Apple Foot

Referrer Log Fun

Several people have recently found their way to this site by searching for jack o'lantern stencils of the Cleveland Indians mascot. I imagine that my earlier post on the character is a disappointment--or maybe an aggravation--to those folks. I appreciate how fans of a team can be attached to the team's mascot, but I ask you: if a team mascot were a big-lipped caricature of African features, or a squinty-eyed, buck-toothed Asian cartoon, would that be OK?

Baseball: Cleveland Indians

I know it's a few days late, but as you may have noticed I'm not in a "Quick! Blog it!" mode this month. I watched most of the ALCS series between the BoSox and Cleveland this last week. The grinning Chief Wahoo cartoon has always struck me as something from another era, something that should now be retired. It didn't really dawn on me how awful it is, though, until I saw some Cleveland fans wearing Chief Wahoo face paint (photo on Flickr): solid red faces with big white grins painted on and feather hats. To my horror, I realized I was looking at a variation on minstrelsy blackface.

I'm not the only one who thinks it's time for Wahoo's retirement. Joe Posnanski writes an excellent article on this subject; the comments are also interesting.

It's 2007, and I like to think the city of Cleveland is better than this.

Recently Misinterpreted (Condescending Bitch Division)

What the sign said: "Please make sure door closes completely."

What I read: "Please make sure door clothes completely."

What I thought: "Ha! I bet they meant to write 'closes'!"      Oh.