It’s fall in many places but not in New Orleans. We’re having our annual September tease, but it’s expected to warm up soon. We’ll take it. It beats the hell out of dealing with another tropical system. Helene made Francine look like a piker.

There was much Hurricane chatter on social media as Helene closed in on Florida. There was a whole lotta stupid: people saying Florida deserved it because of Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott. In 2005, GOPers said that New Orleans was too black and blue and I’m not talking about bruises. We had to fight to get the aid we needed. Nature doesn’t give a shit whether it slams a red state or blue.

I have one iron infusion treatment to go. It’s working but I still have good days and bad days. The good days are slowly but surely winning. As expected, being anemic during a New Orleans summer sucked the big one. I’m ready for some relief but I don’t control the weather.

I’ve been so preoccupied with the tropics and the campaign that I forgot that September 16 was my 15th anniversary at First Draft. I kicked things off with a post called Greetings From Debrisville. Nearly 9000 posts later, I’m still at it with no plans to stop doing what I do.

This week’s theme song was written by Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire, and Trevor Horn in 1983. It’s our second consecutive Yes theme song. Leave It is as catchy as hell and reflects Chris Squire’s background in choral music.

We have two versions of Leave It for your listening pleasure: the studio OG and an a Capella assault on your senses or some such shit.

Before we leave our first act another song with leave in the title:

We begin our second act with a piece by one of my favorite fellow internet writers, Will Leitch.

The Losingest Losers Ever:  The headline of Will Leitch’s obituary will say he was the founder of Deadspin, but he’s done so much more. I dig his weekly column for New York Magazine. The title of his latest effort says it all: The Beauty Of The Chicago White Sox’s Abysmal Season.

The 2024 ChiSox have lost 121 games surpassing the 1962 New York Mets as baseball’s losingest losers since 1900. Making history can be painful. Maybe Will Leitch will be the Pale Hose’s Jimmy Breslin:

I stole that image from the internet, but my old copy is equally tattered much like the 1962 Mets or the 2024 White Sox. Ironically, Bill Veeck who wrote the intro to Breslin’s book did two stints as the owner of the ChiSox. It’s a funny old world.

Pondering all this losing gave me an earworm:

It’s lonesome at the bottom, let’s move on to our next segment.

The West Wing At 25: I made a Dule Hill pun in my Year Of The Veep post this week. It was a groaner, so I thought I’d make up for it by paying tribute to the show that gave Hill his big break, The West Wing. Dr A and I rewatched it last year and it holds up beautifully. Who among us wouldn’t want Martin Sheen as our fictional president? Hail to the fictional chief.

Vulture’s Matthew Jackson has compiled a listicle ranking all 150 episodes of the show. There’s not much to quibble with. I do, however, like the Santos-Alda debate episode more than he does. One reason is that Lawrence O’Donnell wrote it. It was my fellow debate hater’s dream debate. Try saying that ten times in a row. Another day, another tongue twister.

Get thee to Vulture and revel in the glories of The West Wing.

The last word of our second act goes to Snuffy Walden and the magisterial theme song for The West Wing:

We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.

Separated At Birth Casting Edition: I still have Veeps who became president on my mind. Give it up for the 36th president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and some of the actors who played him.

Bryan Cranston also played LBJ:

So did Woody Harrelson:

Holy prosthetic ears, Batman.

Ready for a campaign song? You have no choice.

Your Weekly Oscar: This time, a tune from OP’s collaboration with Trumpet Titan Clark Terry.

Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson?

The Best Of Johnny: My favorite segments on The Tonight Show usually involved wildlife dude Jim Fowler. In this clip Johnny encounters a baboon. They tend to be mean primates. This one was no exception.

I’m feeling punchy after that critter clip. Am I Punch Drunk? Let’s ask Dr. Feelgood:

Saturday GIF Horse: It’s been a Veepy week at First Draft, so this GIF was inevitable.

Is this what Julia and Matt are dancing to?

Let’s close down this virtual juke box with some more music.

Saturday Closer: Anniversaries are everywhere this year. Los Lobos has been together for 50 years. Congrats, y’all.

That’s all for this week. The last word goes to Selena Meyer and her Veepy staff.