Monday Medley

What we read while reapplying to the Lingerie Football League…

• An NYU/Stanford study on drones was released last week, illustrating the horrific effects of those weapons on other countries. In related news, Conor Friedersdorf explains why he won’t vote for Barack Obama. He has sparked a debate.

• An interview with XKCD’s Randall Munroe.

• The U.S. blew it again in the Ryder Cup, which Tim still loves.

• Chuck Klosterman on fantasy football. Joe Posnanski about RefGate.

• Why, Keith Hernandez, why??? (For charity, but still…) And on the topic of baseball announcers, which are the most biased?

• Arthur O. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, died Saturday at the age of 86.

• Is WikiLeaks an “enemy”?

• Ridiculous words, illustrated.

• Rethinking the legacy of Robert Rubin.

• This week on oral histories: GQ on Cheers.

Monday Medley

What we read while Peyton Manning’s head stayed on…

http://www.hulu.com/watch/398955?playlist_id=1031

• NPI’s thoughts go out to Brandon McCarthy, a good pitcher and a great Tweeter, who got hit with a line drive. He’s still in serious condition, but keeps making us laugh.

• The Atlantic breaks down where Bill Clinton improvised in his DNC speech.

• Vikings punter Chris Kluwe offers an amazing response to a Maryland state senator’s idiotic letter opposing an NFLer’s support of gay marriage.

• Mitch Hurwitz talks about bringing back Arrested Development.

• The Awl tries to solve a murder.

• D.T. Max’s biography of David Foster Wallace came out last month (read an excerpt). Max has been discussing certain documents he reviewed in the course of writing, including DFW’s childhood writing and his first pitch letter. Meanwhile, at least one prominent author hates Wallace, and someone who edited both of them says he knows why.

• Vince Gilligan discusses the finale of Breaking Bad. Someone on the Internet estimates how much cash Walter White actually had.

• Speaking of the drug war, here’s an excellent piece on the use/abuse of confidential informants by the police.

• Ten heartbreaking moments from The Simpsons.

• Art Modell died. Joe Posnanski, a native of Cleveland, offered his thoughts, which were more generous than some other Clevelanders. Posnanski also weighed in on the Strasburg decision.

• An interesting look at the parallels between Kristen Stewart and the “war on women.”

Monday Medley

What we read while reading great cosmic significance into a Broncos game…

• It seems a little early to be at college basketball’s midway point (we’ve only had two Double Bonus podcasts, after all), but Seth Davis has written his midseason recap, and the rest of Sports Illustrated‘s staff are making predictions. As Duke fans, of course, we got a kick out of North Carolina’s drubbing at Florida State, which literally chased the Tar Heels off the floor and reminded us of this memorable game.

• From the darker side of the NCAA, the latest story of injustice for a student-athlete.

• Do The Black Keys represent a war on indie rock?

• At The Awl, Maria Bustillos has a problem with that study claiming better teachers equals higher income.

• Giancarlo Esposito, aka Gus Fring, took to Reddit to answer fans’ questions about Breaking Bad and other highlights of his career. In other AMC news, Mad Men got an official premiere date for the new season.

• Josh and Tim have spent all week debating which Met took the Wilpons to task.

• The New York Times was slightly embarrassed when its Public Editor, Arthur Bisbane, wondered if maybe newspaper should try reporting the truth, you know? As opposed to just printing whatever people say… He explained himself later on.

• Some Amazon movie reviews.

• Hey, what kid hasn’t gone through a urinating-on-corpses phase? Sebastian Junger blames…us.

• Some old year-end stuff that Tim was too lazy to link to in the past: humor-writing, sitcoms that haven’t been effusively praised, and broadcasting moments.

• Roger Ebert with some thoughts on the Oscars.

Monday Medley

What we read while rioting in Happy Valley, resigning in Italy, and, um, what’s the third one?

• The story coming out of Penn State is one of the worst we’ve seen in sports in a long time. We’ve read a multitude of takes on former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s abuse and the University’s oversight. Sara Ganim of the Harrisburg Patriot-News has spearheaded the coverage with the even hand so often lacking in the media these days. The paper overall has done a tremendous job in exposing the story and seeing it through to its climax over the last week.

• While ESPN has drawn its share of criticism for being late to the story, its secondary platforms have had a strong week. Jane Leavy’s introspective look at the ramifications of abuse is one of the best things we’ve read on Grantland. Michael Weinreb, a Penn State alum, also provided insight into the culture at State College on Grantland. Luke Cyphers, writing for ESPNW, wisely connected PSU’s oversight to a similar case with former women’s basketball coach Rene Portland at the school.

• NPI favorite Joe Posnanski finds himself in an awkward position, having moved to State College this fall to write his biography of Joe Paterno. Posnanski quasi-defends the coach at SI.

• Jonathan Lethem v. James Wood: It’s a Literary Battle!

• Malcolm Gladwell tries to figure out what made Steve Jobs so special.

• The passing of boxing legend Joe Frazier gives us a chance to link to two terrific SI profiles: Mark Kram’s in the wake of the Thrilla in Manila and William Nack’s retrospective on Frazier’s rivalry with Muhammad Ali two decades after it ended.

• John S and Tim’s inaugural Double Bonus podcast for the 2011-2012 season did not, unfortunately, discuss Storm Clonch or Dundrecous Nelson.

• Speaking of college basketball, we should find ways to play more games on ships.

• Rolling Stone details how the GOP became the party of the rich.

Monday Medley

What we read while making out in the streets of Vancouver…

• Clarence Clemons, who played a role in one of NPI’s first posts (obviously what he’s most famous for), died this weekend. The Big Man was 69.

• Stephen Colbert continues the comedian commencement speech trend, giving his alma mater Northwestern’s commencement speech.

• Some on thoughts on the reaction to Tracy Morgan’s latest faux pas.

• NYT tells the story of an alternative family.

• The Awl‘s Yakkin’ about Baseball is every bit as dangerously funny as its Yakkin’ about Football.

• Jeff Passan on how Jose Bautista became baseball’s best slugger — without using steroids (we think).

• We’ll be honest: We’ve never been able to pull off all of these feats while driving.

• At least this kid didn’t go to Duke (we think).

• Bruce Arthur on the fascinating Vancouver riots. Andrea Woo of the Vancouver Sun checks in with photos, including the iconic one.

• We thought Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo had ripped LeBron James a lot, but wow, this much? Also knocking LeBron and the Heat (in case you had trouble finding people critical of them) were Jay Caspian Kang and Joe Posnanski (twice). Not to leave out our own John S.

• A recent interview with The Wrens, who reveal that they’re new album will NOT be called “Funeral.”

• John Swartzwelder wrote novels??? (If you don’t know who John Swartzwelder is…)

Monday Medley

What we read while reinterpreting Longfellow…

• Count us among those really excited about the NHL’s return to Winnipeg. The National Post’s Bruce Arthur has been terrific with what it means to the city and the NHL (Arthur is quickly becoming one of our favorite sports columnists, and almost certainly our favorite Canadian sports columnist), and The Awl‘s Jim Behrle steps up with 11 possible team names, complete with logos.

• For more on Shaq’s retirement, just check out Quickish’s thorough compilation of stories, including a fun one involving a different Connar Oberst.

• SplitSider hands out awards for the TV season. And BuzzFeed ranks the minor Arrested Development characters.

• Eugene Mirman wrote a letter to Time Warner Cable.

• An oldie but a relevant-ie: the top 100 shots in NBA history, complete with video. We don’t think the list has changed since it was made during the season.

• Michael Weinreb’s weekly top five on his personal blog has become a quick-stop must-read.

• Posner and Becker defend legacy admissions at colleges. Speaking of the academy, some journals are doubting the gold standard of a double-blind review process.

• NYT Magazine takes on another notable sports columnist, Bill Simmons.

• Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain are writing a book together.

• Can we all get behind Attorney General Eric Holder on this one? 

Monday Medley

What we read while Oprah commenced Phase Two…

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4169/saturday-night-live-clinton-at-mcdonalds

• Bob Dylan celebrated his 70th birthday last week, and John S wasn’t the only one to mark the occasion. The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and American Songwriter were among those to rank his best songs. Time also included a list of his worst. The Independent listed 70 reasons why Dylan is the most important figure in all of pop culture. All Things Considered even examined Dylan’s role in legal writings.

• On the more depressing side of the music front, Gil Scott-Heron, the “godfather of rap,” died. Known mostly for “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” (and now, for young folk, for being sampled by Kanye West) Heron was a prolific artist of all sorts despite problems with drug addiction noted in Alec Wilkinson’s profile of him last year.

• Jeffrey Toobin tries to pinpoint Fred Wilpon’s role in Bernie Madoff’s theft and manages to get Wilpon to criticize all of his star players in the process. Tom Verducci, on the other hand, manages to get Wilpon to discuss how much he’s going to cut the team’s payroll. Across town, Jorge Posada’s recent antics don’t change his place among the greatest catchers ever (something John S highlighted last year). And David Cone talks about his love of advanced statistics.
• Tyler Cowen continues to be the man of hour, getting a glowing profile in this week’s Business Week.
• Do conjoined twins share a mind? There is video demonstrating that they do. While the conjoined twins’ parents were faced with a challenge, another set of parents created their own challenge by choosing to raise their child genderless.

• Stop blaming Facebook for your online behavior… and start spelling your status updates correctly.

• Wright Thompson tries to get to the bottom of Harvey Updyke, the man who may or may not (well, he almost certainly did) have poisoned the Toomer’s Corner oak trees at Auburn. L. Jon Wertheim takes a look into the sordid legacy of Tiki Barber, including the best Anne Frank reference since Arrested Development went off the air.

• How accurately does Parks and Recreation portray small-town politics, and (in the comments section of aforelinked article), does it matter? Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler gives Harvard’s 2011 Class Day Speech mentioning that Boston College (her alma mater) is the Harvard of Boston.

• Lester Freamon as Othello and Jimmy McNulty as Iago? Sign us up, even if it does require a Transatlantic flight.

Monday Medley

What we read while the Indians were mathematically eliminated…

• We couldn’t let Opening Day go by without a link to Joe Posnanski, could we? Here he breaks down the 32 best players in baseball. And a uniform roundup from Paul Lukas!

• The best longish piece about baseball we read this week, though, comes from Andy McCullough at the Star-Ledger, providing an inside glimpse at one of New York’s most misunderstood stars, Jose Reyes. It’s almost as good as Charles Pierce’s magazine piece on Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland from a few weeks back, which includes about as good a paragraph of sports journalism as we’ve ever read (we’re not telling you which one, except to say it’s pretty early on). For short, conversational pieces, The Awl has Yakkin’ about Baseball, which will hopefully be as consistently hilarious as Yakkin’ about Football was.

• Chipotle in Chelsea is a little bit different than the other Chipotles.

• A documentary about legendary comedian Bill Hicks is getting released this week.

• A lot of fuss over Matthew Weiner’s contract talks with AMC came basically to nothing as Mad Men was renewed with pretty much all of Weiner’s demands met.

• What’s it like to have lunch with Roger Waters?

• Oh, some band you may have heard of played its last show ever on Saturday. It apparently went well.

• John Wray is using Twitter to explore a character cut out of his most recent novel. We’re all for Twiterature experiments.

Monday Medley

What we read while Seth Greenberg wondered what he did…

• Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, who played a character of the same name on The Wire, was arrested on drug charges. David Simon issued a response criticizing America’s absurd “War on Drugs.”

• We continue our new Monday Medley tradition of linking to profiles of great college basketball analysts!

• Shortly after The New York Times Magazine profiled him, Baylor’s Perry Jones was suspended by the NCAA. The move was questioned by many.

• Nate Silver wants you to pick against Notre Dame.

• Parks & Recreation was part of PaleyFest 2011, put on by the excellent Paley Center.

• Who wouldn’t watch CNBC if Gus Johnson were reporting on the Dow?

• Rand Paul is no faint-hearted libertarian.

• Will future generations understand The Simpsons? And should we care?

• More DFW stuff: After an excerpt from The Pale King appeared in The New Yorker, The Howling Fantods compared the excerpt to an earlier reading given by Wallace. Meanwhile, some are wondering if people are trying cash in on the author’s death.

• Is the film industry fundamentally broken?

• A recent episode of 30 Rock dealt with the issue of women in comedy, which has led some to wonder what Liz Lemon means to feminism. Meanwhile, Molly Lambert breaks down how to be a woman in a boys’ club. (I’ll bet you never expected a whole women’s issues bullet point in an Monday Medley!)

• An interview with an NPI favorite comedian, in which the nature of comedy is debated. Also, he balances out that whole feminism point with his on-stage misogyny.

• For the creative scorekeeper in you…

• Have you been wondering why Tim hasn’t been recapping this season of Survivor? Well, hopefully this can tide you over….

Monday Medley

What we read while Colin Firth managed to give a stutter-less acceptance speech…

• Natalie Portman won the Best Actress award last night, so it’s worth asking: Is Natalie Portman a good actress? Slate ran two stories that seem to say “no.” Slate also dished on The King’s Speech and stuttering.

• We know one Egyptian who will be retroactively upset The Social Network didn’t win Best Picture.

• Suze Rotolo, of this famous album cover, died last week, meaning pop music lost perhaps it’s greatest muse (it’s either her or Pattie Boyd, right?).

• Have you ever wanted to hear Louis C.K. repeatedly ask a former Secretary of Defense if he is an alien lizard? If so, then boy do we have a link for you…

• On his “other” other blog, Chris Jones riffs on the rules to the press box and the locker room for sports reporters. The latter drew some commentary from former hockey player Justin Bourne.

• Frank Lloyd Wright had a 10-point manifesto for his apprentices. It doesn’t necessarily conform with the philosophical tenets of the book he, in part, inspired.

• Man, when was the last time we had a batch of DFW links? Well, here’s an old Laura Miller interview with him, as well as a thoughtful look at the underappreciated Oblivion, and a look at the recently opened archives in Austin. And hey, this makes Infinite Jest slightly less confusing. Slightly.

• The multi-talented Donald Glover as a rapper.

• What your favorite classic rock band says about you…

• Charlie Sheen…er, uh, well, we don’t really know what to say….