Afternoon Links

- Christopher Hitchens on Paul Wolfowitz (not the opinion you might expect)

- Claudia Rossett on Kofi Annan

- HBO disinfects Air America with the light of day H/T LGF

- I hope this guy never has kids - 5 beers in 10 seconds

- David Little's obituary - why you always bench press with someone to spot you

- Who funds the terrorists? A must read. H/T LGF

Happy Birthday Boomer

George "Boomer" Scott is the original Boomer (although David Wells owns the moniker for this year's Red Sox). Today is the 61th birthday for the man who was Mo Vaughn before Mo Vaughn was Mo Vaughn.

Of All the Spam I Get

This is my favorite:

Call out Gouranga be happy!
Gouranga Gouranga Gouranga ....
That which brings the highest happiness!

This is the second or third time I've gotten an email with this message. Something about it just makes me smile.

Call out Gouranga and be happy!

Not Good News

I love poker and I love TV - Janeane Garofalo is trying to ruin both for me:

Take the hot new sport of poker, add a wise-cracking female comedian and you get “All In” a new NBC comedy pilot. This sounds like it could actually be a winner for NBC. Garofalo has a ton of fans and deserves a sitcom more than some ex-Friends I can think of.

Reading the above quote leads to two questions: is poker a sport and is Garofalo really a comediene? Some people define a sport as something which makes the participants sweat and something on which fans can bet. So I guess poker is a sport by that definition. A comediene, however, is a woman who makes people laugh. I can't recall Garofalo ever being funny.

Why is NBC doing this to me? The show is losely based on Annie Duke and will be about a single mom of three who makes a living as a poker pro. Why couldn't they cast Patricia Heaton from Everybody Loves Raymond in the role?

OK – I’ll Say It!

Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls looks like he is the love child of Joan Cusak and Emo Phillips.

Title IX Changes

There seems to be some changes afoot on Title IX. Eric at Offwing Opinion has been all over the story.

My view is that Title IX is not a bad thing in and of itself but some of the repercussions have been bad. Schools with scholarship football programs have had smaller men's programs like wrestling wiped out because of the need for Title IX compliance. Title IX has had the net effect of giving more scholarships to girls at the cost of smaller mens programs or schools dropping football because that one program will cause a disparity in scholarships.

Some schools have sorta skirted Title IX compliance by making football a non-scholarship sport with players given needs based financial assistance that happens to total up to 100% of the cost to attend the school (wink, wink).

I have long felt that the spirit of the law was equal participation - which is actually in the school's best interest. Students involved in sports tend to do better and also remember the school more fondly after graduation (i.e. more money from alumni giving).

The solution in my eyes has always been to make cheerleading a varsity sport.

OK - are you done laughing or thinking I'm a chauvinist pig?

I'm serious. Cheerleading is not easy. My sister in law teaches gymnastics and is also a high school cheerleading coach. Her cheerleaders work just as hard as most of the varsity players they cheer and their practice is just as physically demanding. Most cheerleaders but not all will be girls whereas 100% of football scholarships go to the guys. All the other seasonal sports match up equally. Men's basketball and women's basketball, baseball and softball, men's and women's volleyball, etc, etc. It is football that throws things out of whack. If cheerleading was a varsity sport then the number of football scholarships could be equaled off with cheerleader scholarships.

Hey if cheerleading was good enough for the President then it should be good enough for Title IX compliance.

Morning Links

- Iraq and Jordan are not on good terms

- With Opening Day approaching - just a reminder - the Yankees are Gay!

- I always liked Freddie Sanchez and I wish him all the luck in the world

- Mark Steyn on the political realities of abortion for the EU

EDIT - have to add these two on from VDH

- VDH - America's New Discontents

- VDH - Democracy is now the Realistic Policy

Top 5 - Matthew Broderick Movies

Today was his 43rd birthday.

1. Ferris Bueller
2. The Freshman
3. War Games
4. The Lion King
5. (tie) Biloxi Blues (tie) Glory

As an aside - it was oogey enough to see reruns of Ferris Bueller knowing that Jeffrey Jones was later arrested for child pornography but now I find out that Broderick was dating Jennifer Grey (who played his sister) while that movie was being filmed. Still a classic movie but now its got that Mrs. Brady dating Greg Brady in real life type of vibe to it.

MMQB Review

Here are the five things I think I think about today's Monday Morning Quarterback column by Peter King:

1. Peter King reports that the NFL will announce that the season opener will have New England hosting Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers on a Thursday night. That should be an interesting game but I will predict that Roethlisberger will have a bad game and that will set a tone (a funk if you will) that he won't be able to overcome for at least half the season.

2. King repeats the myth that the Patriots purposely did not cover their field during a sleet storm to get a slow boggy field:

There was one thing I'd wanted to ask Dungy since the 20-3 divisional playoff loss at Foxboro in January: How did he feel about the Patriots choosing not to cover the Gillette Stadium turf during a sleety, rainy week leading up to the game? Was that, in his mind, home-field-advantage gone mad? The Patriots are more comfortable with a slow, plodding game. The Colts like the game on the carpet or on a fast surface. By not covering the field during the week and ensuring the game would be played in a bog, New England's power running game and its suspect secondary would both have an edge over the Colts. And should the league take over field management during playoff weeks to ensure a quality pitch for both teams?

The field was uncovered for a single night the week prior to the playoff game and it was uncovered because the league had painted the logos on the field and it could not be covered until those logos dried. Peter King should know better.

3. On the potential loss of Tedy Bruschi by the Patriots:

True, but the one thing New England would lose if Bruschi's gone is an incredibly instinctive playmaker who's as quick to seal a running hole as any linebacker in football. That's going to be a loss, folks. A big one.

Ted Johnson is actually better at filling the hole for the run. What Tedy always brought was an instinct for finding the ball. How many times can you remember a big interception or fumble recovery by Tedy? He'll be missed but so will Roman Phifer.

4. You're right Peter - this only interests you:

FACTOID THAT MAY ONLY INTEREST ME

The egg-white omelet here at the Ritz Carlton is $18.

But the menu assures guests that the egg whites are "fresh.''

What if you could only afford the stale egg-white omelet? Would that be, say, $11?

Peter is at the Ritz Carlton in Hawaii (where almost everything has to be flown in) and he complains about the egg-white omelet? This is the same guy who pumps in multiple lattes a day and he's eating egg-white omelets? Peter - you're staying at the Ritz Carlton in Hawaii!! And you are nitpicking! It's things like this that drive people like me crazy!

5. Hah hah - what a closet hippy loser:

Nonsequitor Music Note of the Week: History has severely underrated Joni Mitchell. Pick up Hejira, and you'll see what I mean.

Morning Links

- How McCain-Feingold was actually passed

- Baseball gets rid of the fine and first offense loophole. Two thoughts:

1. The first player to be suspended will probably sue MLB to see all the test results to make sure MLB isn't still protecting the star players (because MLB has shown it can't be trusted)

2. John McCain says MLB can't be trusted but after getting tricked into being part of the Keating 5 and now getting tricked into McCain-Feingold (see above) - John McCain is in no position to try and position himself as the spokesman for "trust"

- Our troops are the best

U.S. troops outgunned rebels who attacked their convoy while it was traveling through a suburb 20 miles southeast of Baghdad. Twenty-four insurgents were killed and seven wounded. Six GIs were wounded.

- The real facts on the first day of spring. Interesting stuff.

- The text of the Bill passed by Congress on behalf of Terri Schiavo

Top 5 - Walter Hill Movies

1. 48 Hours
2. Hard Times
3. The Warriors
4. Another 48 Hours
5. Last Man Standing

Happy Birthday Bobby Orr

Today is the 57th birthday for the man who ranks as one of the top 3 hockey players of all-time.

Morning Links

- Gordon Edes Baseball Notes. Interesting point:

"Now they're saying that if you take steroids you die? When did steroids become lethal? More people died of Benadryl and Tylenol overdoses than ever died from anabolic steroids. When did you ever hear of an anabolic steroid overdose? You haven't, because it can't happen."

- Bonds will eventually go down on perjury charges

- Interesting column by Jason Stark

- Terry Eastland on bottling up judicial nominees

- Oral Sex according to the Bible

Opening Day

Just 14 more days until opening day and it looks like I'll be watching on TV.

Tickets for the Red Sox opener at Yankee Stadium are going for a reasonable $130 per for upper deck to a pricey $3,000 per for seats in front of the field boxes. I have no business in New York at this time so I'll be spared the temptation of shelling out a couple of C-notes for tickets.

For the Red Sox home opener on April 11th standing room only tickets are going for $655 each and half way decent tickets are going for $945 each. That's too steep for my income bracket. My local American Legion is raffling off two tickets for $10 a chance with only 1,000 chances being sold. I think I'll drop $20 on that and hope for the best.

On Culture

When I was growing up I had a certain view about high brow and low brow culture. To me low brow started with TV and then went to movies (such as anything by Mel Books). Movie such as Chariots of Fire could be high brow but "artsy" movies were still at the bottom of the high brow totem. You had movies, then novels, then broadway plays and then poetry. I'll freely admit that my cultural appreciation never extended to poetry (unless you include limericks).

Today my world view of popular culture is getting turned on its head by the fact that most new Broadway plays seem to be based on old low brow movies. Spamalot, the play based on the Monty Python movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, just had a huge opening on Broadway.

If you look at other Broadway plays you'd see The Lion King, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and The Producers as some of the top plays. The Lion King is based on a cartoon for cripes sake.

It isn't going to get any better either. Dolly Parton is working on turning the movie 9 to 5 into a Broadway musical and get this - The Lord of the Rings is also being turned into a musical.

Add to this the fact that the rest of the Broadway shows seem to be based on pop music (Momma Mia on the music of ABBA and Moving Out on the songs of Billy Joel are examples) and you would have to think that Shaw and Wilde must be spinning in their graves.

Roberto Alomar - Hall of Famer?

Yesterday Roberto Alomar made it official and retired. Now the only question is whether is will get the votes necessary to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I say "Yes" and here's why:

- 12 consecutive All-Star games
- 10 Gold Gloves in 11 years
- 4 Silver Slugger awards

If you compare him to Ryne Sandberg (the last 2nd baseman elected to the HOF) you find that Alomar leads Sandberg in runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBI, batting average, on base percentage, OPS and OPS+. Alomar was also clearly the better player with the glove. If Sandberg is in then Alomar clearly deserves induction.

What Alomar has working against him are four things:

- He didn't spend his whole career with one team like Sandberg
- The incident where he spit at umpire John Hirshbeck
- Comparisons to more offensive minded players like Craig Biggio and Jeff Kent
- How his career just fell completely apart these last four years

These things will be brought up but all the objections are relatively easy to overcome. Plus Alomar has an ace in the hole - Peter Gammons. Alomar may just be Gammons favorite player and I would look for Gammons to pen an epic homage to Alomar sometime in the next week.

Alomar may not make it on the first ballot but he will be voted into the Hall of Fame.

John Stuart Mill Quote

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling, which thinks that nothing is worth war, is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill

Morning Rant

My head hurts this morning.

John Wayne once said that every young man needs to let the badger loose every once in a while. Yesterday I let the badger loose.

I had the chance to watch the games at the DCU Center in Worcester but I met up with friends I hadn't seen in a long time and the next thing I knew I was barking at the moon and later sleeping on the couch.

NCAA Brackets - Many people are pretty ticked off at Syracuse today. I'm ambivalent about them. On the one hand - I loaded up on them figuring they would cover 9 points easy. On the other had - if I'm going to lose my bet I'd just as soon they lost too.

Its pretty much a sure thng that nobody has gotten all the games right so far. Who could have foreseen Vermont and Bucknell? I had Syracuse in my Final Four. Now the people who picked Duke are pretty pleased with themselves (as people who favor Duke tend to be anyway).

The players at Holy Cross must be pretty ticked off at themselves. They were a better team than Bucknell but played an awful first half in the Patriot League Championship game.

Val Kilmer and Kevin Spacey - you may have seen this article about Val Kilmer being nice to a guy who approached him at a urinal in England.

What I thought was noteworthy in the article was the fact that Kilmer was in the restaurant with Kevin Spacey. Those two grew up together but later Kilmer claimed that Spacey scammed Kilmer's dad out of some serious cash and that Kilmer was still pissed off about it. Well if they were at dinner together I guess Spacey must have paid back the cash and apologized.

Walter Matthau - I saw the movie Charley Varrick on TCM Thursday night. An excellent movie. I know I did a Top 5 - Walter Matthau movies before but after seeing Charlie Varrick that list needs revising:

Top 5 - Walter Matthau Movies

1. The Odd Couple
2. The Bad News Bears
3. Charlie Varrick
4. Hopscotch
5. (tie) Grumpy Old Men (tie) The Front Page

Well that's it for this morning. I'm off to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and then off to the Post Office to weigh my son's Pinewood Derby car. The race is tonight - so wish him luck.

Morning Rant

Thought I'd try a little something different this morning. Instead of individual posts - I'm going to try a Lileks style Bleat or in this case a Lynch style rant.

Steroids in Baseball - anyone else watch the proceedings and come away thinking, "hey I guess you don't have to be too bright to be a US Congressman"?

The one argument I'm very tired of is the one where people say that these players were great athletes to begin with and that it is a great skill to hit a baseball. These people would have you believe that steroids did add to the player's success but the player would have been successful without the drugs.

People who dope horses in order to "fix" a race don't dope a mule, enter the mule in the race and then expect it to win. They dope a horse that was already good enough to be in the race with a chance to win in the first place.

Sure Jason Giambi was good enough as an amateur to play on the US Olympic team but would he have been MLB MVP material without steroids? Same thing for Ken Caminitti or Jose Canseco. It is the MVP Awards and huge contracts that steroids got for them that gets my goat.

People attempt to fix horse races in order to get a big payoff. That's the same reason baseball players take steroids - for the big payoff. The only difference is the paper that holds the riches for the fixer is a betting slip and for the player it is a nice fat Yankee contract. In my mind - both are equally fraudulent.

The difference between the two seems to me to be the fact that if a fan of horse racing thought that the horses were being doped at a certain racetrack then those fans would probably avoid spending any money at that racetrack. In baseball it was just the opposite. The owners knowingly turned a blind eye to steroids and the fans flocked to see the product that was being put on the field. It is this bit of caveat emptor that keeps me from being too worked up on the issue. I mean - who didn't have suspicions that Canseco, Bonds, McGwire and Sosa were juicing?

I still think my idea of drug testing every member of a team once they clinch a playoff birth would work as a very good deterrent. I also wouldn't shed a tear if the government dropped the nuclear bomb and used RICO laws to seize the assets of players who juiced and got huge contracts because of it.

Bonds, Giambi and Sheffield all used BALCO and they conspired to use the drugs to gain multimillion contracts. That's a form of racketeering.

March Madness - I had Pacific over Pitt and Nevada over Texas but the Wisconsin-Milwaukee upset over Alabama hurts because I had Alabama beating BC in the next round. I also pegged Iowa to upset Cincinnati. In fact I had Iowa making it to the Great Eight. That hurts. I never do good in picking brackets.

Having said that - today I have Old Dominion in a 12 vs. 5 upset over Michigan State plus St. Mary's over S. Illinois in a 10 vs. 7 upset and Mississippi St. over Stanford in a 9 vs. 8 upset.

Some of the games are in Worcester today and I might go downtown to scalp a ticket to the games with my buddy Tim.

Terri Schiavo - I haven't blogged on the subject because folks like Greg at What Attitude Problem? have done such a good job covering the subject. However, I feel compelled to mention this thought that I can't escape thinking any time I hear or read anything about the situation.

Even though I know this is a thought probably better kept to myself - I can't stop thinking that Terri's faithless husband better have some pretty good bodyguards because at some point someone will realize that to keep Terri breathing it might take making the husband stop breathing.

I bet some well off defenders of Terri have probably tried to buy off the husband. Give him a million in exchange for his signature on divorce papers - that sort of thing. If his spite runs so deep to turn down such an offer then you have to think that if some people out there are willing to bomb abortion clinics to "save" unborn babies then you would have to think a person with a face, a name and completely helpless would also be a cause they would kill for.

If Terri's husband died then custody for Terri would go to her parents who want her alive.

Now in no way do I advocate such a drastic course of action. I am just saying I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

Misc. - I still think the only person who can save the CBS Evening News is Strong Bad. If they made Strong Bad the anchor then the ratings would be huge. It could even cause Peter Jennings to don a Mexican wrestling mask.

Here endeth the rant. I'm out of breath and out of coffee.

Separated at Birth?





Mark McGwire and Droopy Dog

A Modest Proposal for Steroids Testing in Baseball

Here's a suggestion for overcoming the steroids testing impasse in baseball.

I suggest that baseball adopt the following rules:

1. All players on playoff bound teams - both Division winners and Wild Card teams - will be tested for steroids as soon as they clinch their playoff spot. Any player who fails the test will be barred from post season play and will have to pass a drug test in spring training in order to be reinstated. Plus the team will not be able to replace that roster spot for the duration of the playoffs.

2. Any player who fails a second test is banned from baseball for life and whatever contract he may have signed with the team becomes null and void.

I think these two changes would help take away the team's incentive to turn a blind eye to players they think might be juicing. It would also offer enough public shame and monetary punishments to make the player think twice about juicing.

Many people (like myself) really aren't concerned with the impact steroids has had on records and stats. I always find it curious that the people most upset about the records would also be the first people to say that baseball is a team game. What upsets me is that feeling that without Jason Giambi's steroid powered two home runs - then the Red Sox win game 7 against the Yankees in 2003 and maybe this past year would have been back-to-back championships.

St. Louis fans have no beef with this year's Red Sox but what about their 2002 team? That team was kept from the World Series in large part because of Barry Bonds' 6 RBI in 5 games in the League Championship Series. The Cardinals would have matched up very well against the Angels that year. Did Bonds' steroid use keep a World Series win out of St. Louis?

Of course I don't profess to be an expert on steroids and the possibility exists that players could cycle off steroids in time to pass any post season drug test but I think the punishment would be enough to make the player think twice about using them in the first place. Plus remember that the drug test last year was an announced test and still between 5-10% of players failed.

These new rules would also add in the factor of peer pressure. Today if a player juices - most players view that as a personal choice. With these new rules - the player who juices could have a big affect on the other players on his team who want a championship more than anything. This introduces significant peer pressure. Do you think the Yankees, who only value championships, would be more or less tolerant of a Giambi or Gary Sheffield if they knew the player might not be able to play in the playoffs and might even cost them a roster spot in the process?

Clean players suddenly become the priority for the Yankees and their big money contracts would become maybe the biggest incentive for players not to do steroids in the first place.

I think these changes could work if given the chance.

The Shield of Saint Patrick



I always felt that one of the most beautiful prayers is the Shield of Saint Patrick

I bind unto myself today the strong name of the trinity,
by invocation of the same, the Three in One, the One in Three.

I bind this day to me forever by power of faith Christ's incarnation,
His baptism in the Jordan river, his death on the cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spiced tomb, his riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to harken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The Word of God to give me speech, his heavenly host to be my guard.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me;
Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the name, the strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three,
Of whom all nature hath creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word;
Praise to the God of my salvation, salvation is of Christ the Lord!

Teddy Roosevelt Quote

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
THEODORE ROOSEVELT (Paris Sorbonne,1910)

Afternoon Links

- Heh Heh

- Bill Simmons' latest

- Jackpot Jay asks "Skill or Luck?"

- A list of what Bart has written on the chalkboard at the beginning of each Simpson's show H/T Gorilla Mask

- 18 People arrested attempting to smuggle rocket launchers into the US

Erik Estrada

Ponch turns 56 today.



If you want a taste of one of the cheesiest websites in the universe go to the Official Erik Estrada Web Site.

Make sure you check out the Kitchen where you can learn that Erik loves Greek meatballs, spaghetti pie and pizza casarole (quite the gormand is Erik) . You can also sign up to be part of the chatroom:

Welcome to Erik Estrada's Official Chatroom! This room is based on the love we have for Erik and each other, Here you can meet other fans and all are welcomed to be a part of our family!

Sounds like a cult to me.

On the links page you can even find that elusive link to the Official Joann Pflug site (home of the world's worst music).

Morning Links

- PJ O'Rourke on mass transit

- Eric at Off Wing Opinion has an interesting Q&A on blogging

- Naked batting practice? H/T FARK

- Roger Maris and Me - excellent read! H/T SoSH

- USS Jimmah Carter

- Christopher Hitchens on Iraqi WMD - must reading!

David Wells - Hall of Famer?

OK - I'll give you a second to recover from that headline. I'm not saying that Wells is a Hall of Famer but I am saying that his claim for fame is better than I first thought.

Consider that if Wells has a couple of decent seasons with the Red Sox then he should finish his career in the top 50 in both wins and strikeouts. That's pretty good.

Going into this season, Wells has a career record of 212-136 - a winning percentage of .609 and 1,974 career strikeouts. I can see him averaging about a 15-7 mark with around 130 K's over the next two seasons with Boston (a 20 win season also isn't out of the question with the run support he should receive with the Sox).

If these predictions hold - then his 242 wins place him in 52nd place (just one behind Juan Marichal and 3 from tying for 48th place). His 242 wins would be more than former Yankee greats Whitey Ford (236) and Catfish Hunter (224) among others.

If he adds 260 K's to his current total then that places him in 48th place all-time, just in front of Hall of Famer Jim Palmer.

Ford, Hunter and Palmer - that's pretty good company.

The past 5 full-time starter elected to the Hall of Fame by the baseball writers were Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Phil Neikro, Steve Carlton and Tom Seaver. If you compare Wells' stats to these guys then it is a pretty quick "umm no thank you" for Wells.

I'm a set the bar higher type of guy so I'd be against Wells in the Hall of Fame. I just wanted to point out that Wells does have a case to make.

Despot / Sexpot

With the number of despots dwindling due to the spread of democracy - I thought I bring out this quiz one more time. Maybe the best thing about the quiz is the background music. You'll probably be singing the tune all day.

Take the quiz!

The New 10 Commandments

1. I am the cool mack daddy of the dope hype flow. Give me props and mad respect.
2. Don't be kneeling for some bling bling.
3. Don't be throwing my name around, be it J. Hovah or Yah Diddy.
4. Yo, Sunday is "funday", ya dig?
5. Respect your moms, your pops, or whoever it was raised you, unless they whack.
6. Thou shalt not bust a cap in someone's ass.
7. Don't be running around on people like they don't know.
8. No five-finger discounts.
9. Don't front.
10. If your neighbor's got a fly crib or a pimped-out set of wheels, that's they bidness, not yours.

From the Bible for Dummies via Joe posting at LGF

Happy 238th Birthday Andrew Jackson

Today would have been Andrew Jackson's 238th birthday.



As a fan of Jacksonian Democracy - here are a few links to help celebrate his birthday.

- The official White House biography

- The Hermatige - the home of Andrew Jackson

- The Jacksonian Tradition by Walter Russell Mead (part of Steven den Beste's essential library)

Just Sayin'

Who do I complain to? Back in the day Waffle Crisp cereal looked like little waffles and Alphabit letters were clearly discernable. Now Waffle Crisp looks just like odd size square brown blobs and you can’t tell the difference between a D or an O in the Alphabit letters. I must say I am disappointed in the decline in the quality of my morning sugar fix.

Top 5 - Michael Caine Movies

Yesterday was Caine's 72nd birthday. So here are what I consider his best movies/roles:

1. The Man Who Would be King (Peachy Carnehan)
2. Alfie
3. The Forth Protocol (John Preston)
4. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Lawrence Jamieson)
5. The Cider House Rules (Dr. Wilbur Larch)

PS - Caine will play Alfred in the new Batman Begins movie

Morning Links

- Good piece on Tito Francona - HT BostonSportsMedia.com

- VDH on the history of the British Navy

- VDH on the disappearance of the family farm in the US

- Bidinotto on the enviornment and enviornmentalist

Saint Patrick

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner here's just a couple of things about Saint Patrick.

...was not Irish. He was a British Celt, first enslaved in Ireland as a teen, later a missionary to Ireland.

...was not necessarily the first missionary to Ireland.

No one knows his birth or death date. 17 March is traditionally considered to be one of the two, but there is no documentation for this.

The only documents about Patrick are his Confession and a letter he wrote to Coroticus.

There were never snakes---or other reptiles---in Ireland for Patrick to chase out.

Patrick predates the Roman Catholic Church, and was considered a ``saint'' before the Roman church created its canon (list) of saints (and added him to it).

Happy Steak and BJ Day

I almost forgot! Happy steak and BJ day!

The offial holiday of the Clinton administration.

Separated at Birth?





Amy Madigan and the Green Goblin.

Interesting

Did you know that Gene Hackman was the original choice of the show's producers to play Mr. Brady on The Brady Bunch but the studio insisted on Robert Reed?

Top 5 - Best Humphrey Bogart Movies

1. Casablanca
2. The African Queen
3. The Big Sleep
4. The Maltese Falcon
5. To Have and Have Not

Morning Links

- Sharon Stone nude on the beach (NSFW). The Sun is there!

- Dwight Gooden throws a punch at his fiance. I have no respect for a man who would hit a woman.

- Using a shoe to cheat the casino's? I always find stories like this facinating. H/T FARK

- Heh Heh - one of the funniest pictures I've seen in a long time

- French perfidy (French perfidy - isn't that redundant?)

Worcester Gets a Bad Name

There is some controversey over the name chosen by the new professional baseball team in Worcester. The team chose the name "Tornadoes" even though that name came in third in a poll of fans. The names "Rockets" and "Warriors" came in first and second place.

The name "Tornadoes" is controversial because in 1953 a tornado in Worcester claimed 94 lives. Many feel the name would be in bad taste.

I for one would recommend either the name of Worcester Ruby Legs or the Whiskey Rebels.

The name Ruby Legs is in reference to the original professional team that played in Worcester and who is now the Philadephia Phillies in the National League. I would think that marketing the team would be easy since you could have all this throw-back gear to sell like hats and jerseys.

The name Whiskey Rebels is in reference to the Whiskey Rebellion. Now Worcester had nothing to do with the Whiskey Rebellion but it did play a major role in Shays Rebellion and who doesn't confuse the two? Plus how cool would it be to have interlocking "W's" for Worcester and Whiskey?

Steroids and Baseball

There is no denying that steroids are the hot topic in baseball. You have the Senate investigative committee subpoenaeing players, you have Jose Canseco's book and you have the twin bill of Barry Bonds chasing Hank Aaron's home run record while simultaneously trying to deflect fallout from the BALCO investigation.

Now comes stories of Mark McGwire using steroids. Stories of McGwire using steroids are nothing new but today it seems the stories have moved beyond rumor and speculation to verifiable facts (according to the NY Daily News).

The stories are also conveniently meshing together. The guy at the center of "Operation Equine" which is supposedly providing the proof that McGwire used steroids also claims to have been Jose Canseco's steroids "guru":

"On a scale of one to 10, he [Canseco] was a four. When I left, he was an eight," [Curtis] Wenzlaff says. He adds that they haven't spoken in years. "That would square with what Wenzlaff told us," [FBI agent Greg] Stejskal told the News last month. "He was sort of Canseco's guru."

The problem is the mesh is a tangled web of denials, faulty memories and misdirection overlaying the facts.

Jose Canseco doesn't recall Wenzlaff even though Wenzlaff had his telephone numbers and pager number in his address book at the time of Wentzlaff's arrest (not to mention the FBI having a taped conversation between the two discussing steroids procurement). Of course this may have to do with the fact that in his book Jose portrays himself as a self-educated guru on steroids who was an 11 not an 8 on the scale of steroid use expertise. If Wenzlaff was his "guru" then that image falls apart.

Mark McGwire has no comment - on anything.

Barry Bonds wants to misdirect questions on steroids to the fact that according to him people want to bring Bonds down because he's black (note to Barry - people don't like you because you are a jackass). Barry would have you believe that if he did use steroids it was by accident and the fact that Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield wanted to use Bonds' "training techniques" and are now also in the web of steroids users is purely coincidental.

If you look at the situation dispassionately you would find that everyone agrees that Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti and Jason Giambi all used steroids, all won Most Valuable Player awards and all were rewarded with multimillion dollar contracts. Giambi will be getting $84 million from the Yankees over the next few years. Barry Bonds will make $18 million this year alone. Is it any wonder that players would take the risks involved to take steroids? The rewards seem to far outweigh the risks.

What are the risks? Besides having a scarlet letter "S" in the public mind are there any long term health risks for the players? That is a question that is still open to debate. Most of the "bad" stuff associated with steroid use such as depression, suicide and cancer have been mostly anecdotal to this point. There is no scientific study that answers the question conclusively.

In 2003 Outside Magazine featured an article about a "regular" guy who took steroids under a doctor's supervision for months and the changes the guy underwent were remarkable. The guy became stronger with more stamina, more sex drive and he even was able to stop wearing contacts. At the end of the article I wanted to start taking steroids.

Is it any wonder that players are willing to make a Faustian deal and use steroids (Faustian - after Gerry Faust who sold his soul to coach at Notre Dame).

Is steroids that much different from any of the other medical advances in sports? A player can have Tommy John surgery but they can't take steroids which may have allowed a muscle growth and recovery time that may have prevented the need for the surgery in the first place? Players can have laser surgery on their eyes to improve their vision (and a big part of baseball is seeing the ball) but they can't take a substance like steroids where one of the known side benefits is improved vision?

This brings me to the Senate committee and the subpoenas. I have read many times about the different players being subpoenaed but not once about any medical experts being subpoenaed. What will Curt Schilling be able to bring to the table besides a known friendship with Senator John McCain and a known rooting interest for George W. Bush? Will he testify on the differences between pitching to a juiced player vs. a non-juiced player? Does anyone expect a player to implicate himself? To name names? Are you now or have you ever been a member of the steroids using crowd? Are you a steroids fellow traveler?

This is all just theater and it is high time to put the theater away and bring out the science.

EDIT: The Sports Prof also tackled the subject today

Ummm... Senator Kerry - What About the Daily Show or Imus in the Morning?

PJ O'Rouke has a column up about a recent appearence by John Kerry at the JFK Museum to accept an award. O'Rouke is always worth the read but I found this quote from Kerry particularly interesting:

"A lot of the mainstream media were very responsible during the campaign. They tried to put out a balanced view, and they did show what they thought to be the truth in certain situations of attack. . . . But it never penetrated. And when you look at the statistics and understand that about 80 percent of America gets 100 percent of its news from television, and a great deal of that news comes from either MTV, Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Jay Leno, David Letterman, you begin to see the size of the challenge."

Now it should be noted that this quote was in response to a question from the audience. I wish I was there to ask a follow up question. I mean how can a person like Kerry fault people for getting their news from Leno when the only two live interviews the Democratic candidate for President made during the last three months of the campaign were with Jon Stewart and Don Imus?

Flotsam and Jetsam

One of the things I like best about traveling to the DC area is getting to listen to both the Don & Mike Show and the Ron & Fez Show on WJFK... I apologize to any Canadian readers but when I read Matt Labash describe Canada as "North America's attic" - well I just spit at my monitor (if you are Canadian and are easily offended - for God's sake don't click the link)... Danjack? As Kyle would say, "Dude, that's pretty fucked up right there"...Hot, spicy food gives me hiccups... A-Rod as a superhero?... There's only one Latigo Flint:

I don't see what the big problem was today. What, like 4th graders have never seen a hysterical, bleeding man trying to climb into paintings before? Aren't field trips supposed to expose students to things they can't experience in a classroom?

11 Lynch's to 1 Pinto

David Pinto mentioned that Reynel Pinto for the Cubs has been sent down. That means that there has still been only one Pinto to play pro baseball. There have been 11 Lynch's - the best of which was probably Jerry Lynch.

Please note that this is just and observation and I really don't want to hear from anyone with a last name of Johnson or Martinez.

One Year Blog Anniversary

One year ago today I started A Large Regular. I had been blogging at SportsPages.com for over a year and thought it was time to claim my own piece of the web. The decision was hastened along by the upcoming presidential election, the war in Iraq and the realization that I had things I wanted to say about these topics and that SportsPages.com really wasn’t the forum for these opinions and observations.

At first I was very apprehensive about starting my own blog. The technology was new to me (I knew very little about HTML). A number of people had told me that Blogger was easy as pie to use and they were right.

Sure sometimes Blogger can be frustrating (I quickly learned to either write my stuff in word and copy and paste or make sure I copied what I wrote before hitting the publish button). I always try to remember that Blogger is free and that I shouldn’t complain - but that is easier said than done.

When I first started A Large Regular I was mostly focused on the Red Sox, the presidential race, the war in Iraq and just the regular miscellaneous stuff that draws my interest. I also started out by trying to do little snippets about the different countries in our world. I did this as a means of self education. I tend to remember things better if I write them down (Mike Ganis tells me that another secret to remembering things is to whisper what you want to remember to yourself). I enjoyed learning about different countries but the events of the day quickly took over and this little exercise in self betterment fell by the wayside.

Now that things have quieted down (so to speak), I think I again will resume this practice of looking at the different countries if for no other reason than I enjoyed learning new things.

Over the course of the year, I have seen the number of daily visitors steadily increase. When I first started, getting 100 visitors in a day was a great day. Now I get about 200-400 per day (hopefully this upward trend will continue).

I have had over 166,000 visitors to the site and I do admit to some sense of satisfaction to this number. However, I don’t kid myself. I know that the majority of the hits were due to others linking to something I’ve written and without these links I probably would be still toiling in complete obscurity instead of the relative obscurity I find myself in.

Key to the number of hits were several “Instalanches” from Instapundit. For a blogger that has to be the ultimate. I remember the first Instalanche clearly. One night it occurred to me that the John Kerry Campaign seemed to be having a mis-step every single day. I looked back at the month of August and detailed a month full of missteps (except for August 12th) and sent the link off to the professor. He liked it and linked to it and my stat counter started going through the roof.

I remember just watching the stat counter. I couldn’t refresh fast enough to keep up with it. As my luck would have it, my first Instalanche came on one of Glenn’s busiest days and I got over 10,000 hits from the experience.

For a blogger there is nothing like the feeling of having something you’ve written being judged “linkworthy” by another blogger. I’ve been linked by Instapundit, American Digest, Hugh Hewitt, Betsy’s Page, Baseball Musings, NRO, Baseball Crank, Offwing Opinion, BostonSportsMedia.com, and many, many more (each link of which I am extremely grateful for and humbled by).

Probably most importantly, I feel like I have made some friends with my blog. I look forward to having beers with Gerard on the West Coast, Bill in Ohio, BST and Eric in Tennessee, the other Eric in DC and so many more folks who have been kind enough to make this site a regular stop.

Finally, I would like to thank Sports and Bremertonians who were the first to add me to their blogroll. I have always appreciated that. I have also tried to keep that feeling in mind and have tried to be as generous with linking to new blogs as Jeremy and David were when they linked to me.

Going forward I will try to keep my posting here at A Large Regular interesting, informative and hopefully humorous. I will also continue to post at SportsPages.com (although to be honest most times those posts are day old A Large Regular offerings). In addition, Gerard Van der Leun at American Digest has graciously asked me to contribute to his site on matters of sports and I expect to contribute during the summer to the web site for Die Hard (a Red Sox geared publication).

Thanks so much for visiting A Large Regular. I promise to provide more cowbell at the same great price!

Childhood Confessions – Little Metal Disks

Have you even gone up an escalator and noticed those little metal disks evenly spaced out in the little area between the up and down escalators? Do you know why they are there?

Those little metal disks are there because of kids like me.

Picture the escalators without those little metal disks. What you have without those disks is a very low friction; high speed metal slide that kids like me would ride until mall security kicked us out.

We used to go riding the escalators when we were kids. We would take the escalator up and then slide down in that area between the two escalators. It was quite a rush and there was the added adrenaline of doing something that was “technically” wrong and doing it in the face of people riding the escalators. It was great fun. You could really get going pretty fast on these make-shift slides.

The ones with the slide closer to the ground were good because the glass or metal between the escalators kept you from accidentally bumping into someone coming up or down the escalators. The bad part was the fact that being so close to the ground you only had two choices to end the ride. You could use your feet to slow yourself down to a stop - but what’s the fun in that? Secondly, you could go full speed and land on your butt and hope it didn’t hurt too much.

The escalators with the middle part raised to about the level of the hand-rails were preferred because it gave you a chance to slide down really fast and then stick a landing. The danger was in both the landing and being so close to the people riding the escalators up or down. The people could interfere with your ride or you could accidentally hit their hand resting on the hand-rail.

Most times, though, we just waited until there was nobody on the escalator or and security in site. It was fun but now with those little metal disks in place – kids today with never have the chance to experience that fun (and as a parent I’m happy about that).

OK – I’ll Say it

One thing that has always bothered me is the fact that Neil Diamond released a Christmas album. I just find it wrong that Diamond is trying to sell us songs like O’ Holy Night. This to me is like Donny Osmond releasing a Hanukah album. There’s just something that’s not kosher about it.

Slice of Life - A Travel Story

I'm traveling today in the Northern Virgina area. This morning I flew into BWI and something happened when I landed that made me recall a story my buddy Mike told me and which he swears is true (although amost any time someone uses the words "I swear this is true" your crap detector should go off).

Anyway, Mike had a friend who was traveling and he happened to be in the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport when nature called (number two). The friend goes into the stall and gets himself situated when he hears a voice from the next stall say, "How's it going?"

Nonplussed, the friend answers, "OK I guess."

The voice then says, "Everything working out?"

The friend uncomfortably answers, "So far so good I guess."

Then the voice in the next stall says, "Hey listen - I gotta hang up. They guy in the next stall thinks I'm talking to him."

True or not - that's some funny shit.

What got me thinking about that story was me getting off the plane and heading to the men's room (number one). It was impossible not to notice this one guy in one of the stalls. It was impossible not to notice him because he was talking VERY LOUDLY on his cell phone. It was very memorable because the guy was facing forward and you could see he was wearing a hard hat (I know he was facing forward because I could see part of his forehead under his hard hat and his hard hat was above the top of the stall). Because you could see the hard hat - that means the guy was either like 7'5" and taking a dump or he was doing a trick shot between the legs move.

Either way - it was memorable enough for me to share.

I'll try to keep my scatalogical observations to a minimum in the future.

Faithful



I read the book Faithful on my recent trip to the left coast. Written by Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King – the book chronicles the 2004 season of the Boston Red Sox through the eyes of “diehard” fans (namely the two authors). The diaries and back and forth emails take the reader from Spring Training to the ultimate victory of the Sox in the World Series.

Of course the big hook to this book is to read what Stephen King was thinking during the course of the season. I doubt the book gets a green light if the king of horror is not involved. Unfortunately, King’s prose only encompasses about 1/3 of the book with the balance being the words of O’Nan.

Yes, the book was highly entertaining and I can think of no better way to start off the 2005 season than by reliving the magic of 2004 but I had an uneasy feeling about O’Nan throughout.

Stewart O’Nan was born and raised a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, meaning he is not a life-long Sox fan or even a fan with sole allegiances to the Red Sox. O’Nan mentions how he’s always checking the boxscores for the Pirates and he mentions Bill Mazeroski more times than Bucky “F’n” Dent. Word to O’Nan – lifelong Red Sox fans only care about the Red Sox and Yankees. That’s the true extent of our passion.

There was also the disturbing O’Nan mania for getting batting practice balls, foul balls and autographs that seemed to border on an unhealthy obsession. He comes off like comic book guy talking about scoring a comic book in mint condition.

As a blogger – I envy Stewart O’Nan. He got a book deal for doing what many of us do for free. There are hundreds of passionate baseball bloggers who comment on every game (and every day off) during the season.

Really – O’Nan basically got paid to do what I’d do for free. Yes – I’m jealous.

I’d be curious to see how the sales of this book stack up against the sales of the book Stephen King wrote about the art of writing. I don’t know but I’d be willing to bet more people bought this book to find out his thoughts on the Red Sox than bought his books explaining his craft. I find that kinda funny.

What Happened to the Ransom Money?

In the curious case of Giuliana Sgrena - the big question to be asked is what happened to the ransom money. Sgrena didn't use normal channels and she says she was kidnapped. She says 300-400 bullets were fired but her car shows little damage. Only one person was killed and isn't it convienient that it is government agent who could not have been part of any pre-arranged plot. Maybe he didn't want a share of the ransom?

It will be interesting to see what happens when the ballistic reports come in.

My guess is that many in the Italian press will be owning some apologies to the US military (not that those apologies would ever be forth coming).

This whole scenario reminds me of the plot from Christopher Walken's Suicide Kings.

Afternoon Links

- VDH on "no blood for oil"

- Jay Nordlinger has a new Impromptus up

- Are Marines extreme? Hat tip Straight White Guy

- What would Ted William's (and others) stats have looked like if they didn't spend all those years in the military?

Happy Birthday Jim Ed



Jim Rice turns 52 today. Here's wishing him a happy birthday and wishing that next year he makes it into the Hall of Fame.

Morning Links

- Steyn on Syria

- Yikes! 50 shots? Yikes!

- David Halberstam on the death of Hunter S Thompson

- Jason Stark on Brad Lidge Good stuff!

- Hey - The Doctor demento Show has its own website! Cool!

- Hugh Hewitt for next President of the University of Colorado? Hat Tip Betsy's Page

- The Cold Hard Football Facts look at how Tom Brady Compares to the all-time greats (he compares very, very well)

Back When Andrew Sullivan Made Sense

Just about two years ago, Andrew Sullivan wrote the following at his blog:

Sanctions are inevitably the cornerstone of containment, and in Iraq, sanctions kill. In this case, containment is not an alternative to war. Containment is war: a slow, grinding war in which the only certainty is that hundreds of thousands of civilians will die. The Gulf War killed somewhere between 21,000 and 35,000 Iraqis, of whom between 1,000 and 5,000 were civilians. Based on Iraqi government figures, UNICEF estimates that containment kills roughly 5,000 Iraqi babies (children under 5 years of age) every month, or 60,000 per year. Other estimates are lower, but by any reasonable estimate containment kills about as many people every year as the Gulf War - and almost all the victims of containment are civilian, and two-thirds are children under 5. Each year of containment is a new Gulf War. Saddam Hussein is 65; containing him for another 10 years condemns at least another 360,000 Iraqis to death. Of these, 240,000 will be children under 5.

Think about those numbers for a minute. Think about how many children under 5 have been "saved" by our actions in Iraq. Now look at all the stories about feedom breaking out all around the Middle East.

Now think about the people like Sean Penn who went to Iraq before the war and were against any US action because they didn't want "blood on their hands."

Jesus Saves - and Scores on the Rebound

Word of the Day

Today’s word is Flocculent – “covered with soft wooly substance.” Dan Shaughnessy is a flocculent sportswriter. If Dan were a superhero super villain – he would be the Flocculizer.

Historical Footnote

General Douglas MacAuthur’s first marriage had a big wedding. Over two hundred guests were invited but because of political and family considerations – MacAuthur was only able to invite one close friend. The friend’s name? Buck Wheat (seriously).

No word on how the rest of Our Gang took the snub.

Big Holiday Coming Up

Don’t forget Steak and BJ Day is March 14th (I wonder if Hallmark has cards for this occasion?).

Afternoon Links

- Bush and Clinton play Hope and Crosby - hat tip The Anchoress. I thought it interesting that it is the elder Bush who more up on technology than Clinton (remember the way he was ripped because people thought he didn't understand the check-out scanner);

Bush has told aides he values this newfound friendship and that he will do anything to protect it. Putting away the Blackberry portable e-mailer to which Bush has become somewhat addicted might be a good first step — Clinton reportedly doesn't do e-mail.

- What Iraqi checkpoints are really like - hat tip Large Bill.

- Jeremy Jacobs speaks (kinda - actually what he says is "you have to ask Gary Bettman about that" a whole lot)

Top 5 - Stanley Kubrick Movies

Stanley died 6 years ago today. In his memory here are what I consider his five best movies.

1. Dr. Strangelove
2. Paths of Glory
3. A Clockwork Orange
4. Full Metal Jacket
5. The Shining

Morning Links

- The Internet passes radio as source for political news (but you knew this already - right?)

- Syria's Road to Freedom

- Just because I laughed at the headline

- Studes looks at the off-season baseball contracts

- The story of Rich Lederer's dad managing the Dodgers for a day (good stuff)

The Death of Credibility at the Boston Globe Sports

Writers getting their kids jobs with the people they are supposed to cover. Editors putting well known columnist's names on work done by interns. Putting baseless lies up on the website as fact. These are just some of the issues facing the Boston Globe today. And that's just the sports section.

If you are from New England and you grew up reading the Boston Globe sports section - you already know that today's product is a shell of its former self.

I grew up with Will McDonough on football, Peter Gammons on baseball and Bob Ryan on the Celtics. I'm not saying that there aren't bright spots (Gordon Edes and the new Red Sox beat writer Chris Snow are top shelf). However, I think everyone agrees that it ain't what it was.

Jeff Sullivan does a great job of laying out some of the problems the Globe sports department is running into these days in a column at BostonSportsMedia.com.

He [Steve Silva] received an email from a woman with whom he had no prior contact and immediately posted it on the Boston.com-based website, BostonDirtDogs.com, as fact. That’s all that happened, folks, plain and simple. A reporter at The National Enquirer would be fired and sued for what Silva did. A random email, from a person he didn’t know, purposely sent him a blatant lie in hopes of proving a point, and he posted it within minutes. No follow-up reporting, “Nomar Garciaparra doesn’t want his World Series ring from the Red Sox.”

Nomar never said any such thing. This was just the latest example of the lack of control in the sports department.

Start with Dan Shaughnessy, who infuriated at least one co-worker last year when he landed his daughter an internship with Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner’s production company in California. Not exactly setting the standard for journalistic integrity are we, Dano?

This is the same Dan Shaughnessy who used to skewer the former owner of the Boston Celtics Paul Gaston as "Thanks Dad" because his father had gotten him his job by buying the Celtics.

And what about allowing college co-ops and other employees to make NFL predictions against the point spread under the names of highly respected writers like Will McDonough and Ron Borges? During my first three years of college, I was using their picks to help make my Sunday bets. My fourth year of college, I became a Globe co-op and remember being absolutely stunned that some kid that knew next to nothing about the NFL was making Borges’ picks. I was floored, thinking there’s no way other people aren’t looking to see McDonough’s and Borges’ picks before calling the bookie.

I was one of those folks who used to check those picks religiously. Imagine having an intern pick political races for Tim Russert.

The owners of the Boston Globe - the New York Times - have themselves shown a disgraceful disregard for ethics in journalism. I just hope people consider the source when they read something in the Globe. You used to be able to believe what you read was at least true if not somewhat bias free.

Think of this the next time you read someone in the Globe make a smarmy remark about Drudge.

Blog Housekeeping

Just a few housekeeping items and comments.

First - the Blogroll. You may have noticed that I added a few new blogs. Among them were:

The Baseball Analysts

Grouchy Old Cripple

Political Musings

The Sports Prof

And I dropped one blog (sorry Keith - anytime you want to start your blog back up - you go right back on).

I haven't been too happy with Blogger lately because it seems there is now some sort of three plus hour delay between what I write and what shows up on my blog.

My TTLB Ecosystem tag seems to have disappeared through no action of my own. Here's a dirty little secret about becoming a "Large Mammal" in the TTLB Ecosystem; just join something like the Homespun Bloggers and the number of automatic links puts you over the top. The ecosystem has very little to do with the number of hits your site gets (I get about 200-400 visitors per day) and everything to do with the number of links. So you could have a blog with just 10 visitors a day and still become a "Large Mammal" by joining a "link cooperative".

Don't get me wrong. I didn't join The Homespun Bloggers for the "Large Mammal" designation. I joined it because it both gives me a wider audience and also puts a number of high quality blogs like Carpe Bonum at my fingertips. It also lets me know what blogs are updated.

I think most people realize that the key to a successful blog is quality info added at the very least daily. I try to have something here for the readers even when travel or other circumstances prevent any new content being added. My guidepost is the size of my blogroll. I try to add content to the site daily that is equal to the size of my blogroll - so the longer I make my Blogroll (from Google News down to The A-List) the more pressure I put on myself for new content.

Finally - soon I might be getting rid of the Amazon donation button because nobody has donated anything and as far as I can tell the only think it has been good for so far is to delay the loading time of my page.

Morning Links

- "Maybe Bush was right" seems to be a growing question asked by many on the left. Next up the meme "we had the idea first".

- Maradona has stomach stapling surgery. This guy used to be the best known athlete in the world.



- Peter Gammons has a new column up

- Nice job done by the Red Sox which hasn't gotten much publicity. Hat Tip Singapore Sox Fan

- Music teacher in Florida has sex with 11-year old and the boy's father. The father says quote, "I wouldn't call it romantic." Hat tip FARK

- ABOUT TIME!

- Gordon Edes' Sunday Baseball Notes

Flotsam and Jetsam

I'm willing to agree that the Gary Payton "trade" and later "re-signing" plus the acquisition of Prodigal Son Antoine Walker was a masterstoke on the part of Celtics GM Danny Ainge. I think the Celtics are in good hands with Aigne and Doc Rivers.... My friend Bill has a pet peeve with people using the term "masterpiece". By definition a show or collection can only have ONE master-piece. People who say every piece is a "masterpiece" are by definition incorrect. I've sorta adopted Bill's peeve as my own... Now that the Browns have jettisoned Kelly Holcomb - my guess on who the Cleveland Browns will go after to be their starting QB? I say Tim Rattay of the 49ers. The Patriots coaching staff had Rattay and Tom Brady rated exactly equal before drafting Brady. I bet that fact stuck in Romeo Crennel's head... Interesting - from today's Boston Globe - new Patriots' CB Duane Start on former coach Dennis Green in Arizona, "Dennis didn't talk too much to the players. Nobody really had a good relationship with him except Emmitt Smith."...

Morning Links

- Heh Heh

- Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects from the past 15 years. It's interesting to look back at to see who succeeded and who did not. Hat Tip Large Bill (if you don't have Large Bill on your Blogroll - you should fix that today)

- This is just unbelievable (well I guess considering the source - it is believeable). I can almost hear Hillary yelling, "Bill - will you just shut up!"

That's it for links this morning.

Separated at Birth?





Professional idiot Matt Taibbi and Cha-Ka from The Land of the Lost.

The Real Deal Behind the Bain Offer

By now you may have heard about the $3.3 BILLION bid by a group headed by Bain Capital to purchase the entire NHL.

Some folks have said this deal would never happen because teams like the Bruins and Maple Leafs would never sell. Others, like Eric from Off Wing Opinion, see this as a possible PR move by Bain and Game Plan.

I see this as a Trojan horse. Bain is as smart as they come when it comes to takeovers and turnarounds. They see real value here. There is a product with a large base of loyal consumers but there is also a management in place that has consistently shown that they don't know what they are doing. I don't think Bain really wants to buy all 30 teams.

I think they might just want to buy just 15-20 teams.

If Bain is able to make acceptable offers to 15 to 20 of the teams who might be willing to sell and these teams agree to the terms - then suddenly Bain controls the voting in a hostile take-over of the NHL. Some teams like the Bruins, Rangers, Red Wings, Blues and Maple Leafs will probably never agree and to sell and what will result will be a prolonged legal battle. This is probably just what Bain wants.

Remember there was no hockey this year because of an owner lock-out. If the owners in the Bain group said to the players association that they were willing to not only accept the last offer they made but also throw in both a salary floor (I'll explain this later) and payroll exceptions for players from teams not part of the new Bain group - then I bet the players come on board. Remember that the players probably have no love lost for the Jeremy Jacobs and the other owners who just locked them out and canceled hockey for the entire year. Also remember that the NHL owner's current plan is to continue to low ball the players and field replacement players in the fall if need be.

So if the Bain group can get 15-20 teams - they can have a season next year with the same familiar players meanwhile the teams who voted against the Bain Group would be out in the cold. Some have suggested that these hold-out teams (Bruins, Rangers, Maple Leafs, etc) go back to an "original six" type deal but they would probably have to do so without both the NHL name (the Bain group would have that name tied up in litigation) and without many of the fan favorite top stars.

Bain specializes in take-overs and turn-arounds. They aren't doing this for the heck of it. They smell blood and a chance to make some real cash. Normally Bain specializes in breaking unions (my friend Tim who is very active in Union affairs hates them for this) but this time they would be busting the owners.

Think about it - just like in a hostile take-over - if Bain controls 51% of the voting stock - they win! In this case it would be just 15 out of 29 teams (Anaheim wouldn't count because they are in limbo between owners). The end result of legal action could very well be that the courts rule in favor of the 51% owners of the "new" NHL and the Maple Leafs, Bruins et al either get with the program or are out of the NHL and they can go play with themselves.

Some people would complain that this could never happen to the "original six" type teams but read the business pages and you will see stories of company founders kicked to the curb almost every day of the week.

Maybe the Bain Group plays under a different name like the North American Hockey League for a couple of years. They don't care - as long as the NHL name is in mothballs because of legal wrangling.

Another reason the Bain group probably doesn't want those team is because many of them purposely sold their TV rights for below market costs. Take the Rangers deal with parent MSG or the Bruins deal with NESN (of which the Bruins are part owners) for example. Bain could probably drive down the value of these teams with the new competing league and fold them back in at very reduced rates later on.

Bain probably doesn't even want those teams like the Maple Leafs and Rangers to join at first because as long as those teams aren't part of the deal and are operating as a separate competing league - then anti-trust issues melt away. You can't have a monopoly if you have competition.

I see the big payoff for the Bain group as a Hockey Channel. Once they control these teams they can partner with a Direct TV or someone like that to be the sole source for away games. The individual teams would be able to maximize local TV deals for home games but all away games would go to the league deal. This could be a tremendous source of revenue. The Bain group realizes that they don't need wide-spread appeal - just passionate fans who may be a comparatively small group but who are willing to shell out good money for good hockey.

The Hockey Channel could also get low cost content from the European leagues (don't laugh - ESPN was founded on Australian Rules Football). Maybe even broadcast an end of season showdown between the North American champion and the European champion.

Oh, the salary floor I mentioned before - the Bain group could use this as a carrot to the players association and also as a stick to cities whose fan base can't support a team. If they can't support the league minimum payroll - then the team gets moved to a city who can.

Morning Links

- Two companies offer $3 plus billion to own entire NHL (I'm going to have more comments on thsi later)

- What have the Americans ever done for us?

“All right, all right. But apart from liberating 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan, undermining dictatorships throughout the Arab world, spreading freedom and self-determination in the broader Middle East and moving the Palestinians and the Israelis towards a real chance of ending their centuries-long war, what have the Americans ever done for us?”

Hat tip Instapundit

- Even people like NPR's Daniel Schorr are now admitting that maybe Bush was right all along (this must really pain them)

- Interview with Bill "Spaceman" Lee (H/T Singapore Sox Fan)

- VDH Friday - Europe like a grumpy teenager

Slice of Life - Dude Looked Like a Lady

I dawdle coming off planes. Some people jump up and into the aisle as soon as the seat belt sign comes off after landing. I sit in my seat and continue to read my book or just relax. My thinking is what's the rush? I'm just going to have to wait for my luggage at the carousel anyway. Why not take my time?

Anyway, yesterday I was the last one off my plane at TF Green Airport. I got off the plane in kinda a tired from the cross country flight, thinking about everything I have to do now fog. Even though I was in a bit of a fog I was able to read the clear signal that my body was sending me - I had to go to the bathroom.

At TF Green the Men's and Women's rooms are together with the men's room on the right and the women's room on the left. I know this without looking because I've been to the airport so many times.

I head into the restrooms veering off to the right to what I just know to be the men's room. Just then a person wearing a grey pin-striped suit-coat, a turtle neck sweater (that may or may not have been concealing breasts), slacks, long straight hair that was at least shoulder length and a face that was completely hair and stubble free comes out from the room I was about to enter. Well this person stopped me in my tracks and snapped me out of my fog.

I immediately had flashes of that Southwest Airlines commercial where the woman gets something in her contacts and walks into the wrong restroom. I literally stop in my tracks and back up a few steps to read the sign that I pray says "Men".

The dude who looked like a lady sees me do this and I just know that "he" knew exactly was was going through my mind. I thought I had walked into the women's room. In that brief nanosecond of recognition of what was going through my mind - this guy's testosterone level must of dropped to zero.

Reassured by seeing the word "Men" - I continue into the restroom amused by my little slice of life and pleased that at no point did the words "nice ass" cross my mind.

M*A*S*H Doctor Veterans for Truth

(Edit: I wrote this back on August 26th but because I got nothing today - I'm reposting it for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!)

ANNOUNCER: Welcome to HARDBALL. Tonight we have Democratic Presidential Candidate Dr. Frank Burns and the leader of M*A*S*H Doctor Veterans for Truth - Dr. Benjamin Pierce.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: I'm Chris Matthews let's play Hardball.

MATTHEWS: This half-hour on HARDBALL, Korean Veteran Dr. Ben Pierce, Frank Burn's longtime nemesis, on his contested new book, "Frank Burns Eats Worms." Dr. Pierce is here to debate Dr. Frank Burns, the Democratic nominee for President.

Dr. Burns and Dr. Pierce served together in the same unit in Korea but while Dr. Burns returned home to a successful practice and political career - Dr. Pierce suffered a mental breakdown and is now making a living as an author attacking the beloved Frank Burns and his politics reportedly at the behest of the Republican Party.

Let me ask you gentlemen about these questions. But let's start with the central notion that a lot of us have of Frank Burns. Whatever you think of his politics, he was a war hero. Is that true?

DR. BENJAMIN "HAWKEYE" PIERCE, M*A*S*H DOCTOR VETERANS FOR TRUTH: That's not true at all.

MATTHEWS: Why isn't it true?

PIERCE: Well first off he fabricated the citation for his Purple Heart, I think conclusively, based on the documentation in my book.

MATTHEWS: But according to the Army - Dr. Burns received the medal for getting a shell fragment in his eye as the result of an enemy attack on your hospital unit. Are you saying the Army is wrong and you are right?

PIERCE: It was an egg shell fragment. Frank was having breakfast at the time of the attack. Frank put himself up for the medal. The medal is a fraud. Tell him Frank.

DR. FRANK BURNS, DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT: Chris, who are you going to believe? The Army or this man who is clearly working on the instructions of the Republicans to smear me?

I understand that Hawkeye has been a bit disturbed since he came home from the war but what you have to understand is that Dr. Pierce has always been jealous of me both because I was a better surgeon than him and because I was his superior officer.

PIERCE: Oh please! Frank you know that is a load of...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Dr. Pierce, is it true that you had an issue with Frank's authority?

PIERCE: What authority? Nobody listened to him.

BURNS: Chris when I served I considered myself a surgeon first and a soldier second. I wasn't there to order people around. Pierce was the one who had to have all the attention. Always doing things to shine the spotlight on himself. Things like showing no nevermind to rank or military authority.

(CROSSTALK)

PIERCE: Surgeon first? Frank was like regular Army. He got a big kick out of his rank.

BURNS: Pierce what would you know about regular Army? I mean you wouldn't even carry a gun.

MATTHEWS: Is that true? You wouldn't even carry a gun?

PIERCE: When I got thrown into that war I had a clear understanding with the Pentagon: no guns. I said I'll carry your books, I'll carry a torch, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over, carry forward, Cary Grant, cash and carry, carry me back to Old Virginia, I'll even 'hari-kari' if you show me how, but I will not carry a gun.

MATTHEWS: Was that supposed to be clever? Were you afraid of carrying a gun? Are you jealous of Dr. Burns because he was not?

PIERCE: What's to be jealous of? I'm just here because those of us who served with Frank in Korea know for a fact that he is unfit for command. Especially as Commander in Chief.

MATTHEWS: In your book "Frank Burns Eats Worms" you allege that Dr. Burns had a breakdown of sorts and that's why he was shipped out of Korea but isn't it true that you're the one who went into a mental hospital?

PIERCE: This isn't about me. This is about Frank Burns complete inability to be a leader worthy of respect.

BURNS: Chris, when I was transferred out of Korea I was assigned to a veterans' hospital in Indiana, and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Would the army promote a crazy person? I'll also have you note that Pierce was never promoted. Chris, I think it is clear that the Republicans must be putting Pierce up to this.

MATTHEWS: Dr. Pierce are you a Republican? Are the Republicans putting you up to this?

PIERCE: Me a Republican? I can't see how anyone could possibly picture me as a Republican. I mean that's laughable. I mean if I was an actor and you put me on the most successful show on TV - even then nobody would be able to see me as a Republican. I mean I'd probably kill that show if they tried to show me as a Republican.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Then why are you doing this?

PIERCE: Because Frank is lying about his service in Korea and those of us who served with him know him to be unfit for command and in fact the biggest danger I think our country has ever faced.

BURNS: Well, you know that President Bush never served in Korea.

PIERCE: Frank - he would have been 6-years old at the time

BURNS: Well, I'm not here to...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Thank you to Dr. Burns who clearly has nothing to hide and to Dr. Pierce who must be working for the Republicans. Next time on HARDBALL - does Jimmy Carter's spit cure cancer?

Notes from the Left Coast

I flew out on Monday to San Diego just in time to miss the 6-8 inches of shit that fell in Worcester - calling it snow wouldn't do it justice. From what I hear it was the wet heavy stuff that is known in New England as heart attack snow (because people have heart attacks trying to shovel it). As I type this - it is 70+ degrees and the sun is shining brightly and warmly into my hotel room.

The airline of choice for this trip was Southwest. Some people can't stand Southwest's open seating but I like it and I love the fact that Southwest is almost always on time and if you are late or early they are helpful in getting you on an earlier or later flight. (Last night my buddy Nat gave me a great tip for flying Southwest. He said that if you wait till just after midnight of the day of your departure flight - you can print out your boarding pass from home and it almost always will guarantee you seating in the "A" boarding group - in effect giving you a better choice of seating. Thanks Nat.)

Last night I had a special treat. My buddy Bart's mom lives on Coronado Island (called an island even though its actually a peninsula). His father in law Nick has a nice Sea Ray boat and Nick was nice enough to take us on a cruise of San Diego harbor.

Lots of cool stuff in the harbor like seeing Navy Seals cruising at top speeds on their zodiacs or seeing the ship from the movie Master and Commander in dry dock but nothing as awe inspiring as seeing three aircraft carriers up close (four if you count the decommissioned Midway).

There was the newly returned Abraham Lincoln, the Ronald Reagan and what I believe was the Stennis. Those three ships probably equal the naval might of the rest of the world's navies combined. Awe inspiring.

Even more awe inspiring was the fact that later at dinner I found out that Captain Nick had 977 carrier landings and two distinguished flying crosses. I found this out from Bart (Nick wasn't with us for dinner). He was just a nice unassuming guy. The real hero's never tell you about their accomplishments (hello John Kerry). Awe inspiring. Thanks so much for the cruise Captain Nick.

That's it for now. I'm going to go sit out in the courtyard of the hotel and soak up some sun before going into HQ to give my presentation.

Cheers!

Steroids Decimate Baseball

Pretty busy on the left coast with no time for blogging. Here is something I wrote last March that I think still fits today.

The current steroids crisis has in effect decimated the credibility of all major league baseball players. To understand how bad the situation really is – I thought it might be useful to look back at what the word “decimate” actually meant.

Decimate comes from the Latin for “every tenth”. In the Roman military, decimation was used as a deterrent and as a punishment. If a group lost in battle because of cowardice or if they mutinied - then the punishment was to kill every tenth man of the group. The thought being – soldiers would fear decimation more than facing the enemy or disobeying orders.

Now over the years the meaning of the word “decimate” has changed to mean “wiped out”. For example you could say, “the Black Death in the middle ages decimated entire towns” or “the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez decimated the wild life in Prince William Sound”.

The situation in baseball today actually fits both the old and the new definitions.

The players union has admitted that between 5 and 7 percent of players failed a drug test on steroids last year. This was a test that the players knew was coming – so many players who were using steroids were able to pass just by altering their drug cycles. Conservative estimates would say the number of steroid abusers would number at least double the 5-7% of those caught. (Other estimates place that number much higher – in the 30% range.)

If we use a VERY conservative estimate of 10% of players – that means that “every tenth” major league player was using steroids to cheat. As mentioned in my opening – these abusers have basically decimated the credibility of all the players. Now no player is safe from whispers and rumors because of the cheaters.

Some apologists will try and argue, “What’s the big deal?” – “people don’t care” – “fans will still go to the games or watch on TV.” These people are ducking their heads in the sand and they don’t understand the damage that has been done.

The Catholic Church is expert on Latin words like decimate and unless you’ve lived in a cave the last four years – then you know that they are also no strangers to crises.

Less than 10% of Catholic priests were involved in the sex abuse scandal but their actions have decimated the credibility of the Catholic Church in the minds of many in the United States. Apologists could easily point out the fact that millions of Catholics still attend church but the fact is most people will never look at a Catholic priest the same again.

Now I am in no way equating the vile, disgusting actions of pedophile priests with baseball players who juice - but the fact is that people will never look at baseball players the same either. Catholics still love Jesus and baseball fans still love their game but things will never be the same.

The Catholic Church tried stonewalling on the abuse scandal and they only succeeded in making life harder on the men of the cloth who were pure and dedicated to “the calling.” Remember - there were only a few priests implicated at the beginning but the Church leaders knew there was a widespread problem.

Today Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi are just the tip of the steroid scandal iceberg. Anyone with half a brain knows this but still some apologists would prefer to sweep this under the rug or pretend that these guys are innocent and that this never happened.

These apologists should ask a Catholic friend how that worked out for their Church. Then they should go to the nearest dictionary and memorize the word “decimate” because the word applies to baseball and they will be hearing it more and more as this crisis plays out.