just another American family.

Sports coverage outside of the NY/NJ area in the New York Times is actually interesting to me -- they have writers who find interesting and compelling human interest stories about athletes and their families, and UNLV forward Joe Darger's is no different.

Darger gets about six points a night in a little more than 13 minutes of action, but the NYT's fascination with him has more to do with his unorthodox family -- his father is a practicing polygamist, and the total number of kids is 19 -- and how they follow him around in games. (The article's tone is good -- I'm not a polygamy fan, but I think non-condemnation's a good way to go here.)

His story is interesting for the way we handle stories outside the accepted or common Judeo-Christian norms; Mormonism is one of the last few religious practices with a history banded about as "weird" in America (Islam is another; Buddhism has always seemed more of a philosophy to Americans.) Most of the stories we get about the old polygamist practices are about the ugly fallout -- see Warren Jeffs for the latest example -- but Darger's sounds highly all-American and pretty consistent with a strong, religious background, except for that one "deviant" aspect (it is worth noting that his father said he and his wives don't force their life choices on the kids.)

Darger's is a Rorschach test; we will read what we want out of it since the writer's tone seems neutral enough -- it's just an interesting backstory in college basketball, where there are plenty to be had, although many more of them have to do with rising above poverty, violence, etc. What will happen, though, if the NYT isn't exactly the last word on this? We may find out, depending on how UNLV performs in two weeks.

shout at the devil.

I stumbled across this particular list of bands from Love God's Way (which also has a handy "God Hates Fags" reminder in the title) from a friend, for pure humor value.

All I can say is that it's clear that I'd really rather prefer to go to hell, if this list is any indication. Inclusions range from the obvious (Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainwright, Elton John gets an "extra gay") to the odd (Ted Nugent gets a "loincloth" addition for his addition to the list, but I don't think it makes him gay, per se.)

The best parts? Marilyn Manson is described as "dark gay" and Morrissey has a "?(questionable)?"

Stephen A. is sane.

Clearly, compared to the world of sports punditry on ESPN, political pundits have a stranglehold on crazy if Smith sounds like the only one on this CNN segment on "atheists on the attack" with a functioning brain.

Smith may be part of what I call the Olbermann Rule: when you see journalists and pundits with a sports base move to news, generally, they're more incisive, because in sports, you have yardsticks to go by for evaluation (stats, won-loss records, actual skills on display on tape or TiVo), they actively seek out the similar measurements in politics. Political pundits have eschewed this approach to talk about the theoretical and anecdotal -- so much the better to spin, since the majority of the pundit class now consists of former campaign types and politicians (George Will, Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough) and their acolytes brought up through talk radio. That said, he still had to profess his faith in the Lord and buy the spin point of the U.S. being a "Christian nation" -- please find that in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence where it specifically says that, or I will push this button for electroshock.

I don't advocate violence against women. I advocate violence against people who apparently haven't read the Constitution at all, also against constant idiocy. The woman on the left saying atheists need Hallmark cards and holidays...oof. And Debbie Schlussel, always up there with Dennis Prager as particularly repellent self-hating members of the tribe (just go sign up for Jews for Jesus already), has a new nickname thanks to the Deadspinners -- Fat Rachel Dratch. Absolutely no recognition at all that prayer in public schools is by nature coercive.

I'd get seriously reprimanded or fired if I had booked a segment like this when I did a morning show. How do you have a "debate" about whether atheists are on the attack without someone to represent them?

well, you gotta have faith....

....especially if you are a fan of a baseball team that hasn't made the playoffs since 1995, never mind never winning its division.

The Colorado Rockies organization has decided to bring back "Faith Day" at Coors Field; it's not without precedent. It's been hosted there before (the Cards and the Braves allow the company that runs it to host it in their stadia too), but the case of the Rockies organization is more interesting because of last year's spate of attention on the team's front office consisting mostly of born-agains.

Coming from someone who thought weekends were better spent sleeping in and watching sports on TV than spending time in the synagogue or in Catholic Lite ceremonies (Episcopalianism: Same Great Taste, Less Papal BS!), I admit I find trying to be godly while your teams finish near the bottom of of a crap division a clear sign that it's not working. Then again, I remember that statewide, Colorado is a homing beacon for people of the God Squad, home to Mullah Dobson and Focus on the Family (and we've not forgotten about you, Ted Haggard), and the cynic in me appreciates the extra possibility of income (God always meets Mammon somewhere along the line.)

The Rockies can do no wrong, so long as they keep the faith, no matter how badly they lose in their division yet again. Just don't sign anyone with a chance of being the first MLBer to come out of the closet.

that's one type of irreconcilable difference.

This is kind of about Jim Lampley getting arrested last week for domestic violence, but really not -- as the usual outlets have covered this in better form and with more humor than I can muster. The interesting update to the whole ugly mess is that the person alleging abuse, a former Miss California named Candace Sanders, had her previous marriage annulled because her then-husband, a devout Jehovah's Witness, wouldn't have sex with her.

I admit the picture on the right isn't the best, but even the most uptight evangelical would hit that if she were his wife. Missionary only, of course, but still.