The All-Star Game was a game that didn’t count in any standings, but was a nearly flawless example of what a great baseball game can be. Ichiro battled the Big Unit and won; Seattle pitchers got the win and the save; and fan-favorite Cal RIpken got the MVP trophy. All it lacked was 2001-Mariners style clutch hit-and-run play.

However, one piece of KCPQ’s postgame hype show struck me–the part where the pretty-girl and pretty-boy anchorbots lavished praise on the event as the civic-pride booster Seattle’s needed ever since WTO, Mardi Gras, and the bopping of a megaphone into the mayor’s forehead. Yeah, like anybody was expecting a riot at an exhibition game that charged hundreds for standing-room tix.

ELSEWHERE:

Great ’60s and ’70s View-Master disc covers.

A recent emigrant from here to there offers “An American’s Guide to Canada” (found by Pop Culture Junk Mail).