Somedays The Intro Just Writes Itself

It is odd what we can remember and what we can not. For some reason, I can still recall where I was when I heard the news that Chris Farley, of all people, had died (for the record, I was driving home from the local mall with mom . . . it probably helps that it was the day after my seventeenth birthday as well). I was a big fan of Farley's movies and his physical style of comedy. It was the suddenness with which the news broke that has permanently left that image ingrained in my head.

Like that day in December 1997, I will always remember that I was sitting at my desk in my office on June 25, 2009 when I received the following text from My Better Half: "wow, farrah fawcett and michael jackson both in one day" (am I the only person on this planet who makes the painstaking effort to ensure that even my text message's are grammatically correct?). I had heard that Fawcett had passed away. Most people knew it was coming after a long battle with cancer. And I had heard that Jackson had been taken to the hospital, but I had assumed it was just another one of his random illnesses. I did not even notice that, apparently, several of the support staff members of my firm were visibly shaken by the news. I can not say I was ever a huge Jackson 5 or Michael Jackson fan, but as a music lover/former performer, I appreciated the music and, to this day, have a good number of their songs on my iPod. I will even go so far as to say my favorite music video of all time is one of Jackson's (and, no, it's not Thriller). And while I may not be the biggest Jackson fan (mostly because all of his other issues factor in with me), I can not deny the global impact he had; the way he brought people of different cultures, religions, and nationalities together. And he truly was the greatest performer, at least of this generation. Even with all his legal issues of the past few years, the tributes currently going on around the world are all well deserved.

And now, to the less important, but more likely to make you smile portion of our weekly Link Dump. Here are some things you might have missed:

• A draft lottery of . . .er . . . different sorts. The kind of sorts we men prefer (if you get my drift *wink*).
• The highlight of last night's NBA draft? Kevin Love's tweets of course. Questioning of your organization's decision-making process? Check. Calling the organization outright crazy? Check. Realizing that is probably not the best career move? Check. Cracking a joke at David Stern's expense? He saved the best for last.
• Jeff Jordan makes a wise decision in what I can only imagine is a no-win situation.
  
• Mike Garrett thinks highly of himself (what would you expect from a Trojan?). Thankfully, the rest of us have a brain.
• A photo gallery of the Oregon Ducks' new football jerseys. No, this is not a repeat of 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 . . .
• It was an exciting week for recreational golfers: (1) they should have probably just let him play through; and (b) nothing like a DUI in your golf cart.
• Speaking of golf, do you often find yourself getting it confused with another . . . shall we say . . . "recreational activity"?
• Your sexist comment of the week goes to . . . (*spins wheel*) . . . Lleyton Hewitt. Congratulations Lleyton, enjoy the next week on the couch instead of in bed with her.
• Just to recap: killing a man, thirty days; stealing Lance Armstrong's bike, three years.
• Hey ladies, have a couple . . . err . . . problem spots you would like taken care of? Well, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers have a fan giveaway for you.

When I think of the "King of Pop", I can not help but think of some of the amazing music videos he made. Whether it be Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean, or Scream, they were are all pretty amazing. But there is still one that, in my opinion, tops them all. So we start this week's video portion of the Link Dump with my tribute to MJ:

• "You've been hit by . . . (dun, dun) . . . you've been hit by . . ."
  
• Listened to FM radio this morning on the drive into work (once DP was over), heard a little Boston, was reminded of this.
• Mash-ups of classic press-conference moments never get old, especially when they are good.
• Conan O'Brien is supposedly loosing viewership in the fly-over states. I wonder why?
• We are tweet-happy this week (caution: some strong language).
• Apparently that bat trick from last week was just the warm-up to this.

Have a great weekend everyone!