A MAGIC MOMENT

DEREK JETER: HUG-UP

Posted by Robert Angell in  The New Yorker

“How shall we say this? That Derek Jeter got it done? That Derek is the first and only Yankee to attain three thousand hits—can that still be right?—

“Nothing went wrong on (that) brilliant, blue-sky Saturday afternoon. Two hits shy of the tri-millennial mark, Jeter amped expectations with his first-inning single against the Tampa Bay lefty David Price. “Now!” said the forty-eight thousand one hundred and eight fans on hand—not counting the right-field bleacher chorus chanting “Der-ek Je-tuh! De-rek Je-tuh!”—when he stepped in again against Price in the third. The tough at-bat went to three and two, with two more full-count fouls, and Jeter looked almost awkward as he bent and swung at an inside curveball and got all of it, driving the ball into the second tier of seats in the left center-field bleachers.”

Magic.

THE COURT SAID ACC

THE GAME WAS CLASSIC BIG EAST

Following yesterday’s Syracuse – Pitt basketball game the New York Athletic Commission announced that any future SU – Pitt games cannot be held in Syracuse until New York State legalizes Mixed Martial Arts contests.

HELPFUL CAROLINA TIP

Walking around in the snow and ice that's hit much of the East Coast can be a treacherous undertaking. But forget fancy snow boots with grips. Just pull some socks over your shoes.

Yes, you heard right. And science proves it. 

Wearing socks over your shoes is a great way to get more traction and avoid slipping on ice, according to a real, actual study in the New Zealand Medical Journal, titled "Preventing winter falls: a randomised controlled trial of a novel intervention."

WATCH CABLE NEWS, BECOME DUMB

During George Zimmerman's trial for the alleged murder of Trayvon Martin, the media relied mostly on one man for pro-Zimmerman commentary: his friend and fellow neighborhood watch volunteer, Frank Taaffe. It has since come to light that Taaffe is an ex-con and fervent white supremacist who believes that whites and blacks have no business mingling and claims that "the only time a black life is validated is when a white person kills them." He also hosts a white-power podcast. On one episode last fall he argued that all women who married black men would probably meet the same fate as Nicole Brown Simpson. ("I always say, you lie down with dogs you're going to get fleas—especially if they're black dogs.")

Nevertheless, the cable news networks have continued to give Taaffe airtime. Most recently, CNN's sister network, HLN, has been tapping him for commentary on the case of Michael Dunn, who, like Zimmerman, stands accused of murdering a black teenager in Florida. In the last few days, Taaffe has appeared on HLN at least six times, and he says on his Facebook page that he's slated to make nightly appearances on two HLN shows, Nancy Grace and Dr. Crew on Call, for the remainder of the week. 

MOVE TO KANSASS, BECOME DUMBER

On Wednesday, the Kansass House of Representatives took a step back to the 1890s with a bill to legalize discrimination against gay couples. Approved by a vote of 72 to 49, House Bill No. 2453 would allow businesses and government employees, on the basis of their personal religious beliefs, to deny service to same-sex couples. The law specifies businesses with “public accommodations,” but—in effect—that covers almost everything.

What does this mean in the real world? If you and your partner want to go buy groceries, but the owner—or manager—doesn’t “agree” with your relationship, they can refuse you service. If you want to go the movies, and the owner decides she’s uncomfortable—she can kick you out. Hotels can deny entry, gyms can deny access, and restaurants can eject you without consequence.

To put this simply, the Kansass House has just endorsed a comprehensive system of anti-gay discrimination. If it becomes law—which isn’t unlikely, given Republican control of the statehouse and governorship—it will yield a segregated world for gays and their allies, as they are forced to use businesses and other services that aren’t hostile to them.

MARRIED MEN, THE DUMBEST EVER

For the first time since the Pew Research Center has kept track of such things, the percentage of American women who are more highly educated than their husbands is higher than the percentage of husbands who have more degrees than their wives.

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