WATCH THIS: If you've forgotten what it was like to watch Season Two of "The West Wing" for the first time, The AV Club's Steve Heisler just completed his summer-long recap with "18th and Potomac" and "Two Cathedrals" yesterday:

There he stands, hands in his pockets, a grin forming on his face just as Mrs. Landingham had noticed. So much of this show has been complicated, but the final moment of "Two Cathedrals," one of the finest I've ever seen on television, is deceptively simple. The essence of The West Wing is that the most complicated problems always have the simplest answers. Why answer 14 or 15 questions at once when you only need to answer one?

30 MORE? When the final dayenu is said for Bill Simmons' career, ESPN's 30 for 30 series will probably be the second verse. If all he did was bring a smart, pop culture-savvy fan's voice into sports commentary and executive produce and curate as fine a series of sports documentaries as we've ever seen -- that, indeed, would be enough for anyone.

At this just-past-halfway point, I'd say my favorites have been "Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks," "June 17, 1994," "The Two Escobars" and "The U," with "The Guru of Go" (on Loyola Marymount) being a favorite for sentimental if not film-making reasons. The only two clunkers, IMHO, were the Jimmy the Greek and history of rotisserie baseball films, but even the former had its moments just from some of the archival footage.

The series resumes tonight with Ron Shelton's "Jordan Rides the Bus", about 23's year in Birmingham.

added: Alan Sepinwall was disappointed by tonight's entry: " The story ... is strong enough to carry even the most generic treatment. And in part because Jordan declined to be interviewed for the film, generic is about what Shelton provides."

LICENSE TO BLOG: That the City of Philadelphia is demanding bloggers who seek advertising to pay $300 for a Business Privilege License plus taxes on any profits made is not the reason why we've never sought advertising ... but it doesn't help, either.

"HAIRSTYLE INSPIRATION" IS A PLAUSIBLE ANSWER: With her latest movie bombing and news that she will return to TV opposite her former co-star as a guest star on Cougar Town, it's time to ask what Jennifer Aniston should be doing with herself. Should she content herself with being a mid-range movie actress--too famous to really do supporting roles, but not famous enough to open a movie? Is there a movie role that she should be looking for? Should she return to TV--and if so, in what capacity--a sitcom, a drama? Can this career be saved? Should it?

AN AUTOGRAPH IS A F*****G VALUABLE THING: Two interesting tidbits from this Chicago Sun-Times article about ex-Governor Blagojevich's unannounced appearance to sign autographs at the Chicago Comic-Con:

• At least under Blago's pricing structure, his autograph is worth $50, more than Richard Roundtree ($25) or Avery Brooks' ($30), but less than Shatner ($75).
• There is an individual with a very large tattoo of the former governor on his upper thigh. Left unclear from the article is if the individual just happened to be attended Comic-Con or came after hearing of the former Governor's appearance.
  

LIVEWRONG: Let's assume that it's all true, that Lance Armstrong knowingly conspired with his teammates to defraud his fellow competitors, his sponsors and the public by engaging in a massive doping scheme to enhance their racing performance. Let's also stipulate -- as we must -- that prosecutors believe they can prove this behavior constitutes violations of federal criminal law which can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Still, prosecute?

The New York Times yesterday focused on the more obvious angle for mercy here, that such a prosecution could cripple his charitable efforts for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and, in turn, impair its efforts to provide support for people living with cancer. And while Charity Navigator doesn't give the LAF its 4-star rating, it's still not exactly Yele and clearly does good in the world.

The second question is the more subtle one, though it's related to the first: do we need to believe in the myth of Lance Armstrong so strongly -- that he was able to recover from testicular cancer, with a tumor that had metastasized to his brain and lungs, and through chemotherapy and sheer force of will not only recover but become legendary in his sport -- that we just can't let this one come tumbling down? Baseball could survive McGwire and Bonds (but not, perhaps, a Cal Ripken-PED revelation) because everyone sorta figured those home runs weren't being caused by magic. And while cycling has always had its scandals, there's something so powerful about what we'd like to believe Armstrong has accomplished that this would, indeed, be crushing. And adults need fairy tales too.

Yes, laws are laws. But I try to picture Armstrong in a prison cell, and the years of prosecution which would lead to that point, and my inner Chicagoan just recoils at the waste. More societal good is done by keeping the myth alive than by confirming unsettling truths, and I am not convinced that this is a place where federal criminal law needs to go.

KEEP LOOKING UP: Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer (nee Star Hustler), one of the great champions of public astronomy has died. Sure, it's nice to see Neil DeGrasse Tyson emerging to fill the niche once held by Carl Sagan, but Horkheimer provided simple, direct stargazing advice: this is up this week, check it out! in bite-sized, 1- and 5-minute bits. He will be missed.