Fries and Ketchup

The weekly column where we try and mention anything we missed in the last week (or longer). It's a lot like those moments when you're out of ketchup, at a fine fast food restaurant, but lack the energy to go and get more; so you scrape away at the dregs on your hamburger wrapper, until all you can see is silver aluminum foil. It's classy, yet unrefined.

Langston's Photo Challenge: Langston put together the lineup on the left, and his challenge for all of us is to figure out and explain which one of these things is not like the other. Wow, this just became a much more serious Sesame Street. HINT: Think like a sports monopoly.

While Staring at the Constellations of the NBA Universe:

* Ricky Rubio announced his plans to leave Spanish basketball club DKV Joventut, the team he's played for since he was 14.

Did Rubio make this decision as one of the box car children? Seriously, did he sit around in his garage, on the Igloo cooler, with his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, lower lip out, contemplating where to run away? The world can be a heavy place for a kid, and, in such turbulent times a kid has to make plans, and plans require choices. Minnesota? Some other NBA team? Real Madrid? Barcelona? How does one pay for the buyout, a train ticket, and food? Can I make it as a hobo? Should I take the dog with me? My dog could hunt for food, right? And, if he doesn't, then I can just eat dog meat for two weeks? How long does it take dog meat to spoil? How long does it take potential to spoil?

Please, David Kahn, find a home for Ricky. Bring him to Minnesota, where he can be the Joe Hardy to Al Jefferson's Frank Hardy, and Kevin Love can be their chubby friend Chet. The Hardy Boys were always superior to the Boxcar Children.

*My heart was set on Rasheed Wallace. As soon as I got the news that 'Sheed broke up with his steady girlfriend Detroit, I thought he and I were meant to be in San Antonio. I thought his fiery temper that cloaks a cold interior and Duncan's ice-covered flame would form the perfect bond, like the Earth and the Moon. I was mistaken, and 'Sheed wound up going to the Prom with Boston, and San Antonio wound up with Antonio McDyess. It reminded me of high school, when I would focus too much on one girl and lose sight of the others. In the moment, I was devastated, but, in hindsight, the other girls were always the better choice. McDyess was the more productive player last year, so, maybe his signing is a chance to take the right girl to the Prom.

*The Spurs also signed Theo Ratliff, which fits with their tradition of going for veteran, defensive-minded players. The Spurs got younger this summer, but, with the McDyess and Ratliff signings, along with Duncan, Mahimi, Ginobili, and Blair they still resemble the VFW. Between those six guys, one might find one serviceable ankle, one and a half knee caps, one ACL, some chewing gum, a rubber band, and a few stories about meeting Charlie eye to eye in the jungle.

*Why isn't the Celtics potential signing of Marquis Daniels fielding more attention? Couldn't this move potentially improve their team just as much, if not more, than their signing of 'Sheed, or am I still stuck in 2006?

Books:

I just finished Chuck Klosterman's Downtown Owl, his first novel. It's a good read, and it's a quick read.

The novel focuses on a small town in North Dakota where nothing happens. Think Fargo without all the violence. Think Richard Russo's Empire Falls but with more pop culture savvy; the '70s and '80s music references are hilarious. The allusions to George Orwell's 1984 are also cleverly done.

Music:

Here's an interview with Mos Def about one of his favorite emcees. I found it hilarious, but I also liked Be Kind Rewind, minus the first half hour.

The lyrics Mos recites are from MF Doom's Mm...Food mix tape, but any hip hop fan should check out Doom's latest album Born Like This.