Monday Medley

What we read while sorting through binders full of bad binders full of women jokes…

• It was a rough week for Yankees fans, as the team was swept by Detroit in the ALCS, a series in which they scored only six runs, Alex Rodriguez got benched twice, and Derek Jeter suffered a devastating injury. Writers leapt to pen obituaries for the team, including one from Jonah Keri, one from Joe Posnanski, and one from Roger Angell. Now get ready for an offseason of ridiculous scapegoating, myths about clutch hitting, and absurd trade rumors. As if sitting through these commercials this postseason wasn’t bad enough…

• In other baseball news, Posnanski on Carlos Beltran.

• Former Senator George McGovern, a hero of the progressive movement, died this weekend at the age of 90. Here’s an interview he did a few years ago.

• Jill Stein, the Green Party’s nominee for President, and her running mate were arrested at last week’s debate. This isn’t surprising, given the fraudulent spectacle that the debates have become. But at least the election has led to this.

• The recent “terror plot” against the Federal Reserve renews questions about just how the FBI stops (and starts) these plots. Meanwhile, the CIA tries to expand its drone fleet while President Obama talks about bringing justice to Benghazi. And an interview with a former Al Qaeda leader.

• Jeremy Lin returned to New York City. In other New York basketball news, some local residents have some complains about the Barclays Center.

• Are some TV shows better off dead?

• The top 10 essays since 1950?

• Perhaps we shouldn’t pursue passion. 

Monday Medley

What we read while ESPN got a little carried away with the Jeremy Lin jokes…

• The Simpsons aired its 500th new episode last night, putting it up there with Gunsmoke and Lassie in terms of longevity. Of course, in terms of cultural influence, it’s probably #1. It’s common to rank episodes, but at this point it might be easier to rank seasons. For fun, try to come up with your favorite single quote.

• A graphical display of why aging is scary.

• The New York Times had an excellent piece on America’s expanding social safety net last Sunday, highlighting that even those most passionately against government spending are increasingly dependent on it. Some, like Paul Krugman, are quick to call this hypocrisy, but it’s much more complicated than that.

• Another cool Times thing: This interactive budget graphic!

• Linsanity is sweeping the nation! He’s making the Knicks relevant, and fun to watch again. Of course, New Yorkers are already thinking about how this could go wrong when Carmelo Anthony returns to the lineup. But the story has transcended sports: Lin has led to moronic columns from political commentators, and one of the most racist headlines you’ll ever see. ESPN has since apologized and fired those responsible for the headline… It’s just ironic, since ESPN had already spent so much airtime devising Lin-related puns.

• Comedy news: David Wain talks about his new movie, and Jim Gaffigan decides to follow the new Louis C.K. model for his next special.

• How Target can tell your pregnant before your father does.

• Goodbye A.J. Burnett. You will not really be missed…

• Speaking of baseball, here are the 10 worst swings of last season.

The Double Bonus: Not Thrilling, But Nice

We’re back to Week 1 with our formatting here: Tim is in black, John is in red. We asked for feedback last week, and we got one response demanding the return of color. You’re welcome.

We’re roughly halfway through the conference season already, and I can’t help but react to the season thus far the same way Dom Deluise’s Caesar does to that alabaster tub in History of the World Part I: “Nice. Nice. Not thrilling, but nice.” A lot of it has to do with the parity settling in among the nation’s conferences: There seem to be fewer elite teams in 2010 and several leagues with tightly packed standings.

It also appears as if most of the big six conferences are having down years. We knew coming into the season that the Pac-10 would be down, if not to this Oregon State-got-beat-by-51-by-Seattle extent.* The Big XII is having an excellent season with Kansas, Texas, and Kansas State at the top and a nice balance in the middle. The Big East is still the Big East, if not quite as top-heavy as last season. The SEC is having a bit of a bounceback year—how could it not after last season’s disaster?—aided by South Carolina’s upset of Kentucky and Vanderbilt’s win in Knoxville (once again, the SEC East may have four teams better than anyone in the SEC West. Prove me wrong, Mississippi, prove me wrong).

*Which was still not the most surprising loss in the last month for a member of Craig Robinson’s family.