Trying To Curb My Enthusiasm For Detroit

You'll have to forgive the tangential celebration of Detroit's victory over the Yankees, particularly in light of the Dodger's unfortunate departure from post-season play last night.

I've been a Tiger fan most of my life and, although we've endured nowhere near the suffering of our friends at Wrigley Field, or out in Boston, Tiger fans have suffered more than the average amount of ridicule and disappointment. For the past 12 years, the Tigers were baseball's most losingest team. That's 1,170 losses. With 162 games in the regular season, that means if you attended a Tiger game anytime since 1994, there's a 60 percent chance that you saw them lose. I did, at least a couple times.

Granted, Tiger fans have not earned the right to complain. They do not deserve pity. Even when their team wins, some of the fans behave like depraved losers. Rather than bask in the glory that was 1984, Tiger fans started a near-riot, turning over police vehicles and setting them on fire.

That aside, the team in 1984 was one of baseball's greatest, a collection of players who went on to prove their worth elsewhere. Some ended up in LA (Kirk Gibson!) and the manager even retired here (Sparky Anderson lives in the upscale LA suburb of Thousand Oaks).

I'll try to contain my enthusiasm and stay on point during these next few weeks, but it may be difficult, particularly when I read the poetry that is Mitch Albom's column. Next stop, Oakland.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

DETROIT REJOICES!

Tigers win first playoff series in 22 years

By MITCH ALBOM

October 7, 2006

In the end, the Yankees were a bunch of grumpy giants staring at a broken beanstalk. And the Tigers? They didn't tiptoe past the richest team in baseball. They stomped it, kicked it and stole its jewelry, then waved a happy good-bye and headed on down the playoff road.

Yankees go home.

Tigers go on.

Read it and blink. Read it and shake your head. Read it and ask, "Who are these guys in the Detroit uniforms?" Read it and remember just three seasons ago, when this team was in danger of sinking below oblivion.

Read it and remember, because remembering is what made this happen.

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Telephone Operator, You're My Aural Violator*

* With appologies to Pete Shelley

I continue to be puzzled by people who carry on cell phone conversations without hesitation while huddled in the stacks of the Los Angeles Public Library downtown.

Again today I witnessed a number of uninhibited analogue dialogues in the literature section, all of which were carried out at full cell-yell volume.

"Yeah, ok, what? ... No, what kind? ... When? ... Oh, yeah. ... Wait, while I've got you on the phone I wanted to ...

Coffee shops and cafes have grown tired of this, some to the point of agressively forbiding cell phone use. And yet, in a public library where patrons have a time-honored expectation of peace and quiet, the behavior continues unabated.

Although not addressed explicitly in the Library Rules of Conduct, it would seem to be banned implicitly.

THE FOLLOWING ARE PROHIBITED...

"Disruptive or unsafe behavior including any conduct that interferes with the use of the library by others or with the functioning of library staff."

Perhaps what's confusing is the text beneath the 11 prohibitions, where the Library says:

"To avoid disturbing other library users, mute the volume of electronic devices and use cell phones in the lobby or outside the library."

Is it a ban? Is it a suggestion?

The library staff shouldn't have to act as peace officers, so maybe that's why the Library doesn't spell it out. Besides, where do you stop drawing the line when people persist in exhibiting bad behavior? How many principles of common sense need to be spelled out on a list no one looks at anyway? Already the library has explicitly banned "sexual misconduct," "insulting language," and "bathing."

Yes, there's an explicit ban on bathing, although it's unclear whether that includes the shaving of chin whiskers, or the brushing of teeth.

As I've said before, I have great affection for the Central Library. In the past few weeks I've made frequent use of it. As a result, I have witnessed how the Library deals effectively with a variety of potential problems. I've seen the uniformed officers patrol every level, going so far as to physically nudge homeless people who seek out the most comfortable chairs and proceed to nap (sleeping is prohibited in the Rules of Conduct).

Were the decision mine, I might rearrange the priorities, or at least bump one rule up to priority status. As inconvenient as the presence of a snoring sleeper might be to some library patrons, I find it far less disruptive than the cell phone conversations of the gainfully employed.

At least those who snore can argue that they're not snoring on purpose.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Lawsuit Alleges Mortgage Fraud Fed By Froth

Few of those paying attention to the housing market during the past five years will be surprised by this one.

A story in The New York Times today details an alleged mortgage fraud case in Indiana. Industry experts and regulators say the housing boom of the past few years, and its associated avarice, proved fertile ground for swindlers. "Rising home prices served as cover for quick-flip plans and an easy hook to recruit investors," says The New York Times:

And the boom created incentives for the mortgage industry not to look too closely. As the appetite for home loans soared on Main Street and Wall Street, the industry came to increasingly rely on networks of independent mortgage brokers, appraisers and other officials to keep the lending assembly line well supplied. All had incentives to minimize hold-ups.

“If the deal doesn’t go through, nobody gets paid,” said Bill Matthews, a senior vice president at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

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Pacific Coast Highway ...

I was on Pacific Coast Highway in Northern California a couple days ago.

It's always a longer drive than the 101, not to mention the 5. But, there's more to see on the PCH.

I've always believed in stopping the car if you're going to take the usual cow photo. I've included that one and a few others* from the trip.

(* The ducks are in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, not on PCH.)

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The San Francisco Twins

Just got back from a trip up to San Francisco for a few days... Still clearing the desktop, but wanted to post a photo from the journey.

It's of the famous and beloved San Francisco Twins.

They are Marian and Vivian Brown. They look alike. They dress alike. They wear Giorgio perfume. They are one, er, two reasons I have such affection for the city of San Francisco.

I love Los Angeles, without question, but somehow seeing The Twins in downtown San Francisco is a more wholesome, happy experience than seeing Angelyne in West Hollywood.

I was lucky enough to capture this shot Saturday, which was obviously leopard skin coat day. Of course, I had to run around the block to get into position and await their arrival at Union Square, but, fortunately, they were in no hurry.

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