Seems rather trivial at this point, given that 3 of the last 4 series' have been sweeps and the lone NL win was a 4-1 affair.

In baseball, it seems (lately), home field advantage doesn't make as much of a difference as the other 3 majors.

On another, somewhat related note, doesn't it seem like the umps were missing ALOT of calls. In addition to the botched home plate call in the 11th, they also wrongly called out someone at second earlier in the inning (name escapes me, a Ranger perhaps) that replay showed Tejada didn't even make contact with the runner during the tag. Later in the inning, that runner would have easily scored and ended the game.

You think fans are angry that the ASG decides home field now, just wait until a bad call is the deciding factor!

Thanks, mattcable, for saying it better than I could. Other titles I'd add to the serious/became a movie list:

V for Vendetta

28 Days Later

Wanted (although I'd recommend the trashy movie over the insipid comic any day of the week)

Other titles that have no movie but are otherwise cultural watersheds:

Maus (Go ahead and read Speigelman's masterpiece and see if you ever trash the medium again)

Any wartime tome by Joe Sacco: his "Palestine" should be required reading for anyone trying to make sense of the current state of the Middle East.

Anything by Peter Bagge: (I'm still waiting for the "Buddy"/"Hate" movie!!!)

The Cowboy Wally Show (Kyle Baker): the children's television host as drunken bastard theme has never been funnier or more scary...

These are just off the top of my head. Anyone else got some?

I can honestly say I will never deride the Salon comments board as childish, moronic or inappropriate again.

I disagree with Steph too, but jeez!?!?

Nice "Ogre" impression.

I'd be careful though. I'm sure there are some nerds who could drain your bank account using only your Salon signature.

Nerds rule the world, dude. Just look at the summer blockbuster schedule...

LOLCATS makes it to Salon!! Better late than never, internet phenom!

Also, can we not feed the trolls. Pathfinder's diatribe was worth a read the 1st time he cut and posted it: about 2 weeks ago...

The turning point was the academy realizing they had just nominated the star of "Norbit" for an Oscar... for a performance in a musical...

Just think if "Norbit" had come out 2 months later and Murphy had won? That would have been almost as good as the win for "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp"! Almost..

... that 90% of this country has no idea what the Brandenburg Gate is. Or what it represents. I mean, its been 20 years since the wall came down; what average American knows more about this beyond what they learned from watching VH1's "I Love the 80s"?

"Reagan won the cold war" and "David Hasselhoff sang when it came down" are pretty much the extent of our historical recollection at this point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zXiClnK8oE

If Hasselhoff can sing in front of it... I mean what makes HIM so special?

Trailer below: no "cool" people allowed!

http://watchmen--trailer.blogspot.com/

"a marvelous dramatic actor who also has a fine, offhand sense of comic timing"

Really? What were his recent dramatic roles? Musicals (Chicago) and dramas (Boogie Nights) where he was the comedic foil don't count.

I'd say he's a great comic actor who occasionally takes on dramatic roles.

Which neatly sums up Stephanie's "work"...

Why did Kaufmann get the "new" look first? ;-P

It's people like you who sometimes make me ashamed that I like football. You, and any televised Raiders home game.

Tony Dungy kicked offed onsides in a PRESEASON game!?!?! He's no christian, he's a sadomasochist!

Given that the two biggest airline hubs in the US are Atlanta and Chicago AND the fact that there's almost no non-stop flights from coast to coast anymore, " flyover" country really is quite backwater. Think Arkansas or Idaho..

...is try to get a large, vocal segment of convention-goers to audibly boo Bush..

...it will all be worth it!

(in Homer Simpson voice) U. S. A.! U. S. A.! U. S. A.!

At this rate, what exactly is McCain going to say in October that the media won't whine "Heard it!" like an annoying 14-year-old? Too much, too soon methinks...

Also, I wouldn't mind going into the debates (first one on Sept. 26th = almost Oct.) with some lowered expectations for Obama. The media loves a "Comeback" narrative - the trick is to time it just right so it peaks around Nov. 3rd...

Lastly, never have I seen more Monday morning QBs in my life! If you know how to run a presidential campaign so well, why are you getting paid to do something else?

I am always amazed at those who complain about spoilers. Don't they know that spoilers are performing a valuable public service?

Don't want to sit through the latest snooze-fest M. Night Shamalama movie but still want to know the pathetic "twist" that will have everyone groaning, having just wasted 2 hours of their life to see? Spoilers!!

Have to work late and miss the finale of "So you think you can dance?" Why sit through 2 hours of Tivoed hype and build-up that can never be lived up to by the eventual winner? Spoilers!!

Went into a coma and missed the Superbowl or the 2000 election (this actually happened to a friend of mind)? What's wrong with you? SPOILER!!!!: The friggin' Giants won and Bush stole it! There, I said it!

Life is short. I don't have time to watch everything in its entirety, and that goes double for the Olympics. And "Citizen Kane"! Thank the jeebus for spoilers and their valiant public service!!

Now if someone could just spoil this damn election for me so I know if I should get my hopes up...

No, wait... That's a winter sport, right?