Bye bye, Bird

What a loss. Mark "The Bird" Fidrych died yesterday at age 54. For those who missed the absolute joy he brought to baseball, here's ESPN's Peter Gammons with a look back at his brief, beautiful career.

A viral video cure for the blahs

Perhaps it's been a long day. Maybe you feel like you're taking one step forward and two steps back. Or you're a Detroit Tigers fan. This ought to take care of it. Enjoy.

Stand By Me from David Johnson on Vimeo.

So, would that be short selling?

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan theorized that, as go men's underwear sales, so goes the economy. Apparently, it's going to get real tighty-whitey, economy-wise. 

Play ball!

Ah yes, Major League Baseball is back, and that can only mean one thing: the Detroit Tigers are out of the running in the AL Central! Just 160 more games to endure before we turn our attention to the Detroit Lions. 

Now in the Rock Hall of Fame. . .

Metallica and Run DMC, to name a couple. Not bad choices, but Time argues for ten acts that, so far, haven't made the Rock Hall cut. KISS, Genesis, Cheap Trick, Pat Benatar, and the other six have something else in common: they're all in my collection. What more can you ask for?

Heads up, students!

Since it is National Poetry Month, let's all try memorizing one poem, shall we? Jim Holt, in this essay in the NY Times, makes a compelling, if uneven, case for the task. 

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry "through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events." The Lit Lounge will produce plenty of poetry podcasts (alliterative or otherwise) this month. Visit this site for info on poetry happenings around Michigan. 

Meijer Gardens Summer Concert Series

Lyle Lovett, Keb Mo', The Indigo Girls, Neko Case, The Doobie Brothers, The Avett Brothers, and The Wallflowers are just part of the great lineup for this year's concert series. Tickets for members go on sale soon! 

Slumdog DVD bummer

Heads up! FOX goofed up big time and shipped rental versions of Slumdog Millionaire to retail stores instead of the full version with special features. I am one of those victims. My disc has the film and a handful of trailers, but no advertised extras.

Fortunately, replacement copies are available if you visit this site. Have your copy of Slumdog Millionaire handy, fill out the questionaire, and you'll have a replacement sent to you in a few days.

The perfect food: Squeez Bacon

Squeez Bacon, produced in Sweeden from US-bred swine. One bottle is equal to 64 strips! Yum!

(thanks to Rev. Greg for the tip)