O'Neill of Chicago
@brianoneill.bsky.social
Books, baseball, Great Lakes. Writes reviews all over, and at South Side Sox. Big fan of rivers and such. He/him
Had a long dream I was reading (and watching?) @juliusgoat.bsky.social new (nonexistent, I think) novel, which I described to a friend as "potentially treacly, but in his hands, nearly euphonic." It was especially strange because I had to look that word up when I woke up.
Still, good book.
Still, good book.
September 18, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Had a long dream I was reading (and watching?) @juliusgoat.bsky.social new (nonexistent, I think) novel, which I described to a friend as "potentially treacly, but in his hands, nearly euphonic." It was especially strange because I had to look that word up when I woke up.
Still, good book.
Still, good book.
I'm so excited to read this I can barely breathe.
September 17, 2026 at 12:03 AM
I'm so excited to read this I can barely breathe.
All these years later I still can't quite believe that the big "cold open" the show-within-the-show did to prove that they were not going to be cowed by censorship, the thing that the whole episode revolved around, that every agreed had to light the world on fire, was a Gilbert and Sullivan parody.
I think there is a version of Studio 60 that could've worked, even under Sorkin's "these fart jokes were written by gods amongst men" deal, but a) you'd only see maybe 10 seconds of a sketch and b) Sorkin would farm that out to actual comedy sketch writers and do the interpersonal stuff
September 15, 2026 at 12:05 AM
All these years later I still can't quite believe that the big "cold open" the show-within-the-show did to prove that they were not going to be cowed by censorship, the thing that the whole episode revolved around, that every agreed had to light the world on fire, was a Gilbert and Sullivan parody.
Wheeeeeeee!!!!
September 13, 2026 at 2:53 AM
Wheeeeeeee!!!!
What is the thing in the sky? I know it is probably something simple, but: what is it?
Sol 1978: Right Mastcam-Z Camera, acquired at 01:38:22.081 (local mean solar time), image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
September 13, 2026 at 12:28 AM
What is the thing in the sky? I know it is probably something simple, but: what is it?
Morality aside (which, don't put it aside, ever), does Talrico think people who believe his polite statements about trans rights to be an abomination unto the Lord will be like "oh, he's since modified them, I'll give the young man a vote!"
September 12, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Morality aside (which, don't put it aside, ever), does Talrico think people who believe his polite statements about trans rights to be an abomination unto the Lord will be like "oh, he's since modified them, I'll give the young man a vote!"
I cannot believe Coco is still in this match.
September 11, 2026 at 3:05 AM
I cannot believe Coco is still in this match.
Sabs looked incredible tonight. When she's striking it the way she wants I don't think there's anything more exciting in tennis. Maybe *as* thrilling, but not more.
September 11, 2026 at 12:38 AM
Sabs looked incredible tonight. When she's striking it the way she wants I don't think there's anything more exciting in tennis. Maybe *as* thrilling, but not more.
At the high school I work at, I've heard multiple groups of kids laughing about Kirkiversary, and a group of bros joking about how people thought "this would change everything" who cares about him, he was "just some guy"
This thread seems correct to me. It was stunning (low-kirkenuinely!) how quickly after his death Kirk became a joke not only to left-wing Zoomers, but also centrist/apolitical Zoomers.
they wanted to turn him into a saint and instead the zoomers made him into a meme (derogatory), many of the people whose lives they ruined sued for large sums of money, the movement he built has splintered into conspiracy-laden infighting, and their mad king is deteriorating by the day
September 10, 2026 at 5:44 PM
At the high school I work at, I've heard multiple groups of kids laughing about Kirkiversary, and a group of bros joking about how people thought "this would change everything" who cares about him, he was "just some guy"
Also, I don't know how anyone can write "Donald Trump Pledges..." or "Trump Promises..." without looking at themselves mournfully in the mirror and shakily pouring a stiff drink.
The Bezos Washington Post is calling Trump’s insane idea of bribing American voters with their own money a “pledge.” Despite the fiscal lunacy underlying it and the fact that it is an old con they’ve used before that has never and will never come to pass. Incredibly irresponsible.
September 10, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Also, I don't know how anyone can write "Donald Trump Pledges..." or "Trump Promises..." without looking at themselves mournfully in the mirror and shakily pouring a stiff drink.
Reposted by O'Neill of Chicago
Scrolling television stations…
September 10, 2026 at 3:11 AM
Scrolling television stations…
I guess I understand the politics of saying "TRUMP GIVES YOU MONEY" but this isn't even "if we win, the economy will continue to boom, so we'll be able to afford it." It's "we have the money, but if you let me down you don't get it." Which is evangelical, and maddening.
Trump: "Only I can make this promise to you: If the Republicans win the House and Senate, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000"
September 10, 2026 at 3:01 AM
I guess I understand the politics of saying "TRUMP GIVES YOU MONEY" but this isn't even "if we win, the economy will continue to boom, so we'll be able to afford it." It's "we have the money, but if you let me down you don't get it." Which is evangelical, and maddening.
The charitable explanation is that it makes people think that they didn't have to work hard, which they obviously did, even with all the breaks and advantages, and ESPN sees it as their job to boost American tennis.
I instinctively root against Pegula because of this, but I'm being charitable.
I instinctively root against Pegula because of this, but I'm being charitable.
Does anyone with more sophisticated media knowledge than mine understand why ESPN will burn endless cycles talking about tennis players' backgrounds/childhoods but will not ever, ever state that Pegula and Navarro are the children of billionaires, even when they're playing each other?
September 9, 2026 at 12:42 AM
The charitable explanation is that it makes people think that they didn't have to work hard, which they obviously did, even with all the breaks and advantages, and ESPN sees it as their job to boost American tennis.
I instinctively root against Pegula because of this, but I'm being charitable.
I instinctively root against Pegula because of this, but I'm being charitable.
I clicked on this having no idea what it was (just an A24 thing) and thought "I don't recognize that actress, but she looks so familiar. How is she so good at being so goddamn unnerving?"
there's a teaser trailer and everything youtube.com/watch?v=GGJSRFWALTI&feature=youtu.be
You Can See Everything | Official Teaser HD | A24
YouTube video by A24
youtube.com
September 7, 2026 at 12:47 AM
I clicked on this having no idea what it was (just an A24 thing) and thought "I don't recognize that actress, but she looks so familiar. How is she so good at being so goddamn unnerving?"
Denver is so beautiful!
September 6, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Denver is so beautiful!
Come for the "disgruntled lesbians" part, stay for her using the phrase "audibly heard" not once but twice!
Riley Gaines: "I went to the WNBA game in Minneapolis. It was a bunch of, like, disgruntled lesbians."
September 6, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Come for the "disgruntled lesbians" part, stay for her using the phrase "audibly heard" not once but twice!
@slangsonsports.bsky.social posts about the White Sox have been way more fun this year than as of late.
Seasons with 3+ players with 30+ home runs, White Sox history:
2026 Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami
2008 Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin, Jim Thome
2006 Joe Crede, Dye, Paul Konerko, Thome
2004 Konerko, Carlos Lee, José Valentín
2026 Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami
2008 Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin, Jim Thome
2006 Joe Crede, Dye, Paul Konerko, Thome
2004 Konerko, Carlos Lee, José Valentín
September 5, 2026 at 11:51 PM
@slangsonsports.bsky.social posts about the White Sox have been way more fun this year than as of late.
Wrote about the @beltpublishing.bsky.social Revival publication of The Pit, with a fantastic intro by @whetmoser.com. It's non-gritty social realism, never blinking away from the frictionless lives of those getting rich off who eats and who starves.
greatlakesreview.org/futures-in-t...
greatlakesreview.org/futures-in-t...
Futures, In the Past
The Pit: A Story of Chicago Frank Norris Belt Publishing (Belt Revivals Series) Many of the great Chicago books revolve around people on the bottom trying to claw their way up from it. These could …
greatlakesreview.org
September 4, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Wrote about the @beltpublishing.bsky.social Revival publication of The Pit, with a fantastic intro by @whetmoser.com. It's non-gritty social realism, never blinking away from the frictionless lives of those getting rich off who eats and who starves.
greatlakesreview.org/futures-in-t...
greatlakesreview.org/futures-in-t...
Even if this wasn't hideously racist -- which is obviously, undeniably is -- the idea of something "inviting scrutiny," as if the the story wasn't creating its own proposition, is as far away from "do(ing) the fucking news" as you can possibly get.
Bari Weiss "praised the story during the network's daily editorial meeting ... Weiss even personally directed that the headline be tweaked to mention that El-Sayed had deleted tweets referencing the Sept 11 terrorist attacks."
via @oliverdarcy.bsky.social
www.status.news/p/cbs-news-e...
via @oliverdarcy.bsky.social
www.status.news/p/cbs-news-e...
September 1, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Even if this wasn't hideously racist -- which is obviously, undeniably is -- the idea of something "inviting scrutiny," as if the the story wasn't creating its own proposition, is as far away from "do(ing) the fucking news" as you can possibly get.
There are horrors that we knew were coming; there are absurdities we didn't predict yet aren't surprising. Defiantly saying "Lake Ontario" is not either of those.
The answer is yes, Google Maps would follow Trump's Executive Orders. Here's a general discussion of the process and considerations:
Lake Ontario Renamed Lake America: Google Maps Must Label Two Nations on One Lake
Lake Ontario renamed Lake America: Trump signed an executive order directing the GNIS to officially change the name, but Google Maps faces an unprecedented display challenge - the international border...
www.techtimes.com
August 30, 2026 at 2:34 PM
There are horrors that we knew were coming; there are absurdities we didn't predict yet aren't surprising. Defiantly saying "Lake Ontario" is not either of those.
My girlfriend was asking me if "Ronin" is good and I said this is basically the movie, if this appeals to you, then: yes.
August 30, 2026 at 6:05 AM
My girlfriend was asking me if "Ronin" is good and I said this is basically the movie, if this appeals to you, then: yes.
Car chase in Ronin still kicks ass, in case you weren't sure
August 30, 2026 at 5:35 AM
Car chase in Ronin still kicks ass, in case you weren't sure
I'm not even a Tom Petty fan. I think the day he died was the only day of my life I put his music on deliberately, as opposed to hearing him omnipresently. But Roy Orbison clearly liked him, and that's enough to say that, while all taste is subjective and idiosyncratic, this take is wrong.
God it really does suck. Most Tom Petty stuff is horrid. So boring.
I’m that way with Free Fallin’. I grew up hanging out on Ventura Blvd and went to high school in Reseda. The song still sucks.
August 30, 2026 at 1:08 AM
I'm not even a Tom Petty fan. I think the day he died was the only day of my life I put his music on deliberately, as opposed to hearing him omnipresently. But Roy Orbison clearly liked him, and that's enough to say that, while all taste is subjective and idiosyncratic, this take is wrong.