September 2, 2011
Link-O-Rama
This week's Link-O-Rama is sponsored by ... no one. Please help support AG.com's free content and advertise your product, service, local business, or website by becoming a "Sponsor of the Week."
• Free Toby!
• I'm fortunate in that no one really liked me much as a fat guy, but Jonah Hill isn't so lucky.
• Halle Berry celebrated her 45th birthday by making it very difficult to believe she celebrated her 45th birthday.
• Ryan Braun had his sights on an inside-the-park homer, but instead he wiped out. And then his teammates recreated the crime scene.
• I can't wait to hang out with Sarah Silverman at the NBC company Christmas party.
• Texting with Shaquille O'Neal seems like fun.
• TMZ reports that Lenny Dykstra "pulled a bait and switch" with his penis "at least six times."
• Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has a great story about fellow St. Paul native (and JCC basketball league alum) Jack Hannahan and the generosity of his Indians teammates.
• This chart showing the evolution of every NBA team's logo is oddly fascinating.
• I respect Minka Kelly for not calling me immediately. She obviously doesn't want to come off as desperate.
• It turns out no one really wants to watch Conan O'Brien on TBS either.
• Two great tastes that taste great together: Judd Zulgad and Joe Anderson are teaming up for 1500-ESPN's new show.
• My favorite part of Twitter this week was Gilbert Arenas feuding with comedian Joe Mande.
• Official Fantasy Girl of AG.com candidate Aubrey Plaza was fantastic on Late Show With David Letterman, progressing from nervous to charming to funny to serious in a 10-minute interview:
And there's even a Minnesota reference thrown in.
• Kelly Brook on a bicycle. That's all.
• As a veteran of many conference calls and planning sessions, I can relate.
• One of my favorite baseball reporters, Marc Carig of the Newark Star Ledger, gave a lengthy, interesting interview about the beat writing world.
• Based on these photos Sammy Sosa seems really bothered by the constant steroid talk.
• If she's in, then I'm out.
• As someone who co-created a similarly ambitious independent sportswriting site I'm rooting extremely hard for Tom Scharpling, Bethlehem Shoals, Eric Freeman, and The Classical.
• My favorite review of "Gleeman and The Geek" was posted after the podcast's first episode:
This is a good medium for Gleeman. He writes like an arrogant spiteful jerk, but he seems like a good guy talking to you.
Aw, shucks.
• My second favorite review of the podcast was sent to the show's Twitter account:
Listening to "Gleeman and The Geek" it hit me: If you close your eyes, Aaron Gleeman sounds like Christopher Walken.
I'd never really heard myself talk for an extended period of time before, but I now realize how ridiculous and inexplicable my accent is for someone who's lived in Minnesota for his entire life. Based on the early feedback I sound like a mix of Christopher Walken, Michael Rapaport, and the "Da Bears" guys from Saturday Night Live. You can, of course, judge for yourself.
• Harris Wittels, Chelsea Peretti, and Adam Scott on "Comedy Bang Bang" might have been the hardest I've ever laughed at a podcast.
• Official Fantasy Girl of AG.com candidate Diora Baird was a recent guest on Riki Lindhome's new "Making It" podcast.
• Alex Rodriguez cares more about gambling than what MLB thinks about his gambling and as a fellow degenerate I approve.
• Mixed martial arts was already rapidly ascending into the mainstream, but the UFC signing a long-term deal with FOX and FX should move things along even more quickly. And they're not messing around with the first event.
• Bruce Feldman leaving ESPN for CBS is a very interesting story.
• Renowned never-nude enthusiast and 47-year-old comedian/actor David Cross got engaged to 28-year-old actress Amber Tamblyn.
• Bill Simmons and my dad hang out in the same places, apparently.
• Last week was my five-year anniversary at NBC, so if you haven't already maybe think about checking out HardballTalk.
• Finally, this week's AG.com-approved music video is James Taylor and Joe Walsh teaming up for a live cover of "Goodnight Irene" on Howard Stern's show: