Spirit Of 76ers

WHEN WE LAST LEFT our merry young band of Philly Sixers last Wednesday night, they were holding off a furious Denver Nuggets rally in the third quarter. Eventually they regained the lead and put Allen Iverson, Camelo Anthony and the rest of the Nuggets away for the narrow 115-113 win. Iverson had hit a loooooooong 3-pointer -- 27 feet long, to be exact -- to tie the game at 113. But as has been the case in the 76ers' recent hot streak, they've been finishing off the close games. On this night it was Slammin' Sammy Dalambert, the Haitian Sensation, who hit the winning lay-up.

But then two days later, they had their first real clunker in about two months, dropping one on the road to Orlando 113-95. The Magic just shot the lights out, hitting 41 of 77 shots from the field, including a sizzling 14-23 from beyond the 3-point line. Saturday the Sixers returned home to face the desperate New Jersey Nets, a team who owned them as recently as last year. The 91-87 win evened the Sixers' record at 34-34 heading into the Monday night showdown in Boston, with the Celtics holding the sport's best mark at 55-14. Well, now it's 55-15 after Philly's 95-90 win, moving the Sixers into sole possession of second place. Not that the 76ers are gonna catch Boston for the Atlantic Division lead, but should the teams meet in the playoffs, it has to be a positive knowing they can beat them on their home court.

The 76ers outscored Boston 29-19 in the decisive fourth quarter, which isn't supposed to happen. Also not in the script is the 76ers' sudden ability to get to the foul line at such a frequent rate. Last night Philly once again had a huge advantage at the free throw line, more than doubling Boston from the line; the Sixers shot 30-44 from the line, while Boston only shot 20 total free throws, converting 15. And that's been the case during the recent streak, which has seen the Sixers win 18 out of their last 23 to climb to the 6th seed in the Eastern playoff race.

The free throw numbers don't just come out of a hat, at least since disgraced NBA ref Tim Donaghy was forced to hang up his crooked whistle; they reflect a few things based on the Sixers' quality play of late. First off, if you're going to the line that means you're usually driving to the basket instead of relying on jumpers. Second, you're boxing out and the other team is having to go through you to get to the rebound. And third, more specifically, it's Sixers' C Sam Dalabert finally learning to play without getting into foul trouble of his own.

Against Boston, as I said, the Sixers shot 24 more free throws than Boston; against the Nets it was 10 more; even in the Orlando loss, the Sixers shot 7 more free throws; and then before that, it was 12 more than Denver and 9 more than San Antonio, and any team with Tim Duncan is gonna get to that line.

I really started to take notice of this trend after the Sixers beat the Bulls in Chicago on the 14th. Philly shot a startling 40-44 from the line (versus only 18-20 for the home team that night). You're gonna win a few ballgames on the road when you can shoot 24 more free throws than your opponent, as even old Jumpin' Jimmy Naismith would tell you if he wasn't already in OT, if you get my drift.

But back to reality, the Sixers have a decent chance of catching at least one team ahead of them in the playoff standings, the 36-33 Washington Wizards, for the fifth seed. Which still wouldn't get homecourt advantage in that first round, most likely against either 3rd-seed Orlando or 4th-seed Cleveland.

Last night, for one night at least, the Sixers proved they could play with the biggest of the big boys. During this hot streak, as well as point guard Andre Miller and C Sam Dalambert have played, their best player night in and night out has been Andre Iguadola. Last night was no exception, as AI2 scored 10 straight points during an incredible 19-0 fourth-quarter run that pulled Philly ahead of Boston.

Count the Celtics themselves among NBA players impressed by the Sixer resurgence. "They will be a dangerous team in the playoffs," noted Paul Pierce after his team fell to Philly in a nationally televised game (at least on cable). Finally the rest of the country will get to see a Sixers team that, outside of Houston, may be the league's hottest team heading into the postseason. With promising but unknown kids like Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams and Willie Green contributing nightly and playing major roles, one thing you can't call this young, emerging Philadelphia team heading into the playoffs is overexposed.

How Bout Them Sixers?!

Out of the ashes of yet another lost season, where their record at one point not so long ago stood at a dismal 18-30, the Philadelphia 76ers have played themselves right back into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, courtesy of a blistering 15-4 mark over their last 19 games, including high-quality wins over powerhouses like Detroit and San Antonio. This hot stretch has included their latest 7 out of 8 streak, with their only defeat coming at the hands of the NBA's best team, the Boston Celtics.

But even that Celtic loss had a positive twist. Philadelphia watched Boston score the game's first 15 points, but refused to throw in the towel, fighting their way back to tie the score at 34, and perhaps sending a message if the teams should meet again in the postseason. Right now the Sixers hold the 6th seed, and would likely square off against either the Pistons or Orlando Magic.

The playoff push continues tonight with a marquee game against old friend Allen Iverson and his Denver Nuggets, also pushing for a postseason berth. How odd that the schedule makers would provide such a fitting opponent for a Sixers team just one game below .500 at 33-34. And the numbers reflect how well this young squad has come together for coach Mo Cheeks. In fact, many of the players reflect back to a devastating loss to the Atlanta Hawks that dropped the Sixers to that 18-30 mark. Philly blew a 20-point lead in that game, and from all accounts it was that sickening feeling of letting one get away that led to the current chemistry that seems to be bonding this 76er team together.

Philly is 12-2 in the second game of their last 14 back-to-back games. Some of that of course is due to the fresh legs, but there are lots of young teams in the NBA and they're not getting it done like that. Right now by the way it's 41-40 Philly over Denver at the Wachovia Center. But it will always the Spectrum in my book. Was there only twice back in the post glory days. It was the mid-80s, a few years after their Moses-led championship peak, but that was still a formidable team the Sixers put out on the court.

Consider that not only was Doctor J still patrolling the upper reaches of the Spectrum (albeit in much less rarefied air those last few seasons; and there was already a new Air up there in the NBA just about due to burst onto the sporting universe), but his fellow forward was none other than a very young Charles Barkley -- still in his Round Mound of Rebound phase and not quite yet the Sir Charles who ultimately took his game elsewhere. Maurice Cheeks was still Cheeks, the ultimate unselfish point guard, smooth as velvet, and one of the most efficient finishers off the break the league has ever seen. Andrew Toney was still there as well, but some tragic knee injuries reduced him to a mere shadow of his lethal jump-shooting self at this point.

It was this Philly Sixer team I watched lose to the Jack Sikma led Milwaukee Bucks sometime in late April of '87 had to be. Less than a minute left in the game, Sixers down by 2, Doc J, as he often did, bringing the ball upcourt in a crucial spot. But instead of swooping in for one last magical dunk, or even one of his patented 17-foot corner bank shots or top of the key jumpers -- which by that time had long replaced much of his free-floating gravity-defying game that shook the basketball world in the 1970s like Jimi Hendrix rocked Woodstock and Monterey in the 1960s -- here was a suddenly mortal Doctor somehow tripping over his own feet at midcourt, feebly turning the ball over, giving it back to the Bucks, deflating a rabidly eager Spectrum crowd, and sending me and Izzy Korman outside into the cruel unforgiving world. In our case it was a long train ride back to New York, but even so how could any Sixers fan hold it against the Doc? He's just fortunate he had already delivered that one shining moment when they finally swept the hated Lakers back to La-La Land.

Which is why I don't think the home Philly crowd will do anything but salute the old A.I. in his first return to his old haunt. I'm a 76ers fan, and while I was glad to see him go last year, I have no hard feelings against Iverson. I will never boo a player for not performing or not getting it done even, as long as they're playing hard, hustling, giving it everything. Fans know Iverson played for the Sixers for too long and too hard to hold a grudge. I'd be shocked if Iverson didn't get at least one standing O early on.

All right! 65-58 Philly at the half! Iverson's got 12, but the new A.I. -- Andre Iguodola -- has 15, leading three Sixers in double figures. You never had three Sixers in double figures at the half when Iverson was here because obviously for better or worse he dominated the ball.

Iverson's replacement and one of the key pieces we got back for him in the trade with the Nugs, Andre Miller, has 13 with 9 assists. That's pretty decent for a half. In fact, Miller has a sky high basketball IQ, and he can control the action like vintage Jason Kidd for long stretches. Witness his recent 7-game stretch where he had an amazing assist to turnover ratio of 49-7. Everyone was calling for the Sixers to trade Miller to a contender, dump the salary, create cap room, etc. Well, now the Sixers are contenders, and it's really due as much to the 32-year-old Miller as to the development of his much younger teammates like Iguadola, Samuel Dalambert, and Willie Green, the shooting guard who returned from missing a few games tonight and contributed 10 points already tonight on 5-6 shooting from the floor.

Boy, Sixer fans should enjoy this team. It's been a long time coming. What's great is how their no-nonsense, defense-first style has won over the Philadelphia fans in a way that's usually reserved for other sports in that crazy town. But this is what sports is all about: a team coming from absolutely nowhere. The 76ers were picked dead last not only in their division by many preseason pickers, but dead last in the Eastern conference. I know Sports Illustrated had 'em picked 15th out of 15. (Hmmm, wonder where the Knicks were picked...) And if you're last in the East, then you're worst in the entire NBA, because even house pets and alien life forms know the West is the Best.

I just get this stupid, crazy feeling that the 76ers may just be destined to making some noise come the playoffs. I don't think many teams are looking forward to their physical style. It's a young, confident, humble team that doesn't know how good it can be. They remind me in that way of another East Coast sports team that peaked at just the right time and beat the can't-lose perfect powerhouse that everyone said couldn't be beaten. Are the Philadelphia 76ers the NBA's version of the Jersey Giants? Hey, you heard it here first and probably last.

Oh balls! Denver came out of the gate smoking in the second half, outscoring the Sixers 17-8 to take a 75-73 lead. Gotta go...

Runnings Of The Mouth

"My whole goal for him was he's got to show me golf is the most important thing in his life. And the most important thing in his life is getting drunk."
Swing coach Butch Harmon on Monday after severing ties with John Daly; on Wednesday Daly was disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational for missing his tee time.

"I felt pretty good. I just didn't get the ball where I wanted to, especially with two strikes. I can get to two strikes. Right now I just don't have an out pitch."
Get ready for another season of excruciating Mike Mussina postgame quotes just like this one, an exhibition loss where he surrendered 5 runs and 6 hits in just 2+ innings.

"Look, this is the deal, folks. All these people that are paranoid about the world come and scream at me everywhere."
Bill Clinton after being booed by anti-NAFTA folks at a Hillary rally. It's always gotta be about Bill.

"I believe that our economy has got the fundamentals in place for us to ... grow and continue growing, more robustly hopefully than we're growing now. So we're still for a strong dollar."
President Bush on the economic "slowdown." Good to know the President supports a strong currency. Go back about your business, Americans; nothing to see here.

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
A quote that is this clueless on so many levels is a rare feat, Geraldine Ferraro. Ferraro was "forced" to resign from the Clinton campaign yesterday.

"She is a monster, too -- that is off the record -- she is stooping to anything."
Former Barack Obama adviser Samantha Power on Hillary Clinton; Powers resigned from the campaign last Friday.

"I just don't want to be thought of as a monster."
Ashley Alexander Dupre, aka Kristen, nee Ashley Youmans: one-time "escort" to a now ex-governor. Hey, you had sex with Eliot Spitzer. To paraphrase another disgraced pol, "We feel your pain."

"I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work."
Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer in his resignation speech yesterday. And somewhere in Washington, Larry Craig and David Vitter are smiling, still "serving" the people.














"In their investigation of the Eliot Spitzer scandal, law enforcement officials found that the Emperors Club escort service called Spitzer by the code name 'Client 9,' but according to escorts who slept with him, he's more of a 'Client 4 1/2' if you know what I'm saying!"
David Letterman in his all-Spitzer Top 10 List Wednesday night.

"They have another custom, very shameful and beyond all human belief. For their women, being very lustful, cause the private parts of their husbands to swell up to such a huge size that they appear deformed and disgusting, and this is accomplished by a certain device of theirs, the biting of certain poisonous animals. And in consequence of this many lose their organs, which break through lack of attention, and they remain eunuchs."
Amerigo Vespucci, overheard in Old Europe discussing an early form of Viagra in the Americas.

"No one except a fool writes for anything except money."
Samuel Johnson, fast becoming my go-to quote guy among 18th century lexicographers.

The Slits live at Mercury Lounge in New York City

Frequent Mutilation

YOU MISSED A rocking little punky-reggae party the other night at the Mercury Lounge. Punk legends The Slits, reformed and reconstituted, but featuring two count 'em two of the three original members from '79's Cut, gave about 200 fans jammed into the Lounge quite a show for the $10 ticket price. Only thing missing was their terrific take on Heard it Through the Grapevine. Typical Girls came out early, around the 4th song; I would've made that the encore, but then I'm not making out their set list, am I. Out of nowhere came their cover of Fade Away, that haunting song from the great Rockers soundtrack by Junior Byles. That last bit of info supplied by none other than lead Slit Ari Up after the show, when me and Steve asked her about not playing Grapevine and other pressing matters.

Oh did I mention the keyboard player in the Slits' new lineup that night? If I didn't, it's not for the lack of an impression she made on me and every member of at least the male portion of the audience that night. Turns out she's the 22-year-old daughter of ex-Sex Pistols' drummer Paul Cook!

The new songs stood up pretty well against the old ones we knew, and those old ones really hold up all these years later. I didn't think it would sell out even in such a small venue, but that was just stupid on our part, because we spent the better part of an hour outside in the cold trying to score tickets. Finally we did, and the band didn't come on until well after 11:00. But we stuck it out, caught the whole set, then lingered at the bar until we got the old Last Call! I paid for this bit of midweek revelry the next day courtesy of a sharply reduced sleep cycle: home at 3:00 am, back up at 7:00 for work, just like the old punk days, keeping up the spirit in some small way...

Zach Back In Texas

ESPN is reporting that the Cowboys have signed ex-Dolphins LB Zach Thomas to an incentive-laden one-year contract. This looks like a great move for Dallas. Thomas, released by Miami last week, could play the same disruptive role in the 3-4 defense that Junior Seau played for the Patriots the last coupla years. In fact, according to ESPN, Thomas chose the Cowboys over similar offers from New England and New Orleans.

I thought ILB was somewhat of a weak spot for the Cowboys defense last season. That's why I wanted Dallas to pick up Jonathan Vilma. Everyone knew Vilma wasn't gonna return to the Jets next year after David Harris played so well filling in for him last season, and sure enough in the same update that I heard the Thomas-to-Dallas news, ESPN just said Vilma was given permission by the Jets to seek a trade.

Zack Thomas, the former Texas Tech star, is a better fit for the Cowboys. He's an inspirational, gutsy, overachieving player -- and that kind of stuff rubs off on the rest of the team. Thomas is still only 34 years old (Seau just turned 39!), so as long as the concussion trouble doesn't resurface next year, he's got at least 2-3 years left in the tank.

It looks like Dallas will now release Akin Ayodele, who started for them the last few seasons but never really distinguished himself. That gives Dallas a starting linebacker corps of Thomas and Bradie James in the middle, with DeMarcus Ware on one side and either Greg Ellis or Anthony Spencer on the other. That's pretty damn good. You can definitely win with that crew.

At least the Cowboys are making moves, trying to improve. That's all you can ask for as a fan. And Zach Thomas over Akin Ayodele should be an upgrade...hands down, hands up, whichever way you wanna wave 'em. Let's coach 'em up and send 'em out there to hit someone wearing the other jersey!

Shooting From The Dick

(with no apologies to Mike Lupica)

Our research indicates that putting the word dick in the title of a blog post increases readership by up to 75%, which in our case means an additional 3 readers...

"Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less."
-- Samuel Johnson, 1709-84

So I see where Mitt Romney finally gave up the chase, throwing his considerable heft behind frontrunner John McCain. In fact, Romney pledged all his delegates would now vote for McCain at the Republican convention. All six of them.
Now that Romney has dropped out of the presidential race, the five fighting Romney Boys can sign up with the U.S. military for the fight against Islamo-Fascism that Candidate Mitt has been beating the war drums for -- after all, the Romney Sons are no longer busy campaigning for the old man. I guess as long as it's other dads' kids doing the fighting in the latest war to save civilization, no need to get their hands dirty. Or bloody. Or blown off. Wouldn't make for very good photo ops at the next family volleyball game. George Bush Sr. also is officially supporting McCain. About eight years too late to save not only the country but the rest of the planet from the ruinous consequences of his own deranged scion, I'm afraid.

Saw where Obama visited Edwards at his North Carolina house over the weekend. Gee, I wonder who John Edwards is gonna endorse. He has a better chance of supporting Mike Huckabee than Hillary at this point.

With Edwards, my original choice, out now, I'm going for Barrack Obama. I think Obama would win in a landslide over McCain, but if Hillary was the candidate, given she has more baggage than Samsonite, it would be a much closer face-off once the full weight of the right wing echo machine is brought to bear down on Clinton.

The only way the Democrats were gonna lose this thing is by beating themselves. Hillary is a virtual blueprint for the Republicans; without her they stood no chance going into the fall. McCain is really Bob Dole with a newer war story. The difference is in '96 Clinton had yet to be tainted by scandal, whereas in '08, there's a lot of film on Mrs. Clinton, if you will -- with most if not all of it negative to millions of potential voters...

"I've got great respect for Sen. McCain, great respect, but I don't like the way Republicans have taken this country. Every time I hear the word 'conservative,' it makes me sick to my stomach, because they're really just fake Christians, as I call them. That's all they are.

I think they want to be judge and jury. Like, I'm for gay marriage. It's none of my business if gay people want to get married. I'm pro-choice. And I think these Christians, first of all, they're not supposed to judge other people. But they're the most hypocritical judge of people we have in the country. And it bugs the hell out of me. They act like they're Christians. They're not forgiving at all."
-- Charles Barkley, 1963-present

Dallas Mavericks getting a motivated Jason Kidd back in mega-trade with New Jersey has to give them a leg up in getting out of the Western Conference once the playoffs start.

One weird offshoot of the trade sends one-time Net Keith Van Horn back to New Jersey. Who knew he was still in the league? Turns out he wasn't. He was retired but evidently not officially.

Now, I'm not making this up -- and why would I -- but I had a dream the other night, maybe last night, where Van Horn went into the stands and beat the hell out of a guy who was heckling him. Actually, the fan was right under the basket with his young kid, and after a string of obscenities hurled at Van Horn, he just lost it and hit the guy with a bunch of punches. I don't know what to make of the dream, just glad there were no sexual overtones in it. But probably not nearly as glad as you all are.

Rented three terrific movies over the last week or so: Art School Confidential, Waitress and Interview ... all kinda indie movies of fairly recent vintage, each unique in its own way, and highly recommended. In fact, I watched Art School twice before returning it, although the second time was over Bob & Holly's apartment.

When I picked up Art School I didn't even know it was directed by Terry Zwigoff, who it turns out directed two of my all-time favorite films: Crumb and Ghost World. Now add this to that panetheon, because it's that good.

Waitress was directed by the late Adrienne Shelley, who was murdered in her own NYC apartment last year. It stars her as well as Cheryl Hines, Keri Russell and Andy Griffith, the tale of a smalltown diner and some characters who intersect there. Man, I gotta tell you I lost it at the end there, not only because of the story itself, which is quite moving, but just knowing that this was the last film Shelley would be in. If you are not feeling a little kerplect there at the end, I almost feel sorry for your lack of sentimentality, which apparently is quite fashionable these days. In the end, you might say Waitress is kind of what a Lifetime Original Movie would be like if was directed by someone like Hal Hartley.

Interview is really just that: the story of a jaded journalist forced to interview a young Lindsay Lohan-type celebutard. Steve Buscemi directs and plays the journalist, with Sienna Miller quite good as the self-involved starlet. But conventions and preconceptions are turned on their head and then back again, as is the definition of voyeurism. I really dug the way this film effectively opened up a whole world as it played out in real time. It's stupid to rate movies in my opinion, but let's just say I didn't want the movie to end when it did, and would've been happy with another hour or so of Buscemi and Miller going at it.

More Pearls of Wisdom from Sir Charles:
"They've got what we call 'fuck-you' money. Stephon Marbury makes $20 million a year ... so he'll always do things his way."

The Longest Year

And then there was none -- as in no more football games this year -- and a whole long year to wait before thankfully some other team (any other team, please!) besides the Jersey Giants will be called Champions. Now, you would have to buy into the notion that the Pro Bowl is an actual football game. That is a real stretch, I know...

I watched a total of about 20 minutes of the game -- forgot it was on or I would have watched a lot more. After all, I am a pro football fanatic and a Dallas Cowboys diehard. And there were a total of 13 Cowboys participating in the Pro Bowl.

The 20 minutes I caught was not the 20 minutes during which Tony Romo threw his 2 touchdowns or T.O. caught his 2. But they were keeping score, and it's always better to play well and win a game than to play badly and lose.

So the Cowboys go into the offseason not with a lot of question marks personnel-wise, but more along the lines of character, chemistry and coaching. I don't have the answers any more than they do, because any team other than the Giants will have something to prove next year ... starting with the formerly perfect Patriots, then progressing down in terms of heartbreaking disappointing exit from the postseason through to Green Bay, Indy, Dallas, San Diego.

Dallas has two #1 picks in the upcoming draft, so that's something to live for as a fan. We made some coaching changes also, something most 13-3 teams don't go through, but Bill Parcells saw fit to raid our staff after taking over the 1-15 Dolphins. So the Cowboys lost their offensive line coach, linebackers coach, etc., as well as head of scouting and a few other execs.

But after the shakeout, I think the changes were for the better, especially getting Hudson Houck back to coach this talented offensive line. Dave Campo also returns to the fold to mold the secondary, which itself could have a few new parts despite sending three players to Hawaii. Both those elements are among the most important areas of a football team. If you're solid and well-coached there, you're gonna be competitive; and the reverse is also painfully true, especially in the NFC East, which proved itself the League's most balanced division once again.

One thing that lifted my spirits ever so slightly following this debacle of an NFL season, whereby the top-seeded Pokes were oh-so-unceremoniously bounced out of the playoffs in the first round once again, was Giants DE Mike Strahan declaring that it was the Cowboys, not the Pats, who were the best team he faced this year. I don't think he would say if it wasn't true, because obviously after 15 years in the league battling the 'Boys, there can't be any love lost there.

That the Cowboys are talented is not in question. Parcells did leave them in pretty good shape personnel wise. He had his share of bad draft picks, everyone does, but he has to get a lot of credit for assembling most of those 13 All Star-quality players.
What is very much in question is their mindset as a team, their collective mental outlook heading into next season -- especially Tony Romo, the player who the rest of the team feeds off. If they can use this year's playoff ouster at the hands of the hated Giants as motivational fodder, then that Pats-like chip on their shoulder might even elevate their level of play demonstrated in building their 12-1 start in 2007. As my old high school English teacher Sy Syna used to repeatedly intone, We Shall See What We Shall See. How can you argue with logic like that?

Down To This

Funny how politics and sports intersect, with Super Bowl Sunday and Super Primary Tuesday so close to each other, and the fate of winners & losers and has-beens & also-rans at stake.

And in elections and football alike, you go first with who you love, then who you like, until finally there's no one left who fits that description and so you go against that which you hate for as long as it takes until there's no one left to root for.

In politics this week, both the guy I hated most of all, Rudy Giuliani, and the candidate I was hoping would win, John Edwards, were forced to drop out on the same day. So now you're left with Clinton versus Obama on one side, and McCain against Romney on the other. That's it. Basically a year to go and the Final Four is set.

In football, the team that gave me so many highs this year, the Cowboys, were bounced out three weeks ago against the Rudy Giuliani of NFL teams, the Giants, who then, proving that we indeed live in the worst of all possible worlds, shot right into the Super Bowl. Waiting for them, however, are not just any football team, but the Tammany Hall of sports teams, the New England Patriots, led by Bill "Boss Hoody" Belichick. New England is ready to dot the 'i' on another championship season, their 4th in 7 years -- this one a perfect landslide of a campaign: 19-0 if they can beat the Jersey Giants this afternoon. But even perfection in this case is not necessarily unblemished, as rumors of corruption in the form of extra-legal shenanigans on the Patriots' part refuse to die -- stoked most recently by none other than Mr. Single Bullet Theory himself:

"A senior Republican senator says he wants the NFL to explain why it destroyed evidence of the New England Patriots cheating scandal.

"I am very concerned about the underlying facts on the taping, the reasons for the judgment on the limited penalties and, most of all, on the inexplicable destruction of the tapes," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., in a Thursday letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Back to the game at hand, it would not, repeat not, shock me if the Giants win. That's the kind of crazy year it's been. The Patriots have not blown the doors off a team in a long while, Randy Moss has been dormant so far in the postseason, and their defense can be scored on. Add to it a loose Giants team that doesn't make mistakes, has proven it can run the ball and make big plays in the passing game, with a loose, blitz-happy defense that has made its mark in their 3 playoff games. Of course, the team that doesn't turn the ball over, commit costly penalties or give up the big play has a much better chance of emerging victorious. At least that's what the experts are saying this year.
That said, the one number that jumps out when looking at both teams' 2007 seasons is this: the Pats outscored their opponents by an astounding 335 points, while the Giants squeaked by with a net gain of just +39, with a schedule that included some of the worst teams in football: Dolphins, Niners, Falcons, Jets. With two weeks off, I also think you will see a Pats team that resembles the earlier part of the season, the one that flat out dominated teams through the first 8 or 9 weeks, while the Giants best asset was the momentum it had built up while racking up road wins in Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay. The two weeks off will have the opposite effect on them, and combined with a conservative offensive game plan, the Patriots have an excellent chance of roaring out to a sizable early lead -- something on the order of 21-3 or 28-7.

My final score, given that Super Bowls are rarely defensive struggles, at least on the scoreboard, is 48-20. Lawrence Maroney is the surprise MVP, with 3 TDs and 154 yards rushing. I would have loved for my team to even get the chance to be on the wrong side of a rout, but for some unknowable reason the football gods were not smiling down through the Whole in the Roof, and so Dallas came up 21-17 losers against the Giants. Next year everyone starts 0-0 again, and it's anyone's guess who will or won't be back to the Big Show.

Mass Rejection

On the occasion of the President's last (hopefully) State of the Union address, during which he will undoubtedly try to break his own record for using the word "freedom" in a speech, we address the latest political developments in this mean season...where Democrat turns on Democrat and Republicans joyously bash each other in desperate hope of mass approval. It's a sick system, but it's ours so we will pretend to love it as long as the trains keep running and the fast-food windows stay open well past midnight.

What makes it especially joyous is how poorly one Rudolph Ghouliani is faring so far in the primaries. It warms my heart to see the man rejected by so many groups of people in so many different areas of the country. Yet there he was the other day on the campaign trail in Florida gamely jabbing at the air with those spastic arms of his flailing about. At his side at one Florida venue were pseudo-celebrities like New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon, proving that baseball players are consistently among the dumbest athletes in all of professional sports, ranking just ahead of ultimate fighters and NBA street ballers, as well as once-promising actor Jon Voigt, perhaps providing insight into why daughter Angelina Jolie wants nothing to do with him anymore.

Witnessing the sweet failure of Candidate Rudy, one of the more dispiriting, soul-crushing people to ever occupy a place in our depraved American diaspora, is reminiscent of that famous scene in the Wizard of Oz where the Wicked Witch literally melts into the floor, only Rudy's humiliation will play out agonizingly over the next few weeks. And behold, because there was great rejoicing and shouting unto the heavens, such was the joy of the faces of the people. Or something like that.

It now looks like John McCain will be the presumptive nominee. No way a plastic man like Mitt Romney will continue fooling people too far into the future. The guy will change his values and his opinions and even attempt to rewrite his past public record as he goes. Say what you like, but McCain is too damn stubborn to change now, and he will present a formidable challenger to the Democratic candidate, especially if that turns out to be Hillary Clinton -- a candidate with so much negative baggage that she would be the only one of this year's main contenders with the ability to turn the election in the Republicans' favor.
Let's put it this way. Nobody hates conservatives and right-wingers more than me, yet even the prospect of a Hillary presidency freaking these people out over a four- or eight-year period is not enough to sway me. In fact, were Hillary to capture the nomination, having to hold my nose and vote for the Manchurian Candidate against the Republicans would be a lot like what I'm faced with in the upcoming Super Bowl: rooting for the hated Patriots to emerge victorious because I detest the Giants just that little bit more -- a hate forged of a thousand burning volcanoes.

This is not the time for another Clinton, Hillary or Bill. Even before Bill starting making an ass of himself recently on the campaign trail with his jabs at Barack Obama, I was against an American presidential cycle playing itself out over 30 years as Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. It's not good for the country, it's not good for business, it's not right for the customer. But I digress...

Caught John Edwards on Letterman last week. The guy seems genuine to me, and I believe his economic message has resonance in this savage Darwinistic economy we find ourselves in. Not that this rich trial lawyer was channeling Eugene Debs or something, but speaking truth to entrenched, fixed economic power has been a long time coming, and his stump speech contains a lot of truth in it. I believe a lot of voters would've been receptive to his anti-greed, anti-corruption, anti-lobbyist message. I was hoping Edwards would win, and ultimately team with Obama on the Democratic ticket. But it looks like there's no stopping Obama now, fresh off his trouncing of Team Clinton in North Carolina.

Boy, that love affair America had with Fred Thompson sure came and went, didn't it? There's only so far that spouting cornpone platitudes will get you, even if you announce your candidacy on the Jay Leno show. I saw through this guy's faux Reagan routine from jump street, and the rest of the country soon thereafter. I think Romney is next to fall, even if he still has a fortune to spend literally buying each vote one at a time. I don't know what that leaves, but as the residency of George W. Bush comes to its merciful close, it's shaping up as a McCain-Obama title fight, and I would put my money on the energetic up-and-comer against the grizzled old veteran. Politics, like boxing, is still a young man's game. McCain can also be a scary dude when you see the blood rushing to his face and he starts repeatedly pointing his finger out at the audience for emphasis, what some might call playing to his base.
Obama continues to tap into something unseen in American politics since JFK last strode to a podium over 40 years ago. As the major endorsements continue to roll in, I would not wager large sums of money against his continued ascension to the presidency. Only a fool, or a Republican operative, would tell you different. Some would tell you they're one and the same.

Life Is Sometimes Like An Overpriced Tuna Salad Sandwich

Day off today, Marty King Day, after five full days last week at AB, working in their institutional research department, responsible for going over all kinds of different investment analyst reports. Think it's working out pretty good so far, I know for damn sure that they're getting a very high quality proofreader for their end of the bargain. It's a job that I am eminently qualified for.

So imagine my chagrin and outright confusion when I got home last night and switched on my computer to check my email, etc. I always check the craigslist Writing/Editing Jobs classifieds first out of habit, and there was the very job I had started on Monday still being posted via another agency, something called Tiger Info. But make no mistake: it was the exact wordage found in the job outline sent to me by my own freelance/temp agency, known in encrypted acronym form as SWP.

It wasn't quite like seeing your own obituary in the local paper, but it did give me a Kafkaesque jolt, leading me to question whether I indeed existed in other than spectral fashion. Did I not just start last Monday in that very same position -- or was that my cursed doppelganger? Why are they still running the ad? Did I wear out my welcome already? Are they hiring another proofreader? You see the tricks my mind is playing -- stoking my own natural reservoir of paranoia? I wish I had never seen the stupid ad. I wasn't even gonna check craigslist that night, that's how much I thought I was gonna like working for AB ... what with Purity of Heart being to will one thing and all... I emailed my contact at the agency over the weekend and told him about the job still being posted, but I haven't heard back from him.

Anyway, another thing that sucks about being a freelancer is you have to get your time card filled out and sent to the agency, always gotta worried about getting it in on time for different agencies. Last Friday my supervisor was out, and he was the only guy apparently in the whole damn company who was authorized to okay my hours, sign the card, etc. So now I have to worry about getting paid this Wednesday. The first two days last week I get there early, only to have to wait in the lobby for like a half-hour because Security can't find my supervisor to get the okay to let me up. Finally I got an ID photo badge thing going on day 2. But I don't really deal with the supervisor during the day, who's the production manager. Instead I work closely with the other proofreader, a laid-back but quite reserved black guy. His door is always shut, and so as a new proofreader whenever I have a question, which is fairly often, I have to go through the ritual of knocking my knuckles on the door until I hear the requisite Come In.

I also interact with the 4-5 editors who work with the analysts to create these reports; the editors are all women, some working at home for at least part of the week, and so far I've got nothing but positive feedback from them, albeit in piecemeal fashion to say the least.
What I like about this job is it's busy in the morning, but there's tons of downtime in the afternoon. I'm all about the downtime if it's there, although of course time does tend to drag when you're not busy. I still don't have the computer in my office up and running, that's another thing I'm waiting on my supervisor for. Last week whenever my in box was empty and there was nothing else to do, I literally read over every back issue of their research reports that was in my office, probably 30 to 40 volumes cover to cover. In that way I used my time wisely, and now I am really up to speed on the kinds of things expected of me, and suffice to say I found tons of not only inconsistencies in these reports in terms of what their own style guide directs, but outright mistakes and errors. Let's just say they're quite fortunate to be acquiring my services when they did, with nary a moment to spare.

I have a small office all to myself. Everybody seems to keep their doors closed in my little wing, so you're constantly having to knock on peoples' doors; there are also a few desktop operators, outside our offices, who sit at cubicles and print out the stuff we read over, then make corrections based on our edits. It's all very low-key and quiet. There is a nearby kitchen pantry which is stocked with sodas, juices, bottled water, coffee, etc. That comes in handy, especially when you consider what happened to me on Thursday.

For lunch, I decided to check out the corner diner on 54th & 6th, goes by the name of Astro Diner. Well, I can tell you the prices are something out of the future, because when I ordered a mere tuna fish salad with swiss cheese on rye with lettuce and tomato to go, I was shocked to find that the bill they handed me along with the sandwich was for the atmospheric sum of $8.50, with another $0.70 tax added on for good measure, boosting the already overpriced item to $9.20. I did yet another double take on my way to the cash register, then decided I wasn't gonna encourage this sort of price gouging. I returned the sandwich to the waitress at the counter, and asked if there was some sort of mistake: surely the '8' was a '4' and the bill should read $4.50.

No, she said, it's $8.50, to which I responded: "Well, that's disgusting; even if I hit the Lotto I wouldn't pay that much for a tuna fish sandwich."

"You should have checked the menu first," she said as I exited the premises with a righteous sense of indignation. I guess other people don't bat an eye at paying these prices. I know the retail leases in Manhattan are absurdly high, but someone has to take a stand. I have no problem with it being me.

Anyway, back to the new job. Once I do get the computer operational, there are some other components to the job I will be expected to master, but it's nothing too complicated or beyond the scope of technical acumen; it's along the lines of spell checking a document for last minute quality control, attaching a set of disclosures to the end of a report, posting articles to the company intranet...how hard could it be?

I'm waiting for another small check from yet another agency, that check is already late and there's no mail today, so that sucks.
One good bit of news is that I completed a project over the weekend for that Astoria research report that I found on craigslist last month. The first document was 90 pages, I picked it up Thursday after work, then spent 3 hours reading it that night, another 2 1/2 on Friday night after work, and then Saturday finished going over it again and then making the corrections online before sending it back. Worked hard on it because I thought James needed it back as soon as possible, but it took me until today to arrange dropping the hard copy back off, and I did get a nice check for my 7.5 hours of work, but today all the banks are closed, even the check cashing joint, in honor of the afore-referenced MLK Jr.

So I've been busy, and there's supposed to be another document ready to proof as soon as tomorrow. If I could do even 2 or 3 such documents a month, that would be some nice little extra income on the side if you dig where I'm coming from...and I know that you do. If I do say so myself, I did a terrific job on the first one, catching stuff that only the most eagle-eyed of your proofreading class would even have a remote chance of finding. It's what I do. Thank god I use my powers only for good or else think of the havoc I could be causing...

Fickle Football Gods

Well, lemme get my NFL picks in, although for obvious reasons (i.e., Giants 21, Cowboys 17) my heart just isn't in it this week for the first time since the season started. A humiliating, nightmarish, season-ending loss to your hated division rivals will have that effect.

Late game first: Giants -- the hated division rivals in question -- visit frigid Lambeau Field to take on hometown Pack. Temps expected to drop below zero. I think the Giants string of road wins ends today at 9 games in a row; they run out of steam in the second half and I expect a big Green Bay win. Seriously big win. The score that keeps popping into my head is 49-10, so I may as well go with that.

The Giants' banged-up secondary is gonna cover that fleet of fleet wideouts? I don't think so; even in the cold snow last week, the Pack's passing game didn't miss a beat. And with RB Ryan Grant's continuing emergence, I don't see many punts today for the Green & Gold.

The Giants' offensive attack last week was indeed offensive in the second half, gaining a total of just 56 yards against the Cowboys. I don't see a whole lot more out of that bunch this week.

It's not that I like Green Bay as a Cowboys fan, I really can't stand Brett Favre if the truth be told, as blasphemous as that sounds. I don't like the Packers, but I hate the Giants with the intensity of a thousand suns. So I will hold my nose and root for Green Bay today, but then root against them next week. Unless of course they are playing the Patriots. My hatred of other NFL teams is a complicated thing... For instance, I know my boy Gatt down in FLA is a long-time Packers fan, but then again my bro Jimi the Greek bleeds Giant Blue.

The first championship game today, between undefeated New England and a banged-up but hot San Diego Chargers team, is foolishly slated to start late afternoon instead of the traditional for a damn good reason start time of 1:00, consecrated as such by the football gods -- who know best about such matters.

Looks like Phil Rivers is out at QB, which may be a good thing, then Billy Volek steps up; I've always liked Volek back to his days with ... well, whoever he used to be with. Tennessee most recently. He can play a little bit, as college coaches like to say. He's also not a bad Thrower of the Football, which is the latest cliche you hear being uttered by blowhards like Mike Francesa.

Wouldn't it be sweet if those same football gods picked today to dethrone the anointed Patriots from their league-sanctioned mission? Wouldn't it be so fucking sweet to see Tom Brady stalking off the field after the game, refusing to shake any hands, that trademark smirk wiped off his face? Yeah, I know, he'd still be a multimillionaire fucking a hot supermodel, but still...

Alas, that scenario appears unlikely, and since we're concerned first and foremost with the accurate prognostication of the game, put me down for Patriots 34, Chargerinos 23, in a game that's closer than the final score indicates, if that makes any sense. And at the end of the day it's poor Norv Turner forced to cross the field and seek out Bill Belichick's hand to shake.

A Dream Derailed

I'm not gonna lie to you: that was as tough a loss as this Cowboys fan has ever had to suffer through. Change a play or two, pick up a flag or three, and Dallas is the team moving on to the NFC Championship game -- not the low-class, lucky big mouths who call the Meadowlands Swamp their home.

Looking back, Tony Romo made a huge blunder by going to Mexico during the bye weekend with Jessica Simpson. What happened to the free agent wonder who ate, slept, and breathed football? We hardly knew ya, Tony. Sure there were some key drops, and the pass protection broke down late in the game when they could least afford it, but Romo simply didn't make the plays he was making during the first three-quarters of the year when they built their 12-1 record.

Now it's another offseason of doubt, second-guessing and scrutiny. It's a long road ahead just to get back to the playoffs, where more than ever the Cowboys' postseason drought will be harped on ad nauseum, which I think is Latin for " a lot."

I had a bad feeling about this game all week, and all my suspicions proved true. The only thing left to do is move on, stay away from sports talk radio and the submoronic New York fans (not you, Jim!), and get on with your life.

Speaking of which, I did just get some good news on the job front. Last Thursday I had yet another job interview, this one with a major financial company to work on their research reports, full time, 9 to 5, the whole nine yards. Had a good meeting with my contact, and then took the proofreading test -- a 4-page report that the guy said should take 45 minutes. It was tricky, but when I handed it back to him he told me it looks like I got almost everything. I felt pretty confident because, hey, that's what I do. Out of three interviews at financial companies for a proofreading position, this was the only one that asked me to take a test. How they make an informed decision without administering any kind of test is beyond me, but that's their tough luck.

Ironically, the freelancing lately had slowed down to a dribble; first Christmas week and then New Year's week passed by without a nibble. So I applied for unemployment benefits, qualified for them, and was fixing on trying to get by on a fixed income for a while. I figured if I could get a few off-the-books editing projects, things wouldn't be too bad. But working for a living is the way to go.
Friday I was on my way down to Varick Street for my first freelance assignment in weeks, had just gotten off the train and was walking down Prince Street, when I made eye contact with a woman who looked quite familiar. As soon as she passed, it hit me: that was Bjork, that crazy Icelandic singer with the anger management issues. But she looked real cute and kinda gave me a nice smile. As I passed her, I saw a few other people doing a double take. I asked a real cute Asian girl -- the city is seemingly full of them these days -- if that really was Bjork. She thought it was, and so I had my celebrity sighting verified. If I wasn't headed to work, I should have struck up a conversation with the Asian chick -- or Bjork herself, for that matter. Oh well, what's another missed opportunity in a lifetime full of them.

While I worked the morning going over a few catalogs, etc., another agency called and asked if I wanted to work another proofreading job in the afternoon. I said I did, and after I got out at around 2:00, I headed uptown to a place on 27th street and worked from 2:30 to 7:30. It was a boring job going over pages and pages of mutual fund reports, and it was on my way to this place when I got the call saying the investment house wanted me to start right away, this coming Monday. It's a 3-month project, with a 6-week review, but it was stressed that there's a good chance it could turn into a permanent position.

So I started this morning, jumped right into it, going through a 70-page research report, then a bunch of chapters for upcoming reports as the time flew by. Got some good feedback already. It's all right up my alley, all the stuff I did while toiling for The Wall Street Transcript came flooding back to me, and so I feel very suited for this position.

All I can do is my best. Which is more than the Dallas Cowboys can say this morning. Ouch! That hurt to write, it's painful to read, but one way or another it had to come out. I'm ashamed of my team today, and that's the worst thing a sports fan can say about his favorite team. If it was any other team but the Giants, it wouldn't hurt nearly as bad. But it was and it does.

No Place Like Home?

Damn, I'm running a little late here. First game, the under card, has already begun, with Indy holding a 7-0 lead over San Diego as the first quarter closes. I was gonna pick San Diego anyway, so let me do so, just have a hunch that Chargers are gonna stay hot. Colts are solid in every way, but something is just missing here, maybe the pure hunger they had last year in their Super Bowl run.

I have no preference in this game, don't hate either team or especially care one way or the other. I think Colts defense is a little better overall, although San Diego has more explosive athletes who are more likely to make a late game changing play. Whoever wins here, I will root for them like hell to derail the Pats next week. Just what I've been hoping for all year. Let's call it San Diego in a true squeaker, 28-27, and you were there.

Second game is being billed as the underdog Giants versus NFC East Champion Cowboys. Noting the Cowboys 12 All-Pro selections this year, Giants MLB Antonio Pierce tried to make it the All-Pros versus the All-Joes, although there is a fallacy to that line or thinking: it's not like baseball where one team outspends all the other teams; both teams spend the exact same amount under the salary cap. It's not my fault if the Cowboys have a bunch of exceptional young talent, starting with QB Tony Romo.

Now, Romo didn't have the easiest coupla weeks leading up to this game, what with the Jessica Simpson angle that this tabloid and gossip driven sports culture shamelessly ran with. In fact, has there ever been a second-year QB under more scrutiny than Romo has been, getting ready to make the second playoff start of his budding career, and just his 28th game as a starter period. I mean, did this kid do anything illegal, anything immoral to warrant this kind of backlash -- besides the cardinal sin of using some off days to take a break along with 3 or 4 other teammates? Yeesh!

Fortunately for Dallas, the game will be won or lost on the field. If there's an athlete who can handle this type of added pressure, I would guess it's the undrafted free agent who soared from obscurity to celebrity like a roman candle last year -- a Romo candle? -- with a refreshing blend of aw-shucks humility and brazen confidence. Today is either the latest stage in the upward trajectory, or another high profile setback like last year's Seattle disaster -- really no middle ground here when you're the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.

What's missing here is that Eli Manning is just one mediocre game away from his own avalanche of criticism and doubt. One bad game and all the negativity comes crashing back. There's only room for one hero and one goat. My money is on Romo to duplicate the success he's had when he was in mid-season peak form. With an offensive line that gave him all kinds of time in the previous two wins over the Jersey Giants ready to assert itself, I'm seeing a 29-13 score -- although a late garbage time TD may close the final gap to 29-20 before it's all said and done. As it is written, so let it be done...

Pick Your Poison

Let me get my football picks on record here before I have to run a bunch of errands. Waiting for the mail to come, then I gotta boogie.

Quick playoff stats. Four teams with the bye this year -- Dallas, Green Bay, New England, Indy -- have a combined record of 55-9. That has to be an all-time record.

Since 1990 in the NFC, home teams with a bye in this divisional round are 30-4 . In fact, the number one seed in the NFC has won the last 17 divisional round games. Roll that around in your mouth a while before you start dialing your bookie's number and riding the hot underdog getting all those points.

First game starts around 4:30, Seattle at Green Bay. I'll be rooting for the Seahawks against Favre and his boys, but do I think they can win and, more importantly, am I picking them to win? Yes and no, if that makes sense. I think Seattle's defense is very underrated, with big-time scheme disrupters Pat Kerney and Julian Peterson -- two NFL players who display a non-stop motor, come to play, leave it all on the field ... pick a cliche and run with it. If they can put enough pressure on, we all know Favre is susceptible to the pick when he forces things, and that could turn the game around at any point given how well Seattle's secondary has been covering.

I see Seattle playing a conservative game on offense, keeping it close, but in the end Favre will make too many plays. Also, the Packers get one of the more favorable whistles in the league; in other words, GB gets the benefit of the doubt from the officials, and I see that trend not only continuing but accelerating in the postseason. Look for a pass interference call here, a coupla key Seattle plays called back, and the NFL gets what it wants: the Packers in the spotlight with Golden Boy Brett advancing in a close one, 28-20.

Second game, mighty Pats hosting upstart Jags, with New England obviously heavy, prohibitive favorites. Jacksonville I believe had no Pro Bowlers; almost every other Patriot will be going to Hawaii or has at some point in their career gone there. The one positive the Jags have going for them is their physical play on both sides of the line of scrimmage. If the running game clicks, then I like their chances to not get blown out. If they get a few turnovers, I can see them sticking around into the middle of the 3rd quarter. But the football gods would really have to be smiling down on them this evening for them to make enough big plays to pull off the shocking upset.

Of course, that the football gods do exist and intervene from time to time is as undeniable as it indisputable. Maybe this is the week those gridiron deities finally decide to curse Bill Belicheat and the unbeaten Cheatriots once and for all. Maybe it's this week, maybe next week, or maybe ultimately in the Super Bowl, but until the season is over, don't count it out. This doesn't appear to be the week the Pats are cut down, however, so look for a final somewhere in the range of Patriots 34, Jags 17. I hope I'm wrong, but what are the odds of that happening? We'll find out.

Caper From Hell

BEST NEW YORK CITY CRIME STORY in quite a while involves an incredibly clueless plot hatched the other day in Hell's Kitchen. Two jokers thought it would be a good idea to cash their recently deceased friend's Social Security check, so they plopped the dead guy in a wheelchair and rolled on down to the nearest check cashing center, where their ill-conceived plan met its inevitable end:

They went inside to present the check, but a clerk said Mr. Cintron would have to cash it himself, and asked where he was, the police said.

“He is outside,” Mr. O’Hare said, indicating the body in the chair, according to Mr. Browne. The two men started to bring the chair inside, but it was too late.

Their sidewalk procession had already attracted the stares of passers-by who were startled by the sight of the body flopping from side to side as the two men tried to prop it up, the police said. The late Mr. Cintron was dressed in a faded black T-shirt and blue-and-white sneakers. His pants were pulled up part of the way, and his midsection was covered by a jacket, the police said. While the two men were inside the check-cashing office, a small crowd had gathered around the chair. A detective, Travis Rapp, eating a late lunch at a nearby Empanada Mama saw the crowd and notified the Midtown North station house.
(FROM: Corpse Wheeled to Check-Cashing Store Leads to 2 Arrests By BRUCE LAMBERT and CHRISTINE HAUSER)

Hell's Kitchen is where you'd expect this kind of desperate scheme to unfold if you know anything about the neighborhood. It still has pockets that give off that hopeless, unseemly vibe -- with methadone junkies, winos and other shady characters stumbling about in higher numbers than are usually found in your more gentrified sections of the City.

And so these two clowns look almost exactly as you would expect them to look -- shifty, seedy, down on their luck. It didn't take long for The Times to weigh in on the episode, with a piece entitled In Corpse Episode, Echoes of a Grittier Time, by Christine Hauser, that strikes a nerve, hits a chord ... choose a metaphor and let's get on with it:

Jimmy, James O’Hare, lived with Fox, Virgilio Cintron, in a second-story apartment on West 52nd Street. Both men were in their 60s and Mr. Cintron was ailing, so Mr. O’Hare often took care of laundry and grocery errands. He shopped for soda and sweets at Adam Altareb’s 99-cent discount store on 10th Avenue, counting out change or small bills at the counter. They regularly lined up for a free meal around the corner at the Sacred Heart rectory.

They were tolerated, even treated with affection, although they could be trouble: Each had been arrested numerous times since the 1960s on charges including robbery, drug possession and burglary. Their neighborhood was slowly improving, and in some ways, it was leaving them behind. “They are a throwback to the old Hell’s Kitchen,” said Paul J. Browne, a police spokesman.

In some nebulous way, for all its comic potential, it speaks to something more significant: reflective of a different time in NYC's distant history: one more sordid, yes, and even more chaotic -- but somehow an era that, at least looking through our rose colored rear-view mirrors, seemed also more genuine, more human, more real perhaps than the present age, which gives off a fin de siecle vibe that permeates the streets that in some ways is more offensive than the stench of an old alkie's breath.

Burying The Lead

Out at Valley Ranch today, where the Dallas Cowboys are preparing for their playoff showdown with the New York/Jersey Giants, a Mexican "correspondent" by the name of Ines Sainz scored an exclusive interview with injured WR Terrell Owens. Sainz also made quite a splash during media week in the lead-up to last year's Super Bowl, to the point where players were seeking her out for interviews. One look at her and you'd see why. So in case you were wondering, after a little Googling and another, um, activity that ends in -ing, we present some of the more flattering pictures of Ms. Sainz we could find on the Web. As you'd expect here on Warden's World, it's all in the name of expanding your horizons...

























What the hell were we talking about?! Football or something?