Three signs of the Apocalypse
1. The lighting of the Coliseum flame at the start of the fourth quarter of USC games has a commercial sponsor.
Yes, the moment when the flame lights the L.A. sky, giving the Coliseum the feel of a real sports temple, evoking the memories of the Olympics and the historic events after which it was lit (9/11, Ronald Reagan's death, Pope John Paul II's death), is "brought to you by Sirius Satellite Radio."
Seems like a minor sacrilege to me, but a USC spokesman says the fourth-quarter lightings are just part of the Trojans' football tradition and have nothing to do with the flame's more historic role.
Knowing that, I'll try not to get those goosebumps anymore.
2. Every time I click over to the ESPN Classic channel, there's a poker tournament on.
I'm looking for "down goes Frazier," they're giving me "Scotty Nguyen flopped a flush."
At least, if it's going to be poker, it ought to be classic poker -- sawdust on the floor, pistols on the table, no dot-com logos on the cowboy hats.
3. Sports Illustrated, once devoted to high-toned writing, now fills the entire first half of the magazine with quick-read gimmicks and crass junk.
In the current issue, this includes an item on whether a Jets running back was giving fans the finger in his trading-card photo; a poll of NFL players on which team is "most painful" to face, and three NBA players explaining their tattoos.
Oh, and SI's most worn-out front-of-the-book feature -- the weekly "Sign of the Apocalypse."