I Have GOT To Get Out Of This Business, Part XIII

Hearst Threatens to End San Francisco Paper

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

Hearst Corporation said Tuesday that it would close or sell The San Francisco Chronicle unless it could wring concessions from its unions, raising the prospect of San Francisco becoming the largest city in the country to lose its dominant newspaper.

Hearst said The Chronicle, which has daily circulation of 339,000, lost more than $50 million in 2008 and will lose more this year. It has had significant losses every year since 2001.

“Without the specific changes we are seeking across the entire Chronicle organization, we will have no choice but to quickly seek a buyer for The Chronicle or, should a buyer not be found, to shut the newspaper down,” said a statement by Frank A. Bennack Jr., Hearst’s vice chairman and chief executive, and Steven R. Swartz, president of its newspaper division. The company did not specify those changes, other than “a significant reduction in the number of its unionized and nonunion employees.”

The California Media Guild, which represents many Chronicle employees, had no immediate response to the ultimatum, which union officials said surprised them.

A Hearst executive called the statement “a warning” to the unions, and said that the company did not want to close the paper. He was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the company.

Hearst owned The San Francisco Examiner for more than a century, but the rival Chronicle became the city’s dominant paper. In 2000, Hearst bought The Chronicle for $660 million, and sold The Examiner. But it kept many Examiner workers, significantly increasing the size and cost of The Chronicle’s staff.

Since 2006, newspaper advertising revenue has plunged nationwide, and more so in California. The Chronicle has made deep cuts, signed a contract to outsource printing and explored selling its building. The Examiner, which has a much smaller staff, is now a free paper.

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Wow. If the primary paper in a city of 750,000 isn't safe...

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth: Wings of Steel II

- Whoa, that's Brenda Warner? I haven't seen her since the last time Kurt was good. She grew her hair out and dyed it blonde and looks about 12 years younger.

- Heh. Did you see Kurt get startled and turn his head real quick when the military detail was announced?

- No way this thing starts before 6:35.

- A "Sell Avon" spot? Really? Really?

- Twelve straight coin flip wins for the NFC? Rigged.

- 6:33. Well, lost that one.

- Ward's knee looks fine to me. Hey, nice pass coverage!

- Ben's rolling out really far back. Is he gonna take it himself? DING. Hmmm. Looking at the replays I don't think he made it. And it gets overturned. Now what? Yeah, kick it.

- The "Jr." is a nice touch for this game.

- Washington catches one of those seemingly every game. Nice job by Rodgers-Cromartie to run that down.

- Doritos II: At least he survived the bus crash. The first one was better though.

- Russell's definitely in.

- Well, you knew you weren't going to hold this offense down forever.

- That's actually an interesting video package on Warner's feet getting stepped on all the time in those situations.

- You gotta be kidding me. Wait there's a flag? It's AGAINST THE CARDINALS? That's unbelievable. Harrison was down in exhaustion for about two minutes.

- They're looking at this. I don't think he steps out. You watch that, and you see he almost gets knocked down by his own guy at about the 30, then he breaks two diving tackles, almost steps out of bounds, then lands on Fitzgerald - who was about two steps behind him for half the run - in the end zone.

- WTF at Bruce's intro. "Put the chicken fingers DOWN!" Careful down there! Watch the edge of that stage! Wow, I figured they'd close with "Born to Run". This is the new one right here. And I figured they'd open with "Glory Days". I should've booked this set. Seriously. I do dig the swinging guitars at the end. This was good. Lots of energy.

- That wasn't Scorsese in a Denny's commercial, was it? Man, times are tough.

- Yeah, that's the right call. So the Cardinals get a third challenge, I believe, since they won their first two.

- I'm watching Holmes count his players on the field, and I'm wondering what happens if there are too many guys. I assume he calls a time out, but how long does it take for him to tell them why?

- And here are the Cardinals we know and love. That's two awful penalties. And there's a third? What? He ran over the holder? You gotta be kidding me! How does that even happen? Oh. The Cards are lucky the Steelers didn't get a touchdown there 'cause this game's over if they had.

- Careerbuilder.com has taken a commanding lead. That one was in danger of going on too long before they hit you with "and you sit next to this guy."

- Warner only weighs 203? That'd make him the smallest QB in the league, right?

- I'm not sure about the PI on Hood. I think the ball's there; I don't think he got there early.

- Lots of passing on this drive (because the Cardinals ran the ball in about four games this season, and they damn sure weren't doing it against this defense.) Heck of a time for a Jerheme Urban sighting. Or J.J. Arrington. Fitz has hops.

- You know who's been big in this game is Breaston. (And you know who's done almost nothing is Boldin.) And that's a bad holding penalty.

- Punting's the best move. That's too far for Rackers and the odds are against you on 4th and 20.

- The hell is Harrison doing?

- That's an odd play call, going play action there. That second burst, that forward fall, may have gotten Parker out of the end zone but I'm not sure. That's a sick catch by Holmes. Wait, what? HOLDING IN THE END ZONE! That's two points, people. Yeah, you can't take the guy down like that.

- YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! There was a massive gap in that zone and Warner threw it right to that gap. Also, who knew Fitzgerald was that fast? Where are my canned goods?

- Why is the Steelers' fullback returning kickoffs? It wasn't a squib.

- All right, Ben. Here it is. Santonio! SANTONIOOOOOOOO. How does he get so open there? Oh, his man fell down. You know who we haven't heard much from tonight is Hines Ward. That one was too high. Holy crap. They'll be looking at this one. Oh, he's got it. He's got that.

- They at least gave that a passing glance, right? I mean, I doubt it would have mattered in the end but it'd be nice to know.

- Holmes is the MVP? I'm fine with that. I think he's scored a touchdown in every playoff game he's played in. Let me check. Yep, he sure has.

- Three of the Steelers' six Super Bowl MVPs have been wide receivers, which seems strange considering their reputation for defense and running, but those offenses, especially during the late 70's, could be explosive at times.

- I'll say mostly the same thing I said after 38: I will not call this the best Super Bowl I've ever seen - the last one Warner was in was a better overall game. And 23 (Niners-Bengals II) remains second - that last drive was art, a master at work. I'll put this in the second tier, with Elway's first win and Rams-Titans. Had it gone to overtime, maybe it's a different story.

FINAL RANKINGS:
1. Pittsburgh - Survived the crucible
2. Baltimore - Probably would've gotten the same result
3. Arizona - Can they avoid the letdown fall?

30. Kansas City - Todd Haley, come on down?
31. Cleveland - Jumping on Mangini immediately was... odd
32. Detroit - I say this every year. This time I absolutely mean it. TRADE. THE. PICK.

What's In A Name

So yeah, this is really weird and Twitterish in-my-own-head stuff but I'm putting it here anyway.

You know the the blonde bartender in the Budweiser commercials who's always extolling the virtues of Bud? (And what does she actually care which beer her patrons drink? She getting a kickback?) The ones that end with Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" playing in the background? Yeah. Well, I always called her "Christine" in my head just becuase I felt like she should have a name. I didn't think anything of it; I mean, she doesn't look more like a Christine than anything else or anything like that.

It turns out I was right.







Yeah, I'll just let that sit there, a nice bit of obscure knowledge you can take and pass on to others.

The Top 15 Of 2008

MISSING THE CUT:
Muse - "Starlight"
Cut/Copy - "Lights and Music"
Lucinda Williams - "It's a Long Way to the Top"
Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love" (The distaff British Invasion Of 2008 started here)
Duffy - "Warwick Avenue"
Kardinal Offishal (feat. Akon) - "Dangerous"
N.E.R.D. - "Everyone Nose"

15. Flobots - "Handlebars"
My initial reaction to hearing this for the first time was "What the hell is this? Is it from 2002?" And it sure sounds like it. But there's a lot more going on here under the surface, as Jonny 5 (gotta love a Short Circuit reference) explains.

14. The Fashion - "Like Knives"
The obligatory Madden 09 soundtrack selection.

13. Airbourne - "Runnin' Wild"
There's something going on in Australia where every couple years a new band breaks out that rocks harder than the one that broke out before it. These guys aren't just the natural evolution from Jet and Wolfmother, they clearly worship at the altar of AC/DC more so than any band before them.

12. Duffy - "Mercy"
Aimee certainly isn't the first of the wave of big-voiced British soul singers. I doubt she'll be the last, and she might not even be the best. She just happens to be the latest and the cutest (unless Joss Stone's a blonde again and I missed it), and her heart isn't just on her sleeve on Rockferry, it's wrapped around it tighter than a blood pressure monitor. She could have made this year's list three times. Interestingly, with a different treatment, this becomes a country album. I'll leave the merits of that possibility to the reader.

11. Pacifika - "Sweet"
A light, breezy debut from this trio straight outta Vancouver (by way of Peru and Milwaukee). Latina magazine (Jessica Alba was on the cover. What of it?) described them as "a sexier Thievery Corporation" and I'm on board with that.

10. Staind - "Believe"
Well, they've officially crossed over to the other side. Another one of the sweeping four-minute epics that Aaron Lewis & Co. have done so well for years - and maybe the brightest in tone.

9. Coldplay - "Viva la Vida"
Speaking of sweeping epics...

8. Lupe Fiasco - "Superstar"
The hook can stand on its own. Lupe's ode to fame and... well, more fame makes sure it doesn't have to.

7. Snow Patrol - "Take Back the City"
What a find this was. This is lead singer Gary Lightbody's ode to the comeback of his home city of Belfast, Ireland. "The scars of conflict are still there, but Belfast is regenerating so rapidly."

6. R.E.M. - "Supernatural Superserious"
Man, Accelerate got overlooked. Seriously, check this out - it's their hardest-rocking effort in years.

5. Estelle (feat. Kanye West) - "American Boy"
And thus, the female British Invasion is complete. This was also the best thing Kanye did all year.

4. Gnarls Barkley - "Run"
They've done it again. It's part nursery rhyme, part cautionary tale (though what it's cautioning us against is unclear), all seizure-inducing. No, really. This was the song that MTV pulled the original video for because the visual effects might cause seizures in viewers.

3. Jay-Z - "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)"
A future New Year's Eve party anthem in high-end clubs everywhere.

2. Weezer - "Troublemaker"
It's your typical bouncy Weezer rocker (much in the tradition of the Blue and Green albums before it) with a theme of defiance based on youthful ignorance. You have to admire a video that gets made for almost the sole purpose of breaking a bunch of records, including "Most Ridiculous Porn Mustache." (Seriously, Rivers. Kill that thing before it bites your nose off.)

1. The Hold Steady - "Sequestered in Memphis"
A crowded bar. A lonely man. An incident of mysterious circumstances. Possible beer goggles. Enough sardonic wit to kill a bull elephant at 50 yards. All done by a bunch of guys who look like your high school's A/V club. Well, they've certainly got the "A" down pat.

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Now playing: Feist - 1234 (last year's #15)
via FoxyTunes

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth: Deja Vu All Over Again

I think I can safely say that when this is over, no matter the outcome, we'll all be saying to ourselves, "How the hell did that happen?" That was one ugly exchange all around. Donovan's making some bad throws and he's not getting a lot of help on his good throws. For example: Nice adjustment, Lewis, but you gotta catch it afterwards instead of letting it bounce off your hands. CHICANERY! Wow. Fitzgerald basically can't be stopped right now. Certainly not by a rookie safety who seems to be getting more playing time than he has all year up to this point. What's going on here is that in the first game, the Eagles were able to slow things down at the source by harassing and baiting Warner into a bunch of bad throws and picks. That hasn't happened so far today. It's not even that they're not getting to him; it's that they're not even getting close enough to mess up his timing. I haven't given Fitz the respect he deserves in this space over the years - if there's a better wide receiver out there than him right now, I want to know his name. I think the ball touches Abiamiri but after he's out of bounds, when it bounces up and hits his hip after he slides out of bounds. Oh, forget it then. Is Boldin even playing? Oh, there he is. Really? That's the first time Brown's been beaten for a touchdown all year?

Hey, a Kevin Curtis sighting! And in the meantime it's become the Brent Celek Show again. A 40-second drive? Do the Cardinals want to win this game? You know who else is having a really bad day is David Akers. Seriously, a missed field goal in a dome, a kickoff out of bounds, and now a missed PAT? The Eagles got lucky on the Jackson touchdown - that ball went right through Rodgers-Cromartie's hands. This would be such a Cardinals way to lose. Fitzgerald can't be covered with three guys. Is Whisenhunt going for it here? Wow. That almost didn't work. OK, the Cardinals aren't supposed to be able to grind their way down the field like this. Wait, how was that not pass interference? And yet... that was such a Cardinals way to beat the Eagles. From Charley Trippi to Boomer Esiason (yes, really) to Chris Jacke to MarTay Jenkins to Jake Plummer, and now to Warner and Fitzgerald. I'm not nearly as upset as I probably should be because: 1) the Cardinals have done this to us repeatedly over the years (seriously, six years after Pearl Harbor, the Cards scored 38 unanswered points in the second half against the Eagles) and 2) it was a game we probably shouldn't have been in in the first place. Still, the Cardinals? In the SUPER BOWL?! I'd recommend taking these next two weeks to get right with your Maker. Repent. REPENT! (Cardinals 32, Eagles 25)

Put the women and children to bed. In a way, I guess you could say they are in a steel cage. At least the snow's stopped. Oooh, Ward limping off is not a good sign for the Steelers. Get used to seeing a lot of Jeff Reed. The Ravens should probably think about trying to tackle Holmes or slow him down or something. McGahee just saved Flacco's ass with that block on Woodley. It's unfortunate timing for the Steelers that the Ravens started losing DBs by the truckload after Ward went out. So what are they reviewing here? Holmes caught it, but his knee hit before the ball crossed the plane. It's first and goal at the 1. Or at least it should be. Are you kidding me? Did they really just rule that incomplete? He caught it! Unbelievable. Wow, that roughing the kicker was awfully close. And upon further review, the guy didn't even touch him. Clearly a makeup from the botched Holmes call. And how do the Steelers not even get a field goal off?

It's interesting that the Ravens are still in this game given that the Steelers are basically making Flacco try to beat them. Limas Sweed is no Hines Ward, I'll tell you that. And now they're really back in it after the McGahee touchdown. Well, that was dumb. He just threw that guy to the ground. Polamalu! Well, that's that. You know, Quintin Demps' late hit on Warner was boneheaded. That unnecessary roughness penalty on the punt return (which isn't being talked about nearly as much) was catastrophically boneheaded. Congratulations, Darin Stone. You just cost your team a trip to the Super Bowl. If the Ravens are at the 40, the play-calling completely changes and they probably don't take the sack two plays later. The hit on McGahee is... borderline. It looks like Clark tries to turn at the last second to get his shoulder into the hit. That's not the first time he's hit somebody so hard that he needed a moment to recover. Yeah, this was basically what we expected. (Steelers 23, Ravens 14)

Big In 2008

Best Read: "The Things That Carried Him", Esquire, May 2008

Favorite New Toy: My pizza stone

Most Unexpected Development: Super Bowl XLII/The discovery that my mother actually watched a live sporting event on the Internet

Rock Star Moment: Played my first hand of live poker. J-9 offsuit. I won. (It was all downhill from there.)

Worst Rap Name: Plies (defeated Kardinal Offishal in a runoff)

Welcome Back: R.E.M.

Blog Post of the Year: Grand Theft Cable

People I'm Glad I Wasn't: 1. Roger Clemens; 2. Associated with the Journal Register Company; 3. A Seattle sports fan

The 2008 Allison Stokke Award, International Edition: Leryn Franco

The 2008 Allison Stokke Award, Domestic Edition: Alicia Sacramone

Much Funnier Now Than When They Wrote It: "Your boyfriend is a very bad man."

Underrated Hottie: Natalie Coughlin (Yes. Still. Four years later.)

I've Seen Just About Enough Of: This Twilight business

I've Seen Entirely Too Much Of: Heidi and/or Spencer

Clearly, I Deserve To Be Taken Seriously: "Understand this: Mike Shanahan will never be fired."

Grandest Discovery (Or, This Year's Freshly Ground Pepper): Sea salt. You think I'm going back? I'm not going back.

Biggest Oversight: How 34 people comment on this and not one of them say anything about the headline

Michael Phelps Moment of the Year: The Borgata poker room stopping and giving a standing ovation after he won No. 8

A Thousand Words In a Moving Picture: Ladies and gentlemen, YOUR 2008 Detroit Lions!

Ambitions For 2009: Probably the same as for 2006, which says... something

And Last, But Certainly Not Least:



World. Fucking. Champions.

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth: Wings of Steel

That catch by Mason was amazing and not at all the type of play you'd expect to see from either one of these teams. This is getting ugly. Did the Titans really not score there? What a bad time to cough one up. Johnson going out is really handcuffing the Titans' offense - they can't change gears on the ground, and it's not like their receivers are even as good as the Ravens'. Crumpler got drilled. How many chances are the Titans gonna blow here? I feel like all of this plays out differently if Johnson's in the game. Wait, the play clock not only clearly reached zero, but it sat there for like another second afterwards. What's up with that? And where did Heap's helmet land? I think when Finnegan went down, his legs got caught up with the other guy. Stover usually makes these. It's GOOD. I saw somewhere that both top seeds haven't made the Super Bowl since one of the Cowboys-Bills matchups, possibly the first one. And the Titans will join the multitude of teams sitting at home kicking themselves. (Ravens 13, Titans 10)

And this is what the Panthers do. That swing pass to Arrington? Not the best play call there. The heck? Delhomme threw that one right to him. Lather, rinse, repeat. The Beason pick was just what the Panthers needed. And they give it right back. This game's over. Where did this defense come from? I know Delhomme's been brutal, but this was still a game until the Fitzgerald touchdown, and Carolina's running backs haven't done anything since that first drive. It's Delhomme's birthday? Who the hell booked this? (Cardinals 33, Panthers 13)

And you better believe both of these teams are happy about that. Eli is... off. That safety seemed pretty much inevitable. McNabb is also struggling. That decision to rewind the play at the two-minute warning was... strange. They're dropping like flies out there. It's been weird to watch the Eagles not respecting their opponents' wide receivers. Curtis saved a touchdown there by basically tripping up Robbins with his fingertips. And Carney misses another one. How many chances are the Giants gonna blow here? You know what this is reminding me of? The Eagles-Bengals game where Reid kept calling pass plays even though McNabb was clearly off his game against a defense that's only strength was its two corners. That 3rd and 20 to Avant was huge. You know who's been completely taken out of the game is Westbrook. Seriously, Buckhalter's been much more productive. The next touchdown's winning this game. Aaand there it is. Nice cross-up. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mannings don't make money with their feet. That was the worst quarterback sneak of all time. That was Toomer's first catch? Wow. And they haven't thrown to Boss at all in the second half. Jacobs didn't even get close. McNabb wasn't as great as the media will say he was (though he was much better in the second half), but Eli absolutely sucked. (Eagles 23, Giants 11)

The Chargers can't be happy to see this. By the way, Sproles getting 300-plus total yards? Not happening this week. Well, that was quick. Huh. I thought Holmes was closer to the sideline than he actually was when he jumped over the guy - I thought he'd gone out of bounds. We're watching a textbook two-minute drill here, folks. The Steelers are really grinding now. That's half the quarter gone. Did he get in? Uh-oh, there goes Sproles. OOPS. Wait, what happened? The punt hit him in the head? Have the Chargers had the ball since halftime? Oh, yeah, the pick. This is the most effective Parker's been in about six weeks. Kick it. KICK IT. See? Who in the blue hell is #11? I've never seen him before. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the band to leave. (Steelers 35, Chargers 24)