In Philly Blunt this week...

a story about meeting skateboarding legend Christian Hosoi.

Ken Starr secures place in the ninth circle of Hell

"This is an important question about how the First Amendment applies to pro-drug messages in an educational setting."

The people have spoken ...

... and I've heard them say I ought to keep an eye on the male/female photo ratio on this here blog, so with no further ado, this month's Esquire features a Q&A with the woman who could be my favorite actress going these days, what with her peddling herb out of her gated community on Weeds. (Second best show next to It's Always Sunny.) And now, Mary Louise Parker's thoughts on music for makin' sweet, sweet love.

All Hail Ryan Howard

Back in the Spring, Mike Schmidt was in town on a media tour hawking his new book, so I swung over to Rittenhouse Square to interview him.
Granted, we talked a lot about Barry Bonds, so much so that I couldn't include much of what he said about Ryan Howard in the piece. So today, as Howard matches Schmidt's all-time single-season franchise home-run record, it's worth pointing out that Michael Jack saw this coming, giving the youngster mad props and, yes, predicting that his mark would ultimately fall. (Which it will any game now).

Tomorrow's column is on ...

Coming soon to a Boy Scout Troop Leader meeting near you ....

For Posterity's Sake

In light of all the recent awesomeness surrounding the T.O./Cowboys relationship, I thought I'd reach out to my buddy Pete and let him know just how excited I was for the upcoming season, what with the Eagles now assured of nothing worse than a 3rd-place finish. Well, for the record, here was his text-message response:

"We don't need him to play...this team is good"

To which, I rolled on the floor, laughing my ass off. For hours. In fact, I still am.
Tee, Oh; Tee-oh, Teeoh, Tee-ohh
Teeee Oh, Teeee Oh!!!!

Protecting the littl'est among us

May there be no peace in the world until the Sink Lowering Lobby can make earth a safer place for our kinfolk like B.J. Rhodan. If this story doesn't tug at your heartstrings, nothing will, you cold, heartless heathen.
Much love to the Hon. Rev. E.B. Webb for providing the link.

T.G.I.M.

Seriously, folks, is there a better way to start a week off than with news that the Cowskirts are already folding, thanks to their oh-so-conflicted off-season pickup? Like, two weeks before the regular season even starts?
The answer: No. There certainly isn't.

The Weekend is Nigh

It's days like these when I'm as proud as can be to be a Philadelphian. I mean, sure coming in ninth may not seem all that gravy, but when it's a survey of America's hardest drinking cities, it'll do just fine. Now, it's almost 9 a.m., where's my friggin' jaeger?

This week's ...

... column and letters to the editor about last week's column. Enjoy!

The man who should have been president...

... if it weren't for the current President's sleazy, reputation-obliterating WMD attack in South Carolina, is again making perfect sense. Which, Jebus willing, he'll continue to do between now and the end of '08 to protect the White House from Hillary.


McCain faults Bush administration on Iraq

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Republican Sen. John McCain, a staunch defender of the Iraq war, on Tuesday faulted the Bush administration for misleading Americans into believing the conflict would be “some kind of day at the beach.”

The potential 2008 presidential candidate, who a day earlier had rejected calls for withdrawing U.S. forces, said the administration had failed to make clear the challenges facing the military.

“I think one of the biggest mistakes we made was underestimating the size of the task and the sacrifices that would be required,” McCain said. “Stuff happens, mission accomplished, last throes, a few dead-enders. I’m just more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be.”

Hotel, Motel, Holiday E-nn

"As more and more of these (hardcore) titles become available, we're going to have sexual abuse cases coming out of the hotels," he said. "Hotels are just as dangerous as environments around strip joints and porn stores."

Ok, so if I understand this correctly, a group of walking chastity belts want porn banned in hotels. Makes sense to me, considering the ever-growing number of murders occurring in "porn stores." And here I thought enough would be enough someday, what with Congress' whining about the ills of online gaming (when all they're really worried about it losing tax revenue).
But in all seriousness, Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, why stop here! Let's prohibit people from even thinking about sex. That way, next time you and your God-fearin' husband want to breed, you'll spare the rest of us the indignity of dealing with another prick or prick-ette who thinks they know what's better for everybody else.

In tomorrow's paper...

... I just couldn't let the JonBenet thing go, but there's more to tomorrow's column than Monday's post. In fact, it's really about...

An earlier than sneak peak

Well, it's been a long time coming, but I've finally been able to encorporate the phrase "Baltimore, the syphilis capital of America" into my column. Better take Lonnie for a check-up, LBR.
Read all about it Thursday. It's truly a monumental occasion.

Circle the differences

I'd be remiss if I didn't say this whole "I Killed JonBenet" thing has a borderline chance to end up being a patsy story (well, if anybody could dig to the bottom of it after sipping champagne and eating jumbo prawns, that is.) You know, fiction designed to push the Iraqi Civil War more than 10 minutes into the evening newscasts. Paranoid conspiracy theory? Likely. But look at those two pictures and try to tell me there isn't something just so, so off about this. Welcome to the first couple weeks of a story that'll never reach tidy closure.

Sorry folks, been a hectic week so I haven't been able to post all that much ... here's this week's column.

This week's column ...

... will be all about:



weed.

The Hand that Won $12 million

Well folks, the World Series of Poker is over. The winner (find out who on that link) won with:

A Big Ole Atta-Guy is in order

... to Dan Gross, who's taking off for the islands to get married to his wife-to-be Holly next weekend. Congrats!

Daily Cowboys-Implosion Update (aka It's So Much More Fun on This Side)

T.O. tests hamstring
Cowboys WR runs, catches, but not fully practicing
...
He considers all the speculation ridiculous, but he expects the scrutiny after all the highly publicized incidents that marred his tenures in San Francisco and Philadelphia.
"Anything I do is magnified much more," he said. "I've learned to deal with it. It's not anything that's going to push me back on the field."His relationship with Parcells also is under the microscope. This injury has been the first test, despite Parcells' denials.
For instance, it seemed strange that Parcells did not include Owens on Wednesday when talking about players who will miss the upcoming game because of an injury.
"I just don't know for sure," Parcells said. He later acknowledged, "I guess it would look like" he isn't going to play because Owens has gone so long without practicing.
Asked what Parcells has told him, Owens said: "He is not a doctor. He is getting all his information from the trainers. ... He knows I am hurt."


The Hickey odds have been set:

T.O. plays full season, catches more than 10 TDs: 12-1
T.O. gets benched for disciplinary reasons at least one game before Week 17: 5-1
T.O. doesn't end season on Cowboys' starting roster: Even odds

Cowboys total wins (over/under): 6 1/2

Piling On

Well, after I wrote the post the other day about Channel 6's definion of "exclusive" when it came to their Rick Mariano story, I decided I hadn't vented enough. Hence, this week's column.

Customer Service

So as to stave off the inevitable, yet legit, complaints that there are too many dood pictures on here today, I now bring you ...

Fresh from the Garden State

Today, for the first time in 33 years, I'm loathe to admit I'm a Jersey boy. Here's an excerpt from an Inquirer story on former Gov. Jim McGreevey's soon-to-be released memoir:

For those who can't wait, the book can be preordered on Amazon.com for $16.98. The online bookseller also offers The Confession packaged with a DVD of the gay western Brokeback Mountain for $36.97.

And then there were nine

Well, the World Series of Poker has reached the final table. Interested to see who made it? Click here.










(Spoiler alert: there is one recognizable name left standing; well, sitting ... top hand has $25.65 million; low hand at $2.6 million)

North Dallas 81

Ah, it's so much more fun on this side of things, being able to watch T.O. begin dismantling a team that isn't the one in your hometown.

Congrats, Pete, by next season, another 1-15 season will be there for the taking!

WSOP

If you don't want to know how the World Series of Poker is going out in Vegas before it's televised, don't click here.

(Re-)Action News

So, I get home last night and flip on the Channel 6 news. Of course, there's a story about Rick Mariano heading off to prison on Monday (he ended up at Ft. Dix). But that's not what really grabbed my attention; here's what did: The fact that Action News' Dann Cuellar had the balls to do an interview with Mariano and throw a big old EXCLUSIVE tag up on the screen (listed under "Video: Dann Cuellar reports").
Sure, Mr. I Wish I Was Geraldo, you mentioned in your intro that it was his lone "televised" interview since his conviction, but that doesn't, by any stretch of the imagination, make your story EXCLUSIVE when, in fact, there's a 4,400-word story about him STILL OUT ON THE STREETS.
You should be ashamed of yourself, Dann. But not as much as you should be about the fact that you pick up a street dialect to fit in better, yo, holmes, when you're doing interviews in the 'hood.
You're a pathetic weasel who regularly brings shame upon his family, Dann. Seriously.

Three Day Weekend

... starts today. Have a good one!

This week...

... my cover story is about former Philly Councilman Rick Mariano who, after getting convicted on corruption charges a month or so back, is off to prison on Monday. Of course, there are several reasons to wonder why he'd want to talk to me. But hell, he did anyhow, so take a read.

In the column, I wonder aloud whether a trio of gay folks and a lesbian who tried to enlist at the Philly military recruiting station made famous by a bunch of grannies, are somehow undermining the Democratic Party's chances in '08. (Yes, I conclude.)

Y finalmente, manana

Before heading out into the friggin' 100-degree heat for work and then off to the Best of Philly party tonight (as a guest, not a winner; snubbed again!), I suppose you're expecting the hints for this week's issue. Well, there's a cover story and, as usual, a column. The latter had me returning to the military recruiting station that the grannies tried to take over. And the cover, well, this photo might tip you off as to the topic. Or, it may not.

Kill 'em all

And thanks to americashometown.blogspot.com for referencing last week's column about mayoral candidate Michael Nutter's thoughts on how to address the ridiculous crime rate:

"It is a matter of political will and determining how aggressive Philadelphians are prepared for policing to be to create a safe environment." City Paper’s Brian Hickey read these words in last Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer about Mike Nutter and saw them as “the words of a man willing to actually expend intellectual capital and find a fresh approach to saving Philadelphians' lives — the words of someone who, if he continues on such a path, might actually be able to make a difference.” After speaking with Nutter, Mr. Hickey “loved what [he] heard”. Read Brian’s impressions of Nutter and Mike's commitment to and vision for combating violence in Philadelphia here.

Naaaaaay sayers

Seems as if my column about how America's love for Barbaro seems a bit overboard when Philly's well on its way to breaking murder records pissed more people than I thought off. Here's a link to a debate on the matter in which I stand accused of murder, sarcastically I'm assured.

By way of update, it does look as if the horse, thankfully, is doing considerably better than was thought possible a couple weeks back. This press release came in from Penn yesterday afternoon:

Barbaro's condition continues to be stable
August 1, 2006
KENNETT SQUARE, PA ­ Chief of Surgery Dean Richardson reports that Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro's condition continues to be stable. The colt's left hind foot, which has laminitis, is monitored closely for signs of infection. "We change his left hind foot bandage daily, and it looks good," said Dr. Richardson. "His right hind leg also looks good, and his appetite remains strong."

Otherwise occupied

Sorry for the lapse folks. Been off in cover-story-writing land. I shall return tomorrow with a vengeance.