Picks for this week:
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2
Detroit Lions at CHICAGO BEARS
Houston Texans at MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Green Bay Packers at TENNESSEE TITANS
New York Jets at BUFFALO BILLS
Arizona Cardinals at ST. LOUIS RAMS
Baltimore Ravens at CLEVELAND BROWNS
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS at Kansas City Chiefs
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS at Cincinnati Bengals
Miami Dolphins at DENVER BRONCOS
Dallas Cowboys at NEW YORK GIANTS
ATLANTA FALCONS at Oakland Raiders
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at Seattle Seahawks
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS at Indianapolis Colts
MONDAY NOVEMBER 3
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Washington Redskins
Babble: It looks bleak for the Lions and Bengals...things don't look all that good for the Colts and Cowboys either, who will continue their downward slide...the Titans, on the other hand, will continue their winning ways.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
What...
...is in my head: "Goodnight Rose" by Ryan (don't call me Bryan) Adams. This video isn't bad, especially on yer second beer, but I like the version of the song on the CD Easy Rider best. Both that version and the one performed here have a melancholy feel, a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, and put me in the mind of late 60s/early 70s Neil Young.
Poor Rose, out there in the country, in a small town, out on the farm, just looking to get out, just needs a way out, maybe this time we'll win the whole shebang. In the morning light, everything will look better. Good night, Rose.
Goodnight Rose by Ryan Adams - Funny bloopers are a click away
Poor Rose, out there in the country, in a small town, out on the farm, just looking to get out, just needs a way out, maybe this time we'll win the whole shebang. In the morning light, everything will look better. Good night, Rose.
Goodnight Rose by Ryan Adams - Funny bloopers are a click away
Prognosticate This!
Prognosticating is obviously not my forte. I picked the Cubs to win the World Series in 7 games. Yeah, breaking that 100-year-old curse didn't quite happen, did it?
This evening the Philadelphia Phillies, the team with more losses in it's 123 years history than any team in any major league, won it's second World Series championship. They beat the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that finished in the cellar last year and has never had a winning season in it's ten year history until this year. Of course, I picked the Rays to finish in fourth place, in front of only the lowly Baltimore Orioles, who did indeed end up in last place. So there.
In defense of my prognosticating, I did pick the Phillies to finish in second in their division, behind the Mets, who decided it was better to self-implode at the end of the season rather than end up in first place. So I guess I've got that going for me. And I did pick the Dodgers to win the West, which they did, only to go and beat the crap out of the Cubs, before having the crap beat out of them.
In addition to thinking the Cubs would go all the way this year, I thought the Detroit Tigers would win the American League Central. That didn't work out well at all. It's a bad year for baseball and football in Detroit. I guess there's still hope for the Pistons and the Red Wings.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (it sounds like they're naming a mall or something with that moniker -- "The Baseball Galleria at Anaheim") won the AL West but couldn't get past a team that I thought wasn't as good as them, the Boston Red Sox.
Shows you what I know.
As for the Cubs, dare I say it?
There's always next year.
Next century, more like it.
This evening the Philadelphia Phillies, the team with more losses in it's 123 years history than any team in any major league, won it's second World Series championship. They beat the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that finished in the cellar last year and has never had a winning season in it's ten year history until this year. Of course, I picked the Rays to finish in fourth place, in front of only the lowly Baltimore Orioles, who did indeed end up in last place. So there.
In defense of my prognosticating, I did pick the Phillies to finish in second in their division, behind the Mets, who decided it was better to self-implode at the end of the season rather than end up in first place. So I guess I've got that going for me. And I did pick the Dodgers to win the West, which they did, only to go and beat the crap out of the Cubs, before having the crap beat out of them.
In addition to thinking the Cubs would go all the way this year, I thought the Detroit Tigers would win the American League Central. That didn't work out well at all. It's a bad year for baseball and football in Detroit. I guess there's still hope for the Pistons and the Red Wings.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (it sounds like they're naming a mall or something with that moniker -- "The Baseball Galleria at Anaheim") won the AL West but couldn't get past a team that I thought wasn't as good as them, the Boston Red Sox.
Shows you what I know.
As for the Cubs, dare I say it?
There's always next year.
Next century, more like it.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Football: NFL Week 8, the Results
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26
BUFFALO BILLS at Miami Dolphins
Miami 25, BUFFALO 16
WASHINGTON REDSKINS at Detroit Lions
WASHINGTON 25, Detroit 17
San Diego Chargers at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
NEW ORLEANS 37, San Diego 32
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS at Dallas Cowboys
Dallas 13, TAMPA BAY 9
Oakland Raiders at BALTIMORE RAVENS
BALTIMORE 29, Oakland 10
Kansas City Chiefs at NEW YORK JETS
NEW YORK JETS 28, Kansas City 24
St. Louis Rams at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
NEW ENGLAND 23, St. Louis 16
Arizona Cardinals at CAROLINA PANTHERS
CAROLINA 27, Arizona 23
Atlanta Falcons at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
PHILADELPHIA 27, Atlanta 14
Cincinnati Bengals at HOUSTON TEXANS
HOUSTON 35, Cincinnati 6
Cleveland Browns at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Cleveland 23, JACKSONVILLE 17
New York Giants at PITTSBURGH STEELERS
New York Giants 21, PITTSBURGH 14
Seattle Seahawks at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Seattle 34, SAN FRANCISCO 13
MONDAY OCTOBER 27
Indianapolis Colts at TENNESSEE TITANS
TENNESSEE 31, Indianapolis 21
Babble: 9-5 with my picks this week... Mike Singletary benched quarterback J.T. O’Sulllivan after throwing 2 interceptions, benched another player for being a knucklehead, generally lit a fire under the 49ers and -- they still lost...J.T. O’Sullivan sounds like a name concocted by a marketing firm for a chain of sports bars --”J.T. O’Sullivan’s Booze and Sports Emporium”...what’s going on with the Jets -- they lost to the Raiders last week and barely beat Kansas City and their 3rd string QB on Sunday...the question remains, will Tennessee go undefeated?
BUFFALO BILLS at Miami Dolphins
Miami 25, BUFFALO 16
WASHINGTON REDSKINS at Detroit Lions
WASHINGTON 25, Detroit 17
San Diego Chargers at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
NEW ORLEANS 37, San Diego 32
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS at Dallas Cowboys
Dallas 13, TAMPA BAY 9
Oakland Raiders at BALTIMORE RAVENS
BALTIMORE 29, Oakland 10
Kansas City Chiefs at NEW YORK JETS
NEW YORK JETS 28, Kansas City 24
St. Louis Rams at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
NEW ENGLAND 23, St. Louis 16
Arizona Cardinals at CAROLINA PANTHERS
CAROLINA 27, Arizona 23
Atlanta Falcons at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
PHILADELPHIA 27, Atlanta 14
Cincinnati Bengals at HOUSTON TEXANS
HOUSTON 35, Cincinnati 6
Cleveland Browns at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Cleveland 23, JACKSONVILLE 17
New York Giants at PITTSBURGH STEELERS
New York Giants 21, PITTSBURGH 14
Seattle Seahawks at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Seattle 34, SAN FRANCISCO 13
MONDAY OCTOBER 27
Indianapolis Colts at TENNESSEE TITANS
TENNESSEE 31, Indianapolis 21
Babble: 9-5 with my picks this week... Mike Singletary benched quarterback J.T. O’Sulllivan after throwing 2 interceptions, benched another player for being a knucklehead, generally lit a fire under the 49ers and -- they still lost...J.T. O’Sullivan sounds like a name concocted by a marketing firm for a chain of sports bars --”J.T. O’Sullivan’s Booze and Sports Emporium”...what’s going on with the Jets -- they lost to the Raiders last week and barely beat Kansas City and their 3rd string QB on Sunday...the question remains, will Tennessee go undefeated?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
What...
...I'm listening to: Danielia Cotton. She is a young lady from rural New Jersey (I didn't know there was such a thing) who can sing blues based rock n roll like nobody's business. She has a CD out called Rare Child and every song is a gem. If I had to describe her sound, I might compare her musically to the Black Crows, although Cotton is a lot less trippy-dippy than the Crows, with a more stripped-down vibe happening. Cotton's lyrics are more personal, and the music more straight ahead rock and roll. For someone from New Jersey, the music has a bit of a 70s southern rock sound to it. So, take the Black Crows, Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC/DC, Aretha Franklin and some funk and you've got Danielia Cotton. Whatever, she makes great music to listen to while you're in the shower or working out or doing something that needs an energetic soundtrack. I hope she makes more CDs and goes on a big honkin' tour that makes her a household name.
...I'm reading: No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin. There's not a lot of people named Doris anymore. Maybe that's why I like Goodwin, because she's a Doris, a throwback to another time. And she's a baseball fan; she's been known to wax rhapsodic (do what now?) about the Brooklyn Dodgers. She's a good writer as well. She knows how to tell a story and takes you to the place the story is happening so you can see it clearly in your mind. This particular book contains a plethora of stories, all about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and what it was like to be in the White House, in Washington, and in America, from the time just before Pearl Harbor through the duration of World War II. It's an excellent read but it's gonna take me awhile; it's over 600 pages. I'm a little slow. (Make of that comment what you will.)
...I'm watching: "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3". I visited New York City for the first time last month and in preparation I wanted to watch a movie I hadn't seen since I was a kid in the 70s. I thought "Pelham" would get me in the mood to ride the subway, which it did, or it would frighten me from ever riding the subway again, which it did not. The film stars Walter Matthau as a transit cop and Robert Shaw as the leader of a small gang of men that hijack a subway train in (or rather, under) Manhattan. The film has a cheesy 70's quality about it, there's a lot of swearing, simply because they could do that in movies whereas they couldn't before, and New York looks dirty and dangerous, the way we like New York to look, the way it should be. Anyhoo, it's enjoyable viewing, and it has an interesting cast. Besides Matthau and Shaw, there are Jerry Stiller (Ben's dad) as a subway cop, and Doris Roberts (Raymond's mom on "Everybody Loves Raymond") as the mayor's wife. The other subway hijackers are played by Martin Balsam, a young Hector Elizondo, and Earl Hindman, who went on to be the guy behind the fence on the sitcom "Home Improvement." "Pelham" was obviously an influence on Quentin Tarentino. In "Reservoir Dogs," as in "Pelham," the bad guys all refer to each other by fake names that are colors, such as "Mr. Blue," and they all dress alike.
I watched "Pelham" once all the way through before my trip, and then last week did a viewing where I fast forwarded to all the really good parts, mostly when either Matthau or Shaw is on the screen.
One thing I will say that I found funny in a way, is that the hijackers demand only $1 million for their 18 hostages. A million dollars just is not thought of as a lot of money in a day and age where even mediocre baseball players are multi-millionaires.
...I'm reading: No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin. There's not a lot of people named Doris anymore. Maybe that's why I like Goodwin, because she's a Doris, a throwback to another time. And she's a baseball fan; she's been known to wax rhapsodic (do what now?) about the Brooklyn Dodgers. She's a good writer as well. She knows how to tell a story and takes you to the place the story is happening so you can see it clearly in your mind. This particular book contains a plethora of stories, all about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and what it was like to be in the White House, in Washington, and in America, from the time just before Pearl Harbor through the duration of World War II. It's an excellent read but it's gonna take me awhile; it's over 600 pages. I'm a little slow. (Make of that comment what you will.)
...I'm watching: "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3". I visited New York City for the first time last month and in preparation I wanted to watch a movie I hadn't seen since I was a kid in the 70s. I thought "Pelham" would get me in the mood to ride the subway, which it did, or it would frighten me from ever riding the subway again, which it did not. The film stars Walter Matthau as a transit cop and Robert Shaw as the leader of a small gang of men that hijack a subway train in (or rather, under) Manhattan. The film has a cheesy 70's quality about it, there's a lot of swearing, simply because they could do that in movies whereas they couldn't before, and New York looks dirty and dangerous, the way we like New York to look, the way it should be. Anyhoo, it's enjoyable viewing, and it has an interesting cast. Besides Matthau and Shaw, there are Jerry Stiller (Ben's dad) as a subway cop, and Doris Roberts (Raymond's mom on "Everybody Loves Raymond") as the mayor's wife. The other subway hijackers are played by Martin Balsam, a young Hector Elizondo, and Earl Hindman, who went on to be the guy behind the fence on the sitcom "Home Improvement." "Pelham" was obviously an influence on Quentin Tarentino. In "Reservoir Dogs," as in "Pelham," the bad guys all refer to each other by fake names that are colors, such as "Mr. Blue," and they all dress alike.
I watched "Pelham" once all the way through before my trip, and then last week did a viewing where I fast forwarded to all the really good parts, mostly when either Matthau or Shaw is on the screen.
One thing I will say that I found funny in a way, is that the hijackers demand only $1 million for their 18 hostages. A million dollars just is not thought of as a lot of money in a day and age where even mediocre baseball players are multi-millionaires.
America Saddens Me Sometimes
I just read an interesting article from Slate magazine about John McCain and the 1962 missile crisis. McCain has told crowds at his rallies that he was a fighter pilot on an aircraft carrier waiting for orders to attack. McCain then made a statement that this is the sort of situation that prepared him for the presidency. The article's author takes exception to that.
I take exception to the article. True, being a fighter pilot does not in and of itself prepare one to be president. But to be a fighter pilot in a pressure packed situation like that, where if you're given orders to attack you may be taking part in the initial stages of World War III, that does lend itself to preparing one to deal calmly with crises of massive importance. I certainly think it's better training for the presidency than being a community activist or a Harvard educated law professor at the University of Chicago.
I think once upon a time in America we regarded veterans in general, and veterans like John McCain in particular, who gave of themselves above and beyond the call of duty, with more respect and a sense that the service done by a veteran under certain circumstances perhaps gave them a little more wisdom about life than the average citizen. That regard seems to be missing from America right now, and that saddens me. It should sadden all of us.
I take exception to the article. True, being a fighter pilot does not in and of itself prepare one to be president. But to be a fighter pilot in a pressure packed situation like that, where if you're given orders to attack you may be taking part in the initial stages of World War III, that does lend itself to preparing one to deal calmly with crises of massive importance. I certainly think it's better training for the presidency than being a community activist or a Harvard educated law professor at the University of Chicago.
I think once upon a time in America we regarded veterans in general, and veterans like John McCain in particular, who gave of themselves above and beyond the call of duty, with more respect and a sense that the service done by a veteran under certain circumstances perhaps gave them a little more wisdom about life than the average citizen. That regard seems to be missing from America right now, and that saddens me. It should sadden all of us.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Football: Pick 'Em NFL Week 8
My picks in caps:
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26
BUFFALO BILLS at Miami Dolphins
WASHINGTON REDSKINS at Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS at Dallas Cowboys
Oakland Raiders at BALTIMORE RAVENS
Kansas City Chiefs at NEW YORK JETS
St. Louis Rams at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Arizona Cardinals at CAROLINA PANTHERS
Atlanta Falcons at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Cincinnati Bengals at HOUSTON TEXANS
Cleveland Browns at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
New York Giants at PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Seattle Seahawks at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
MONDAY OCTOBER 27
Indianapolis Colts at TENNESSEE TITANS
Babble: The game of the week could be the Giants and the Steelers...let's see if there is a rise in the level of intensity of the 49ers play now that Mike Singletary is in charge...I may have asked this before, but will the Lions win a game this year?...what about the Bengals?...conversely, will the Titans go undefeated in the regular season?...if that happens, it will be the second year in a row that a team runs the table...would that say more about the superior quality of the Patriots and Titans, or about the suckiness of many NFL teams?
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26
BUFFALO BILLS at Miami Dolphins
WASHINGTON REDSKINS at Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS at Dallas Cowboys
Oakland Raiders at BALTIMORE RAVENS
Kansas City Chiefs at NEW YORK JETS
St. Louis Rams at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Arizona Cardinals at CAROLINA PANTHERS
Atlanta Falcons at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Cincinnati Bengals at HOUSTON TEXANS
Cleveland Browns at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
New York Giants at PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Seattle Seahawks at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
MONDAY OCTOBER 27
Indianapolis Colts at TENNESSEE TITANS
Babble: The game of the week could be the Giants and the Steelers...let's see if there is a rise in the level of intensity of the 49ers play now that Mike Singletary is in charge...I may have asked this before, but will the Lions win a game this year?...what about the Bengals?...conversely, will the Titans go undefeated in the regular season?...if that happens, it will be the second year in a row that a team runs the table...would that say more about the superior quality of the Patriots and Titans, or about the suckiness of many NFL teams?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Another Day at the Races
Things I learned at the races this past Saturday:
-Speed is cool. But you already knew that. Me too. Still, it never hurts to repeat: Speed is cool. Speed makes a car lift off the ground when it’s taking off from the starting line like a bat out of hell. Now this lifting off the ground may actually slow the car down slightly as a second or two in the air detracts from time with wheels on the ground, racing down the strip. But let’s face facts, that lifting of the front end off the ground, like a jet taking off from the runway, just looks, uhmm, you know...cool.
Bat Out of Hell: Our friend, C.J. Williams in his Ford Cobra Mustang. C.J. was smokin' Saturday and beat all challengers in his class. Congratulations, C.J. !
-A dog is a race car driver’s best friend. There were a number of people with dogs at the track, dogs being walked, dogs sitting on the laps of spectators, dogs being held in their owners arms, dogs guarding their masters race cars and equipment. Well, rather than guarding, the dogs may actually have been waiting for belly rubs. Whatever. A dog can be watchful of property and still get his belly rubbed, can’t he? The dogs did not seem perturbed in the slightest by the noise of the cars, or all the commotion. Which is probably why there were there.
You didn’t see any cats at the races. A cat on a leash probably just wouldn’t work at all, at least I don't think it would. It would be kind of fun to observe a napping cat startled by the initial rumble of a race car starting; that would be a sight to see. But really, a cat at the track? Never gonna happen. A cat, unlike a dog, would simply never express enough interest in what his human was doing to warrant a trip to the track. A driver inquiring of his feline, “Muffin, would you like to go watch me race today, would you sweetie, hmmm?” would be met with an indifferent turning away of the cat’s head. A dog however, would be in the car, waiting to go with his head stuck out the car window by the time his human finished the question. The desire to be sociable is what makes dogs more lovable than cats.
Gone to the dogs: A race car driver's best friend. Dogs are also good friends with balding race spectators.
-Don’t forget the sunblock. Just because it’s mid-October and the temperature is around 60 degrees doesn’t mean you can forgo the Coppertone. If it’s a clear, sunny day and you spend that entire day outside without an SPF 45 or better sunblock, you will become a crispy critter by the end of the day.
-Byron, Illinois is home to not only the Byron Dragway, but the Turkey Testicle Festival as well. Just thought you should know.
-Depending on how fragile your hearing is, or how long you wish to remain amongst the hearing, you may want to consider ear plugs when you go the race track. Those of us in my age range (I’m 44) grew up with that loud rock ‘n roll blasted over stereos at home and in the car, we had Walkmans that put the music directly into our ears, as does the iPod and other devices we have now. So our aural senses have taken a lot of abuse over the course of our lifetimes. From the Baby Boomers to Generation X and beyond, we will all morph into one generation. We will all be Generation Deaf. So protect your hearing, because auto racing is loud. Race cars rumble and thunder and roar, all at maximum decibel levels. A day at the races sounds like a Motorhead concert, except that this concert goes on continually, lasting all day, whereas a Motorhead concert just feels like it lasts all day.
-Below are two videos of C.J. in his black Ford, shot on our little digital cameras. Not great video, but they do give one a sense of the sights and sounds of the racetrack.
-Speed is cool. But you already knew that. Me too. Still, it never hurts to repeat: Speed is cool. Speed makes a car lift off the ground when it’s taking off from the starting line like a bat out of hell. Now this lifting off the ground may actually slow the car down slightly as a second or two in the air detracts from time with wheels on the ground, racing down the strip. But let’s face facts, that lifting of the front end off the ground, like a jet taking off from the runway, just looks, uhmm, you know...cool.
Bat Out of Hell: Our friend, C.J. Williams in his Ford Cobra Mustang. C.J. was smokin' Saturday and beat all challengers in his class. Congratulations, C.J. !-A dog is a race car driver’s best friend. There were a number of people with dogs at the track, dogs being walked, dogs sitting on the laps of spectators, dogs being held in their owners arms, dogs guarding their masters race cars and equipment. Well, rather than guarding, the dogs may actually have been waiting for belly rubs. Whatever. A dog can be watchful of property and still get his belly rubbed, can’t he? The dogs did not seem perturbed in the slightest by the noise of the cars, or all the commotion. Which is probably why there were there.
You didn’t see any cats at the races. A cat on a leash probably just wouldn’t work at all, at least I don't think it would. It would be kind of fun to observe a napping cat startled by the initial rumble of a race car starting; that would be a sight to see. But really, a cat at the track? Never gonna happen. A cat, unlike a dog, would simply never express enough interest in what his human was doing to warrant a trip to the track. A driver inquiring of his feline, “Muffin, would you like to go watch me race today, would you sweetie, hmmm?” would be met with an indifferent turning away of the cat’s head. A dog however, would be in the car, waiting to go with his head stuck out the car window by the time his human finished the question. The desire to be sociable is what makes dogs more lovable than cats.
Gone to the dogs: A race car driver's best friend. Dogs are also good friends with balding race spectators.-Don’t forget the sunblock. Just because it’s mid-October and the temperature is around 60 degrees doesn’t mean you can forgo the Coppertone. If it’s a clear, sunny day and you spend that entire day outside without an SPF 45 or better sunblock, you will become a crispy critter by the end of the day.
-Byron, Illinois is home to not only the Byron Dragway, but the Turkey Testicle Festival as well. Just thought you should know.
-Depending on how fragile your hearing is, or how long you wish to remain amongst the hearing, you may want to consider ear plugs when you go the race track. Those of us in my age range (I’m 44) grew up with that loud rock ‘n roll blasted over stereos at home and in the car, we had Walkmans that put the music directly into our ears, as does the iPod and other devices we have now. So our aural senses have taken a lot of abuse over the course of our lifetimes. From the Baby Boomers to Generation X and beyond, we will all morph into one generation. We will all be Generation Deaf. So protect your hearing, because auto racing is loud. Race cars rumble and thunder and roar, all at maximum decibel levels. A day at the races sounds like a Motorhead concert, except that this concert goes on continually, lasting all day, whereas a Motorhead concert just feels like it lasts all day.
-Below are two videos of C.J. in his black Ford, shot on our little digital cameras. Not great video, but they do give one a sense of the sights and sounds of the racetrack.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Football: Pick 'Em, NFL Week 7 Results
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19
Minnesota Vikings at CHICAGO BEARS
CHICAGO BEARS 48, Minnesota 41
Baltimore Ravens at MIAMI DOLPHINS
Baltimore 27, MIAMI 13
Dallas Cowboys at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
ST. LOUIS 34, Dallas 14
San Diego Chargers at BUFFALO BILLS
BUFFALO 23, San Diego 13
TENNESSEE TITANS at Kansas City Chiefs
TENNESSEE 34, Kansas City 10
San Francisco 49ers at NEW YORK GIANTS
NEW YORK GIANTS 29, San Francisco 17
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Cincinnati Bengals
PITTSBURGH 38, Cincinnati 10
New Orleans Saints at CAROLINA PANTHERS
CAROLINA 30, New Orleans 7
Detroit Lions at HOUSTON TEXANS
HOUSTON 28, Detroit 21
NEW YORK JETS at Oakland Raiders
Oakland 16, NEW YORK JETS 13 OT
Cleveland Browns at WASHINGTON REDSKINS
WASHINGTON 14, Cleveland 11
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at Green Bay Packers
Green Bay 34, INDIANAPOLIS 14
Seattle Seahawks at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
TAMPA BAY 20, Seattle 10
MONDAY OCTOBER 20
DENVER BRONCOS at New England Patriots
New England 41, DENVER 7
Babble: 10-4 on my picks this week...the Bears had quite a game offensively, scoring 48 points, 14 of them coming from special teams...you do have to worry about their defense...you know, that defense that gave up 41 points...Indy seems to be fading fast...maybe Payton Manning needs a third operation on his knee...how about those Raiders, handing Brett Favre his first lost against them ever...apparently, it was a bad idea to pick Denver over the Patriots.
Minnesota Vikings at CHICAGO BEARS
CHICAGO BEARS 48, Minnesota 41
Baltimore Ravens at MIAMI DOLPHINS
Baltimore 27, MIAMI 13
Dallas Cowboys at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
ST. LOUIS 34, Dallas 14
San Diego Chargers at BUFFALO BILLS
BUFFALO 23, San Diego 13
TENNESSEE TITANS at Kansas City Chiefs
TENNESSEE 34, Kansas City 10
San Francisco 49ers at NEW YORK GIANTS
NEW YORK GIANTS 29, San Francisco 17
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Cincinnati Bengals
PITTSBURGH 38, Cincinnati 10
New Orleans Saints at CAROLINA PANTHERS
CAROLINA 30, New Orleans 7
Detroit Lions at HOUSTON TEXANS
HOUSTON 28, Detroit 21
NEW YORK JETS at Oakland Raiders
Oakland 16, NEW YORK JETS 13 OT
Cleveland Browns at WASHINGTON REDSKINS
WASHINGTON 14, Cleveland 11
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at Green Bay Packers
Green Bay 34, INDIANAPOLIS 14
Seattle Seahawks at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
TAMPA BAY 20, Seattle 10
MONDAY OCTOBER 20
DENVER BRONCOS at New England Patriots
New England 41, DENVER 7
Babble: 10-4 on my picks this week...the Bears had quite a game offensively, scoring 48 points, 14 of them coming from special teams...you do have to worry about their defense...you know, that defense that gave up 41 points...Indy seems to be fading fast...maybe Payton Manning needs a third operation on his knee...how about those Raiders, handing Brett Favre his first lost against them ever...apparently, it was a bad idea to pick Denver over the Patriots.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Fleeing Thoughts: Three Complaints and a Cheer
-Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama for president. The man who appeared before the UN to sell the Iraq war to the world, the man who never spoke out against war publicly while part of the Bush administration, the man who hasn't said much against the war since leaving the Bush White House, this man now endorses the Empty Suit who runs a campaign with a platform that says the Iraq war was wrong. Way to cement the tarnish on your reputation. Too bad. I once had respect for Colin Powell, now I have none.
-What makes Cubs GM Jim Hendry the genius all the baseball columnists say he is? Got me. He has Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano locked into deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars with a no-trade clauses, so essentially there's no way to get rid of these guys who, to put it mildly, underachieved in the playoffs two years in a row. He is also responsible for bringing Kosuke Fukudome here at great expense. I liked K-Dome at the start, when he was actually playing baseball the way it should be played, but something soured within him, he stopped trying, and he turned out to be a big bust. Dusty Baker was Hendry's idea. That alone should earn Hendry the enmity of Cubs fans everywhere. So what do the Cubs do? Extend his contract. Swell.
-Am I hearing correctly? The government is pondering another round of economic stimulus checks? Let me get this straight. The first round barely had any effect on the economy before things went really bad. So, the Feds think, okay, let's give away more money we don't have. Isn't doing the same thing over and over, even though it doesn't work, one of the definitions of insanity?
-I like the city of Boston. Lots of history there, and the place just seems so darn quaint. And don't get me started on the accents those people have out there. Listening to Bostonians puts me in the mind of chowduh, and I like chowduh. I also like Sam Adams beer and New Balance running shoes, both made in Boston. And let's add that I'm a Red Sox fan. Have been ever since the great Carlton Fisk played there before coming to the South Side. But I'm glad the Tampa Bay Rays won the ALCS and are going to their first World Series. The Sox won the Series in 2004 and again last year. They have been blessed. Now it's someone else's turn. And you gotta love the Rays, going from last place in 2007 to the World Series in 2008. (Note to the Cubs: the Rays have only been in existence 10 years and they're going to the World Series. Is there a reason, a really good reason, the Cubs haven't gotten to the Big Show since 1945?)
-What makes Cubs GM Jim Hendry the genius all the baseball columnists say he is? Got me. He has Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano locked into deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars with a no-trade clauses, so essentially there's no way to get rid of these guys who, to put it mildly, underachieved in the playoffs two years in a row. He is also responsible for bringing Kosuke Fukudome here at great expense. I liked K-Dome at the start, when he was actually playing baseball the way it should be played, but something soured within him, he stopped trying, and he turned out to be a big bust. Dusty Baker was Hendry's idea. That alone should earn Hendry the enmity of Cubs fans everywhere. So what do the Cubs do? Extend his contract. Swell.
-Am I hearing correctly? The government is pondering another round of economic stimulus checks? Let me get this straight. The first round barely had any effect on the economy before things went really bad. So, the Feds think, okay, let's give away more money we don't have. Isn't doing the same thing over and over, even though it doesn't work, one of the definitions of insanity?
-I like the city of Boston. Lots of history there, and the place just seems so darn quaint. And don't get me started on the accents those people have out there. Listening to Bostonians puts me in the mind of chowduh, and I like chowduh. I also like Sam Adams beer and New Balance running shoes, both made in Boston. And let's add that I'm a Red Sox fan. Have been ever since the great Carlton Fisk played there before coming to the South Side. But I'm glad the Tampa Bay Rays won the ALCS and are going to their first World Series. The Sox won the Series in 2004 and again last year. They have been blessed. Now it's someone else's turn. And you gotta love the Rays, going from last place in 2007 to the World Series in 2008. (Note to the Cubs: the Rays have only been in existence 10 years and they're going to the World Series. Is there a reason, a really good reason, the Cubs haven't gotten to the Big Show since 1945?)
Friday, October 17, 2008
Football: Pick 'Em Week 7
Here they are, my picks in caps:
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19
Minnesota Vikings at CHICAGO BEARS
Baltimore Ravens at MIAMI DOLPHINS
Dallas Cowboys at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
San Diego Chargers at BUFFALO BILLS
TENNESSEE TITANS at Kansas City Chiefs
San Francisco 49ers at NEW YORK GIANTS
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Cincinnati Bengals
New Orleans Saints at CAROLINA PANTHERS
Detroit Lions at HOUSTON TEXANS
NEW YORK JETS at Oakland Raiders
Cleveland Browns at WASHINGTON REDSKINS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
MONDAY OCTOBER 20
DENVER BRONCOS at New England Patriots
Babble: Indy at Green Bay should be a fun game to watch, as should Denver at New England...I would rather have my teeth pulled than be forced to watch Detroit (0-5) play Houston (1-4).
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19
Minnesota Vikings at CHICAGO BEARS
Baltimore Ravens at MIAMI DOLPHINS
Dallas Cowboys at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
San Diego Chargers at BUFFALO BILLS
TENNESSEE TITANS at Kansas City Chiefs
San Francisco 49ers at NEW YORK GIANTS
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Cincinnati Bengals
New Orleans Saints at CAROLINA PANTHERS
Detroit Lions at HOUSTON TEXANS
NEW YORK JETS at Oakland Raiders
Cleveland Browns at WASHINGTON REDSKINS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
MONDAY OCTOBER 20
DENVER BRONCOS at New England Patriots
Babble: Indy at Green Bay should be a fun game to watch, as should Denver at New England...I would rather have my teeth pulled than be forced to watch Detroit (0-5) play Houston (1-4).
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
17 things she made
Thinking, as I have been, about the economy and the state of the nation is a depressing thing. It is weighing upon my soul. I need something to lighten my mood, brighten my outlook on life.
"17 things i made" is a video made by a young lady named Amy Krause Rosenthal. It's about...17 things that she made. Duh. I heard about it while listening to the John Williams show on WGN radio. The video has a peaceful quality about it. I don't necessarily understand the point behind the video, but maybe bringing peace to one's battered mind was the point. There is a follow-up to this video called "The Beckoning of Lovely," which is a great title. It's worth a view and gives some info on how you, yes you, can be part of a film project she is working on.
"17 things i made" is a video made by a young lady named Amy Krause Rosenthal. It's about...17 things that she made. Duh. I heard about it while listening to the John Williams show on WGN radio. The video has a peaceful quality about it. I don't necessarily understand the point behind the video, but maybe bringing peace to one's battered mind was the point. There is a follow-up to this video called "The Beckoning of Lovely," which is a great title. It's worth a view and gives some info on how you, yes you, can be part of a film project she is working on.
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Dawn of American Fascism and the Last Honest Man
KING GEORGE A SOCIALIST?
Poor King George. Here he is with a national/global crisis at hand, and he's got no smoking rubble to stand on top of, as he did after 9-11. President Bush would love nothing more than to climb up on top of the ruins of the American economy and tell US everything is going to be okay, and we should all just go shopping. Unfortunately for Bush, an economy is a rather intangible, abstract thing that can't be physically stood upon. Besides, even if W. could stand on top of Economic Failure Mountain and tell US to go shopping, it would do no good. No one has any money, and we certainly don't have any credit anymore.
Free Market Capitalism as we knew it is close to being destroyed. It is happening oddly enough during a Republican administration. You remember the Republicans, don't you? Always blathering on about how if we just deregulate everything, the Free Market will hum along, occasionally correcting itself if need be. No need for any watch dogs, they told us, Wall Street will police itself. That's what the Free Market is all about, right? Of course, freedom without rules, or any desire to follow rules (plus added heaps of greed and stupidity), is just anarchy. In other words, it is what we have now, financial chaos.
Capitalism and the Free Market aren't quite dead yet, though. They're being given a type of life support. Our government has a plan, don't you know. Now euphemistically referred to as the "Recovery Act," it was known previously as a bailout. It will give a Frankenstein-like new lease on life to the American economy, and that economy will never look, or act, the same again.
Big Business will be injected with our tax money so that more loans and mortgages can be doled out in the same fashion as before, even though these loans and mortgages were, and will be, given to people who probably shouldn't be getting them in the first place. Lack of responsibility doesn't just live on Wall Street, it lives on Main Street as well, quite possibly in the mortgaged-to-the-hilt house of one Joe Six Pack.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not all anti-business, nor am I anti-Six Pack. I'm sort of a Joe Six Pack myself, although I've never signed up for an adjustable rate mortgage I knew I couldn't afford down the road, nor have I ever tried to buy a car thinking I'll finance all of it without a down payment.
As for my feelings toward business, I like business. It's fair to call me materialistic. I like stuff. I like stuff from Big Business, such as cars and the fuel that goes in them. I like stuff from small businesses as well, like beer from a local micro-brewery, or art from local artisans. I like business and I like America and America is all about business. I think it was Calvin Coolidge that said, "The business of America is business," and Silent Cal was right. Business is what runs America, and Americans love to run businesses.
The problem now, though, is that business, mostly Big Business if truth be told, is trying to extort money from me. Well, they're not really trying anymore, they've succeeded in getting Congress to go along with a plan that will probably cost tax payers at least a trillion dollars when all is said and done, and the auto makers quietly got themselves a separate deal for $25 billion. Thing is though, I, and all the other Six Packs on Main Street, don't really have a trillion dollars to spare. Nor does the United States government.
Even worse than the government buying up mortgages and printing money for the lending institutions to free up the credit market, our dear old Uncle Sam wants to buy banks, in some cases whether they want to be bought or not, and in some cases, even if they don't need to be bought. Essentially, what's going to happen is that the banking system and the credit system will be federalized. More so than ever before the federal government will have a giant role in the daily financial matters of every American.
That's a scary proposition. It sounds like socialism to a lot of people. I think it sounds like something even more frightening than socialism.
FROM WHITE COLLARS TO BROWN SHIRTS
There was a very interesting article in The Guardian newspaper recently by Naomi Wolf called "Fascist America in 10 Easy Steps." It points out ten ways that governments can insidiously turn what were once thriving democracies into dictatorships. The Bush administration has initiated every one of these steps already, from terrifying the populace by invoking internal and external threats to setting up an internal surveillance system, one that spies on it's own citizens.
The Bush administration has quickly created a situation where the leader of this nation can be a dictator. The Bush White House has done this with the help of not only the Republicans that were in the Congressional majority from 1995 to 2007, but with the acquiescence of the Democrats, who, for the 8 years that Bush has been president, have rolled over in front of King George like puppies yearning for a (yellow) belly rub.
Thankfully for US, at least in this case, the Constitution prevents a president from seeking a third term. But what is to stop the next president from pursuing this agenda further? Once absolute power is grasped by even those with the best of intentions, it is hard to let go of. Worse still, once the wheels are set in motion towards dictatorship, they are hard to reverse.
So that's where we are now, on the eve of Election Day 2008 and turning a blind eye to the rising Dawn of American Fascism.
Who's to blame for all this? Well, the Fickle Finger of Blame can be pointed in every direction the wind blows. George Bush and Dick Cheney. Yeah, those are easy ones. Every member of the Bush administration. Okay. Congress. Yep. The electorate. Yeah. How many people in 2000 voted for Bush because he was the kind of guy they would like to sit down and have a beer with, or as a Chicago radio talk show host put it, toss around a football with. In 2004 I saw on the local news a woman who said she was going to vote for Bush because "he's a man's man." No, really, I'm not kidding. I will never forget that woman nor what she said for as long as I live. Simply put, there's a lot of complicity in the act of forging American fascism.
LET'S PARTY UP
In 2008, as in every election year, our choice is between a Democratic candidate for president, and a Republican candidate. We have a two-party system of government. Been that way for a long time. That needs to change, if we indeed want to affect real change.
We are presented this year with one presidential candidate in particular who likes to speak of change. Barack Obama gives eloquent speeches about bringing change to Washington, about having a new way of doing things. He doesn't get specific about what these changes are or how to implement them. The only obvious change is that he is a Democrat, as opposed to the Republican who has occupied the White House since January of 2001.
The big problem, at least as far as America is concerned, with Barack Obama is that he is a charlatan. He talks of change yet chose a vice-presidential candidate who's been entrenched in the trenches of Washington for 35 years. Obama said he would accept public financing for his presidential race, then opted out when he knew he could raise vast sums privately. He was against the FISA bill, which gives the government the right to spy on Americans without any oversight at all, until he voted for it. Obama does not represent change. Obama consistently votes along party lines, never once taking exception with anything the Democrats do. Barack Obama is simply more of the same, just in a slightly different looking package and with an odd name, odd at least by comparison to previous presidents and candidates.
The other candidate, John McCain, is a feisty old guy. I like feisty old guys. I consider myself a feisty middle-aged guy and, should I live long enough, plan to be a feisty old guy myself. However, feistiness alone does not a president make. McCain seems void of fresh ideas and his campaign appears directionless. It is unfortunate. He might have made a good president, but he doesn't want to be himself anymore. He is trying to be something his handlers think is appropriate to show the American public, and that's too bad. The real McCain was a fighter. This McCain is, so far, a palooka who will be knocked to the mat on November 4.
The presidential candidates offer us no hope, no matter what Obama tells us. Congress offers us no hope either. When the Senate and the House are sworn in next year, we will have many of the same people we have now. There will be more of the same: Greedhogs everywhere, looking to feast at the public trough, the trough you and I are paying for with our taxes.
There will never be effective change as long as our only options are the Democrats and the Republicans. I hate to say George Wallace was right about anything, but he was on the money when he observed that there wasn't a dimes worth of difference between the Republicans and the Democrats.
Sure, there may be ideological differences between the two parties, but the reality is that neither party has the best interests of America at it's core. At the core of both parties is the cancerous lust for power. It's this lust for power and it's perks that made Congress pass the bailout. There was nothing good about this bailout plan, and there were enough congressmen to vote against it the first time around that it failed to become law. One had hopes that democracy was alive, if only for a moment. But that moment passed once the pork needs of enough representatives were met. A three page bill became a 451 page bill, filled with earmarks. The idealism of those who initially voted against the bill was shown up as phony.
Allegedly, some members of the House and Senate were getting communications from their constituents that was as much as 90% negative towards the bailout bill. Yet the bill passed. Why is this? Because we are no longer a republic where our duly elected representatives respond to the wishes of the electorate. Elected officials are beholden to Business and to no one else. And as long as we have a system where we only have two choices of political parties, this will always be the case.
Adding another viable political party, or even ten more parties may not cure what ails America, at least not right away. But having more viable choices would be a step in the right direction.
We the people need to stop looking at third party candidates as a wasted vote. We need to pay attention to these men and women who run as independents, or as members of the Green Party or the Libertarian Party, or any other party. Unless we do this there will NEVER be real change in Washington. As long as there are only Democrats and Republicans to choose from we will be running headlong towards becoming a fascist state. Don't think that's the case? Then why do the two major parties conspire to keep third party candidates from joining in the presidential debates? The debates used to be run by the League of Women Voters until the process was taken over by the Commission on Presidential Debates. This commission was founded in 1987 by...oh, by the Democratic and Republican parties.
America is in trouble. There is a quietly growing danger to our liberties, an insidious danger that is difficult to notice by the average person on an everyday basis. Already we can have our communications monitored by the government without anyone monitoring the monitors. We can be imprisoned if perceived to be a terrorist threat, rotting away in a cell with no charges ever being brought against us. We can be called traitors for having a differing opinion from those in power. We are told that everything being done by the government, no matter how unlawful or unconstitutional, is being done to protect us from terrorist attack. And now the government will be controlling our financial institutions. Which means that, even more so than ever before, the government controls our access to our own money.
Again, as long as there are only Democrats and Republicans to choose from, the freedoms we hold dear in this country are in grave danger.
That's why on November 4, 2008 I will be casting my vote for Ralph Nader for president of the United States. I think he is an honest man, perhaps the Last Honest Man, at least the last one in politics. I truly believe this is someone who has the best interests of the nation in his heart and on his mind. Nader understands that "the nation" is not an abstract thing, but a living being, made up of individual people who together form a great nation, perhaps the greatest nation ever created in the history of the world.
Nader understands that the corruption that surrounds everything that occurs in Washington causes Americans to suffer. We suffer because of what Wall Street does, we suffer when Congress raises taxes, we suffer when a president sends men and women off to a poorly planned war, we suffer when our elected officials vote away our civil liberties. Ralph Nader may not be able to change any of that. But I believe he is the one man who will at least attempt to bring change to help Americans.
That's why I'm voting for Ralph Nader for president.
Poor King George. Here he is with a national/global crisis at hand, and he's got no smoking rubble to stand on top of, as he did after 9-11. President Bush would love nothing more than to climb up on top of the ruins of the American economy and tell US everything is going to be okay, and we should all just go shopping. Unfortunately for Bush, an economy is a rather intangible, abstract thing that can't be physically stood upon. Besides, even if W. could stand on top of Economic Failure Mountain and tell US to go shopping, it would do no good. No one has any money, and we certainly don't have any credit anymore.
Free Market Capitalism as we knew it is close to being destroyed. It is happening oddly enough during a Republican administration. You remember the Republicans, don't you? Always blathering on about how if we just deregulate everything, the Free Market will hum along, occasionally correcting itself if need be. No need for any watch dogs, they told us, Wall Street will police itself. That's what the Free Market is all about, right? Of course, freedom without rules, or any desire to follow rules (plus added heaps of greed and stupidity), is just anarchy. In other words, it is what we have now, financial chaos.
Capitalism and the Free Market aren't quite dead yet, though. They're being given a type of life support. Our government has a plan, don't you know. Now euphemistically referred to as the "Recovery Act," it was known previously as a bailout. It will give a Frankenstein-like new lease on life to the American economy, and that economy will never look, or act, the same again.
Big Business will be injected with our tax money so that more loans and mortgages can be doled out in the same fashion as before, even though these loans and mortgages were, and will be, given to people who probably shouldn't be getting them in the first place. Lack of responsibility doesn't just live on Wall Street, it lives on Main Street as well, quite possibly in the mortgaged-to-the-hilt house of one Joe Six Pack.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not all anti-business, nor am I anti-Six Pack. I'm sort of a Joe Six Pack myself, although I've never signed up for an adjustable rate mortgage I knew I couldn't afford down the road, nor have I ever tried to buy a car thinking I'll finance all of it without a down payment.
As for my feelings toward business, I like business. It's fair to call me materialistic. I like stuff. I like stuff from Big Business, such as cars and the fuel that goes in them. I like stuff from small businesses as well, like beer from a local micro-brewery, or art from local artisans. I like business and I like America and America is all about business. I think it was Calvin Coolidge that said, "The business of America is business," and Silent Cal was right. Business is what runs America, and Americans love to run businesses.
The problem now, though, is that business, mostly Big Business if truth be told, is trying to extort money from me. Well, they're not really trying anymore, they've succeeded in getting Congress to go along with a plan that will probably cost tax payers at least a trillion dollars when all is said and done, and the auto makers quietly got themselves a separate deal for $25 billion. Thing is though, I, and all the other Six Packs on Main Street, don't really have a trillion dollars to spare. Nor does the United States government.
Even worse than the government buying up mortgages and printing money for the lending institutions to free up the credit market, our dear old Uncle Sam wants to buy banks, in some cases whether they want to be bought or not, and in some cases, even if they don't need to be bought. Essentially, what's going to happen is that the banking system and the credit system will be federalized. More so than ever before the federal government will have a giant role in the daily financial matters of every American.
That's a scary proposition. It sounds like socialism to a lot of people. I think it sounds like something even more frightening than socialism.
FROM WHITE COLLARS TO BROWN SHIRTS
There was a very interesting article in The Guardian newspaper recently by Naomi Wolf called "Fascist America in 10 Easy Steps." It points out ten ways that governments can insidiously turn what were once thriving democracies into dictatorships. The Bush administration has initiated every one of these steps already, from terrifying the populace by invoking internal and external threats to setting up an internal surveillance system, one that spies on it's own citizens.
The Bush administration has quickly created a situation where the leader of this nation can be a dictator. The Bush White House has done this with the help of not only the Republicans that were in the Congressional majority from 1995 to 2007, but with the acquiescence of the Democrats, who, for the 8 years that Bush has been president, have rolled over in front of King George like puppies yearning for a (yellow) belly rub.
Thankfully for US, at least in this case, the Constitution prevents a president from seeking a third term. But what is to stop the next president from pursuing this agenda further? Once absolute power is grasped by even those with the best of intentions, it is hard to let go of. Worse still, once the wheels are set in motion towards dictatorship, they are hard to reverse.
So that's where we are now, on the eve of Election Day 2008 and turning a blind eye to the rising Dawn of American Fascism.
Who's to blame for all this? Well, the Fickle Finger of Blame can be pointed in every direction the wind blows. George Bush and Dick Cheney. Yeah, those are easy ones. Every member of the Bush administration. Okay. Congress. Yep. The electorate. Yeah. How many people in 2000 voted for Bush because he was the kind of guy they would like to sit down and have a beer with, or as a Chicago radio talk show host put it, toss around a football with. In 2004 I saw on the local news a woman who said she was going to vote for Bush because "he's a man's man." No, really, I'm not kidding. I will never forget that woman nor what she said for as long as I live. Simply put, there's a lot of complicity in the act of forging American fascism.
LET'S PARTY UP
In 2008, as in every election year, our choice is between a Democratic candidate for president, and a Republican candidate. We have a two-party system of government. Been that way for a long time. That needs to change, if we indeed want to affect real change.
We are presented this year with one presidential candidate in particular who likes to speak of change. Barack Obama gives eloquent speeches about bringing change to Washington, about having a new way of doing things. He doesn't get specific about what these changes are or how to implement them. The only obvious change is that he is a Democrat, as opposed to the Republican who has occupied the White House since January of 2001.
The big problem, at least as far as America is concerned, with Barack Obama is that he is a charlatan. He talks of change yet chose a vice-presidential candidate who's been entrenched in the trenches of Washington for 35 years. Obama said he would accept public financing for his presidential race, then opted out when he knew he could raise vast sums privately. He was against the FISA bill, which gives the government the right to spy on Americans without any oversight at all, until he voted for it. Obama does not represent change. Obama consistently votes along party lines, never once taking exception with anything the Democrats do. Barack Obama is simply more of the same, just in a slightly different looking package and with an odd name, odd at least by comparison to previous presidents and candidates.
The other candidate, John McCain, is a feisty old guy. I like feisty old guys. I consider myself a feisty middle-aged guy and, should I live long enough, plan to be a feisty old guy myself. However, feistiness alone does not a president make. McCain seems void of fresh ideas and his campaign appears directionless. It is unfortunate. He might have made a good president, but he doesn't want to be himself anymore. He is trying to be something his handlers think is appropriate to show the American public, and that's too bad. The real McCain was a fighter. This McCain is, so far, a palooka who will be knocked to the mat on November 4.
The presidential candidates offer us no hope, no matter what Obama tells us. Congress offers us no hope either. When the Senate and the House are sworn in next year, we will have many of the same people we have now. There will be more of the same: Greedhogs everywhere, looking to feast at the public trough, the trough you and I are paying for with our taxes.
There will never be effective change as long as our only options are the Democrats and the Republicans. I hate to say George Wallace was right about anything, but he was on the money when he observed that there wasn't a dimes worth of difference between the Republicans and the Democrats.
Sure, there may be ideological differences between the two parties, but the reality is that neither party has the best interests of America at it's core. At the core of both parties is the cancerous lust for power. It's this lust for power and it's perks that made Congress pass the bailout. There was nothing good about this bailout plan, and there were enough congressmen to vote against it the first time around that it failed to become law. One had hopes that democracy was alive, if only for a moment. But that moment passed once the pork needs of enough representatives were met. A three page bill became a 451 page bill, filled with earmarks. The idealism of those who initially voted against the bill was shown up as phony.
Allegedly, some members of the House and Senate were getting communications from their constituents that was as much as 90% negative towards the bailout bill. Yet the bill passed. Why is this? Because we are no longer a republic where our duly elected representatives respond to the wishes of the electorate. Elected officials are beholden to Business and to no one else. And as long as we have a system where we only have two choices of political parties, this will always be the case.
Adding another viable political party, or even ten more parties may not cure what ails America, at least not right away. But having more viable choices would be a step in the right direction.
We the people need to stop looking at third party candidates as a wasted vote. We need to pay attention to these men and women who run as independents, or as members of the Green Party or the Libertarian Party, or any other party. Unless we do this there will NEVER be real change in Washington. As long as there are only Democrats and Republicans to choose from we will be running headlong towards becoming a fascist state. Don't think that's the case? Then why do the two major parties conspire to keep third party candidates from joining in the presidential debates? The debates used to be run by the League of Women Voters until the process was taken over by the Commission on Presidential Debates. This commission was founded in 1987 by...oh, by the Democratic and Republican parties.
America is in trouble. There is a quietly growing danger to our liberties, an insidious danger that is difficult to notice by the average person on an everyday basis. Already we can have our communications monitored by the government without anyone monitoring the monitors. We can be imprisoned if perceived to be a terrorist threat, rotting away in a cell with no charges ever being brought against us. We can be called traitors for having a differing opinion from those in power. We are told that everything being done by the government, no matter how unlawful or unconstitutional, is being done to protect us from terrorist attack. And now the government will be controlling our financial institutions. Which means that, even more so than ever before, the government controls our access to our own money.
Again, as long as there are only Democrats and Republicans to choose from, the freedoms we hold dear in this country are in grave danger.
That's why on November 4, 2008 I will be casting my vote for Ralph Nader for president of the United States. I think he is an honest man, perhaps the Last Honest Man, at least the last one in politics. I truly believe this is someone who has the best interests of the nation in his heart and on his mind. Nader understands that "the nation" is not an abstract thing, but a living being, made up of individual people who together form a great nation, perhaps the greatest nation ever created in the history of the world.
Nader understands that the corruption that surrounds everything that occurs in Washington causes Americans to suffer. We suffer because of what Wall Street does, we suffer when Congress raises taxes, we suffer when a president sends men and women off to a poorly planned war, we suffer when our elected officials vote away our civil liberties. Ralph Nader may not be able to change any of that. But I believe he is the one man who will at least attempt to bring change to help Americans.
That's why I'm voting for Ralph Nader for president.
Pick 'Em: Week 6, The Results
SUNDAY OCTOBER 12
CHICAGO BEARS at Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta 22, CHICAGO BEARS 20
Miami Dolphins at HOUSTON TEXANS
HOUSTON 29, MIAMI 28
Detroit Lions at MINNESOTA VIKINGS
MINNESOTA 12, Detroit 10
Oakland Raiders at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
NEW ORLEANS 34, Oakland 3
St. Louis Rams at WASHINGTON REDSKINS
St. Louis 19, Washington 17
Cincinnati Bengals at NEW YORK JETS
NEW YORK JETS 26, Cincinnati 14
Baltimore Ravens at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
INDIANAPOLIS 31, BALTIMORE 3
Carolina Panthers at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
TAMPA BAY 27, Carolina 3
Jacksonville Jaguars at DENVER BRONCOS
Jacksonville 24, DENVER 17
GREEN BAY PACKERS at Seattle Seahawks
GREEN BAY 27, Seattle 17
DALLAS COWBOYS at Arizona Cardinals
Arizona 30, Dallas 24 OT
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at San Francisco 49ers
PHILADELPHIA 40, San Francisco 26
New England Patriots at SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
SAN DIEGO 30, New England 10
MONDAY OCTOBER 13
NEW YORK GIANTS at Cleveland Browns
Cleveland 35, NEW YORK GIANTS 14
Babble: That was a tough one for the Bears...they've been criticized for letting this one get away from the, which I guess they did, but they did come from behind, and I think that showed some grit, and I'd say Orton looked pretty darn good at times...it will be interesting to see how the Bears bounce back from this...it was really nice to see San Diego stomp on the Patriots like they did last night...I guess Bill Belichick isn't such a coaching genius without Tom Brady behind the center...so, because the Vikings seem to be underachieving, yet still winning games, the Minnesota fans want coach Brad Childress fired...Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is playing with a sprained throwing shoulder...that sounds painful to me...I guess he doesn't want anyone to question his desire...so the New York Giants chose to lose their first game of the season to the Cleveland Browns...what's with that?
CHICAGO BEARS at Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta 22, CHICAGO BEARS 20
Miami Dolphins at HOUSTON TEXANS
HOUSTON 29, MIAMI 28
Detroit Lions at MINNESOTA VIKINGS
MINNESOTA 12, Detroit 10
Oakland Raiders at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
NEW ORLEANS 34, Oakland 3
St. Louis Rams at WASHINGTON REDSKINS
St. Louis 19, Washington 17
Cincinnati Bengals at NEW YORK JETS
NEW YORK JETS 26, Cincinnati 14
Baltimore Ravens at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
INDIANAPOLIS 31, BALTIMORE 3
Carolina Panthers at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
TAMPA BAY 27, Carolina 3
Jacksonville Jaguars at DENVER BRONCOS
Jacksonville 24, DENVER 17
GREEN BAY PACKERS at Seattle Seahawks
GREEN BAY 27, Seattle 17
DALLAS COWBOYS at Arizona Cardinals
Arizona 30, Dallas 24 OT
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at San Francisco 49ers
PHILADELPHIA 40, San Francisco 26
New England Patriots at SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
SAN DIEGO 30, New England 10
MONDAY OCTOBER 13
NEW YORK GIANTS at Cleveland Browns
Cleveland 35, NEW YORK GIANTS 14
Babble: That was a tough one for the Bears...they've been criticized for letting this one get away from the, which I guess they did, but they did come from behind, and I think that showed some grit, and I'd say Orton looked pretty darn good at times...it will be interesting to see how the Bears bounce back from this...it was really nice to see San Diego stomp on the Patriots like they did last night...I guess Bill Belichick isn't such a coaching genius without Tom Brady behind the center...so, because the Vikings seem to be underachieving, yet still winning games, the Minnesota fans want coach Brad Childress fired...Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is playing with a sprained throwing shoulder...that sounds painful to me...I guess he doesn't want anyone to question his desire...so the New York Giants chose to lose their first game of the season to the Cleveland Browns...what's with that?
News of The Day
From the New York Times: G.M. and Chrysler Explore Merger.
"Hey, Chrysler!"
"Yes, G.M.?"
"You know, I was thinkin' "
"You were? With what?"
"Very funny. I was just thinkin,' that, you know, I'm a failure. A great, big, fat failure."
"I was just thinkin' the same thing about you."
"Again with the funny, Chrysler. You're not exactly successful yourself anymore, you know."
"I know. I'm a failure too."
"So, you wanna get together and be one big failure?"
"Yeah, sure, why not? When we declare bankruptcy, that'll make the paperwork so much easier, if we're just one big failure."
"Yeah. We're geniuses, ain't we?"
"Yeah."
"Hey, Chrysler!"
"Yes, G.M.?"
"You know, I was thinkin' "
"You were? With what?"
"Very funny. I was just thinkin,' that, you know, I'm a failure. A great, big, fat failure."
"I was just thinkin' the same thing about you."
"Again with the funny, Chrysler. You're not exactly successful yourself anymore, you know."
"I know. I'm a failure too."
"So, you wanna get together and be one big failure?"
"Yeah, sure, why not? When we declare bankruptcy, that'll make the paperwork so much easier, if we're just one big failure."
"Yeah. We're geniuses, ain't we?"
"Yeah."
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Ralph Nader on the Bailout
Ralph Nader is not the most exciting speaker in the world, but it's what he says, rather than how he says it, that is important. In this video, Nader points out the pork in the bailout bill, without which it would not have passed.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Football: Pick 'Em NFL Week 6
Here they are, my picks in caps:
SUNDAY OCTOBER 12
CHICAGO BEARS at Atlanta Falcons
Miami Dolphins at HOUSTON TEXANS
Detroit Lions at MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Oakland Raiders at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
St. Louis Rams at WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Cincinnati Bengals at NEW YORK JETS
Baltimore Ravens at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Carolina Panthers at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Jacksonville Jaguars at DENVER BRONCOS
GREEN BAY PACKERS at Seattle Seahawks
DALLAS COWBOYS at Arizona Cardinals
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at San Francisco 49ers
New England Patriots at SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
MONDAY OCTOBER 13
NEW YORK GIANTS at Cleveland Browns
Babble: Bears and Falcons should be an exciting game...Houston has to win sometime (don't they), so why not against 2-2 Miami?...Cincinnati and Detroit also have to win sometime (well, maybe not Detroit), but this won't be the week for them...will the Giants lose a game this season?
SUNDAY OCTOBER 12
CHICAGO BEARS at Atlanta Falcons
Miami Dolphins at HOUSTON TEXANS
Detroit Lions at MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Oakland Raiders at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
St. Louis Rams at WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Cincinnati Bengals at NEW YORK JETS
Baltimore Ravens at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Carolina Panthers at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Jacksonville Jaguars at DENVER BRONCOS
GREEN BAY PACKERS at Seattle Seahawks
DALLAS COWBOYS at Arizona Cardinals
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at San Francisco 49ers
New England Patriots at SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
MONDAY OCTOBER 13
NEW YORK GIANTS at Cleveland Browns
Babble: Bears and Falcons should be an exciting game...Houston has to win sometime (don't they), so why not against 2-2 Miami?...Cincinnati and Detroit also have to win sometime (well, maybe not Detroit), but this won't be the week for them...will the Giants lose a game this season?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A Fighter By His Trade
What has become of John McCain the Fighter? He is supposed to be a feisty maverick (there's that word again) but the feistiness seems to have been replaced with grandfatherliness. The Fighter has not landed a damaging blow on his opponent, also known as "That Guy" in two debates. He seems to be pulling his punches, like a man who doesn't want to appear to be on the attack. A pussyfooter is not what America needs right now. It needs John McCain the Fighter.
The Straight Talk Express has gone off the rails like a Crazy Train, lacking focus and fortitude. Rather than tackle issues head on McCain prefers to appear to tackle issues, as when he "suspended" his campaign, went to Washington for meetings on the economic "crisis" and did nothing of any substance before hitting the road again. Even worse, he skipped out on an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, only to be caught in the act with Katie Couric at the same time he should have been talking to Dave. Letterman spent almost his entire show that night lambasting McCain. Bad move, John. McCain the Fighter would not have run away from Dave and into the arms of Katie.
McCain needs to come with some solid ideas about turning the economy around, but perhaps even more importantly he needs to pound Obama about Iraq, something he had an opportunity to do in last nights debate, but choose not to, or is perhaps incapable of doing at this point. Obama was not just wrong about the surge, he was wrong about Iraq. The United States had every right to invade a country that we perceived to be an imminent danger to our security. (Intelligence was bad, and Donald Rumsfelds plan to conduct the war was awful, but that's a blog posting for another day.) The United Nations had stated that if Saddam Hussein did not allow weapons inspectors into Iraq one of the ways he could be punished was with his forcible removal from power. When the UN chose not to remove Hussein it became the right and the obligation of the US to do so. John McCain the Fighter would have told Obama that last night. The current John McCain did not and is on his way to becoming the Bob Dole of the 21st century.
The Straight Talk Express has gone off the rails like a Crazy Train, lacking focus and fortitude. Rather than tackle issues head on McCain prefers to appear to tackle issues, as when he "suspended" his campaign, went to Washington for meetings on the economic "crisis" and did nothing of any substance before hitting the road again. Even worse, he skipped out on an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, only to be caught in the act with Katie Couric at the same time he should have been talking to Dave. Letterman spent almost his entire show that night lambasting McCain. Bad move, John. McCain the Fighter would not have run away from Dave and into the arms of Katie.
McCain needs to come with some solid ideas about turning the economy around, but perhaps even more importantly he needs to pound Obama about Iraq, something he had an opportunity to do in last nights debate, but choose not to, or is perhaps incapable of doing at this point. Obama was not just wrong about the surge, he was wrong about Iraq. The United States had every right to invade a country that we perceived to be an imminent danger to our security. (Intelligence was bad, and Donald Rumsfelds plan to conduct the war was awful, but that's a blog posting for another day.) The United Nations had stated that if Saddam Hussein did not allow weapons inspectors into Iraq one of the ways he could be punished was with his forcible removal from power. When the UN chose not to remove Hussein it became the right and the obligation of the US to do so. John McCain the Fighter would have told Obama that last night. The current John McCain did not and is on his way to becoming the Bob Dole of the 21st century.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fleeing Thoughts: Baseball
-Apparently, there will not be an Angels-Cubs World Series, at least not this year.
-Remember when I said the Red Sox weren't the best team in baseball this year, that the Angels were better. Yeah, well, uhm...
-Unlike the Cubs, at least the White Sox went down swinging. They, unlike the Cubs, have one postseason victory, while the Cubs are 0-6 in the last two years.
-The Red Sox-Tampa Bay League Championship, pitting two teams that had a good bench clearing brawl back in June, may be more interesting than the World Series that will follow.
-Remember when I said the Red Sox weren't the best team in baseball this year, that the Angels were better. Yeah, well, uhm...
-Unlike the Cubs, at least the White Sox went down swinging. They, unlike the Cubs, have one postseason victory, while the Cubs are 0-6 in the last two years.
-The Red Sox-Tampa Bay League Championship, pitting two teams that had a good bench clearing brawl back in June, may be more interesting than the World Series that will follow.
Pick 'Em: NFL Week 5, the Results
Let's see how I did (my picks in caps):
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
CHICAGO BEARS at Detroit Lions
CHICAGO BEARS 34, Detroit 7
San Diego Chargers at MIAMI DOLPHINS
MIAMI 17, San Diego 10
Atlanta Falcons at GREEN BAY PACKERS
Atlanta 27, GREEN BAY 24
Seattle Seahawks at NEW YORK GIANTS
NEW YORK GIANTS 44, Seattle 6
Tennessee Titans at BALTIMORE RAVENS
Tennessee 13, BALTIMORE 10
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at Houston Texans
INDIANAPOLIS 31, Houston 27
Kansas City Chiefs at CAROLINA PANTHERS
CAROLINA 34, Kansas City 0
Washington Redskins at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Washington 23, PHILADELPHIA 17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at DENVER BRONCOS
DENVER 16, Tampa Bay 13
Cincinnati Bengals at DALLAS COWBOYS
DALLAS 31, Cincinnati 22
Buffalo Bills at ARIZONA CARDINALS
ARIZONA 41, Buffalo 17
New England Patriots at SAN FRANCISCO 49ers
New England 30, SAN FRANCISCO 21
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Jacksonville Jaguars
PITTSBURGH 26, Jacksonville 21
MONDAY OCTOBER 6
Minnesota Vikings at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Minnesota 30, NEW ORLEANS 27
Babble: I went 9-5 this week...not bad...I thought the Bears looked good Sunday...the defense is really coming alive...I figured Carolina would beat the Chiefs, but a shutout, that's impressive.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
CHICAGO BEARS at Detroit Lions
CHICAGO BEARS 34, Detroit 7
San Diego Chargers at MIAMI DOLPHINS
MIAMI 17, San Diego 10
Atlanta Falcons at GREEN BAY PACKERS
Atlanta 27, GREEN BAY 24
Seattle Seahawks at NEW YORK GIANTS
NEW YORK GIANTS 44, Seattle 6
Tennessee Titans at BALTIMORE RAVENS
Tennessee 13, BALTIMORE 10
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at Houston Texans
INDIANAPOLIS 31, Houston 27
Kansas City Chiefs at CAROLINA PANTHERS
CAROLINA 34, Kansas City 0
Washington Redskins at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Washington 23, PHILADELPHIA 17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at DENVER BRONCOS
DENVER 16, Tampa Bay 13
Cincinnati Bengals at DALLAS COWBOYS
DALLAS 31, Cincinnati 22
Buffalo Bills at ARIZONA CARDINALS
ARIZONA 41, Buffalo 17
New England Patriots at SAN FRANCISCO 49ers
New England 30, SAN FRANCISCO 21
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Jacksonville Jaguars
PITTSBURGH 26, Jacksonville 21
MONDAY OCTOBER 6
Minnesota Vikings at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Minnesota 30, NEW ORLEANS 27
Babble: I went 9-5 this week...not bad...I thought the Bears looked good Sunday...the defense is really coming alive...I figured Carolina would beat the Chiefs, but a shutout, that's impressive.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
At least Sonny Liston went down swinging
Alfonso Soriano wasn't even man enough to go down swinging.
That's how the Surrender Monkeys known as the 2008 Cubs met their untimely end, not with a bang but with a whimper, a Soriano half swing that went far enough to be called strike three.
Perhaps it was the expectations being so high, but this is the most disappointing collapse of the Cubs I've seen in all my 44 years. Shamefully lifeless, the Cubs played without any sign of fire in the belly.
Who do you fire now? Surely, someone should be punished for this miserable execution of America's pastime. Or should their massive failure be rewarded with a check for $700 billion?
That's how the Surrender Monkeys known as the 2008 Cubs met their untimely end, not with a bang but with a whimper, a Soriano half swing that went far enough to be called strike three.
Perhaps it was the expectations being so high, but this is the most disappointing collapse of the Cubs I've seen in all my 44 years. Shamefully lifeless, the Cubs played without any sign of fire in the belly.
Who do you fire now? Surely, someone should be punished for this miserable execution of America's pastime. Or should their massive failure be rewarded with a check for $700 billion?
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Finally
Finally, OJ has been convicted of a crime. Potentially, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. It's about fucking time. In a psychopathic rage, OJ Simpson murdered two people, almost beheading them. A jury of his "peers" saw fit to let this monster roam the streets. Finally, the karma train has caught up to Simpson and no longer will he be allowed to walk free, thinking he can get away with anything he wants. The irony is that this conviction for kidnapping and armed robbery comes thirteen years to the day of his acquittal on murder charges.
Enjoy your prison stay, Mr. Simpson.
Enjoy your prison stay, Mr. Simpson.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Football: Pick 'Em, NFL Week 5
Let's think about something other Wall Street extorting $700 billion from us and the Chicago baseball teams stinking it up. Let's think about my wonderful football picks, which are, as always, in caps.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
CHICAGO BEARS at Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers at MIAMI DOLPHINS
Atlanta Falcons at GREEN BAY PACKERS
Seattle Seahawks at NEW YORK GIANTS
Tennessee Titans at BALTIMORE RAVENS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs at CAROLINA PANTHERS
Washington Redskins at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at DENVER BRONCOS
Cincinnati Bengals at DALLAS COWBOYS
Buffalo Bills at ARIZONA CARDINALS
New England Patriots at SAN FRANCISCO 49ers
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Jacksonville Jaguars
MONDAY OCTOBER 6
Minnesota Vikings at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Babble: The Bears should (hopefully) have an easy time of it with the Lions, but sometimes it's those winless teams you really need to watch out for...I think if 2-1 Baltimore beats the so far unbeaten Tennessee, that could be considered an upset...will Cincinnati win a game this year?...I'm thinking the addition of Cedric Benson isn't going to provide the turn around the Bengals need...the Steelers at Jacksonville on Sunday night could very well be the most exciting game of the week.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
CHICAGO BEARS at Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers at MIAMI DOLPHINS
Atlanta Falcons at GREEN BAY PACKERS
Seattle Seahawks at NEW YORK GIANTS
Tennessee Titans at BALTIMORE RAVENS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs at CAROLINA PANTHERS
Washington Redskins at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at DENVER BRONCOS
Cincinnati Bengals at DALLAS COWBOYS
Buffalo Bills at ARIZONA CARDINALS
New England Patriots at SAN FRANCISCO 49ers
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Jacksonville Jaguars
MONDAY OCTOBER 6
Minnesota Vikings at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Babble: The Bears should (hopefully) have an easy time of it with the Lions, but sometimes it's those winless teams you really need to watch out for...I think if 2-1 Baltimore beats the so far unbeaten Tennessee, that could be considered an upset...will Cincinnati win a game this year?...I'm thinking the addition of Cedric Benson isn't going to provide the turn around the Bengals need...the Steelers at Jacksonville on Sunday night could very well be the most exciting game of the week.
A Terrible, Yet Familiar, Sound
I heard it last night, we all heard it, the sound, the strange and horrible sound, like screaming weasels being fed into a paper shredder. The skull piercing buzz that filled the cool, autumnal night air covering the Chicago area was dreadful, yet strangely familiar, like a sick and twisted distant relative that once came to the family gatherings but that you thought would never be seen or heard from again, like a demon exorcised from a possessed favorite child. That sound, we've all heard it before around here. That sound, what was that cacophony of horror, WHAT WAS THAT SOUND? Oh, yeah, that was the sound of the Cubs choking, yet again...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Baseball: The True Test
Last night was not the true test for the Chicago Cubs. It would have been nice had they won, but they did not, so that brings on the real evaluation of their character as a team. Having blown it in a big way yesterday, do they bounce back, play hard and win? Or will they, in what is the unfortunate but true Cubs character, prove themselves to be Surrender Monkeys, and lose again?
The Real Test is tonight.
The Real Test is tonight.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Baseball: Postseason Picks
Fall has arrived and so has the baseball postseason. Here's my picks:
In the National League Division Series', I'll take the Cubs over the Dodgers in 4 (remember, these are best of 5), and the Phillies over the Brewers in 5.
In the American League Division Series, Tampa Bay Rays over the White Sox in 3, and the Angels over the Red Sox in 5.
In the league championships, the Cubs will beat Phillies 4 games to 2 in best of 7, and the Angels will beat Tampa Bay 4-2.
Cubs win the World Series in 7. Chicago will explode. The End Times will obviously be near. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will be seen riding in the skies over Wrigley Field. The Chicago City Council will demand the horses wear diapers so as not to make a mess on city streets.
Sorry Sox fans and all those that think the Sox now have some crazy momentum going that will carry them to the World Series. A Cubs-Sox series would definitely be exciting, at least for people in the Chicago area if nowhere else, but it ain't gonna happen. The Sox are a streaky team, finishing the regular season with three straight losses, forcing a make-up game and a one game tie-breaker. They just don't have what it takes to get past Tampa. They over achieved during the season, but that season is now over for them.
The Red Sox are the best baseball team so far in the 21st century, but this year, the Angels are better.
Even with Manny Ramirez acting as a catalyst for the Dodgers, they are not better than the Cubs, nor are the Brewers better than the Philllies. The Philadelphia team will give the Cubs trouble in the league championship, just as they give them trouble in the summer, but it isn't any kind of trouble the Cubs can't overcome.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, or whatever they are calling themselves this year, have the best record in baseball. That does not make them the best team, however. This is the year. The Cubs have the pitching, the hitting, the defense and the manager to win it all. If not this year, then never. Go Cubs!
In the National League Division Series', I'll take the Cubs over the Dodgers in 4 (remember, these are best of 5), and the Phillies over the Brewers in 5.
In the American League Division Series, Tampa Bay Rays over the White Sox in 3, and the Angels over the Red Sox in 5.
In the league championships, the Cubs will beat Phillies 4 games to 2 in best of 7, and the Angels will beat Tampa Bay 4-2.
Cubs win the World Series in 7. Chicago will explode. The End Times will obviously be near. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will be seen riding in the skies over Wrigley Field. The Chicago City Council will demand the horses wear diapers so as not to make a mess on city streets.
Sorry Sox fans and all those that think the Sox now have some crazy momentum going that will carry them to the World Series. A Cubs-Sox series would definitely be exciting, at least for people in the Chicago area if nowhere else, but it ain't gonna happen. The Sox are a streaky team, finishing the regular season with three straight losses, forcing a make-up game and a one game tie-breaker. They just don't have what it takes to get past Tampa. They over achieved during the season, but that season is now over for them.
The Red Sox are the best baseball team so far in the 21st century, but this year, the Angels are better.
Even with Manny Ramirez acting as a catalyst for the Dodgers, they are not better than the Cubs, nor are the Brewers better than the Philllies. The Philadelphia team will give the Cubs trouble in the league championship, just as they give them trouble in the summer, but it isn't any kind of trouble the Cubs can't overcome.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, or whatever they are calling themselves this year, have the best record in baseball. That does not make them the best team, however. This is the year. The Cubs have the pitching, the hitting, the defense and the manager to win it all. If not this year, then never. Go Cubs!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
