Whose holiday is this?

The question I’ve received most since Wednesday’s post is why didn’t you mention anything about Veterans Day?

Why didn’t I mention Veterans Day?

Because everyone else bent over backwards to do so.

I’m sorry to say Veterans Day has become yet another overcommercialized and overpoliticized day in which politicians, merchants, and laymen alike try to outdo one another in how much they “care.”

I care. The same amount I care every day. And I don’t need a sale or a day of from school (didn’t do either, by the way) to remind me of such.

Truth is, I’m greatful to everyone who was involved or is involved in making this the greatest nation in the history of the universe, regardless of veteran status.

If we’re going to celebrate something, remember that the origin of this holiday was the commemoration of the armistice to end World War I. Honestly I’d be fine with a return to that, alongside the tacit remembrances we give to other anniversaries of other ends to other conflicts.

Happy belated Armistice Day, everyone. Remember that your 10% off coupon at Cracker Barrel expires Sunday!

This is what I was used to

If the Wizards are going to make a habit of getting blown out every night I think I’m going to start to disrespect the home team and root for Kevin Durant too.

Then again, if the Wizards continue playing as they have been I don’t think Durant’s going to want to come here anyway.

Ah, crappy Bullets of my youth… good to see you guys again!

Shhhhhh!

For God’s sake don’t anybody tell me about either The Peanuts Movie or Spectre. Obviously I plan to see both but have not had a chance to yet and I want to go in fresh.

That is all.

Morning radio programs change yet again

These things tend to change without official notice, but it has now been about a week that our local “Sports Talk 570,” WSPZ, is now airing “The Steve Czaban Show” weekday mornings. (Oddly, “The Man Cave,” which I would have given about a B+, seems to have disappeared.) This is about the twelfth morning news change that has occurred on 570 or its “sister station,” 980, since I moved to town, so I’m excited but nervous. For a guy who can’t get enough of “the Czabe,” this is a great move. Three hours in the evenings on “The Drive” is just not enough Czaban for me; I’ll take mornings too.

Hello, early Christmas.

A date which will live in fame

Sunday, November 1, 2015, was a date so crammed with sports goodness not even the extra hour of standard time’s return was enough to contain it. Indeed, it was well after midnight on the East Coast that the Kansas City Royals put up five runs in the 12th inning to seal their World Series win. This was a day that began with football on another continent, a marathon on our own, 500 yards passing from a certain Mr. Brees, and some old-man magic in primetime from a certain Mr. Manning. That’s Peyton, not his brother who threw six touchdowns and lost.

Who in his right mind would want to go back to work today? Not this guy. Thanks, Loudoun County taxpayers, for arranging this sweet “teacher work day” for which I don’t have to show up.

Lesson for today: sports > going to work.

Baseball still swingin’

You’ve got to hand it to baseball, for putting together (so far) two great games to begin this year’s World Series. Yes, Game Two ended with a less-than-thrilling 7-1 score, but if you watched the thing you know the game was much closer than that.

Every time I think our national pastime is ready to disappear completely it does something to bring me (and everyone else) back. Yes, I realize the NFL is still king these days—and it has even stepped into the future through online broadcasting—but baseball is still the main event come late October evenings. And now that it’s the weekend I can actually stay up for those late October evenings.

Technical difficulties

I apologize for the delay in today’s post. And that Monday’s post seems to have disappeared entirely.

While this situation is addressed, let us focus on happier things, like basking in the glow of Redskin victories and five-hour nailbiting baseball games. Seriously, who was that last night, the Yankees and Red Sox?

Let’s hope for a few more games like last night’s, and that neither Fox nor I experience any more technical difficulties in their presentations.

(Insert sniveling sex joke here)

Much has been made over Playboy’s recent decision to cease publishing nude photographs in its magazine. I’ve hardly seen any real commentary on this other than ha-ha statements noting the irony or gratuitous digs at “reading the articles.” As a fan of Playboy for several decades I really have nothing more to add other than… eh.

The magazine which more than any other brought sex and pornography to the mainstream outlived its necessity about 40 years ago and its relevance about 20 years ago. Sad but true, Playboy has basically become an imitator of all the magazines that grew as imitations of it: Maxim, FHM, Details, etc. Playboy had been the only one showing nudity, but now the transformation is complete.

At least we can’t say that the reason Playboy is covering up is the machinations of some tyrannically repressive government. Nope. It’s the exact opposite. Pornography is so widespread, commonplace, easily accessible… and free!… these days that paying for it hardly seems necessary anymore. Who wants to pay for classy porn when so much filth is out there for nothing? The “low-browification” of our culture is an endemic problem that goes far beyond porn, but this example shows it pretty well. Need another example? Read an article or short story published in Playboy in 1960 and then read one from today. Its photos, sadly, often get the same level of care.

Playboy moved from being a trendsetter to a trend-follower long ago, but this has been the sharpest example thus far. It’s disappointing, but I guess both financially and socially understandable. And is anyone out there still relying on Playboy as his only source of nude women? I think I’m too old and too married really to care about these kinds of things anymore. My reaction basically is… eh.

Fargo bringing it this season

I’ll admit that baseball’s LCS has not exactly brought drama as far as the series themselves. A few good moments and a few good games, but last night I had one game end 14-2 and the other end with one team poised for a sweep.

Let me say thank god for Fargo.

You watching Fargo this season?

If you missed last season, don’t worry. Somehow Season Two really has nothing to do with Season One. No matter, the Coen brothers and co. have brought it yet again, even more so than last season. Does it feel as though they’ve stolen a few elements from Breaking Bad? Absolutely. But you know what show I really liked? Breaking Bad. (And one might say Breaking Bad took a few elements from Fargo in its day.)

Here’s hoping for another dramatic World Series this year…

Fargo is setting the bar high.