Chicagohenge Coming 9/25/09

(Photos courtesey of Kyle, and were pillaged from her blog.)


By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


I was glad to see that the Chicago Reader Tweeted this about Chicagohenge.

Its adapted from New York's Manhattanhenge, where the sunrise and sunset align with the street grid so that it appears that the sun is setting at the end of the street, and are not obstructed by the buildings. There is probably a better way to phrase it, but I think you got the point from seeing the pictures. Besides, I've been distracted by this picture all day.











I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

How is the "Public Option" scary? It's an Option.

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter



I just read about a group of conservative liberals who would not vote for a Health Care bill with a public option. Why would anyone vote against something that you don't have to do?

If you offered me the "option" to drink gasoline and I accepted, that doesn't mean I have to drink gasoline. It means I have the option to drink gasoline if I choose to. Even if I don't wish to drink it, accepting the option to drink it does me no harm.

That's obviously a silly example since no one would choose to drink gasoline. Some options are not as black and white, but the point is that an option means exactly that- option. You don't have to if you don't want to. If it's dinnertime and you aren't very hungry and someone asks if you'd like the option to eat dessert, what have you got to lose by accepting the option? It's not forcing you to eat it if you don't want to. Conversely, if you decline the option then change your mind, you won't be allowed to have any dessert. Declining the option is illogical.

There are members of Congress who refuse to let Americans have an option that they do not have to take. Shouldn't they approve of the option and let us decide whether or not we want it? The irony is that the decliners of the public option are the ones telling us that our government is getting too big.


Update: (rant continued)

Furthermore, the entire disagreement is about facts. Nearly all of the dissenters dissent because of what they were lead to believe are facts. They think that the public option is socialist, that it includes a death panel and that it pays for abortions.

None of those are true.

So lets not blame the misled, lets blame those that mislead. Where is this information coming from? It's coming mostly from FoxNews and some from Rush Limbaugh. They disseminate the false information because it is entertaining and they are paid entertainers. Their listeners tune in looking to find fault with the Democrats' ideas and Fox and Rush provide them. They just aren't accurate.

So what's holding up health care for Americans that deserve it? The Profits of FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh. By spreading entertaining lies, they are getting wealthy and we are getting unhealthy. Healthcare reform is literally a matter of life and death.

But so what if Rupert Murdoch and Rush get rich and their influence grows bigger? At least the government is not getting bigger. That could lead to bad things.






I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

I've Been Looking for This

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

I remember wanting this clip a while ago for an article on here. I couldn't find the article, and I may have ever gotten this clip and forgotten I did. Anyway, here it is. Of all the things you should never admit in public..... lol. Thanks for coming out guys.










I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

DNA Evidence can be Fabricated

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


So says the New York Times. And you thought it couldn't be. That's why I had my man here (pictured above) point and laugh at you.








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

I'm Eager to see how Long This Goes on

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

A dude brought an assault riffle into a townhall meeting. An AR-15, like in the first Bond Game. The most powerful gun in the entire video game (the rocket launcher, laser, and grenade launcher aren't technically guns). But he's not the only person to bring a legally-registered gun into a town hall. This is the same president that after inauguration everyone secretly feared could very well be assassinated in office. It's not like a crazy couldn't grab their gun and get off a quick shot at anyone in the room.








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

I Thought This Headline was odd....

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

This headline seemed a bit odd to me:

Obama Administration Attempts to Weaken Constitutional Protections for LGBT Americans

As most of you know, LGBT stands for, "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual". It begs the question: The Constitution of the United States of America specifically mentions bisexuals and transsexuals? I think I would've remembered that my AP US Government class senior year of high school.

Although it would be awesome to see "..if you like the pole and the hole, and/or you got some messed up junk" written out in Gouverneur Morris's caligraphy on the Constitution.









I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

I Thought This Headline was odd....

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter









I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Awesome List

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

The Ten Embarassing Novelty Rap Songs

I'd recommend Hulk Hogan's rap where he preaches the importance of education. Nice to see considering his two kids "jail stints: high school diploma" ratio is 1:0.








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Lookalikes v26.0- Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and the Steroids Dog

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

Female MMA Fighter Cristiane Cyborg Santos and a picture of a dog on steroids I saw in the news a few years go.









I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

The Least Important News of All Time

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


Levi Johnson Willing to Pose Nude if the Price is Right.








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Good Article about Facebook Battling Google

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


Interesting article about how a recent move by Facebook could make them as dominant as Google in the near future.








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

A Man-to-Man Question

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

Is it forgiveable/accteptable for do the following while hanging out with the children of very, very good friends/nieces and nephews- Say when they're in like 6th or 7th grade you hand the daughter of a good friend/family member a piece of a paper and say, "When your dad picks you up ask him what this means." Then written on the paper are the words "choking fetish". Nothing offensively crass that the kid wouldn't learn about it in a year or two from a friend anyway., but also enough to put your buddy on the spot. Is that acceptable or is just impossible to do without being thought of as a creep? Or giving their 8th grade son a piece of paper with, "The Shocker" written on it and asking to ask his dad what it means.









I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

I'm Starting the Rumor

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

I've been inspired by misinformed Town Hall attendees. Now I'm spreading my own rumor...

The abortion that Rick Pitino's mistress had was paid for by Obama's socialist health care!!! Kentucky taxpayers actually picked up the tab for it!!! Every last dime!!!







I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

More Blagojevich Talk

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

I love me some Hot Rod!

I tried to embed this video but the code was wonky. You can check out Jon Stewart giving it to him here.







I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Paul Helmke Keeping it Greezy Once Again

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

Former Fort Weezy Mayor and current anti-gun violence advocate, Paul Helmke making more good points on the Huffington Post. This time he is blogging about how bringing weapons into recent town hall meetings actually may in fact be unintelligent.







I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

The Cubs Have Humiliated Me For the Last Time!!

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

This was originally posted last year and I'm running an encore.



As many of you know, I recently had a creative collaboration with Alec Baldwin. Our agreement was that I would be the creative talent, and he would do basically everything else- production, distribution, etc. He also had the final directorial say.

My idea was to have Alec play me in the vignette, and call Cubs manager Lou Piniella to yell at him for the Cubs' recent poor performance. But in an attempt to avoid this tongue-lashing, Lou would then avoid my call, which would lead to "me" (i.e. Alec) leaving a vitriolic tirade of a voice mail about how their crappy play was starting to really piss me off.

I thought that idea was pretty good, but Alec had other ideas. Being a guy with a flair for the dramatic, he wanted to make this more of an allegorical saga; he wanted it to be about a father disappointed with his daughter. My disappointment with the Cubs would be symbolized by the father's disappointment with the daughter. I felt that was a little over the top, but he insisted that this allegory would ultimately make for a more heartfelt catharsis.

As you can see, we came to an impasse. And being that he had all the leverage, he got his way.
So in the embedded window below is the audio of Alec's finalized vision. Below that window is my original transcript and you may follow along as you listen and observe the alterations that Alec made to the text.






-At T.R.'s Apartment. It's messy with Cubs magazines scattered across the floor, and empty Old Style cans. The Cubs game is on the TV in the background. It's apparent T.R. has been crying.-


Alec: (Stern, Aggressive, Forthright, Fed up) "Hey I wanna tell you something, ok? And I want to leave a message for you right now. 'Cause again, it's 10:30 here in Chicago on a Friday, and once again I've made an ass of myself staying in on a Friday to watch your game at a specific time. When the time comes for me to watch the game, I stop whatever I'm doing and I go and watch that game at 11 o'clock in the morning in Chicago time, and if you don't pick up the phone at 10 o'clock at night. And you don't even have the goddamn phone turned on. I want you to know something, OK?

I'm tired of playing this game with you. I'm leaving this message with you to tell you, you have insulted me for the last time. You have insulted me. You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being. I don't give a damn that you're 64 years old, or 65 years old, or that you've won a World Series with the Reds, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about teaching you when to pull a tiring pitcher, as far as I'm concerned. You have humiliated me for the last time with this ball team.

And when I come out there next week, I'm going to walk up to Wrigley for the day just to straighten you out on this issue. I'm going to let you know just how disappointed in you I am and how angry I am with you that you've done this to me again. You've made me feel like shit and you've made me feel like a fool over and over and over again. And this crap you pull on me with this goddamn Soriano leadoff situation that you would never dream of doing to your fans when you were with Tampa Bay, or Seattle or Cincinnati, and you do it to me constantly and over and over again. I am going to get on Clark St. and I am going to come out there for the day and I am going to straighten your ass out when I see you.

Do you understand me? I'm going to really make sure you get it. Then I'm going to get on Clark St. and I'm going to turn around and come home. So you'd better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me. So I'm going to let you know just how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are. You are a rude, thoughtless little pig, OK?"

[fade to black]

[End]







I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Getting my Andy Rooney on

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

*putting on my fake bushy eye brows*

I just realized that something I saw all the time as a kid is now outdated. It dawned on me while reading the Smithsonian Article about Charles Atlas and his wildly successful mail order business.

The advert at left was one of Atlas's ads. Check out the bottom right corner. Remember those? Did you even notice they don't really exist anymore? Those now old advertisements where you'd fill in your name and address, then cut it out of the magazine- as the dotted lines instructed you to do, and mail it in- or "send away" as was the parlance. You used to see that a half a dozen times in any magazine or comic book. I hadn't even realized that I never see them anymore.

I guess that's it. It just always strikes me as weird when I realize for the first time that I had forgotten about something that I didn't know I had forgotten about- like old friend's names or street names in the neighborhood you grew up in.













I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Two Ideas Regarding "The List" of 104 Players who Failed the Anonymous 2003 Baseball Drug Test

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


1. I think bloggers should speculate about all of the 104 players. They should get some friends together, get a case of beer, just like they would for a fantasy draft, check out the 2003 rosters for every MLB team, and then start filling in the 104 slots.

Sure its conjecture and that isn't fair to anyone. You know what else wasn't fair? Players doing drugs and Selig effectively lying to the public and allowing this to happen, all while profiting from the juiced "ball" era. Baseball conned us out of our dollars, so us spectators have earned the right to speculate.

Worst case scenario? Any innocent player is accused and demands that the list be released in order to clear his name.

Sure it's no better than gossip/conjecture/yellow journalism but is the journalistic integrity any worse than the integrity of the game a decade ago? Let the punishment fit the crime. I think it would be cool if a bunch of reputable blogs were then aggregated and spit out how frequently players appeared on lists, like you see with %s of fantasy leagues taking certain players. Maybe Sosa, McGwire, and Brett Boone were on 100% of the lists, but Benito Santiago on only 95%. I'd be interested in those stats.


2. I hope no one thinks that anything ground moving will come from the list. Even the list comprises the 104 most shocking names, they will all issue tepid non-denials along the lines of, "I just didn't read my GNC labels as closely as I should have. Plus I took that supplement for only a week, anyway." I'll save the players and their attorneys some time and offer my own, pre-fab edition they are welcome to use.

"I'm sorry my name was on the list and the news had to come out this way. While I will not deny that my name was rightfully on the list of those who failed 'a drug test', I am here to vehement deny that I EVER purchsed, obtained, or used any steroid. In 2003 I was having difficulty over a nagging (insert muscle or joint name here) that I never reported to the media because I thought it would go away. When it didn't, I visited my local GNC to see if maybe something there could help me. Since there wasn't much of drug testing policy then, I didn't read the label of the supplements as thoroughly as I should have. My failure to do so has let down my family, myself, my teammates, my front office and the fans. For that I apologize. While it may not have been a steroid, I still cheated the integrity of the game I love so much, and owe so much. I used that supplement for 3 weeks and after realizing it did not help with my injury, I discontinued using it. The test was administered in that small, 3 week window, thus resulting in a failed test and my name being added to the list.

*cover mike and lean toward their attorney to hear what he is whispering*

Thank you for your understanding guys. I will not be fielding any questions regarding this matter. Thanks guys!"








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Gio Ponti May Run in the Classic: More Evidence that a Breeder's Cup on Synthetic is Bad for Racing

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

As many know, a synthetic main track (i.e. the fake dirt track) runs more like a grass surface than a dirt surface. So? So, now Gio Ponti may run in the Breeder's Cup Classic, as Bloodhorse's Jason Shandler reported.

Would this turf savant try the dirt on an actual dirty surface? While it is possible, and similar things have happened in Breeder's Cups past, a synthetic surface certainly makes the switch more attractive to a turf horse. So not only will the Breeder's Cup Classic now be a crapshoot for dirt-only horses trying synthetic for the first time, but the Breeder's Cup Turf may now be cheapened in addition to the Classic being crapshoot-ified.

Thank you again, for awarding this to Santa Anita, Breeder's Cup.








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

This Gentleman Has a Lot of Nerve

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

Never in my life have seen someone blatantly ripoff Dr. Kevin's choreography so brazenly! Kevin, I know those moves were like your children to you and the pilfering must sting. But you must admit- he did them justice and looked pretty amazing. These dance moves are objectively magnificent.

My Socratic Homage Regarding the Breeder's Cup

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


As many of you know, much of Plato's philosophy was written in the form of dialogue. In fact, a lot of Philisophy is written in that manor, Socrates himself never wrote anything, all we know of his philosophy is what Plato recorded in his dialogues. With that background, allow me to analogize the Breeders Cup Zenyatta/Rachel debate.

Breeder's Cup Tweeter: Rachel Alexandra's avoidance of the Breeder's Cup is clearly a sign that her handlers admit that she would be defeated by Zenyatta, and is therefor the inferior race horse.

TR Slyder: I see. And why are you convinced of this?

BCT: Well, the challege has been issued. One party has accepted and the other one has backed away. Surely that is a concession of inferiority.

TRS: I see what you mean.

BCT: Indeed, I can see of no other explanation for her avoiding such a challenge if not for fear of humiliation in defeat.

TRS: Surely. And a wise man you are. Afterall, you Tweet on behalf of the Breeder's Cup. I assume that you are confident that, in a debate between you and me about Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra, you would emerge victorious.

BCT: I am confident of that, T.R., yes.

TRS: Being that your confidence is so high, I'd imagine that you feel you could defeat me in that debate regardless of circumstance- be it on an airplane, or at breakfast, or outside, or inside or on a paddle boat, standing up, sitting down, etc.

BCT: That is correct- very confident.

TRS: And being that your case for your horse is so strong, and your debate skills are so adept, surely you would have no fear or apprehension in debating me, would you?

BCT: That is absolutely correct.

TRS: Outstanding, my good friend. Well here is the thing, being that I had a late night out last night, I was groggy this morning, as can happen after late night bar crawls. When I awoke this afternoon all I had for breakfast was leftover chili, which I ate ravenously before having 3 espressos to counteract my grogginess from from my late night. If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom rather urgently.

BCT: That is rather disgusting, T.R.. But I won't stand in the way of your personal biological necessities. This discussion may continue when you are finished.

TRS: Well, Breeder's Cup Tweeter, it is funny that you mention that. I think that I am ready to have this Rachel Alexandra v. Zenyatta debate once and for all.

BCT: Oh you are? Surely, you know it's a debate you cannot win.

TRS: A worthy advesary you are indeed. I am nearly ready for the debate now in fact, however I must use the restroom this instant. Please meet in there in exactly 75 seconds and we can then begin our debate over which is the better race horse.

BCT: Um, TR... I really rather would not. That sounds a rather crude venue for any competition. Debating was not intended to be carried out in a restroom, afterall.

TRS: What do you mean?

BCT: Well, I hardly think that is a reasonable forum to settle any kind of competition. In fact, didn't you offer to debate me there last year in October?

TRS: But you claimed your arguments were far superior to mine, and you had no fear of debating me. Yet you now express fear.

BCT: Well, I think this is different. This isn't what I had in mind.

TRS: Earlier you stated that such concession necessarily states that your point inferior, yet you profess to have the better argument. This perplexes me, Breeder's Cup Tweeter. How can both be true? Surely as a sagacious man, you can resolve this incongruity.

BCT: Well it isn't that my argument is any less cogent in your restroom, it's that I find the venue unsuitable to my liking, and given the circumstances of location and what would be going on in that venue during our debate, I find it to be more suitable to you as a debater than to me. A more fair debate can be carried out in a venue that disadvantages no one, then and only then can this argument be resolved. Being that this debate is so important to us both, you should not be allowed to pick a venue that favors you, yet repulses me and any debating purist. The suggestion of that venue is disgusting to anyone who respects debating. And you have suggested it two years in a row now, T.R.!

TRS: Ah, yes. All that have you just said is indeed correct and we agree most happily. Now you know what Rachel Alexandra thinks of Santa Anita's Synthetic surface, my dear friend.




See also: The Breeder's Cup Tweet that inspired this post

Cheering for Laundry with Socrates and Ron Santo






I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

In No Way is Rod Blagojevich NOT the man!

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

Just your average removed-from-office governor singing Elvis tunes.


Watch CBS Videos Online






I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Advice on how to Decrease Already Dwindling Revenue By Alienating Fans: Breeders Cup Twitter Edition

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

I follow two less people on Twitter now than when I woke up.

I follow a lot of horse racing Tweeters. One of them was a west coast handicapper whose Twitter ID is Pick4andWin. Today he posted the following Tweet aimed at owner of Rachel Alexandra, Jess Jackson:

Jess Jackson why don't you bring your superbowl horse to play on the artificial turf? A "NO-SHOW" in the B/C should be considered a forfeit

I don't blame a west coaster for feeling slighted that the best horse trainer doesn't want to run on their fake surface, especially after that fake surface swallowed up Horse of the Year Curlin last year. I disagreed, but didn't think much of it- he's entitled to his opinion.

Then I got a tweet from BreedersCup, which I can only assume is the official Twitter feed of the Breeder's Cup- it certainly looks convincing, and their tweets up until this point have all seemed in line with what I'd expect from their official Twitter mouthpiece. Until 3 hours ago. The (I assume) Official Breeder's Cup Twitter page re-tweeted the Pick4andWin tweet.

RT @pick4andwin Jess Jackson why don't u bring your SuperBowl horse to play on artificial turf? A "NO-SHOW" in BC shld be considered forfeit

For non-Twitter people, the "RT" means "Re-Tweet" which is like forwarding an email, and in essence is saying, "I echo this sentiment", or "Couldn't have said it better myself". So the (alleged) official Breeder's Cup Twitter page is now "callling out" Rachel Alexandra? For what? Being the best thing for this sport in several years?

Previously, I blogged about the inexcusable stupidity shown by the horse racing Powers that Be (very stupid) for scheduling TWO consecutive Breeder's Cups at a track with a synthetic main track- despite a reduced betting handle last year, and several disappointing performances by traditional dirt horses. I also defended Rachel's decision to sit out the Breeder's Cup on a surface that is alien not only to her, but to common sense as well.

Kudos to the head of the Moronic Department at the Breeder's Cup Twitter office for a job done all too well. Instead of drumming up enthusiasm and keeping your few followers (currently they are following 1,347 people and being followed by an anemic 1,383), you decided to draw a line in the sand and act provincial and tough. Simmer down there, tough guys- you're trying to attract the biggest number of fans you can, not draw sides. How about doing your job and being more PT Barnum and less Don King? This is horse racing, not West Coast versus East Coast rap feuds.

When the new kid in town hosts a party and invites everyone, and the popular kids sit the party out- who is the loser?



See my Socrates-inspired Follow up here.







I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Zenyatta Still Aint Nothin' to Eff With

ZeBy: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

The awesome Zenyatta is now 12-for-12 after winning the Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Sunday. The finish was actually pretty close on this one. What I'm about to say will surprise you- I still want to see her race Rachel Alexandra even though it now appears that Rachel would be a decisive favorite. After seeing their last two races I think of Zenyatta as undefeated and Rachel Alexandra as a Superhorse.

In her last race out, Flashing, a 3-year old filly finished third (of three) to Rachel Alexandra in the Mother Goose Stakes on June 27th- beaten by a wopping 31 lengths. So what did she do in her next race? Won the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga.








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Bobby Flay Announced the 8th Race at Saratoga on Sunday

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

Daily Racing Form's Steven Crist summed it up pretty well on his blog-

"5:00 pm: Which was the most surreal part of the 8th race? The skies opening the moment the field started loading into the gate? The race's being called, and not very well by "guest announcer" Bobby Flay? Or the victory after an agonizing nine furlongs in 1:53.07 by 32-1 Freddy the Cap, trained by Finger Lakes-based Oscar Barrera Jr.?

Maybe none of the above. If you watch the replay carefully, coming out of the first turn, it appears winning rider Sebastian Morales is hit in the head by an unfortunate seagull, who bounces off him and then hits Julien Leparoux, (TR Slyder's note: that means from the 7 horse to the 9) aboard A Zero Trap, also in the head. At this time I can not determine the further fate of the seagull. "


The seagull strike is right at :39 seconds when Bobby is saying "the club sandwich turn". It hits the horse in the lead right as they pass the 8th pole (I think it's the 8th)- The white pole with black and white stripes and a gold ball on top. You can't see it flying in very well, but you can see it flop after impact and go from the 7 to the 9. Once Bobby says "they go around the club..." lean in and really stare and it's fairly easy to see.

P.S. When is Bobby gonna get a show called "The Bobby Flayshow"? (If you didn't get the joke, don't ask a co-worker to explain it).

I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Wow.

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


Just read this headline: Woman Sets Fire to Man's Genitals.

That maneuver is known is some intellectual circles as "The homeless man's alarm clock"









I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

I Basically Got Plagiarized by the LA Times

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


I thought I was the only one who ever dreamt of seeing Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra racing against eachother. Either I am not, or I was plagiarized. I'm going with the latter.

It's a good article though, not just because it plagiarized a good article or 3 by me, it's good on its own merits.

The article came out today in time for Zenyatta's race in the Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar. Thank god it won't be televised nationally, enough with seeing all of those 11-for-11 horses already.







I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

500 Pounds of Awesome: The Nelson Mandella of Gun Smuggling Undernearth Flaps of one's own Fat

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter



No offense everybody reading this, but George Vera is way, way, WAY better at smuggling a gun into prison under rolls of his blubber than you are.

I've been trying for years and just can't seem to do it. This guy is a very talented gentleman and a credit to good ol' Texas Ingenuity. Everything is bigger in Texas. Namely: Fat Rolls and talent levels of gun smuggling using them.

It is like the most pathetic version of Li'l Wayne chronicling his drug smuggling talent in the ballad, "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" featuring one, Brian "Birdman Williams" when Weezy boasts (it's at the 3:08 mark of the linked YouTube Video):

"What you know 'bout putting bricks in the spare, man? I can stuff coupe like a mother fuckin' caravan"

Maybe Vera should counter with a mixtape, slamming Li'l Wayne and boasting,

"When it comes to that smugglin' game, I leave other brothers hurtin'/Shit, I once smuggled a Glock in my meaty, diabetes curtains".

The name of that mixed tape should be "George Vera- The Truth, Like Verdad"

Y'all share dat.







I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Some Rhetorical Questions About ESPN

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


If ESPN's Chris Mortensen found out that Roger Goddell, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson were running a drug-smuggling operation, do you think he'd actually report it? Or, do you think ESPN would even allow him to run it?

Who do you think would go after that story more tenaciously- ESPN or the New York Times?

Would you be more likely to trust the reporting of a sports company that reports news as well as films commercials with the very same athletes that they interview, or a company that is an independent news agency and does not broadcast any athletics?

If ESPN.com runs a story promoting the virtues of Player X, and SI.com runs a story promoting the virtues of a Player Y, would you be more likely to question the motives of why ESPN.com wrote a puff piece about Player X?

In July, when baseball is the only game in town, and SportsCenter mentions an NFL offseason trade rumor before they report the outcome of that day's Kansas City Royals game versus the Seattle Mariners, do you feel that ESPN truly believes that possible-news is better than definite news? Or do you think that ESPN's profiting from the NFL far more than it does from the Royals and Mariners is why they have subjugated those fan bases?

ESPN pretended to address this problem by hiring and Ombudsman years ago. Their findings get buried at the bottom of ESPN.com, but all the ones I have read were outstanding and spoke my grievances flawlessly. So what change came of that? Absolutely none. It's just a charade. If you acknowledge that you have a drug problem to your friends at family during an intervention, thank them for their support, then go use again 9 minutes later, your apology is meaningless. As meaningless as ESPN having ombudsmen.

Don't you think that ESPN is aware that no one actually likes ESPN, but that all sports fans simply tolerate it? Do you know anyone who actually enjoys SportsCenter anymore? People certainly did 15 years ago, but now people tolerate it. In the era of ESPNEWS, and the internet, no one has time for all of the fluff and pomp on SportsCenter.

I haven't read one positive piece about ESPN as a whole, in over a decade. I've that people like PTI, Bill Simmons or certain analysts, but never the network, its ethos or the shtick of SportsCenter. If news dissemination and fan satisfaction came before profits, and you ran ESPN, would you keep the status quo as is? And, no offense, but don't you think that their CEO is probably better at running ESPN than you would be? So doesn't that tell you that they're only concern is profit?

I'm not the first person to ever ask this rhetorical questions. And I hope I'm not the last to ask why no other media people have opted to challenge ESPN. If a rival sports news network started, that dealt only with news and not broadcasting sporting events, thereby creating conflicts of interest galore and injuring its credibility, wouldn't you prefer their news over ESPN's? You could watch the game on ESPN, then click over to get the other network's analysis- which you'd trust much more. Who would you trust to be critical of Peyton Manning's performance- an independent news company, or Chris Berman- who is hoping to have Manning headline his charity golf outing this summer? Furthermore, if a New Sports Network (we'll just call it NSN for now) started, don't you think the approximately 6 ESPN personalities with actual journalistic dignity would gladly jump ship? ESPN would keep the soulless Berman, Linda Cohn, Stu Scott, Kenny Mayne, Skip Bayless, and the newest incarnations of screaming-heads like Stephen A. Hole Smith (like Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin). Meanwhile NSN would most likely get at least a few integrity refugees like Peter Gammons, Tim Kurkjian, Ric Bucher, Bill Simmons, Buster Olney and other newsmen who do not wish to be associated with the network of Skip Bayless, Stu Scott and Chris Berman. When Bill Simmons jokingly refers to the future, when he runs ESPN8, he's really talking about NSN. NSN could enlist many of the reputable sports bloggers that have proven to be a valued counter-weight to ESPN's PropagandAdvertisements (I just made that word up). Heck, if they had a Daily Show-like show that lampooned ESPN, everyone I know would watch that show every single day.

ESPN has gotten fat and lazy. Not only are they ripe for a competitor, they are ripe to be bloodied by their competitor.









I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Get Ready for an Awful(ly Awesome) Pun

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


Do you think this dog learned to do this from a Hand-nibble Lecture? HELLOOOO











I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Sip it and Tip it: John Hughes Edition

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter

Sad day. Big Loss. But, everytime baby Jesus closes a door, he opens up another. Now I have another chance to show this awesome picture taken by Keith Boadwee, entitled, "Molly Ringwald". I altered Keith's Original vision so that it is nudity-free. You have been warned. Scroll down for the picture before it is too late.




















TR Slyder scholars may recall this photo was actually the answer to a question I posted about the 2008 Olympics. That was the first ever posting at Where Awesome Happens. I've come a long way, baby.






I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

Lookalikes v. 25.0- Mr. Mackey from South Park and Richard Wolffe

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter


Hey, Wolffe, Dick- your ethics are bad, mmm kay?




























Other journalist lookalikes:

Jane Velez-Mitchell and Nicholas from Eight is Enough

Dana Bash and an Afghan Dog






I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.

The Latest on the GE/Newscorp, Olbermann/O'Reilly Censorship

By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com, AndyDisco on Twitter



I'm just glad that Richard Wolffe won't be on Countdown. I hated that smarmy nutbag and his Mr. Mackey head. (that gives me an idea).

Three articles.

David Sirtoka in the HuffPo

Glenn Greenwald in Salon

Jane Hamsher in Firedoglake








I'm T.R. Slyder, and that's how you Tangueray.