BEVERLY HILLS (MI) –- I got more links for ya than a sausage factory…here they are, hot off the grill:

— From The Washington Post here is the cautionary tale of Lance Stephenson, voted this year’s “Toxic HS Hoops Recruit” by “From the Swamp”:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/31/AR2009053102146_2.html?nav=emailpage

You know something is up when even a slime-meister like John Calipari won’t touch this kid. Stephenson comes from the same program as the all-time toxic HS recruit, Stephon Marbury.

— Speaking of Cal, I’m shocked…shocked…to read that Memphis knew back in 2008 that Derrick Rose had an invalid test score:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4222106

— After ‘witnessing’ that little dance and celebration that LeBron did when the Cavs beat the Celtics at the end of the regular season, there is no excuse for this BS behavior:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/sports/basketball/02rhoden.html?_r=2&ref=sports

Grow up.

— For anyone that went to UD or ever lived in Dayton, this is some extremely depressing news right here:

http://www.ohio-share.coxnewsweb.com/Business-share/source-ncr-moving-to-georgia-143011.html

When I visited my brother at UD before my senior year in HS in 1967, the two things I came home most impressed with were Arby’s (roast beef sandwiches for .49!) and the sprawling NCR complex on Brown Street that was literally humming with activity.

— Have you ever wondered what you would look like if you were a zombie? Now you can find out:

http://www.destinationcreation.com/zombieme/

— Speaking of zombies, as a diehard Red Sox fan nothing is more painful than watching the corpse of David Ortiz trying to catch up to fastballs that he used to crush on a regular basis. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com has a theory on the decline of Big Papi that does not involve steroids:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=4223584&type=story

The Younger Swampette and I will get to see “Big Popup” and the Sawx in person Thursday afternoon vs. the Tigers at Comerica Park.

— I used to live in Pittsburgh and married a native, so I think that gives me enuf license to say that this is some pretty funny stuff:

http://www.yappinyinzers.com/home.html?select=debbie

— I’ll drink to that –- the history of beer cans:

http://weburbanist.com/2009/05/24/more-than-packaging-the-history-of-beer-cans/

— I’m a Comcast high speed internet subscriber. They are currently running an online campaign that asks the question “How tough is your toolbar?” Dang, I never really thought about it. One thing that I can tell you is that somehow the Google toolbar magically appears on your computer when you download something else. And it’s not easy to delete. So, in answer to Comcast’s query I would say the Google toolbar is pretty tough… as in hard as hell to get rid of.

— PJ O’Rourke in The Wall Street Journal on the end of America’s love affair with the automobile:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203771904574173401767415892.html

— Nothing says 1980’s TV more than “Pee Wee’s Playhouse”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voNNN5bB2_w&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eavclub%2Ecom%2Farticles%2Fwelcome%2Dto%2Dthe%2Daltered%2Dstate%2Dof%2Ddruggachusettes%2D25%2C28599%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dhomepage%5Frecent%5Ffeat&feature=player_embedded

I gotta tell you that Pee Wee was Saturday morning appointment television for the Elder Swampette and me when she was a little chucker. Little did we know that Paul Reubens was a total perv, but it was mindless fun and really entertaining. I still have a Pee Wee wrist watch and action figure around here somewhere. Hmmmm, hello eBay!

— Nothing says early 1950’s TV better than “Gumby”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CvJQDDzqaI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eavclub%2Ecom%2Farticles%2Fwelcome%2Dto%2Dthe%2Daltered%2Dstate%2Dof%2Ddruggachusettes%2D25%2C28599%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dhomepage%5Frecent%5Ffeat&feature=player_embedded

I didn’t waste a lot of time watching “Gumby”…I was more of a “Beanie and Cecil” guy myself.

That’s it “From the Swamp.”
You can email me at: [email protected]