'You got a no-no goin'...'

No Mas, a New York-based apparel and art company, created a video about Dock Ellis' 1970 no-hitter. Ellis, a Pittsburgh Pirate at the time, claims to have pitched the game under the influence of LSD. The Dallas Observer published a piece in 2005 that claimed Ellis was so disoriented from a drug- and alcohol-fueled bender that he did not know what day of the week it was:

Ellis remained calm. The game would start late. Ample time for the acid to wear off. Then it struck him: doubleheader. The Pirates had a doubleheader. And he was pitching the first game. He had four hours to get to San Diego, warm up and pitch. If something didn't happen in the interim, Dock Philip Ellis, age 25, was about to enter a 50,000-seat stadium and throw a very small ball, very hard, for a very long time, without the benefit of being able to, you know, feel the thing...

Levi's Turn

Leave it to a brand to spark my patriotism:

America used to love Gingers...

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when a bright-eyed, freckly-cheeked redhead was the unofficial poster child for the American Boy. In post WWII United States, during the golden era of economic growth, suburban sprawl, TV dinners and giant Buicks, the American Ideal was at its strongest realization in our country's history. At this height of national stability, we represented ourselves with a symbol that has since become a thing of mystery, a thing we fear and misunderstand... a thing we as Americans have turned our back on. I'm talking about the American Redhead.

From Norman Rockwell to The Andy Griffith Show, popular culture in this country embraced redheads as the sweet, innocent face of our nation's prosperity and bright future.

As the American Ginger faded from the limelight, so has America's standing in the world as a beacon of happiness, hope, pride and prosperity. These days, I see no little Ronnie Howards lithping their way across our TV screens, I see no redheaded boys with fishing poles and rolled up overalls... in fact, the American Redhead has become the butt of jokes from a nation whose identity has become all but lost.

For the sake of our future as a great nation, I urge you as patriots to again embrace those who served as the face of America's finest years in its existence...

Embrace the American Redhead.

BTHOMP juggles, who knew?!

I've never been able to juggle. I've never practiced. I got home late from work last night to find juggling balls on the kitchen table. My roomate got em at some random event he attended. Within 2 minutes, I was able to keep a decent juggle going and it blew my mind. Where and when did I learn to juggle? How come I can do it now, and never before? The world may never know...

Mark Weaver: The Crowned Prince of Prints

I stumbled upon a few of Mark Weaver's print designs on a blog by the guy who is head designer at Gant Rugger. This style is right up my alley as the lines are clean, the images are vintage and the overall voice is consistent with his signature throughout.

Mark's from Boston and now based in Atlanta. You can check out a bunch of his work and photos HERE.

"If it wasn't for Jews, fags, and gypsies, there would be no theater."

The above quote is from the 1983 film To Be Or Not To Be starring the one-and-only Mel Brooks. It's basically a remake of a comedy-drama from 1942 of the same title, with much dialogue taken verbatim from the original. The film was nominated for an Oscar for comedic performance, but wasn't the box office smash to which Mel Brooks had become accustomed throughout the 70's.

An associated promotional gem was just brought to my attention by a friend, and it blew my socks off. On the movie's sountrack album, but not in the movie, was this novelty rap song song entitled To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap). It was released as a single, complete with the music video below, and peaked at #12 on the US charts in February 1984. Not surprising, as it's a fantastic dance tune that's sure to rock any party, even in 2010. Enjoy!

Rocking the Rock n Roll Half Marathon, Version 2.0

Reppin' Rosenblum


Actually smiled when crossing the finish line, as opposed to last year when I nearly died doing so :)

So, having broken my foot a few months ago, I was a bit leary about running in this year's RnR Half Marathon. Over the past few weeks, once out of my walking cast, I began jogging around town again, trying to get back in shape. I certainly don't feel as in-shape as this time last year, but I somehow managed to accomplish my goal: Beat last year's time (my first half marathon).

Last year, I finished with a time of 1:36:31 and placed 282 out of 15,682 finishers.

This time, I ended up running under a co-worker's name at the last minute, since the race sold out long before race day. Adrienne Rosenblum was my racing alias, and I did her name proud.

Bib # 17362

13.1 miles

1:31:47 finish time

174th Overall, out of 17,593 finishers

FIVE minutes faster than last year. Aww yeah.