The World According to C-Hova

Things I Learned Last Night

2011-03-03T15:24:00.002-06:00

CBS College Sports is a real cable channel - and available on my cable package.

Colgate has never beaten AU in Bender Arena. It is a HOUSE OF HORRORS for [insert Colgate's nickname here - seriously, what is it?].

Pete Gillen and Bob Scocci were barely excited to be announcing the game last night.

Who Bob Scocci is.

The Patriot League semifinals will be on CBS College Sports Sunday afternoon. Watch it.

Steve Fisher=John Calipari=Bruce Pearl=...

2011-02-23T11:54:00.002-06:00

The resurrection of Steve Fisher proves one thing: if you win, people forget and forgive. And while this article does cover briefly some of the improprieties* during Fisher's tenure at Michigan, I think not enough attention is paid to these coaches who have Final Fours vacated (Calipari) and at times are outright dishonest (Bruce Pearl). So congrats, Steve Fisher for doing well at San Diego State. Hope you're running a tighter ship there than you did at Michigan.

*My favorite UM violation story - the payments to players were exposed when one of the players got into an accident in a very nice car while hosting a recruit. That recruit ended up not going to Michigan, but rather Michigan State. His name: Mateen Cleaves. And the fates of those two programs diverged at that point.

Why reading the story makes sense

2011-02-16T09:15:00.001-06:00

Saw this headline in the Post today: Anthrax report casts doubt on scientific evidence in FBI case against Bruce Ivins. Interesting say I, former employee of that agency. Then I read the key graf in the story:

"The scientific link between the letter material and flask number RMR-1029 is not as conclusive as stated in the DOJ Investigative Summary," said the $1.1 million report, which was commissioned by the FBI. The document added, however, that the "genetic evidence is consistent with and supports an association between the RMR-1029 flask" and the anthrax used in the attacks. [emphasis added]

So, the report did not cast doubt, it just said the scientific evidence was as strong as the FBI said it was. Oh, and there was all that other evidence. Seems to me that headline - and the others quoted - kind of overreach here.

This probably won't end up well

2011-02-07T12:06:00.002-06:00

I'm not going to pretend that I've analyzed AOL's purchase of the Huffington Post in any sort of way, but...

...do these things ever turn out well for these legacy internet/media companies? They always seem like they buy these properties on the downswing or try to enter a market behind and it never works out. Think Time Warner with AOL. Think NewsCorp with myspace. Think Microsoft and Zune.

In my 0 seconds of analysis, I don't know why this would be any different.

It's ok to watch the NBA again

2011-02-03T15:34:00.001-06:00

For me, the NBA has been a must-not-see happening for several years. Let me tell you, it's back. It's fun to watch. Check out a game. No, really.

P.S., it is merely a conincidence that I mostly stopped watching the NBA in 1998 (after Jordan retired from the Bulls) and have started watching again now (with Derrick Rose and the Bulls looking, um, awesome). A coincidence I tell you.

Done

2011-01-28T09:40:00.001-06:00

I wasted 30 minutes of my life last night watching the last 10 minutes of the Illinois-Indiana basketball game. This Illinois team is a complete disappointment. Whatever "it" is, they don't have it. And that's why they'll never be good enough. I think the main offenders are the senior class, but it could be a program-wide infection.

At least I don't have to worry about them being at the top of the ASM rankings.

Not my former employer's sharpest release ever

2011-01-27T16:25:00.000-06:00

Saw this on the news feed today - Allstate connecting zodiac signs with number of accidents. I guess they're getting press from this but I think it comes off as kind of dumb/weird. The commenters don't like it either.

Return of the blog and a thought on Jay Cutler

2011-01-26T20:43:00.003-06:00

It's time to give blogging a try again. We'll see how committed I stay.

But also, I need to say: lost in the backlash against Jay Cutler and the backlash against the backlash against Jay Cutler is the need to have backlash against how Jay Cutler played when he was healthy. He stunk. Bad. And that, to me, is the much bigger deal. Who cares if he maybe could have played - the Bears were better when he wasn't in there.

Is that the world's smallest violin I hear playing?

2010-04-07T09:05:00.002-05:00

Check out these asshats who want to pay more in taxes.

What makes them asshats? Not that they want to pay more in taxes - though this quote is "rich":

"I would with pleasure sacrifice the income," agreed millionaire entrepreneur Jeffrey Hollender.

If only we all had income like that to spare. Look, if higher taxes is your position, that's fine. Their asshattery, though, is here - they are contributing what they are "saving" from the Bush tax cuts not to the federal government, which is perfectly legal to do and would actually back-up their assertions (or walk their talk, if you pefer), but rather:

They are among 50 families with net assets of more than $1 million to take a "tax fairness" pledge -- donating the amount they saved from Bush tax cuts to organizations fighting for the repeal of the Bush tax cuts.

Come to think of it, I do support this group. Let's pass a bill raising taxes on those 50 families. I wouldn't want their pledge to go unfulfilled.

Best Sports Week Ever

2010-04-05T21:05:00.001-05:00

Is there a better week for sports all year?

Final Four
Opening Day
The Masters
and...
the return of America's fourth major sport - the Real World/Road Rules Challenge (Wednesday at 9CT on MTV)

Good to be a sports fan.

Health Care "Reform" is Bush's Legacy Too

2010-03-21T20:00:00.002-05:00

While the reporting tomorrow will focus on the legacy of health care "reform" - as awful as it's going to be - that President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid are foisting on a public that does not want it, let's be honest: it is also President George W. Bush's legacy. Had he managed the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, standing up against corruption that was occurring and a host of other issues better following his reelection in 2004, it is highly unlikely that the Democrats would have the huge majorities they have enjoyed in the House and Senate the past year-and-a-half. I think they would have had majorities anyway (history tells us they would), but not the huge majorities that have been in place. And that has made all the difference in this debate.

Presidential leadership matters. And poor leadership can bite the country in the ass even after you have left office.

Health Care

2010-03-16T14:42:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty convinced at this point that the health care bill is going to either pass by one vote or lose by 20-30. There will be practically no in-between because if it's clear the bill is not going to pass, there will be a mad rush to change some "yes" votes to "no" votes. You won't see the opposite happen if it's clear the bill is going to pass.

Health Care: 2008 Democratic Primaries or Copenhagen?

2010-03-04T21:39:00.003-06:00

I have to admit to being perplexed by the current health care debate. Not so much on whether the bill is any good. Me and most of America think it's not. What I'm confused about is whether we are seeing a replay of the 2008 Democratic primaries where the Obama campaign knew how to win the delegate count or the Chicago 2016 debacle in Copenhagen where the President put his prestige on the line without knowing if we had the votes (and in fact didn't).

All signs point to the Dems not having the votes in the House, which is all that matters. But I've seen too many House votes where arms get twisted at the last second to feel comfortable. The debacle of the Bush second term may be coming home to roost.

Let's hope for another Copenhagen though.

Against the Corporate Charity Fundraising Game

2010-03-01T13:04:00.003-06:00

Today kicked off my employer's annual charity drive. It's your run-of-the-mill campaign - most every place I've been has this: the company gives you a list of eligible charities and matches a portion of your contribution. Departments put together mini-campaigns of their own to encourage 100% participation and raise as much money as possible.

It's time to question why we need these.

Look, I know it helps a company's reputation to be involved in the community in this way. And if there was a significant portion of the country that didn't contribute to the well-being of society, I might say that a little push from the company might be worthwhile. However:

89% of households give each year, an average of $1,620
More than $300 billion is raised by charities each year
Apparently this all adds up to more than 2% of GDP (I didn't do the math but it seems like a lot)

So explain to me why we need to do this? Throw in the creepiness of trying to get/pressuring everyone to contribute something for a company-sponsored event, there's just an "ick" feeling associated with this. No need + pressure = inappropriate. I say it's time to stop these fundraising campaigns in the workplace. I can find my own charity to give to, thank you very much.

This counts as my curmudgeonly moment of the day.

That's a Little Harsh

2010-03-01T13:01:00.002-06:00

Comment from a Tribune blog post about the Glee four city concert tour:

Please tell me this post is a joke, Mo. People are actually going to pay to see a bunch of nobodys perform the same old stuff from their nothing show.
This country is screwed.

If that's why this country is screwed, we're really in trouble.

Made Me Laugh

2010-02-05T14:19:00.002-06:00

A little snopocalypse humer, from The Corner:

...we were all discussing how stupid it was to be putting up with the chaos and hassle, and yet we waited. Everyone was super polite, too. I watched one lady's cart and saved her place in line while she ran out to the liquor store next door, and vice versa. Whenever a shopper needed to get by to find something on the shelf, we were very accommodating. And when a young man accidentally cut in front of us in line, not knowing that it stretched all the way up the aisle to the deli counter, everyone was very helpful, holding him down while I savagely beat him with a can of chickpeas.

Obama: American people too stupid to understand that what I'm doing is good for them

2010-01-21T09:32:00.001-06:00

Is it me, or is that what he's basically saying in this quote:

"We were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values," he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

Or maybe they just don't like what you're trying to do.

Whenever the American people reject a policy or party, the politicians always talk about not getting the message out or the brand is damaged. I saw that plenty when I was on the Hill where there was constant angst about why our message wasn't getting out. Dammit, folks, give the people some credit. They know what they like and what they don't like. Better talking points or more speeches are not game changers.

On Massachusetts

2010-01-12T11:18:00.002-06:00

I've been reading a lot about the Massachusetts Senate race lately. I find it both encouraging and amusing that Democrats are now scrambling to save this seat. And that Democrats basically say that, even if they lose, they may not seat the Republican until after the health care bill passes. They're thugs.

But what is most interesting to me is the echoes from 1994 that I see here. Specifically the reelection race of Dan Rostenkowski. There was a great article in the Post back then (it's amazing what I remember sometimes) about how the Democrat machine had to get into gear the last weekend because that's when they first realized they might lose the seat. Here's the only excerpt I could get for free:

The fabled Chicago Democratic Machine, which for years has been reported near death, bestirred itself over the weekend amid feverish speculation about the electoral fate today of one of its longtime stalwarts - Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.).
Rostenkowski, who was indicted on federal corruption charges in May and was forced to give up the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, had been waging a noncampaign against his unknown Republican opponent, lawyer Michael P. Flanagan. But that changed abruptly late last week with the announcement that the Republican National Committee ...

To me, that sounds familiar to MA today. Hopefully, history repeats itself.

Who Are These People and Why Do They Merit Being on the Post Website's Front Page?

2010-01-05T09:14:00.000-06:00

Socialite Casey Johnson dies
Casey Johnson, left, who was said to be engaged to reality star Tila Tequila, was found dead in Los Angeles, according to reports.

Huh?

RIP Bill Gleason

2010-01-03T16:19:00.002-06:00

Noticed that Bill Gleason, a long-time Chicago sportswriter, passed away today. While I don't have any personal connection to him, I thought I'd point out to you that he helped pioneer having sports writers talk about sports on TV.

He started (or was at least instrumental) in a show called Sportswriters on TV, which aired in Chicago on something called Sportsvision back when I was growing up. I always found it quite interesting and a good watch - it served as something of an inspiration for ESPN's The Sports Reporters.

That also means that it also led, indirectly and unfortunately, to Around the Horn. So you take the good with the bad.

A Conundrum

2009-12-30T19:19:00.002-06:00

I'll admit to some mixed feelings about tonight's Big Ten basketball season tip-off between Illinois and Northwestern. I am an Illinois fan, but I get to watch a lot of NU basketball given my proximity to the campus and my dad's season tickets. Where Illinois has been maddeningly inconsistent this year, NU has actually been fun to watch, especially as they improved dramatically over the course of the year after losing their best player and best bench player for the season to injury. Top it off with the fact that NU is ranked for the first time in 40 years, it's hard not to root for them. In truth, I will be rooting for Illinois, but if NU wins, I won't really be disappointed.

For those of you into college basketball, this post on an NU blog takes an interesting look at NU's current RPI and how many Big Ten games they need to win to make the NCAA tourney for the first time ever. The conclusion: they need to do pretty well as their RPI has a relatively low ceiling.

This post on espn.com has an interesting thought about how much RPI matters versus sympathy/rooting for NU to make it to the tourney.

AU BBall Game Running Diary

2009-12-16T22:53:00.004-06:00

If you’re at a college basketball game by yourself – because, really, who would subject themselves to AU-DePaul (who was 0-18 in the Big East last year) voluntarily – what else is there to do but do a running diary of the night?

6:00 p.m. – get home from work, find the one AU shirt that I can dig up. Something tells me this might not be the current AU style
6:25 – double check game time; read in Tribune that “the Blue Demons can continue to pad their win column against middling opposition.” Is that bulletin board fodder in a negative way for AU or a positive way (what, we’re actually middling competition at 1-8?!?)
6:55 – leave for game
7:15 – after one wrong turn and much cursing, brave three bitter scalpers to pick up my tickets at will call. Will call seems shocked that anyone left tickets there. As I'm leaving, scalpers disappointed by sale that falls through. Sarcastically comment that they "thought that was the night's big sale." I think they might need another line of work. Big thanks to my high school friend who was working the game for leaving me the tickets. Nice seats too.
7:23 – stop by to say hi to my friend. We joke about if I am going to stay until the end of the game. I’m not going to sit through a blow out. I’m going to take this moment to brag about my high school cross country team, which my friend now coaches (he and I ran together in HS) – they finished fourth in the nation and second in state (one guy had a bad race, clearly the best team all year, but still first state trophy for program). Damn impressive.
7:28 – nice surprise, I can buy beer. I’m pretty sure I will need it. $6.50? What is this, Wrigley Field? Yes, I will pay it.
7:30 – in seats; pleasantly surprised to see three AU fans in front of me and one to my right – Go AU!
7:31 – Spot Jerry Wainwright. My contemporaries will remember that he set CAA basketball back 10 years while at UNCW when we were at AU. Any 49-47 game is not good for basketball. That’s all his teams produced.
7:33 – AU scores first points of game – three by Hendra
7:43 – Under 12 time out, AU leads by four thanks in no small part to two banked-in threes by some guy named Vlad
7:45 – Lead by six!
7:53 – after DePaul cuts lead to one, nice 7-0 run for AU to lead by eight. People behind me yelling for DePaul to go big. Yeah, that would be smart considering AU is killing them on the boards despite being pretty small
7:54 – There might me 1000 people here total. For some reason, some are in the upper deck.
7:57 – Vlad is rad! AU by 10 with five minutes to go in first half. Not quite AU-Villanova from NCAA tourney but better than I thought.
7:58 – Horrible blocking call against AU! Booooo, you’re terrible!
8:00 – AU by eight; announcer tells me that tickets are selling fast for DePaul women’s basketball. I ask, to no one in particular, compared to what?
8:02 – They’re throwing t-shirts into the stands? Why do people get so excited for this?
8:06 – AU leads by eight at half. The natives are restless. Best complaint of the night: “We gave up the Blackhawks for this?” To be honest, Jerry Wainwright should have replied: “You gave up the Blackhawks for this?” Because the Blackhawks are the best show in town and DePaul may be the worst.
8:11 – Buy a happy beer, return to seat for preteen dance team. Concerned that I am somehow breaking the law by watching. Eyes now averted.
8:21 – Uh oh. 6-0 run. DePaul bigs killing AU. Now the fans aren’t happy that Wainwright is bringing in smaller players. Best comment: “why are you subbing? Because you’re back in the game?”
8:27 – Under 16 timeout. DePaul on 10-0 run to tie.
8:31 – band has lost it, yelling at ref to T up Hendra. As the arena is so empty, I can hear everything and I have no idea why they would be saying this. I conclude this is a standard cheer to be used once a game.
8:33 – Vlad with a three to beat the shot clock! AU leads by two
8:37 – under 12 time out, AU down by four
8:41 – Vlad hits two free throws to tie game – this guy is pretty good (see pic below)

8:43 – Hendra with the drive and the foul. Nice play. Misses the free throw, tie game
8:45 – Vlad for three! AU leads by three – for two seconds. DePaul’s best player, Will Walker hits a three. AU turnover in backcourt, layup, down by two. Call a TO, baby!
8:47 – Big screen showing student section. All nine of them. Oh, DePaul, what happened to you?
8:49 – Vlad again! For three. Lead by three.
8:52 – If AU wins, that will be the highlight of the night. However, I just grabbed a T-shirt from the T-shirt toss, which is the current highlight. It landed in the empty row behind me. I walked over and picked it up. Raised it over my head for the AU students two rows in front of me. I talk to them for the first time all night. They’re current students. They ask when I graduated. I tell them and then make joke about how I’m old. They laugh. It’s funny when it’s true. Ha, ha. They do confirm for me that this is Vlad’s first game of the season. He is clearly a difference maker.
8:54 - #3 on DePaul is dominant – as he should be being probably 6-9 or 6-10 – but they don’t go to him enough. He misses a free throw and Vlad drops in two. 23 points so far.
8:59 – 3:09 to go, AU by one, Lumpkins on line, hits one of two
9:01 – Dagger three by DePaul’s Walker
9:02 – Right back at you by Hendra for three! AU by two. Timeout DePaul.
9:04 – Should have been jump ball. Instead DePaul timeout. Garbage! Who’s calling this game? Papparo? Au by 2, 56.8 seconds to go.
9:07 – DePaul’s Walker misses three, AU rebound, foul, one and one, 34.4 to go; makes both, AU by four
9:08 – AU gives two quick fouls. Good strategy, had them to give
9:09 – DePaul misses three, Vlad rebounds, game OVER!
9:10 – AU wins by five. Embarrassing loss for DePaul.

I talked to my friend afterwards. On the bright side for him, this loss guarantees the already guaranteed exit of Jerry Wainwright after this year. It’s really sad to see how far DePaul has fallen. My friend also feels that my capturing the t-shirt just rubs salt in the wounds of the loss.

DePaul is not exactly a powerhouse, but AU may have something with this Vlad character. He was pretty dominant, so the season may be on the upswing. Only time will tell.

Big Ten Expansion

2009-12-15T21:24:00.003-06:00

I've been curious about the latest talk about expanding the Big Ten to 12 teams. It would make sense to balance things out, but some of the teams don't really excite me. Notre Dame makes sense - they can be 6-6 in the Big Ten or as an independent! But Missouri, Rutgers, Syracuse, Pitt? This does not excite me.

SI's Stewart Mandel has an intriguing suggestion that gives me pause and makes me think there is an interesting option out there: Nebraska.

Now that is interesting.

Impersonal Delivery of News

2009-12-08T09:52:00.002-06:00

So I started out with the goal of contacting people personally, but it turns out that this is much easier. So here it is: my wife is pregnant.

I truly couldn't be happier and can't wait until June 29. Everything has been good so far and we're doing everything we can to make sure it stays that way.

We Lost the Olympics to This?

2009-11-17T16:33:00.001-06:00

I think there is an element of damning with faint praise here:

Brazil a little less corrupt, Transparency International says

New (To Me) Band

2009-11-16T16:57:00.002-06:00

I recently resumed receiving free XM radio (or is it Sirius? - maybe that's the problem). Anyway, listening to XM U, which I'm probably technically too old to listen to, I came across a band that caught my fancy - partly because its song "Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare" is the theme song for the new NBC show, Commentary, which I quite enjoy. Anyway, I am nothing if not a sharer. So, here are a couple songs which I think are pretty good.

Wither the Blog

2009-11-16T16:56:00.002-06:00

Oh, I forgot this was here. In an effort to reinvigorate my blogging, I will be posting more regularly here. Probably. Well, I'll give it a shot. Blogs just might be dead.

TV

2009-10-09T16:46:00.003-05:00

Let me recommend some decent television I've caught recently - and a quibble or two:

The Good Wife - not half bad for a lawyer drama; definitely watchable; this past week's episode bothered me because it suggested that the Cook County State's Attorney would live in Highland Park, even though that is in Lake County; and that Chicago police would arrest someone in Highland Park. Let's get our details correct.
Community - I'm a Joel McHale fan, but this show is pretty funny
Glee - Did not think I would like it, but saw the most recent episode and it's really pretty entertaining. Especially like the cheerleading coach who is out to take down the glee club. It's really not a Fame rip-off.
Real World Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins - I know, it's ridiculous that I watch this crap, but it's flat out great. Especially when you have a 40 year old Syrus on the show, you can't help but watch. Best part: the girls now suspect other girls of using steroids. Not farfetched when it is clear all the men are clearly roided up.

Nobel Man of the Year Award

2009-10-09T16:41:00.002-05:00

Everything that's been said about the ridonkulousness of the president winning the Nobel Peace Prize has basically already been said. I will add this. By awarding it to him, the Nobel Committee has lowered a once great prize (and they really already did this when they awarded it to Yasir Arafat) to the status of Time Magazine's Man of the Year. Probably something you want to win, but now really has no meaning.

While I am no big fan of President Bush, his actions freed millions from dictatorships in Iraq and Afghanistan, inspired democratic revolutions in Lebanon and Ukraine, brought Libya - sort of - in from the cold and aided millions in Africa. I thought that might be the outcomes the Nobel Committee might be in favor of.

Time to Catch up on Some Blogging

2009-10-09T16:38:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm going to do a lot of posts in a short amount of time. This will basically sum up what's been on my mind recently (which probably isn't a whole lot).

First, let me express my incredulity that anyone would actually defend Roman Polanski. That asshat raped a 13 year old girl then fled the United States to avoid jail. There is no disputing any of that. For anyone to suggest that his recent arrest is not fair or illegitimate is STUPID.

Comment of the Day

2009-10-09T10:57:00.001-05:00

From Barack Obama's Teleprompter:

"But there are some positive things coming out of this surprise award. Big Guy is actually thinking that now that he's won the Nobel, he might take a call from the Dalai Lama now that theDalai is his almost his equal. I say "almost" because, the Lama won his for bringing world attention to the plight of the Tibetan people. That's not quite as great an effort as the one Big Guy exerted to draw world attention to himself."

Burying the Lede

2009-09-09T10:02:00.003-05:00

In an apparent attempt to give supporters of Obamacare hope, the Washington Post today offers a parallel between how the president is pursuing this health care overhaul effort with an effort he led as an Illinois state senator. And for all the legislative "skill" that he displayed in that fight (in another situation where Democrats had a significant majority), what was the result?

"The task force created by the legislation recommended that the state aim to cover 90 percent of the uninsured by requiring everyone to buy insurance and offering subsidies to those who couldn't afford it. Many of those changes were embraced in proposals offered by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D).

Those hopes remain unfulfilled. The cost of the proposals and the governor's personal scandals doomed them, leaving Illinois residents to wait with the rest of the country as Obama pursues similar goals once again."

Yep, that was some good cheerleading, Post.

Damn You, Blackburn Rovers

2009-08-25T15:53:00.003-05:00

Anyone do that espn.com streak for cash thing? It's an interesting diversion from time to time and a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have an overall winning record (.580 or something like that) but my best streak has only been four in a row. I particularly enjoy picking the most obscure games espn offers, like today's game between the Blackburn Rovers and someone else. I think it's Premier League, but it also could be Scottish League. Who knows. All I know is that the Rovers screwed me and I'm back to zero in a row. Time to get to work on a new streak.

UPDATE: Whoa, I was wrong. The Blackburn Rovers actually won I guess. Bully for me. Streak is at five. I AM THE GREATEST!

Calendar Marked

2009-08-23T18:57:00.002-05:00

AU to play at DePaul on December 16. I will be there.

I don't know what kind of team AU will have this year, but DePaul was wretched last year so this may be a good chance for a win. No worries about a home court advantage: DePaul plays in the worst college basketball arena in the country, the Rosemont Horizon now known as Allstate Arena.

Immortality

2009-08-19T20:02:00.002-05:00

Courtesy of the Bad Lieutenant, I discovered that my visage is currently immortalized in a wind screen for the AU tennis courts overlooking the track. I'm honored, I guess, though this would make more sense if I had actually been an accomplished athlete there or had attended the institution within the last decade.

Behold my glory:

Shame! Shame!

2009-07-30T20:18:00.002-05:00

ESPN doing documentary on Bartman.

He didn't have anything to do with the Cubs loss in Game 6 and, more impressively, has stayed out of the spotlight the last six years rather than try to cash in on his notoriety. Let the man be. He shouldn't forgive Chicago and no one should ask him to.

Experts: We're Not Really Experts

2009-07-20T10:39:00.001-05:00

Though the Chicago murder rate is up - if the many, many reports of shootings are any indication - I did chuckle a little at this article in which crime experts basically admit they have no idea why violent crime is down in so many cities.

25 Years Ago Yesterday

2009-06-24T10:32:00.001-05:00

Even though I'm one of probably two million people who say they were at the Sandberg Game, I was in fact one of 40,000 who actually were. Sitting in the upper deck on the third base side and watching Ryne Sandberg hit two home runs to tie the game in the 9th and 10th off Bruce Sutter, the game's best closer at the time. The game made Sandberg's career, probably singlehandedly won him the MVP that year and propelled the Cubs on their run that season. Enjoy the highlights, especially the naming of Willie McGee as the player of the game in the 10th inning.

Well, That Didn't Take Long

2009-06-16T20:10:00.001-05:00

Sosa tied to steroids.

My childlike innocence is now gone.

Good Article on Bad Call

2009-05-29T12:06:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been 15 years already - and I guess that means it's been 15 years since OJ had that, um, unpleasantness - but here's a good story on one of the worst foul calls in professional sports history: Hue Hollins' call in game 5 of the 94 Bulls-Knicks series.

Believe it or not, I still will argue with people about that call today. It ruined a great season for a team that lost the best player of all time only to be carried by the true MVP that year, Scottie Pippen (his game 3 shenanigans notwithstanding).

One quibble: the article states that "Davis released the ball and then Pippen made contact with Davis' arms on the follow-through." Maybe replay shows something different, but the contact was with Davis' fingertips. A small quibble.

The most interesting part of the article is the discussion of how the Bulls' winning that game and potentially the title that year would have changed history. Would Jordan have come back the following year? We'll never know.

Finger on the Button

2009-05-26T11:50:00.002-05:00

The Panic Button that is. If one sports team needs it to be pressed, it is the Chicago Cubs. I'm having psychotic flashbacks to both 1985 and 2004 - neither of which ended well. What's wrong with this version of the Cubs?

Injuries, and lots of 'em. The most important is to Aramis Ramirez, who anchors a lineup that should score runs. Without him, they've been lost.
Bad bullpen. Literally unwatchable. Boo, Neal Cotts. Boo.
Mediocre defense.
No energy. This is just an observation, but it sometimes looks like this team believes what everyone said about them - that they were so talented that there was no way they could lose this division. That's not looking too smart right now.

Still plenty of time to turn things around, but one-quarter of the way through the season, the verdict is this: the Cubs stink.

A Quibble

2009-05-07T12:08:00.003-05:00

In an SI article today by Tom Verducci on Manny Ramirez's being suspended for using a performance enhancing drug came this nugget at the end:

Ramirez ranks 17th on the all-time home-run list with 533. Eight of those top 17 home run hitters played in what is commonly referred to as the Steroid Era. And six of those eight modern-day sluggers have been associated with performance-enhancing drugs: Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Rodriguez and Ramirez. The only modern sluggers to have escaped such a connection are Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas and Jim Thome.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and say that I think Sammy Sosa did not use steroids or performance enhancing drugs. Because it's tough to disregard how much bulkier he was as his career went on. HOWEVER, I am unaware (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist) of any direct accusation with a hint of proof that Sosa used PEDs. You cannot say the same about Bonds, McGwire, Palmeiro, Rodriguez or now Ramirez.

It's no surprise that Sosa is lumped in with that group, granted. But the only benefit of the doubt that I would give him is this: his home run binge came in the prime of his career (as opposed to McGwire and Bonds who should have been on the downside); his fall-off came in the downside of his career; and his decline can be traced directly to early 2004 (I think) when he was beaned in the head in Cincinnati - he was never the same hitter after that.

Sammy Sosa was a clubhouse cancer and a me-first player. I won't shed a tear if it's shown that he used steroids. But until there is that proof and not just assertion, let's stop lumping him in with Bonds and McGwire - even if we shouldn't lump him in with Thome, Griffey or Thomas either.

Irony

2009-05-06T11:28:00.002-05:00

BBC reports, you decide:

An expedition team which set sail from Plymouth on a 5,000-mile carbon emission-free trip to Greenland have been rescued by an oil tanker. . . .

Raoul Surcouf, Richard Spink and skipper Ben Stoddart sent a mayday because they feared for their safety amid winds of 68mph (109km/h)...In one incident Mr Stoddart hit his head and the wind generator and solar panels were ripped from the yacht.

Treating the Symptom, Not the Cause

2009-05-04T09:26:00.002-05:00

If you have a second, read this article in the Post today about President Obama's proposal to federalize all college financial aid and make the Pell Grant an entitlement.

Here's a prediction that will come true: aid to students will go up and so will college costs; which means aid to students will have to go up again. And again. And again.

For all the moaning that is done when gas prices or electricity bills go up, a woeful amount of attention is paid to the outrageous cost of college education. The cost of college has been increasing at a far faster pace than inflation because colleges have no incentive to hold the line on costs. And because of financial aid packages that keep going up and up, we never see the real costs until your kid graduates with a sociology degree and $120,000 in debt.

Think about that the next time you see your favorite college professor riding to school in their maserati.

Here's a novel idea: let's make college less expensive for people by making it less expensive, not saddling them with mountains of debt.

Spend More, Get Less

2009-04-13T09:19:00.002-05:00

Good Robert Samuelson piece today in the Post.

"It's very hard to raise a child who is the boss"

2009-04-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

A look at the future for all you parents:

Quebec dad sued by daughter after grounding loses his appeal

Zippy the Pinhead Is The Living Undead

2009-03-30T13:13:00.003-05:00

I remember back in the late 1990s that the Post tried to drop Zippy the Pinhead from its comics pages. They failed. It was back a few weeks later in response to the overwhelming support it has from a dedicated group of fans and, one guesses, a much larger group of people who just like f-ing with the Post. Have you ever tried to read that drivel? Mary Worth is funnier and Family Circus more dramatic! It's like the Sportsnight of the comics pages: there, but not as good as its fans say it is.

Anyway, I noticed on the Post's website today that theyr are going to try again to kill Zippy by moving it to the online side only. I just hope Zippy isn't bailed out by the Obama Administration.

Fighting History

2009-03-10T10:26:00.002-05:00

I think most presidents come into office with an idea of what they want to accomplish as a legacy. They almost invariably leave with their legacy based on something entirely different because of events outside their control. For example, George W. Bush wanted to be about education, but instead was about the response to terrorism. Clinton about welfare reform, but instead about impeachment (well, that was a little bit in his control). George H.W. Bush about...something, but instead about the end of the Cold War and the first Iraq War. And so on.

President Obama, it seems to me, is fighting history. It appears that his presidency will be defined the ongoing economic crisis. Not his fault, but it is his problem. Unfortunately, he wants his presidency to be about his radical expansion of government involvement in education, health care, tax policy, well, everything. And he is pursuing those policies at the expense of his focus on the nation's most pressing issue by far: the economy. I don't know if it's arrogance, naivete or the result of a life where he didn't have to make tough decisions, but it is the greatest risk to our country's well-being right now.

He should stop fighting history, acknowledge the problems at hand and focus predominantly if not exclusively on the banking and credit crisis. It will be good for the country and good for him. It needs to happen.

What Is This?

2009-03-09T20:47:00.003-05:00

The Big East has 16 teams. 16 teams in a tournament style format makes for an even distribution of teams - each would have to win three games to win a title. Unless you are the Big East.

Look at this bracket.

What genius came up with that thing? I, for one, cannot wait for that #11-#14 matchup tomorrow night. And how are any of these teams going to be able to upset one of the top seeds playing their third game in three days?

The bigger problem is the Big East turning its back on the best thing about its tournament - making you finish in the top 12 to qualify. It's another case of "everyone wins." Welcome to Barack Obama's America!

Just kidding.

What I Learned in Washington, DC

2009-02-25T21:51:00.003-06:00

Two weeks ago, I went to the District for a conference. Here's what I learned (a little overdue):

It's an open question whether I should voluntarily travel to Tenleytown at any point in the future. It's always like old times there - Camillos, margaritas, beer, Golden Tee, spamming Josh's voice mail box, general disorderly conduct on 44th Street. It makes my idea for a 10 year anniversary reunion of 4319 both appealing and terrifying.
Speaking of Golden Tee, I learned that you can wake up the next morning with a huge bruise on your hand because of that game. Oh wait, I've learned that many times before.
You know it's not the Malt Shop you remember when the proprietor tells your friend to stop swearing. Really?

There's more, but who wants to hear about a conference on speechwriting?

Obama to Run for U.S. House Seat

2009-02-04T13:32:00.001-06:00

Item: Two weeks into term, Obama: “We were just tired of being in the White House”

Washington, DC (AP) – President Barack Obama shocked the political world today when he announced his candidacy for U.S. Representative from Illinois’ 5th Congressional District.

Obama joins a crowded field of 13 Democrats running for the congressional seat that was last held by Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, and before that by Illinois’ now ex-Governor, Rod Blagoyevich. The president’s entry into the race is expected to winnow the field.

“I was talking to Michelle and we realized that we were just tired of being in the White House,” said Obama. “We accomplished what I wanted when we started our campaign for hope and change: to have kids all over this country look at themselves and their prospects differently than they did before and to have the world will look at us differently.”

“I mean, look, what else is there for me to do?” added Obama.

Political observers called the president’s announcement unprecedented. Not a single historian contacted could identify a similar action by a head of state.

“There must be a good reason for him to do this,” commented a puzzled presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. “Maybe he needs to change the House of Representatives before he can change the country?”

Right wing critics of President Obama argued that rather bring hope and change to Washington, he was renewing the permanent campaign mindset that had dominated the nation’s capital. They noted that he had spent 59 of the 112 months prior to election day 2008 running for a higher office.

“Let’s be clear. We won. The American people put their trust in me and I have to do what I think is right,” said Obama, rejecting the serial campaigner charge. “I can best serve the country by running for this House seat the next few months. After that, I will see where else I can best serve the country – maybe the Chicago City Council.”

Vice President Joe Biden supported the president’s decision.

“It was really all about giving John Roberts another shot at administering the oath of office…”

I Call Revisionist History

2009-02-04T09:01:00.003-06:00

This Post article on the Daschle nomination withdrawal is rich. Richly misleading. Here are the key graf:s

"Former senator Thomas A. Daschle, whom President Obama once called "the original no-drama guy," suddenly was forced to step aside as the president's nominee for secretary of health and human services because of problematic ties to wealthy private interests...

...But some observing the debacle wondered if the capital's ways were changing. The story of how he fell in with the monied elite and out with the popular mood involves a longtime Democratic financier, Leo Hindery Jr., and his keen interest in currying influence with powerful politicians. The outcome caught many in Washington off guard."

Essentially, the article title "Old Ways Doomed New Job for Daschle" suggests that his relationship with Hindery was the real problem. The withdrawn nomination, therefore, is a sign that change really has come to Washington.

Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but the problem wasn't the relationship, it was the $140,000+ in taxes that Daschle failed to pay. And the fact that he was the second of three Obama nominees to have an issue like this. That's what led to his nomination withdrawal.

Furthermore, even if the taxes weren't the problem and the relationship was, the author's conclusion still does not follow. If change had really come to Washington, then Daschle would never have been nominated in the first place by President Change. But that clearly was not what happened. The president even spent several days defending Daschle.

This whole thing is an embarrassment for the new administration, but hardly fatal. The media should just accept that.

Good for Thee, Not for Me

2009-02-01T19:52:00.002-06:00

The audacity of hope is audacious. Not that I think every little mistake a person makes in their life is grounds for not being confirmed for a Cabinet post. Far from it. I think some of the nanny crap and past drug use stuff is nickel and dime stuff.

What's not nickel and dime stuff is not paying thousands upon thousands of taxes owed. First Geithner, now Daschle. I understand that mistakes are made, but it seems pretty clear that both fairly willfully evaded significant tax bills - the willfull part laid bare when they only paid the taxes when they had to so as to be confirmed.

Look, if it's the collective "wisdom" of the U.S. Senate that cheating on your taxes is not disqualifying - and given that Chris Dodd, he of the ill-gotten Countrywide mortgage, is in the Senate, I guess it won't be - then there is almost nothing, short of outright corruption or murder that is disqualifying. Anyone think that's good?

I'm guess President Obama has taken our politics to a new level. I just don't think it's up.

The Stimulus Won't Fix Much

2009-02-01T19:47:00.001-06:00

A good reminder on the limits of the "stimulus" package. Even if it were all stimulative.

Destined To Be Wrong

2009-01-07T10:48:00.002-06:00

A breathless headline today in the Post: Obama predicts years of deficits over $1 trillion.

Unlikely.

There are few things in life more unreliable than a federal government budget projection. In the last year of the Clinton Administration, surpluses were projected into perpetuity. What they couldn't project was the 2001 recession exacerbated by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. No matter what you think about the Bush tax cuts, which certainly played a role in the return of deficit spending, the deficits were going to come back.

The Bush tax cuts were scored to reduce the surpluses (another projection), not create a deficit. That's why a lot of them were phased in over time. They couldn't predict the terrorist attacks or the resulting ramp-up in military spending. They certainly didn't project the spending free-for-all that was about to happen in the aughts.

So, it's very clever to predict deficits in the trillions. Why? The economy will recover. And when it recovers, tax revenue will rise. Because these projections almost always underestimate the power of a good economy to generate tax revenue, the deficit will be overstated. As long as spending is not ridiculous, Obama will get to take credit for improving the deficit situation.

And there's your basis to run for reelection in four years.

That's Our Blago!

2008-12-30T12:06:00.002-06:00

Breaking news: Illinois governor Rod Blagoyevich actually bold enough to select a replacement for Obama's Senate seat.

This guy is truly unbelievable.

One other note: I heard a story - possibly apocryphal - about Roland Burris back in 98 or so. On his last day as Illinois attorney general, he was sitting in his office trying over and over again, unsuccessfully, to make a phone call. He couldn't figure out the system and his assistant had always dialed out for him. Illinois politicians - you can't do better!

Hey, There's A Casino Next Door

2008-12-23T11:07:00.000-06:00

When Illinois allowed riverboat gambling in the 90s, it limited it to 10 licenses. Early on, one of the licensees folded and since then regulators have been trying to find a new home for the license. Chicago had been mentioned at one time. It was even rewarded to a town called Rosemont . That was overturned because of mob ties.

Yesterday, the regulators awarded that license to the low bidder in a three-way race to a company that wants to build a casino in Des Plaines.

I can see Des Plaines from my house.

Des Plaines abuts Mount Prospect to the east and south. Now, the casino is going to be on the southern end of Des Plaines nearer to O’Hare and not in my front yard, so that’s ok. I will be interested to see how this affects the area and if it makes Des Plaines nicer, all the better. If Des Plaines becomes a cesspool of crime and violence, I’ll be pissed.

Good Bye, Vontae

2008-12-23T11:05:00.001-06:00

Saw this story that Vontae Davis, Illinois cornerback, is declaring for the NFL draft.

On the plus side, this guy was one of the first of the DC athletes to head to Illinois, which has helped give the Illini football program hope.

On the down side, I have thought from watching Illinois football, amateurishly of course, that Vontae Davis is very overrated. It’s not like the Illinois D really stopped anyone this year or that Davis shut anyone down.

So it’s not that big a loss.

The Champ

2008-12-23T11:04:00.002-06:00

Fantasy football news flash for you: I won my favorite fantasy football league championship last night when Ryan Grant fell six points short for my opponent.

This puts me at one for three in my guaranteed four for four initiative from earlier this year. My championship match in my work league wraps up next week.

This championship is sweet. It’s my third in six years (2003, 2006 and now 2008) and is my most unlikely. My team was 7-6 in the regular season, not particularly impressive and my best player, Marion Barber, hasn’t had a pulse in about four weeks. I cobbled together a lineup featuring:

Tyler Thigpen, started in only 22% of leagues
Kevin Smith, started in only 41% of leagues
Brandon Jacobs, started in only 54% of leagues because of injury concerns
Owen Daniels, started in only 60% of leagues

These guys carried me to victory, along with Reggie Wayne and Antonio Bryant and Jeff Re..

Oh, I’m sorry, I just read this post and even I’m bored by it now.

Your takeaway: I’m awesome.

Knocked Out

2008-12-23T11:04:00.001-06:00

Every year I participate in a knock-out pool (aka, Suicide Pool). Basically, you pick one team a week who is going to win. If that team wins, you survive. If they lose, you are out. And you can only choose a team once.

(A related version, and one I’d like to participate in, has you pick one team a week that is going to lose. If that team loses, you survive. If they win, you are out. Again, you can only choose a team once. This would have been much better this year as the detritus of the NFL – Detroit, Oakland, Cincinnati, Cleveland, San Francisco, Kansas City et al – made it very easy to pick a team to win every week. Whoever was playing those teams.)

After getting 15 straight weeks correct and being one of nine players left out of 157, I was knocked out this week when I inexplicably picked Tampa Bay to beat San Diego. What makes me feel less bad about this is that my second choice, Houston, also lost as did my third choice, Denver.

Why didn’t I pick New Orleans, who was playing 0-14 Detroit, or even have them in my top three options?

1. I am an idiot.
2. Apparently I don’t want a piece of $2300.
3. I thought, if Detroit is going to win a game, this would probably be it and I didn’t want to go down in flames with seven other people.
4. I am an idiot.

I’ll be back next year, although it may just be easier to light $15 on fire.

Thanks for Letting Us Know How Awesome You Are

2008-12-19T13:28:00.003-06:00

Saw this story on Obama's chief speechwriter yesterday. Let's start with this stipulation: it's not a speechwriter's job to be profiled in any paper. You are behind the scenes for a reason. No one believes that politicians write all their speeches, but I firmly believe it is not your place to draw attention to yourself.

Speechwriters shouldn't be seen or heard.

Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Judy Baar Topinka

2008-12-19T13:18:00.003-06:00

Or at least I think I did. I know I didn't vote for Rod Blagoyevich, but it's an open question of whether I was registered to vote here in Illinois in 06.

Nevertheless, as part of my catching up on things I've wanted to blog about for a while, I have a few thoughts:

Reading the transcripts of the wiretaps, either Rod B. is crazy or he was joking. Who says stuff like that? He swears more than the residents of 4319 44th Street in 1999.
I think any effort to connect Rod B. to Obama is silly because if there is one thing you know about Obama is that if you couldn't advance his career, he had no use for you anymore. See: Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, Alice Palmer et al. Since Rod couldn't advance Obama to president, he probably had no use for him.
To me, the issue of Obama's Senate seat going unfilled for a long time is not an issue. We haven't had a senator in Obama's seat for at least two-plus years out of the last four. This won't be much different.
Looking for an endorsement of how good a president Obama will be? Don't look to the voters of Illinois. We elected Rod B. twice. Electing Obama to the Senate just doesn't carry the same weight after you hear that, does it?

How Low Will It Go?

2008-12-05T09:58:00.010-06:00

You don't hear much about windfall profit taxes on Big Oil or evil speculators driving up the oil price anymore. For good reason. Oil is in a free fall.

As a former employee of Big Oil - albeit in a non-technical, non-economical, basically non-contributing role - I've watched this whole thing unfold with some measure of fascination. When gas prices here dropped under $2 a gallon a few weeks back, I remembered that the last time I had bought gas for that little was the end of 2006 - in Indiana, which typically has cheaper gas than metro Chicago. That price dip lasted just a week or so. Now I can buy gas for $1.75 just down the street from me. I can't remember the last time I could do that.

What's really interesting is, as usual, how few people saw this coming. This past year, analysts were saying the price of a barrel of oil had basically no limit. Apparently it has no limit to how fast it will come down.

I'll be curious to see how this affects the oil majors. When I was a part of Big Oil, my company had operated under a long-running assumption that the price of a barrel of oil would be $40 and set their expenditures accordingly (remember, in the 90s, a barrel of oil was going for as little as $10). Right before I left, they raised that to $60. Which, in this environment, means that their budgets are wrong.

You'll also be seeing a lot of the projects that were started because oil cost so much - tar sands, heavy oil - put off. I seem to remember that to get a barrel of oil out of Canadian tar sands cost $40 and the refining cost another $20. To be economical, the price of the cheap stuff (i.e., easiest to get out of the ground, easiest to refine like West Texas Intermediate or North Sea Brent) has to be worth more than $60 a barrel.

This will eventually come back to bite us in the ass because the demand destruction from our economic woes that is driving most of this decline will eventually turn around and we'll be right back to where we were with not enough supply. (The other part that is driving the decline in the price of oil is the deleveraging by hedge funds and speculators who are getting killed on this) So enjoy this while it lasts.

Anyway, just to give you a sense of how dramatic this has been, as if you didn't notice yourself, I've got some charts excel created for me from Energy Information Agency data.

The first one is for gasoline prices in the 1990s. This looks at prices coming off the first Gulf War.

What's notable is how steady gas prices were. This also coincided with some of the years of $10 per gallon oil. It was not a good time to be in the oil industry.

This second one looks at prices from 1998-2008. I started it in 1998 because I can still remember driving to DC for my second stint in the city at the end of 1998 paying 90 cents a gallon on the Ohio Turnpike.

Those days disappeared quickly. Look at the inexorable rise of the price of a gallon of gasoline through the middle of this year.

Look at how quikcly it fell. And is still falling.

Finally, here's a look at 2008. As quickly as prices rose, they have cratered. It's amazing really.

I saw a story the other day suggesting that if China goes into a recession, the price of a barrel of oil could go down to $25. That would probably leave gas at about $1.25-$1.35. Absolutely amazing - of course, remember, analysts don't know squat so don't expect that.

Time to get the SUV out of storage.

The Biggest Embarassment

2008-12-04T10:17:00.008-06:00

In early 1995 (January 18 to be exact, but I had to look it up), the Washington Times published an article titled: An American tragedy: Eagles take detour on skid row. I remember it being a really interesting look at AU basketball at the time:

Compared a guy named Ron Draper (I think) who honored his commitment to AU and became a star to that bastard Jerome Williams who ditched AU to go to Georgetown
Looked at the long line of successful coaches at AU as Knoche was about to be fired
Talked about how AU hosted a game against #3 Stanford in December during break and could only get 400-500 people there

That last point jumped to mind last night at the Northwestern-FSU game. Here are three pictures from the game (pardon the quality, it's from a camera phone obviously).

Northwestern is in the Big 10, but can't fill the smallest arena in the league against a major conference opponent. Look at all the empty seats!

The sad thing is, that growing up, Welsh-Ryan Arena was actually a tough place for opposing teams to play. Other big ten teams always had big contingents, but the students and regular fans were loud. The students were also, um, mean. I remember them hanging a banner mocking Lou Henson's "muppets" because Illinois had so many Prop 48 players.

The situation has gotten worse over the years. I think a lot of the blame lies with the hiring of Bill Carmody. Northwestern plays that Princeton offense and an extended 1-3-1 zone that is designed to slow down the game. As a result, the games aren't very exciting. The problem is, once all the Big Ten teams have seen the offense twice a year for eight years, it's not that hard to prepare for.

Northwestern won last night, which should help things. Actually, they looked the best they have to me in three years with players who are actually tall. But they'll never be very successful until they can start filling that arena with their own fans for games like this.

Obama Named Greatest President Ever

2008-11-22T11:56:00.002-06:00

Item: NY elementary school is renamed for Obama

Washington, DC (AP) - In a move hailed as long past overdue, a team of presidential historians today proclaimed Barack Obama as the greatest president in the history of the United States.

A gathering of 415 scholars in Washington, DC, this weekend unanimously placed Obama, who has yet to take office, at the top of the list of this country's greatest presidents. His ascension displaced Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, who have traditionally been ranked at the top.

"There really wasn't much debate about this decision," said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian and professor at Rice University. "Sure, there's always someone who thinks that James K. Polk deserves more credit, but, in the end, no one could make a stronger argument for any other president to be placed above Obama."

Among the reasons that the presidential scholars cited for the ranking was the strength of Obama's nearly 25 percent complete cabinet, the prospect of an additional three autobiographies to complement the two Obama has already written and, quote, "et cetera, et cetera."

"George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and JFK combined could not be a better president than Obama will be," said Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals. "To even suggest that there will be a better president than Obama reveals the lack of historical perspective that we all obviously have."

"You know, someone did ask whether we could include Obama in this year's rankings of presidents - we all just shouted in unison: 'Yes, we can!'" said American University professor Allan Lichtman. "Then I explained the eight keys to being the greatest president ever."

(continued on A37)

Renewing My Promise to You

2008-11-17T10:23:00.003-06:00

Earlier this year, I promised to supply you with regular updates on my progress toward winning all four of my fantasy football leagues. After all, I guaranteed that I would win all four of them. Surprisingly, I have not received a single e-mail wondering where those updates are, considering I haven't posted anything since August. I always knew there was a silent majority out there. So, here's where things stand (from best to worst).

1. Work League (8-3, First Place, Most Points) - While I do believe I have the best team in this league, only about half the league is seriously participating. I can't tell you how many times in the past few weeks I have played teams that are starting several players who have been injured since week one. Nonetheless, this team is strong.
Guarantee Confidence: HIGH

2. FFL-DC (7-4, Second/Third Place, Fifth Most Points) - The granddaddy of the leagues I play in (seventh season participating), I clinched a playoff spot by winning this weekend (thank you, Marion Barber) and control my own destiny for a bye in the playoffs by winning out. That said, my team has not scored a lot of points, which is worrisome. This team has "Lose in Semifinals" written all over it, but has enough potential that it could still win the whole thing.
Guarantee Confidence: EH, CAN MAKE A CASE FOR IT

3. FFFL (6-5, Tied for First in my Division Though Third by Points, Eighth Most Points) - Right now, I can do no worse than tie for the last playoff spot. Any win by me or loss by the two teams that are two games behind me and I'm in. Since I play the two best teams in the league the next two weeks, I'm sort of counting on the other teams losing because my team scores so few points that I will be eliminated if I end up tied for the last playoff spot. This team frustrates me to no end as I have LaDanian Tomlinson, who decided to stop being the best RB in fantasy football the moment I was lucky enough to draft him, Braylon Edwards, who has been a bust, and Marquest Colston, who has been a bust for the most part. I've been saved by an uncanny ability to catch my opponents on their worst days - my opponents have scored the fewest points of anyones.
Guarantee Confidence: ANY GIVEN SUNDAY AND ALL THAT BUT, REALLY, THE SLIMMEST OF CHANCES

4. Armchair Coaches League (6-5 but should be 8-3 if I didn't get screwed over, Third in My Division, Seventh in Points) - For the second week in a row, I've been screwed by a quirk in this league's rules that prevents you from picking up players after the first game starts. When the first game starts on Thursday, you're screwed on Sunday morning, which I have been the past two weeks now. Since this league only has four playoff teams, there's no margin of error. I doubt I'll make it to the playoffs at this rate, but if I could have picked up the players I needed on the past two Sunday mornings, I could have been a contender.
Guarantee Confidence: FLATLINING

So Long, Kerry

2008-11-13T20:59:00.003-06:00

The Cubs announced today that they won't be bringing Kerry Wood back. Thus closes the book on one of the most star-crossed careers in Cubs history. Most will remember him for one of two things: his 20 strikeout game in his rookie season or his many, many times on the injured list. You won't remember him for being a truly dominant closer, which is why it's ok with me that the Cubs let him go.

I prefer to remember him, though, for the way he singlehandedly (practically) carried the Cubs within one game of the World Series in 2003, winning two games against the Braves in the NLDS and another one versus the Marlins. He did lose Game 7, but he led an early comeback by hitting a home run.

(This sounded much more like a eulogy than intended. For the record, he's still alive.)

Jake Peavy?

2008-11-06T21:11:00.003-06:00

Reports indicate that the Cubs are pursuing Padres pitcher Jake Peavy in a trade while also trying to re-sign Ryan Dempster.

Which leaves me confused.

If they get both, their rotation will be five-deep and, quite frankly, awesome: Zambrano, Peavy, Dempster, Lilly, Harden. Rich Harden as the fifth starter? Good God.

But here's the thing - starting pitching is not the Cubs problem. Get Peavy or get Dempster. You don't really need both. What they do need is some left-handed power and a lead-off man. I just hope they don't sacrifice those needs to get Peavy and retain Dempster. Otherwise, the 2009 playoffs could look a lot like the 2007 and 2008 playoffs.

Well, At Least We'll End Divisive Partisanship

2008-11-05T11:18:00.004-06:00

Or not.

Yuval gets this exactly right. Rahm Emanuel is a partisan hack. A smart partisan hack. But a partisan hack nonetheless. Better suited to be a VP or Member of Congress rather than running the day-to-day operations of the White House. This choice tells you all you need to know about whether we will actually see positive change in Washington (as opposed to change steamrolled over you).

A better choice would have been a Tom Daschle-type.

In the End

2008-11-04T21:34:00.003-06:00

This, of course, was not unexpected.

It's hard to get too worked up about John McCain's loss given that I wasn't a particularly big fan of his in the first place. Add to that fact his often incomprehensible campaign, the financial crisis, a president with horrible approval ratings, and an opponent who could not be questioned, you get what you get tonight.

We'll see how President Obama does. I doubt I'll approve of much of what he offers or actually does. But good luck to him.

On a final note, it's quite interesting to me to see George W. Bush go out of office in a similar manner to Bill Clinton. Both will be remembered for a signature achievement (depending on your point of view, of course) - Bush and the War on Terror/War in Iraq; Clinton and welfare reform. Both will be remembered for the toxic political environment that fairly or unfairly enveloped their administrations. And both will be remembered for leaving their political parties far worse off than when they first took office. They may have been presidents, but they were certainly not party leaders.

Meet Frank Avila

2008-11-04T14:49:00.002-06:00

Frank Avila was my pick to be the token Democrat I voted for this year.

He's running for one of three commissioner positions on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. To be honest, I don't know what this group does. I looked at their website, but it seems to be missing the most basic piece of information: "About Us".

According to the Tribune, Avila "often displays his wealth of technical knowledge on sewer design and flood-control issues. " If that's what this position is focused on, I'd hope he would display his wealth of technical knowledge all the time!

But that's the Demmy-crats for ya!

Here's What I Think

2008-11-04T14:45:00.002-06:00

Pennsylvania is where it's at. If McCain can somehow win there, it means he's had a big night elsewhere too.

McCain would be a marginally better president than Obama, but only in the sense that I'll probably disagree with him 55 percent of the time rather than the 100 percent of the time I will with Obama.

Obama will win the popular vote.

Reasons I'd like McCain to win: 1. slightly more conservative governance; 2. stick it to the media

Reasons I'd like Obama to win:

My prediction: one person's electoral victory cannot transform a country in one day.

Too Many Polls

2008-11-03T20:23:00.002-06:00

I'm concerned about the hit the economy is going to take after Tuesday when all the pollsters will be out of work. I mean, seriously, could we have any more polls?

Check back tomorrow to find out who my token Democrat Pary vote went to.

P.S. Exit polls are bunk.

Oh Yeah

2008-11-02T20:49:00.003-06:00

One point I've been meaning to make for a while - and, who knows, I may have already made it - if the polling ends up being spectacularly wrong - and, again, I'm not saying it will be - the Obama folks have no one to blame but themselves. The crushing of anyone who dares question Obama (such as Joe the Plumber, Stanley Kurtz, David Fredosso, the reporter in Florida who interviewed Biden, papers that didn't endorse Obama) doesn't exactly inspire people to be honest about who they're voting for.

That is all.

Being Pessimistic is Just So Much Easier

2008-11-01T15:39:00.003-05:00

Among the many righty blogs I read is the Campaign Spot over at National Review. If you want to be encouraged about McCain's chances, check out some of the recent posts.

I don't know what to make of all this,but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I highly doubt that McCain will win. To do so, he'd have to:

win a state a GOP candidate for president hasn't won in a long time (Pennsylvania)
prove almost all of the national polling and much of the state polling wrong
go back in time to prevent the economic meltdown earlier this month

It's not out of the realm of possibility for McCain to win, but it's highly unlikely. However, I will give you a preview of my facebook status if he does:

Chris is hahahahahahahahahaha!

This Op-Ed is, Frankly, Asinine

2008-10-26T21:22:00.003-05:00

I came across this op-ed by former Bush speechewriter David Frum from today's Post. Let me say that his conclusion may be correct: the GOP needs to invest heavily to save the Senate from being filibuster-proof. I'll get back to that, but it's his logic at the beginning that is divorced from reality.

"There are many ways to lose a presidential election. John McCain is losing in a way that threatens to take the entire Republican Party down with him. "

Can't argue with this - McCain is losing and needs a miracle to win.

"A year ago, the Arizona senator's team made a crucial strategic decision. McCain would run on his (impressive) personal biography. On policy, he'd hew mostly to conservative orthodoxy, with a few deviations -- most notably, his support for legalization for illegal immigrants. But this strategy wasn't yielding results in the general election. So in August, McCain tried a bold new gambit: He would reach out to independents and women with an exciting and unexpected vice presidential choice."

First of all, over a year ago, McCain's campaign had been declared dead precisely because of his support for legalizing illegal immigrants. That plank had not been at the forefront of his campaign for a long time. It's tough to yield results when you're not trying something. Second of all, I'm not sure the McCain campaign was trying to reach out to independents and women with Palin. Maybe they were, but the real effect (as noted in the next paragraph) was to fire up the base - which is what moved McCain's poll numbers ahead of Obama for a few days.

"That didn't work out so well either. Gov. Sarah Palin connected with neither independents nor women. She did, however, ignite the Republican base, which has come to support her passionately. And so, in this last month, the McCain campaign has Palinized itself to make the most of its last asset. To fire up the Republican base, the McCain team has hit at Barack Obama as an alien, a radical and a socialist.

Sure enough, the base has responded. After months and months of wan enthusiasm among Republicans, these last weeks have at last energized the core of the party. But there's a downside: The very same campaign strategy that has belatedly mobilized the Republican core has alienated and offended the great national middle, which was the only place where the 2008 election could have been won."

His timeline is all wrong here. The base was energized the moment Palin was chosen. Not in the last few weeks. I'm also confused by the word "Palinized" - does he mean use Palin to draw crowds the size of which McCain never could? Well, good.

I also don't think flailing away at Obama about his radicalism and ties to socialists is designed to fire up the base. I'm pretty sure it's designed to raise doubts about Obama amongst undecideds. They haven't been doing a very good job with this. Also, no legitimate McCain person has been arguing that Obama is not a citizen (that I'm aware of).

But here's the thing about this op-ed. Frum concludes that it is McCain's campaign strategy that has offended the great national middle. Let me tell you what offended the great national middle: the frickin' financial meltdown in the United States. That, more than any McCain campaign strategy, is the cause of the McCain candidacy's cratering. It's my opinion and you can disagree but you cannot analyze this campaign without taking that into account. Frum's argument fails as a result.

As I said, his conclusion may be correct, though putting all your chips on Senate Republicans holding the conservative line is, what's the word, CRAZY! Anyway, the better the top of the ticket does, the better the rest of the ticket will do. Abandoning the top of the ticket will just exacerbate all the party's problems. We're stuck with McCain, for better or, what we're getting, for worse.

The Peace Dividend

2008-10-11T12:27:00.000-05:00

More Journalist Pull Out of Iraq

What To Do About the Cubs?

2008-10-03T12:52:00.003-05:00

I’m largely resigned to the fact that the Cubs aren’t going to win the World Series this years. It’s obviously still not impossible, it’s just highly improbable. I think the pitching will right itself in games three (Harden, who will give you six innings and give up 1-2 runs) and four (Lilly, if necessary, who, by the way, has actually been the best Cubs pitcher in the past few weeks, taking two no hitters into the 6th or 7th innings), but I’m despondent over the offense. You have to score to win.

But the results of these first two games have forced me to ponder this question: once the Cubs are eliminated well-short of their goal, what do you do with this team to get them to that goal? It’s actually a tricky question given the last two outings in the playoffs. Let’s take a look at the issues.

Starting Pitching: Assuming the Cubs re-sign Ryan Dempster, their starting rotation next year is Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, Harden and Sean Marshall/Rich Hill/Jason Marquis. This is not a problem area. In fact, that’s still the deepest rotation in the NL, though lacking in a CC Sabathia-type at the top (but how many of those are there to go around?).

Relief Pitching: Assuming the Cubs re-sign Kerry Wood, the eighth and ninth innings are set with Carlos Marmol and Wood. GM’s always mix and match for middle and long relief, but with pitchers like Jeff Samardzia and others, the Cubs are ok. If there is one relief pitcher the Cubs do need, it is a lefty who is as much of a lock as possible to get tough lefties out. That has been a glaring weakness in the bullpen this year with both Neal Cotts and Scott Eyre failing to get the job done consistently.

Position Players: Here’s where it gets really tricky. I feel like the Cubs are about a year away from being an “old team” and have already proven themselves not to be a clutch team in the playoffs. But what do you do here? To wit,

Aramis Ramirez is your best clutch hitter, top RBI guy and has steadily improved his defense. He is unmovable.
Geovany Soto is relatively young, has power, drives in runs and plays good defense. He is unmovable.
Alfonso Soriano can carry the team for a week at a time, but he is not particularly clutch and is somewhat wasted in the lead-off spot. The Cubs are committed to him for the next six years at a ridiculous price, so you couldn’t trade him, which wouldn’t make any sense anyway. I’d say he is unmovable.
Derek Lee is a gold glove first baseman, three years removed from winning the NL batting title and one of the more consistent hitters in the lineup. On the other hand, his power is down and he’s been grounding into double plays at an alarming rate. Still, you can’t replace him because his replacement would almost certainly be a downgrade. I guess he’s unmovable.
Ryan Theriot is an adequate shortstop who has the best batting average of the regulars. He also does the dirty work, like hitting the ball to the right side to move a base runner from second to third. Sure, you’d like to see a little power maybe or a little more range, but you can’t have a team of all superstars without losing something in the process. You need players like Theriot. Probably unmovable, but maybe moving him back to second base could work.

That leaves three “problem” positions to consider: CF, RF, 2B.

The Cubs have used a platoon this year in CF with Jim Edmonds and Reed Johnson. Together, they’ve done fairly well. In fact, they’ve done well enough to justify bringing them both back next year, though Edmonds may be a member of AARP by then.
In RF, Kosuke Fukodome was a sensation earlier this year. Now he’s just an albatross. Good defense, can’t hit. You can stick Mark DeRosa there, but…
DeRosa has been playing 2B mostly this year…and having a career year…that he’s not likely to duplicate again. He’s too valuable with his versatility not to have on your team, but I’m not sure he should be counted on as an every day starter. Maybe he plays RF all year and you have Mike Fontenot play second every day.

Why did I say “problem”? Because you can justify putting this same line-up on the field next year. It’s almost as if there is nowhere to change this team significantly. And that’s not a good thing.

To win the World Series, the Cubs have to get better. Clearly they’re not good enough to get it done now. So, here’s a couple options:

Go Young: Commit to starting Felix Pie in center, Micah Hoffpauir in right and Mike Fontenot at second. Keep DeRosa on the team – he could practically play every day anyway as a rotating sub. The downside – Hoffpauir could be a defensive liability in right though the kid can hit (and he's a lefty with power) and Pie may be an offensive liability though he’s hit everywhere he’s had a chance to (not the case so far in the majors).
Key Free Agent Signing: I don’t follow baseball closely enough, but you could theoretically sign a free agent for CF, RF or 2B/SS. Maybe a more traditional lead-off hitter type? Someone who is known as a “clutch” playoff performer. I’m not a particularly big fan of this route.

Unfortunately, I think the Cubs will stand pat. And they’ll win the NL Central again. Hell, with Harden for a whole year, they may win 100 or more games.

And I’ll probably be back here next year, writing the same thing.

The Cubs Defense Deserved that Bronx Cheer

2008-10-02T22:02:00.000-05:00

Catch the ball!

Son of a Bitch

2008-10-02T21:17:00.003-05:00

I'm so disgusted by the Cubs right now that I'm actually switching back and forth to the VP debate. My righty blogs say she's winning. Who knows. Apparently nothing I support is going to win this year.

I Guess There's Hope

2008-10-02T12:46:00.001-05:00

Interesting nugget from the Talking Points Memo:

In an unusually candid interview, a top official for the largest union backing Obama said that internal union polling shows that the race remains much more volatile and fluid in key battleground states than public polling suggests. He warned that low-information swing-state voters are saying they still don't have a firm enough grasp on Obama's life-story, character and record for the Illinois Senator to close the deal with them.

Of course I am reminded that hope is not a strategy.

Well, That Was Disappointing

2008-10-02T10:06:00.002-05:00

Now, that was a crap sandwich last night. I don't know who was impersonating Ryan Dempster, but when you walk seven people in 4 2/3 innings, you probably deserve to lose. Also, let me say this: I have no idea how Manny Ramirez hit that pitch not only for a home run but as far as he did. He's good.

Tonight is a must win. So, sorry, Sarah. I'm going to have to focus all my attention on another team in real trouble. You're just going to have to take care of Scranton Joe Biden all on your own.

Good for the White Sox

2008-10-01T09:24:00.001-05:00

I've never begrudged success for the White Sox so let me just say that I think it's great they made it into the playoffs by winning what was really a thrilling 1-0 game last night. I also thought the "Black Out" - everyone in the stands wearing black - was visually very interesting, if not disconcerting/frightening.

Confidence Fading

2008-09-30T13:17:00.002-05:00

I find it hard to believe at this point that John McCain will win the presidency. For as nimble and unique as his campaign was from late July/early August past the GOP convention, it has been plodding and incoherent since. They've mishandled Sarah Palin by insisting that she only sit down with the major networks (this isn't an original idea of mine, but it's right - try some friendly talk radio and get her off the talking points cram sessions), they should have either come out strongly against the Paulson plan or gone all-in on crafting a solution (half-way got them nowhere), and generally their economic messaging has been poor.

It was an interesting few weeks while it lasted. I look forward to four years of dithering if the way Obama reacts to crises in a campaign is any indication.

They Are Who We Think They Are

2008-09-30T05:32:00.003-05:00

I suppose it will become trendy to pick the Dodgers, especially now that they have Manny Ramirez, to beat the Cubs in the first round of the playoffs. And anything is possible in a short series like that -the Cubs could lose. But the beauty of the MLB regular season is that it tells us everything we need to know about teams.

What we know about the Dodgers is that, even with Manny for two whole months, they could only finish 84-78, which would have been good enough for fifth in the NL Central.

What we know about the Cubs is that, playing in the toughest division in the NL, they finished 35/36 games over .500.

What we know is that the Cubs are the better team.

Brant Brown

2008-09-29T14:05:00.002-05:00

I'm about six days late with this, but wanted to memorialize the 10th anniversary of one of the most famous radio calls in Chicago Cubs history. On September 23, 1998, while in a tie for the wild card, the Cubs led the Brewers by 2 or 3 in the ninth with two outs but bases loaded. Routine fly ball to left fielder Brant Brown, who, it should be noted, contributed greatly to the Cubs that year - and he dropped it. Brewers win.

What made the play so notable was not the error, but the radio call by color announcer Ron Santo. Click here and scroll down to play the audio. It's a classic.

Magic Number: 11

2008-09-20T19:17:00.001-05:00

The Cubs clinched the NL Central today. Yawn. I think everyone who is a Cubs fan is looking for far more. The magic number is not zero today...it's 11 - the number of wins the Cubs need to win the World Series.

Why Sports Matter

2008-09-14T21:28:00.004-05:00

In the big scheme of things, sports don't matter. Not at all.

But sometimes they can redeem a weekend, even if just a little.

I came home Saturday afternoon to find my basement flooding. Thank you, record 7" rainfall for Chicago. After rushing out to get a shop-vac in the hopes of saving the carpet in our rec room, I found our basement flooded. Five hours of pulling carpet up with my Dad Saturday night helped preserve the area (sort of).

Today I spent trying to dry out my basement while the remnants of Hurricane Ike came through the area. Hello, another 2-4". Things are better now. Water is only trickling in as the ground is super-saturated and we've rented industrial air blowers and ginormous de-humidifier. But this weekend has sucked.

Then, while I'm working tonight (another great part of the weekend!), I notice on my espn Cubs gametracker that Carlos Zambrano has a no-hitter going. When he gets through the 8th with the no hitter intact, I put my computer aside and venture into the basement to watch the 9th.

The crowd, which was 23,000 Cubs fans in a "home game" for the Astros atWrigley North (Milwaukee), looked like they were about to celebrate a World Series victory.

This was the first Cubs no-hitter in 36 years. While it won't exactly create world peace, it put a smile on my face tonight for about the first time in two days.

Sports don't matter, until they do.

Shameful

2008-09-12T09:41:00.003-05:00

That's what this Washington Post headline is: Palin Links Iraq to Sept. 11 In Talk to Troops in Alaska

Here's what she actually said:

"telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would 'defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans.'"

That headline implies that she suggested that Iraq had something to do with the 9/11 attacks. That's why I clicked on the article because I would have a problem with that assertion. But that's not what she's saying at all. She's linking al Qaeda to al Qaeda in Iraq. Quite frankly, that's more than fair.

Couple this with Charlie Gibson misconstruing what she said at her church about the Iraq war as if she said it was a task from God (she didn't) and the Bush Doctrine gotcha that really wasn't (is it preemption, spreading freedom, you tell me), not a good day again for the MSM.

And by the way, I didn't think Palin was particularly compelling in the part of the interview I watched on TV. It actually reads better in the paper.

UPDATE: Check this post out. I didn't even get to read the original story. It's changed (scroll down to see the change). The headline is still outrageous, though.

The State of The More Important Race

2008-09-10T21:34:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the Brewers crapitude and, generally, the craptastic National League the Cubs have been unable to spit the bit during this 1-8 stretch (besides the spitting of the bit in going 1-8). They're still going to make the playoffs. Harden and Zambrano come back tomorrow and Saturday. It's not the worst thing in the world to face some adversity, even now. It's going to be all right.

The State of the Race

2008-09-10T21:05:00.002-05:00

Ending my self-imposed ban on politics here (it lasted five days, so sue me). Here's a few thoughts on what's going on:

National polls are nice. They're nicer when they show McCain-Palin up (it's my blog, I get to say what's nice and what's not). They also mean nothing.
It's certain state polls that you should be watching. I've been waiting all week to see if there's movement in Colorado, which looks like could be the key to the whole race. Haven't seen a new poll. Have seen polls showing tightening in Michigan and Pennsylvania, which Obama can't lose and expect to win, and McCain growing leads in Alaska (surprise), Montana, and Ohio. There was even a poll with him leading in New Mexico today, which would be a clear sign he has momentum. Of course, beggars can't be choosers, or something like that, so I should note there is a poll that has Florida tied, which is not good for McCain (can't afford to lose that).
In my experience, a political operative is only as good as his or her candidate. Why, then, do people mythologize (or demonize) your Lee Atwaters, Karl Roves and now Steve Schmidt. Folks, they're effective. They're not that effective. Give McCain some credit.
Interesting analysis on why the Obama campaign, which has looked so good since the start, has looked so bad in the last two weeks.
Also, Ivers isn't the only one who's become unhinged. The chair of the SC Dem party (Palin's "primary qualification seems to be that she hasn't had an abortion"! Apology in that post's update), Roger Ebert - Roger Ebert! -and Europe all are having, um, issues.

I can't get enough of this stuff. I haven't enjoyed politics like this since 1992. And that was only because of the Perot freak show.

Breaking My Own Rule

2008-09-05T10:14:00.004-05:00

Just a few thoughts on John McCain's speech:

It was...ok. Clearly not aimed at me. Aimed at independents and maybe disaffected Democrats. Don't know if it did the job, but wouldn't know if it did either.

Best part of the speech was at the end when he got animated - fight, fight, fight! I thought I was back at Hate Night or something.

Most interesting comment I heard last night: experience didn't win in 76, 80, 92, or 2000. That's why you're probably not going to be hearing that line of argument much more because it doesn't really work.

Heard/read this somewhere, but it's true - that was a barely partisan speech - quite a contrast to the few minutes of Obama's speech that I saw. The Tribune does this interesting graphic (below) that measures how much McCain and Obama use certain words. Notice what's prominent in Obama's chart - John McCain - and what doesn't even show up in McCain's - Obama. More interesting than definitive, but the contrast does seem to be there.

Widespread Panic

2008-09-04T11:28:00.001-05:00

Or is it Panic at the Disco?

What accurately describes this:

Cubs can't hit.
Zambrano hurting and missing MRI appointments.
Rich Harden missing two starts on purpose (maybe).

Must. Not. Panic.

Interesting (At Least to Me)

2008-09-04T11:25:00.003-05:00

I can't remember the last time I was so fired up about a politician that I spent this much time defending him/her. In fact, I doubt there has been a time. I think I'm declaring here and MaltShopLogic a politics-free zone for a few days (or until someone pisses me off again about Sarah Palin).

There are more pressing things to worry about (see post above).

I Think That Sarah Palin Is Going To Be Alright

2008-09-03T22:10:00.003-05:00

Wow. Even after the Rudy speech. Wow.

Who cares if I'm pre-disposed towards her. I think it was an incredible speech.

Rudy

2008-09-03T21:22:00.003-05:00

If his campaign hadn't imploded, I was probably going to vote in the primary for Rudy Giuliani. Boy, if you're watching his speech now, you can see why. It is, as they say, a stemwinder.

My favorites so far:

Voting yes or no was too hard for Obama (referencing his 130 "present" votes in the Illinois State Senate.
Obama flip flops so much that Biden better get the VP thing in writing.

This is a great speech. Humor, which waved bye-bye to Democrats a long time ago, is a powerful tool.

Palin's Speech

2008-09-03T19:49:00.004-05:00

If I were writing it, I would want to include a line like this:

"In his speech the day he clinched the Democratic nomination for President, in this very arena, Barack Obama said: 'We honor the service of John McCain and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine.'

Tonight, I ask him for the same courtesy. Do not deny my accomplishments. I am not just a mayor of a town of 9,000. I am the governor of the largest state in the union, Alaska, responsible for 21,000 employees and a $13 billion budget (whatever the figures are). I stood up to the entrenched interests of my own political party to clean out the corruption that was devastating my great state. I've made decision after decision in the best interests of my constituents, not lobbyists or the big oil companies.

I ask him for the same courtesy, but I do not expect it. As with everything to do with Senator Obama, it's just words. Never action."

Or something like that.

The Chicago Tribune Used to Be Better Than This

2008-09-03T17:17:00.002-05:00

Check out the first line of this post from the Chicago Tribune's blog, The Swamp, about Sarah Palin's daughter and her fiancee/boyfriend/whatever appearing with the Palin family at the airport and later tonight:

"So much for privacy."

So much for privacy? I'd ask the author of that post, Mark Silva, who decided that her daughter's privacy shouldn't be respected? I don't remember it being the Palins. It was liberal bloghards assisted by a compliant media who forced this relationship into the open.

So much for privacy. So much for journalism.

I'll Be Watching

2008-09-03T14:15:00.003-05:00

I'm making a point of watching Sarah Palin's speech tonight. I probably won't watch John McCain's tomorrow (start of the NFL season and all that).

I'm watching tonight in direct contravention of my belief that any exposure to a political convention is overexposure.

Here's why: I'm close to convinced that the frantic attempts by the left and the media (Department of the Tautalogical there, huh?) to discredit her by, among other things, trying to destroy the life of her daughter, says more about Sarah Palin than it does about them.

What it says about them: they're generally low-life scumbags (good summary by Yuval Levin). Also, they think women with children shouldn't be in the workforce (alright, that may have been a cheap shot).

What it says about Sarah Palin: that she's a real threat to their worldview because she can be a transformative figure in American politics.

The left is never more vigorous than when they're going after the people they see as threats, i.e., those who could prove the illegitimacy of their ideology: Ward Connerly, Clarence Thomas, Edward Brooke (first African American senator since Reconstruction, a Republican, I understand Dems took tremendous pride in his defeat) come to mind right away.

Is Sarah Palin that big a threat? I really don't know. I'm curious to hear more about her from her. I hope her speech is uplifting and reinforces that she is actually a real person who has a family with real-life issues - you know, the kinds of people Obama and Hilary are always talking about, but probably don't really know.

Consider me interested.

For the First Time, I Am Excited About McCain

2008-08-29T10:44:00.003-05:00

...and not just terrified of Obama. This pick of Sarah Palin is downright stunning, inspired and almost makes me want to volunteer time that I don't have for the campaign. Fortunately, I live in Illinois, so there's no need to volunteer time here anyway.