I just drove through Woodbridge, and I'm a little confused.

For those of you who aren't in the Toronto area, Woodbridge is a suburb heavily populated by Canadians of Italian descent. It's one of my favorite places -- my framer's shop is there, you can't beat the morning pastries and I get some of the best pasta around at Quiztini's off Langstaff.

But immediately after the 1-0 Italian victory over Australia to advance in the World Cup, there were people running out into the streets, waving Italian flags and singing. My question is: what are you guys so happy about?

The Australians clearly played the better game, mainly because the Italians finally ran into a referee willing to call all the diving and elbowing that allows the Italians to create space. With their whining and cheapshots stripped from them, they were exposed as merely another good team, one the Aussies might have taken in extra time.

Unfortunately, the same ref who had done such a marvelous job through the first 92 minutes of action failed miserably in the last. Luis Medina called for a penalty kick on a play which shouldn't have even been a stoppage, and Francesco Totti's blast predictably snuggled into the upper left reaches of the net.

This was a horrible, unseemly ending to a wonderful game, and I'm not at all sure why Italians are pleased by it. Yes, you won -- congratulations and all that -- but your side has been exposed, and if you draw another official willing to call the game in the maaner in which it should be called, come Friday you'll be crying in your cappuccino.

Quick one tonight -- check out a couple of extremely funny little films based around bad writing.

Also, we haven't had any new pictures of Mackenzie recently, so here are a few for those wondering how she's doing.

She's now just past three months, healthy and happy and starting to act like she wants to walk. Yes, I know ... too early, but you put her on her feet and she wants to try and get across the floor.

I can't tell you how amazing it is when she first wakes up in the morning. I take her upstairs before anyone else is up and we spend 15 minutes of Mac and Daddy time with both of us just giggling and yukking it up. Of course, after that she wonders where her mom is and gets cranky, but that's fine -- 15 minutes is enough to get me wired for the rest of my day.

I have no idea why he does it, but here's a fellow who apparently doesn't have a problem with the people around him knowing how he feels.

A whackjob? Yes, but I do agree with him abuot the seatbelt issue.

Congratulations to Jay-Z on creating about a billion dollars worth of publicity for the makers of Cristal.

The apparently illiterate hip-hop mogul issued this announcement recently:

"It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal, Frederic Rouzaud, views the 'hip-hop' culture as 'unwelcome attention.' I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life."

Of course, it wasn't Rouzard who used the words "unwelcome attention" in an article entitled "Bubbles and Bling" in The Economist. It was actually the author of the piece, Gideon Rachman, who used that phrase.

For whatever reason, the article seems to have disappeared of the magazine's web site, so here's the direct quote from Rouzard, who was asked if the link between his product and hip-hop was beneficial.

"That's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business."

Rouzard also said his organization viewed the hip-hop connection with "curiosity and serenity." Doesn't exactly sound racist, does it?

What's most wonderful about all of this is a whole new audience of potential Cristal drinkers may hear about the product as a result of Jay-Z's overreaction. I mean, how many upper-class whites are down with "Can't Knock the Hustle" and "Brooklyn's Finest"?

By the way, here's a line or two from another alcohol-soaked track, "Dead Presidents II":

My doe flip like Tae-Kwon, Jay-Z the Icon
Baby, you like Dom, maybe this Cristal's to change your life huh.

Now how could a multinational corporation not be excited about being associated with that?

This could also work out well for Mr. Zed, though. It's a chance for him to hook himself up with a whole new target audience by dropping the name of some other beverage.

Perhaps Milwaukee's Best, or Mad Dog ... or even Tang:

I be pullin' mad knots with my posse and my gang
Developin' a thirst and I'm searchin' for the Tang.

That even has a nice double entendre, something I'm sure every ho out there would appreciate.

In any event, I fully expect Shawn Cater (his real name -- how does he get Jay-Z out of that?) to apologize at some point and start pimping Cristal again. That, and perhaps also bust a cap in the ass of his publicist.

With the U.S. Open and father's Day falling on the same weekend, Nike has decided to put together a tribute to the recently departed Earl Woods. You can check it out right here.

The ad itself is pretty tasteful, with just one Nike swoosh right at the end of it -- no mention of golf shoes or clubs or anything of that ilk. Still, I find myself a little uneasy about it.

It's not the thought of Nike wanting to do something to honor Earl Woods, and it's pretty clear Tiger approves of it. I think it's more the thought of a corporation even approaching someone with the idea.

Even brooking the subject would seem to be difficult.

"We know your father just died, and seeing how it's Father's Day this weekend and also one of the year's biggest marketing opportunities for us, we thought we'd put together a montage and tack our logo on at the end. What do you say?"

Again, the ad is done tastefully, and perhaps Nike and Woods know one another so well that the possibility of upsetting its most recognizable face never crossed its organizational mind.

But I know I would have considered it, and probably not have taken the chance.

Just a quick link dump -- check out this extremely funny Blaupunkt ad.

I'm assuming this ran only in Europe. Why does America hate funny commercials?

Just a note to all you parents out there -- do the world a favor and try disciplining your kids.

I had a youth soccer team this morning/afternoon. Some of the kids were fine, but others were knocking stuff off shelves, shoving counters and generally being little pricks. The entire time, the vast majority of parents sat outside in the mall commons gabbing and ignoring their charges.

I finally tossed a few of them after one kept setting off the Peter griffin and Homer talking bottle openers. I have no problem with kids wanting to hear them, but not five times and not six of them at once.

There were also cards being dropped, jerseys knocked off hangers. I know I sound like a crotchety old man ... but come on. You know your kids are being knobs. Do something and stop acting like it's my fucking job to tell your children how to behave.

Just a follow-up to my earlier post -- Carl Monday has now posted some more information pertaining to his report on library masturbation.

Reading Carl's webblog is a hoot. You find interesting spellings such as:

When asked what we were dong there we told them...and asked for their reaction.

Classic. He also kicked FOX celebrity Bill O'Reilly's name (O'Riley) and said some viewers were ready to tie and feather him.

I saved a screenshot of the page if you'd like to view it. Monday needs to have someone familiar with the English language have a lok at his stuff before it goes up, though.

As for the points Monday makes, if the father came charging out at him ... so what? You don't know how to shut off your microphone? If your son (who is obviously troubled) was on camera in front of your house with a guy with Carl Monday's reputation, you wouldn't come out angry?

I'm not saying Monday's reputation is bad, by the way ... just that he does the kind of reports in which you don't want to be featured. I would have been more surprised if the parents had walked out calmly and introduced themselves as big fans.

Finally, Monday says after the confrontation, "We gathered our gear and began to retreat." That's a lie, and a stupid one that is directly controverted by the video, as I pointed out above.

After the initial shouting, Monday repeatedly pokes a finger at the father and the camera keeps on rolling. Only after the father moves toward the cameraman does he start backing up. Then Monday grabs at the father's arms and that's when the mother and the masturbator start getting pushy.

Take a gander at this filing from WKYC's investigative reporter, Carl Monday.

It's sickening, it's repulsive ... and I'm not even talking about the man who masturbated in a public library.

No, what's disgusting here is the lengths to which some reporters will go in an attempt to create a conflict and boost ratings. Let's go through a few of the tricks Monday and WKYC use to make this a little juicier.

* Why is the librarian confronted by Monday? From her answers to Monday's questions, it's not clear whether she remembers our Ohio State fan as the same man who was tossed out of the building three years earlier for the same thing. Should she remember him? Does Monday remember the faces of every scoundrel he's profiled in the past three years?
* "In the just the past six months, we found more than 50 incidents of violence, pornography and sex." So what? Notice that Monday give the number of facilities those incidents cover later in the report -- and that number is 28. Twenty-eight.
So, to put it in statistical terms, in a span of 180 days in 28 different buildings, there were more than 50 -- heck, let's call it 60 -- incidents. That means there was, on average, one incident every three months in each Cuyahoga County library facility. Sounds like quite an epidemic, huh?
* "Teens having sex in a men's room. Teens having oral sex." What exactly is Monday's plan to stop teens from having sex in library bathrooms? Bathroom monitors? Hidden cameras? Ban teens from the library?
And who's the victim here? Yes, it's inappropriate to have sex in the library -- but it's also misleading and inappropriate to lump those incidents in with a mugging and possible sexual predators.
* Why is it necessary for Monday to go to the man's house and confront his parents? It's obvious Monday was trolling for a confrontation -- he shows up on the parents' lawn with a microphone and a camera crew and springs the news that their son has being caught on tape masturbating in the library -- and then he has the gall to act shocked when he gets one.
It's difficult to hear, but the father makes a perfectly reasonable request to Monday:

"I don't like you getting in my face, either, or my son's face. You want to talk to me, you come to me without that stuff on."

It's clear the TV crew isn't welcome, they are on private property ... and Monday then chooses to repeatedly jab his finger at the father and continue the conversation. Gee, you don't think the father might get physical?

There's a point late in the video where the father moves toward the cameraman and Monday grabs his arm. The father has done nothing except remove the microphone from Monday's hand, yet as he advances, Monday twice puts his hands on the father. Isn't that the threatening behavior in this video?

These are public buildings. That means just about anyone, as long as they aren't carrying a shotgun or a two-handed broadsword, can get through the doors. With that average of one incident every three months, I'd say they're doing a pretty fine job of limiting the number of masturbators, predators and other offenders. Carl Monday disagrees, though, and that's fine. I nominate him to make frequent sweeps of library restrooms to keep people from having sex.

This isn't a free pass for library masturbators, or anyone else breaking the law. But when the reporter spends more time trying to embellish the story and create controversy than he does seeking answers for the issue, that's lousy journalism.

haven't put anything up in a while, but check out this fellow Greg Kennedy, who has built an eight-foot cone for juggling purposes. Pretty neat.

A little late, but here's some analysis on this year's NFL Draft.

Had a good draft:

Arizona -- Leinart at No. 10 is a steal; OL 'Deuce' Lutui fits the system and is freaking 335 pounds, for God's sake.
Cincy -- DB Johnathan Joseph would have been a high first-rounder next season; Frostee Rucker has great potential for a late third-rounder.
Green Bay -- LB A.J. Hawk is going to be terrific; the trio of unheralded receivers will yield at least two keepers.
Miami -- If DB Jason Allen recovers from his hip injury, he'll be very good for a long time; WR Derek Hagan in the third round is a steal.
New England -- Assume Belichick works his magic. RB Laurence Maroney has the size and tools to be the best back in the draft, but has been lazy in college; WR Chad Jackson has good size and speed and is a possession guy; TE Dave Thomas is undersized but known as a good route runner. He just assembles the right parts, folks.
New York Jets -- OL Ferguson was the right choice at No. 4 and could have been No. 2 or 3; C Nick Mangold will beef up and be terrific; QB Kellen Clemens at No. 49 is a better pick than Cutler at No. 11; former Missouri QB Brad Smith is a great project at WR. Great job.
Philly -- In DL Brodrick Bunkley and OL Winston Justice, got the two biggest droppers in the draft -- nice picks; OL Max Jean-Gilles is a mountain well worth a fourth-round pick.
San Francisco -- Tight ends are always a risk, but Vernon Davis was absolutely necessary and will be worth it at No. 6; former Penn State QB Michael Robinson is a good gamble in the fourth round.
Tampa Bay -- OL Davin Joseph will develop into an outstanding guard; 6-8. 315-pound OT Jeremy Trueblood is a project but a late second-round steal; WR Maurice Stovall's 6-4 frame and willingness to cross the middle will make him a valuable target.
Tennessee -- The Titans got both QB Vince Young and RB LenDale White. That's a good draft.

Had a bad draft:

Buffalo -- Took Donte Whitner wayyyy too early when they could have traded down at least 7-10 spots; same story with John McCargo at No. 26; did well to land Ashton Youboty in the third round.
Chicago -- Danieal Manning will not develop into a starting NFL DB; Devin Hester is a possible return guy and not much else.
Dallas -- Bobby Carpenter is a reach despite incredible physical talent; forced to take Anthony Fasano earlier than necessary, although he will be good.
Denver -- Jay Cutler is a huge reach to trade up to No. 11 to get; Tony Scheffler went too early for a guy who doesn't block well.
Houston -- Awful. The Texans should have had D'Brickaswaw Ferguson and an extra pick either this season or next. Instead they took two overrated defenders and two projects for the O-line.
Indianapolis -- First-rounder Joseph Addai is not going to be a feature back in the NFL and Tim Jennings is a 5-8 CB. Draw your own conclusions.
New Orleans -- Sorry, but I'm not a Reggie Bush fan, especially not with Deuce McAllister in your backfield.
Oakland -- Terrible. DB Michael Huff is not worth a No. 7, especially with Leinart on the board -- get over your Todd Marinovich lefty fears; OLB Thomas Howard is just average, although fast.