optimistic and say four years, but even then you’d be confronted with what my son would probably call “Old Guy-Palooza.” Would they still be up to it? Hard to say.

On the last leg of the Magic Tour, Bruce and the band played as if it were a valedictory. Songs that hadn’t popped up on the setlist for years started showing up, and the setlists varied widely from night to night (buoyed by Bruce’s new habit of plucking home-made request signs out of the audience). The second year of a Springsteen tour is always less rigid in the setlist than the beginning, but this time around he took that tendency to new extremes. In the last month of shows alone, the band played the following:

Summertime Blues
Growin’ Up
Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart
Held Up Without A Gun
Pretty Flamingo (a staple of early to mid-1970s shows)
Blinded By The Light
Little Latin Lupe Lu (I actually saw him play this once, in 1988)
You Can’t Sit Down
Loose Ends
Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)
Stand On It (saw him play this, in 1984)
Crush On You (he hadn’t played this since the first year of The River tour, and referred to it as “the worst song we ever put on vinyl.”)
Boom Boom
Part Man, Part Monkey (saw this one in 1988)
Seven Nights to Rock
Gloria
the “Mona” and “Not Fade Away” intros to She’s the One
I Fought the Law
Then She Kissed Me (I had a great version of this on a bootleg tape I had back in the early 80s, but the damn thing gave up the ghost)
Rendezvous
Mountain of Love
Little Queenie
Ricky Wants A Man of Her Own
Cynthia
Boys (Max Weinberg singing lead!)

I’m hoping against hope that this wasn’t the end, and that in a few years time I’ll be poised at my computer at 10 a.m. on a Monday morning, hoping against hope that this time will be the time I actually am able to score floor tickets. But if not, then the last month, as well as the entire Magic tour, was a pretty damn fine way to go out.

Draft Night!

Tonight was fantasy football draft night, always among the most entertaining nights of the season. I've been in a fantasy league now for 31 years, and running my own since 1978. Some years we've had 8 teams, some years we've had 10, and for the past two years we've had twelve. That spreads the talent a little thin, puts a premium on making a good first round pick, and makes it all the more important to find the sleeper pick of the year.

Did I manage to do all of those things? Your guess is as good as mine. The group in the league now is pretty savvy, with veterans who have been around for as long as 25 years. I happen to be the defending champion, although I'd stop short of saying that I had a great team last year. But if you make the playoffs, all it takes is a little luck, and the next thing you know your name is on the trophy.

So without further ado, I present my lineup for the year. Looks OK, but ask me again in 16 weeks.

QB: Drew Brees, Eli Manning
RB: Marshawn Lynch, LenDale White, Jerious Norwood, Warrick Dunn, Deshaun Foster
R: Braylon Edwards, Tony Gonzalez, Jeremy Shockey, Vernon Davis, Deion Branch
K: Neil Rackers
Defense/Special Teams: Indianapolis Colts

Jeff's Jukebox: C-4

"Love is the Drug," Roxy Music

It's been a while since we last visited the jukebox, so let's jump right in with a classic from the mid-1970s.

Roxy Music is one of those bands that you could say was more influential than they were popular (at least in the States). This song, off the brilliant 1975 album Siren, was their biggest hit, and it topped out somewhere in the high teens on Billboard's Hot 100. In the song, Bryan Ferry is at his shady hipster best, slithering his way onto the dance floor and (in all likelihood) into the bed of some young, unsuspecting soul. The song's intro, with the footsteps and the car starting leading into an insistent bass line, is one of the most notable in the history of rock.

When I was in high school, I had frequent arguments with a friend over whether Roxy Music or Styx was the better band. I chose the former, and I like to think that I chose wisely. But if you check my yearbook from my junior year in high school, you'll see, in large block letters, courtesy of my friend Thomas, the following:

ROXY MUSIC SMELLS

STYX RULES!!!

To this day, it's good for a laugh out of people who are seeing it for the first time.

For Better or For Worse

It's never been what you would call a "hip" comic strip. It's never been a laugh out loud funny strip like "Peanuts," "Calvin and Hobbes," or "Pearls Before Swine." And it's certainly never entered the national consciousness the way a strip like "Doonesbury" or "The Far Side" has. But for nearly 30 years, "For Better or For Worse" has always been there, telling a story about a family that is just as real as any story you might hear about a family in your own neighborhood. Over the years, the Patterson family has had its ups and downs - moments of great happiness, moments of great sorrow, and moments of the kinds of everyday frustrations that every family goes through.

And through it all, author and artist Lynn Johnston has nailed the details; everything about the strip rings true - the world of the kids, the key role that pets play in the family, the difficulties that families face as loved ones grow older, and the day-to-day challenges that parents face at different stages of their life. John and Elly Patterson are a strong and loving couple, but they're not without their quirks and their moments of weakness. In short, they seem real.

The story Johnston has been telling for thirty years has been somewhat unique in the comic strip world, in that the characters have aged in real time. The Patterson children, Michael and Elizabeth, weren't even in school when the strip began, and now they're adults. The youngest child, April, was born just a couple of months after the birth of our #1 son, which would make her a senior in high school.

And now, for all practical purposes, the story is coming to an end. I suspected that was the case a few weeks ago when every strip began to be devoted to a minute-by-minute account of Elizabeth's wedding day. And sure enough, when the wedding storyline concludes on August 31, Johnston plans to stop the clock and go back to the very beginning, drawing new strips to fill in the blanks that were left when she told the story the first time around. If she had asked me, it's not the way I would have wanted her to close things out, but on the other hand she's definitely earned the right to do with her creation whatever she wants.

It's never been the kind of strip that you read first when you get to the comics page - but for me, it's been a strip that I've read every day, even without realizing it, for nearly all of its existence. I remember when April was born, and I remember when the family dog, Farley, sacrificed his own life to save hers when she fell into the creek behind the Patterson family home. I remember Michael's wedding, and I remember Elizabeth's experiences at the University. I'm going to miss finding out what happens next in the life of the Pattersons, while knowing that they will endure, as the strongest families always do.

It may not be cool. But it has been great, and Johnston deserves to be recognized for a great story, wonderfully told.

Last Random Olympic Thoughts

You can have all the debates in the world about the politics surrounding the Olympics - the entire event is a walking, talking contradiction in terms - but in the end, it all boils down to the fortnight being the greatest manifestation of "the human drama of athletic competition." It's also one of the world's most fascinating melting pots - in some ways, the history of the Olympics is a microcosm of the history of the world itself. Through the results of events, you can trace the history of communism, the growth of new world powers, and the ups and downs of the United States and other countries, and if you look real hard you can even find some tidbits about social history and the mores of the day.

But enough "deep thinking." Now's the time to note some personal highlights of the games.

- Bryan Clay winning the decathlon. It's a measure of how far track & field has fallen out of the national consciousness that Clay not only is not the hero of these games, but also is relatively unknown. The decathlon has always been the gold standard of track & field - and Clay, who seems as unassuming as one can possibly be, can now proudly stand in a line of American heroes - including Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, and Bruce Jenner - who can justifiably make a claim of being "the world's greatest athlete." I look forward to seeing him on the Wheaties box.

- The Redeem Team. Say what you will (and I have, at various times) about the arrogance and hubris of American basketball stars, but you have to give them credit where credit is due. For the past three years, an extraordinary group of players has set aside the arrogance and the hubris in pursuit of a higher goal, and against a healthy set of odds was able to return American basketball to the prominence that it enjoyed for decades. It helped that it was among the few events that people living on the West Coast were able to view as it was happening, but the gold medal game was an absolute classic - one of the great basketball games in recent memory.

- Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin. Grace and beauty under immense pressure, not to mention having to overcome a scoring system and set of judges that seemed to have been forged in the depths of hell.

- Usain Bolt. Yeah, the showboating was a little over the top, but this really was a performance for the ages. We're talking Bob Beamon amazing.

- Jason Lezak. The unsung hero behind the record-setting performance of Michael Phelps. Perhaps the most amazing single swim in the history of the Olympics.

- Michael Phelps. It's hard to find the words to describe the enormity of the achievement.

- Sanya Richards' anchor leg in the 4 x 400 relay, and the overall performance of both 4 x 400 relay teams.

- Volleyball. From the beach to the indoors, the teams were transcendent, even if I remain a bit skeptical about the beach version.

I'm probably forgetting something. But that seems like a decent list. I also enjoyed Tom Hammond & Ato Boldon covering track, and Mike Breen & Doug Collins & Anne Meyers covering basketball. The enthusiasm of Rowdy Gaines was infectious, and the professionalism of Bob Costas and Dan Hicks was, as always, impressive.

And of course, there was also the usual array of spectacularly unsportsmanlike moments, like the guy walking off the medal stand without his medal, and the taekwando dude kicking the referee in the face, and the usual doping disqualifications. But that's the Olympics...you gotta take the bitter with the sweet.

As always, I'm sorry it's over.

Let's Close It Out - The Basketball Final Live-Blog!

Fernandez brings Spain back within 8. Collins says U.S. better keep scoring, because they haven't been able to stop Spain.

4:22 - Howard about to shoot free throws. Misses first. Collins: "U.S. must shore up its defense." Collins wonders whether U.S. would be better off if Bosh was in there, to hit the free throws. Howard makes the second.

4:02 - U.S. in the penalty. Pau Gasol at the free throw line. Makes them both. As Breen notes, Gasol looks like a much different player than the one you see in the U.S.

Another miss for U.S. Gasol hits another shot; 5 point game with 3:25.

Zone defense - Bryant hits a MONSTER three and is FOULED! Could that be the kicker? Rudy Fernandez has FOULED OUT! Kobe hits the free throw. 108-99.

Navarro hits the runner - under three minutes to go!

Jimenez hits another three - Spain back within 4!!!

Wade hits a three! 111-104 and we're under two minutes. Incredible game.

Time out. Spain is playing incredible zone defense right now - the U.S. is being saved only by their three point shooting. Gasol looks like a monster! Can't believe this is the same guy who got roughed up in the NBA finals.

U.S. fouls, and is in the penalty. Coach K looks like he's going to have a heart attack any minute now. Spain makes only one free throw, but keeps possession on a loose ball.

BIG rebound from James. Under 90 seconds to play. Bryant throws in the runner!!

Spain misses! U.S. has ball with 58 seconds to play, 8 point lead.

Chants of "USA! USA!" break out.

Chris Paul shooting free throws. Makes the first. Makes the second. 10 point lead.

41.4 to play. Collins: "No threes and no fouls."

U.S. gets the ball in the front court, Paul dribbles some time off, gets fouled, Spain's bench totally loses it and now the U.S. gets four free throws. Technical on Ricky Rubio. Sit down and shaddap, Ricky. You'll look great in silver.

26 seconds to go. Time out. It's all over. Kobe douses Coach K with his water bottle.

Mike Breen: U.S. has always had the best players, but not always the best team.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is it. As Breen says, the team has put the U.S. back on top of the basketball world. Which, with all due respect to the rest of the world, is how it should be.

Final Score: United States 118, Spain 107.

Early Fourth

A disastrous fourth quarter start for the U.S. Missed threes, missed opportunities, and the next thing you know, Spain gets up a head of steam and we have a two-point game on our hands. Incredible.

Oh, there's some male Spain fans dressed in women's clothing. Wonder what that is about.

OK, test time for the guys. Let's see how they respond.

Tough shot by Kobe for 2. Good start.

Fourth foul on Lebron. He stays in the game. 7:42 to play.

3 by Williams. As Collins says, "gigantic shot."

Lead back up to 9. Great response by the U.S.

Spain gets three, Kobe responds with one of his own. 101-92. Less than six minutes to play.

Doug Collins

Doug Collins really is one of the best analysts around. He's paired with Mike Breen at the Olympics, and he makes Breen sound about twice as good as he did working the NBA on ESPN and ABC. As anyone over a certain age will certainly remember, it was Collins who hit two dramatic free throws with 3 seconds to play in the 1972 Olympics final to hand the U.S. the victory, which was then stolen away by the incompetent and corrupt officials calling the game. Mr. Cool.

Late Third Quarter

All right, now the U.S. is playing the kind of game that is going to win this thing - pound it inside, take the good shots, push the ball, push the ball. 10 point lead with 2:30 to play.

Apropos of nothing, about half the players on Spain's team have their first names on the back of their jersey. Somehow, "Ricky" just doesn't strike fear in one's heart.

U.S. not converting fast breaks, but still leads by 10 with just over a minute to play in the third.

Jeez - now they're letting Pau Gasol look like a strong man.

Big three by Anthony...11 point lead.

Another slip in the paint. For crissakes, get someone out there with a towel.

Layup by Navarro at the buzzer. 91-82 after three.

Middle Third Quarter

I keep thinking that the U.S. is going to catch fire any minute now, but it doesn't seem to be happening.

Spain just had a chance to come within two, but a steal and breakaway by Carmelo Anthony (who looked like he might have traveled) push it back up to six.

Damn it, they're getting beaten on the boards, and the threes have run out. I was kind of hoping this one would be over now, but now it could go all the way down to the wire.

79-73 with 4 minutes to play. Make that 79-75. No, make that 81-75. Quick, hit "publish post!"

Early Third Quarter

Disastrous start for the U.S. team. Lead is down to 4, three turnovers already, and no one seems to have any spark at all. And now it looks like it's the U.S. that's losing its cool.