CBS Sunday Morning Power Rankings

Unexpectedly, improbably the Cincinnati Bengals are going to Super Bowl LVI. I was five years old the last time that happened. I was seven the last time any Cincinnati sports team played for a championship of any kind. I need some time to process this. This happened. I have two weeks to unpack this. Until then, I'll tie it into Sunday Morning by bringing up that Tracy Smith is from the Cincinnati 'burbs and currently based in LA. The Super Bowl is in LA. I don't know when she would moved away or if she's a Bengals fan, but Bengals fans/ Sunday Morning recap bloggers are clamoring for Tracy Smith-Joe Burrow interview to hype the game. I know that media rights pretty much prohibit because NBC is carrying the game this year, but crazier things have happened this year - see the above picture. Heroes & Villains Please forgive an obsessive tennis fan a few words about the Australian Open. Halfway through the Świątek/Kanepi quaterfinal, I texted the following to a friend...

Sorry I'm running behind on these posts. I found myself in the Valley of the Sun last week on business last week and did not even watch the November 14th episode until late last week. Postcards from Phoenix I told myself I was going to finish the Halloween post in my downtime. Assuming you can accomplish anything in your downtime on a trip, be it for business or pleasure, is an idiotic notion unless the purpose of your trip is to accomplish said thing - in which case it's not downtime, it's just regular time. Maybe I just need more time. I was trying to work out some kind of relativistic time dilation scheme, but methiniks that only works if I stay put while everyone else who watches Sunday Morning and/or reads this blog between is moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light between Sunday 10:30 Eastern between airings. Make sense? No? Maybe this will help and maybe it won't. I also maybe got a little bogged down with sorting out my holiday plans for Thank...

An update on some things: My house is partially clean. I am hoping to get to the rest of the most pressing stuff by the end of the week. At which point I'm sure it will need to be cleaned again. The struggle never ends. I haven't even brought up the once or twice a year tasks I still hope to get to. I am on page 200 of Dune and wish I was a faster reader. My frail aging body may force me to finally keep posts short. Typing is start to cause severe discomfort to my right wrist/hand/arm/shoulder. I don't think this carpal tunnel, but I think this needs to be addressed by a doctor at this point. I went to see a movie in a movie theater - Free Guy. Quick review: It's a fun movie. I would go so far as to say it is a good movie, but you may have to be into video game culture to enjoy it. The main cast of Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, that guy from Stranger Things (not that guy, the other guy, no no, the other other guy - the one with the hair) are good. Taika Waititi is enjo...

We're back for part deux and more cash! Being on vacation last weekend, I didn't even watch the August 1st episode of Sunday Morning until midweek. The sacrifices we all make. I know, right? So what we have in store for this week is a two-fer! Pictured above: Toofer Spurlock. I know I rarely take heed of the words "Brevity is the soul of wit," but I will try to be brief. Although, and I'm sure you already know this, that particular Shakespearean turn of phrase is one of many that is misunderstood. It's part of a joke. The words were spoken by Polonious, a ponderous old gasbag who is anything but brief. Here's the line in the full context: My liege, and madam, to expostulate What majesty should be, what duty is, What day is day, night night, and time is time, Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time; Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. Your noble son is mad … Anyway, I ...

I thought Sunday Morning might start "reappropriating" stories this week, but it was all new. Maybe I should hold off until next week, but the tabulations are in. And I think 19 weeks is a healthy sample size. Represents approximately 1/3 of year of Sunday Mornings and probably about half of a season where all the content is "fresh". CBS SUNDAY MORNING ANALYTICS (A Sunday Morning points are basically handed out each time someone makes the rankings. 10 points for a #1, and 1 for #10. You can figure out the rest.) Serena Altschul Appearances: 1 Total Sunday Morning Points: 8 Weeks at #1: 0 Avg. Ranking: 3 Scouting Report: We like Serena Altschul. I wish she got more segments. She appeared this week, so yay! Jim Axelrod Appearances: 5 Total Sunday Morning Points: 30 Weeks at #1: 1 Avg. Ranking: 5 Scouting Report: Axelrod seems like he'd be a button journalist in the "hard news" only mold, but he is quite versatile. Charles M. Blow Appearances: 1 Tota...