My Morning in Exile

So I get to take the kids for their H1N1 vaccinations today. That should be a barrel of laughs. On the bright side, they’re spending the night at my folks’ house, so I’ll only have to hear their complaining about it until I drop them off around dinner time. After that, Mrs. Shyster and I grab some fabulous Columbus cuisine and sample the hot Columbus nightlife. Well, what else are we gonna do? We’re all through with “The Wire” DVDs.

  • On the heels of his Cy Young ballot yesterday, you won’t be surprised to learn that Keith Law has Carl Pavano at number one on his annual list of Top 50 free agents.
  • Tim Lincecum’s agent, employer and publicist are very, very sorry for his actions.
  • Gammons and Edes break down the Red Sox’ offseason. They’ll return to pretending to be national as opposed to local columnists later today.
  • Aaron Heilman will definitely be coming out of the pen in Arizona.
  • Stephen Strasburg hurts his knee; Matt Wieters called to lay hands.
  • Paul Lo Duca: he may be old, he may have been a steroid creation, he may have messed around behind his wife’s back with a teenage girl and he may have been caught up in gambling allegations, but . . . wait, I lost my train of thought here. Anyone wanna go get a sandwich?
  • As for “The Wire,” the best thing I got out of it is the certainty that my recent decision to stop watching any non-ballgame-related television was a good one. Unless they bring back “Barney Miller” or something, there’s no way any show can top it, so why waste my time?


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    jake
    14 years ago

    Barnyard buster or liver $ onions?

    Michael Caragliano
    14 years ago

    Still trying to establish if the Tee-Jay’s logo is a chicken or a turducken.

    John_Michael
    14 years ago

    Think I’d have to go with the Friday special: Ribs n Kraut.

    And WOW, those prices are making the East Coasters jealous.

    YankeesfanLen
    14 years ago

    I’m jealous- missed the last Moro Brothers show in Ho-Ho-Kus.

    Wooden U. Lykteneau
    14 years ago

    Craig – Methinks you’d like “Dexter”—a serial killer by night, forensic pathologist by day. The catch? He only kills criminals that have slipped through the cracks of the system… oh, and his late father, a less-than-straight-arrow cop, is the one who came up with “the code” by which he lives!

    scatterbrian
    14 years ago

    Any mention of Paul Lo Duca reminds me of the ridiculous media treatment of Paul DePodesta in LA, which was subsequently adopted by the fanbase. When he traded Lo Duca, he was blasted for dealing him because he was the heart and soul of the team. Since then, practically everything you read about Lo Duca justifies that trade.

    Ben
    14 years ago

    Hate to admit it, but I have on more than one occasion eaten a Barnyard Buster at Morse & High and chased it with beer and ping-pong at El Dorado’s.

    AdrianK
    14 years ago

    I wouldn’t be in such an all-fired rush to get shysterkids to the shooting gallery when we can bring you… http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8370859.stm

    Alex
    14 years ago

    so, Craig, now that you’ve joined the flock of Wire devotees – favorite season?

    Craig Calcaterra
    14 years ago

    Hard to say, Alex. It might be four in terms of quality. But at the same time, I often found four the hardest to watch. Season five often felt over-the-top (in a good way), though I maybe took more enjoyment out of it because I knew it was the last season and spent a lot of time speculating about where things were going.  And ####, three was pretty awesome too.

    Hate to cop out, but every season was outstanding. If I had to rate them I’d go 4, 5, 3, 2, 1, but don’t take that as a slight on one or two.

    The Rabbit
    14 years ago

    I’m jealous.  You’ve got nightlife and everything in Columbus. 
    Entertainment in the Ozarks? You have to catch your food in midair if you want to eat. (Not kidding.) However, this restaurant was named one of the top 10 in the US in the “cheap eats” category by the Travel Channel.
    http://www.throwedrolls.com/

    Wooden U. Lykteneau
    14 years ago

    Throwed rolls? Who sez them there Missouians ain’t edumucated?

    Wooden U. Lykteneau
    14 years ago

    Throwed rolls? Who sez them there Missourians ain’t edumucated?

    Alex K
    14 years ago

    Crazy, another Alex interested in how you like “The Wire” what are the chances?

    Alex K
    14 years ago

    My favorite seasons would go- 4, 1, 3, 5, 2

    hans
    14 years ago

    So TeeJays has a website now. Amazing.

    Alex
    14 years ago

    Interesting that you liked 5 that much, Craig; it was way too over-the-top for me, and the newspaper plot was more self-indulgent and preachy than I thought Simon was capable of.

    My rank: 4, 2 & 3(tie), 1, 5. For some reason I seem to be the only person who liked 2 and the dockworker plot. How ironic is it that the season that had the MOST white people is disliked?

    Pete Toms
    14 years ago

    Don’t give up on TV.  Watch Mad Men.  And if you want some laughs, Nurse Jackie and Bored to Death.

    I can’t be bothered to look up what season it was, but for me the low point of The Wire was the “educators as saviors” storyline.  I don’t hold that profession in high enough regard I guess.  And the last season, which strived to be absurdist, came up a bit short.  But that is all a quibble, you have to admire it for it’s ambition if nothin else.

    Alex K
    14 years ago

    The reason I liked season 2 the least is because it seemed the most unbelievable. 

    What surprises me is that season 1 is ranked so low by the two others that shared their favorites. To me, it was one of the best seasons of television ever.

    Grant
    14 years ago

    Craig, you’re obviously an excellent writer, because you get the crazy in a way that the other CTB writers do not. Congrats and good luck.

    I always want to comment on your posts, but the already-existing commetns are SO BAD.

    Craig Calcaterra
    14 years ago

    The differences in my rankings of the seasons are so slight that they could almost be reversed and I wouldn’t have much trouble. 

    Season one was outstanding. They all were. Season two is obviously the odd one, but it had all kinds of things to recommend it.  Five may have been over the top, but it almost became operatic because of that.

    Chris Purvis
    14 years ago

    So happy that you found The Wire.  No other TV comes close.  As for me, I’ll take season 4, then 3, then 2, then 1, then 5.