- I've become addicted to the English Premier League. I will watch whatever is on. This morning I was going to wager on Hall City over Newcastle, and I didn't pull the trigger. Then I just watched the crappy game anyway. I don't like soccer, but I absolutely love the announcers.
- F1 racing. This is if I can't sleep and wake up before 6:00am. This has now on my list of things to go see before I die. Those guys are going 200mph through these cities. Crazy.
- European golf- I think RRD and myself are the only two guys watching this on the golf channel.
- I heart the fine people on the Weather Channel. Always in shape and looking very sharp in their blue jackets and caps. I also enjoy their non weather programming.
- Fox Money programming- I have a secret crush on Steve Forbes and Ben Stein. If they told me to buy stock in the company that makes anal beads, I'm in.
- Looking for reruns of Veronica Mars. I love that show for some reason.
Sep 13, 2008
Sunday and Saturday Mornings
Being married to a women who doesn't wake up early means one thing....I have a lot of free time in the morning to do whatever I want. Sometimes I work out early, but I tend to just hop on the computer, drink some coffee and watch TV. But since I hate the programming on ESPN on the weekend, I have come up with a pretty regular viewing schedule.
Obediah!
So I was listening to Mike and Mike yesterday morning driving to work (yeah, I know, some of you are already saying that's a mistake). They came back from a commerical break to the tune of "Build Me Up, Buttercup".
Both Mikes were singing along horribly to the tune, and so was I (all alone, in the car).
They then lamented the fact taht neither one of them could sing. Greenie then said "you know, I would bet that most people wished they could sing - I mean, sing on tune and sing well. I love to sing, and I know I am bad - I wish I could sing better".
I'd agree with that. I love to sing too, and I realize I am horrible.
Then Greenie went a step further with a confession.
"And you know what? If I had a professional singing voice - I can't believe I'm saying this - honestly? I'd rather sing songs on Broadway than be a rock star".
Golic made fun of him, of course, but you know what? I agree. I'm with Greenie here. If I had a choice, I'd choose the talent of singing Broadway than being belting out unintelligble rock lyrics.
And don't shake your heads out there....I know there's a least one frequent commenter of this blog that would agree with that - (Mr CardinalGlee Club, I'm looking at you).
Then he went one further.
"I mean, I would love to be able to play the role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. That would be the ultimate role for me"
Wow.....I'm right with Greenie on this. I picture myself as more of a Nathan Detroit kind of guy, but I could do Sky Masterson as well. It's too bad I was driving alone and couldn't share my rendition of Sky during Scene 10 of Guys and Dolls. Strike up the band!
My time of day is the dark time
A couple of deals before dawn
Where the street belong to the cop
And the janitor with the mop
And the grocery clerks are all gone
And the smell of the rainwashed pavement
Comes up clean, and fresh, and cold
And the streetlamp light
Fills the gutter with gold
That's my time of day
My time of day
And you're the only doll I've ever wanted to share it with me
(speaking) Obediah!
[Sarah] Obediah? What's that?
[Sky] Obediah Masterson, that's my real name. You're the first person I've told that to.
I've never been in love before
Now all at once it's you
It's you forever more
I've never been in love before
I thought my heart was safe
I thought I knew the score
But this is wine, that's all too strange and strong
I'm full of foolish song
And out my song must pour
So please forgive this helpless haze I'm in
I've really never been
In love before........
Both Mikes were singing along horribly to the tune, and so was I (all alone, in the car).
They then lamented the fact taht neither one of them could sing. Greenie then said "you know, I would bet that most people wished they could sing - I mean, sing on tune and sing well. I love to sing, and I know I am bad - I wish I could sing better".
I'd agree with that. I love to sing too, and I realize I am horrible.
Then Greenie went a step further with a confession.
"And you know what? If I had a professional singing voice - I can't believe I'm saying this - honestly? I'd rather sing songs on Broadway than be a rock star".
Golic made fun of him, of course, but you know what? I agree. I'm with Greenie here. If I had a choice, I'd choose the talent of singing Broadway than being belting out unintelligble rock lyrics.
And don't shake your heads out there....I know there's a least one frequent commenter of this blog that would agree with that - (Mr CardinalGlee Club, I'm looking at you).
Then he went one further.
"I mean, I would love to be able to play the role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. That would be the ultimate role for me"
Wow.....I'm right with Greenie on this. I picture myself as more of a Nathan Detroit kind of guy, but I could do Sky Masterson as well. It's too bad I was driving alone and couldn't share my rendition of Sky during Scene 10 of Guys and Dolls. Strike up the band!
My time of day is the dark time
A couple of deals before dawn
Where the street belong to the cop
And the janitor with the mop
And the grocery clerks are all gone
And the smell of the rainwashed pavement
Comes up clean, and fresh, and cold
And the streetlamp light
Fills the gutter with gold
That's my time of day
My time of day
And you're the only doll I've ever wanted to share it with me
(speaking) Obediah!
[Sarah] Obediah? What's that?
[Sky] Obediah Masterson, that's my real name. You're the first person I've told that to.
I've never been in love before
Now all at once it's you
It's you forever more
I've never been in love before
I thought my heart was safe
I thought I knew the score
But this is wine, that's all too strange and strong
I'm full of foolish song
And out my song must pour
So please forgive this helpless haze I'm in
I've really never been
In love before........
Sep 10, 2008
Speak for yourself, Layup
I Like Ike!
Sorry, couldn't resist...this was the first thing that came to my mind.
We don't want IKE
Best case scenario, I get to spend two months down in Texas. Worst case scenario, I will be looking for a new job. This hurricane if it is a CAT 3 and hits Houston, would be just as bad as a severe earthquake to LA. Sep 9, 2008
Cheer up, Patriots fans....
... I could send you clips from Browns games in 2000 where Spergon Wynn was our quarterback. Now THAT is something you could cry about.
I understand you are in mourning about Brady's injury. I can relate - I felt the same way when Tim Couch went down in 2001....and 2002.....and 2003. But we got up off the mat and played on! Played on to a 5-11 record.
Anyway, people are dancing on the grave of the Patriots because they dismiss Belichick and "he has not won a playoff game without Tom Brady". This is not true! He has won a playoff game without Brady - and the star of that game is still available!
Vinny Testaverde led the Belichick-led Browns to their last playoff win back on January 1, 1995. It seems like yesterday! And as you know, Vinny was a quarterback in this league last year.
Now all you need is a phone call, and that Belichick-Vinny magic can work for the 2008 Patriots.
I understand you are in mourning about Brady's injury. I can relate - I felt the same way when Tim Couch went down in 2001....and 2002.....and 2003. But we got up off the mat and played on! Played on to a 5-11 record.
Anyway, people are dancing on the grave of the Patriots because they dismiss Belichick and "he has not won a playoff game without Tom Brady". This is not true! He has won a playoff game without Brady - and the star of that game is still available!
Vinny Testaverde led the Belichick-led Browns to their last playoff win back on January 1, 1995. It seems like yesterday! And as you know, Vinny was a quarterback in this league last year.
Now all you need is a phone call, and that Belichick-Vinny magic can work for the 2008 Patriots.
Sep 8, 2008
Thoughts about Palin
Well, it's been a exciting two weeks in the presidential contest, no question. And the race has been turned on its end by McCain's selection of Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska. I've got a lot of thoughts about this and they are all rambling through my head....so I apologize if they all aren't coherent.
First, this is rebranding at its best. Look, it's clear now that the Bush brand of Republicanism is not good. Politicians with an R next to their name are running scared.
So how does one re-brand the Republican label? Well, figure out what people don't like about the current brand and fix it.
We can debate about this for hours, but I believe that people turned against the R label because of:
- corruption/scandals (think Larry Craig and Abramoff)
- high spending/deficits (not in line with traditional R principles)
- lack of "humanity" and not being in touch (Katrina).
I don't think it's the war - especially now with the Surge working well.
McCain can rightfully claim that he can turn around the party on those first two planks - corruption and spending - but the third one is iffy. How can a 72-year-old white man show that he can relate to the masses?
Well, enter Palin. She complements McCain on the first prinicple and clearly shows that she is "in touch". So what do we have now? The party can now be rebuilt around:
- strong defense
- lower spending
- driving out corruption
- in touch and responsive to needs
and this rebranding has some substance behind it - since McCain /Palin have a track record on some of those issues.
It will be a long process - but it is the start of a divorce from some of Bush's domestic policies. This separation process may not be successful in 2008 - I still think this election will turn on whether the US think Obama is ready and willing to embrace him - but this rebranding could be fantastic in 2010 and beyond.
Look- those principles that McCain/Palin is trying to rebrand the party on are very similar to Newt's contract with American in 1994. 2010 could be a 1994-type election if Republican's nationwide embrace those planks.
So - again - why Palin? Well, she can be the face for those new principles for the next decades. McCain has - at most - 10 years in the public eye. Who will be the Reagan and carry the banner for decades more? Palin is being set up to be a spokeswoman for these principles - almost like a Barry Goldwater. The 2008 election may not be won, but the base for a successful rebirth of a party can form around these thoughts.
I don't think you can pick a more effective spokesperson than Palin. And yes, that has to factor into the equation in picking a VP candidate - in effect, picking another national candidate to carry the banner.
Some more thoughts:
2. Palin is an excellent pick as she walks the line between social conservatism and drawing in working women. I am amazed on how this pick has woken up the conservative base. Palin - through her social conservative views - is starting to be a cult hero to conservative women. These women weren't even sure they were going to vote this fall! This is huge.
And Palin can be seen as appealing to independent, working women....those women that are married, have children, and have a career - those women who share some child care duties with their husband as the two of them juggle day care responsibilities. THose women - I guess you can call them "soccer moms" - voted Democratic in 2006 but voted for Bush in 2004 and 2000. Palin appeals directly to them.
And where are they located? Butler, Warren, Medina, Geauga counties in Ohio, Macomb in Michigan...the suburban counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and northern Virginia. These are not the Clinton feminists that Palin is trying to go after.
The pick of Palin - in one fell swoop - get the social conservative on board and also should swing some soccer moms to McCain. Brilliant.
3. It's amazing how easy you can make your strategy when you know the opponent's response. For a golf analogy: if you are in match play, and know that every time you get up and down from off the green to tie a hole, it drives your opponent crazy - and that craziness causes him to swing harder and harder.......well, wouldn't you try to miss greens? Wouldn't you try miss greens, knowing you can get up and down and purposely sending your opponent off the deep end?
I swear I think the Republicans know this. The media and most liberal democrats are predictable. We can guess what their reaction is going to be - "a woman governor from Alaska? She's a dumb hick that can't possibly hold up in the national media spotlight. And besides, she has 5 kids! She can't do the job!"
Well, if you can predict that reaction, you can be one step ahead of them by preparing and strategizing against that. Her speech onWednesday was good - boiler plate attack dog stuff - but since the story was the "dumb hick" angle, she looked impressive.
By the way - if you just read the speeches and didn't know who made them, you would think the historical speech was McCain's. It is shocking to hear the presidential candidate of a party effective bash much of the party's record over the past few years. It was -as I said earlier- a start of a divorce from 2001-08.
4. For all these reasons, Palin is a great political pick. And I think that's what drives some on the other side nuts. They expect to win this election, and in their eyes can see no way how the Republicans can or should win. As a result, they expect the Republicans to almost concede - that's what a pick of Pawlenty or another white male would have been.
But the Republicans are actively giong to try to win this election - that's what the pick of Palin signifies. This, I believe, is what is scaring Democrats. Some believe - after 8 years of Bush - the Presidency should automatically be handed to them. It's not, and they will have to make a case. That's not what they were expecting - and that's why the Palin pick took them by surprise.
First, this is rebranding at its best. Look, it's clear now that the Bush brand of Republicanism is not good. Politicians with an R next to their name are running scared.
So how does one re-brand the Republican label? Well, figure out what people don't like about the current brand and fix it.
We can debate about this for hours, but I believe that people turned against the R label because of:
- corruption/scandals (think Larry Craig and Abramoff)
- high spending/deficits (not in line with traditional R principles)
- lack of "humanity" and not being in touch (Katrina).
I don't think it's the war - especially now with the Surge working well.
McCain can rightfully claim that he can turn around the party on those first two planks - corruption and spending - but the third one is iffy. How can a 72-year-old white man show that he can relate to the masses?
Well, enter Palin. She complements McCain on the first prinicple and clearly shows that she is "in touch". So what do we have now? The party can now be rebuilt around:
- strong defense
- lower spending
- driving out corruption
- in touch and responsive to needs
and this rebranding has some substance behind it - since McCain /Palin have a track record on some of those issues.
It will be a long process - but it is the start of a divorce from some of Bush's domestic policies. This separation process may not be successful in 2008 - I still think this election will turn on whether the US think Obama is ready and willing to embrace him - but this rebranding could be fantastic in 2010 and beyond.
Look- those principles that McCain/Palin is trying to rebrand the party on are very similar to Newt's contract with American in 1994. 2010 could be a 1994-type election if Republican's nationwide embrace those planks.
So - again - why Palin? Well, she can be the face for those new principles for the next decades. McCain has - at most - 10 years in the public eye. Who will be the Reagan and carry the banner for decades more? Palin is being set up to be a spokeswoman for these principles - almost like a Barry Goldwater. The 2008 election may not be won, but the base for a successful rebirth of a party can form around these thoughts.
I don't think you can pick a more effective spokesperson than Palin. And yes, that has to factor into the equation in picking a VP candidate - in effect, picking another national candidate to carry the banner.
Some more thoughts:
2. Palin is an excellent pick as she walks the line between social conservatism and drawing in working women. I am amazed on how this pick has woken up the conservative base. Palin - through her social conservative views - is starting to be a cult hero to conservative women. These women weren't even sure they were going to vote this fall! This is huge.
And Palin can be seen as appealing to independent, working women....those women that are married, have children, and have a career - those women who share some child care duties with their husband as the two of them juggle day care responsibilities. THose women - I guess you can call them "soccer moms" - voted Democratic in 2006 but voted for Bush in 2004 and 2000. Palin appeals directly to them.
And where are they located? Butler, Warren, Medina, Geauga counties in Ohio, Macomb in Michigan...the suburban counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and northern Virginia. These are not the Clinton feminists that Palin is trying to go after.
The pick of Palin - in one fell swoop - get the social conservative on board and also should swing some soccer moms to McCain. Brilliant.
3. It's amazing how easy you can make your strategy when you know the opponent's response. For a golf analogy: if you are in match play, and know that every time you get up and down from off the green to tie a hole, it drives your opponent crazy - and that craziness causes him to swing harder and harder.......well, wouldn't you try to miss greens? Wouldn't you try miss greens, knowing you can get up and down and purposely sending your opponent off the deep end?
I swear I think the Republicans know this. The media and most liberal democrats are predictable. We can guess what their reaction is going to be - "a woman governor from Alaska? She's a dumb hick that can't possibly hold up in the national media spotlight. And besides, she has 5 kids! She can't do the job!"
Well, if you can predict that reaction, you can be one step ahead of them by preparing and strategizing against that. Her speech onWednesday was good - boiler plate attack dog stuff - but since the story was the "dumb hick" angle, she looked impressive.
By the way - if you just read the speeches and didn't know who made them, you would think the historical speech was McCain's. It is shocking to hear the presidential candidate of a party effective bash much of the party's record over the past few years. It was -as I said earlier- a start of a divorce from 2001-08.
4. For all these reasons, Palin is a great political pick. And I think that's what drives some on the other side nuts. They expect to win this election, and in their eyes can see no way how the Republicans can or should win. As a result, they expect the Republicans to almost concede - that's what a pick of Pawlenty or another white male would have been.
But the Republicans are actively giong to try to win this election - that's what the pick of Palin signifies. This, I believe, is what is scaring Democrats. Some believe - after 8 years of Bush - the Presidency should automatically be handed to them. It's not, and they will have to make a case. That's not what they were expecting - and that's why the Palin pick took them by surprise.
Can't Wait For March Madness!
I can't believe we are already in the sporting doldrums of February. The Super Bowl has ended, pitchers and catchers are just reporting, so baseball is still a ways away. Even the NBA players don't really care about these games right now. We are just waiting for March Madness and then baseball's Opening Day to bring the sports calendar back to a more exciting place.
What's that? Its still September?? Football season didn't just end? Hmm. Thats strange, because it sure feels like it...
What's that? Its still September?? Football season didn't just end? Hmm. Thats strange, because it sure feels like it...
Sep 7, 2008
Its like Christmas morning
I'm so excited. I was telling Carol last night that I wasn't too sure I could get to sleep since I was so excited about today. I haven't been this amp'd for the football season ever. It might be due to the A's being 30 games back, or it might be because:
1. Gambling on something real. I'm tired of hunting down value in Spanish Soccer and Track and Field. Its getting old hearing gambling tips on tennis from Wiz that never pays off.
2. Fantasy Football- I trimmed down to two teams this year. My old Farmer's Insurance League in Baltimore and my old softball league. I'm pretty excited this time since I spent more than one hour prepping.
3. Sunday mornings are now fun again. Wake up around 7:00am have some coffee, make final decisions on what to bet on, go for a run, then head over to the local bar to watch the games. Now I got Ben doing it this year along with his old neighbor Mike who is from Chicago. Should be fun.
So I was thinking about my predictions for the season and I'm having a tough time picking the AFC. If you buy into the theory that 2-3 new teams will make the playoffs, then we have some tough decisions to make.
AFC: Pats, Steelers, Chargers, Titans, Jaguars, and the Colts
NFC: Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks, Bucs, Giants, and the Skins
So the Pats will win the East and I'm going with the Jags in the South. Colts will hit the wild card, but we will have 3 new teams making the playoffs.
1. Denver- Yes the Broncos. This is more of a vote of no confidence against the Chargers than anything else. And yes, this is the year that Norv will take this team down.
2. Houston- Andre Johnson is the most under-rated player in the game right now. If he can stay healthy and their RB situation gets set, I see them making huge strides.
3. Browns- Sportsguy rips the trades that they made, but I don't understand why. Run defense was terrible and they got two top notch inside guys. I think that they will hold steady at 10-6 and win the division.
NFC: GreenBay, Cowboys, and Seattle will make the playoffs. Green Bay is the best team in the NFC, not the Cowboys.
1. Eagles- Yes this seems like the popular pick, but they will take the place of the Giants this year.
2. Carolina- I just hate TB. Carolina will be without Smith at the beginning, but they will be just fine. Solid running game, solid defense, and solid coach. I like them.
3. Lions- Wildcard bound. Book it.
Superbowl- Green Bay - Pats.
1. Gambling on something real. I'm tired of hunting down value in Spanish Soccer and Track and Field. Its getting old hearing gambling tips on tennis from Wiz that never pays off.
2. Fantasy Football- I trimmed down to two teams this year. My old Farmer's Insurance League in Baltimore and my old softball league. I'm pretty excited this time since I spent more than one hour prepping.
3. Sunday mornings are now fun again. Wake up around 7:00am have some coffee, make final decisions on what to bet on, go for a run, then head over to the local bar to watch the games. Now I got Ben doing it this year along with his old neighbor Mike who is from Chicago. Should be fun.
So I was thinking about my predictions for the season and I'm having a tough time picking the AFC. If you buy into the theory that 2-3 new teams will make the playoffs, then we have some tough decisions to make.
AFC: Pats, Steelers, Chargers, Titans, Jaguars, and the Colts
NFC: Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks, Bucs, Giants, and the Skins
So the Pats will win the East and I'm going with the Jags in the South. Colts will hit the wild card, but we will have 3 new teams making the playoffs.
1. Denver- Yes the Broncos. This is more of a vote of no confidence against the Chargers than anything else. And yes, this is the year that Norv will take this team down.
2. Houston- Andre Johnson is the most under-rated player in the game right now. If he can stay healthy and their RB situation gets set, I see them making huge strides.
3. Browns- Sportsguy rips the trades that they made, but I don't understand why. Run defense was terrible and they got two top notch inside guys. I think that they will hold steady at 10-6 and win the division.
NFC: GreenBay, Cowboys, and Seattle will make the playoffs. Green Bay is the best team in the NFC, not the Cowboys.
1. Eagles- Yes this seems like the popular pick, but they will take the place of the Giants this year.
2. Carolina- I just hate TB. Carolina will be without Smith at the beginning, but they will be just fine. Solid running game, solid defense, and solid coach. I like them.
3. Lions- Wildcard bound. Book it.
Superbowl- Green Bay - Pats.
Sep 6, 2008
NFL Week 1: The Refs!
We're back for our weekly installment of predictions for the NFL games. This year's themes: introducing you to the NFL Head Referees in place for 2008! There are 17 head referees in the league -and 17 weeks to the season. How about that!
Week 1 brings us Al Riveron. Never heard of him? Neither have I! He is one of two that have been newly promoted to the head ref position this year. So he's a completely unknown quantity - just like the Week 1 games. We have no idea who is good, who is bad, overrated, underrated, or what. Everyone is presumed average until proven otherwise - and every ref is presumed innocent until guilty of a game-changing call.
(My guess is that he will be doing the Det-Atl barnburner....but watch him show up in Cleveland tomorrow.)
On to the picks:
Det 27, Atl 13. This is similar to Thursday night's game....I'm not sure what Detroit is going to do this year, but Atlanta should be in the bottom 3 of the league.
Sea 17, Buf 16. I don't get all the Buffalo love. "this is their year! 10-6!" a lot of people say. Why? Trent Edwards?
NYJ 24, Mia 16. Some agonizing here. Yes, Chad Pennington knows the Jets playbook - but on offense, can he execute? No. And do you think the NFL/CBS will let Favre lose game 1?
(By the way - Jets were 4-12 last year. The Dolphins were 1-15. So yes- CBS puts their "A" broadcasting team on the opener between the two this year! And for all those groaning that the Browns got 5 prime time games, imagine how many Jets games you will be forced to see this year....)
NE 31, KC 10. Is there something to Brady's foot injury that we don't know about?
Tampa 27, NO 24. Should be a great game, down to the wire. I think New Orleans needs a couple weeks and then they should be firing on all cylinders.
Philly 27, St Louis 20. I have no idea. Really.
Pit 27, Hou 17. Is Houston really that good enough to hang with Pittsburgh on the road? I would love to say yes....but I can't.
Ten 20, Jax 17, OT: A match of two playoff teams from the past year. This is the game that Nantz/Simms should be doing.
Bal 16, Cin 13. I can't believe I am taking Joe Flacco on his opening game rookie year.....but have you seen the Bengals at all? No O-line, no defense....this will be one ugly game.
SD 27, Car 24. A wild hunch here... and I think the Panthers will stay in it until the end.
SF 23, Az 20. Maybe the 49ers that we all expected last year will finally show up one year later.
Ind 27, Chi 10. I think the Bears will be just as bad on offense as they were last year. And why again are many people dissing the Colts?
GB 24, Min 17. I'm supposed to believe in Tavaris Jackson? People doubt the Browns because of Derek Anderson - which I can understand - but they think Tavaris will lead the Vikes to the playoffs? Hello?
Oak 23, Den 20. I am certainly not on any Jay Cutler baandwagon.
Cle 27, Dal 25. In real life, Romeo calls timeout and Dawson nails the 27 yard FG with no time left.....
Best bets: currently 1-0:
Det -3
NYJ -3
NE -15.5
TB +3
TB/NO over 42.5
Pit -6.5
Ten +3
Bal +1.5
Bal/Cin under 37.5
Car +9.5
Car/SD Over 41.5
SF +2.5
Ind -9.5
Ind/Chi Under 44
GB -2
Oak +3
Sep 4, 2008
Oh yeah, by the way...
the NFL season start tonight!
Let's begin our annual attempt to have a winning wagering season (3 out of the last 4!) with Pick 1 of the 2008 NFL year:
NY Giants 27, Washington 10. I'm not sure if the Giants are going to slip or not, but I have no faith in this Washington team.
Best bet:
NY Giants -4.5.
Let's begin our annual attempt to have a winning wagering season (3 out of the last 4!) with Pick 1 of the 2008 NFL year:
NY Giants 27, Washington 10. I'm not sure if the Giants are going to slip or not, but I have no faith in this Washington team.
Best bet:
NY Giants -4.5.
My actual nightmare
First, thanks to all for the kind notes after our son, Martin Kasper, was born. Everyone is doing well and we are adjusting to life (again) with newborn!
But life with a newborn involved little sleep. Martin got up around 1 last night, and Janice took him to the other room. She kept him in there on the rocker for most of the early morning. So I actually slept from 1:30 until I woke up from a nightmare. Here's the dream I had:
Browns down, 25-24, with 20 seconds left but we are driving at the Cowboys 30. We have 4th and 2 at the 30 - with one timeout left. We decide to go for it.
Anderson hits Winslow over the middle at the 15; Winslow runs to the 10 and is tackled with 9 seconds remaining.
Tick...Tick...tick....9....8...7...6..5....4...3...2...1......
No one calls timeout. The game ends; we lose, 25-24.
Hoo boy, did my anti-Romeo feelings from 2006 get all fired up again!
Any psychologists want to help intrepret this one?
But life with a newborn involved little sleep. Martin got up around 1 last night, and Janice took him to the other room. She kept him in there on the rocker for most of the early morning. So I actually slept from 1:30 until I woke up from a nightmare. Here's the dream I had:
Browns down, 25-24, with 20 seconds left but we are driving at the Cowboys 30. We have 4th and 2 at the 30 - with one timeout left. We decide to go for it.
Anderson hits Winslow over the middle at the 15; Winslow runs to the 10 and is tackled with 9 seconds remaining.
Tick...Tick...tick....9....8...7...6..5....4...3...2...1......
No one calls timeout. The game ends; we lose, 25-24.
Hoo boy, did my anti-Romeo feelings from 2006 get all fired up again!
Any psychologists want to help intrepret this one?
Aug 30, 2008
Wow, looks just like Eric
So for one day lets put aside on VP issues and take a momment and congratulate Eric, as his third boy was born this morning. I had some people there at the hosptial taking pictures and wanted to share. Looks like we have our 8th for Vegas.
Aug 26, 2008
Veepstakes, part 2!
Now let's review the VP choices on the Republican side. I am trying to see if I can clear my schedule to head to Dayton on Friday to see McCain unveil his VP pick for the first time publicly.
However, I'm becoming more and more convinced that this election - in general - is not about McCain and what he can promise/say/do. The election will ultimately be decided by the Hillary Clinton primary voters. Will they come home - come back home to the Democratic party? Or will they stay home and not voter out of anger/apathy/sickness on Election Day? That is the #1 question for the next 3 months.
(I'm wathcing Hillary's speech now - so far, an absolute bore, except for one zinger on Bush/McCain. "It makes sense that they have their convention in the Twin Cities! They're practically twins!" I didn't do it justice here, but that line is so far the only highlight.)
Anyway, can McCain pick a VP that may change Hillary Clinton voter dynamic - and exacerbate the split in the Democratic party? Or will he choose a VP that may influence one or two key states in an election that may be excrucriatingly close? Eric's odds:
Tim Pawlenty (MN): 5-1. A Republican governor of a somewhat blue state. I'm not sure he himself can overcome the R label and turn Minnesota from blue to red. He is a social conservative, semi-young, and telegenic, very much like Bayh. A national unknown, however. McCain would choose him if- and only if - he'd guarantee Minnesota for McCain. And I don't think he can.
Joe Lieberman (I-CT): 6-1. Wow. This would turn the race on its end. However - ask yourself this: does McCain feel he is behind enough to take this sort of a risk? If McCain was 8-10 points down (think Dole, 96), this pick would make sense. I don't think he needs to take this risk.
Rob Portman (OH): 20-1. Bush's budget director, and a former congressman from Ohio (I think from Don's district)! Very popular in SW Ohio, but that doesn't mean he can carry the state. Too unknown, no benefits.
Mike Huckabee (AR): 10-1. He's making a strong move as we come to the home stretch! What a way to thank your pirmary "opponent" (if you can call him that) by tag-teaming with McCain against Romney. And with McCain's apparent weakness on economics, this pick could shore up the blue collar vote that usually would be Democratic but don't like Obama.
But - ugh. A lot of downsides, especially to the socially moderate/progressive.
Meg Whitman (CA): 20-1. The former eBay chairwoman. I know nothing about her, but she has been mentioned as a possible candidate to shore up the domestic program of McCain. And the word "eBay" may help with the age issue for McCain. But still - a political novice? (and that's being nice?)
Tom Ridge (PA): 30-1. We have an inside source on this blog that has heard firsthand that Ridge will not be picked. Should we believe him?
Mitt Romney (MA): 3-1. I guess, by process of elimination, the front runner. The political calculation positives are pretty strong: the Mormon issue may affect him negatively in some states, but it is a strong positive in states like Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, all battleground states that McCain needs. The Romney name is also popular in Michigan, and may turn the dial toward McCain a few points.....
but there's something about him I don't like. Too smooth, too polished, too telegenic. He seems like a car salesman. And that's a turnoff.
The Field: 1-1. I am more and more convinced McCain will choose somebody not on the above list. Newt Gingrich? Bobby Jindial (LA)? John Kasich (OH)? Carly Fiorina (Hewlett Packard)? Michael Steele (MD)?
There's a darkhorse out there somewhere. Where?
However, I'm becoming more and more convinced that this election - in general - is not about McCain and what he can promise/say/do. The election will ultimately be decided by the Hillary Clinton primary voters. Will they come home - come back home to the Democratic party? Or will they stay home and not voter out of anger/apathy/sickness on Election Day? That is the #1 question for the next 3 months.
(I'm wathcing Hillary's speech now - so far, an absolute bore, except for one zinger on Bush/McCain. "It makes sense that they have their convention in the Twin Cities! They're practically twins!" I didn't do it justice here, but that line is so far the only highlight.)
Anyway, can McCain pick a VP that may change Hillary Clinton voter dynamic - and exacerbate the split in the Democratic party? Or will he choose a VP that may influence one or two key states in an election that may be excrucriatingly close? Eric's odds:
Tim Pawlenty (MN): 5-1. A Republican governor of a somewhat blue state. I'm not sure he himself can overcome the R label and turn Minnesota from blue to red. He is a social conservative, semi-young, and telegenic, very much like Bayh. A national unknown, however. McCain would choose him if- and only if - he'd guarantee Minnesota for McCain. And I don't think he can.
Joe Lieberman (I-CT): 6-1. Wow. This would turn the race on its end. However - ask yourself this: does McCain feel he is behind enough to take this sort of a risk? If McCain was 8-10 points down (think Dole, 96), this pick would make sense. I don't think he needs to take this risk.
Rob Portman (OH): 20-1. Bush's budget director, and a former congressman from Ohio (I think from Don's district)! Very popular in SW Ohio, but that doesn't mean he can carry the state. Too unknown, no benefits.
Mike Huckabee (AR): 10-1. He's making a strong move as we come to the home stretch! What a way to thank your pirmary "opponent" (if you can call him that) by tag-teaming with McCain against Romney. And with McCain's apparent weakness on economics, this pick could shore up the blue collar vote that usually would be Democratic but don't like Obama.
But - ugh. A lot of downsides, especially to the socially moderate/progressive.
Meg Whitman (CA): 20-1. The former eBay chairwoman. I know nothing about her, but she has been mentioned as a possible candidate to shore up the domestic program of McCain. And the word "eBay" may help with the age issue for McCain. But still - a political novice? (and that's being nice?)
Tom Ridge (PA): 30-1. We have an inside source on this blog that has heard firsthand that Ridge will not be picked. Should we believe him?
Mitt Romney (MA): 3-1. I guess, by process of elimination, the front runner. The political calculation positives are pretty strong: the Mormon issue may affect him negatively in some states, but it is a strong positive in states like Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, all battleground states that McCain needs. The Romney name is also popular in Michigan, and may turn the dial toward McCain a few points.....
but there's something about him I don't like. Too smooth, too polished, too telegenic. He seems like a car salesman. And that's a turnoff.
The Field: 1-1. I am more and more convinced McCain will choose somebody not on the above list. Newt Gingrich? Bobby Jindial (LA)? John Kasich (OH)? Carly Fiorina (Hewlett Packard)? Michael Steele (MD)?
There's a darkhorse out there somewhere. Where?
Management Question #16
So I have a little dilemma here at the office. We have a local guy who lives out of his van that parks in our parking lot at night. He has a nice big van that he lives in and a small red car that he drives. Everyday at 6:00pm, he pulls into our parking lot and parks both vehicles near the back portion of our building. He is usually very good about moving both vehicles by 7:00am. But this morning his red car was still parked in our parking lot. So I ended up driving next to his van (parked right outside of our parking lot) and honked the horn for a little bit hoping that he would wake up. No go. So the question is do I go out there and knock on the van door and ask him to move his vehicle? I don't want him to think that I've become soft, but at the same time I don't want him to get pissed at us and then vandalize our building after hours.
My staff really doesn't care and actually feeds this guy from time to time, which pisses me off. The homeless are like seagulls. You feed them once and they swarm you and won't go away. My staff is very soft. During last Thanksgiving, another homeless man built an amazing cardboard house out by our dumpster. He completed it on Wednesday afternoon right before Thanksgiving, complete with a couple of matresses and a random couch. I was going to go out there to take it down, but my staff stopped me since it was right before Thanksgiving. I gave in then and allowed it to stay up until Monday, and now I'm probably the laughing stock of the homeless community.
So do I make a point and get his car towed this morning?
My staff really doesn't care and actually feeds this guy from time to time, which pisses me off. The homeless are like seagulls. You feed them once and they swarm you and won't go away. My staff is very soft. During last Thanksgiving, another homeless man built an amazing cardboard house out by our dumpster. He completed it on Wednesday afternoon right before Thanksgiving, complete with a couple of matresses and a random couch. I was going to go out there to take it down, but my staff stopped me since it was right before Thanksgiving. I gave in then and allowed it to stay up until Monday, and now I'm probably the laughing stock of the homeless community.
So do I make a point and get his car towed this morning?
Aug 25, 2008
Aaaah! Too Much Information!
To kick off our convention coverage, I'd like to share what Bob Schieffer said in his closing remarks on "Face the Nation" this past Sunday.
Schieffer was reminiscing about covering conventions in the past, and he remarked that this would be "his 11th Democratic convention" that he covered - and he has also covered 10 Republican conventions so far.
"The first Democratic convention I covered was the convention in Chicago in 1968, which was memorable for me. It was memorable not because of the proceedings on the convention floor, but rather because 9 months after the day the convention started, my first daughter was born."
Aaah! Aaah! My ears! My eyes! The forced vision of Bob Schieffer having sex is quite a wake up call to my system.........next thing you know, Madeleine Albright will mention that August 28, 2008, is the 60th anniversary of the day she took a young Lloyd Bentsen behind the Capitol steps and (ed- this post has been terminated. )
Aug 20, 2008
Let's play veepstakes!
Today's game: the Democrats. Who will Obama pick as his VP choice?
Before we start, let's give some credit to McCain for finding a message that seems to be working. Tying Obama to random celebrities - Paris, Britney, etc. - is pure genius. It plays directly to the middle-aged white voter who still is unsure about Obama, and puts into words the hesitation. It also occured right after the time Obama was on his Europe trip and made a speech in Germany in front of 200,000 people.
One piece of advice my Dad gave me - if you want to attack something that seems unassailable, attack their strengths. Example: Burger King in the 80s. They wanted to attack McDonalds. How? They were the king - burgers fast and fresh. How do you attack them in an ad?
Answer: By attacking the fact they were fast. Why were they fast? Because they made the burger one way. You can't get it any other way. But what if you wanted a burger...your way? And a slogan was born.
McCain is doing exactly that. Obama is very popular - almost too popualr. He's attacking that image effectively. And (by chance!) where is Obama giving his acceptance speech next Thursday? Why, at Mile High Stadium in front of 75,000 people! This just adds to the celebrity/rock star label that McCain has given him. Obama has got to be careful not to provide more ammunition for that image.
Anyway, what is the end result of that ad campaign? An unquestioned tightening of the race - one poll shows McCain up 5 right now - and in the overall electoral vote count, McCain is seen to be ahead, 274-264.
There is no question that we are at the high point in McCain's campaign right now (so far?). All the toss up states are leaning McCain's way right now - Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, and so on. The good news for Obama is that it is very hard to see how Obama loses any more states. If Michigan and/or Pennsylvania start to turn to McCain, this thing could turn into a rout.
But for now, Obama should have a floor of 264 votes. The big question he needs to answer - given the current themes of the campaign and the current electoral map, can a VP pick influence either?
Some choices, with Eric's proposed odds:
1. Tim Kaine (VA): 10-1. Virginia's popular governor has been listed as a possibilitiy. Could this pick swing Virginia back to the Democrats? However - and I feel bad for saying this - I can't believe that America would elect a VP with that haircut. I'm sorry -some images do matter.
2. Joe Biden (DE): 4-1. Picking Biden would help close the "experience" issue Obama may have - Biden has 30+ years of experinece in the Senate and extensive foriegn policy credentials. However, he is the consummate Washington insider - would that hinder Obama's message of change?
One other thing - there was a presidential candidate that didn't have a lot of foreign policy items on his resume. He chose a VP who had a lot of congressional experience, various foreign policy responsibilities, and was seen as a sharp debater/good speaker.
It's not hard to draw parellels between Biden and Cheney.
3. Kathleen Sebelius (KS): 20-1. The chic rumor going around now - the Kansas governor would help with the female vote and would add to the "change" campaign them. And Sebelius is a conservative Democrat, and certainly can not be confused as a liberal. But would it deliver Kansas? The 5 electoral votes - with the current map - would make the election projected to be 269-269. (And, at this time, a tie goes to the House, which assuredly should remain Democratic).
And do we really know anything about her? What vetting is going on right now? A risky pick.
4. Dianne Feinstein (CA): 7-1. I'm surprised she's not talked about more often. The more moderate of the California senators, Feinstien has experience in Congress (16 years in the Senate) and has served on foreign policy committees, I think. She was a Clinton ally, so that may help mend some bridges. She is Jewish, but that issue should be put to rest given Lieberman's run in 2000 (and it may help in Florida). Not a bad pick.
5. Hillary Clinton (NY): 40-1. What, is Obama insane?
6. Evan Bayh (IN): 3-1. I think this is the smart pick. Bayh is the conservative senator from Indiana, and the Bayh name is powerful in that state. I would have to predict that the 11 electoral votes would swing toward Obama - meaning McCain would need another state to win. He has almost 10 years of experince in the Senate, and serves on the Armed Forces committee; he is 53 years old but looks younger, so can effectively look the part of "change".
7. The Field: 2-1. There's always a surprise lurking around the corner. As I was walking the dog, I tried to think about the last several VP picks and whether they were in the running for a VP and talked about before the announcement:
84: Ferraro: a complete surprise, and not a good choice. She did not deliver her home state.
88: Quayle (R): another complete surprise
88: Bentsen (D): I think he was mentioned on a short list as a possible balance for the northereastern Dukakis
92: Gore: yes, he was mentioned. Gore ran for President 4 years before!
96: Kemp: another surprise, not in name (since many knew him) but was not talked about as a VP candidate.
00: Cheney (R): medium surprise. He led the VP search committee - and then came back to Bush and said "nope, no qualified candidates out there....except moi!"
00: Liebermann (D): boy, it seems weird now putting a "D" next to his name! I think this was a small surprise.
04: Edwards: no surprise here.
So about half the time the pick comes out of left field.....will it happen again this week?
I say no - I say the pick is Evan Bayh. Your thoughts?
Aug 18, 2008
Seriously?!?!
Trampoline is a SPORT?
How does this make the Olympics and Softball is getting the axe?
This is stupid! Which Canadian was better? WHO CARES!
How does this make the Olympics and Softball is getting the axe?
This is stupid! Which Canadian was better? WHO CARES!
Aug 17, 2008
One more golf tournament
The last individual event for the 2008 season is upon us tomorrow. Don, Craig and I will be playing in the Cincinnati Met Mid-Am, the amateur championship for those 25 and older. Miraculously, I finished 4th last year.
Lines for tomorrow's first round action (the final 18 are on Tuesday):
Eric favored by 1 over Don
(this was a pickem until Saturday's head to head matchup)
Craig favored by 5.5 over Don
Craig favored by 4.5 over Eric
Three person special: Don, Craig and Eric's score:
Over / under set at 239.5
Results should be posted at gcga.org later in the day Monday.
And what else is tomorrow night? The Browns on Monday Night Football! I haven't posted too much on here about the Browns yet because I don't know what to say. I am nervously optimistic about this season. We are talented enough to go 11-5 or so, but if a couple of things go wrong, this could snowball into a 6-10 season.
We have so many games this year that I could see us winning or losing even if we play well:
- home vs Dallas
- both Pittsburgh games
- at Washington
- home vs NY Giants
- home vs Indianapolis
- at Tennessee
- at Jacskonville
- at Philadephia
and I don't think we are good enough (yet) to assume 4-0 vs Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Bottom line: check back with me on Sept 13. While the first game vs. Dallas is important - and I will be elated if we win and disappointed if we lose - the second game at home vs Pittsburgh is the big big big test.
If we win, expect 3 days of jubliant posts on this board.
If we lose, I will be distraught.
Lines for tomorrow's first round action (the final 18 are on Tuesday):
Eric favored by 1 over Don
(this was a pickem until Saturday's head to head matchup)
Craig favored by 5.5 over Don
Craig favored by 4.5 over Eric
Three person special: Don, Craig and Eric's score:
Over / under set at 239.5
Results should be posted at gcga.org later in the day Monday.
And what else is tomorrow night? The Browns on Monday Night Football! I haven't posted too much on here about the Browns yet because I don't know what to say. I am nervously optimistic about this season. We are talented enough to go 11-5 or so, but if a couple of things go wrong, this could snowball into a 6-10 season.
We have so many games this year that I could see us winning or losing even if we play well:
- home vs Dallas
- both Pittsburgh games
- at Washington
- home vs NY Giants
- home vs Indianapolis
- at Tennessee
- at Jacskonville
- at Philadephia
and I don't think we are good enough (yet) to assume 4-0 vs Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Bottom line: check back with me on Sept 13. While the first game vs. Dallas is important - and I will be elated if we win and disappointed if we lose - the second game at home vs Pittsburgh is the big big big test.
If we win, expect 3 days of jubliant posts on this board.
If we lose, I will be distraught.
Aug 11, 2008
These posts will keep coming....
Until we agree that this blog will officially endorse John McCain as president.
First, we found out that John McCain is a avid craps player.
Now, we find out that ABBA and Neil Diamond make it into McCain's Top 10 Songs list.
Gees, people, what more do we need?
First, we found out that John McCain is a avid craps player.
Now, we find out that ABBA and Neil Diamond make it into McCain's Top 10 Songs list.
Gees, people, what more do we need?
Aug 10, 2008
Sunday afternoon ramblings
Some random followups on golf and the olympics:
1. Finished third in the club championship. I thought I was in the lead after the first round until a 65-year old greenskeeper shot 72 after I left the clubhouse.
So I started 5 back, got to within 3, and then boarded the bogey train for a while and finished third.
The 65-year-old? He finished 9-6-9 on 16, 17, and 18 (par 4-4-5) and finished behind me. Tough, tough, tough to watch it all unfold. I was speechless.
2. Then played at the Ohio Publinx at Cook's Creek. The driver has been my worrisome club all year, so what do I do? I hit 11 of 14 fairways....and shoot 85. Could not hit any irons, and I was off with my pitches. The greens were rock hard, and I had trouble adjusting.
The 2nd round brought the complete opposite - through 11 holes, I hit 4 fairways, but made everything. I had 14 putts through 11 holes and was even for the round.
Then I had a block, leading to a triple - and then couldn't find a swing. Finished 8 over. Ugh. The problem: I have no reliable "pressure" swing anymore - the swing you need just to get the ball out there. I used to have this 230-yard gentle fade that I could atuomatically hit under any situation. Not anymore. Ugh.
The putting was phenomenal - the shortest putt I missed was a downhill 20 footer. Everything inside that was in the hole.
I'm taking a break for a week - to flush the system.
3. This golf pool that Layup and I are in, however - this is starting to be an unhelathy obsession. This pool requires you to pick a golfer for each tournament, and you can only pick a golfer once all season. Out of 120 or so people, Layup and I are 2nd at this point, a mere $1900 back of first.
I feel like a pastor of a Church - my off days are Monday; on Tuesday, it's reasearch day; Wednesday involves a 30-45 minute phone call with Layup as we argue over the pick - and then the tournament starts Thursday.
Our pick this week is Retief Goosen - and the leader (and the person directly behind us) has Phil. Entering the 4th round, Goosen is one back of Phil.
4. Go Ben! If Goosen can't win, let's see the boy from Ostrander win his second major.
5. Olympics fever is in this house now. Two pieces of evidence:
a. I actually had Freddie and Warren watching Women's basketball yesterday - Mali vs New Zealand! They chose to root for the Kiwis and were dancing around the room when they made a 3 pointer.
b. For the opening day of men's basketball, I entered in a 6-team teaser:
Russia
Spain
Croatia
Lithuania
Germany
USA
6-for-6! Winner!
Yes, I am insane.
1. Finished third in the club championship. I thought I was in the lead after the first round until a 65-year old greenskeeper shot 72 after I left the clubhouse.
So I started 5 back, got to within 3, and then boarded the bogey train for a while and finished third.
The 65-year-old? He finished 9-6-9 on 16, 17, and 18 (par 4-4-5) and finished behind me. Tough, tough, tough to watch it all unfold. I was speechless.
2. Then played at the Ohio Publinx at Cook's Creek. The driver has been my worrisome club all year, so what do I do? I hit 11 of 14 fairways....and shoot 85. Could not hit any irons, and I was off with my pitches. The greens were rock hard, and I had trouble adjusting.
The 2nd round brought the complete opposite - through 11 holes, I hit 4 fairways, but made everything. I had 14 putts through 11 holes and was even for the round.
Then I had a block, leading to a triple - and then couldn't find a swing. Finished 8 over. Ugh. The problem: I have no reliable "pressure" swing anymore - the swing you need just to get the ball out there. I used to have this 230-yard gentle fade that I could atuomatically hit under any situation. Not anymore. Ugh.
The putting was phenomenal - the shortest putt I missed was a downhill 20 footer. Everything inside that was in the hole.
I'm taking a break for a week - to flush the system.
3. This golf pool that Layup and I are in, however - this is starting to be an unhelathy obsession. This pool requires you to pick a golfer for each tournament, and you can only pick a golfer once all season. Out of 120 or so people, Layup and I are 2nd at this point, a mere $1900 back of first.
I feel like a pastor of a Church - my off days are Monday; on Tuesday, it's reasearch day; Wednesday involves a 30-45 minute phone call with Layup as we argue over the pick - and then the tournament starts Thursday.
Our pick this week is Retief Goosen - and the leader (and the person directly behind us) has Phil. Entering the 4th round, Goosen is one back of Phil.
4. Go Ben! If Goosen can't win, let's see the boy from Ostrander win his second major.
5. Olympics fever is in this house now. Two pieces of evidence:
a. I actually had Freddie and Warren watching Women's basketball yesterday - Mali vs New Zealand! They chose to root for the Kiwis and were dancing around the room when they made a 3 pointer.
b. For the opening day of men's basketball, I entered in a 6-team teaser:
Russia
Spain
Croatia
Lithuania
Germany
USA
6-for-6! Winner!
Yes, I am insane.
Aug 3, 2008
No More She-manny-gans
I'll be the first to say it - I loved the Manny Era in Boston. He was there for 7 1/2 years, and was a huge part of two World Series teams. Sure, he quit on the team in 2002 and 2006 and did some quirky things, but he always entertained you. Some of my favorite Manny moments:
- jacking a home run and standing at home plate with his arms raised long enough for a bird to land on his helmet
- high fiving a fan after making a catch (and doubling a runner off)
- taking a leak in the Green Monster bathroom while the game was going on
- coming out of said Green Monster holding a sign that read Manny being Manny
- cutting off Johnny Damon's throw in CF (to the SS) from about 12 feet away
- Dropping a routine flyball then after saying "Oh well there goes my Gold Glove. I guess I'll have to go for the Silver or Bronze."
- Going out to left field with a water bottle in his back pocket
- Manny on Jay Leno talking about his slide in the World Series vs Colorodo. Manny is talking about the play (as they are cueing up the highlight to show on the screen), and he says "Oh I was definitely safe, no doubt about it, look here Jay, look here. (they show the play), Oh I guess I was out.
- While rehabbing in Pawtucket (where he spent almost a MONTH, seriously what big leaguer wants to spend a month in AAA????) he slid into third base and somehow lost a huge diamond earring. The players and umps were all looking for his earring. He told them to not worry about finding it, it was "only" a $25,000 diamond.
- Running on the bases and always flipping his helmet off as if once he discarded the helmet he would turn into Vince Coleman on the bases.
Now having said ALL THAT... they had to move him, it was time. Somehow, it went from quirky and silly, to just boorish and selfish. He was just different this year, knocking a 62 year old RS Employee to the ground, punching Youkilis in the dugout, were signs that things in Mannyland were stranger than ever. Once he sat out the two games (against King Felix and Joba), that was it. He was really pissed that the Red Sox wouldn't tell him whether they would pick up his option (for $20 mil) in 2009, so he was threatening to shut it down. I actually think the Sox did very well to get Jason Bay back for Manny and two guys who were very expendable. BTW, what were the Marlins thinking? They could have had Manny for free and they passed? Strange.
I am sure that Manny will have a strong second half for LA, and I am sure that the Red Sox will be better off without Manny. I am also sure I'll miss watching him play every day.
- jacking a home run and standing at home plate with his arms raised long enough for a bird to land on his helmet
- high fiving a fan after making a catch (and doubling a runner off)
- taking a leak in the Green Monster bathroom while the game was going on
- coming out of said Green Monster holding a sign that read Manny being Manny
- cutting off Johnny Damon's throw in CF (to the SS) from about 12 feet away
- Dropping a routine flyball then after saying "Oh well there goes my Gold Glove. I guess I'll have to go for the Silver or Bronze."
- Going out to left field with a water bottle in his back pocket
- Manny on Jay Leno talking about his slide in the World Series vs Colorodo. Manny is talking about the play (as they are cueing up the highlight to show on the screen), and he says "Oh I was definitely safe, no doubt about it, look here Jay, look here. (they show the play), Oh I guess I was out.
- While rehabbing in Pawtucket (where he spent almost a MONTH, seriously what big leaguer wants to spend a month in AAA????) he slid into third base and somehow lost a huge diamond earring. The players and umps were all looking for his earring. He told them to not worry about finding it, it was "only" a $25,000 diamond.
- Running on the bases and always flipping his helmet off as if once he discarded the helmet he would turn into Vince Coleman on the bases.
Now having said ALL THAT... they had to move him, it was time. Somehow, it went from quirky and silly, to just boorish and selfish. He was just different this year, knocking a 62 year old RS Employee to the ground, punching Youkilis in the dugout, were signs that things in Mannyland were stranger than ever. Once he sat out the two games (against King Felix and Joba), that was it. He was really pissed that the Red Sox wouldn't tell him whether they would pick up his option (for $20 mil) in 2009, so he was threatening to shut it down. I actually think the Sox did very well to get Jason Bay back for Manny and two guys who were very expendable. BTW, what were the Marlins thinking? They could have had Manny for free and they passed? Strange.
I am sure that Manny will have a strong second half for LA, and I am sure that the Red Sox will be better off without Manny. I am also sure I'll miss watching him play every day.
Is Layup faster or slower than this?
Found this classic on You Tube. No, it is not in slow motion.
Ah, memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jem453SaSpU
Ah, memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jem453SaSpU
Jul 29, 2008
Random Thoughts
Well, it's been a while - hello there! It's been crazy at work, and I am finally getting over the "Big D" I acquired from my trip to Mexico. Yesterday, I finally had my first solid bowel movement in about 10 days.
Some random thoughts:
1) First of all, if you haven't heard, Layup is fine after the earthquake in CA. I would say something calling him a wimp since he was scared over a measly 5.7 quake - but then, this spring in Ohio we felt a 3.1 quake and it was the lead story on our local news for 4 days with plenty of old women calling in "reporting" the quake. I love local news.
2) Mexico: it was very enjoyable to watch the home run derby in Spanish rather than put up with Mr. Blowhard, Chris Berman.
3) The Browns will take the field for a preseason game in 9 days. Wow. Football is almost here.
4) Why do I hate Jim Nantz? Well, this should be the only exhibit I need. Fourth quarter play, week 11, Cleveland - Pittsburgh. Watch and listen to the call. He just sucks the life out of any excitement on the field. Can you imagine if Dick Enberg was on the call? Gus Johnson? Joe Buck? Dick Stockton? Ian Eagle? Sam Rosen? All would be much much better than this.
What if Nantz called our gambling action in Vegas? He'd put us to sleep. If Gus was there, he'd be egging Kermit to get up and slug Wiz after doubling on 6....
5) Speaking of Sam Rosen, I still submit he is the most underrated play-by-play voice out there doing the NFL. He's on FOX, and there's no chance of him doing a Browns game this year. (The only two games that FOX would carry are week 1, when Dallas comes in - a game undoubtedly called by Joe "That's Outrageous" Buck and Mr. Cowboy himself, Troy Aikman), and the NYG game - but that's a MNF game). It's too bad. His call of the Seattle game last year was superb.
(that's the game no one else saw, since it was on at the same time as the NE-Ind game).
6) Coming soon: my opinion of each NFL head referee! A sneak preview: Ron Winter is not as bad as you think he is, while I cringe if Mike Carey is doing my game.
7) Golf week 08 starts Saturday, with the defense of my club championship crown and then the Ohio Publinx, this year at Cook's Creek. Monday's traditional practice round have all 4 participants confirmed, as Dad and I will square off against Steve and Kermit.
I feel like I'm playing the best golf of the year, which is not saying much at all. Expectations are low.
Some random thoughts:
1) First of all, if you haven't heard, Layup is fine after the earthquake in CA. I would say something calling him a wimp since he was scared over a measly 5.7 quake - but then, this spring in Ohio we felt a 3.1 quake and it was the lead story on our local news for 4 days with plenty of old women calling in "reporting" the quake. I love local news.
2) Mexico: it was very enjoyable to watch the home run derby in Spanish rather than put up with Mr. Blowhard, Chris Berman.
3) The Browns will take the field for a preseason game in 9 days. Wow. Football is almost here.
4) Why do I hate Jim Nantz? Well, this should be the only exhibit I need. Fourth quarter play, week 11, Cleveland - Pittsburgh. Watch and listen to the call. He just sucks the life out of any excitement on the field. Can you imagine if Dick Enberg was on the call? Gus Johnson? Joe Buck? Dick Stockton? Ian Eagle? Sam Rosen? All would be much much better than this.
What if Nantz called our gambling action in Vegas? He'd put us to sleep. If Gus was there, he'd be egging Kermit to get up and slug Wiz after doubling on 6....
5) Speaking of Sam Rosen, I still submit he is the most underrated play-by-play voice out there doing the NFL. He's on FOX, and there's no chance of him doing a Browns game this year. (The only two games that FOX would carry are week 1, when Dallas comes in - a game undoubtedly called by Joe "That's Outrageous" Buck and Mr. Cowboy himself, Troy Aikman), and the NYG game - but that's a MNF game). It's too bad. His call of the Seattle game last year was superb.
(that's the game no one else saw, since it was on at the same time as the NE-Ind game).
6) Coming soon: my opinion of each NFL head referee! A sneak preview: Ron Winter is not as bad as you think he is, while I cringe if Mike Carey is doing my game.
7) Golf week 08 starts Saturday, with the defense of my club championship crown and then the Ohio Publinx, this year at Cook's Creek. Monday's traditional practice round have all 4 participants confirmed, as Dad and I will square off against Steve and Kermit.
I feel like I'm playing the best golf of the year, which is not saying much at all. Expectations are low.
Jul 13, 2008
Oil
Ok, I promise that my next post will be something non political related. I don't have a good bathroom story, so I guess you all are stuck with this, but after reading Eric's and Laura's comments about gas I wanted to make some comments of my own. 
First, I tend to agree with Laura and $4+ gas is actually good. I do agree that this does push people to conserve more (I carpool 3 days a week) and provides an incentive to the private sector to push for alternative fuels. Just today I saw "Go Nuclear" sign in someones yard in Dana Point. You wouldn't see that with $2 gas. The problem starts though with the thought that gas would stay around $4. It won't. Currently as of this morning, gas in Southern CA is $4.69. Why would anyone think that gas wouldn't be even higher in a couple of months. There is no indication that oil would go in the other direction with the weak dollar, Iran War on the horizon, and no drilling allowed.
When will it stop? When will enough be enough. You would be naive to think that gas would stay in the $4-$5 range. Carol and I are planning on gas being in the $7-$8 range since Congress and the President won't do anything. Just like Social Security and Health Care, I'm up for every option.
- Alaska Drilling- Let's go folks. What will it take for people who have never been to Alaska to say, "Let's go".
- Off shore Drilling- I had a nice chat with Richie last week and I asked him how his dad was doing. He chuckled and said that he is so pissed right now at Arnold because he won't drill off the coast of CA. Ha!
- Nuclear Plants- Why are people scared? Because of Chernobyl? Um, that nuclear plant was run by idiot Russians. We have one right on the ocean down the road from us and there are no complaints.
- Strengthen the dollar- We need a balanced budget to get the dollar stronger.
- Alternative fuels- Well I'm for it. I'm for tax breaks, government incentives, or whatever else is needed. I know that Arnold just gave some very large incentives to Tesla Motors who has a electric car with a 200 mile range.
- Conserve- Here is the problem though about conserving. California is thinking about raising the gas tax since consumption is down 3% and they are losing out on all of the revenue. Seriously? Really?
- Speculation- Leave it be. For people that have no idea on why it was created and how much it provides some normalcy to the market, just shut up.
- Taxes- Help me understand how taxing the Oil companies help us with this situation. If people can, then I would be for it, but it just seems to me that it is spiteful and serves no purpose.
Now, I would think that I'm the only one here that can truely bitch about gas prices and truth be told, my budget has not gone up for gas. I used to have an Infiniti that used premium gas which I got rid of last August. I now carpool with people from work, so despite gas prices increasing at a fast rate, I have held my budget the same. So it works for now, but jack prices up again to $6 and then we are going to be in some trouble.
Quick Comments
Obama came out today and stated that there is "little doubt we've moved into recession." Really Obama? As Eric pointed out to me several months back, there is an equation to figure out if we are in a recession or not. It is 2 qtrs of negative growth. Not an opinion.
Just imagine if I walked around my offices telling everyone that we won't hit our results, despite the results not being in yet. Not hitting the results would mean that nobody would get a raise. Sure would create a wonderful atmosphere.
Obama, you are not a political hack, you are a presidential candidate. I was actually thinking about voting for you, but comments like this indicate that you are nothing more than a typical politician playing into the fears of voters. And yes, the Republicans have done the same, but with different topics.
Just imagine if I walked around my offices telling everyone that we won't hit our results, despite the results not being in yet. Not hitting the results would mean that nobody would get a raise. Sure would create a wonderful atmosphere.
Obama, you are not a political hack, you are a presidential candidate. I was actually thinking about voting for you, but comments like this indicate that you are nothing more than a typical politician playing into the fears of voters. And yes, the Republicans have done the same, but with different topics.
Good morning
With some conversation starting on gas prices and such, here is a great article in the Journal a couple of weeks ago on some very interesting economic topics. Enjoy.
Robert Mundell isn't in the habit of making fruitless policy recommendations, though some take a long time ripening. Nearly four decades passed between his early work on optimal currency areas and the birth of the euro in 1999 – the same year he received the Nobel Prize for economics.
So when Mr. Mundell says that rescinding the Bush tax cuts "would be devastating to the world economy," that oil prices are "not so far off track," that Asia needs its own multilateral currency, or that the ham sandwiches sitting before us could use some mustard, one is inclined to pay attention – and, except in the case of lunch, to think long term.
Back in America, there's an election going on. There's also been a spate of financial problems, not the least of which is a weak dollar. But Mr. Mundell says "the big issue economically . . . is what's going to happen to taxes."
Democratic nominee Barack Obama regularly professes disdain for the Bush tax cuts, suggesting that those growth-spurring measures may be scrapped. "If that happens," Mr. Mundell predicts, "the U.S. will go into a big recession, a nosedive."
One of the original "supply-side" economists, he has long preached the link between tax rates and economic growth. "It's a lethal thing to suddenly raise taxes," he explains. "This would be devastating to the world economy, to the United States, and it would be, I think, political suicide" in a general election.
Should taxes instead be cut again, I ask him, to stimulate the sluggish economy? Mr. Mundell replies that he favors a ceiling of 30% on marginal rates (the current top rate is 35%). He recounts how the past century experienced a titanic struggle over whether tax rates are too high or too low: from a 3% income tax in 1913; up to 60% during World War I; down to 25% before Congress and President Herbert Hoover raised taxes back to 60% in 1932 and "sealed the fate of our economy for a long, long time"; all the way up to 92.5% during World War II before falling in three steps, reaching 28% under President Ronald Reagan; and back to nearly 40% under Bill Clinton before George W. Bush lowered them to their current level.
In light of this fiscal roller coaster, Mr. Mundell says, "the most important thing that could be done with respect to tax rates now is to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Eliminating that uncertainty would be more important than pushing for a further cut – in the income tax rates, anyway."
One tax that he would cut, to 25%, is the corporate tax rate. "It could be even lower," he says, "but I think it would be a big step to lower it to 25% . . . I made that proposal back in the 1970s."
A long-haired Mr. Mundell spent that decade not only arguing for the euro, but laying the intellectual groundwork for the Reagan tax-cut revolution. Mr. Mundell says those tax cuts remain "as important to the United States as the creation of the euro was to Europe – a fundamental change." Combined with Paul Volcker's tight-money policy at the Fed, which Mr. Mundell also championed, supply-side economics killed off stagflation.
Or at least it killed it off at the time. With prices again rising as growth slows, some economists are worried that stagflation could be making a comeback. Not Mr. Mundell – not yet.
He draws a comparison with the situation in 1979-1980. Start with the dollar price of oil, which he calls "one of the two most important prices in the world" (the other being the dollar-euro exchange rate, which we'll get to in a moment)."If you look at the price level since 1980," he begins, "oil prices would naturally double by the year 2000. So from $34 a barrel in 1980 to $68 a barrel. And then . . . because the inflation rate's about 3.5%, it would double again by 2020. So the natural price . . . would be something like $136 in 2020.
"Now, we [already] got to $130-something, but . . . I really think the price is going to settle down, probably below $100, if not below $90. What I'm saying is we're not so far off track."
American motorists still shocked by $4-a-gallon gasoline might think we're rather more off track than Mr. Mundell suggests. Bolstering his case, he immediately moves on to another commodity often invoked to demonstrate inflation: gold. "The price of gold in 1980 was $850 an ounce. And the price of gold today is about the same. It's astonishing," he says. "It's true, gold did go up" to more than $1,000 an ounce earlier this year, "but the public doesn't believe that there is inflation. If there was big inflation coming, then you'd see the price of gold going up to $1,500 an ounce very quickly, and that hasn't happened."
In any case, don't expect to hear Barack Obama or John McCain talk about the weak dollar's contributions to any problem. "As [journalist] Robert Novak once put it, it's like cleaning ladies who come in and say 'I don't do ironing.' [Politicians] say, 'I don't do exchange rates,'" Mr. Mundell chuckles. "They think they can only lose by talking about exchange rates, because they don't know enough about it, and it's hard to predict anyway, for anyone."
If Mr. Mundell had his way, there wouldn't be anything for politicians to say about exchange rates. They would be fixed – as they were under the Bretton Woods arrangement after World War II until 1971, when President Nixon took the U.S. off the postwar gold standard and effectively launched the era of floating exchange rates."It's a very poor and a dangerous system," Mr. Mundell says of the floating regime, "because it creates exaggerated swings in the exchange rate." Case in point is the dollar-euro rate. From a low of about 82 cents in 2000, Europe's common currency has risen fairly steadily and has been valued at more than $1.50 since late February, even breaking the $1.60 barrier once.
"What people have to realize is there's been a fundamental change in the way markets work in the past 20 years," Mr. Mundell says. "Now, exchange rates are driven not so much by trade but by capital accounts and capital movements, and the huge amount of liquidity that's sloshing around the world."
Central banks world-wide, he notes, are trying to reach an equilibrium between dollars and euros in their $6.5 trillion worth of foreign reserves. Roughly two-thirds of these reserves are kept in dollars now, so they have about $1 trillion left to move into euros.
"If you did a hundred billion dollars" annually, Mr. Mundell points out, "you'd need 10 years to build that up, and that amount of capital movement has a tremendous effect in keeping the euro overvalued. It's not good for Europe and . . . ultimately it would cause more inflation in the United States."
But this continuing shift doesn't mean that the dollar's status as the world's dominant currency is in danger, at least not in the short run. Countries like Iran may be pushing for the pricing of oil in another currency, "but it wouldn't happen unless Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states moved in that direction, and I don't see any way in which they would do this," Mr. Mundell says. "It would be very damaging to the relations between the United States and the Gulf countries. There's an implicit defense alliance between those, and that's what overrides as a top priority."
Nor is there a macroeconomic argument for demoting the dollar. "Remember, the growth prospects for the United States are probably stronger than that of Europe, because you've got continued and substantial population growth in the United States, and zero population growth in Europe," Mr. Mundell says. "Quite apart from the fact that the U.S. economy is innovating more rapidly, and the population is younger and not getting old as rapidly, so they pick up new technology faster. So I look upon the United States still as the main sparkplug of economic growth in the world."
As for the euro's overvalued status, he forecasts deflation in Europe, along with a slowdown and an end to its housing boom. The answer, he suggests, is for the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to cooperate in putting a floor and a ceiling on both the euro and the dollar. "You have to grope" to the appropriate range, he maintains, but a good starting point would be to keep the euro between 90 cents and $1.30.
Even better, in his mind – and now we're really talking long term – would be to have a global currency. This could take the form of a new money or a dominant existing one to which all others are fixed – probably the dollar. "As Paul Volcker says," Mr. Mundell relates, "the global economy needs a global currency."
To get there, he proposes holding a new, Bretton Woods-type meeting in 2010 at the Shanghai World's Fair. Mr. Mundell, who has been spending "a lot of time" in China advising the government, says reviving an international system of fixed exchange rates would be a tremendous help to Beijing as it tries to fend off demands from U.S. and European politicians that it appreciate or float its currency.
Here, he recalls Washington's similar "bashing" of the Japanese yen in the 1980s, and its ultimately disastrous effects: "Japan got stuck with an overvalued currency for a decade, and suffered from a perpetual deflation in its housing market from 1990 until just a couple of years ago. And China doesn't want to have the same problem."
Another part of his solution is for Asian countries to form their own currency bloc. If they did so, he says, "it'd be comparable in size to the European and the American bloc. And then it would not be so much the question of . . . the U.S. and Europe bashing China" or other rising economies.
These three currency blocs, he predicts, would be large enough to weather wide swings in their exchange rates. But the swings would still do economic damage, so "the best thing you could do is to stabilize them, and that's where the global currency comes in."
Could it happen? Mr. Mundell allows that three decades may pass, but predicts that like the euro and the Reagan revolution before it, the global currency's time, too, will come. Any skeptics might want to review the last few decades before betting against him.
Robert Mundell isn't in the habit of making fruitless policy recommendations, though some take a long time ripening. Nearly four decades passed between his early work on optimal currency areas and the birth of the euro in 1999 – the same year he received the Nobel Prize for economics.
So when Mr. Mundell says that rescinding the Bush tax cuts "would be devastating to the world economy," that oil prices are "not so far off track," that Asia needs its own multilateral currency, or that the ham sandwiches sitting before us could use some mustard, one is inclined to pay attention – and, except in the case of lunch, to think long term.
Back in America, there's an election going on. There's also been a spate of financial problems, not the least of which is a weak dollar. But Mr. Mundell says "the big issue economically . . . is what's going to happen to taxes."
Democratic nominee Barack Obama regularly professes disdain for the Bush tax cuts, suggesting that those growth-spurring measures may be scrapped. "If that happens," Mr. Mundell predicts, "the U.S. will go into a big recession, a nosedive."
One of the original "supply-side" economists, he has long preached the link between tax rates and economic growth. "It's a lethal thing to suddenly raise taxes," he explains. "This would be devastating to the world economy, to the United States, and it would be, I think, political suicide" in a general election.
Should taxes instead be cut again, I ask him, to stimulate the sluggish economy? Mr. Mundell replies that he favors a ceiling of 30% on marginal rates (the current top rate is 35%). He recounts how the past century experienced a titanic struggle over whether tax rates are too high or too low: from a 3% income tax in 1913; up to 60% during World War I; down to 25% before Congress and President Herbert Hoover raised taxes back to 60% in 1932 and "sealed the fate of our economy for a long, long time"; all the way up to 92.5% during World War II before falling in three steps, reaching 28% under President Ronald Reagan; and back to nearly 40% under Bill Clinton before George W. Bush lowered them to their current level.
In light of this fiscal roller coaster, Mr. Mundell says, "the most important thing that could be done with respect to tax rates now is to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Eliminating that uncertainty would be more important than pushing for a further cut – in the income tax rates, anyway."
One tax that he would cut, to 25%, is the corporate tax rate. "It could be even lower," he says, "but I think it would be a big step to lower it to 25% . . . I made that proposal back in the 1970s."
A long-haired Mr. Mundell spent that decade not only arguing for the euro, but laying the intellectual groundwork for the Reagan tax-cut revolution. Mr. Mundell says those tax cuts remain "as important to the United States as the creation of the euro was to Europe – a fundamental change." Combined with Paul Volcker's tight-money policy at the Fed, which Mr. Mundell also championed, supply-side economics killed off stagflation.
Or at least it killed it off at the time. With prices again rising as growth slows, some economists are worried that stagflation could be making a comeback. Not Mr. Mundell – not yet.
He draws a comparison with the situation in 1979-1980. Start with the dollar price of oil, which he calls "one of the two most important prices in the world" (the other being the dollar-euro exchange rate, which we'll get to in a moment)."If you look at the price level since 1980," he begins, "oil prices would naturally double by the year 2000. So from $34 a barrel in 1980 to $68 a barrel. And then . . . because the inflation rate's about 3.5%, it would double again by 2020. So the natural price . . . would be something like $136 in 2020.
"Now, we [already] got to $130-something, but . . . I really think the price is going to settle down, probably below $100, if not below $90. What I'm saying is we're not so far off track."
American motorists still shocked by $4-a-gallon gasoline might think we're rather more off track than Mr. Mundell suggests. Bolstering his case, he immediately moves on to another commodity often invoked to demonstrate inflation: gold. "The price of gold in 1980 was $850 an ounce. And the price of gold today is about the same. It's astonishing," he says. "It's true, gold did go up" to more than $1,000 an ounce earlier this year, "but the public doesn't believe that there is inflation. If there was big inflation coming, then you'd see the price of gold going up to $1,500 an ounce very quickly, and that hasn't happened."
In any case, don't expect to hear Barack Obama or John McCain talk about the weak dollar's contributions to any problem. "As [journalist] Robert Novak once put it, it's like cleaning ladies who come in and say 'I don't do ironing.' [Politicians] say, 'I don't do exchange rates,'" Mr. Mundell chuckles. "They think they can only lose by talking about exchange rates, because they don't know enough about it, and it's hard to predict anyway, for anyone."
If Mr. Mundell had his way, there wouldn't be anything for politicians to say about exchange rates. They would be fixed – as they were under the Bretton Woods arrangement after World War II until 1971, when President Nixon took the U.S. off the postwar gold standard and effectively launched the era of floating exchange rates."It's a very poor and a dangerous system," Mr. Mundell says of the floating regime, "because it creates exaggerated swings in the exchange rate." Case in point is the dollar-euro rate. From a low of about 82 cents in 2000, Europe's common currency has risen fairly steadily and has been valued at more than $1.50 since late February, even breaking the $1.60 barrier once.
"What people have to realize is there's been a fundamental change in the way markets work in the past 20 years," Mr. Mundell says. "Now, exchange rates are driven not so much by trade but by capital accounts and capital movements, and the huge amount of liquidity that's sloshing around the world."
Central banks world-wide, he notes, are trying to reach an equilibrium between dollars and euros in their $6.5 trillion worth of foreign reserves. Roughly two-thirds of these reserves are kept in dollars now, so they have about $1 trillion left to move into euros.
"If you did a hundred billion dollars" annually, Mr. Mundell points out, "you'd need 10 years to build that up, and that amount of capital movement has a tremendous effect in keeping the euro overvalued. It's not good for Europe and . . . ultimately it would cause more inflation in the United States."
But this continuing shift doesn't mean that the dollar's status as the world's dominant currency is in danger, at least not in the short run. Countries like Iran may be pushing for the pricing of oil in another currency, "but it wouldn't happen unless Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states moved in that direction, and I don't see any way in which they would do this," Mr. Mundell says. "It would be very damaging to the relations between the United States and the Gulf countries. There's an implicit defense alliance between those, and that's what overrides as a top priority."
Nor is there a macroeconomic argument for demoting the dollar. "Remember, the growth prospects for the United States are probably stronger than that of Europe, because you've got continued and substantial population growth in the United States, and zero population growth in Europe," Mr. Mundell says. "Quite apart from the fact that the U.S. economy is innovating more rapidly, and the population is younger and not getting old as rapidly, so they pick up new technology faster. So I look upon the United States still as the main sparkplug of economic growth in the world."
As for the euro's overvalued status, he forecasts deflation in Europe, along with a slowdown and an end to its housing boom. The answer, he suggests, is for the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to cooperate in putting a floor and a ceiling on both the euro and the dollar. "You have to grope" to the appropriate range, he maintains, but a good starting point would be to keep the euro between 90 cents and $1.30.
Even better, in his mind – and now we're really talking long term – would be to have a global currency. This could take the form of a new money or a dominant existing one to which all others are fixed – probably the dollar. "As Paul Volcker says," Mr. Mundell relates, "the global economy needs a global currency."
To get there, he proposes holding a new, Bretton Woods-type meeting in 2010 at the Shanghai World's Fair. Mr. Mundell, who has been spending "a lot of time" in China advising the government, says reviving an international system of fixed exchange rates would be a tremendous help to Beijing as it tries to fend off demands from U.S. and European politicians that it appreciate or float its currency.
Here, he recalls Washington's similar "bashing" of the Japanese yen in the 1980s, and its ultimately disastrous effects: "Japan got stuck with an overvalued currency for a decade, and suffered from a perpetual deflation in its housing market from 1990 until just a couple of years ago. And China doesn't want to have the same problem."
Another part of his solution is for Asian countries to form their own currency bloc. If they did so, he says, "it'd be comparable in size to the European and the American bloc. And then it would not be so much the question of . . . the U.S. and Europe bashing China" or other rising economies.
These three currency blocs, he predicts, would be large enough to weather wide swings in their exchange rates. But the swings would still do economic damage, so "the best thing you could do is to stabilize them, and that's where the global currency comes in."
Could it happen? Mr. Mundell allows that three decades may pass, but predicts that like the euro and the Reagan revolution before it, the global currency's time, too, will come. Any skeptics might want to review the last few decades before betting against him.
Jul 9, 2008
Random Thoughts
- The C C trade doesn't bother me too much. What else were we going to do? We are in last place, and it's most likely we weren't going to sign him anyway. Let's just hope that we obtained the outfield bat we so desperately need for this lineup. Having light hitters like Francisco, Gutierrez and such isn't going to cut it for the future.
- The Indians season may be over, but....15 days until training camp!
- Had another good craps in Iowa this past week, based on pressing up one unit. The strategy:
a. point with double odds
b. 6 and 8 for $12 each
c. first hit on the 6/8: same bet
d. second hit on the number: press up one unit to $18
e. third hit on the number: press two units to $30
And then keep the same bet and hope for the $35 payouts.
I also finally had a "double horn"; when I start winning, I throw a $5 horn high ace-deuce on the come out. I won the first on a 2 - paying $26; I then pressed it to $10. The roll came 3.
What does a horn-high ace-deuce for $10 pay on a 3? I finally found out! $54.
- My golf game is in such shambles that:
a. I needed to birdie 18 (and have Layup bogey it) just to tie Layup;
b. Random strangers are now offering me golf tips - and they are working!
- I need to stop snacking late at night. The actual thought in my head at 11:20 pm on Monday night:
1. "Hey! there's some Swedish fish left in the bag!"
2. "Ooooo....Burger King Zesty Onion Ring Sauce...."
3. "I wonder how it would taste if I dipped the Swedish Fish candy in that sauce....."
Next trial: Oreo cookies in Open Pit.
- I see that a song called "I kissed a Girl" is #1 on the charts. Is this a remake of the early 90's song? Does anyone remember that? I remember watching Beavis and Butthead comment on this video during the B&B heydays. It was being in Steve's basement, playing gin for hours watching "Beavis and Butthead" marathons. I think the episode with the "I Kissed A Girl" video was the same episode as Henry Rollins' "Liar". Also may have been a forgotten video featuring a woman with a gardening tool:
Beavis: " Is that a hoe?"
Butthead: "Yeah, but what is she carrying with her?"
Ah, memories.
- The Indians season may be over, but....15 days until training camp!
- Had another good craps in Iowa this past week, based on pressing up one unit. The strategy:
a. point with double odds
b. 6 and 8 for $12 each
c. first hit on the 6/8: same bet
d. second hit on the number: press up one unit to $18
e. third hit on the number: press two units to $30
And then keep the same bet and hope for the $35 payouts.
I also finally had a "double horn"; when I start winning, I throw a $5 horn high ace-deuce on the come out. I won the first on a 2 - paying $26; I then pressed it to $10. The roll came 3.
What does a horn-high ace-deuce for $10 pay on a 3? I finally found out! $54.
- My golf game is in such shambles that:
a. I needed to birdie 18 (and have Layup bogey it) just to tie Layup;
b. Random strangers are now offering me golf tips - and they are working!
- I need to stop snacking late at night. The actual thought in my head at 11:20 pm on Monday night:
1. "Hey! there's some Swedish fish left in the bag!"
2. "Ooooo....Burger King Zesty Onion Ring Sauce...."
3. "I wonder how it would taste if I dipped the Swedish Fish candy in that sauce....."
Next trial: Oreo cookies in Open Pit.
- I see that a song called "I kissed a Girl" is #1 on the charts. Is this a remake of the early 90's song? Does anyone remember that? I remember watching Beavis and Butthead comment on this video during the B&B heydays. It was being in Steve's basement, playing gin for hours watching "Beavis and Butthead" marathons. I think the episode with the "I Kissed A Girl" video was the same episode as Henry Rollins' "Liar". Also may have been a forgotten video featuring a woman with a gardening tool:
Beavis: " Is that a hoe?"
Butthead: "Yeah, but what is she carrying with her?"
Ah, memories.
Why I should listen to Rush more....
Rush Limbaugh, yesterday:
This month, just 9% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Most voters (52%) say Congress is doing a poor job, which ties the record high in that dubious category." Now, amidst all of this, with a 9% approval rating, an all-time low, the media template is still what? That the Democrats are going to pick up all these seats in the House and they're going to pick up all these seats in the Senate. It's a foregone conclusion. Now, if people are this upset with Congress, and the president's numbers are higher — you know, this is a risky thing to try to analyze. You have to ask how many Americans understand that Congress is now run by Democrats? How many of them think that Congress is just an extension of the White House and are blaming it on Republicans? Well, you don't know. But I think one of the keys here in every call I get, and every comment I get from people talking about this, whether it's here on the program or in my highly focused personal and private life, it's the gasoline price. The gasoline price is the root of everything because that affects the cost of food, the cost of leisure time activity, the cost of entertainment, and it's a gold mine. It is simply a golden opportunity for the Republican Party here to really make some big hay.
I wholehearedly agree with the idea here.
This is what frustrates me about the Republicans.
1) FACT: Democrats control Congress.
2) FACT: Approval of Congress is even lower than approval for Bush (9% this month).
3) MY OPINION: I think that if you poll a random person in the street and ask him/her who controls Congress, half of them would say the Republicans.
McCain is starting to put together an energy plan to help offset the gas price increase, and he's starting to call Obama "Dr. No" because Obama is against any of those proposals(increased drilling, nuclear options, incentives for battery development, gas tax holiday, etc.).
But it's not enough. Every single Republican out there should hammer these themes over the next 4 months:
1) Gas prices have skyrocketed - hurting everyone's pocketbook
2) The Democratic controlled congress has done NOTHING to help you
3) Here is our 4 point plan (mirroring McCain's plan)
4) Democrats - including Obama - have opposed every point of our plan
5) In fact, Democrats - including Obama - don't have a plan to decrease prices (as evidenced by ZERO action in Congress)
6) So who are you voting for? A party with new ideas on tackling skyrocketing prices, or the party who opposed any and all solutions?
That can be a winner. Why the Republican party - and Bush - doesn't embrace this chain of thought is beyond me.
I still have vivid memories of Bill Clinton HAMMERING Newt and the Republican Congress every single day from 1995-2000. Every Single Day. Clinton never stopped reminding people who was behind the congressional policies he opposed. For instance, the budget shutdown - Clinton successfully turned the tables and blamed Congress for the shutdown. Classic politics in action.
Why the Republicans aren't doing the same and placing a lot of the political blame of higher gas prices on Pelosi and company is beyond me.
This month, just 9% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Most voters (52%) say Congress is doing a poor job, which ties the record high in that dubious category." Now, amidst all of this, with a 9% approval rating, an all-time low, the media template is still what? That the Democrats are going to pick up all these seats in the House and they're going to pick up all these seats in the Senate. It's a foregone conclusion. Now, if people are this upset with Congress, and the president's numbers are higher — you know, this is a risky thing to try to analyze. You have to ask how many Americans understand that Congress is now run by Democrats? How many of them think that Congress is just an extension of the White House and are blaming it on Republicans? Well, you don't know. But I think one of the keys here in every call I get, and every comment I get from people talking about this, whether it's here on the program or in my highly focused personal and private life, it's the gasoline price. The gasoline price is the root of everything because that affects the cost of food, the cost of leisure time activity, the cost of entertainment, and it's a gold mine. It is simply a golden opportunity for the Republican Party here to really make some big hay.
I wholehearedly agree with the idea here.
This is what frustrates me about the Republicans.
1) FACT: Democrats control Congress.
2) FACT: Approval of Congress is even lower than approval for Bush (9% this month).
3) MY OPINION: I think that if you poll a random person in the street and ask him/her who controls Congress, half of them would say the Republicans.
McCain is starting to put together an energy plan to help offset the gas price increase, and he's starting to call Obama "Dr. No" because Obama is against any of those proposals(increased drilling, nuclear options, incentives for battery development, gas tax holiday, etc.).
But it's not enough. Every single Republican out there should hammer these themes over the next 4 months:
1) Gas prices have skyrocketed - hurting everyone's pocketbook
2) The Democratic controlled congress has done NOTHING to help you
3) Here is our 4 point plan (mirroring McCain's plan)
4) Democrats - including Obama - have opposed every point of our plan
5) In fact, Democrats - including Obama - don't have a plan to decrease prices (as evidenced by ZERO action in Congress)
6) So who are you voting for? A party with new ideas on tackling skyrocketing prices, or the party who opposed any and all solutions?
That can be a winner. Why the Republican party - and Bush - doesn't embrace this chain of thought is beyond me.
I still have vivid memories of Bill Clinton HAMMERING Newt and the Republican Congress every single day from 1995-2000. Every Single Day. Clinton never stopped reminding people who was behind the congressional policies he opposed. For instance, the budget shutdown - Clinton successfully turned the tables and blamed Congress for the shutdown. Classic politics in action.
Why the Republicans aren't doing the same and placing a lot of the political blame of higher gas prices on Pelosi and company is beyond me.
Jul 3, 2008
The only article you need to read...
...about the 2008 election.
If this article doesn't propel you to vote for McCain, then nothing - and I mean nothing - will.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1819898-1,00.html
Dammit, I wish I was one of McCain's aides....
If this article doesn't propel you to vote for McCain, then nothing - and I mean nothing - will.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1819898-1,00.html
Dammit, I wish I was one of McCain's aides....
Jun 30, 2008
Breaking news from P&G
I can't wait to see the comments on this blog about this story:
Gillette adds Derek Jeter to Champions Program
I'll start: If Derek Jeter is added, then we should add C.C. Sabathia as well. They've won the same number of rings since Sabathia came into the league in 2001.
And I can't wait until Brady Quinn is added to the program!
Gillette adds Derek Jeter to Champions Program
I'll start: If Derek Jeter is added, then we should add C.C. Sabathia as well. They've won the same number of rings since Sabathia came into the league in 2001.
And I can't wait until Brady Quinn is added to the program!
Jun 22, 2008
Ah, college girlfriends...
So we got our "Case Alumni" magazine in the mail the other day. As I was browsing through it, there was a page in there for alumni to write about memories they have of their favrorite professor. One student wrote about a physics professor that I knew but never had, and I didn't give it much attention - until the end.
At the bottom, there was a request from the magazine for people to submit stories about specific professors. One of them was a Systems Engineering professor - my major - that I did not like and that Janice hated with a passion. The best way to describe him would be - hmmmm....... Mort Goldman from "Family Guy" crossed with the Comic Book Guy from "The Simpsons". Yes, that scary - and he actually wore spandex to class a few times.
Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to show Janice the article and ask her to submit a letter about this Systems professor. She reads the request, laughs, and then rads the original article about the physics professor.
"Why did you show this to me? You know who wrote this article, right?"
No, I didn't check to see who wrote it. I look at it again - it was my first girlfriend from the dorm - a two week fling that should not have happened. She was a band enthusiast - I know, I know - from Pittsburgh, of all places. Ugh. And all my friends (and most others in the dorm) gave her the name of "ButtCut" since her hair was parted in the middle and feathered high on both sides.
Wow - 1989 hair styles.
It was a rebound relationship, after my high school girlfriend didn't talk to me for the 2-3 weeks before I left Sacramento for Cleveland. And something that all the people who knew me freshman year still make fun of me for.
At the bottom, there was a request from the magazine for people to submit stories about specific professors. One of them was a Systems Engineering professor - my major - that I did not like and that Janice hated with a passion. The best way to describe him would be - hmmmm....... Mort Goldman from "Family Guy" crossed with the Comic Book Guy from "The Simpsons". Yes, that scary - and he actually wore spandex to class a few times.
Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to show Janice the article and ask her to submit a letter about this Systems professor. She reads the request, laughs, and then rads the original article about the physics professor.
"Why did you show this to me? You know who wrote this article, right?"
No, I didn't check to see who wrote it. I look at it again - it was my first girlfriend from the dorm - a two week fling that should not have happened. She was a band enthusiast - I know, I know - from Pittsburgh, of all places. Ugh. And all my friends (and most others in the dorm) gave her the name of "ButtCut" since her hair was parted in the middle and feathered high on both sides.
Wow - 1989 hair styles.
It was a rebound relationship, after my high school girlfriend didn't talk to me for the 2-3 weeks before I left Sacramento for Cleveland. And something that all the people who knew me freshman year still make fun of me for.
Here we go again
The Cincinnati Met is tomorrow - 200+ golfers playing 36 holes over Monday and Tuesaday to get down to a final 64, where they are then seeded for Match Play.For the first time this year, I think I actually have some clue where the ball may be going off the club. Three thoughts:
- stand closer to the ball
- compact backswing
- and swing through the ball
A tune from "Swing Out Sister" always helps me remember this swing thought - say, "Breakout":
Don't stop to ask
Now you've found a break to make at last
You've got to find a way
Say what you want to say
Breakout....
Anyway - the courses we are playing:
The Ridge Club - 6450 yds, par 70; Terrace Park, 6800 , par 72.
Don, myself and the Good Doctor (Dr. Todd) are all in the field as we start tomorrow. The early lines:
Don vs Eric:
Don -0.5
Eric
Over/under:
Eric: over/under 161.5
Don: over/under 161
Jun 17, 2008
Random notes and golf update
Well, tomorrow is the annual rite, the 36 hole US Publinx Qualifier. This year, Don and I are trying our luck in Middletown at the Weatherwax golf course. Don's tee time is 8:30; mine is at 9:00. Going with tradition, Don has secured a teenage boy for me to be my caddy. I wouldn't have it any other way!
I was reading some of the old posts and came across the summary of the 2006 qualifier here. Forgot about this post and the stories from Don/Kermit in the comments.
Lines for tomorrow:
36 hole total:
Eric
Don -2.5
Over/under
Eric:
over 161.5 -110
under 161.5 -110
Don:
over 158.5 -110
under 158.5 -110
Post your betting choices before we get back at 8 pm tomorrow.
Random notes:
- Why does Annika, Charles Howell, and Chi Chi get to drive a Lexus, but Raymond has someone to drive him?
- If someone filmed me running from the backside, I'm sure I'd look like Raymond in the commercial.
- Johnny Miller can not read greens. He misread the 18th green at least 4 separate times over the weekend during the telecast.
- How to make a craps table hot? Well, the hillbilly I played craps with on Friday night told me this simple rule. Place an $11 bet on the "Big 8" on the comeout! And sure enough, once he did that, the table got hot for 90 minutes. A couple of caveats:
First, the bet needs to be placed so that the chips are perfectly on the top circle of the "8". Also, if it is after midnight, then you move the Big 8 bet to the Big 6.
As Billy Dee Williams would say, "works every time!"
I was reading some of the old posts and came across the summary of the 2006 qualifier here. Forgot about this post and the stories from Don/Kermit in the comments.
Lines for tomorrow:
36 hole total:
Eric
Don -2.5
Over/under
Eric:
over 161.5 -110
under 161.5 -110
Don:
over 158.5 -110
under 158.5 -110
Post your betting choices before we get back at 8 pm tomorrow.
Random notes:
- Why does Annika, Charles Howell, and Chi Chi get to drive a Lexus, but Raymond has someone to drive him?
- If someone filmed me running from the backside, I'm sure I'd look like Raymond in the commercial.
- Johnny Miller can not read greens. He misread the 18th green at least 4 separate times over the weekend during the telecast.
- How to make a craps table hot? Well, the hillbilly I played craps with on Friday night told me this simple rule. Place an $11 bet on the "Big 8" on the comeout! And sure enough, once he did that, the table got hot for 90 minutes. A couple of caveats:
First, the bet needs to be placed so that the chips are perfectly on the top circle of the "8". Also, if it is after midnight, then you move the Big 8 bet to the Big 6.
As Billy Dee Williams would say, "works every time!"
A Public Service Announcement
Regular blogging will resume shortly, like how a hillbilly taught me how to make a craps table become hot (hint - it involves putting money on the best that is, by far, the least popular).
But first, some pictures from the flooding in Iowa City/Coralville. Many of you know that I worked in Iowa City and lived in Coralville from 2004 to early 2006. These pictures are kind of amazing - and are only about 3 miles from our old house.
The first picture above is an aerial shot of the main intersection in Coralville. You can see the tree lined strees intersecting right about in the middle of the picture. The circles you see just below and to the right of that intersection is the University of Iowa softball fields - the actual circles you see are the outfield fences. You can barely make out a water tower in the upper left part of the picture - our house was about 1 mile from that tower.
At the bottom left, you can also see the #13 green(s) of the University golf course. This is where I lost my 2005 Ryder Cup match, 6 and 5 - but the Iowa City team won the overall matches, 14 1/2 to 13 1/2. Those are not supposed to be island greens.
The second picture is a close up of the main intersection. Sorry, no Hardee's burgers for a while.
The last picture is one of the buildings affected - where I got my hair cut consistently for 2 years. Dave was a typical barber - 60 years old, and full of stories - and actually gave Freddie a pocket coin holder with a Hawkeye logo when he came in. He still has it.
The flooding, obviously, will take a while to recover from. If you see any appeals for donations for flood relief in the area, I ask that you consider donating to the relief effort.
Jun 11, 2008
US Open
Please....please Mr. Ogilvy. I beg you. Please don't let us down this weekend. After last Sunday with the evil fucking Tim Clark triple boging the first hole and then going on to shot a 76 and totalling screwing us I.....sorry, where was I. Oh, so we are in 8th place and need to move up and make sure that the mean ole Wiz doesn't catch us. He's an asshole that constantly tries to put the reverse gooch on my brother and I. If you can win or even come in second after Tiger, I would be forever grateful. Thank you.
Is that you corky?
So I was talking with Dick the other day and he was out in Vegas. He was staying at the Golden Nugget and after his afternoon meetings, he decided to go and play some BJ. He said that he found a $10 table with one lady sitting at third base. Dick sat down at 1st base, exchanged 200 and was immediately dealt Black Jack. As Dick collected his money, he noticed that the dealer was explaining to the lady on what to do. "OK, so you don't want to hit since you have 17 and I have a 4 showing." Dick didn't think anything was wrong with this until he looked up at the lady and realized that there was something different about her. The women had down- syndrome, or as Dick said, a mongoloid. Dick was in shock. He first asked the dealer if it was legal, and the dealer didn't understand what Dick's problem was. Then Dick asked to color up and left the table.
I have to agree with Dick. How is this legal? Basically the dealer is having to play the ladies hand for her since she has no idea what is going on? Any thoughts on this?
I have to agree with Dick. How is this legal? Basically the dealer is having to play the ladies hand for her since she has no idea what is going on? Any thoughts on this?
Jun 10, 2008
Finals
Seriously, would anyone like to wager against Bennet Salvatore or Joey Crawford or Leon Wood officiating tonights game 3 in LA???? Vegas wouldn't even offer a line on that.
I freely admit that the Celts got buckets of home cooking in the last game. Leon Powe turned into Karl Malone in his prime and was drawing fouls at an incredible rate. Meanwhile some guy named Kobe drove the lane multiple times and didn't get anything. There were also a couple of plays were Garnett could have been called for fouls contesting shots inside, but they let it go. Overall, I thought game 1 was the best officiated game I have seen in the playoffs. Unfortunately, game 2 was more what we come to expect in the NBA.
I bet three Celtic starters will be on the bench with two fouls by the 8:00 in the 2nd Quarter. Kobe will go to the line at least 16 times and the Lakers will win big. Still I say Celtics in 6.
I freely admit that the Celts got buckets of home cooking in the last game. Leon Powe turned into Karl Malone in his prime and was drawing fouls at an incredible rate. Meanwhile some guy named Kobe drove the lane multiple times and didn't get anything. There were also a couple of plays were Garnett could have been called for fouls contesting shots inside, but they let it go. Overall, I thought game 1 was the best officiated game I have seen in the playoffs. Unfortunately, game 2 was more what we come to expect in the NBA.
I bet three Celtic starters will be on the bench with two fouls by the 8:00 in the 2nd Quarter. Kobe will go to the line at least 16 times and the Lakers will win big. Still I say Celtics in 6.
Jun 7, 2008
Saturday Ramblings
Wow what a day.
- So this morning I recommend to Eric that we need to get involved in the opening rounds of the Euro Cup, and when I say "get involved" I mean wagering. So Eric and I take the Czech Republic against the Swiss and I end up watching the entire match. First off, I love the announcers. Nothing in particular other than their accents. Secondly, I could really get into wagering on these games. It was so intense for most of the game. When the Czechs scored late in the second half I ran around my living room and kitchen just yelling "GOOOOOOAAAL" with Carol watching in shock. Then I was in the fetal position on the couch till the end as there were two missed hand ball calls in the penalty box for the Swiss that was not called. The bad part of it all was the text I got just minutes ago from Eric "How about the over in the Austria-Croatia match and a draw in the Germany Poland match." Ladies and Gentleman, I think we have found the missing link in sports gambling to hold us over until the NFL.
- Second gambling comment- PGA Golf pools. Greatest...THING...EVER!!!! So Wiz got Eric and I involved in a PGA Golf pool where we have to pick a single golfer to win each event and you can't use the same guy twice. At the beginning I wasn't too into it, but it has been building week by week and now it has taken over my life. So on Monday-Wednesday, Eric and I discuss what golfer to take in detail and then Thursday-Sunday I'm watching as much golf as possible. I either watched or followed 100% Tim Clarks rounds this week.
- Who would of thought that the Dodgers-Czech Republic-Tim Clark-Da'Tara parlay would of been the lock. And oh yeah I would of done it if I could have.
- Speaking of Da'Tara, please call Eric to give him a hard time in talking me out of wagering on Da'Tara to win. We ended up wagering him to show so it wasn't a total loss, but it could of been better.
- And finally Tim Clark and Steven Ames. Thank you for your hardwork today. Let's hope it pays off. Oh, and F you Wiz. Nice try on the reverse gooch.
- It was a very nice gambling day today.
- Note to the readers- Eating a fish burrito at 9:0pm the night before and backing it up with two bowls of Fiber One (55% of your fiber intake per serving) the next morning is not recommended. I read most of my magazines and then had to dip into Carol's Us Weekly, an old People, and even a Women's Fitness to cover the amount of downtime I had to take in the bathroom this morning. And Women's Fitness was very interesting. They did a shampoo ranking and P&G shit didn't make the list. I'll post it if anyone wants to see what it said.
- Went and looked at houses in Long Beach today. Nothing like $700 per square foot for homes in shitty neighborhoods. The housing market is hitting California pretty bad but not near LA. We viewed a 1400 square foot home that was built in the 1930's that only had the kitchen redone and it was just reduced to $1 million. What a bargain.
- Just want to say that I'm a little sad that Greg on the Real World has been sent home. He is now on the level of Spencer for the biggest dick on TV that I actually like. And by the way, this Real World has been amazing. If any of you liked the Real World before and stopped watching it because you were getting too old, please watch this season. Just amazing.
Jun 5, 2008
Hubie Brown picks the VPs
Editor's note: Hubie Brown will be our guest columnist for tonight, as he gives advice to both parties on who the Vice Presidential choice should be.
OK, You're Barack Obama. You've got a rift with the Clintons, with women and with blue collar Democrats. You've got 3 choices that make sense for you.
Third on the list for you is a governor of a key state that was a key supporter of Clinton's frm way back. You can't win without this state. This guy has the blue collar persona that you need to win the Reagan Democrat vote. This guy probably was a Reagan Democrat before joining the Clinton team in 1992. Ed Rendell (Governor of PA) would be an excellent choice.
But you could do even one better. The 6th Congressional district in Ohio is true Appalachia. When this person represented the district, the 6th ran from the Eastern Cincinnati suburbs all the way up the Ohio river, past Chillicothe, Portsmouth, Athens and up to the west side of Wheeling. This district, 97% white and a very low income, was won by this person in 1992, lost in 1994 in the Gingrich revolution, but then won the district back in 1996 and continued for four more terms. This person has effectively won these white blue-collar voters, the voters that go for Hillary at an 80% rate and voters you have to carry to win Ohio and, in effect, win the Presidency.
Barack,where is this guy now? He's only the newly elected governor of Ohio. Ted Strickland, the former 6th district congressman, is now the governor and ran Hillary's campaign in Ohio. He could possibly swing Ohio for you.
But Barack, those two candidates don't have the foreign policy experience that you are lacking. The perfect candidate would have governmental experience - maybe be in Washington for 20 or so years - and share your anti-war values. You also have some ground to make up with women. You have GOT to get them back in your good graces after the divisive primary.
You may be asking - if I need a woman on my ticket with plenty of experience, and it's not Hillary, then who could it be? Well, there is such a woman. This woman could bring additional passion and fire to your campaign. Also, she's represented most of the readers on this blog over the last 20 years.
If you truly want to get the feminists back in your tent, and also add experience to your ticket, you should nominate Barbara Mikulski (Senator, MD) as your VP.
Now, you're John McCain. First thing you have to realize is that the current Republican brand is crap. You cannot pick someone that has associations to the current version of the Republican party. So people currently associated with Bush or are seen as establishment Republicans are off limits.
You also realize that diversity is key. You see the split in the Democrats and see an opening - is there a way to capture some of the female vote? There is a senator that can do just that - a Senator with a moderate, bipartisan voting record that shares your enviornmentalist concerns. Picking Olympia Snowe (Sen, ME) would show you are serious about your bipartisan plans.
One problem is that Olympia is currently in Congress, and can easily be tied to Bush. You realize that you also need to carry the conservatives, your base, in order to have any hope of winning. You need to realize that the most popular Republican out there right now among the base is not Bush, Cheney, or any one currently in office - but Newt Gingrich. He had the ideas and the vision in the 90s and epitomized what the conservative movement stood for. Now, you think that a McCain-Gingrich ticket may not work - and I think you are right. But you need to pick someone from that era that has not been sullied by the unpopulairty of the Bush administration.
One bold pick would be J.C. Watts (ex-Republican representative from Oklahoma). He was in a ledership position in Newt's congress before he retired from public office in 2002. He would instantly show that you are serious about your conservative principles while emphasizing diversity.
However, you wonder how that would translate to votes in the fall - you probably can't peel any African-American votes away from Obama. What you are looking for, bluntly, is a woman that is associated with the 90's Republican Revolution but does not have ties to the current brand of Republicanism, and hopefully has some moderate viewpoints to appease Democrats and (most importantly) the media. Does this person exist? You bet she does. Christie Todd Whitman (the ex-Governor of New Jersey) was Governor in a blue state throughout the 1990's, and shares a passion for environmental concerns. She was Bush's EPA director from 2001-2003, but resigned after "having several public conflicts with the Bush administration". Another plus!
There you go. Obama-Mikulski vs. McCain-Whitman. That would be wonderful to see.
Jun 2, 2008
Travelers and golf
Sorry to all the insurance people out there, but I do like the new Travelers ad...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF3CXJZwGBw
How's the golf game, you ask? Well, I think I'm the short circus ringleader in the ad. So substitute "boat" for swing, have Layup be Mr. Travelers, and it sums up the state of my game right now.
Layup: "Where's your swing?"
Me: "There's no swing!"
Layup: "No swing?"
Me: "It will be back....(muttering)....es un disastro!"
Layup: "Well, maybe you can fade the ball again?"
Me: "Fade it?"
To salvage the 2008 season, I need that God damn Red Umbrella IMMEDIATELY.
I better step on the tee no later than June 15th, hit the ball, and exclaim (like Mr. Circus in the ad): "There it is!"
(PS - so who is the ugly, shirtless circus sidekick in the ad? Is that Don? Or Kermit?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF3CXJZwGBw
How's the golf game, you ask? Well, I think I'm the short circus ringleader in the ad. So substitute "boat" for swing, have Layup be Mr. Travelers, and it sums up the state of my game right now.
Layup: "Where's your swing?"
Me: "There's no swing!"
Layup: "No swing?"
Me: "It will be back....(muttering)....es un disastro!"
Layup: "Well, maybe you can fade the ball again?"
Me: "Fade it?"
To salvage the 2008 season, I need that God damn Red Umbrella IMMEDIATELY.
I better step on the tee no later than June 15th, hit the ball, and exclaim (like Mr. Circus in the ad): "There it is!"
(PS - so who is the ugly, shirtless circus sidekick in the ad? Is that Don? Or Kermit?)
Jun 1, 2008
Hello there!
It's has been a long while since I blogged - so here we go with some ramblings:
1) Had a great time on vacation this month at Disney and then the gulf coast (near Tampa / St. Pete). I know I will offend somebody here, but anyone who goes to Disney World with a 2 year old child or less is insane. Why? Our kids are 7 and 4, and I think the minimum age for a family to enjoy Disney is 4 - or maybe 3. Any younger than that - why go? The kid won't remember it, the kid will complain 80% of the day, and it's too hot/boring/tiring for them. We were there at 9:30 one morning - and saw one family (with a 1 and a 2 year old) just break down. The mother was yelling at her kids: "if you don't behave better, we'll go back to the hotel..." At 9:30! Must have been a long day.
2) At a Pizzeria UNO in Orlando, saw a man at a bar wearing a Browns hat and a Courtney Brown jersey. I was proud.
3) When in Tampa/St. Pete, we had a chance to go to a Devil Rays game. On a Friday night. I gotta tell you, it was weird.
First of all, maybe 15,000 were in attendance. We bought outfield seats but pretty much had 3 rows in a lower section between 1st and the right field foul pole all to ourselves. We got free parking - it was $10 for cars but if you had 4 people in the car, it was free! The stadium is in a terrible neighborhood in St Pete. Nothing but some industry and lower middle-class housing around there. It's like putting a stadium in Fairfield, OH, Euclid, OH, or Essex, MD. (and for those of you wondering, it was somewhat similar, but much less romantic, than the old Memorial Staidum neighborhood in Baltimore.)
I've never seen so many single men (aged 40-60) at a baseball game. It felt - honestly - like a horse track. Tons of middle aged men - divorcees? widowers? - taking in the game by themselves. Half had their scorebook keeping score.
The inside of the dome had no chemistry - it was like watching a game inside a Sam's Club. However, it was $1 hot dog night (and the Zahn family had 11) and it was the closest I have been to a no hitter yet. James Shields let up a hit in the 4th - and that was it. It was 0-0 going to the 9th, when the Rays hit a walkoff 2 run HR.
Leaving the game, I was impressed with the knowledge of those male fans. They were talking about pitch counts, at-bat strategies of the hitters, etc. (this drove Janice crazy - "we just saw the game! Why do they have to talk about it again??" - but I appreciated it.
Just - a weird but oddly fulfilling experience. It took us 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot - I can't imagine how it would be if they actually sold out.
4) I didn't realize how far Tampa and St Pete were from each other. Maybe that explained the lack of attendance. The Bucs and the Lightning play in Tampa - which is a good 30 minutes away from St Pete, where the Rays play. St Pete - from what we saw - is a depressing town. Tampa seemed much more....busier and livelier. That may explain many of the attendance problems for the Rays.
5) We're starting to get prepared for the new arrival .... went into the new IKEA here in West Chester to look at bunk beds. IKEAs are just....overwhelming. Wow.
6) Last weekend Don, Craig, Mike and I went up to Purdue to play the Kampen Course (a Pete Dye design) right before the NCAA Div I championship. Wow. What an experience.
Well, the experience was "enhanced" by plenty of drinking the night before at a favroite college bar of Don and Mike's......hoo boy, Long island Ice Teas have a lot of alcohol.
The course itself was a brutal 7450 yards, with a heavy penalty of missing the fairway (5 inches of rough, forcing a 9 iron or worse). With my driver not cooperating, and my head spinning as I kneeled down to read putts (and spinning again as I rose out of my crouch), I shot a respectable (?) 95. But it was a 44 on the back nine!
A few more quick thoughts:
7) What would the 1995 Indians' record be if they had this pitching? 130-14? My God, we are wasting our starting five's performances.
8) I have yet to find a flavor of Vitamin Water than I like. It's gross.
9) Freddie's baseball is going well - he's hitting the machine pretty good, and got a clean one-bouncer to the outfield yesterday. On Tuesday, it was too muddy for the machines so the coaches had to pitch - and our coach got him right on the wrist. Hoo boy. Someone on theblog immediately gave him teh nickname of Don Baylor.
10) Layup and I are taking suggestions for who to pick for the US Open in our golf pool. Can we depend on Tiger - or save him for later? We already picked Phil for the Colonial (in a master stroke of genius). Any other ideas? Harrington? Cink?
11) Don has reserved a Ryder Cup ticket for Saturday, Sept 20 down in Louisville. That is 8 days after our baby is expected to arrive. What are the odds that I will be attending the Ryder Cup? Early line is 50-1 against....
1) Had a great time on vacation this month at Disney and then the gulf coast (near Tampa / St. Pete). I know I will offend somebody here, but anyone who goes to Disney World with a 2 year old child or less is insane. Why? Our kids are 7 and 4, and I think the minimum age for a family to enjoy Disney is 4 - or maybe 3. Any younger than that - why go? The kid won't remember it, the kid will complain 80% of the day, and it's too hot/boring/tiring for them. We were there at 9:30 one morning - and saw one family (with a 1 and a 2 year old) just break down. The mother was yelling at her kids: "if you don't behave better, we'll go back to the hotel..." At 9:30! Must have been a long day.
2) At a Pizzeria UNO in Orlando, saw a man at a bar wearing a Browns hat and a Courtney Brown jersey. I was proud.
3) When in Tampa/St. Pete, we had a chance to go to a Devil Rays game. On a Friday night. I gotta tell you, it was weird.
First of all, maybe 15,000 were in attendance. We bought outfield seats but pretty much had 3 rows in a lower section between 1st and the right field foul pole all to ourselves. We got free parking - it was $10 for cars but if you had 4 people in the car, it was free! The stadium is in a terrible neighborhood in St Pete. Nothing but some industry and lower middle-class housing around there. It's like putting a stadium in Fairfield, OH, Euclid, OH, or Essex, MD. (and for those of you wondering, it was somewhat similar, but much less romantic, than the old Memorial Staidum neighborhood in Baltimore.)
I've never seen so many single men (aged 40-60) at a baseball game. It felt - honestly - like a horse track. Tons of middle aged men - divorcees? widowers? - taking in the game by themselves. Half had their scorebook keeping score.
The inside of the dome had no chemistry - it was like watching a game inside a Sam's Club. However, it was $1 hot dog night (and the Zahn family had 11) and it was the closest I have been to a no hitter yet. James Shields let up a hit in the 4th - and that was it. It was 0-0 going to the 9th, when the Rays hit a walkoff 2 run HR.
Leaving the game, I was impressed with the knowledge of those male fans. They were talking about pitch counts, at-bat strategies of the hitters, etc. (this drove Janice crazy - "we just saw the game! Why do they have to talk about it again??" - but I appreciated it.
Just - a weird but oddly fulfilling experience. It took us 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot - I can't imagine how it would be if they actually sold out.
4) I didn't realize how far Tampa and St Pete were from each other. Maybe that explained the lack of attendance. The Bucs and the Lightning play in Tampa - which is a good 30 minutes away from St Pete, where the Rays play. St Pete - from what we saw - is a depressing town. Tampa seemed much more....busier and livelier. That may explain many of the attendance problems for the Rays.
5) We're starting to get prepared for the new arrival .... went into the new IKEA here in West Chester to look at bunk beds. IKEAs are just....overwhelming. Wow.
6) Last weekend Don, Craig, Mike and I went up to Purdue to play the Kampen Course (a Pete Dye design) right before the NCAA Div I championship. Wow. What an experience.
Well, the experience was "enhanced" by plenty of drinking the night before at a favroite college bar of Don and Mike's......hoo boy, Long island Ice Teas have a lot of alcohol.
The course itself was a brutal 7450 yards, with a heavy penalty of missing the fairway (5 inches of rough, forcing a 9 iron or worse). With my driver not cooperating, and my head spinning as I kneeled down to read putts (and spinning again as I rose out of my crouch), I shot a respectable (?) 95. But it was a 44 on the back nine!
A few more quick thoughts:
7) What would the 1995 Indians' record be if they had this pitching? 130-14? My God, we are wasting our starting five's performances.
8) I have yet to find a flavor of Vitamin Water than I like. It's gross.
9) Freddie's baseball is going well - he's hitting the machine pretty good, and got a clean one-bouncer to the outfield yesterday. On Tuesday, it was too muddy for the machines so the coaches had to pitch - and our coach got him right on the wrist. Hoo boy. Someone on theblog immediately gave him teh nickname of Don Baylor.
10) Layup and I are taking suggestions for who to pick for the US Open in our golf pool. Can we depend on Tiger - or save him for later? We already picked Phil for the Colonial (in a master stroke of genius). Any other ideas? Harrington? Cink?
11) Don has reserved a Ryder Cup ticket for Saturday, Sept 20 down in Louisville. That is 8 days after our baby is expected to arrive. What are the odds that I will be attending the Ryder Cup? Early line is 50-1 against....
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