Well, we beat Kazmir, and then won in extra innings, so maybe the sky isn't falling after all. The Yankees still look lethal, though, and I don't think this team is strong enough to win the World Series.
But my fantasy 1977 Red Sox died like dogs, getting swept by Toronto, so something good has to happen? RIGHT?
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
My fantasy 1977 Red Sox (which is much less painful than paying attention to the real Red Sox) just beat Detroit twice. They have 7 games left, four against Toronto and 3 against Baltimore, and they trail the Yankees by 2 1/2 games. Should be interesting.
What makes anyone think that the war in Iraq is winnable? Seriously, what?
What makes anyone think that the war in Iraq is winnable? Seriously, what?
Thursday, September 20, 2007
One of the things we always hear when someone brings up universal health care is "Freedom! You can't take away my freedom to choose!"
Who has freedom to choose their health care today? The super rich. Nobody else chooses their health care.
How can government making decisions about health care POSSIBLY be worse than insurance companies making decisions about health care?
Who has freedom to choose their health care today? The super rich. Nobody else chooses their health care.
How can government making decisions about health care POSSIBLY be worse than insurance companies making decisions about health care?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
September 19, 2007
BASEBALL
Assuming Boston makes the playoffs, (a pretty safe assumption, but still…) I still don’t like our chances. The Indians are very tough, as are the Angels. And the Yankees are…the Yankees. If their bats are going, they beat anyone, including probably the 1927 Yankees.
The Phillies are on fire, and the Mets seem to be in free fall. The Mets are going to play tough in the playoffs, though, with El Duque and Glavine and Pedro, three guys that have been through the wars. I hope I get to watch at least one El Duque start in the postseason-he reminds me of El Tiante a little bit-although much thinner, obviously.
Bob Ryan says “Should Red Sox fans be worried?” Uh…yeah?
If Youkilis is out, we’re in major league trouble.
Dice K has looked awful lately…I hope he can turn it around, because I love watching him pitch. His command looks very rough. He is only 26, don’t forget…but we need him to be special, and soon.
THE WORLD
It’s silly season on the TV news…Court TV is having kittens, going from coverage of the Phil Spector trial, to OJ (again), to the Crazy Astronaut case. Meanwhile, the dying continues in Iraq. I keep seeing those FreedomWatch.org commercials on the Philadelphia stations, and they are irritating as heck. “THEY attacked US,” the narrator keeps emphasizing. The perfect, racist generalization to stir up the meatheads in Drexel Hill. Why don’t they just say it? The brown people attacked us! That’s what they mean.
And also….uh…no, no they didn’t. The Iraqis didn’t attack us, the Saudis did. There is no evidence Al Queda was in Iraq before WE were in Iraq. None. But they’re allowed to just keep saying it, over and over and over again.
I’m relistening to the entire Napoleon Podcast series, (www.thepodcastnetwork.com) and really, really enjoying it.
FOOTBALL
I’m in last place in my Fantasy Football League, and its not even close. I am underwhelming in every way, but especially at quarterback. I’m starting Joey Harrington and me, essentially-and Harrington is about to lose his job to Byron Leftwich. Nearly everyone is disappointing-except maybe Deion Branch, who should still be playing in New England.
As for Cameragate, is it possible that this is just what Belichick says it is…a misunderstanding? What I’m thinking is that Belichick thought you could tape whoever you wanted, as long as you didn’t use it during the game in progress. I mean, you can tape formations, and players, and everything else that happens during the game…what’s so special about the coaches? And what’s to prevent a fan from sitting in the front row and doing it? It seems like a silly rule to me.
He was warned about it, though, but again, if he thought it was ok as long as you didn’t use it until later, that would explain it.
All this “cheating” talk sounds like sour grapes to me. An old baseball coach of mine used to tell us that if we executed, it didn’t matter if they stole our signals or not. I can’t imagine, even if you stole their signals, you would have that much of an advantage. And you have coaches in the booth, don’t you? No reason to think they can’t steal signals.
Andre Johnson is out, according to the BS Report. I better check and see if his owner will trade a QB for Deion Branch.
5 teams have made the playoffs since 1999 after starting 0-2? Uh-oh, Philadelphia. If this team is 4-10, there’s going to be a lynch mob formed.
BASEBALL
Assuming Boston makes the playoffs, (a pretty safe assumption, but still…) I still don’t like our chances. The Indians are very tough, as are the Angels. And the Yankees are…the Yankees. If their bats are going, they beat anyone, including probably the 1927 Yankees.
The Phillies are on fire, and the Mets seem to be in free fall. The Mets are going to play tough in the playoffs, though, with El Duque and Glavine and Pedro, three guys that have been through the wars. I hope I get to watch at least one El Duque start in the postseason-he reminds me of El Tiante a little bit-although much thinner, obviously.
Bob Ryan says “Should Red Sox fans be worried?” Uh…yeah?
If Youkilis is out, we’re in major league trouble.
Dice K has looked awful lately…I hope he can turn it around, because I love watching him pitch. His command looks very rough. He is only 26, don’t forget…but we need him to be special, and soon.
THE WORLD
It’s silly season on the TV news…Court TV is having kittens, going from coverage of the Phil Spector trial, to OJ (again), to the Crazy Astronaut case. Meanwhile, the dying continues in Iraq. I keep seeing those FreedomWatch.org commercials on the Philadelphia stations, and they are irritating as heck. “THEY attacked US,” the narrator keeps emphasizing. The perfect, racist generalization to stir up the meatheads in Drexel Hill. Why don’t they just say it? The brown people attacked us! That’s what they mean.
And also….uh…no, no they didn’t. The Iraqis didn’t attack us, the Saudis did. There is no evidence Al Queda was in Iraq before WE were in Iraq. None. But they’re allowed to just keep saying it, over and over and over again.
I’m relistening to the entire Napoleon Podcast series, (www.thepodcastnetwork.com) and really, really enjoying it.
FOOTBALL
I’m in last place in my Fantasy Football League, and its not even close. I am underwhelming in every way, but especially at quarterback. I’m starting Joey Harrington and me, essentially-and Harrington is about to lose his job to Byron Leftwich. Nearly everyone is disappointing-except maybe Deion Branch, who should still be playing in New England.
As for Cameragate, is it possible that this is just what Belichick says it is…a misunderstanding? What I’m thinking is that Belichick thought you could tape whoever you wanted, as long as you didn’t use it during the game in progress. I mean, you can tape formations, and players, and everything else that happens during the game…what’s so special about the coaches? And what’s to prevent a fan from sitting in the front row and doing it? It seems like a silly rule to me.
He was warned about it, though, but again, if he thought it was ok as long as you didn’t use it until later, that would explain it.
All this “cheating” talk sounds like sour grapes to me. An old baseball coach of mine used to tell us that if we executed, it didn’t matter if they stole our signals or not. I can’t imagine, even if you stole their signals, you would have that much of an advantage. And you have coaches in the booth, don’t you? No reason to think they can’t steal signals.
Andre Johnson is out, according to the BS Report. I better check and see if his owner will trade a QB for Deion Branch.
5 teams have made the playoffs since 1999 after starting 0-2? Uh-oh, Philadelphia. If this team is 4-10, there’s going to be a lynch mob formed.
What the heck is wrong with Matt Lauer? Seriously, a man getting attacked by a bear in the woods is a news story?
Donovan McNabb's comments aren't going to help him in Philadelphia. It's a circular argument-African American quarterbacks say they aren't given a fair shot-Coaches say show me you deserve a fair shot.
Is it likely there is an instinctive aversion to black quarterbacks? Subconciously, possibly, yes. But there is an extremely small list of quarterback positions. It simply doesn't make sense for any coach in the hypercompetitive NFL to make any decision based on race. Any such moron would be drummed out of the league in short order-not even because of the idiocy of the policy-because the POLICY WOULDN'T WORK. You can't ignore ability-anywhere-and win in the NFL.
Look at Atlanta signing Leftwich, though. If you show the ability, you will find work-Lord knows, there are lots of white quarterbacks (I'm looking at you, Trent Green. And you too, Joey Harrington.) who are awful.
Donovan McNabb's comments aren't going to help him in Philadelphia. It's a circular argument-African American quarterbacks say they aren't given a fair shot-Coaches say show me you deserve a fair shot.
Is it likely there is an instinctive aversion to black quarterbacks? Subconciously, possibly, yes. But there is an extremely small list of quarterback positions. It simply doesn't make sense for any coach in the hypercompetitive NFL to make any decision based on race. Any such moron would be drummed out of the league in short order-not even because of the idiocy of the policy-because the POLICY WOULDN'T WORK. You can't ignore ability-anywhere-and win in the NFL.
Look at Atlanta signing Leftwich, though. If you show the ability, you will find work-Lord knows, there are lots of white quarterbacks (I'm looking at you, Trent Green. And you too, Joey Harrington.) who are awful.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Dice are rolling and the knives are out in Philadelphia. The Eagles are 0-2, and there is discontent upon the face of the people. 23 possessions and one TD? That's not going to get it done. I'm not sure Otto Graham could score, though, throwing to Jason Avant and Kevin Curtis. Donovan McNabb, like Allen Iverson and Scott Rolen and Eric Lindros, is going to be run out of town, despite their years of great effort, because they never brought home the big prize.
Sigh.
Sigh.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Just saw the "Sad But True" video from Live Earth. I had heard the audio, but not seen the video. Kirk looks the same. Lars looks basically the same, only with less hair.(I can feel you there, brother.) James has short hair, but with this long goatee thing. I think it looks awesome, but I'm probably wrong.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
September 16, 2007
This week’s Studio 360 was very good, about “On The Road” and “Into The Wild” and happiness.
What makes me happy?
Damned if I know.
Nothing right now, that’s for sure.
People are too freaking impatient these days.
“Into The Wild” was a terrifying book. I think Sean Penn is going to make a fantastic film of that. As usual with films, I will probably never see it. I don’t know why I never get to the movies any more, but I don’t. I’m sure the wingnuts will go crazy if the film does any sort of business at all, crying about how un American he is and all that garbage. But frankly, he’s more clearheaded about politics than they are. I’m at the point where there is very little about America’s sins that I am unwilling to believe. In Harper’s, the essayist asked if one can name a part of the Bill of Rights that George Bush has not attempted to invalidate, and, beyond the quartering of soldiers and the right to bear arms, the essayist’s answer is “None”.
The oleaginous little liar Ari Fleischer is now with a cockamamie organization running pro war TV advertisements. When asked if it was deceptive to run an ad where a wounded soldier emphasizes “THEY attacked US”, when in fact they (the Iraqis) didn’t, he responded that, well, if there’s another attack, we’ll compare it to September 11. Of course. You can compare any two things you like, but for the comparison to be FAIR, the two objects being compared should be RELATED. But what would Ari Fleischer know about fairness?
The woman who wrote “The Lovely Bones” has a new book coming out. As cliché as it was to read that, that book blew my mind. I remember a certain loud mouthed co worker who saw me reading it and kept commenting about how she couldn’t read that because it was so SAD. She couldn’t get over the fact that the narrator was already dead as the story begins. (It’s pretty obvious, so I’m not giving anything away.) She couldn’t get past the crime to the story of how it changes the town, and she was tripping over herself to condemn the fact that such a horrible thing could happen.
This woman was one of the loudest people I have ever met, and one of the hardest to be in the same room with. Her voice was grating, nasal and Long Islandy, and she was one of the sorts of people that have to add their experience to whatever is being discussed-the living, breathing voice of conventional wisdom. Unimaginative, boring, deeply obnoxious, but willing to tell you what you should do and what you should say. Someone who likes to brag about being a reader, but never actually reads.
First of all, if I’m reading a book, leave me the hell alone. If you are compelled to say something, and it is negative, again, leave me the hell alone. It’s the same thing as someone commenting on your dinner choice. I’m not asking you to eat it, and I’m not asking you to read it.
Denis Johnson has a new book which sounds pretty good, too. I have always heard a lot about him, but I’ve never read any of his stuff.
IPod skipping behavior: Sorry, Bruce. You’re a great artist, as close as my generation gets to Dylan, but I was a teenager in 1984. I heard “Born in the USA” enough times that summer to last a lifetime.
That summer is linked, for me, with the trip to Cape Cod with my friend’s parents to their beach place. I wound up dating, years later, his sister. That didn’t end so well. Only because I was a prick, though, it wasn’t her fault. That summer was “Abracadabra” (Alan Parsons Project)?, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Tears for Fears, Dire Straits. I wasn’t so much a Madonna/Tears for Fears person, though. I was too metal. Would have gotten more girls if I hadn’t been so metal, that’s for sure. There were no metal girls at my school.
At the time, though, I wanted her(my friend’s sister’s) friend in the worst way. (In the back of a Volkswagen?) No, but she was the one for me at the time. Oh well.
I still, nearly 20 years later, miss her, though. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t screwed it up. It is my very firm belief that every human adult has one that got away, an intended object of their love that they spurned, or that spurned them, that they regret. She is mine, no question.
If my wife ever reads this, I’m toast. Not because I’m ashamed, but because she’ll misunderstand and blow it all out of proportion.
One weird thing about IPods is, if you have live albums loaded on them, as I do, you get the patter for the next song on the live album, without the actual next song, because obviously they engineered the next track to begin where the music does.
Why do people feel the need to be SO FREAKING LOUD! Shut up, already.
This week’s Studio 360 was very good, about “On The Road” and “Into The Wild” and happiness.
What makes me happy?
Damned if I know.
Nothing right now, that’s for sure.
People are too freaking impatient these days.
“Into The Wild” was a terrifying book. I think Sean Penn is going to make a fantastic film of that. As usual with films, I will probably never see it. I don’t know why I never get to the movies any more, but I don’t. I’m sure the wingnuts will go crazy if the film does any sort of business at all, crying about how un American he is and all that garbage. But frankly, he’s more clearheaded about politics than they are. I’m at the point where there is very little about America’s sins that I am unwilling to believe. In Harper’s, the essayist asked if one can name a part of the Bill of Rights that George Bush has not attempted to invalidate, and, beyond the quartering of soldiers and the right to bear arms, the essayist’s answer is “None”.
The oleaginous little liar Ari Fleischer is now with a cockamamie organization running pro war TV advertisements. When asked if it was deceptive to run an ad where a wounded soldier emphasizes “THEY attacked US”, when in fact they (the Iraqis) didn’t, he responded that, well, if there’s another attack, we’ll compare it to September 11. Of course. You can compare any two things you like, but for the comparison to be FAIR, the two objects being compared should be RELATED. But what would Ari Fleischer know about fairness?
The woman who wrote “The Lovely Bones” has a new book coming out. As cliché as it was to read that, that book blew my mind. I remember a certain loud mouthed co worker who saw me reading it and kept commenting about how she couldn’t read that because it was so SAD. She couldn’t get over the fact that the narrator was already dead as the story begins. (It’s pretty obvious, so I’m not giving anything away.) She couldn’t get past the crime to the story of how it changes the town, and she was tripping over herself to condemn the fact that such a horrible thing could happen.
This woman was one of the loudest people I have ever met, and one of the hardest to be in the same room with. Her voice was grating, nasal and Long Islandy, and she was one of the sorts of people that have to add their experience to whatever is being discussed-the living, breathing voice of conventional wisdom. Unimaginative, boring, deeply obnoxious, but willing to tell you what you should do and what you should say. Someone who likes to brag about being a reader, but never actually reads.
First of all, if I’m reading a book, leave me the hell alone. If you are compelled to say something, and it is negative, again, leave me the hell alone. It’s the same thing as someone commenting on your dinner choice. I’m not asking you to eat it, and I’m not asking you to read it.
Denis Johnson has a new book which sounds pretty good, too. I have always heard a lot about him, but I’ve never read any of his stuff.
IPod skipping behavior: Sorry, Bruce. You’re a great artist, as close as my generation gets to Dylan, but I was a teenager in 1984. I heard “Born in the USA” enough times that summer to last a lifetime.
That summer is linked, for me, with the trip to Cape Cod with my friend’s parents to their beach place. I wound up dating, years later, his sister. That didn’t end so well. Only because I was a prick, though, it wasn’t her fault. That summer was “Abracadabra” (Alan Parsons Project)?, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Tears for Fears, Dire Straits. I wasn’t so much a Madonna/Tears for Fears person, though. I was too metal. Would have gotten more girls if I hadn’t been so metal, that’s for sure. There were no metal girls at my school.
At the time, though, I wanted her(my friend’s sister’s) friend in the worst way. (In the back of a Volkswagen?) No, but she was the one for me at the time. Oh well.
I still, nearly 20 years later, miss her, though. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t screwed it up. It is my very firm belief that every human adult has one that got away, an intended object of their love that they spurned, or that spurned them, that they regret. She is mine, no question.
If my wife ever reads this, I’m toast. Not because I’m ashamed, but because she’ll misunderstand and blow it all out of proportion.
One weird thing about IPods is, if you have live albums loaded on them, as I do, you get the patter for the next song on the live album, without the actual next song, because obviously they engineered the next track to begin where the music does.
Why do people feel the need to be SO FREAKING LOUD! Shut up, already.
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