Not Necessarily The Nose: Pop Culture Is Another Thing Dividing Us; The Major Leagues Of Wiffle Ball

Here's the money quote from a recent Washington Post story on entertainment in the Trump era: "People look at politics when deciding how they feel about a host or actor. Pop culture has now become one more thing that divides us, just like cable news and social media." The Nose couldn't pass that up, and this not-quite-The-Nose show can't pass it up either.

And, here's just about all you need to know about the so-called major leagues of Wiffle ball, the Palisades Wiffle Ball League in Blauvelt, NY: 1. They throw the ball 90 miles an hour. 2. They use and sell a special bat with an expletive in its brand name. 3. They think of themselves as the major leagues of Wiffle ball. Or had I mentioned that already?

Some other stuff that's happened in the last couple weeks, in The Nose's absence:

• The Problem With 'Hey Guys'
  A broad coalition of English speakers -- teachers, retail workers, ice-cream scoopers, and plenty of others -- is grasping for a more inclusive greeting.
• The Best Movies of Summer 2018 -- IndieWire Critics Survey
  From "Avengers: Infinity War" to "Won't You Be My Neighbor?", our panel of critics pick out the best of a phenomenal summer movie season.
• Good Riddance to the Red Delicious, an Apple That Sucks
  The loathsome fruit has finally slipped from its spot as the dominant apple in American orchards, and not a moment too soon.
• I Know It's Been 27 Years, but I Have Some Notes on DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's 'Summertime'
  Never too late to ask the hard questions. Namely: How the hell did Will Smith fit all those activities into one summer day? Investigating the logistical issues with the '90s rap classic.
• Riz Ahmed Acts His Way Out of Every Cultural Pigeonhole
  From HBO to 'Star Wars' to Shakespeare, he has discovered how to excel beyond tidy genres. The Nose has covered Riz Ahmed projects twice before.
• A Radical Pitch to Save Baseball
  A pair of academics offer a dramatic rule to increase competitiveness -- and cut almost a half-hour from a nine-inning game
• Store Caught Sticking Googly Eyes On Fish To Make Them Look Fresh
  Because nothing says fresh like a new pair of fake eyes.
• All 62 Cameos in Childish Gambino's New "Feels Like Summer" Video, Identified
  Probably.
• The underappreciated genius of retro video game fonts
• PHOTOS: 'Handmaids Tale' Protesters Pace Outside Kavanaugh Hearing To Reject Abortion Rights Record
• Burt Reynolds, Star of 'Deliverance,' 'Smokey and the Bandit,' Dies at 82

P.S. Barring any unforeseen anything, The Nose will return next Friday, September 14.

P.P.S. Here're all our endorsements, as a Twitter thread.

GUESTS:

• Carmen Baskauf - Producer at Connecticut Public Radio (@cbaskauf)
• Tucker Ives - News producer at Connecticut Public Radio (@tives)
• Betsy Kaplan - Senior producer at Connecticut Public Radio (@betsykap)
• Jonathan McNicol - The producer of this particular radio show right here (@mcnicolpants)
• Carlos Mejia - Digital producer at Connecticut Public Radio (@thecarlosmejia)
• Ben McGrath - Staff writer for The New Yorker (@mcgrathben)
• Catie Talarski - Senior director of Connecticut Public Radio (@catietalarski)
• Chion Wolf - Technical producer, announcer, and photographer at Connecticut Public Radio (@ChionWolf)
• Steven Zeitchik - Covers the business of entertainment for The Washington Post (@ZeitchikWaPo)

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Colin McEnroe contributed to this show.