Olympics Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Apr262012 by Chris Holmes3 Comments

Brick! — The 10 Longest Active Title Droughts in NBA History

May22011 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Even though nobody asked, here are my thoughts on bin Laden

Mental Debris

So Osama bin Laden is dead at last. Maybe. Probably. It's been fewer than 12 hours since I saw the news, but here are my thoughts and impressions so far: 1 -- I feel not one ounce of joy that he is dead, as this hardly means the so-called War on Terror is over. You better believe there will be another bin Laden popping up any time now. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there were already plans in place for more attacks to take place in the event that bin Laden was killed or captured. 2 -- This is not the same thing as getting rid of Hitler at the end of World War II, despite many people making that clumsy comparison. This killing is a symbolic victory, nothing more. Its military or strategic value is negligible. 3 -- We lost hundreds, maybe thousands, of lives and spent billions...

Dec202010 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

2010: The Gray Flannel Suit Year That Was

Blogstuff

It's been another fun year for me in running this site, and I'd like to thank all of you who visit regularly, irregularly, or even once. I'd also like to thank everyone who has helped by contributing comments and post ideas. It's good to know there's at least a few people out there who enjoy my little corner of the intertubes. Since we're in the midst of year-end review season, let's take a quick look back at the posting year that was 2010 for The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. Most Popular Posts This is really what it's all about right? It's always interesting to me to see what content takes off and what content gets largely ignored. Since I want to stay positive I'll focus on the former. So here are the eleven most-popular posts on the site for 2010. #11. Happy Hoff-Day! - Davi...

Mar12010 by Chris Holmes6 Comments

A brief recap of my Olympics experience

Sports

I didn't have the gumption to post on a daily basis during the 2010 Winter Olympics, but I did watch a lot of them. As I get older I find that I enjoy the Olympics more and more, although I think I prefer the Summer games more. So here's some random observations on the 17-day spectacle that was the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics... • First off, I know I'm not the only one who thought NBC's coverage sucked hard. I don't even care about the tape delays so much (since I'm not around to watch during the day anyway), but there was so much else to hate. Look, I get that television networks are businesses, and the primary goal of a business is to make money. But really, could NBC have been any more clumsy about the unending barrage of commercials? After awhile it felt like I was watching...

Feb242010 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

This Week in History! (February 22-28)

History

*February 23, 1927: The Federal Radio Commission (precursor to today's FCC) is created with the passage of the Radio Act of 1927. President Calvin Coolidge urges the Commission to execute their duties with "all urgent haste", as Howard Stern's first show is only 50 years away. *February 25, 1964: A 22-year-old Olympic champion upstart by the name of Cassius Clay defeats heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston by TKO. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali a week later, but I don't care. His momma name him Clay, I'm gonna call him Clay. *February 24, 1988: With their 8-0 verdict in Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell, the United States Supreme Court rules that public figures cannot sue for being made the subject of satire. The decision clears the final obstacle in the path of Larry...

Feb182010 by Chris Holmes6 Comments

John Shuster, internet darling of the day

Sports

Even if you're not a huge fan of curling, you're probably familiar by now with John Shuster's underwhelming performance as captain of the U.S. team at this year's Winter Olympics. Through four matches, Shuster and the boys have zero wins. But what makes this year's futility especially painful is Shuster's propensity for coming up short at crucial moments. Three matches have been lost because he couldn't make his final stone count. Well the mob has spoken and they're not happy. In addition to the deluge of anti-Shuster Tweets, the captain's Wikipedia entry has undergone some creative editing. Luckily it's all saved in the article history. Here are a few choice ones just from today (in addition to the edits that show him as deceased): A personal tidbit - "Shuster failed four tim...

Feb132009 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

You don’t like the Olympics? Too bad.

Sports

As cynical as I can be sometimes (most of the time), I find my interest in the Olympics is a lot higher than it used to be. At least for the winter variety. And now that the 2010 Vancouver games are less than a year away, my anticipation is growing bit by bit. And I can't be alone on that. I'm all too familiar with the host of complaints that accompany the Olympic Games every time they're held - they divert money that would be better spent on more worthwhile things, local citizens are at best inconvenienced and at worst harassed or violated in some way, the organizers and even some of the athletes are crooked, it's an antiquated event that has no relevance for our modern, connected world, yadda yadda yadda. Are a lot of these complaints are valid? Sure. I'm not blind to that rea...

Aug212008 by Chris Holmes8 Comments

Tiki Barber goes nuclear at the Olympics

Sports, TV & Radio

Warning: This video is not for anyone easily offended by derogatory words concerning female anatomy. Curious? Yeah, I thought so. I haven't watched a second of MSNBC's Olympics coverage, but I think I need to start right away. Particularly for the "Olympic Update" segments featuring co-hosts Tiki Barber and Jenna Wolfe. Tiki, as most of you probably know, was a running back for the New York Giants until 2006, when he retired under less than friendly terms with the team. They of course went on to win the Super Bowl without him at the end of last season. That's what Wolfe is alluding to at the beginning of this clip. Pretty nasty dig for the situation I must say. But then Tiki took it to a whole 'nother level with his supposed slip of the tongue. It's at the 28-second mark: ...

Aug192008 by Chris Holmes4 Comments

Still More Mysteries of the Universe

Funny Stuff

(For other mysteries, check out here and here. Or don't.) Surely there are some ugly mermaids out there -- why hasn't one ever been represented in a movie or TV show? Does anyone in this country really give a rat's ass about the Olympics? I mean, outside of the basketball team and Michael Phelps, can you name five American athletes on this year's squad? Could I avoid a vehicular homicide charge if I run a pickup with one of those rubber testicle trailer hitch cover things off a cliff? How is it there are still men on this planet who don't understand that if you are in a men's restroom and there is more than one open urinal, you always leave at least a one-stall buffer? What's the point of having a self-serve machine at the post office if it's so damn complicated for most ...