Day: August 10, 2007

Discovery disbands without backer

Discovery disbands without backer

Sad news:

“Lance Armstrong’s former team Discovery is to disband at the end of the season after failing to find a new sponsor.”

$45 million over three years is a steep price in sports marketing to be associated with the most tainted sports of all. Sad, the legacy of Discovery — formerly US Postal — as the team that drove Armstrong to seven Tour de France palmares should have been as one of the preeminent franchises in any sport. Now it sputters out without a whimper like my subscription to VeloNews which expires with the current issue.

Let’s see if pro cycling’s slide in irrelevancy does two things:

1. Kill off the big surge in yuppie cyclists (self included) riding $10,000 bikes

2. Cause other sports to crack down preemptively on doping to keep their ranks clean (except pro wrestling which needs freaks as part of the draw).

Guess my new Giro Discovery helmet is destined to become a collector’s item someday.

Giant statue of Hadrian unearthed – Book Recommendation

Giant statue of Hadrian unearthed

“Parts of a huge, exquisitely carved statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian have been found at an archaeological site in south-central Turkey.The original statue would have stood 4m-5m in height, experts estimate.

His achievements include the massive wall built across the width of northern Britain which bears his name.”

A reminder, one of my favorite novels, historical or otherwise, is Marguerite Yourcenar’s  Memoirs of Hadrian. Published in France in 1951, it is a favorite recommended to me by a college girlfriend. Yourcenar’s The Abyss is another great find.

Burrito Blog

Burrito Blog

Into the blog roll goes this foodie blog — an excellent stroll through taqueria cuisine.

Being a big fan of the urban food log burrito, this is the mexican equivalent of the excellent pizza blog, Slice

(given the food content of today’s posts, can we guess who came off of a ten day fast?)

Random greatest hits …

This is a personal list, nothing more

Greatest novel: The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy. This one was declared by Uncle Fester, who has impeccable taste in all things and is not known for backing off of declarations such as the ..

.

Greatest album: Again, Fester made the claim, and I agree: Astral Weeks, Van Morrison. Here is Jimmy Guterman on this masterpiece.


Greatest film: Ordet. Thanks to my son Eliot, the film auteur, for this recommendation. Danish. Black and white. Religious. Go figure. Still, floored me more than any other movie.

Greatest Car: 1974 Dodge Dart with a slant six.

Best taqueria: La Cumbre, Valencia between 16th and 17th, San Francisco


Best bar: Tosca, Columbus St. San Francisco (one must drink a Negroni, neat, while listening to a Caruso aria on the juke box after eating at the ….)

Best Chinese: Brandy Ho’s, Columbus and Pacific, San Francisco, across the street from Tosca. Smoked ham.

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