Keeping an Eye — and an Ear

Keeping an Eye — and an Ear — on Olympics

February 13, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Thursday thoughts (or reasonable facsimiles thereof) while wondering whether the Olympic biathlon would have been more fun if the competitors firing rifles would have had paint guns shooting back at them:

Tyler Suess is the 2014 Hooters Girl of the Year.

* Is there a better way to become familiar with classical music than from Olympic figure skating? OK, other than from cartoons. Then again, the closest some of us come to culture — Russian or otherwise — is yogurt.

* Speaking of the Olympics, Matt Lauer has filled in the last couple of days for Bob Costas, who has been sidelined by an eye infection. One question (well, other than when — if ever — does “Today” host Lauer sleep): Is his facial hair some sort of tribute to Vladimir Lenin?

* Speaking of Lenin, betcha Sid Caesar could have done a great impersonation of him. The legendary comedian died Wednesday at 91. A day earlier, former child star Shirley Temple (so popular in the 1930s that she has a non-alcoholic drink named after her) died at 85. Two tremendous talents. Some of us are old enough to remember Caesar starring in the early days of television.

* New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, the 1996 American League rookie of the year, will retire after the 2014 season. He enters the season with 3,316 hits. Which coincidentally is the number of girlfriends he has had in his big-league career. OK, maybe not.

* If today is Thursday (and the chances seem excellent that it is, mainly because yesterday was Wednesday — provided that today is February 13, 2014, or a subsequent Thursday, then it is time for another edition of “Sports & Torts” with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris at noon Central time on Talkzone.com. This week’s guests are 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Claude Humphrey and Derrick Brooks. The show also will be available later Thursday via podcast at the Talkzone web site.

* Speaking of people named Derrick, Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose — who is rehabbing from knee surgery — followed the company line when he talked to media before a team charity event Wednesday. Of the possibility he might return to play this season (something management has said isn’t about to occur), the former NBA Most Valuable Player said: “I haven’t even had a chance to think about it to tell you the truth.” That’s the truth? Well, maybe. But only because he has been so busy remembering what he is supposed to be saying to the media.

* Congratulations to Tyler Suess for being named the 2014 Hooters Girl of the Year. And for being featured at SI.com as the Lovely Lady of the Day. Thereby justifying running her photo. Not that there need be any special reason to run her picture.

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Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the everlasting efforts of the editorial and video departments of ElliottHarris.com):