Hat Day!
To celebrate today's Hat Day, the last Hat Day of '06, the Mountain of Love wore his floppy chicken hat. Yes, it's exactly as awesome as it sounds. I wore my Red Army hat, replete with numerous medals from both the Soviet Union and it's main successor, the Russian Federation. Why do I have a Red Army hat? It was a gift from my friend Olga, a.k.a. From Russia With Love. She is an American now, but she was born in the Soviet Union, an ethnic Russian from the suburbs of Kiev, Ukraine. On a trip to Moscow several years ago, she thought of me and bought this hat from a vendor in Red Square. Hooray for Red Army army surplus! And one day, I'll even explain why my Red Army hat is kosher, but The Guy's Mao Zedong watch must be frowned upon.

There won't be any more Hat Days until January 2007, but I think I'll continue to wear a hat during dinner and The Office on Thursdays. Because, yes, my life could stand to be more festive. I love Hat Day!

Fire Millen: Joey's Revenge
Henceforth, posts about the Detroit Lions will be titled "Fire Millen," replacing the more traditional "Honolulu Blue Forever." I look forward to the day that Millen's reign of terror ends and "Honolulu Blue Forever," or a similar supportive title, can return.

During the first five seasons of Matt Millen's tenure with the Detroit Lions, the team posted the worst cumulative record in the National Football League, 21-59. This means the Lions won roughly one game for every three defeats. Joey Harrington was drafted before Millen's second year and started for most of the next four seasons, sixty-four games over the course of which the Lions earned a dismal 19-45 record. Of those sixty-four games, Harrington started all but nine, posting an 18-37 record. In the other nine games, the Lions fared not at all well, 1-8. So, with Harrington, the Lions won roughly one game for every two defeats, compared to one victory and eight losses in games where Harrington was not the starting quarterback and the one win for three losses average of Millen's first five years.

Millen overall: 21-59, roughly 1-3
With Harrington: 18-37, roughly 1-2
Without Harrington: 1-8, exactly 1-8

The Lions weren't good with Joey Harrington as the starting QB, but they were better with him than without him, both before he was drafted and after he was traded to the Miami Dolphins (current Detroit Starter Jon Kitna has "lead" the Lions to a 2-7 record, or one win for every three and one-third defeats, 1-3 1/3 compared to Joey's 1-2). One week from today, the Lions will play the Dolphins on Thanksgiving Day. I cannot in good conscience root for Miami, but I can, and shall, root for Joey Harrington. Let's go, Joey Heisman!

BTW South Song of the Day
Five Iron Frenzy, "Eulogy" from Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo (Mt. Love)

Tuesday, November 14
Wally Dogger, "U R So Not the 1" via ye olde internet (Mt. Love)