Recommended links, April 4
The Internet is a big scary place, kind of like the cantina bar on Tatooine in Star Wars. (I refuse to call it Episode IV: A New Hope. To hell with that, Lucas.) It's so scary, in fact, that I just found out, through Google, that the name of the Star Wars cantina is actually Mos Eisley Cantina, which kind of blows my mind and convinces me, completely, that geeks will soon run the world, and we're all going to wish we were nicer in gym class when it was time to play dodgeball or floor hockey.
Anyway, it's scary enough that you need a little guide occasionally, so each week, we'll try to share some of the best links out there for your reading and viewing pleasure. Feel free to recommend your own as well. You can post them below, or e-mail me, and I'll give you credit in next week's link recommendation.
First up this week is a lengthy, but hilarious piece from Deadspin.com by Pat Jordan, one of the best magazine writers in the business, on his attempts to track down Jose Canseco for a magazine profile. You will laugh at least twice. It's as funny as Jose's fashion sense. (See: Right.)
Next, check out this story from ESPN: The Magazine by Tom Friend on one of the strangest at-bats in baseball last season, when Tony Gwynn Jr., playing for the Brewers, faced his childhood hero, Trevor Hoffman, playing for the Padres, with a playoff spot on the line.
Natalie Chernitzky, a die-hard Orioles fan who says she'll "never abandon the O's," sent me this cool YouTube video tribute to Nick Markakis that she made, set to the sounds of "Who We Are" by Lifehouse. Cool stuff, Natalie.
In honor of the upcoming Masters, curl up with this piece, "Holy Ground" by ESPN: The Magazine feature writer Wright Thompson -- a wonderful writer and a great dude -- especially if you've ever played golf with your father. It's one of the best stories about fathers and sons you'll ever come across.
Ever been so frustrated during a sporting event that you wanted to hit yourself in the face repeatedly with a tennis racket? No? Then you're probably smarter than Mikhail Yuzhny, who did just that recently.
This is from a little before my time, but watching YouTube clips of Earl Weaver arguing with umpires never gets old, does it? Warning: It is definitely NSFW because of Earl's colorful language. Best watched with headphones on. If fact, if swearing bugs you, skip it altogether. But if not ... enjoy. "You are a liar, Earl! A liar!"
Great story by Jason King of Yahoo.com on the difficulty North Carolina coach Roy Williams is facing going up against his old team, and how he can't understand why so many Jayhawks fans are still bitter that he left them.
I always love stories where sports and religion are either clashing, or coexisting, which is why I enjoyed this New York Times piece about a Russian Orthodox Jew studying to be a rabbi, who also happens to be a world class boxer.
In case you missed it, my buddy Rick Maese wrote a really strong piece about Stanford basketball player Candice Wiggins, daughter of former Oriole Alan Wiggins. Her father died of complications related to AIDS in 1991.
Thanks plenty for a great first week with lots of comments and feedback. I'll be blogging some this weekend from a swim meet in Columbus, since I'm chasing Michael Phelps on the road to Beijing. Got a question, a rant, a complaint or just an observation you'd like to see answered or commented on? Shoot me an e-mail (kevin.vanvalkenburg@baltsun.com) and I'll try to get to it in next week's mailbag. Have a good weekend, everyone.
KVV
