RIP Doug Case

I started nearly every day for the past few years, since whenever it was I first clicked some link and found him, with Doghouse Riley. I was so amazed that after the first or second post of his that I read, I sent him a mash note as though he was actually someone I knew. Because, like the Dylan song, every one of them words rang true. Doug was nice enough to reply. I might have sent him a CD, I can't recall now. I know we talked movies once or twice. At some point fairly early I realized he was busy and didn't really need a lot of correspondence. He had writing to do, and write he did. I've quoted him here extensively. I'm hoping his "poor wife" will be able to at least keep his blog up on line, for the archives. One really couldn't go far wrong simply going back through what he said on life in the US over the past several years.

Doug was also funny, in the best sense. His "labels" were funny. His blog title, "Bat's Left, Throws Right," was profound. He was acute at sniffing out bullshit. He could eat Limbaugh for breakfast, Hannity for lunch, and use David Brooks as a biscuit to sop up the gravy.

I was shocked, yesterday, to read via Alicublog (Roy Edroso), that Doug had died suddenly last Saturday. It was the first time I even knew his name. To his readers, he was Doghouse Riley. (It was a nice surprise to be watching The Big Sleep a while back and realize that's where the moniker came from--yet another brilliance.) Riley was never off his game.

Here's his last post, in entirety. It's wry elegance is a fitting epitaph:

Thursday, July 25
Fun With Monogamy, Vol. MMCDLXXXI

TELEVISION Blitherer: The baby's name will be George Alexander Louis.

My Poor Wife: Damn! I was hoping for “Dakota”!

I'll leave my link in place here, so you can go archive-surfing.