You bet yer sweet bloggy...

That's a slightly-overdue nod to the late Dick Martin.  Say goodnight, Dick...

JIM McKAY, 1921-2008
We lost an icon today with the passing of legendary ABC sportscaster Jim McKay.  I can't even begin to imagine what late Saturday afternoons during my youth would've sounded like without this man, who was the epitome of class.  No matter how big (the Olympics) or small (barrel-jumping) the event he was covering, he brought the same amount of enthusiasm to it, and he seemed totally unpretentious as he reported on them.  McKay was substance-over-style, and just a regular guy, unlike today's self-promoting broadcasters/ wankers.  McKay is probably best remembered for two significant phrases: 1) "The thrill of victory...and the agony of defeat", and 2) "They're all gone," and I don't even need to elaborate on why, do I?  Rest in peace, Jim--ya done good...

DWIGHT WHITE, 1949-2008
Yet another former Pittsburgh Steeler has left us.  This time it's defensive end Dwight White, who was 1/4 of the famed '70s "Steel Curtain" defense, the second member of which to die this year (Ernie Holmes died in a car accident in January).  DW died of complications following back surgery at age 58.  White is the latest in an eerily long list of former Steelers who have died in recent years.  According to ESPN, at least 38 former Steelers players have died since 2000, with 17 of them 59 or younger (as was White) and according to a Los Angeles Times survey in 2006, one-fifth of the former NFL players from the 1970s and 1980s who died through that year were former Steelers.  Weird...

WHAT CAN'T BROWN DO FOR YOU?
So much for Big Brown winning the Triple Crown, eh?  His owner kept pulling a Joe Namath all week by guaranteeing his horsey would win the Belmont Stakes today, but BB eased up near the end and finished dead last.  I believe Col. Potter on "M*A*S*H" put it best:  "Pony pucks!"

WHEN CONSERVATIVES CRACK...
Wanna watch a conservative pundit get his clock cleaned?  Then check out this video, and watch Conservative goomer Kevin James (in the words of Louie DePalma on "Taxi"), "Squeal like an eel, and squirm...like a worm!"  And afterwards, read my man Leonard Pitts, Jr.'s column about it.  It's freakin' brilliant...

I THOUGHT I SMELLED SOMETHING...
My patio is quickly becoming a killing ground for chipmunks.  Last fall, there was the untimely demise of one of these little rodents who got a little too curious about my wall paneling scraps and was crushed to death.  Today while working on another project out back, I caught a whiff of a dead critter, and sure enough, I found the carcass of yet another chipmunk floating in a five-gallon bucket filled with rainwater.  Unlike Donald Duck, I have nothing personal against chipmunks, but I'm sure the head of the local Chipmunk Union 101 has a bounty out on my ass right about now...

THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR LIQUIDATING
Seems that the guy who was once considered the front-runner for bringing an NHL franchise to Kansas City, one William "Boots" Del Biaggio, has filed for bankruptcy.  Currently a co-owner of the Nashville Pre-Daters, Boots is also accused of loan fraud in one of four lawsuits he's currently named in.  It would appear this character has a rap sheet that stretches from Maine to Maui, so maybe it's just as well K.C. won't have a team owned by him playing at the Scent Printer anytime soon...

OH PUT A SOCK IN IT!
Hillary Clinton predictably threw her support to Barack Obama today after finally ending her campaign for Prez-dent.  And of course, she's saying what a great candidate Sen. Obama is, blah x 3, after ripping on him right and left for the last eight months—gimme a fucking break already!  I get so sick of these hypocritical politicians who dog the other candidate then turn around and praise them when they concede the race.  I believe Col. Potter on "M*A*S*H" put it best:  "Mule fritters!"