Pirate1974

Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come

James Earl Jones in "Field of Dreams."

Actually, he was about the only adult in that movie that didn't say, "You'll shoot your eye out."

That scene where The Old Man unpacks his "major award" is priceless.

LOS ANGELES - Dennis Weaver, the slow-witted deputy Chester Goode in the TV classic western "Gunsmoke" and the New Mexico deputy solving New York crime in "McCloud," has died. The actor was 81.

Weaver died of complications from cancer Friday at his home in Ridgway, in southwestern Colorado, his publicist Julian Myers said.

Very few television characters become pop culture icons - Lucy Ricardo, Archie Bunker, the Fonz, Barney Fife. Don Knotts stopped playing Barney 40 years ago, but just say "Barney Fife" today and everybody knows exactly who that is and what it means. Don Knotts was a true genius in that role.

Not many of the old Mayberry folks left any more - Aunt Bea, Helen, Floyd, Howard, Otis, Earnest T. Bass and now Barney are all gone. Gone, but never fogotten as long as TV Land and TBS are still around.

I grew up in North Carolina too, and all my relatives in Iowa thought everybody in North Carolina were like the people in Mayberry. At the time, when I was 12 or 13, I was outraged by that idea. Now I think that's not such a bad thing at all.

I'll tell you something that will make you feel old - check out the National Museum of American History in Washington.

This is part of the Smithsonian. You know the Smithsonian. It's full of really old stuff like the Wright Brothers plane, Civil War muskets, George Washington's false teeth, like that. Artifacts from the distant past.

Well now in the museum you can view such "artifacts" as rotary telephones, manual typewriters, console tvs, record players, Commodore computers, Roy Rogers lunch boxes. That stuff's not ancient enough to reside in a museum exhibit. It's not history. It can't be!! It wasn't that long ago was it? Yeah, I guess it was.

Ice Streaking

There's an event I'd like to see Sasha Cohen compete in.

Anything with Steve McQueen.

It's outrageous!!

Last week, the so-called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals perpetrated a barbaric act here in our fair city of Charlotte, North Carolina.

At high noon at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets at the very heart of the city, these "ethical" folks locked this poor woman up in a very small cage.

Not only that, but she was only dressed in bikini panties and a little black and orange body paint. Oh, and a couple of pasties too. This was with the temperature in the 40s, no less. Shameful.

Somebody really should have done something about this. Some of the high rollers from Bank of America and Wachovia in their $1000 suits did take action. They snapped photos of the lady with their camera phones to show their buddies when they went back to their offices. Rumor has it that in other cities these caged women have been completely nekkid while ours was wearing panties and pasties. A concession to the Bible Belt, I suppose.

One sensitive fellow, when asked his opinion of this degrading scene, was quoted as saying: "I want her to move that sign so I can see her boobs." Clearly a Man of the 21st Century.

The alleged reason for this humiliating display, of course, was the imminent arrival of Satan's Traveling Animal Show aka the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus.

All I have to say is that these PETA people need to do a better job of promoting these events. If I had known that this was planned, I would have been more than happy to show up and lend my support. I would have even held her sign for her. It's the least I could do.

Opening ceremonies are tomorrow night.

While events such as the luge, biathalon, speed skating and curling (?) hold no interest for me at all, I find that I have a whole new appreciation of women's athletics.

As an example, I give you one Sasha Cohen, member of the United States team and one of the favorites to win a gold medal in Turin

Now I don't recall ever seeing Peggy Fleming or Dorothy Hamill doing this particular move, and while it might not get any points from the judges, it's a perfect 10 on my scorecard.

I can't wait to watch me some figger skatin'.

You can see that Clydesdales ad here:

Super Bowl Ads 2002

The "magic fridge" was definitely the best of a mediocre selection. The "streaker" lamb was kind of a cute.

Most of them weren't even new, just the same old stuff that had already been running for months.

Memo to Mick Jagger:

Dude, you should have left the jacket on. If there's something nobody should have to see at halftime of the Super Bowl, it's a 62-year old man prancing around in a belly shirt. All that loose skin flapping around looked like my grandma doing a hootchy kootchy dance. Almost choked on my nachos.

Definitely Carolyn Jones. Hard to get past that Lily Munster look with Yvonne.

Man, the hot chick in "The Ten Commandments" was Debra Paget, who played Lilia, Joshua's main squeeze. I don't remember seeing her in any other movie except "Love Me Tender" but she was definitely

fine.

With the price of natural gas being twice what it was last year, the warm weather this winter has been great.

That's it.

I've had some toe cheese before but I wasn't about to eat it.

Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

"The Green Berets?"

Well, I am "master of the game" after all. Thanks for the accolade there, Sudo.

When that song was big (about 1975?), I was working at a place where we had the radio on all day and they played that about every 15 minutes it seemed like.

I liked hearing "The Scotsman" again too. If you ever get the chance to see Mike Cross live, check it out. He puts on a great show. He'll be at the Neighborhood Theater here in Charlotte on February 18th and I've already got my tickets.

Jake Delhomme sure picked a bad day to have his worst game of the season. I'm not sure he could have completed a pass if the Seahawks left the field.

Disgusting.

Hollywood shouldn't be promoting their "values" to those who don't want them.

Huh?

Is anybody being forced to go see this movie? Is there anybody that doesn't know this is the "gay cowboy movie?" Are people showing up at theaters thinking this is a Clint Eastwood flick and being shocked at what it is?

Larry McMurtry is a very good writer, Ang Lee is a vey good director and the movie is getting very good reviews, but I have absolutely no interest in the subject matter, so I won't be seeing it. Personal choice.

Yep

It's not "Cagney & Lacey."

I'm guessing that wasway's Golden Globes clue refers to Geena Davis of "Commander in Chief."

That would make this the theme of one of the funniest shows ever that never got the attention that it deserved.

"Buffalo Bill"

Nick Harper might have been able to take that fumble all the way if his wife hadn't stabbed him in the knee on Saturday (accidentally, of course.) Apparently, she was waving a knife at him because he wouldn't talk to her and just happened to stick it in him, just a little. Bizarre.

I think everything that happened with Tony Dungy drained all the emotion out of the Colts. They looked dead on Sunday.