My first thought on reading the headline: "Why was Mario Soto even playing in the WBC?"

You're probably right. I tend to give the Trib credit because I don't usually see this sort of thing from them, but desperate times and all that.

I don't think they'd do it intentionally by a strict definition, of course. I doubt there was a J. Jonah Jameson ranting \"#### it, leave out the drug and people will think he's a juicer!" I do think it's not terribly unlikely that an editor wrote it, and it was approved all the way up by people who allowed themselves to ignore the matter. The alternative is that they didn't notice it or did and thought it wouldn't cause confusion, and that's hardly better.

Just to note that online news is no better. If I were one to make people explain the acts of their employers, I'd harangue King about this. Salon should be above allowing that mess on their site.

Salon should be above allowing that mess on their site.

Pretty sure King has moved on from Salon.

Would explain why Soto was so out of shape this year. Munchies!

Ha--exactly what a weed-smoking Cub fan friend of mine speculated. I figure he knows whereof he speaks.

If Beano stops hijacking about Obama, he's just gonna blame everything on the NFL.

Baby steps.

Late night MTV's on a constant MJ-loop. I was born in 1987, so I've only known crazy-MJ my whole life. He's right up there with OJ Simpson in terms of "really ###### up celebrities starring in my youth."

But they just played the Jackson 5 performance of ABC on American Bandstand or some ####, and Jesus Christ could that little kid ####### sing.

By the time he makes the video for Bad, though, I'm already thinking "well I can see where this must've come from." I wonder when that threshold really got crossed.



(Also I just want to go on record as saying that weed is really, really awesome.)

Jeff - did you read that whole page the guy's talking about. Even the "reader comments" are incredible. "My first week I made a whopping $288 and the second week I doubled that then it kinda snowballed to $300+ a day! I'm gonna grow this puppy as big as I can. Here's a screen shot of my Google stats, my wife is in shock."


It's kind of hilarious, until you realize there are real people who get completely ###### by this dumb stuff. Really, really, really dumb people. But real people, nonetheless. Probably real desperate people.

Having raised kids across 30 years I had a crew sitting on the living room floor for the Beatles on "Ed Sullivan" and then was witness to the Jackson craze in the early 80's.

I think The Beatles edge him out on insane reaction meter by viewers.

I also was witness to Elvis and Frank. They held their own though pretty heavy on the female swooners.

Big fan of the latter two. Beatles are fun. Jackson? Um, no thanks.....

I always kind of tend to disregard it and figure that must've just been the way of the times, but after watching a good 45 minutes of Michael Jackson music video marathon, I can't help but notice: Good God do the 80s ever look like they must have been incredibly weird. What the hell was going on with the world.

I always kind of tend to disregard it and figure that must've just been the way of the times, but after watching a good 45 minutes of Michael Jackson music video marathon, I can't help but notice: Good God do the 80s ever look like they must have been incredibly weird. What the hell was going on with the world.

You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The 80s.

jonathan:

The 70's were an eyesore of a decade.

Baseball was great. Horseracing was great. (Well, not the Ruffian disaster) After that, not so much..........

Jonathan, when someone your age now looks back on the 90s in 10 years, the first thing they're going to say is that the whole grunge/fake hippie look that dominated the first half of the decade made everyone look stupid and weird.

Good God do the 80s ever look like they must have been incredibly weird. What the hell was going on with the world.
Nah, the 80s were boring with bad fashion (big hair, danskins and leg warmers anyone?) and mostly lousy music. (Footloose and Maniac just for starters).
HW is right, the 70s were awful -- the fringe of the anti-war movement turned violent, the government did some things that were police-statish, esp. the FBI, the economy tanked as payback for trying to fund both social programs and a war in the 60s, 2 oil crises, and on a lighter note, cars were their ugliest and brown, orange and yellow were the colors of the decade. HW, I'd add two more positives about the 70s -- the real starts to environmentalism and the women's movement, not that both didn't have its excesses.

I was going to try to top #111 with a reference to a similarly silly 80s Ally Sheedy classic, but sometimes you learn that the only winning move is not to play.

Food poisoning. He ate an eight-year-old wiener.


Groan.

This is the first I've hear this one, but I suspect it won't be the last.

It's masterful. It is a pity that one can't be made to work in swedish.

Why not?

Fuud pueesuning. He-a ete-a un ieeght-yeer-oold veeener. Bork Bork Bork!

As if you hadn't heard that one before.

Having raised kids across 30 years I had a crew sitting on the living room floor for the Beatles on "Ed Sullivan" and then was witness to the Jackson craze in the early 80's.

I think The Beatles edge him out on insane reaction meter by viewers.

I think the Beatles more than edged him out in the Western world* but globally MJ might have surpassed the Fab Four. Of course technology probably had a big impact in Jackson's favor. I heard the tail end of an interview with Third World types on the BBC and the guy from India said that satellite TV came to India right about the time of "Thriller". He stated that Jackson's influence is seen all over the Bollywood movies, in the dance moves and the predominence of red jackets. Based on what I've seen on the news over the years, the frenzy in Japan was probably just as crazy if not more so than the Beatles in the U.S. Of course, listening to "Cheap Trick Live at Budhokan", maybe the Japanese youngsters go crazy for any band. :)

I'm not much of a Michael Jackson fan and definitely not a Jackson 5 fan, but "Thriller" is a terrific video and "Billy Jean" and "Beat It" are up there with any pop songs.

*Thinking on this more, the Beatles were so meteoric -- that first 6-9 months that they hit the US shores, EVERYTHING was Beatles. We all tried to grow bangs; schools created and enforced hair policies. I remember early in 1964 the local Top N survey had Beatles songs as 4 of the top 5. There were another half dozen farther down the charts. The charts were full of the British invasion, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Chad & Jeremy, Peter & Gordon, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, the Searchers, the Seekers, the Animals, Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, and I'm sure I'm missing a dozen or more. I think the Jackson mania was probably more spread out over time.

Good God do the 80s ever look like they must have been incredibly weird. What the hell was going on with the world.

Cocaine.

'80s movies were the golden age of comedies: John Candy, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, etc.

'80s movies were the golden age of comedies: John Candy, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, etc.

Oh yeah. The slobs vs. snobs and sex romp comedy golden age.

Stripes
Caddyshack
Trading Places
Porky's
Meatballs
Revenge of the Nerds
Police Academy (the original had its charms!)
etc etc etc

Of course, listening to "Cheap Trick Live at Budhokan", maybe the Japanese youngsters go crazy for any band. :)

No - the Japanese simply recognized that rather than scratching your head over this band that was too rock to be pop and too pop to be rock, one should just appreciate their greatness for what it is.

I'd add two more positives about the 70s -- the real starts to environmentalism and the women's movement, not that both didn't have its excesses.

In my book, the 60s didn't end until Watergate and I think that stuff took place while Nixon was still around. There was also detente and the sorta opening of China.

When is your book being published?

Book? Me? While I'd like to publish one, I have to write it first. Chris Jaffe has one coming out in November or October.

#111 is awesome