R****ins, Miley Cyrus, Closer Entrance Music: Jay Cowit and David A. Arnott talk about an NFL team’s damaged brand, if Miley Cyrus is building a sustainable personal brand, and how they wish Major League Baseball closers would take a few chances with their personal branding.

Download MP3 (25:24)

Here’s the Cleveland Scene article about Chief Wahoo mentioned during the team branding conversation.

Check out some of the songs mentioned during the discussion about closers’ entrance music.

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The Creamy Middles Podcast is a weekly discussion attacking the belly issues of sports -- ideas that go beyond wins and losses. Jay Cowit usually produces it, though David may occasionally step in. Music is either royalty-free, by J. Cowit and the Ruthless Orchestra, or 29 Sunset. Subscribe in iTunes or in another podcatcher with this RSS feed.

Barack Obama's America is our America -- get used to it

(Guest post by Zachary Geballe)


For more than four years, many members of the Republican Party have explicitly attempted to portray Barack Obama as un-American. Whether it was his name, his family history, his religion, or his politics, it was all portrayed as in some way out of line with what America was. After his re-election it’s clear that no one better represents what America is and will be.

yfiles:

Was 1960 the last election when the GOP made a serious play for black votes?

It’s kind of amazing that Richard Nixon was using this rhetoric in 1960, and then in 1968 used racial resentment as a wedge issue. More amazing? That no Republican running for national office would be caught dead saying these words today.

We’ll have more on Barack Obama’s (likely) victory tomorrow. And if Mitt Romney wins? Well, that would be a bigger shock than finding out Magic Mike is actually a dark, bleak, pessimistic recession film. (Which I found out yesterday!)

Election night will be a Grade-A nightmare for people addicted tosocial media

Remember those halcyon days of, like, 2008, when you could experience Election Day by turning on the television and watching Wolf Blitzer tell you the results from various states’ exit polling as their polls closed? A bunch of you will still experience the 2012 election that way, but another bunch of you will end up in the fetal position, furiously scratching the backs of your necks, because Twitter and Facebook will be unusable from about noon on Tuesday through 8pm on Wednesday.

Two longish stories about politics that you must read sometime

Today has been a busy one, and so I provide you with two longish bits of reporting/description about the same general topic. Perhaps you can save them for the weekend! Over toast and eggs?