Why would anyone renew an argument that you’ve already won?
As long time readers of this site know, I got into a spirited debate with John Farneda of WXRT a few weeks ago in which it was determined that we will never see an expansion of the playlist beyond the same old songs because the ratings are high and the profits flowing.
So, I’m at work yesterday (April 11) and I get a message forwarded from my last e-mail.
MR. FARNEDA: “What did I win?”
Confused, I didn’t know what to write since I had my final say via e-mail and here on evilopinion. But, never one to go quietly, I responded…
ME: “I resolved to never comment on WXRT again. With the ratings high, there’s no impetuous for the station to change. The money’s rolling in; I’m not your boss, so you don’t have to listen to me; so you get peaceful silence. I don’t listen anymore, so you can do as you wish.
Honestly, I’m surprised to hear from you again since you seemed so upset by our previous correspondence.
Goodbye and Good luck,”
A few minutes later, I get a response.
FARNEDA: “Thanks Tony but I’ll pass. Just going what (sic) I thought were your final words….”
Never one to give up the last word, I couldn’t let it go.
ME: “Yeah, you pass… But you had to get another comment in. I was done.
And in the piece, I admit that the fault is that of us the listeners. Most people only have 100-200 CDs in their collection, so WXRT sounds like diversity. But when you have nearly 4,000 (you probably have more, but I paid for nearly all of mine), the station playing the same 3-4 songs by artists like Elvis Costello and others with many, many more good songs, is boring to people like me.
That is what I was trying to convey, and, as promised, I was done.
Again, as you became so obviously upset by anyone challenging your competence, I thought you’d be happy to be rid of an irritant instead of starting this all over again.
I don’t understand, but it’s probably beyond a former listener’s comprehension.”
Nothing further cam from the station. I’ll keep you posted if there’s anything else on this strange turn in what had been (to me at least) a finished argument.

A few months ago, I found a story detailing how liberals showed 8-10 point higher IQs. The study continues….
The study, published in the April 7 issue of Current Biology and led by Ryota Kanai of the University College London, says that people who identified themselves as liberals generally had a larger anterior cingulate cortex — a comma-shaped region near the front of the brain that is involved in decision-making. As quoted by Time Magazine and Time.com, by contrast, those who identified as conservatives had larger amygdalas — almond-shaped structures that are linked with emotional learning and the processing of fear.
These structural differences, the authors suggest, support previous reports of differences in personality – liberals tend to be better at managing conflicting information, while conservatives are though to be better at recognizing threats, researchers said.
Processing conflicting information versus handling fear. I wonder if liberals are a genetic mutation that will move the species forward. And, of course, the old ways will die out like dinosaurs in the tar pits. Hopeful thought for the day.

We talk about the huge sums of money that are being thrown around colleges and universities in this country while the NCAA steadfastly refuses to pay athletes. But, open payments might lead to lower possibility of the worst nightmare of sports – point shaving and throwing games.
Take the 10 indictments that were passed out last week to a former coach and two former athletes of the University of San Diego A federal grand jury handed up the indictments on April 8 against former assistant coach Thaddeus Brown, 32, of El Cajon, Calif., who coached at USD during the 2006-07 season, and former players Brandon Johnson and Brandon Dowdy. The indictment alleges that Johnson took a bribe to influence the result of a game in February 2010 and solicited someone else in January 2011 to affect the outcome of USD basketball games.
The indictment alleges that this February, Brown and Dowdy solicited someone to affect the outcome of a game at the University of California, Riverside. Dowdy, 22, of San Diego, played for USD in 2006-07 and for Riverside from 2008-10.
The extent of the alleged gambling operation was uncertain. They also did not reveal whether the alleged conspiracy actually affected the outcome of any games.
We have seen these scandals before; this one was initiated as a result of a marijuana-dealing operation and netted the possible gambling scandal. The school is cooperating and is reportedly not accused of any wrong-doing, but the stain is on the school now. It is a stain that never comes off, like the Dennis Lundy case at Northwestern in 1988. Lundy “fumbled” the football deep in Iowa territory in 1994, giving up the ball and costing the Wildcats the game. Even though it’s been almost two decades, not a year goes by when a booster from one of the other Big Ten schools visiting Evanston doesn’t bring up the betting scandal (even though most of today’s team were toddlers at the time).
All sport has is credibility and integrity of the games on the field (no need to mention the sleaze off the field); take that away and you have professional wrestling. And there’s so much money made and lost of gambling, both legal like in Las Vegas, and the illegal type, that if players are throwing games (or possibly referees, like in the NBA), the games are lost and fans go away.
Let’s hope these guys are not allowed anywhere near college athletes ever again.

I was ready to write about the end to the Chicago Blackhawks season; really, I was. When I saw that they had lost their last game to the Detroit Red wings at home needing one point for the last playoff birth, I said, that’s what they deserve. Only periodically spirited hockey – playing 20-30 good minutes per game; taking periods off; that’s not how Stanley Cup contenders play, much less defending champions.
I was curious, though about the Dallas Stars- Minnesota Wild game – the Stars needed to win in regulation or overtime to knock the Hawks out of the playoffs completely, only four Stanley Cup Champions have not made the playoffs the next season, the most recent being the Carolina Hurricanes who won in 2006 but didn’t make the playoffs in 2007. I check the TV and saw that the Stars were up 2-1 after one period. I thought – “it’s over,” but I admit to going back to the basement to check later on in the game and saw that the Wild had a 4-3 lead with 5 minutes left. so, I watched the final five minutes, until the Wild scored an empty-netter e deal.
I was at the game last Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues and I chuckled when before the game; assistant Mike Havilland was shown on the scoreboard with his keys to the game. His first remark on the videotaped comments: “play a 60 minute game.” I yelled out to the gathered assemblage – “I’d like to see that; they’ve only done that about 10 games this whole season.” Then the Hawks came out and surrendered a goal just 17 seconds into the game; went on to play an uninspired first period; fall behind 2-0 in the second period only to play hard in the final 8 minutes of the period to take a 3-2 lead only to give up the tying goal in the third period, only to win in overtime.
I love the Blackhawks; their Stanley Cup Championship will be something that I treasure for the rest of my life, but if they play like crap, I have no sympathy for them. There are two factors that bode well for them in the first round of the playoffs. They face the Vancouver Canucks, who have had a huge regular season – 117 points – runaway winners of the President’s Cup that goes to the team with the most points in the regular season. But President’s Cup winners rarely win Lord Stanley’s Cup (you’ll remember I said here that I didn’t want that distinction last year – that the bigger cup was more important). The Red Wings did it last in 2007 and in 2002. Overall, President’s Cup winners have won only 7 times in the 24 completed seasons since the Cup was inaugurated in 1985 (not including the lockout year and this season). That’s a 29% win factor.
Also, this will be the third consecutive year that the Hawks and Canucks have faced each other in the playoffs and both of the past two times, the Blackhawks prevailed. The Blackhawks have been in the Canucks’ heads for two years. Last season, they came into the series trying to out physical the Chicagoans, before bowing out. This season, the teams split their four games. Overall, the Canucks are 7-2 favorites to win the Cup; so the pressure’s on them.
Let’s drop the puck….

Have we seen the last of Manny Ramirez? Last week, rather than take a 100 game suspension for a second failed drug test, the now-Tampa Bay Rays DH decided to retire. Ramirez put up prodigious numbers – 550 home runs, a .315 lifetime batting average; he is only 1 of 5 players in history to hit 500 hoers and bat over .300 for a career: Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Jimmy Foxx.
Ramirez has always been nuts – the dreadlocks; running into Fenway Park’s Green Monster left field scoreboard between hitters and sometimes even pitches. But we have to wonder what he was thinking? He had already failed a drug test and sat through a 50 game suspension last year; so, you know baseball is looking at you and going to be testing you more frequently. Do you think you’re going to fool them? Find some blockers that they don’t know about? Manny Ramirez is a fine baseball player, but a great mind or a fine chemist, he is not.
It is ironic that with the jury deliberating in the Barry bonds perjury trial and Roger Clemens’ trail upcoming that Manny Ramirez wouldn’t have learned anything

I haven’t learned my lesson. I have been taking an Elvis Costello ensemble class at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and once per month, they have the ensemble classes play on the main stage. They call it – understandably “First Friday” because it is on the first Friday of each month.
We were asked to play a couple of songs and we did in front of friends, spouses (it was too late at night for The Indignant Family). So, one of the spouses of the group filmed one of the songs and so, I’m letting you see me and listen to me singing (and you can see that I couldn’t resist sending a message to my least favorite radio station.
Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro2vH9dK4GQ

I saw none of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final. I heard that it was boring and from what I heard, Butler couldn’t throw a basketball in the ocean if they were standing on the beach (an old line stated by the late DePaul Coach Ray Meyer).
One could say that I’m bored with basketball, and that was the reason I didn’t watch any, and that is a good reason, but wrong. I had the rare opportunity to watch an incredible musician at work. I live not far from a terrific little music club called SPACE in Evanston, IL. It seats a couple hundred people, is very small, with good acoustics, and the place is able to book terrific talent. I saw my friend Graham Parker there, and also saw my neighbor, blues great Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater. So, when I heard that Squeeze lead singer and songwriter Glenn Tilbrook would be there, I had to go.
I went to hear the man sing – he has one of the most beautiful singing voices in pop music.
I also knew that he was the music writing half of the Tilbrook – Chris Dilford team that wrote all of Squeeze’s music, and I also knew how challenging Squeeze’s music is to play – we tried a few numbers in various classes I have taken at the Old Town School of Folk Music). But for whatever reason, I never put it together exact how great a guitar player he is. As great as it was to hear him sing, his playing was incredible, from Squeeze songs (“Goodbye Girl” was a standout) to solo material to covers of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World” and Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.”
On borrowed guitars (his and his clothes had all been lost by an airline), he played them like he owned them his whole life. Masterful riffs, fills and rhythm filled the small auditorium. It reminded me of when I saw Marshall Crenshaw almost 2 years ago, sitting so close (and knowing a bit more about the guitar), I got to watch him play and realize how much of a hack I really am on the instrument. These men are more than professionals – they are virtuosos.
A great night and I don’t feel like I missed anything not watching basketball!