Scattered thoughts from an equally scattered mind:

–If dogs are so damned smart, why can’t they tell that it’s the 4th of July and sleep in, instead of waking up at 6:30AM like they always do?

–I don’t think it’s possible for MTV to have done a worse job covering the Live 8 Concert, even if they had allowed the Atlantic 10’s Linda Bruno to produce it. Nice job showing Pink Floyd’s performance—part of one song, which the idiot VJs talked over incessantly. Have a big steaming cup of STFU, fellas.

–Guess I should have relied on AOL’s online coverage of Live 8. From the post-concert reports, it sounds like they got it right—show the groups playing music rather than talking about it. Hell, they even created a page with videos of the 4 tunes that PF performed—here is the link:

http://music.aol.com/artist/main.adp?tab=songvid&artistid=76669&albumid=0

–What are the odds of this happening: I got a letter from my former employer Turner Broadcasting the other day, stating that I hadn’t cashed an expense check for $165.42. The interesting part is that it was issued in the year 2000. I’m sure there is some law that states they had to do this, but I thought it was rather nice of them to follow thru on it 5 years later.

–I’m really looking forward to the remake of “King Kong” due out in December. I saw the trailer for it when Mrs. Swampy, the YS and I went to see “War of the Worlds” and the 2005 version of the big ape looks as incredible as the Willis O’Brien original surely must have to audiences 72 years ago.

–I could have done without the totally unrealistic and unnecessary feel-good touch at the end of “War of the Worlds” Mr. Spielberg. I’m sure H.G. Wells would feel likewise. Otherwise, nice job, dude.

–The Elder Swampette found a place to live in Chicago and it is 2 blocks from the El and 2 blocks from Wrigley Field. Hmmmm!

–I’m sorry, but does a hot dog eating contest deserve major coverage on ESPN? I don’t think so, Cisco.

–If you don’t think that hitting the books is important to a student athlete, check this out: one of the Younger Swampette’s former travel softball teammates got a full ride to play at Michigan, but didn’t pay adequate attention to her studies in the 1st semester and was ruled academically ineligible. She picked the wrong year to be a spectator, as the Lady Wolverines went on to win their first-ever NCAA Softball Championship. Ouch!

–Gerald Green is going to be a superstar for the Boston Celtics. What was amazing was that the Celtics knew that as soon as Portland selected fellow HS player Martell Webster with the #6 pick that Green would be there for them at #18. Everybody else between #7 and #17 was already locked into a pre-determined pick and couldn’t or wouldn’t vary from their plan in order to grab Gerald. GG has what Hubie Brown refers to as “Tremendous Upside Potential” or TUP, according to ESPN.com’s “The Sports Guy.”

–One of my favorite people on the planet is no longer with us–my sister-in-law MT’s dad, Jimmy Canna. Mrs. Swampy, the Swampettes and I drove to Chicago for the funeral and the church was absolutely jammed full of people—young and old– that Jimmy had touched in his lifetime of parenting, grandparenting and volunteering. “Grandpa Canna” as the Swampettes’ called him (even tho we are not related) had what can only be described as the perfect exit: he was dead before he hit the ground of an aneurism while playing golf by himself on a bright June morning, less than 24 hours after having spent Father’s Day with his family.

–I was able to attend the unforgettable UD/Notre Dame tilt in 1969 thanks to lifelong Notre Dame fan Jimmy. The game at UD Arena was totally sold out, but Jimmy willingly paid scalper’s prices which allowed my brother Bud, MT and I (all impoverished UD students at the time) to accompany him and witness the Gotschall brothers’ total shutdown of Austin Carr and the hated and (at the time) 13th ranked Irish. Good times for everyone except Jimmy but, as usual, he didn’t complain.

–Can you recall one time in your life when you felt totally, absolutely, unequivocally relaxed, without a single care in the world? I can: it was a bright summer day in 1984 and I was sitting on a lounge chair in my Dad’s backyard in Manchester Center, VT, with an unobstructed view of Mt. Equinox. At my side were several weeks’ worth of Boston Globe sports sections, including the Sunday Globe with Peter Gammons’ comprehensive “Baseball Notes” column. Cristen was 2 and was inside taking a nap. Her sister at that point was a mere twinkle in my eye. My wife, my Dad’s second wife and my half sister were in town shopping. I had just got off the phone with my Kmart client who had agreed to a sponsorship package of the Chicago Black Hawks on WIND in Chicago. At that one moment in time, I looked around and thought to myself “damn, life is good.”

–Speaking of Gammons, he is going to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY this week. Good for you, Peter…when it comes to inside hardball info you, indeed, are the man.

–Don’t look now, but Detroit City is on a pretty good major sports event roll as of late: the Ryder Cup last year; NBA Finals the last 2 years; MLB All-Star Game next week and the Super Bowl next year. There probably would have been a Stanley Cup Final in there, too, if the knuckleheads on both sides of the NHL lockout had any sense.

That’s it “From the Swamp”