C. MacLeod

Oh, definitely Norwich and Fulham are wonderful clubs to follow. It's just hard for an American because when they're in the Championship it's difficult (although the ESPN+ streaming service has a few matches). I'm especially fond of Fulham because I think they have one of the best stadiums. If I lived in London I'd love attending games at Craven Cottage. It has such atmosphere. And I love that you can get to the game by ferry. They do have a good bit of American support as well because they've had quite a number of American players (including Dempsey and McBride). Clubs that aren't going down are easy because every single Premier League game is available here on the NBC channels (although you have to have Peacock streaming service now to get them all -- thankfully my cable company gives me Peacock Premium at no extra charge since I'm not really a streamer). Hopefully NBC Universal (which owns Sky now) will be able to extend their contract. I'd hate it if the Premier League went behind the ESPN+ paywall (I never miss an Arsenal game no matter how much it has pained me at times over the past few years ).

That's a good point. I do think if an American fan is going to adopt a club they should focus on clubs that aren't likely to be bouncing up and down from the league (or just down) because it's difficult to follow a club once they're in the lower leagues (unless you've become so committed that you're willing to pay to watch said team in lower leagues). It's easy to hook on as a fan of Manchester City, Manchester United or Chelsea in the Premier League because money keeps them competitive all the time, so you get the instant gratification. But there's also something a bit sordid about it all and there are things about Rangers and Celtic that are similar red flags to me. That said, I would never advise someone to adopt Norwich or Fulham because chances are they won't be on TV for long. But there are plenty of other clubs from those who might challenge the money clubs to those who are comfortably mid-table who might strike one's fancy.

For me, it's as simple as the fact that ESPN took access to about half a dozen La Liga games per week (available on beIN for several years) away from me while at the same time CBS gained the rights to the Scottish Premiership and is showing some games. I have access to Scottish league games for the first time (aside from the occasional Rangers-Celtic game). So it's something to watch aside from the usual Premier League fare and I want to learn more about the other clubs, which in the past have basically just been a list of names in the table to me. And I've always had an affinity for Scotland (part of my complicated English/Scottish/Irish heritage). As for not supporting Rangers or Celtic, well, there's just too much nonsense (sectarian and otherwise) in which I prefer not to involve myself. So I'm just feeling my way around and dipping my toe in the lochs.

The reviewer on the Roger Ebert site gave it a really good review (3 !/2 stars of 4) and thinks it does a better job of capturing aspects of the novel than the previous attempt. This film apparently covers only the first half of the novel, so there's definitely a sequel in the works.

As a Beach Boys fan when the band was in its 1960s heyday, it's really hard to choose. I love them all. But I'll go with: California Girls Good Vibrations Surfin' Safari Surfin' USA I Get Around

Could you cook that in a toaster? When I was under 10 there was a thing called Reddi-Bacon, which came in a foil pack and you could cook it in a toaster. Went off the market though when they realized that if the foil got a hole in it the bacon grease dripped into the toaster and you had a fire on your hands.

Saw Cool Hand Luke in the theater on its original run. Terrific movie (Paul Newman is my favorite actor). Of course as I was only 10 at the time, I had no inkling of Luke as a Christ-figure and didn't fully grasp the anti-authoritarianism that won his disciples. But it was still cool. I have movies I can't help but get involved in too. Like every time The Best Years of Our Lives is on I think "I'm just going to watch until..." but then I end up getting involved and have to watch it till the end.

Depends entirely on the stranger and what she looks like.

Sounds like old times for me. I'm in a moderate climate now, but where I grew up you could count on the temperature falling to -28C and a knee-high snowfall every year. I've been known to climb out the bathroom window to shovel snow drifts away from the doors to get out.

Sounds like where I grew up in north central West Virginia. Very rural, very backward but a truly beautiful area. Best I can do with the rivalry is The Backyard Brawl (West Virginia University vs. University of Pittsburgh). College sports seem to serve the same role as the local clubs do in the U.K.

I wish I were wealthy enough to own a football club, but I could better afford just a football.

The Titans will be a lot of fun to watch and they're a pretty good team. Odds on favorites to win the AFC South this season.

So laid back and even-tempered it's rather hilarious. Thanks for that.

Well, fat is of no consequence, but I can't say that racists are my favorite people. But surely there are some nice folks who support them as well.

Sounds good. If CBS Sports Network keeps showing the Sunday noon kickoff (7 a.m. kickoff for me!), I'll get a chance to see Aberdeen against St. Mirren a month from today. Looking forward to it.