April 3, 2022
If you're a regular reader of the CBS SUNDAY MORNING POWER RANKINGS (You aren't. I have the statistics to prove it. I'm just tossing a cliché out as a stylistic device.), you are aware I've essentially gone silent for over about a month. Nothing's wrong. I've half consciously/was half forced to rejigger priorities recently and since this isn't something I get paid to do, the POWER RANKINGS took the hit.
I enjoy writing and get something out of it. Regardless of whether anyone is reading, I would like to continue exercising the muscle in one form or another. However, continuing to write several thousand words each week in a blog that is more for my own amusement over anyone else's is unsustainable. When it gets to a point where I have to chose whether or not to continue doing this over other things I enjoy and may have been neglecting (or getting sleep), I have to question the wisdom of how I am going about things.
Anyway, I'd like to continue, but with a (blessedly) more succinct format.
One random topic to start. Ten paragraphs (hopefully short, unless the spirit moves me) paragraphs for the POWER RANKINGS. Unless I make life changes that allow me to dedicate significantly more time for writing, this is the way it will be for the foreseeable future. I would like to catch back up and recap the episodes I've missed, but there is a quite a backlog at this point.
Random Introductory Topic
My formative undergraduate college years were spent in the city of Louisville attending the city's namesake University. As such, I am a fan Louisville Cardinal athletics. During my time there, the school's athletic programs were starting what you might call a mini-Renaissance. My junior year, the football team knocked on the door of the BCS title game until an unfortunate performance late in the season against Rutgers. (In retrospect, if you can't beat Rutgers...) The once baseball team (which I know the history of almost as well as anyone who does not have an obsession with Lions) made the College World Series a few years after I graduated and has since somehow turned into a consistent title contender. (However, yet to seriously threaten at the CWS.) They even managed to snag Ken Lolla to be the men's soccer coach the year after I graduated. If you're not familiar, the man managed to turn Akron, of all places, into a national power. His successor there, Caleb Porter, defeated Lolla's Louisville team in the 2010 NCAA in a somewhat mindblowing NCAA finals matchup. (Porter goes on to win MLS titles at Portland and Columbus, so he's got that going for him.)
Anyway, the one sport that truly matters in Louisville, where college sports are king, is basketball. I was in Atlanta in 2013 when this allegedly didn't happen:
The NCAA has requested the above images be stricken from the record.
Anyway, in the interest of keeping the from going on too much longer, the downward trajectory of the Louisville Men's basketball team has been... disappointing. The double whammy of the Pitino-drunk-sex-with-a-waitress-extortion/recruiting-sex-parties/Adidas-illegal-payment-to-recruits scandal trifecta is that not only did it take down Louisville, it indirectly took out my other favorite team, the team of my youth, the Xavier Musketeers. OK, so maybe Chris Mack was never going to stay at Xavier even if Louisville hadn't come calling. But his last two Louisville teams have been borderline unwatchable and Xavier hasn't made the NCAA tournament since he left. There are so many levels on which both Louisville and Xavier have been disappointing the past couple seasons.
Hopefully this is just the nadir before a new ascendancy. Nonetheless, I was excited to watch some Louisville basketball Friday night. Briefly flashing back to 2013, the night before the confetti fell, the Louisville Women's basketball team also played for a national title. They lost to UConn. I didn't feel so bad about it. Louisville was a huge underdog and that was the night I first saw Breanna Stewart play basketball.
While the rest of Louisville's athletic department has had it's ups and downs (mostly downs) since 2015, the women's basketball team has remained a contender and point of pride. They play with fun and personality that I struggled to find elsewhere. They are easy to root for. As the clock started to run out on their loss to South Carolina, things got a little dusty when Emily Engstler fouled out and started sobbing. And then they started to show clips where of the players talking about their coach, Jeff Walz.
It's always a dangerous proposition to equate athletic success with morality, but I feel fairly confident in saying that pursuit of a career in women's athletics does not generally equate to a pursuit of fame and glory, so there is at least a veneer of purity to what he and the young women he coaches have accomplished. It's depressing that in the back of my mind, I have to acknowledge there is a certain "creep quotient" that permeates among some men in women's athletics. And while there should definitely be more women coaching both male and female athletes, from secondhand experience I know that most coaches are just there to coach and do good work that they love.
So extended unnecessary caveats aside thank you Jeff Walz and the Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team, for keep my fandom alive.
I spent more words on that than intended.
The CBS SUNDAY MORNING POWER RANKINGS
Since this aired the morning of the Grammys, this was the music episode. Rankings may be affected by the committee's personal connection to the artists featured in the segments.
1) Jim Axelrod
Jon Batiste is insanely talented in a way that most people can only dream of. If I ever met him, I would tell him as much, but my impression of him is that he would demur and say that we all have our gifts to contribute to this world and his just happens to be music. Because that's the kind of guy he seems like. If Tony Wilson ever hear Jon and Stay Human, he would think differently about jazz. I'm not a jazz guy and I didn't buy his album (yet), but I kind of hope he wins. I'm not particularly attached to any of the nominated artists, but have my preferences.
The update on Jon's significant other (now wife), Suleika Jaouad's, condition is a gut punch. The cancer is back and more aggressive. Stay strong you guys. Sending my love out there. Hoping it reaches them.
2) Mo Rocca
While last week's episode also featured a profile of a classical pianist, it did not have the striking visual of Mo Rocca interviewing a diminutive 97 year old.
Since I am obsessed with tennis (and I may have listened to an interview with Rick Macci recently) what came to mind when I heard Ruth Slenczynska's story was Jennifer Capriati. Pushed too hard when she was too young, she burned out. Music came back into her life in her late twenties when she had the ability to appreciate on her own terms and it's been a love of hers ever since. Like Jon Batiste, I'm in awe of her talent. While most episodes of Sunday Morning leave me with a feeling that I need to find a way to incorporate more art in my life, this episode left me wishing I listened to more music.
3) Tracy Smith
I don't know how to put this any way except for bluntly. Ann-Margaret is hot. CBS was kind enough to gather a gallery of pictures of Ann-Margaret being a smokeshow. Call me sexist for focusing on that instead of her acting and singing talent, but who's not acknowledging that she was iconic 60's sex symbol? If pressed, I would say that Grace Kelly was the most beautiful actress to... well... "grace" the silver screen. But Ann-Margaret is up there. And she seems like a hoot.
Remember the Mad Men episode that opened with an ad that was a recreation of the opening sequence of Bye Bye Birdie?
It was the beginning of the end for old Sal Romano who was written out of the show by the end of season 3. Sal was the show's counterpoint to Don Draper - not everyone can get by living a lie.
Shout out to Desus and Mero favorite and occasional CBS Sunday Morning contributor, Maurice DuBois, who joins us to highlight the contributions of African American's to American Cuisine. Every time I'm like, 50% on the way towards becoming a vegetarian, I get reminded that something called barbecue exists. The Black contribution to my favorite food genre is undeniable. So, obviously, it's fault of Black people that I can't cut meat completely of my diet. NO! I take it back. Or wait... was it a funny joke or offensive? I thought it was funny...
Anyway, because it's a food segment, there has to be a money shot or two.
5) Dauphin Island, Joey Votto, C.W. McCall (tie)
Off Alabama's sliver of southern coast lies Dauphin Island. I was invited to a wedding there once, but the less said about that the better. Appropriately enough, prominently featured in the nature segments was a striking red cardinal. And because birds, Florida Audubon. There was a also turtle. I recently had a dream about a turtle give live birth to baby turtles. When I remembered that turtles do not reproduce that way, I woke up.
In case you missed it, Sunday Morning brought back the calendar segment by jamming into the commercials, which is, I guess better than nothing. Happy to see it back. Part of this week's calendar is MLB's opening day on Thursday, April 7. I do believe accompanying picture for this calendar entry was one of Joey Votto smacking a line drive. Votto is my favorite player and his pursuit of Cooperstown is basically all I have to root for this year as a Reds fan. I'm guessing the Votto picture was chosen because Cincinnati traditionally makes a big to do for opening day with a parade and various other celebrations. Opening day is "Opening Day" in Cincinnati, which has otherwise mostly forgotten about baseball since 1990. Because of this, they always get to start the season at home with a day game. However, due to MLB labor strife, the start of the season was delayed about a week, so it's not happening this year. They are opening at Atlanta. Still, Votto swings a sweet stick.
Why does C.W. McCall get a special shoutout?
6) David Pogue
As usual, one segment always gets ranked lower than it should. This week, it happened to tech correspondent/occasional music man, David Pogue who delves into copyright infringement litigation. As an enjoyer of pop music (I should really add some classical to my repertoire), I'll briefly comment on some of the cases mentioned.
Chiffons vs. George Harrison: I love both songs, but yeah, George Harrison totally stole "He's So Fine." Probably unintentional. When a good song gets buried in your subconscious sometimes you forget it's there. On occasion, I remember a snippet from a song I can't place and proceed to spend hours trying to track it down. And I don't really play music, nor have I listened to as much music as George Harrison would of. At some point it must get a little confusing as to which ideas are your own which got subconsciously unearthed.
Marvin Gaye vs. Robin Thicke: You can not like "Blurred Lines" because it's misogynistic. You can not like it because it heavily borrows the vibe of Marvin Gaye's superior "Got to Give It Up." But it's a different song. This is where the slope gets a little to slippery for me. Also full disclosure - I know it's not a popular opinion, but I kind of like "Blurred Lines."
Dua Lipa vs. Artikal Sound System: Not into Dua Lipa or anything. One side of me says that when a band nobody has heard of sues a bigger act, even if it's blatant, the smaller act has essentially been compensated by the exposure they've earned. I kind of question whether the big star ever heard the the smaller act's song. On the other hand, it's not a level playing field and established artists should not be allowed to steal from smaller acts without appropriate compensation. If the "access" part can be established (I learned something about these lawsuits - it's not enough for them to just be similar.) It's the same song and Artikal Sound System should get a lot of money. I highly doubt Dua Lipa heard the song she stole from. But perhaps a producer or collaborator did.
It's not just the story of an old song written by a naval veteran to his love while he was out on a boat resurrected by his grandson and performed by high end studio musicians. The accompanying home videos caused things to get a little dusty. Pollen count must be getting up there.
8) Jane Pauley
No extras from Jane this week, other than another solid hosting job. Her ensemble (white jacket) said "winter" a little more than it said "spring". But it was a bit of a chilly side this week. Not quite as cold as last week when we got some snow flurries.
9) David Martin
Maybe one of the reasons I've stepped back from these recaps is because I like to crack some jokes and it felt increasingly inappropriate to do so as the show started focus more and more on the war in Ukraine. My last entry came just after the unlawful and inhumane invasion started. As we're once again being reminded of the grim toll that modern warfare takes, David Martin has been the primary voice guiding along that dark path. Does Putin have an exit strategy? Depressingly, it seems not. I have thoughts, but it is hard to articulate them. Even if Ukraine can somehow regain all territory currently controlled by the Russian military, I don't think Putin can admit defeat, which makes him more dangerous. I'm sure any precondition of a negotiated end to the conflict would be that Putin will never be made to pay for the crimes he has committed, which only deepens the sense of injustice to it all.
10) Anthony Mason, Norah O'Donnell, Charles M. Blow (tie)
Maren Morris is a country music star. I've seen her perform on Saturday Night Live. I know little about her except that I think of her as the "mainstream Kacey Musgraves." They probably hold similar appeal, but speaking with no real knowledge of Maren Morris's oeuvre. While both are (probably) a little bit more left of center than the typical country music singer/songwriter, I'm going to say (maybe) Musgraves is a bit more experimental and probably has more glowing words spilled about her from indie leaning music critics (i.e. Pitchfork, NPR, etc.). Maren Morris seems to play up the sex appeal side of things a little more, not that Musgraves hasn't ever done anything provocative. She seems down to earth and talented. She's not really my jam.
Joe Biden's sister has a memoir coming out.
The world does not need any more takes on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, but the one from Charles M. Blow is the correct/best one.
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