'Alibi Ike' is a quirky gem

Warner Home Video tied its June 1 DVD release of the charmingly strange 1935 movie "Alibi Ike" to the rookie season of the Mets' Ike Davis, which seems like a stretch, because it is.

But that should not stop you from buying the movie ($19.95) if you have an interest in old movies in general and old baseball movies in particular.

This one stars Joe E. Brown, a popular comic actor of the era, briefly an announcer for the Yankees and the father of the future Pirates GM, alongside an insanely young Olivia de Havilland in her film debut.

It also features William (Fred Mertz) Frawley and cameos by assorted real-life jocks, including the Yankees' Bob Meusel and Jim Thorpe himself.

The film, based on a short story series by Ring Lardner, concerns an eccentric pitching phenom named Francis Farrell who is fond of making excuses.

There is some seriously peculiar stuff here, including a climactic scene at the first night baseball game at Wrigley Field - 53 years before the first actual night game there - and an announcer that continually refers to the Giants as the Cubs' opponent even though the players' uniforms clearly label them as Cardinals.

Barring breaking news or another flareup between Kay and Mushnick this will be my final post until Thursday, as I have pressing newspaper matters to attend to.

Read our other fine Web-based content here.

Enjoy the "Glee" season finale, Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Strasburg's debut, Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals and perhaps a nice walk with a loved one (and/or your dog) to breathe fresh air and observe nature.

Just a suggestion.