Monday Medley

What we read while learning about quad strains…

• The Atlantic‘s David Freedman writes what we’d describe as a screed against Michael Pollan and his fellow foodies, which is then countered by said foodies.

• David Roth with a powerfully revealing story on Kenny Anderson.

• In defense of Sex and the City.

• Remembering Jessica Ghawi, the sports journalist killed in Aurora last summer.

• The lost art of keeping score at a baseball game.

• In other baseball news, some interesting reactions to the Ryan Braun suspension.

• On Aaron Hernandez and football’s media culture.

Monday Medley

What we read while the government spying- NEVERMIND EVERYTHING’S FINE!

• So you may have heard about a few government leaks last weak, including a court order to Verizon for millions of phone records of American citizens, a program called PRISM that allows the NSA to monitor computer activity, and a government order of possible targets for a cyber attack. They caused a bit of a kerfuffle: Though elected representatives think anything goes when it comes to terrorism, many citizens for some reason think the ability to monitor who calls whom, when, and from where might be a breach of privacy and not just troubling but even “obscenely outrageous,” since it is exactly what a totalitarian dictator would want. David Simon, who wrote a whole television series about government surveillance, thinks we should have seen this all coming.

• The Internet companies implicated in the leaked documents rushed to issue denials, though they were carefully worded and other evidence points to their complicity. The result is a massive surveillance system built by Bush and Obama that spans the entire globe. In a quirk of timing, Julian Assange had just penned an attack on Google’s stated “Don’t Be Evil” mission. Meanwhile, the claims that these programs save lives seem dubious.

• All of this only underscores the importance of whistleblowers in this era of government secrecy. The hero who leaked all this information actually came forward: His name is Edward Snowden (“There, there”) and, though he will likely face extreme punishment if he is not granted asylum, he felt the public’s right to know trumped his personal well-being.

• Speaking of invasions of privacy, the MLB is looking to suspend up to 20 players based on the dubious evidence obtained in the investigation of Biogenesis. Why baseball continues to go so vigilantly after suspected steroid users is a little puzzling, but probably has to do with Bud Selig’s concern for his own legacy. And it’s important to remember that not everyone involved is as hated as A-Rod.

• People in other parts of the country talk weird.

• An absolutely crushing story from Eli Saslow on mourning in Newtown.

• Is recycling actually bad?

• This week in oral histories: The sexual history of the UCB Theatre. And did ESPN kill oral histories with this instant oral history of Tony Parker’s shot at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals?

• Everything you need to know about Pretty Little Liars in advance of Tuesday’s season premiere.

MLB Preview: National League

Baseball season is already underway, but John S didn’t let the first weekend alter his preseason predictions. You’ll just have to trust him on that…

NL West

1. Arizona Diamondbacks

2. San Francisco Giants*

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

4. Colorado Rockies

5. San Diego Padres

You really nailed this division last year, huh? It’s true that last year I had the Diamondbacks, who ultimately won the division, finishing last in my season preview. So in order to make up for it, I’ve picked them to repeat in 2012.

And it’s not like it’s a trendy pick, either, since nobody’s really expecting Arizona to make the playoffs again.

Monday Medley

What we read while Rush Limbaugh called us way worse stuff…

http://www.hulu.com/watch/335834/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-neil-young-and-bruce-springsteen-sexy-and-i-know-it

• Noam Chomsky inspected Iran’s nuclear ambitions as public rhetoric on Iran grows increasingly bellicose. Andrew Sullivan predicted that Israel would goad the U.S. into support of war with Iran before the election in November (Sullivan was, of course, deemed anti-Semitic for such a remark).

• The New York City media is apparently totally fine with the NYPD spying program, as is future mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, even as the program is motivating some Muslims to alter their behavior.

• There’s a new documentary about legendary drummer Ginger Baker.

• Yet another absurd drug law was thankfully blocked by Sen. Rand Paul. And Ron Paul tells Ben Bernanke why he’s the worst.

• Speaking of unnecessary drug laws, has Ryan Braun changed the public sentiment on steroids in baseball? John S would certainly welcome it…

• What makes President Obama cooler: his continued affection for Omar Little, or his daughter’s love of Parks and Recreation?

• This week in oral histories: Grantland remembers the Malice at the Palace.

• There’s never been a trash-talker quite like Martin Luther…

Talkin’ Baseball: The World Series

Cardinals vs. Rangers

Well, just like Tim and John S always predicted (don’t bother looking it up), the 2011 season comes down to the Rangers and Cardinals. Will Tony La Russa prove his genius? Will a starting pitcher reach the seventh inning? Will Joe Buck emote? All that and predictions are discussed….

John S: Man, can you believe Jonathan Lucroy didn’t win NLCS MVP?! And can you believe someone almost as unlikely–David Freese–DID? You know, I usually hate the discussions that media outlets have every year that the Yankees/Phillies/Red Sox miss the World Series, where they make jokes about how angry FOX must be. But this World Series DOES seem conspicuously lacking in star power. At least last year the Rangers had Cliff Lee–the closest this year’s team has to such a star is Josh Hamilton, who had a disappointing season. The Cardinals, of course, have Albert Pujols, but after him their biggest star is Tony La Russa, who seems to wear out his welcome more and more every year. But while my instinct is to say that these two teams are mediocre, the evidence doesn’t really support me. The Rangers were better this year than they were in 2010, and even the Cards won 90 games, which is more the 2006 championship team won. Perhaps I should be more excited for this World Series… Am I off base about the lack of compelling personalities in this matchup?

TIM: No, I cannot believe Jonathan Lucroy didn’t win NLCS MVP. His .294 average in the six games was bested by only four Brewers, and like the four best Brewers in Randy Wolf, Jerry Hairston, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Ryan Braun. It was practically half of what Freese hit! I hate these traditionalist writers who always vote for the guy with the ..500+ average on the winning team.

Talkin’ Baseball: NLCS

You’ve already seen how spot-on our resident baseball experts were in Game 1 of the ALCS — John remarkably predicted two rain delays lasting approximately 45 and 60 minutes, both occurring in the bottom of the fifth (he was half-a-frame off) — so you should be psyched to see them back at it for the NLCS — a battle of Central Division rivals who last met in the playoffs in the 1982 World Series. That’s right, it’s the first-ever rematch of a World Series in a non-World Series round of the postseason. History!

TIM: Alright, so I think I’m finally over the Mets loss in the 2006 NLCS to talk about…wait, the Cardinals are back in it? Didn’t they miss the playoffs by like 15 games?

JOHN: It certainly seemed heading for that a few months ago. But, hey, look on the bright side: They managed to make the playoffs thanks to a collapse by your hated Atlanta Braves!