Ghost town

Remember the very first episode of "The Twilight Zone," where a man finds himself in a town devoid of people and with no memory of who he is?

In Bloomington, where I have my office, an astounding one-third of the city is set aside as park land. Within walking distance of my office are half a dozen parks and playgrounds, many with names that testify to the legacies of Nordic Bloomingtonians of yore (Fenlason Park, Skreibakken Park, Hohag Playlot).

What these spaces testify to mostly, though, is how much summer and childhood have changed since they were built. I sometimes take my lunch to these parks to enjoy some peace and quiet in the middle of the day. And they are peaceful. This entire summer I have not once encountered another soul.

I don't want this to sound like a Horace Bleekman when-I-was-a-boy rant, but where the hell is everybody? I'm not so romantic I expect the parks to be filled with kids playing sandlot baseball. But honestly, where are the children? Day after day after day as I walk and drive around the city I see empty swings, empty slides, empty fields. No bikes, no balls, no kites, no skateboards. Why? I'm not the first person to wonder:

There are many answers, all unsatisfactory. Two income families need to have their kids in day care or summer camps. It's not safe anymore to let kids take their bikes and play out across the neighborhood. Or maybe just blame it on the iPod and the Xbox, and the other indoor trappings of the text message generation.

I was going to take this same series of photos to illustrate this post, but why bother? Hillsborough will do as well as Bloomington.

These days maybe adults are better at playing for play's sake. Let me know if you will or will not be at St. John's tomorrow. We say we tip off at 8:00, but really we just start whenever we have enough guys. We don't keep score, we play as long as we feel like it, and we go home when Mom calls us.

Who’s in charge here?

Posted by Paul A. Bard

President Merkin Muffley: General Turgidson, I find this very difficult to understand. I was under the impression that I was the only one in authority to order the use of nuclear weapons.

General Buck Turgidson: That's right, sir, you are the only person authorized to do so. And although I, uh, hate to judge before all the facts are in, it's beginning to look like, uh, General Ripper exceeded his authority.

Eerie echoes coming through the airwaves last weekend. First on “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me,” Peter Sagal recounted this story: In those early days of the Bush presidency, according to a new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, George W. Bush would get very upset during cabinet meetings when participants directed comments to Vice President Dick Cheney instead of to him. Bush talked to Cheney about it and Cheney agreed to keep a respectful silence, for the most part, from then on.

Then, last weekend, as the Olympics were getting underway in Beijing, TV coverage showed President Bush at several events, cheering on the U.S. Meanwhile, the Russian army was attacking Georgia, and though President Bush did comment the stronger words, arguably, came from Cheney, who said “Russian aggression must not go unanswered.” When asked to expand on that comment, a White House spokesman said that Cheney’s comment meant “it must not stand.”

“This will not stand,” of course, is what the elder President Bush famously said about Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, just before Gulf War I, at which time . . . Dick Cheney was Secretary of Defense.

The juxtaposition of these anecdotes might have you asking “who the heck is in charge here?” But the more urgent question is, as always, will you be there for basketball tomorrow? Tip-off is at 8:00 a.m., as usual. Please let Steve know, etc.

Back to Basics

Posted by Matt V. & Eric R.

We know where the last post went wrong. Men rating other men. Where can that lead? So here we are, back to basics.

Is it just us, or have you noticed a significant lack of fundamentals on the court of late? In the spirit of constructive criticism, we ask you to consider the following:


We have been drilling the Cut With Swerve all week, and if clods like us can pick this up there is hope. Practice starts at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. If all goes well, games may start shortly there after. Please let Steve know if you will or will not be there.

Back from break—sort of

Thanks, all, for your cards and letters. Pat Odean:

I think something can only be said to jump the shark when there's a general consensus that shark jumping has occurred.

Judging by your kind notes and posts there is no such consensus. Paul Bard:

Can the shark, once jumped (though I don't believe for a second that it has), be un-jumped?

Furthermore, is a blog, or any other pop culture endeavor, to be condemned—or admired—for skiing in shark-infested waters, like an Indy race car on the razor's edge between control and disaster?

These are questions for the ages. Or the sages. Or at least for the critics on Entertainment Tonight.

Mike Haney:

These severely understated essays the past couple of weeks lack the punch your fans have come to expect.

Watch for weekly postings to resume—with a twist. I've asked a handful of correspondents to contribute, and am looking forward to their dispatches. I'll keep a hand in to make sure we mainatint he qualtity you've com e ot expect.

In the meantime, hoops at St. John's continues. We tip off tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Please let me know if you will or will not be there.