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Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

Quick Pick

Thursday
July 31, 2003

"What you need to do is step it up!"
-John Madden, Madden 2002

I've been reading a really fascinating book about the TV news media, Bias by Bernard Goldberg. It's probably the best articulation I've read about how the TV news business slants the news, and it's definitely the best when it comes to showing how the powers that be slant things without it being intentional or malicious. In some ways I think TV news tends to slant liberal on issues because of the very nature of TV news and storytelling on the individual level; as I've written before, it's much easier to tell a story about a down-on-their-luck family needing government help than it is to do a piece about personal freedoms or long-term fiscal insolvence. But with that said, Goldberg gives a great view about how the outlook of the elites in the national media impacts the way that stories are done, not to mention illustrating how societal problems (like homelessness) are played up or glazed over depending on who's in the White House. Highly recommended.

The recall election for California Governor Gray Davis is a very interesting story with some intriguing sub-plots. There's talk that Arnold Schwarzenegger will announce if he'll be running on the Tonight Show. Though my take is that he'll use that platform to announce that he's not running and then endorce Richard Riordan. Bottom-line, California is in economic trouble, and they need a sharp businessman in there to help right the ship. Though, with the budget being so screwed up in Cali, I think that whomever gets the office won't be in a particularly attractive position, much like Michael Bloomberg in New York City. When you have to either cut services or raise taxes, you'll face problems on either end. It's tough to start the game deep in the hole.

Karl Malone
Karl Malone is protective of his basketball posters.
An addendum to the Karl Malone story from the other day; Bob Lonergan has provided specifics on the basketball camp where Malone was such a jerk:

"Brook flew to Utah to see me and go to his camp. Summer before the Dream Team. Malone and the Jazz just a couple of years earlier had their breakout series against the Lakers (still lost, recurring theme throughout the years).

Brook buys his poster at the camp. Brook is standing nearby in the hallway, talking to me. Malone walks over and goes, "Where did you get that poster? Did you get it from there?" (Points towards a bucket of the posters) Malone proceeds to take the poster, though Brook tells him that he paid for it and disapears with it. Brook meanwhile has to go to our team leader and tell him what happened. The guy gets a new poster and gives it to Brook. Malone, of course, never even apologized..."

Karl Malone: NBA future Hall of Famer and world class jackass. 'Nuff said.

NCAA Football 2004 continues to be the most compelling video game I've ever played. I don't say that lightly, either. It's that damn good, as HHH would say. In my Dynasty season 3, I won the national title with Mississippi State. I fell behind 13-0 to Ole Miss (before rallying to win in a runaway), then I blew out Georgia in the SEC Championship (revenge for a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to them in the 2004 SEC title game). Finally I played Miami in the Rose Bowl... and I won 34-27 in double OT to capture the National Championship. Good times. Hopefully I can meet up with Riley and/or Scott this weekend for some player vs. player competition.


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