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Week of October 25, 2005 - October 31, 2005

Wall of Orange
October 30, 2005

With the NYC marathon just one week away, it's time to start planning your spectating. While there are good views all over the city, your best bet is to join the regular large and noisy "Wall of Orange" at 89th Street and the East Drive of Central Park (just before Mile 24). All non-marathoning CPTC members and friends are encouraged to donate their vocal chords to our traditional cheering section.

We'll also have a "Mini Wall of Orange" in Brooklyn on Lafayette Avenue, just after the men's and women's courses merge at Mile 8. The elite women start at 9:35 am, so they should reach the Mini Wall of Orange at about 10:15 am, and the full Wall at 11:45 am. The lead CPTC runners should hit those spots at about 10:55 am, and 12:30 pm, respectively. Since the Mini Wall of Orange is right near the Atlantic Avenue station on the 4 and 5 trains, commuting between the two walls is a breeze. Much easier — and faster — than running between them!

Bad Boy XC Race
October 30, 2005

Anyone not running the Marathon might want to try the Bad Boy Cross Country race this Saturday in Van Cortlandt Park. The men's 8K is at 11:00, with the women's 5k following at 11:45. If you sign up online, be sure to put Central Park Track Club as your team, and then email Devon Martin at dmartin@cravath.com to let her know you've registered. This way you can get the team rate, rather than paying the higher price. You need to do this by Wednesday, though, so get cracking!

Typos and Punctuation
October 30, 2005

We can't track down every typo out there by ourself, which is why we have readers to help us out. First up, Stuart Calderwood, who writes:

Since you like finding errors, and especially really embarrassing ones, check this out--from the review of that book, The Other Shulman, that the Times says is good:

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From Publishers Weekly
Told via flashbacks as its protagonist runs the New York City marathon, this very likable effort from a former Saturday Night Live writer is the story of T.O. Shulman, New Jerseyan, stationary store owner...

---

Just how stationary he can be and still train for the marathon, let alone run it, is what I want to know. And why this writer still has a job.

In the reviewer's defense, Shulman is a very slow runner. Perhaps so slow that it looks like he's standing still out there.

But on to the second letter, from David Maurice:

Those who like reading blogs, as well as those who like Dilbert, and those who love punctuation may have just hit the trifecta with Scott Adams's new blog, and in particular, this entry from 10/24 (the first day):

---

About My Grammar and Spelling

My blog is the only writing you’ll see from me that doesn’t first go through a professional editor. That means plenty of grammar and punctuation wrecks for you to enjoy. I blame the public education system.

The only reason I dare writing this blog is because I have absolutely no sense of embarrassment. Most people would be horrified at the prospect of proving their ignorance to thousands of readers. My attitude is more along the lines of I have thousands of readers? Cool.

If you notice a grammar, punctuation, or spelling error in my blog, and you absolutely can’t control your urge to tell me, please follow this process:

1. Research the Native American method for sending smoke signals.
2. Set your couch on fire.
3. Stand on the roof and use your “good shirt” to control the signal as it comes out of the chimney.

Or if you prefer, just enjoy the blog as if it were an e-mail from your friend who thinks he’s clever but isn’t as clever as he thinks.

---

Not surprisingly, most of the comments on that entry have concerned grammar. And, no, we didn't write any of them.

This Sounds a Lot LIke Our Office, Just Without the Risk of Crashing
October 30, 2005

From Ananova:

BA staff banned from doing Su Doku

British Airways crews have been banned from doing Su Doku puzzles.

Bosses fear cabin crews could be distracted during landing and take-off.

Over 13,000 staff were sent notices reading: "We have had reports that during take-off and landing some crew are choosing to do puzzles, reading the paper, etc.

"May I remind you this is a critical phase of flight and these activities are forbidden. You must be extremely alert and vigilant."

The Reviews Are In
Octrober 26, 2005

Since we spend so much time trashing the Times TV critics, we thought it only right that we congratulate Frank Bruni for his awesome review of Ninja New York. You will not find a funniner — or nastier — review out there.

But getting back to the TV critics, Alessandra Stanley made another mistake yesterday. Not a huge one; she just misquoted Steven Colbert's made-up "word of the day" on his new show, The Colbert Report. That word was "truthiness," not, as Stanley reported, "trustiness." Gawker notes that truth is not a concept "Stanley is terribly familiar with." (We suspect half the staff of the Times reads Gawker, but that hasn't led to a correction yet.)

Ligaya Mishan, who works in journalism, wonders if the Times has any fact-checkers who could have reviewed the tape of the Colbert Report that Stanley watched. We wonder why Stanley can't just transcribe these things correctly the first time. And why she still has a job.

Pasta Party
October 26, 2005

From the NY Flyers:

The New York Flyers cordially invite Central Park Track Club to join us at our annual Pre-Marathon Pasta Party. Whether you're tapering for New York, recovering from an earlier marathon, preparing for a later one, or not doing a marathon and just want some great food and great company, we'd love to have you there! The dinner features all -you-can-eat family style servings of: appetizer, house salad, three pasta dishes and three chicken and veal entrees plus coffee/tea and dessert, all for the low, low price of $25. (Bar drinks are charged separately.)

WHERE: Tony's Di Napoli, 147 W. 43rd Street (bet. Broadway & 6th Ave.) — in the private room downstairs
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 3 7:00 PM
COST: $25, due by November 1
Includes all-you-can-eat family style servings of: appetizer, house salad, three pasta dishes and three chicken and veal entrees plus coffee/tea and dessert-bar drinks extra $$

Click here for details on how to RSVP and pay.

The Hosts with the Mosts
October 26, 2005

From Felice Kelly: "These were our hosts at the B&B in Boston for last weekend's Mayor's Cup, and I think that those who attended would get a kick out of seeing them on the website."

Alberto Salazar Special Training Run
October 25, 2005

Nike is having a special training run this Thursday:

Celebrate running in NYC on Thursday, October 27 when legendary distance runner and coach Alberto Salazar makes a special appearance at the RUNNYC Training Run joining the group run through Central Park, striding down the same road that brought him three New York City Marathon victories.

Exclusive RUNNYC 2005 DRI-Fit shirts will be given out to the first 100 runners who sign-in, so make sure you get there early!

Discount voucher for $20 off $100 purchases at Niketown will be given to all attendees. Voucher is valid from 10/27 – 11/7 and is good only at Niketown New York.

Marathon Lecture
October 25, 2005

Fila is hosting a pre-marathon lecture on Wednesday, with tips from local runner Julia Stamps. The detailsL

FILA Store
340 Madison Avenue
Between 43rd and 44th
Wednesday, October 26
6:00 - 8:00 pm
RSVP: rsvp@fila.com

With the early start, you can get Julia's advice, and then head over to the CPTC meeting and get Coach Tony's advice.

Transportation Alternatives
October 25, 2005

We were amused by this tidbit in the Transportation Alternatives newsletter:

Contrary to rumors, the MTA's recently adopted new rules do not include any rollback of their exemplary bicycles on board policy. The new rules, adopted on September 29th, do however include a ban on straddling bicycles on subway station platforms and in subway cars. This new rule is in addition to the existing rule against riding on platforms or in subway cars. If while riding the subway you feel overcome with the urge to bestride your ride, T.A. recommends cooing or gentle caressing, both of which are still within bounds.

We're more likely to yell at our bike, but that's only because it never works as well as we'd like. All those falls might have contributed to the problems...

In other TA news, they had the big Car-Free Central Park Rally where our own Stacy Creamer spoke.

Our agent on the scene reports:

She listed a lot of major events in her life that have taken place in Central Park. The last item was, "My water broke while I walked a lap of the reservoir." When she said that, someone in the audience shouted, "...And here's the result!" while lifting a child overhead. There was much warm applause, which was lucky, because the child simultaneously piped up in a very offended tone, "I'm NOT the 'result '— I'm the Kieran!"

Marathon Book
October 25, 2005

Ligaya Mishan pointed us towards a new book called "The Other Shulman," about a middle-aged man running the New York City Marathon. She hasn't read it, but she noticed that the Times likes it.

Week of October 18, 2005 - October 24, 2005

Fast Women
October 24, 2005

Kate Irvin is interviewed on fast-women.com. She has good things to say about CPTC.

The Thirst Quencher
October 24, 2005

There's a blog about Gatorade. And, yes, we think this is kind of cool.

Mayor's Cup
OCtober 24, 2005

Running with the nation's best, CPTC women took 3rd place! This was CPTC's first team appearance at Mayor's Cup. Very exciting to be beating teams like Greater Boston Track Club and Mizuno's Runners High and colleges such as Harvard and Dartmouth.

Truly a team effort especially with horrible conditions---mud was everywhere & really slowed down the times. On average, runners ran 40 seconds slower than last year which tells you how fast this team ran!

Much thanks to Kate, Lauren, Katy, Allison, Flo, Felice and Sue!

Individual performances:

Kate Irvin -- 12th place
(beating her nemeses Sascha Scott, Amanda Chase, Nicole Blood & Debbie Thornhill--affectionately called "belly-ring girl" by CPTC men!)
Kate will now sport a belly ring as of next week.

Lauren Esposito - 24th place
(who was very much at home in the mud, beat Westchester's Julianne Littman and was right on Caitlin Lane's tail!)

Katy Masselam -- 39th place
(her first race back, beating Julianne Littman and Jill Vollweiler--watch for her in the upcoming races)

Allison McCabe & Andrea Costella -- 49th & 50th places
(always key runners for the team----these 2 made the difference between 3rd & 4th place)

Felice Kelly & Sue Pearsall --- 54th & 88th places
(rounding out the top seven!)

Running with the nation's best, CPTC men took 15th place! Nice victory over Harvard. Again, this was CPTC's first team appearance at Mayor's Cup. (We took a small team to gain experience for next year.)

Mud was everywhere---JR and Russ both took spills at mile 4. Slow times due to the mud.

Much thanks to Joe, JR, Russ, Armando, Sean & Filip!

Individual performances:

Joe Tumbarello --- 83rd
John Roberts -- 91st
Russ Pfeffer -- 95th
Armando Oliveira -- 108th
Sean Fortune --- 131st
Filip Jagodzinski --- 144th

Really great performance by Joe and Russ (2 weeks after Chicago marathon).

P.S. Every performance counts----Filip's race made the difference between 15th & 16th place.

NYC Goes Orange
October 23, 2005

Our favorite color has been recruited for a good cause: the Food Bank For New York City's NYC Goes Orange campaign. As they explain:

This October, the Food Bank For New York City is launching NYC Goes Orange a citywide initiative to build awareness to help insure that every New Yorker comes to associate orange with hunger relief. As the national color of hunger awareness, orange can raise public consciousness of the fact that two million people in New York City are at risk of hunger.

The main part of the campaign was last week — we would have mentioned it earlier, but we only just heard about it — which is why the Empire State Building was orange last Monday. But you can check out the Food Bank's website for other ways to help.

When You All Do Move Here, Could You Bring Some Better Restaurants With You?
October 23, 2005

From The Squid and the Whale, as a Park Slope couple tells their kids that they're gettting divorced:

Dad: I've found a nice house on the other side of [Prospect] park.

Pre-Adolescent Son: The other side of the park!? Is that even Brooklyn?

Of course the house in question is in Ditmas Park, about a ten minute walk from our apartment. That's okay. People used to laugh at Park Slope, too. When you all move here, we'll be recognized as a trendsetter.

More Photos
October 23, 2005

More photos! These are from the July Shawangunks Group Run, and are courtesy of Stuart Alexander. We 're getting through these old ones as fast as we can, so keep checking back for regular updates.

NYC Marathon Map
October 20, 2005

We're sure you're all experts on the NYC Marathon course, able to identify every turn, hill and water stop with your eyes closed. But do you know where the portable toilets are? This map will show you. It uses Goggle Maps to let you check out a satellite view of the entire course, and includes mile markers, kiometer markers, toilets and road closure, but, for some reason, does not include the wall of orange.

Hyponatremia
October 20, 2005

The marathon is almost here, so the Times has yet another useless story by Gina Kolata on hyponatremia. It recommends that runners not drink too much water while running, though it includes an odd claim from Dr. Lewis G. Maharam, medical director of the NYC Marathon, that drinking sports drinks is no better than drinking water. This confusion appears to stem from confusion on Kolata's part as to exactly what hyponatremia is; twice she describes it as "drinking too much water." In fact, hyponatremia occurs when sodium levels in the blood are too diluted, as should be obvious from its name (hypo, from the Greek hupo, meaning "under" or "beneath" + natrium, another word for "sodium"). Kolata got this right in two previous articles, so we're disappointed to see her make the mistake this time. Drinking things like Gatorade, which contain extra salt, will help prevent hyponatremia.

There is a separate danger from drinking too much water, often called "water intoxication," so we're certainly not advocating downing excessive amounts of Gatorade next month. But we're a little tired of all the hysteria over hyponatremia, most of which seems to be an attempt to correct the prior hysteria over dehydration. (Dehydration, as anyone who's suffered through the Manhattan Half-Marathon can tell you, is still a concern for runners, and can even contribute to hyponatremia, but you'd never know it from the press.) Maharam says that 1% of the runners in last year's marathon developed hyponatremia, though only a small percentage of those runners needed to go to the hospital, and just two had to stay overnight. This is cause for concern, but not for panic.

The problem is that hyponatremia is much more likely to occur in slower, less-prepared runners, so anyone who reads this page is probably safe. It's hard to drink enough water to cause any problems in under four hours, and even slower runners who have more experience and training will have a good sense of how much water they need during the race. We suspect the increase in hyponatremia incidents is a result of the increase in "casual" marathoners, i.e., those people who have little background in distance running — or, often, any running at all — but decide to tackle the marathon. But that's a subject for another post.

Editor, Correct Thyself
October 20, 2005

You may recall our post two weeks ago on Harriet Miers' strict-constructionalist view of the English language. We even quoted from the Washington Post as to how she "was known to correct spelling, grammar and even punctuation errors in memos to the president." Well, we started to wonder just how true this was after David Brooks printed excerpts of her 1990s column from the Texas Bar Journal. Sure, she appears to be punctuating these sentences properly, but they are written in such a convoluted manner that we can't even figure out the topics she's addressing, let alone her opinions.

Of course, good writing and good grammar don't always go together, and Miers' sentences ("When consensus of diverse leadership can be achieved on issues of importance, the greatest impact can be achieved.") aren't that much worse than those turned out by some judges. But then she had to go and answer the questionnaire from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Now, as Orin Kerr pointed out over at the Volokh Conspiracy, Miers seems to lack even "a basic competence in placing commas." Where is the stickler for punctuation that we were promised? Was she just flustered as she attempted to answer the questions without actually saying anything? Maybe she really thought this was just a first draft, and she would have a chance to correct it before anyone read it? Or perhaps she's always been this bad, and has actually been making the grammar and punctuation of those memos to the president worse, only nobody else around her knew enough about language to notice.

Upcoming Social Events
October 18, 2005

NYC MARATHON DISCUSSION
Wednesday, October 26th, 7:45pm

Our distance coach, Tony Ruiz, will be dispensing his wisdom on the marathon and answering your questions in an effort to relieve some of your pre-race jitters. This should be useful to everyone running on November 6th, particularly any first-timers.

Will be held at Richard Kixmiller's apartment, 14 East 96th Street, Apt 14. Please RSVP to aruben@montran.com if you are interested in attending.

POST-MARATHON PARTY
Sunday, November 6th, 2:30pm

Our traditional post-marathon party will be held downstairs at The Parlour, 86th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue. This is always a fun event both for our marathoners and our spectators. Family and
friends are welcome.

ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER AND DANCE
Saturday, December 3rd, 6:30pm

Save this date for our biggest and best social event of the year.

Steroids
October 18, 2005

Tennis player Justin Gimelstob on steroids:

The most annoying parts of these doping scandals, in every sport, are the lame denials that inevitably come from every positive test. It sure would be refreshing if just once, the athlete who has muscles popping out of his eyeballs just fessed up and said, "You caught me. The truth is, I'd prefer to win a few more trophies than have functioning kidneys."

Sports Oddities
October 18, 2005

A few things we don't understand from the last few days in sports:

• What kind of crazy computer programs go into the BCS rankings? Notre Dame came within 7 seconds of handing the USC Trojans their first loss since September of 2003, and none of the BCS computers think the Fighting Irish are better than 22nd?
• What the hell is wrong with golf? Michelle Wie, playing in her first tournament as a pro should have finished fourth. Instead she was disqualified, after a Sports Illustrated writer accused her of taking an illegal drop. Somehow, even though the writer didn't alert tour officials until the day after the incident, they were able to determine exactly where the ball had been, and assess Wie a two-stroke penalty. That meant she'd signed an incorrect scorecard on Saturday, and, by the rules of golf, she was out. Putting aside the merits of letting spectators officiate — and wouldn't that make other sports so much more fun? — why, two years after Mark Roe was disqualified in the Birtish Open for signing the wrong scorecard, even though it had the right score, and with television crews and tour officials counting every shot and tallying it instantly on computers, does the signature requirement still exist?
• Just how bad a pitcher is Felix Heredia? The ex-Yankee and soon-to-be-ex-Met was suspended for steroid use today, which means his 6.28 ERA in 2004 might have been even worse without performance enhancing drugs. Heredia pitched just 2.2 innings for the Mets this year before going on the DL. The Mets will surely decline his $2.5-million option for next season, which means Heredia will have to find a new team to not play for during his 10-day suspension.

Week of October 11, 2005 - October 17, 2005

New Singlets
October 17, 2005

The new state-of-the-art CPTC singlets, produced by Sugoi, are now available exclusively from the URBAN ATHLETICS store, 1291 Madison Avenue (92nd Street) for $25 each.

You can also take advantage of a special CPTC offer of 15% off any other store items.

Photos
October 17, 2005

So, it's been a while since we've posted any photos. Sorry about that. We spent last Thursday atoning for it, since we've led an otherwise blameless life all year. Anyway, we have a few photos from the Chicago Marathon, from Andrea Ostrowski, and the photos of the men at Club Champs. Why just the men? Becuase we've noticed that the photos of women are always much more popular than photos of men, so we want to make sure you actually look at these before we distract you with the photos from the women's race.

We Just Hope They Don't Let the Ewoks In Now
October 17, 2005

Peter Mayhew, best know for playing Chewbacca, became a U.S. citizen today.

Strunk & White
October 17, 2005

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but the exchange rate between the two is actually quite fluid. While some pictures are woth millions of words, the best writing can be more descriptive than any picture. You might think that Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style" would fit the latter category, but some in the publishing industry disagree. And so we now have an illustrated "Elements of Style." It's so unecessary, though we are somewhat intrigued by the musical adaptation of the book being presented at the New York Public Library this Wednesday. Thanks to David Maurice for the link.

Marathon Bus
October 12, 2005

CPTC will have a private bus to the start of the New York City Marathon.

The Lost Princess of Oz
October 11, 2005

Margaret Schotte is back from the Land Down Under, with a full report of her experience at the Duathlon World Championships.

Fundraiser
October 11, 2005

From Craig Chilton:

A friend of mine who has done some philanthropic work with East African runners is hosting this fundraiser the Friday evening before the New York City Marathon. Paul Tergat and some other elite runners are scheduled to attend, so if anyone is interested in hanging out with them, please check it out.

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SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, November 4, 2005, 7-11PM

Party & Fundraiser for Athletics Projects in Kenya, Uganda & Tanzania. At the beautiful Banchet Flower shop & gallery space at 809 Washington Street, between Gansevoort & Horatio Streets, in New York City.

The event will occur two days before the running of the 36 th ING NYC Marathon. We expect several of the elite Kenyan athletes racing on the Sunday to attend, along with Kenyan and other Olympic champions.

Please spread the word and I look forward to seeing you at the party & celebrating the spirit of the NYC Marathon weekend.

For more information please contact Karl Keirstead at 917-912-0024 or at karlkeirstead@yahoo.com. Suggested minimum donation of $70.

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As some of you know, late last year I started a charitable effort in East Africa, aimed at using athletics as a means to improve the lives of teenagers and young adults in Kenya, Uganda & Tanzania. These countries have the unique combination of being very impoverished yet having perhaps the greatest store of athletic talent in the world. Working with some of the top coaches in the region, I've established and/or sponsor programs to identity and develop elite-level runners (via training camps in talent-rich areas that house & feed & train athletes, hosting races and helping student-athletes win athletic scholarships to the US). The idea is to provide the necessary boost so that some of the most talented individuals in this region can help themselves, by earning considerable sums of money on the international athletics circuit or by winning scholarships to study in the US. The athletes we support have achieved tremendous success and won a considerable amount of prize money in 2005, forever changing their lives and allowing them to give back to their families and communities.

Week of October 4, 2005 - October 10, 2005

Race Winner
October 10, 2005

Congratulations to Gary McCraw who won the Saugerties Fall Classic Half Marathon on Sunday, notching a PR in the process. His reward was a weekend for two at the Saugerties Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast. Luckily for him, he doesn't have to share that with the coach.

A Different Sort of Duathlon
October 10, 2005

From Ananova:

Bulgarian is Europe's top Chessboxer

A Bulgarian has become the first ever European Heavyweight Chessboxing Champion.

Tihomir 'Tiger' Titschko walked off with the title at the Chessboxing Championships in Germany.

The WCBO (World Chess Boxing Organisation) organised the event where so-called chessboxers went through interchanging four-minute-rounds of chess and two-minute boxing rounds.

According to the rules, in a maximum of eleven rounds, a K.O. or checkmate can lead to an early victory.

Titschko, 26, weighing 14 stone, won the title after beating German champion Andreas 'Doomsday' Schneider with a check-mate following a dragon-variation of the Sizilian opening in the ninth round.

A spokesperson for the World Chess Boxing Organisation said: "The basic idea in chessboxing is to combine the no.1 thinking sport and the no.1 fighting sport into a hybrid that demands the most of its competitors - both mentally and physically."

What Runners (K)need to Know
October 10, 2005

Kim McConville sent the following, along with her personal recommendation of the program:

What Runners (K)need to Know is coming up in 10 days, and there are still a few spaces available in the workshop.  It's not too late to sign up -- call or email me to make arrangements. 

In the workshop, you'll learn the movements of your core that are essential for healthy use of your knees, as well as for relieving the stress on your hamstrings, IT bands, and feet.  We'll also look closely at the relationship between your feet, knees, and hips that helps you align your knees properly when you run.  Altogether, the lessons will help reduce excessive impact and the wear and tear on your body, while improving your coordinaton and efficiency. The workshop is low-stress and safe for people who are recovering from injury, yet potent enough to impact runners performing at very high levels.

The workshop will meet on Thursday, October 20, from 7-9 pm at Chelsea Studios, on W. 26th St. between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.  A preliminary phone conversation to make sure I understand your needs and physical condition, a follow-up phone consultation once the workshop is over to troubleshoot and answer questions after you've been running a few times, and a free audio CD, Loosening Up To Run, are all included in your $30 registration fee.  To register or more information, go to my website, www.intelligentexercise.com, email me at jae@intelligentexercise.com, or call me at 646/256-4414.

Jae Gruenke, GCFP
Intelligent Exercise Feldenkrais & Personal Training
80 East 11th Street, Suite 201
New York, NY 10003
646/256-4414
jae@intelligentexercise.com
www.intelligentexercise.com

With Friends Like These...
October 9, 2005

We noticed that Bill O'Reilly was at Yankee Stadium on opening day, but we figured that was just a one-time thing. Then ESPN's broadcast Friday night showed Rudolph Giuliani, Donald Trump and Henry Kissinger in the stands. Suddenly the celebs watching the Lakers seem respectable by comparison.

Hruska Lives!
October 9, 2005

Roman Hruska is being quoted right and left these days in opposition to Harriet Miers. Now former Senator Dan Coats has come up with the interesting tactic of paraphrasing Hruska in defense of Miers:

"If great intellectual powerhouse is a qualification to be a member of the court and represent the American people and the wishes of the American people and to interpret the Constitution, then I think we have a court so skewed on the intellectual side that we may not be getting representation of America as a whole."

Well, the Supreme Court is not supposed to represent the wishes of the American people. It is supposed to interpret the Constitution and the law, and that's the kind of thing we probably want intellectual powerhouses handling. Besides, isn't the un-intellectual side of America well represented in Congress?

Race Winner
October 6, 2005

Kate Irvin's victory in Sunday's Harry Murphy XC 5K gives CPTC 20 wins for the year so far. Hers was just on highlight at Van Cortlandt; CPTC also won four first place age group medals; took the top three spots in both the men's and women's 20-29 age groups, won 15 total age group medals; and was the top team for men (2, 4, 6, 7, 12) and women (1, 3, 4, 6, 9). Just goes to show how fast you all can run when the coach promises you post-race margaritas.

Four Minutes
October 6, 2005

We weren't so impressed. The posters at Let's Run had a stronger reaction. We accept that time must be truncated, characters combined, and conflicts exaggerated in order to fit the story to television. ESPN could have done a better job of this, but on the whole they did okay. But Frank Deford, who wrote the script, got a little too obsessed with the Sir Edmund Hilary's comment after returning from the summit of Mt. Everest: "Well, we knocked the bastard off." It's a great line for Hilary, but it has nothing to do with Sir Roger Bannister or his composite coach. Deford's been trying to tie Hilary and Bannister together since at least 1999, and even though it never quite works, he apparently couldn't resist having Sir Roger echo Sir Edmund's line after his record-setting mile.

Hilary had to let the rest of the expedition know that he and Tenzing Norgay had made the summit, and he did so in a casual, modest way. Bannister didn't need to tell anyone he'd set the record, and by all accounts he said nothing memorable at the time, probably because he barely had the energy left to speak. Deford would have done better to let him stay silent, rather than give him a line that doesn't fit.

Mmmmmm... Beer
October 6, 2005

We can think of plenty of worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon than having a few beers while overlooking the Hudson River. And when you can have your choice of around 100 different brews, food from Spanky's BBQ, and music from several bands we've never heard of — all while supporting Hudson River Park — well, what could be better? That's all available at this Saturday's Beer on the Pier 2, on Pier 54 (West 13th Street and the West Side Highway). Tickets are $41.50 and include unlimited sampling over a 4-hour span. Tickets will probably sell out in advance, so if you want to go, you should register online now.

In other beer news, Guinness had a cool ad called noitulovE (that's "Evolution" backwards) that's now running in the UK. Check out the video and the press release, and then take a moment to realize how sad it is that an ad like this would never make it here, since it would lead to the Intelligent Design crew boycotting the beer.

More on Grammar, Because We Know How Much You All Love This Topic
October 6, 2005

Joe Garland writes:

As a Strunk & White guy, I'd write "Miers's" instead of "Miers'." And I found "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" so grammatically and stylistically flawed that I couldn't finish it.

This is, in fact, the first rule in William Strunk & E.B. White's classic "The Elements of Style," and they write:

1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.

Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,

Charles's friend
Burns's poems
the witch's malice

Many other style guides agree, as does the New York Times. Others, including Slate, drop the extra "s." But all agree that this is a rule of style, not a law of grammar, so the important thing is to be consistent and understandable. Our preference is to never use the extra "s" in a possessive when the name ends in "s," and we stick to that.

As for Joe's criticism of Lynne Truss' book (notice our consistent use of the apostrophe there), we think he's a little too severe. Yes, the book is greatly flawed, as The New Yorker pointed out last year (read the article here, or buy the complete magazine from February 1925 to February 2005 on DVD-ROM here). But we still found it entertaining, and we never intended it to replace "The Elements of Style" or "Woe is I."

Cardinals Update — Ten Questions from the Midwest Correspondent
October 6, 2005

1. Now that the Cards lead the series two games to one, will Tony LaRussa throw Chris Carpenter in Game 4, or will he save him for Game 5?
2. If Jake Peavy pitches in Game 4 and pitches well, will Peavy follow Curt Schilling's lead and send the bandage supporting his broken rib to the Hall of Fame?
3. Is Angel Hernandez the worst umpire in baseball?
4. If Angel Hernandez works the plate during the playoffs, who will be the first person ejected?
5. Can we just get instant replay already?
6. Now that Barry Bonds is handicapped by a bum knee, can we declare Albert Pujols the best hitter in baseball?
7. Would Harriet Miers consistently call the outside-corner strike?
8. Are MLB and Fox going to call a mulligan for each of the first two games of the White Sox-Red Sox series?
9. If the Yankees and Red Sox are eliminated, will the remainder of the games all be played in the afternoon?
10. If the Yankees and Red Sox are eliminated, will there be baseball on Fox?

Our answers:

1. Despite your views on Matt Morris, we still don't think there will be a Game 4.
2. We'd rather not know. Either way, we'll skip the medical exhibit on our next visit to Cooperstown.
3. Depends. Is that really fat guy still around? Also, we didn't see today's game, so we don't know what in specific Mr. Scherrer is complaining about.
4. This is easy. Tony LaRussa is always the first guy tossed, regardless of who the ump is.
5. These games aren't slow enough already?
6. "Bum knee" is a euphemism for "laying low until the DA promises not to indict him over the whole BALCO thing," right?
7. Depends if the batter is a righty or a lefty. Yeah, we're pretty embarrassed about that joke, but we had to do it.
8. Comebacks equal ratings. We expect Bud Selig is going to kidnap all of Chicago's starters to ensure that Boston wins the next two. Then he'll rule that Sunday's game needs to be moved from Chicago to Boston because the marathon course is too near the stadium.
9. That would be nice. We wouldn't mind having these games finish before 1:00 in the morning.
10. Like Fox has anything better to air instead.

Race Winner
October 5, 2005

Congratulations to Bill Capune on winning the US Coast Guard Academy Reunion Fun Run on Saturday. But shouldn't this race have involved swimming in some way?

Four Minutes
October 5, 2005

For those of you who don't have TIVos but still want to watch the movie about Sir Roger Bannister tomorrow night, we have some good news: you can go to the workout in Central Park, and then catch a rerun of Four Minutes at 9:00 pm or 11:00 pm, still on ESPN2. If you don't get to watch it, we'll tell you all how it ends tomorrow. Or you can go read Neal Bascomb's The Perfect Mile, which is better than any fictionalization could hope to be. Sir Roger's own Four-Minute Mile isn't quite as good, but, then, his talents lie elsewhere.

Who Says the Mainstream Media is Slow to Pick Up on Trends?
October 5, 2005

The Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Phoenix, Slate, and Find Law all print Roman Hruska's quote today. All insist that they're not comparing Harriet Miers to G. Harrold Carswell. The Post claims that liberal bloggers have brought it up, though the quote has been ubiquitous on conservative sites, as well, including The National Review.

Cardinals Update
October 5, 2005

Has St. Louis' victory yesterday had any affect on John Scherrer's pessimism? Not really:

I picked the Padres based on (1) Peavy and (2) the Cardinals' erratic bullpen. If Peavy had been healthy yesterday, I think I would have ended up looking pretty smart considering our bullpen really wanted to blow the game.

I think San Diego learned a lesson: make our starters throw lots of pitches. High pitch count is the key. Get to the bullpen. They have Scott Linebrink and Trevor Hoffman, so if it becomes a battle of bullpens, edge goes to the Padres.

If I get a chance to preview tomorrow's game, I'm going to point out our numbers against Pedro Astacio. We've really hit him hard — something like a collective team batting average hovering near .400. Could be a slugfest because Mark Mulder has been really wild. If he can't complete seven innings, it could be a long game.

My revised prediction: Whoever wins tomorrow wins the series. Like I said, Game 3 will go to SD because of Matt Morris AND because nobody on our team has hit Woody Williams. We should be thankful that Bruce Bochy isn't using Woody in Game 2.

Once Again, The Onion Scoops Everyone Else
October 4, 2005

This time it's highlights from the intelligent design debate in Pennsylvania. Also funny, though less likely to be true: what to do with fat people, and Lance Armstrong faces his toughest endurance test.

See, Running is Better Than Cycling
October 4, 2005

For all three of you who haven't heard yet (it's the most emailed article in the Times today), bicycle seats actually can cause impotence. Yes, this has been reported before, but now it seems there's actual science behind it.

Cars Out of Central Park
October 4, 2005

From Transportation Alternatives. Check out the scheduled speakers:

Nowhere else in the world is traffic so out of place.

And, nowhere else in the world would a traffic ban have a more resounding impact.

Banning traffic from Central Park's Loop Drive would do more than benefit the park's 25 million annual visitors: it would send the world a signal that, in this age of global warming and oil insecurity, we are shifting our transportation priorities.

Our campaign to get cars off the Central Park loop drive is now one of the largest grassroots initiatives in the history of New York City.

With nearly 100,000 petition signers and scores of health, transportation, recreation and civic groups now behind us, we have a real shot at winning a trial closure of the loop drive for the summer of 2006.

This trial closure will confirm what numerous traffic studies have suggested: the benefits of a car-free loop drive far outweigh any potential costs.

Join hundreds of T.A. members and park users to call for a Summer '06 trial closure at the Cars Out for Summer! Celebration at 4:45pm October 24th in Central Park.

The celebration will feature representatives from several park user groups and rousing oratory from leading advocates for a car-free Central Park, including Peggy Shepard of West Harlem Environmental Action and Stacy Creamer of the Central Park Track Club.

For three decades we have struggled. With your help, we will win.

RSVP to attend the Cars Out for Summer! Celebration. We also need volunteers to help make this event a huge success. Email volunteer@transalt.org and sign up today.

Sincerely,

Paul Steely White
Executive Director
Transportation Alternatives

So That's What They Mean By Strict Construction!
October 4, 2005

First came John Roberts, a "cheerfully ruthless copy editor" who "refus[ed] to tolerate the slightest grammatical slip." Now, it's Harriet Miers, who, as Bush's staff secretary, "was known to correct spelling, grammar and even punctuation errors in memos to the president." Could this be the standard Bush is using to pick his Supreme Court nominees? If so, we'd like the president to know that we are available should Ms. Miers be rejected by the Senate. We don't have a law degree (which is not required by the Constitution anyway), but we do have a shelf full of books on grammar and editing, and we ordered Eats, Shoots and Leaves from a British bookseller before it was even available on this side of the pond.

A word of warning before we are nominated: we may not be as strict in our rules of grammar as Roberts and Miers. We feel that the punctuation rules of 200 years ago should not govern the language of today. Even a quick glance at the United States Constitution reveals a staggering overuse of commas and run-on sentences. And not even Antonin Scalia would expect us to return to the arbitrary rules of capitalization practiced by the Framers. We have no problem promising that, despite what is commonly observed, our future decisions, like our current emails, will be free of emoticons and unnecessary acronyms, and that we will always start each sentence with a capital letter — a rule we adhere to even when text-messaging, because we are that big of a geek. And while we further promise to never adopt the style of Huck Finn (you did all recognize that homage in the beginning of John Scherrer's post below, right?), we are unprepared at this point to promulgate any official list of rules of grammar that we will consider ironclad in our decisions.

In our defense, we avoid the problem Slate's Has-Been identified in Miers' nomination:

Finally, how can Ms. Miers reconcile her alleged dedication to established rules of grammar with her decade-long dedication to one of the worst grammatical evildoers in American history?

We have no such conflicts in our life, and have worked hard to ensure that we work and associate only with other grammatically correct people.

Meanwhile, we've noticed that Miers is being described as "mediocre" by a number of commentators on both sides of the aisle. We don't claim to be able to judge her qualifications yet, but we must say we are disappointed by the response from the media. Two days of articles and op-ed pieces, and not one of them has referenced Sen. Roman Hruska's 1970 defense of G. Harrold Carswell. Luckily the bloggers have been all over it, including Geoffrey Stone at the Huffington Post, who offers the full quote:

Even if he is mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they, and a little chance? We can't have all Brandeises and Cardozos and Frankfurters and stuff like that there.

Hruska wasn't being fair to mediocrities, since Carswell was a truly abysmal judge. That might not have been enough for the Senate to reject him, but then he was revealed to be a fan of segregation who had once said "I yield to no man as a fellow candidate or as a fellow citizen in the firm, vigorous belief in the principles of White Supremacy, and I shall always be so governed." Even so 45 senators voted to confirm him.

There's no evidence that Miers deserves such shameful company. But, since no one remembers anything about Carswell these days other than Hruska's comments, we expect to see the quote in every newspaper and news magazine out there within a week. Which means that even if we don't get nominated for the Supreme Court, we're at least qualified to be an op-ed columnist.