This is one of those things that makes me proud of my new city.

Where else can you take your wife out for ice cream made on the premises and butcher a Rosie Thomas song on a nearby piano afterwards?

From the NY Daily News:

The White House was forced to respond Wednesday to a conspiracy theory too silly for even the birthers: Did Barack Obama appear in the video for Tag Team’s 1993 one-hit wonder “Whoomp! (There it is)”?

For all the talk during this tournament about where this or that guy will go in the NBA Draft and what All-American team this or that guy made, true fans of college basketball should be excited to see player profiles that do just the opposite.

A Yahoo Sports! profile on LaceDarius Dunn does just that:

LaceDarius Dunn says he doesn’t know who made the 2009-10 All-American team, and he isn’t sure where he’s projected to go in next summer’s NBA draft.

You can read the rest of Jason King’s article HERE. Perhaps you’ll better understand why I root for Baylor to win when they aren’t playing Kansas.

There’s a reason why this video has captured so many fews in less than a month.

It’s too bad I’m not registered to vote in Kentucky anymore because I would purposely vote against this guy just for having the nerve to run such a lame ad. Even worse is the bumper sticker you can get that says “Beat Duke, Vote Grayson.”

Political ads are as a rule pretty terrible, but this is really pathetic. And I’m pretty sure I might be even more offended at this ad if I was part of the fanbase he’s so shamelessly trying to exploit for votes.

When I saw this, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to smile or walk away as quickly as possible.

My brother, owner of the “I heart Butt Drugs” T-shirt I bought him for Christmas when I lived a short drive from Butt Drugs in southern Indiana, sent me a link to this video today.

The best part about it is it’s no spoof.

Butt Drugs is a real place in Corydon, Ind., and this video, well, it’s the first thing you’ll see if you go to their Web site.

“When I think drugs, I think Butt Drugs!”

A brand church, much like a traditional retail space, is defined by its architecture, rituals, and representatives. But in the elevated showcase, products are defined by a grander experience — one that taps into our sensory landscape through smells, sounds, and texture. The evolution of the brand church has not been forced upon consumers by overzealous brands. It is the logical extension of our attachment to the products with which we identify.

Borrowing from religion, brands are cherry-picking rituals to forge stronger brand identities. To a degree, this comes in response to shoppers who increasingly demand moral fiber and civic values from brands–outward expressions of positive endorsements, charity campaigns, or ethically religious business practices. The pinnacle of brand exposure is the hallowed space of the brand church. The most sophisticated brands ‘are those that not only anchor themselves in tradition but also adopt religious characteristics.’ It’s not much of a stretch to think of a few brand messiahs. Microsoft has Bill Gates (saving the world and passing the collection plate), Omnimedia has Martha (risen from the dead), and Apple has Steve Jobs (the second coming).

-Lucas Conley, in the book Obsessive Branding Disorder

This recent story about a couple getting married in an Apple Store with a minister dressed similar to Steve Jobs and quotes of the Apple CEO read during the ceremony only takes this metaphor of the brand church even further.

It’s probably cooler than getting married by a justice of the peace (boring), but still kind of embarrassing if you ask me.

A tactician like big league manager Tony La Russa relies heavily on advanced scouting to look for ways to shift his outfield for a certain batter, good counts to hit and run on a particular pitcher and, according to Yahoo! Sports, the contents of a book he has no intention of reading.

St. Louis manager Tony La Russa received an advanced scouting report on the book and didn’t expect the release to disrupt the Cardinals’ camp.

“Somebody I knew read an advanced copy,” La Russa said prior to morning workouts. “He said that (Jay) said some stuff—it wasn’t really first-page-to-last-page damning stuff about Mark.”

Neither Mark McGwire nor La Russa plan to read the book.

“What’s the point?” La Russa said. “It’s stuff that’s already been gone over a bunch of times. I don’t know what it’s going to change.”

The Seahawks aren’t one of the two teams still left standing in the NFL, but this is probably as appropriate a time as any to post a video of a song that is now competing with The Mountain Goats’ “Cubs In Five” and Void’s “Organized Sports” as my favorite sports-themed song.

The song is Co-Captain and Pin-Lighter by Emperor X: