While much of his newspaper is teetering, you can generally count on Wall Street Journal sports/humor columnist Jason Gay for a decent read. He’s versatile, topical and low-key funny (not P.J. O’Rourke/Taki funny, but that’s a tough comparison). I liked two of his articles last week, one on the really stupid media meme of Mark Zuckerberg making a face when drinking a pint of Guinness; the other a send-up of the mercifully playoffs-eliminated New York Yankees.
Predicting what memes will capture wide public attention is more difficult than struggling to make sense of a Tom Nichols Atlantic article, and I don’t pretend to understand how it happens. For example, the Kathy Griffin shot of her holding Trump’s severed head (2017) was a gimme, but the blue/black-white-gold dress phenomenon in 2015, which on occasion is still the subject of bemused argument, left me bewildered. I didn’t give a shit, although it fascinated my son Nicky for reasons he’s explained repeatedly to my uncomprehending ears.
Zuckerberg (or “Zuck,” as Gay annoyingly calls him) appeared on the podcast “Cheeky Pint” with a colleague and host John Collision. His face when taking a gulp of Guinness, that out of context, made it look like he was drinking from a warm can of Blatz. Gay: “Zuck vs. Beer is the latest example of the tech zillionaire’s dilemma: How to present as normal, when there’s little, not the product, the back story, the ascension, fame, power, praise, criticism, and certainly not the wealth.” Gay apparently forgot, “memory-holed,” Zuckerman’s reaction to Trump raising his fist in Butler, PA in 2024 after an assassination attempt, and exclaimed, “That was one of most badass things I’ve ever seen!” An exceedingly “normal” comment, and perhaps the exact moment the Meta founder decided to cast his lot with the GOP candidate more than two years ago. Like almost all tech billionaires, the 42-year-old Zuckerberg is apolitical, meaning he’ll cozy up to any politician who can further his own interests.
Gay: “How much of this Zuck is the real Zuck? It’s always hard to tell. Viral moments like this Guinness sip [he drank a pint and a half]—or the time when Zuck told Theo Von he only occasionally drank coffee ‘on vacation, like recreationally,’ as if an espresso were ayahuasca—do little to ward off the perception of Zuck as a visiting extraterrestrial.” The “extraterrestrial” joke is silly and aside from his spontaneous comment about Trump, I give little thought to Zuckerberg’s personal life or style.
My drinking days are over, but long ago I loved and hated Guinness. In America, whether in a can or at a bar, it’s awful, because unlike in Ireland, it’s not fresh. That’s the same for most foreign beers: for example, as a young man I only drank a bottle of the “fancy import” Heineken when it, and Lowenbrau, were the only brews available at a rich-kids party. But when I first went to Amsterdam in 1975, and drank many seven-ounce glasses of the beer it was an eye-opening experience. Same with having a pint of Pilsner Urquell in Germany, which took the bartender four minutes to pull.
As for Gay on the Yankees getting swept by the Rays in the ALDS, that’s a story I’d never pass up, like almost every Red Sox fan. When the Yanks were eliminated, I relaxed and am watching the post-season with nary a concern. I’m hoping for a Brewers-Rays World Series, but also enjoying the recriminations of Yanks fans (after wincing at the same after the Sox were so pathetic in the Bronx in the wild-card round).
This Gay snippet is worth the $400 million imaginary wad in my pocket: “Surely you’ve seen Yankees fans strutting around in those braggy jackets, the ones with patches for all the World Series titles—not just the titles with Derek Jeter, but also the titles with Bill Dickey, as if the jacket owner was alive for those. A new jacket is in order: BACK TO BACK DIVSIONAL SERIES RUNNER-UP, ’25-’26. Order me one. I’ll wear it for Halloween and scare no one.”
The accompanying photo is of my oldest brother during his freshman year at Williams College. Growing up, he was a diehard Cleveland Indians fan, keeping track of each player’s stats and suffering their losses. Except for 1954, when the Tribe had a record of 111-43, only to get swept by the New York Giants. Naturally, he hated the Yankees, only in part because another brother (two years younger) was all-in on the team; the 1950s were glorious for teens (and older fans) if you cast your lot with Mickey Mantle, Moose Skowron, Whitey Ford, Yogi and all the other stars.
Take a look at the clues to figure out the year: The Phillies finished last in the National League (59-95); the White Sox’s Minnie Minoso led the A.L. with 184 hits; Lew Burdette and Warren Spahn threw no-hitters for the Milwaukee Braves; Ben-Hur wins 11 Oscars; Psycho is released; Cassius Clay wins his first professional fight; Thomas Haden Church is born and Eddie Cochran dies; 14-year-old Neil Young forms The Jades in Winnipeg; Ornette Coleman’s Change of the Century is released; Graham Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case is published; and Allen Drury wins the Fiction Pulitzer.
—Follow Russ Smith on Twitter: @MUGGER2023