Fishing for the first time

So Jacob, my 4 year old son, has decided that he loves fishing. This is kind of funny to me, since he has never gone fishing before in his short life, nor has he ever seen anyone fishing to the best of my knowledge. Regardless, he would sit on the rocks in our back yard with a stick acting as a fishing pole and cast and bring in fish for what seemed like hours, using his imagination.

Our friends, the Salm’s heard about this, and bought him a fishing pole for his birthday and invited us to their house this past weekend to fish in their backyard pond. Now what I did not realize was that their pond actually is a tributary to a one of the local rivers and has some pretty good size fish. I assumed it was a small pond and would have Sunny’s or other small fish, not bass or catfish. Boy was I surprised.

So we show up around 4 pm on Sunday and move to the pond. We have 3 poles, for 4 kids, the Salm’s have Nathan (5) and Daniel and Elena (3). Mollie and the mothers watched from a few feet back and acted as a well-stoked peanut gallery, never leaving a well placed comment alone, providing guidance to us, and making sure no hooks wound up in the kids. So we begin and David casts for Nathan. Before long the bobber is running and they have a bite, they reel it in and they pull up a little sunny.

I am bummed, because I think this is the only fish in the proverbial sea and I am concerned that my boy is not going to experience the thrill of the catch, the exhilaration of bringing in the line with the fish flapping. But hey you gotta keep trying.

I then cast for Jacob and sure enough his bobber sinks and runs. I get him to reel it in; all the while I assume it is another sunny, boy was I wrong. He pulled up a good sized Bass. Since I am not a fisherman, I have no idea how big this was, I will let you all decide yourself based on this picture. I get it off the hook and throw him back, since there is no way the wives are going to permit us to eat that for dinner.














So then we cast again and got another bite. This time a catfish winds up on the end of the line shocking us all. We had no idea there would be a catfish in this water. Again, you can decide the size. Again, we threw it back.














Just to prove she was there, here is a picture of Mollie enjoying herself.

Within an hour, all the kids fishing caught something, though my boy did have the two largest catch of the day. We threw everything back, though a few fish swallowed the hook and went belly up after our encounter, but unfortunately we could not avoid it.

The kids then went to play while a great summer BBQ was prepared. When we went to visit the Salm’s last year, Jacob was bitten twice by a bee in their backyard. Sure enough, he got nailed again this year, while waiting to go down their slide. To be honest and fair, we are not sure he was actually bit by anything or just got his finger pinched on something. Either way, when we asked him if he wants to go fishing again, he said no since he hurt his finger.

Today, Jacob asked me when he could go fishing again at Daniel and Elena’s house. So I guess the hurt/bit finger is long since forgotten.

Great Response (by someone else) to Intelligent Design

After reading a story about Intelligent Design in Time Magazine a few weeks back, I have been thinking about how ridiculous this whole concept is. This is theory that has been taught for almost 100 years and now is being re-examined based upon non-scientific reasoning being pushed by fundamental christians. It is ubelievable that this "Theory" would even be given any credible examination, but sure enough it has. This is better than anything I could have written.

Thanks David for showing this to me.

http://www.venganza.org/

OPEN LETTER TO KANSAS SCHOOL BOARD

I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.

Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.

It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories. In fact, I will go so far as to say, if you do not agree to do this, we will be forced to proceed with legal action. I’m sure you see where we are coming from. If the Intelligent Design theory is not based on faith, but instead another scientific theory, as is claimed, then you must also allow our theory to be taught, as it is also based on science, not on faith.

Some find that hard to believe, so it may be helpful to tell you a little more about our beliefs. We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power. Also, you may be surprised to hear that there are over 10 million of us, and growing. We tend to be very secretive, as many people claim our beliefs are not substantiated by observable evidence. What these people don’t understand is that He built the world to make us think the earth is older than it really is. For example, a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. We have numerous texts that describe in detail how this can be possible and the reasons why He does this. He is of course invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease.

I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this enough, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming too long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t.

You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.



In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to hear our views and beliefs. I hope I was able to convey the importance of teaching this theory to your students. We will of course be able to train the teachers in this alternate theory. I am eagerly awaiting your response, and hope dearly that no legal action will need to be taken. I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.

Sincerely Yours,

Bobby Henderson, concerned citizen.


(JH Note - There is a great picture here, which I am not able to easily cut and paste, but worth viewing as well as the responses from the Kansas Board of Education minority. Check it out at http://www.venganza.org/)

Here is a link to a great article in the NY Times covering this piece, my legal counsel has adivsed me to just provide the link, since we don't want to take on the Times legal team for reprinting their material without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/29/arts/design/29mons.html

Sports Reporting vs. Journalism

Rick Reilly from Sports Illustrated did an interesting thing this week in his column from August 15, 2005. He called Jayson Stark of ESPN.com a gutless wonder for saying that as a Baseball Writer of America that he would vote for Rafael Palmeiro into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Here is the direct quote from SI:

“Some baseball writers, such as ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, don't think steroid use should count against a player. He wrote last week that he would vote Palmeiro into the Hall "first ballot, every ballot." And do you know why? "Because I'm not a cop," Stark wrote. "I'm just a guy who covers baseball for a living. So it's not my job to police this sport. It's the sport's job to police itself."
Aren't you glad Stark wasn't covering President Nixon for The Washington Post in 1972? "It's not my job to police the White House," Stark would've said. "It's the White House's job to police itself."
Hey, Jayson, Journalism 101: You are a watchdog. If it were up to baseball, every hitter would get four strikes, with his mom pitching and outfield fences set up for Wiffle ball.
Baseball writers coddle players because they have to cover them every day for eight months a year. They spend so much time with these undereducated, overpharmacied brats that they begin thinking like them. They even write the players' alibis for them: "But there was no rule against it then!" Every writer and every player knows that using steroids to pump up your numbers is flat-out immoral, unethical and wrong. And that includes Bonds, Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Mark McGwire and every other player who has flunked a steroid test or admitted taking steroids in grand jury testimony or admitted taking androstenedione, which metabolizes into testosterone in the system. “

To me, this is an interesting perspective. I tend to enjoy reading both of these columnists on a regular basis. The both provide a unique point of view. I am a bit surprised that Reilly would call another sports writer out so blatantly. I would assume that journalist’s had their own little fraternity and would not air their issues so publicly. Reilly could have just talked about the collective them, and left it up to us the readers to assume he was referring to, but no he specifically named names. But on the flip side, Reilly brings up another interesting point, which is the point about investigative journalism, and if it is not the responsibility of the press to uncover the cheats, whose responsibility is it exactly?

I agree that if a member of the media is not up front with the athletes they cover, then they will find it difficult to find interviews and gather information, which is one of the things Jayson Stark excels at, with the Rumor Central section. Obviously, players and GM trust him, since someone is giving him information, and if he began to trashing players then his sources will dry up and blow away. However, Sports Illustrated, which has always been a print medium, versus television has often prided itself on true journalistic investigative reporting, as opposed to ESPN the Magazine, which reads like an oversized fluff piece on whoever they are currently profiling. Part of the compelling element of sports is the dirty underbelly, how a player got to where he is, what they went through, and the hurdles he overcame.

I would like to see a Frank Deford, or John Feinstein or Bob Costas or some other credible reporter spend a significant time investigating who did steroids, and who did not in that past few years. One of the things I have always loved about baseball, is that from 1876-1990, the game was essentially exactly the same. A ball was a ball, was it softer before 1920, possibly, did the pitchers dominate in the 1960, yes. A record that was set or challenged when I was growing up was the same as when the record was set in 1974, 1961, 1941, or 1927. When Pete Rose hit in 44 straight games, it was the same game as when the Yankee Clipper hit 56straight in ‘41. However, this changed somewhere in the 90’s with steroids. Before we knew about steroids, the increase in hitter production was explained away (and some of these are still valid but greatly diminished) with newer smaller ball parks, the dilution of pitching through expansion and that pitchers were simply not as good as previous year due to earlier specialization earlier in the minor leagues. In hindsight, it was naïve to believe the hitters weren’t juiced and someone needs to go investigate if McGwire’s 70 and Bonds 73, plus Sosa’s 3 60+ HR seasons were tainted or not. If they were clean, then kudos to these players. If not, then it is no longer an even playing field and it needs to be noted as such.

You could ask, how is this different from Roger Maris’s asterisk, placed by commissioner Ford Frick after he hit 61 HR in 1961 in a 162 game season, beating the record set by Babe Ruth of 60 HR’s in a 154 game season. The reason it is different is simple, Maris did not cheat. He did not take human growth hormone, testosterone, estrogen, stanozolol, pitocin or any other supplement to improve his performance. In Billy Crystal’s movie *61, Barry Pepper playing Maris says it is not fair, since Ruth did not play at night, and did not have to travel to the west coast, which I generally agree with. Ruth never had to travel further west than St. Louis to play the pitiful Browns. The game was the same in 1961 as it was in 1927. It was not the same in 1998 or 2001 and it is unfair to say it was. I want to know how to compare the records from the past 10-15 years with those from the previous 100. I need someone like Woodward and Bernstein to dig up the facts and report them. The game will be better because of it, and the fans will be able to put this period behind and put it all into historical perspective.

This brings up the whole debacle with Karl Rove, Judith Miller, Matthew Cooper and the CIA spy married to the diplomat. Sounds like a bad LeCarre book. How is it possible that the republicans have essentially shifted the focus from Karl Rove and his potential illegal and probably immoral actions to something else, and the mainstream media has essentially just dropped the case? Here is an issue that is an essential question of first amendment rights and national security, versus furthering a political agenda, and smearing a person in the press and jeopardizing a spy and their network. This is a perfect opportunity for the democrats to keep pushing President Bush to make good on his promise to remove any immoral perpetrators in his administration, but as soon as it is his political strategist, then it is we will wait and see. You can be sure if this were reversed the republicans would not let the issue be shoved aside. I guess that is the fundamental difference between the two political parties, one strong and thriving, and one in a death throes waiting for someone or something to put it out of its misery.

What ever happened to Ross Perot’s independent party? I think they were on to something, but happened to have the right message and the wrong messenger, and then allowed the group to be hijacked by Jesse “The Body” Ventura in Minnesota and Pat Buchanan on the national stage. I think it is time for a new political party to rise and capture the middle, I am tired of only the extremes representing each party, there are not enough heard from the band of 14 Senators, who prevented the nuclear option in judicial nominations this past spring, essentially a group of moderates that said wait a minute this does not make any sense. Let’s think about this rationally and make an intelligent decision based upon reason, rather than partisan politics.

By the way, the Yankees just lost again to the Devil Rays 7-6 after leading 5-2 in the 6th. Robinson Cano had a crucial 2 base throwing error in the 8th and Alan Embree and Tanyon Sturtze were terrible, with Sturtze throwing a wild pitch about 4 feet over Jorge Posada’s head, allowing the winning run to score. The Yankees are now 4-9 against the Devil Rays this year. In spite of the fact that the Red Sox and the A’s lost this afternoon giving the Yankees an opportunity to gain ground on both teams in both races, the Yankees could not get it together and finish off Tampa Bay. Congratulations to Lou Pinella and the Devil Rays for fighting to the end and taking advantage of the Yankees mistakes and taking 2 of 3 in this series. I wonder if Lou will be managing the Yankees next year.

Yankees Lose to TB, Rangers sit Tight

Well, the Yankees let one slip away last night, after Randy Johnson pitched very well after missing one start because of a back spasms in his last start two weeks ago. Mariano Rivera wound up blowing a save his 2nd in 3 games after 31 straight saves. They wound up losing the game in 11 innings after Alan Embree and Scott Proctor loaded the bases with Devil Rays and then walking Jonny Gomes for the walk-off walk to end the game. If the Yankees wind up missing the playoffs, which they should based upon their play recently, by less than 7 games, then I know where to lay the blame. They were swept in 3 games in KC at the end of May, and beginning of June. They have gone 4-8 so far against Tampa Bay, and that should be at least 8-4 instead. So that right there is a 7 game turn around that would/should/could have turned things around and put them much closer to the Red Sox in the standings. Now one of my work colleagues pointed out that you can’t look at individual games over a course of a season as a measure of how a team performs, and generally I agree with this assessment. However in the theory that good teams are supposed to be beat the not so good teams, you can point directly to these two relatively bad teams (TB and KC) and say if the Yankees were good or better then they are, then they should have won these games against these lower division teams. At the end of the season, I am going to be pointing back to these two series and say that was the difference in the season.

On the flip side, the Red Sox have been smoking for the past few weeks, and don’t look to be slowing down. If the playoffs started today, they should go 11-0 or close to it. Luckily the playoffs don’t start today, and I can only hope that they will fall back into the old Red Sox ways and slow down in September that will carry over into October. I still think the Red Sox will win the division and more than likely make it to the ALCS, but I would like it to be competitive. It looks like the White Sox are going to walk away with the Central and the A’s and Angels are fighting for the division and wild card, not sure what will happen since I doubt either team will want to face Boston in the first round and might position themselves to play the White Sox instead. In the NL, Tony LaRusso should be fired if the Cardinals do not make the World Series and be at least competitive (6 or 7 games) this year, if not win it all.. They are obviously the cream of the crop in the NL, with the Braves looking for a record 14th straight divisional championship in the East, and no one in the west looking to take charge, though I would bet the Padres wound up with the title, as potentially the first team with a sub-.500 record to win a division, since the strike shortened season of 1994, when the Texas Rangers were in first place 10 games under .500 when the work stoppage occurred. The Astros will take the wildcard in NL and be a force to reckon with as their starters are the cream of the crop with Clemens, Oswalt and now Pettite back from injury and finally looking like he used to when he was a Yankee.

But truth be told, if the Yankees don’t make the playoffs, I probably won’t watch, since the NY Rangers will be back starting October 5 against Philadelphia Flyers (I predict a loss for the Broadway Boys) and hockey will be starting up again with every team in action that night. I see they resigned Tom Poti, a man who never seemed ready to accept the spotlight left when Brian Leetch was traded. He will now be the main man on the point for the Rangers power play, along with Darius Kasper-minus (thank you WFAN Steve Somers) leading the second D-line. According to espn.com, the Rangers still have only 8 forwards and 6 defensemen under NHL contract. It seems like a solid first line with 3 Czechs, with Martin Straka, Jaromir Jagr and Martin Ruchinsky. The second line presumably will be a kid line with Jamie Lundmark centering Garth Murray and Jason Ward. I am not sure who is going to be on the 3rd and 4th line but I guess time will tell. The defense is stacked with big powerful guys in Dale Purinton and Marek Malik, and a speedy Russian Fedor Tyutin.

I know that they will fill some of the roster spots with kids from Hartford, and there are 200 unsigned free agents, but I think Sather and company could be doing more to generate buzz in NYC and getting fans ready for hockey. If the NHL has any hopes of rising from the ashes, they need a strong product in Manhattan, for as good as the Devil’s have been the past 10 years (3 Stanley Cup championships) and for the feel good story the Islanders have been recently, the overall face of hockey in New York remains the Rangers. I don’t think it is a coincidence that hockey popularity peaked in 1994, when the Rangers finally won the Cup. Gary Bettman, who should have quit or been fired like Bob Goodenow, needs to light a fire under the Ranger organization to make a splash, to give fans something to talk about and get excited.

50 Best Baseball Players since 1976

This was written exclusively for Zisk Magazine #11 (http://ziskmagazine.blogspot.com)

Who are the best position players since the beginning of Free Agency in 1976?

This is a list I compiled based upon overall offensive and defensive ability. It is by no means 100% accurate, and I am sure I am missing a key few players. I also tried to include such attributes as World Series appearances, Gold Gloves, Hall of Fame records, and how I perceived them against other peers at their positions.

For example David Cone appears on this list, because he was considered a mercenary in the late 80’s and early 90’s who would your team get to and win the big game, though I doubt he is ever going to the Hall of Fame. I also tried to keep the player at the position they were primarily know for, so Stargell is at 1b, Carew at 2b, and Rose at 3b, rather than other positions they played during their careers.

Here is my list in no particular order, mainly as I remember them with no significance put to where their place on this list.

C – Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter
1B – Mark McGwire, Frank Thomas, Eddie Murray, Willie Stargell, Keith Hernandez
2B – Joe Morgan, Ryne Sandberg, Roberto Alomar, Craig Biggio, Rod Carew
3B – Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Pete Rose
SS – Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken Jr, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez
LF – Manny Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Carl Yastrzemski, Tim Raines
CF – Ken Griffey Jr, Kirby Puckett, Rickey Henderson, Robin Yount
RF – Reggie Jackson, Daryl Strawberry, Juan Gonzalez, Sammy Sosa
RHP – Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, Tom Seaver, David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton
CL – Rollie Fingers, Lee Smith, Goose Gossage, Mariano Rivera,

If you notice I have left off DH’s (Molitor, Winfield, Edgar Martinez, etc.) since I believe if you cannot play the field after a certain point in your career, you are not really a baseball player regardless of what statistics you accumulate over your career. I also have included some players who have been linked with steroids (IRod, McGwire, Bonds, and Gonzalez) simply because they were not illegal until the 2005 season. Whether these guys were doing steroids or not, they were still considered the top players in the game at the time and should be considered for this list. If there needs to be an asterisk or a little syringe icon next to their names in the record books that is another debate for another time.

Here is a breakout of the teams they played the majority of the careers for and how many of them played for that team during their “peak”. For instance Roberto Alomar played for a butt-load of teams (Padres, Blue Jays, Orioles, Indians, Mets, White Sox, and Devil Rays) during his career, but he is remembered for being with the Toronto, Baltimore and Cleveland, so I have listed him 3 those teams. It is interesting to note that only 14 out of 50 players (Bench, Thomas, Stargell, Sandberg, Biggio, Schmidt, Brett, Ripken, Jeter, Yaz, Puckett, Yount, Palmer, and Rivera) on this list played their entire career for the same team.

NY Yankees – 7 (Jackson, Jeter, Rivera, Gossage, Henderson, Rivera, Cone)
NY Mets – 6 (Piazza, Carter, Hernandez, Strawberry, Cone, Gooden)
Cincinnati Reds - 5 (Bench, Morgan, Rose, Griffey Jr. Seaver)
St. Louis Cardinals – 5 (McGwire, Hernandez, Smith, Carlton, Smith)
Baltimore Orioles – 4 (Murray, Alomar Ripken, Palmer)
Boston Red Sox – 4 (Fisk, Yaz, Boggs, Ramirez, Clemens, Martinez)
Oakland A’s – 4 (McGwire, Jackson, Henderson, Fingers)
Texas Rangers – 4 (IRod, Arod, Gonzalez, Ryan)
Toronto Blue Jays – 4 (Alomar, Henderson, Cone, Morris)
California Angels – 3 (Carew, Ryan, Jackson)
Chicago Cubs – 3 (Sandberg. Maddux, Sosa)
Chicago White Sox - 3 (Fisk, Thomas, Raines)
Montreal Expos – 3 (Carter, Martinez, Raines)
Philadelphia Phillies – 3 (Rose, Schmidt, Carlton)
Seattle Mariners – 3 (Arod, Griffey Jr. Johnson)
Cleveland Indians – 2 (Alomar, Ramirez)
Pittsburgh Pirates – 2 (Stargell, Bonds
Houston Astros – 2 (Biggio, Ryan, Clemens)
Minnesota Twins – 2 (Carew, Puckett)
Milwaukee Brewers – 2 (Fingers, Yount)
Atlanta Braves – 1 (Maddux)
Arizona Diamondbacks – 1 (Johnson)
Detroit Tigers – 1 (Morris)
Kansas City Royals – 1 (Brett)
Los Angeles Dodger – 1 (Piazza)
San Francisco Giants – 1 (Bonds)

It is interesting to note, as a Yankee fan that they are the most represented team. But to be fair, they have also had the most success over the same period. I also have not included A-Rod and Randy Johnson in the Yankees roster, since they really made their names on other teams. A Rod seems to be able to make the transition to being a “real” Yankee in his second season. Johnson could still make the list by picking up his game and pitching the way he has in the past and driving them into the playoff before his contract expires, but it seems like he might be like an aging Guy LaFluer playing his final days in a New York Rangers uniform, trying his best, but ultimately nothing but a shell of his former self. Or at least not the intimidating and dominant strike out artist we have known in the past with the Mariners and Diamondbacks.

The other teams represented at the top also had strong runs during this time period, so it does not seem out of balance to me. I was questioning whether to include Gooden and Strawberry in this list, but they were so strong good and dominant when they came up that it is hard to ignore their overall contribution. I think everyone else speaks for themselves under the criteria I have provided.

Here are some Future Considerations, which could make this list in the future assuming their keep on their current trajectory. This list is noticeably missing relief pitchers, and that is because it is very rare that a closer comes along and is consistent and considered a leader for more than a few years. Eric Gagne could be represented here if he is able to recover from his injury this year and pick up where he left off, otherwise he will be just tossed onto the scrap heap of other closers who’s lights shown brightly and then was quickly extinguished. Granted, that could happen to any of the players listed below, but considering many of them have only 1-2 years under the belt, but position players and starting pitchers seem to be more durable. Lets check back in a few years and see how well I did.

C – Joe Mauer (Twins), Victor Martinez (Indians)
1B – Albert Pujols (Cardinals), Lance Berkman (Astrons)
2B – Alfonso Soriano (Yankees/Rangers), Chase Utley (Phillies), Brian Roberts (Orioles)
SS – Jhonny Peralta (Indians), Jose Reyes (Mets), Bobby Crosby (A’s)
3B – Scott Rolen (Phillies/Cardinals), Chipper Jones (Braves), David Wright (Mets), Morgan Ensberg (Astros)
OF – Vlad Guerrero (Expos/Angels) Jason Bay (Pirates) Adam Dunn (Reds), Andruw Jones (Braves), Carlos Beltran (Royals/Astros/Mets), Vernon Wells (Blue Jays)
SP – Oliver Perez (Padres/Pirates), Roy Halladay (Blue Jays), Tim Hudson (A’s/Braves), Barry Zito (A’s), Mark Mulder (A’s/Cardinals), Johan Santana (Twins), Jake Peavy (Padres)

Iraqi Constitution deadline delayed by a week

Well today, the interim Iraqi government extended the United States imposed deadline by a week to come up with a constitution of how to govern themselves, and how to allocate oil reserves amongst the various factions. They have allowed an extra week to come to some kind of decisions, or face a crisis in the government, which will mean new elections. This whole process has been a bit of a farce in my mind.

First, I am all for self-governance, and the people of Iraq should feel be able to choose their own leaders and determine what style of government they wish to utilize. Second, I am not sure why political boundaries determined after World War I, are still in use today and necessary in today's world. Why not allow Kurdistan, Sunni land and Shi'iteville to become sovereign nations, I guess because Turkey, Iran and other regional countries will take over, but is that so bad? Has anyone asked the man or woman on the street in Baghdad, or Basra or Falujah or anywhere else in Iraq, what he or she want or how they wish to be governed? This is not 1776. This is not a time when an entire political system can be established at gunpoint of another country. We are acting exactly like the European powers of the late 19th century, trying to tell others how they should be, since they are obviously too uncivilized for their own good, or to backwards to know what is best for themselves.

Can you imagine the Founding Fathers of this country, being given an ultimatum and a deadline that they need to have a declaration of independence and constitution by July 4, 1776? Well, these events happened 13 years apart. After the Declaration of Independence was written, they states adopted the Articles of Federation, which banded the 13 colonies together in a federalist government system, that allowed the states equal rights to the federal government. This allowed them to fight and win the Revolutionary War (maybe that is how the Iraqi insurgents see this war, which may not be different then how communist North Vietnam saw that conflict) and begin self-rule. It was not until 1789, that the states realized that federalism did not work for them at that time, and a new constitutional congress was convened.

Now imagine that France, our ally at the time dictated to us that we needed to have established a new constitution immediately after the War is over in 1783. In addition, it has to be based upon the existing French system at the time. As we know this is ridiculous, since French went through its own revolution just a few years later in 1789. This seemingly crazy concept is exactly what we are doing in Iraq now, by imposing a deadline, because we want to withdraw our troops.

I want our troops out of Iraq as much as anyone does. We went there for the wrong reasons (nepotism, distraction, etc) in the first place but it is not worth debating that now, but for the life of me, I have no idea of half the country cannot believe the fact that there are no weapons of mass destruction nor is there any connection between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, but as I said, that is another story.

Now we are there, and in spite of the fact that candidate George W. Bush said we are not in the nation building business that is exactly what we are doing. What we have done is allow an Islamic fundamentalist breeding ground to be built. A place where every one who hates the US can use to point a finger of what is wrong with American and scratch the scab of fundamentalist, and to stir the hate against the US. So ultimately, I think we are stuck there, as peacekeepers for the long term and that means more soldiers will die. As mentioned earlier, if Iraq collapses the surrounding countries are going to come in a stake claims to their territories and the primary reason why we care about this and not about the Balkan conflict in the 80's and 90's? That is right boys and girls, OIL!

I was shocked to pay $2.75 for regular gasoline today and George W. Bush is still on vacation, with no clear plan to relieve the increasing cost of energy. I am sure the big oil companies are making record profits. Amazing. I guess I should not be surprised.

Such is life I guess !!!

Who Belongs in Cooperstown

This article was written exclusively for Zisk Magazine #11 (ziskmagazine.blogspot.com)

Too often, I think, baseball commentators refer to a baseball player as a certain hall-of-famer. I believe that this term is being thrown around too easily and at far too many players. So I will attempt to look at those players who either eligible or still playing to determine based upon my own criterion which include (but not limited to) individual career statistics and team performance who I believe should be voted in over the next few years.


Let me start off in a broad category of what type of player does not belong in the hall of fame. Mediocre or above average players, who might have had a few good years, but has not performed over the long term, does not belong in the hall of fame. Compilers, players who played beyond their years even though their statistics continued to fall, but they hang on to reach some individual goal, that baseball anointed as being hall of fame numbers, don’t belong in the hall of fame. Quite simply, was the player good enough to be great and elite by the standard of being held up against his peers of the day, if yes, then you can argue they should be in the hall, if you can name 2-5 players better then that player at the same position, then I would say they are good, but not great and should not be in the Cooperstown.


The Hall-of-Fame should be reserved for the best of the best at the time they played the game; those individuals who performed almost every year of their career significantly above the league average. Up until last year, hitters were hitting the ball better than ever before, so just because you have averaged 30 HR’s for the past few years does not in my mind make you a hall of famer, since many players have routinely hit 50+ in the time frame. The bar on which we measure needs to be moved up or down over time based upon the level of competition, the ball parks, the expansion and many other factors.

I am using baseball-reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/hof_monitor.shtml) as the basis for my comparison and providing the players statistics.* All Stats are through the 2004 season.


I am not even going to discuss these players that I feel are no-brainers, since I cannot justify these player’s not going into the hall (**except for the fallout of steroids). The position players are Barry Bonds**, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, Alex Rodriguez, Rickey Henderson, Sammy Sosa**, Mark McGwire**, Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza. The pitchers are: Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Mariano Rivera and Pedro Martinez. Now as I compare these lists, I see 10 position players and 5 pitchers, that tells me we are currently living in a hitters world, where pitching has been significantly diluted. Pitching has become such a specialized art, starter for 5 or 6 innings, middle reliever, closer, that I am not sure we have enough perspective to truly evaluate pitchers during this time period beyond the 5 mentioned above.


When I review the list of top eligible pitchers not listed above I come up with the following Lee Smith, Jim Kaat, Rich “Goose” Gossage, Jack Morris, and Bert Blyleven. The active pitchers are Tom Glavine, Curt Schilling, John Franco, Trevor Hoffman and John Smoltz. The hitters included the following retired players Jim Rice, Don Mattingly, Steve Garvey, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons, Joe Jackson (ineligible), Allan Trammel, Andre Dawson and Dale Murphy. It is interesting that Ron Santo, who is the latest HOF media darling not enshrined, is a whole 20 Jamesian points behind Andre Dawson, so not worthy of considerations. Along with the following active players Ken Griffey Jr, Roberto Alomar, Frank Thomas, Rafael Palmeiro**, Manny Ramirez, Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Jeff Bagwell, Bernie Williams, and Vlad Guerrero.

They are all good, but are they great, are they good enough to be immortalized in Cooperstown?

Let’s briefly look at each person and see why they do or do not belong.

Lee Smith – 136 HOF points*, 478 saves, 1289 ip; Rich “Goose” Gossage – 126 HOF points, 310 saves, 1809 ip -With closers Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersly now in the hall of fame, and Mariano a foregone conclusion 5 years after he retires, I think it is time that Smith and Goose get there due. In order to save a game during this era, closers were often asked to work 2 or 3 innings. Today a closer is working 1 or less inning the majority of the time outside of the playoffs, and therefore has diluted the value that Smith and Gossage brought in their day. My vote: IN

Jim Kaat – 129 HOF points*, 283 wins, 2461 K’s, 4 WS Appearances, 3 20+ win seasons - Kaat was solid for 25 years, never a team ace, never a standout season that brought him high votes in the CY Young or MVP voting, Conclusion: Compiler, My vote: Out

Jack Morris – 122 HOF points*, 254 wins, 2478 K’s, 3 WS Appearances -3 wins, 3 20+ win seasons - Morris was the ace of the Tigers for years, leading the AL in wins for the entire decade of the 1980’s. He played for and was the ace of 3 World Series winning teams with the 84 Tigers, the 91 twins, and the 92 Blue Jays. He was a gritty and determined, and pitched 10 innings of perhaps the greatest individual World Series game in history, Game 7 in 1991 against John Smoltz and the Braves. I do think that Morris is HOF caliber and should be voted in. My Vote: In

Bert Blyleven – 120 HOF points*, 287wins, 3701 K’s, 2 World Series Appearances - One word describes this dutchman, Compiler. My vote: Out

Tom Glavine, 154 HOF points* 262 wins, 2245 k’s, 5 20 wins Seasons, 4 WS Appearances – 1 win, Curt Schilling 151 HOF points*, 184 wins, 2745 K’s, 2 20 win seasons- I am going to group Glavine and Schilling together, because I think they are both gritty competitors who have made the teams the played on better. Both the Braves in Glavine’s prime and for Schilling the Dback’s in 2001 and the Red Sox in 2004 were better because of them, but if I look at the rest of their career, would Glavine have been as good on a different team, or that Schilling was traded so many times in his career kind of devalues their statistics in my mind. In order to be in the HOF, you need to have a great career, not just a few good years, and few great years, and both of these fit this category: My vote: Out

John Franco – 126 HOF points*, 424 saves, 1230 ip, Trevor Hoffman – 100 HOF points*, 393 saves 764 IP- In spite of my previous efforts to bring in Smith and Gossage, I don’t think Franco or Hoffman are good enough to make the cut. They have both totaled many saves, but not many innings, and not with much dominance. I view Franco as a compiler, and Hoffman as simply not having what it takes. My vote: Out

John Smoltz – 128 HOF points*, 163 wins, 154 saves. – I am going to withhold judgement on Smoltz until his career is completely over, since he went from starter to closer back to starter, which is quite impressive. If he is able to pitch dominantly as a starter for a few more years as he has so far this year, then I would say he could be considered great and should be in, but I am reserve judgement for a few more years. My vote: TBD

Jim Rice, Don Mattingly, Steve Garvey, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons, Allan Trammel, Andre Dawson, and Dale Murphy are quite simply all good or very good players who might have excelled in their positions for a few years, but were never great. Quite simply the BBWA got these right, as amazing as that seems. My vote: OUT

Joe Jackson (ineligible) – this is a whole different story. See previous Zisk article on the concept of a lifetime ban, and the fact that Jackson lifetime ended in 1951, and therefore should be eligible for consideration.

Ken Griffey Jr - 204 HOF points*, 501 HR’s, 2156 hits – Once considered a sure thing, but injuries have derailed his career for the past few years and have brought his credentials into question. I think he was sufficiently great enough for a long enough period of time, and the injuries, which I attribute to lack of conditioning should encourage voters to believe he was not on the juice, just lazy in the off-season and relied on natural talent, which fades into your 30’s. Even still, I think he is still a good bet. My Vote: In

Roberto Alomar – 193 HOF points*, 2724 hits – perhaps the premier 2b of the post Ryne Sandberg generation, which includes Craig Biggio and others. However, I will forever remember him for spitting on an umpire and tarnishing the game. He has also been traded multiple times and played for a total of 7 teams in 17 seasons. I know I never mentioned team loyalty as a criteria for HOF eligibility, and in today’s game it is impossible to assume a player will be with one team for his entire career, but this type of activity is a bit concerning. My vote: In

Frank Thomas – 179 HOF points*, 436 HR’s, 2 MVP’s, 15 seasons, 2113 hits .308 BA – Thomas creates the most difficult player in this article. Mostly I remember him as being a run down, injury prone, cranky White Sox DH. However, he was probably the premier player in the entire Major Leagues in the 90’s. Better than McGwire, better than Boggs, better than Gwynn. He is going to be perceived a lot like Don Mattingly, great early on and injured later on that hurt his credentials. I think that Thomas is vastly superior to Donnie Baseball, but I am concerned writers will only remember his recent past, and not the monster he was in his prime. My vote: IN

Rafael Palmeiro** - 156 HOF points*, Just because a player hits 500 HR and 3000 hits in this era, does not make them great, and Raffy is a perfect example, even before his recent steroid suspension, which has even further clouded his ability to compile statistics since steroids allegedly help keep players healthy since he has never been on the DL in 19 seasons. I have to group Fred McGriff in the same category as Raffy, a guy played a long time and compiled some good looking stats, but was never the premier player at his position during his career. My vote: OUT

Manny Ramirez – 155 HOF points*, 12 seasons, 390 HR’s – Manny is Manny as they say. I think he is special. I hate him because he has played for the Indians and the Red Sox, the Yankees largest rivals the past 10 years. Manny is a questionable fielder and a defensive liability. He is best suited to be a DH, and I don’t think DH’s should be in the Hall, see Paul Molitor. In spite of this, he still plays left field in Fenway, and make the occasionally gaffe. All of this can be forgiven, because he is an offensive force that borders on incredible. He is consistently among the leaders in all major hitting categories. My vote: IN

Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Jeff Bagwell, and Bernie Williams – They all have had flashes of brilliance, but not one of these players are consistently great. My vote: OUT

Vlad Guerrero – 134 HOF Points*, Lets wait and see how he finishes his career before giving him the benefit of the doubt, though he is well on his way, hopefully he follows the A-Rod (in spite of no significant post season results) and not Griffey and wind up on the bubble. TBD

In conclusion, and as much as I hate to admit the BBWA has been right in their voting up until now. I would like to see Morris, Smith and Gossage in Cooperstown. I don’t see any glaring mistakes when it comes to batters that are eligible that are not in yet. I think many current players are playing in small stadiums, in an era where steroids and diluted pitching has inflated the numbers making average players look above average, and making historical comparison difficult if not impossible for the non-mathematicians.

Among current players, only a handful are truly great, and should be referred to as certain hall-of-famers. The rest are good, but not great and have made very good money playing a kids game and should be happy with their successful careers, and should not hold their collective breaths after they retire for a call from the hall.

Jeff Herz, is an Information Technology manager who lives in CT works in NYC and loves baseball and baseball history. He has began writing a blog, which can be found at http://herzy69.blogspot.com. He is also a collector of baseball, and football cards, so if you got any to trade, let me know.

*This is another Jamesian creation. It attempts to assess how likely (not how deserving) an active player is to make the Hall of Fame. It's rough scale is 100 means a good possibility and 130 is a virtual cinch. It isn't hard and fast, but it does a pretty good job.

Here are the batting rules.
• For Batting Average, 2.5 points for each season over .300, 5.0 for over .350, 15 for over .400. Seasons are not double-counted. I require 100 games in a season to qualify for this bonus.
• For hits, 5 points for each season of 200 or more hits.
• 3 points for each season of 100 RBI's and 3 points for each season of 100 runs.
• 10 points for 50 home runs, 4 points for 40 HR, and 2 points for 30 HR.
• 2 points for 45 doubles and 1 point for 35 doubles.
• 8 points for each MVP award and 3 for each AllStar Game, and 1 point for a Rookie of the Year award.
• 2 points for a gold glove at C, SS, or 2B, and 1 point for any other gold glove.
• 6 points if they were the regular SS or C on a WS team, 5 points for 2B or CF, 3 for 3B, 2 for LF or RF, and 1 for 1B. I don't have the OF distribution, so I give 3 points for OF.
• 5 points if they were the regular SS or C on a League Championship (but not WS) team, 3 points for 2B or CF, 1 for 3B. I don't have the OF distribution, so I give 1 points for OF.
• 2 points if they were the regular SS or C on a Division Championship team (but not WS or LCS), 1 points for 2B, CF, or 3B. I don't have the OF distribution, so I give 1 points for OF.
• 6 points for leading the league in BA, 4 for HR or RBI, 3 for runs scored, 2 for hits or SB, and 1 for doubles and triples.
• 50 points for 3,500 career hits, 40 for 3,000, 15 for 2,500, and 4 for 2,000.
• 30 points for 600 career home runs, 20 for 500, 10 for 400, and 3 for 300.
• 24 points for a lifetime BA over .330, 16 if over .315, and 8 if over .300.
• For tough defensive positions, 60 for 1800 games as a catcher, 45 for 1,600 games, 30 for 1,400, and 15 for 1,200 games caught.
• 30 points for 2100 games at 2B or SS, or 15 for 1,800 games.
• 15 points for 2,000 games at 3B.
• An additional 15 points in the player has more than 2,500 games played at 2B, SS, or 3B.
• Award 15 points if the player's batting average is over .275 and they have 1,500 or more games as a 2B, SS or C.

Pitching Rules
• 15 points for each season of 30 or more wins, 10 for 25 wins, 8 for 23 wins, 6 for 20 wins, 4 for 18 wins, and 2 for 15 wins.
• 6 points for 300 strikeouts, 3 points for 250 SO, or 2 points for 200 or more strikeouts.
• 2 points for each season with 14 or more wins and a .700 winning percentage.
• 4 points for a sub-2.00 ERA, 1 point if under 3.00.
• 7 points for 40 or more saves, 4 points for 30 or more, and 1 point for 20 or more.
• 8 points for each MVP award, 5 for a Cy Young award, 3 for each AllStar Game, and 1 point for a Rookie of the Year award.
• 1 point for a gold glove.
• 1 point for each no-hitter. This is not currently included.
• 2 points for leading the league in ERA, 1 for leading in games, wins, innings, W-L%, SO, SV or SHO. Half point for leading in CG.
• 35 points for 300 or more wins, 25 for 275, 20 for 250, 15 for 225, 10 for 200, 8 for 174 and 5 for 150 wins.
• 8 points for a career W-L% over .625, 5 points for over .600, 3 points for over .575, and 1 point for over .525, min. 190 decisions.
• 10 points for a career ERA under 3.00, min 190 decisions.
• 20 points for 300 career saves and 10 points for 200 career saves.
• 30 points for 1000 career games, 20 for 850 games and 10 for 700 games.
• 20 points for more than 4,000 strikeouts, and 10 for 3,000 SO.
• 2 points for each WS start, 1 point for each relief appearance, and 2 for a win.
• 1 point for each league playoff win.

Mollie is 1 today

It is amazing how this little lady has grown in one year.

The first picture is from August 26, 2004, so she is about 2 weeks old here. The second was taken about a week ago. I have to admit, she is so much different than her brother it is amazing. Her brother was always able to play quietly by himself. Mollie is a nosy one, always needs to be sitting at the table with the adults, seeing what is going on. She is a people person. I am not saying Jacob is not, but he is often content to sit down and look at a picture book (though he is now trying to teach himself to read now), or play a game by himself or watch a movie on TV. Mollie does not ever sit in front of the TV, it is a distraction to her. She does not look at books. She eats them or rips the pages. She is a typical toddler now that she is crawling and ready to walk. She is getting into everything. If there is a pile of papers on a table within an arms reach, she knocks it down. She is constantly playing in the dog's water, about the only major no-no in our house is to stay away from the dog dish, but she continually tries.

We went to the Norwalk Aquarium and saw the Albino aligator named Blizzard. We then went out for dinner and had ice cream with her 92 year old great-grandmother. If you ever met Nanny, you would not think she is in her 90's, but rather her late 70's or maybe early 80's.

Happy Birthday Mollie!!!

Yankees Win and the Mets Come Crashing Together

Well the Yankees bullpen almost blew another one last night. However Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were able to pull it out and gain a half a game on the idle Red Sox. We will see what they can do tonight as Al Leiter takes on Chris Young.

The Mets lost two key pieces of their outfield last night when Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron collided head on trying to catch a short fly ball. You can see that it was a nasty collision in the sequence of photos from AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi. It was quite a spectacular collision with Cameron being carted off the field on a stretcher. They are reporting that Cameron is having reconstructive facial surgery today and Beltran has a concussion. Either way it is a massive blow to the Mets and whatever faint hopes they had for the playoffs. At least we will be able to see what Victor Diaz can bring to the club with what should be an extended stay on the team.

The Rangers signed two minor leaguers (Joe Rullier a Defenseman, and Blair Betts a Center). So far they only have 8 forwards and 6 defenseman under contract for the season. I know there are about 200 unsigned free agents out there, and they want to play their younger guys, but come on, lets do something, sign someone and make it look like the team has a pulse.

Jacob and Mollie

Yankees Lose Again

Lets consider that the White Sox do have the best record in the AL, and according to one friend has a team custome made for the playoffs, they were suprisingly the underdogs to the Yankees this week. The Yankees however were playing at home and trying to stay in the playoff race. The Yankees wound up losing 2 out 3. I went last night to the game that will probably be remembered more for what happened off the field, rather than what happened on. In the 8th inning after Tony Womak singled, Derek Jeter sacrificed him over to second, and Robinson Cano then flied out to center, Gary Sheffield came to bat. Next there was roar in the crowd, like perhaps a fight had broken out. I then see a police officer leave the ChiSox dugout, and looking behind home plate, and talking on his walkie talkie. It seems an 18 year old kid jumped from the upper deck to see if the net would support him. Being an older more responsible person, I wonder what would happen if the net did not support him, or worse as the same friend pointed out what would have happened to the people underneath the net. Luckily the net held, and the game was delayed for 4 minutes.

I think this kind of killed the Yankee mojo, as it gave the cheaters from 1919, an opportunity to regroup and get it together. Sheff hit a harmless grounder to short for the final out of the inning. Alan Embree, late of the BoSox, gave up a homer to Paul Konerko, before being replaced by Tanyon Sturtze, who finished the game. The Yankees had a mini rally with another Arod bomb, and getting a few players on, and Bernie Williams lining the first pitch he saw as a pinch hitter for the final out. Game Over.

The Yankees lost this afternoon in the rubber game (I wish I knew where this phrase comes from), with Mariano Rivera giving up a triple in the 10th, then a close play at the plate was the deciding run in another 2-1 loss.

The most frustrating part in retrospect about the game last night was watching Jose Contreas pitch his ass off for the other team. I watched him for 2 years struggle with inconsistency and never able to step up in a pressure situation, then he essentially shuts them out for 7+ innings, giving up 3 harmless singles and 2 walks. I suppose since he left with 7-6 record, he probably has been just as inconsistent in the windy city as the big apple, but it was extremely bothersome, not seeing the Yankee bats come alive during this three game set and light him up like a pinball machine, like we have seen other teams do to him in the past.

The Yankees are now 5 games behind Boston, pending the end of the Red Sox/Ranger game tonight and 4 behind the A's in the wild card. Randy Johnson is going to miss his start tomorrow with a bad back, and Scott Proctor stands in line to be the 13th starter this year. Who would have thought in March and April that every starter but Mike Mussina would be injured and miss time before the end of the season and that Ching Ming Wang, Al Leiter, Aaron Small, and Shawn Chacon would be some of the starters that have kept the yankees afloat, with Hideo Nomo or Jorge DePaula on the horizon.

I don't think we will see Pavano again this year, though the word on Jaret Wright has been encouraging. In spite of it all, I don't know how they will Yankees will make the playoffs, without an incredible run very soon. But streaky teams tend to be mediocre teams, just look at the Mets the past few years. They are always hovering around .500, a few games back in the weak NL East, and not far from the wild card. The fans think they are contenders, but they are just a team capable of winning about half their games, nothing more nothing less. The Yankees and their $210+ Million payroll is better than a .500 team, but not with 13 or more starting pitchers, not with an aging Bernie Williams, a disgruntled Tony Womak, and a weak non-confident Jason Giambi for the first few months of the season.

The NY Rangers have done nothing in the past week. It seems that no one wants to play at Madison Square Garden. I blame the Dolans. I cancelled my cable subscription to Cablevision a few years ago, and moved to DirectTV, simply because I hate what the Dolan's did to the Rangers and the Knicks, and I am not even a basketball fan. The Dolans only thing they seem to know is how to raise prices on their services and to produce negative advertising. I just wish they would sell the Rangers and the Knicks to someone who knows how to run a professional sports franchise.

Peter Jennings Death and the change of TV

I think with the death of Peter Jennings and with the recent retirment of Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, that television news has significantly changed and not necessarily for the better. One thing about growing up in the 70's that you could count on was Cronkite at 6 pm in the east and Carson at 11:30 pm. When Cronkite retired in 1981, the fabric of television and the news changed a little. I don't know the specific ratings, but Cronkite was the hands down leader in evening news. ABC was doing 3 talking heads from around the world, and I am not even sure who was on NBC at the time, but within a few years the big 3 came up and delivered the news for me growing up. While I was partial to Brokaw and NBC, I often reverted to ABC for a change of pace. In spite of my left leanings, I never really cared for CBS after Cronkite. CBS as a whole was skewed older and I could not relate to the stories or to Rather, not sure which.

In 1991, the first gulf war changed everything. CNN with Peter Arnet, Wolf Blitzer and Bernard Shaw were what to watch. They presented undigested, unedited, raw news. They often got in trouble for not fact checking and allowing bogus stories to run, but in times of crisis, everyone including the President (GHW Bush, Clinton) got his information from CNN. They kind of pushed the big 3 news to beginning of irrelevance. Soon after this the cable landscape began to gain dominance and out came the new big 3 of news CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel (FNC). The "news" became more about tracking OJ in the white bronco, and talking heads shouting at one another, which used to be reserved for Sunday mornings on the networks now was running every night, or it was celebrity style interviews with Larry King. Essentially, the dumbing down of "news" and the beginning of reality television. It is any surprise that we have evolved to where we are now?

Television news today has become too political, Fox News is too right wing, CNN is too left. The whole country has become polarized and it seems no one is left in the middle. I read an article in today's paper that talks about how the media has lost touch with America. It was by Ellen Goodman, talking about a teenager watching a baseball game and then cut to commercial for the gore-fest that is the Amytiville Horror. Ms. Goodman explained that the boys mother and grandmother were bothered by the fact that they could not shield this child in their home from inappropriate content in spite of watching a baseball game. Rick Riley in Sports Illustrated wrote a piece a few months ago about a similar scenario of watching a game with his son, who asked what erectile dysfunction was after seeing a Viagra, Levitra or Cialis ad, or maybe it was on one of those rotating advertisements behind home plate, which the networks will super-impose their own paid sponsors onto, rather than whatever the individual stadium has negotiated. His son was asking what these commmercials were about, and quite frankly I would not know how to answer my son at that age. Just because it is allowed, does not mean it is correct to advertise certain products on Television, but I suppose that is another rant for another day.

Basically, I don't trust any news source anymore. I don't watch news on TV, except SportsCenter, which has become a big Disney/ABC shill, such as Steve Levy reporting on Peter Jennings death last night. What is the sports angle there? No idea, but ESPN felt necessary to report it. I read Time Magazine weekly, but not sure I believe what I read. I scour the internet for news and ultimately I make my own decisions on what I believe about the world. I don't think Tom and Katie, have any impact on the world. I don't think Rosie O'Donnell or Sean Penn should have any influence over the political scene, but some how they do. Why did entertainers, become political spokes people? Just because your famous, does not make you smart (see Tom Cruise for exhibit A) and does not make you an expert in anything but acting, entertaining, singing, dancing, etc. I am interested in history, politics, economics, sports, but I am not an expert nor do I portray myself as anything but an interested party in those subjects. I am Information Technology Manager, and if some one asks me about that I can claim to be an expert since that is my vocation.

By the way, Mike Mussina outpitched El Duque last night as teh Yankees beat the Central leading White Sox 3-2. I doubt the White Sox will make the series with the Red Sox and Angels better teams. I think they will make the playoffs, and be satisfied with that accomplishment, and make a fast exit in the first round. I am off to the game tonight. Shawn Chacon vs. Jose Contreas. The pitching battle of the New Yankees vs. the old Yankees continues.

Bridgeport Bluefish Lose, Yankees win

I took my four year old son Jacob to a Bridgeport Bluefish today along with a bunch of his friends and their fathers. The Bluefish were terrible giving up 10 runs, allowing 4 errors (2 by the left fielder alone), and getting less than a handful of hits, ultimately losing to the Somerset Patriots 10-1. The Bluefish pitcher looked like he was pitching in slow motion, with one Patriot hitting a home run about 400 feet over the right center field wall, and another guy crushed a ball hitting the train tracks over the right field wall. In spite of it, a good time was had by all. Bridgeport plays in the independent Atlantic League, which has seen Rickey Henderson and John Rocker attempting comebacks here. The stadium is a nice little place, with no bad seats in the house. We were in the "upper deck", about 15-20 rows from the field on the first base side. The best part was after the game, they allowed the kids onto the field to run the bases. This was the first time that Jacob actually made it all the way around, and not being detoured by an insect or something. It was fun watching him though it dropped the bluefish to 4-19, pretty terrible. Here is a picture of him heading home



We then went to play mini-golf, which Jacob fell in love with when we were on vacation in June at Rehobeth Beach, DE. He does not yet grasp the finer techniques of the game. He will pick it up the ball and place it by the cup in order to make it easier to put his shot in. He does strike the ball well every 10 or so shots, but he is learning. It is a lot of fun. We then picked up pizza for dinner. I heard on the WFAN 20/20 update that they Yankees won, but so did the Red Sox, keeping them 3.5 games behind the Red Sox. It is now being reported that Johnson is going to miss his next start because of his ailing back. Pavano has been pushed back as well, which means I will see Chacon at the Stadium on Tuesday night.

I cannot believe what incredible crap is on TV these days. Almost every night is just more rubbish. Tonight The Simpsons was a repeat so we resorted to Extreme Makeover, Home Edition. Crap, Crap, Crap. It is amazing the schlock they pitch on that show. They find a real sorry case family with an extremely sick child, and they redo the entire house in like a week. It is meant to be a tear jerker, but it is almost vomit inducing. And this is probably the best of what is available of reality television. However, I have been TiVo'ing Arrested Development, and even the second time around it is still the funnist show on televsion. It is well written, well shot, well acted. I wish more shows like this would show up on TV. I am trying to give Stella a chance, the new show with the guys from the State, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain, but it is a bit strange even for me.

Maybe I am just out of touch with main stream America.

Yankees Win, Ranger Signings

The Yankees finally woke from their recent slumber last night in the 9th inning with homers by Arod and Giambi to beat the Indians 4-3. They however remain 4.5 games behind the Red Sox and 3 games behind the A's in the wild card chase. I honestly believe we are looking at 1965 all over again. The team is looking old, the pitching is terrible at best when not injured. It is so bad that Al Leiter has become a savior at 39, after being dumped by the Marlins and the Mets last year and Hideo Nomo, a pitcher not even good enough for the Devil Rays. Carl Pavano is supposed to be back next week, but he has been less than impressive so far. It will take a huge run by the Yankees to make the playoffs this year. I would not count on it.

Speaking of not counting on the playoffs, hockey is back and Glen Sather is still making ridiculously idiotic moves wiht the roster. They still have Jagomir Jagr signed, and then rather go get another impact player, like his primary rivals have done in the east, he signs a couple of middle tier players with the idea of playing kids to get experience. Now, I have been wanted the Rangers to rebuild since the mid to late 90's, and both Neil Smith and Glen Sather refused, continuing to sign over priced, over aged, veterans (the Ranger way) and continually trading away younger players, so they have no essential core to build around. Now that there is a salary cap and a level playing field (not that money could buy championships in hockey), the Rangers choose to stand pat, rather than even attempt to get into the market. My pre-season prediciton is no playoffs again.