After registering my mixed feelings about the condition and future of college football yesterday, I proceeded to watch parts of two games. One, the South Carolina/North Carolina game, featured the worst of media contamination of the sport, as the ESPN commentators endlessly obsessed about Jadeveon Clowney (who was by all accounts having a meh sort of game) even as other USC players dominated the game. The other, a SEC tilt between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, displayed why addicts like me are so attached to the sport: Ole Miss won 39-35 in a game with several lead changes and intense late-fourth-quarter dramatics. Even then, a different ESPN broadcast team couldn’t shut up for more than two minutes about Ole Miss’ much-heralded freshman class instead of covering the game they were watching. Politico‘s not the only journalistic outlet where pre-set “narratives” are often out of control.
Anyway, here are some midday news & views on convenient toothpicks:
* IRS rules all legally married same-sex couples can file taxes jointly even if they reside in state not recognizing their marriages.
* About that poor little town in North Dakota that white supremacists are trying to take over.
* Kerry releases report showing 1,400 killed in August 8 chemical weapons attack by Syrian military.
* TPM’s Dylan Scott offers big-picture take on winding down of the War on Drugs.
* At TAP Scott Lemieux analyzes potential military strike on Syria from perspective of War Powers Act.
* Byron York previews the conservative effort to get rid of Lindsey Graham and suggests stronger primary opponent needed.
And in non-political news:
* News we can’t use or much even think about: Kris Jenner reveals she and husband Bruce made sex tape.
Continuing our musical theme of the day, here’s Nonpoint performing “International Crisis.”
Back in a bit.
