Cardinal-Gate

The media is having fun bashing the midwestern Yankees (otherwise known as the St. Louis Cardinal baseball team) over the alleged hacking scandal announced by the New York Times today.  Evidently someone used former Cardinal exec Jeff Luhnow's old STL passwords and entered the Astro's database. 

Details are still sketchy, but the Cards are already being mentioned in the same breath as the Patriots, Blacksox, Pete Rose and various corporate cheaters.  And that's just by the WaPo.  On the positive side, the team may actually get some significant TV time on ESPN now. 

But you might be asking, is there any politics here?   Well, maybe!   It just so happens the Cardinals principle owner is a guy named Bill DeWitt, who also happens to be a longtime buddy of the Bush family.  Conversely, the principle owner of the Stro's is Jim Crane, a former St. Louisan who made his fortune in Texas.  He also seems to be pretty chummy with ....the president:

For the second time in three years, Astros owner Jim Crane golfed with President Barack Obama on Sunday at Crane’s Floridian National Golf Course. Astros counsel Giles Kibbe confirmed the golf outing to the Houston Chronicle on Sunday afternoon.

The outing was first reported by the Associated Press, which noted that Celtics minority owner Glenn Hutchins and Milton Carroll joined the foursome with Obama and Crane.

But not just golf. Crane and one of the other Astro owners, trial lawyer John Eddie Williams (famous from Big Tobacco settlements) had a pretty nice fundraiser for the preezy earlier this year...

That's what comes with the territory when you host a sitting President of the United States for an intimate fundraiser. And that security detail, along with 55 deep-pocketed Democrats and President Barack Obama, turned the Williams home into security central on Wednesday night.

While guests such as Astros owner Jim Crane, Mayor Annise Parker and former Gov. Mark White mingled over cocktails, POTUS arrived via the underground garage, was welcomed by the Williamses and was whisked upstairs to the servants quarters where he dined privately with staff and security.

Wonder if any of them were at the "private party" at the White House this past weekend?!  Wonder if someone leaked this to the Times on the day after Jeb Bush announced for president, just for fun?   Ok, ok, it's all innuendo by association.  Probably just a weird coincidence on the politics, as always.

As to the baseball side, one could say the Cardinals are a fixture of the Midwest, drawing millions to Busch Stadium from across the central US region.  They have a long tradition of winning, surpassed only by the Yankees, but they have what the Yankees don't-- an image of Midwestern stand-up values.  Any kind of cheating scandal would not only do irreparable harm to the franchise but likely to the city of St. Louis as well due to all the outside money that pours in from the games.  We'll have to see who take the perp walks. 

Side Tracks

Almost all the headline stories of today (and yesterday) revolve around money.   It's the root of every political system.  Fighting over who gets it drives almost everything people discuss, including Tom Brady's suspension.  Things haven't changed much over the course of history, in this regard. 

Side Tracks

Enjoy the game.

Time for a Break

A completely selfish sports break.  The baseball playoffs have started and we have a Cinderella team this year--the Kansas City Royals, who haven't seen in playoff action since they last beat the Cardinals in the 1985 I-70 Series.   As a Cardinal fan, that was the worst World Series imaginable, featuring the infamous Don Denkinger blown call in game 6 with 1 out in the ninth that led to a total collapse.

But live long enough and (unless you're a Cubs fan) sometimes a game or series will come along to forever erase the pain of the past and even the future.  For me that was game 6 of the 2011 World Series.  It will never be topped.   

So, as the Cards-Dodgers start play tonight in the NLDS here's a tribute to that game, and the classic call made by ESPN radio announcer  Don Shulman  (by far better than Joe Buck's lame TV calls)..



and the Fox video highlights..



Back to all the politics, misery, disease and horribleness later. 

MORE  10/03/14

Well, shades of 2011.  Another big game for Matt Carpenter off the league's best pitcher.  Of course, immediately after the Cardinals put up a snowman on Kershaw people started tweeting about him 'tipping' pitches or the Cards stealing signs.   Sigh.  If the Cards were cheating how does Matt Holliday hit a HR on the first pitch against the reliever brought in after Kershaw?   This is the kind of crap that gets thrown out against the second-best baseball franchise in history (behind the Yankees).   They put their heads down and grind.  They play in fly-over country.  They win.  They are not flashy.  And the swells hate them. 

Red Lines in the Snow

Yes, Kiev has burned, some Russians are streaming into the Crimea and Obama responded forcefully by giving a 3 minute speech then running off to herald "Happy Hour" at a DNC fundraiser last night.  What else can he do?  They crossed his red line but there's nothing on the other side, with the possible exception of sanctions and Obama not attending the G8.

Yes, this makes America look weak, especially as the administration talks of 'ending' wars that still rage while downsizing our military.  But what do Russian aficionados think?  How far will Putey-Poot go?

Looking around on the net there are all kinds of opinion blogs.  Here's one that seems to have an interesting theory:

In short, nobody wants to be the first to start shooting as the lesson from Georgia 2008 that is applicable to Crimea is if you shoot first, you lose.

In other words, there are downsides to being seen around the world as the aggressor.  He goes on to talk about Russia's signature on the Budapest Memorandum (to protect Ukraine's sovereignty), making the point that nobody will trust Putin anymore on future agreements if he sends more forces no mater what his excuse, but he ends with this:

The stakes are quite high for all concerned one way or another. How to row back from the current situation with all managing to save face? Or do one or more actors simply not care about that anymore?

Well, to be honest Obama will have 80 percent of the media at his back to spin any outcome as a victory, so he's probably got some tee times this weekend.  He'll continue full speed ahead on his domestic 'year of action' as he continues taking action to roll our foreign policy back onshore. 

Putin likely doesn't want full-scale war, he just wants to show up Obama enough on the world stage to gain more gravitas and prestige.  Obviously he's also protecting the Russian naval base in Sevastopol just as he did by finagling the Syria WMD deal to protect his interests at the Russian naval base at Tartus. Is there any coincidence that the last two altercations between the US and Russia have occurred on places where they have naval bases and oil and gas interests?  Probably not.

So here's a dumb prediction--cooler heads will prevail soon and the media will be back to talking about gay issues and fluff stories within a week.  That will continue until late March when the Obamacare final deadline arrives, at which point they'll probably pick up the World Net Daily Sheriff Arpaio "universe-shattering" announcement about Obama as a diversion (and to make fun of the Tea Party). Of course somewhere along the way Obama will have to make his March Madness picks on ESPN.   So it's all good.

Meanwhile, some chickens are coming home to roost...

Ouch RT @BuzzFeedAndrew: This old OFA poster mocking Romney is great for a number of reasons. pic.twitter.com/MuPP3noPaq

— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) March 1, 2014

Doobie Bowl Sunday

Can't claim much affection for either team.  Seattle seems more like the Cinderella squad this year, so will give it to them.  Either way, don't care who wins or loses, just hope it's a good football game. 

As to the politics, Bill O'Rilly has secured his almost-traditional pre-game Obama interview, of which he's been chest-thumping about for a week or more (along with tempering some of his normal rightward leaning views in the advent of meeting the prez).  Ho-hum.  It's hard to believe he'll ask anything truly controversial.

That said, he'll almost certainly ask tougher questions that any mainstream advocacy-journalist.  He asked 'the folks' to send him some suggestions because one will be used in the interview, so here are some hypothetical submissions..  

1.  Where were you on the night of the Benghazi attack?  Were you in regular contact with the Situation Room?   Did you issue any stand-down orders?   How and when did you realize the attack was over, and where were you at the time?   Why was the mention of "AQ" and "terrorist" removed from the original CIA talking points by unknown State and White House staff?  Did you approve this? 

2.   Have you seen the Seymour Hersh story and the report from a weapons inspector suggesting the Syrian rebels actually fired the chemical weapons that almost triggered a bombing raid on that country?  If you are not familiar with these stories/reports, why not?

3.  Sticking with Syria, Bashar Assad is not delivering the chemicals to the port in a timely fashion, as promised by the agreement.  If he continues to stall what is the remedy?  Is the bombing threat being made through back channels or directly to the Assad government?   Is Russia involved and helping?

4.  Similar question on Iran, what happens if we find them cheating before or after the 6 month preliminary disarmament negotiations?  Will new red lines be issued or does that pretty much mean bomb, bomb, bomb?

5.  If Karzai doesn't sign the BSA before leaving office will we definitely be pulling out all troops from Afghanistan?  By the way, when you say we are 'ending the war', will the enemy consider it a victory if everyone leaves and there's no BSA?  What happens if they allow AQ trainees back into the country or another attack is launched from commanders operating there?

6.  Have you changed your mind on presidential executive powers since your comments in 2008?  If so, do you owe the previous president an apology?

7.  Is Anas al-Liby, who was rendered from Libya last year, being interrogated anymore?  He seems to have lawyered up, with a report saying the Libyan government is paying his attorney fees.  Did we get anything useful out of him on possible pending attacks before he was read rights?   

8.  On the IRS targeting story, you expressed outrage upon learning of the event in the news but later called it a "phony scandal".  How did your half-brother Malik get 501 c4 status so quickly for his Barack H Obama foundation--even having it made retroactive?   Do you not see that as a form of favoritism?  Is the impression left that the IRS was used as a political attack dog something that concerns you?

9.  On a similar theme, why was your uncle Omar and aunt Zentuini allowed to remain in the country after both being ordered deported?  Were you aware of either case in advance?  Do you agree with the outcomes, and if so, do you believe there should essentially be open borders in the United States to the point of getting here means staying, and eventually citizenship?  Does it concern you that people following the legal pathway to citizenship are left looking like chumps when those ordered deported are given asylum or in the event of a general amnesty passed by Congress?      

10.   Which corporations do you think need their 'asses kicked' these days?  Looking back, do you consider that rhetoric as helpful or do you regret using it?

11.  How in the world does a website cost over a half-billion dollars?  Did you know the costs were running that high before rollout?  How did the website pass Initial Operating Capability tests?  Who signed off on these tests, assuming they occurred?   Are the contractors being paid more to fix something they should have delivered on October 1 or is it included in their agreements with the government?

12.  What do you think of the TSA whistleblower whose story is out this week, saying that TSA agents were indeed laughing and abusing the naked scanners at airports?   Surely stories like that in combination with the NSA snooping leaves many people guessing about their own government. How do you combat the negative impression left by such programs?  Should someone apologize?  

13.  You recently pointed out that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been falling for the last 8 years, which would include the Bush administration.  Actually, the level of carbon increase was fairly stable during the two Bush presidencies, suggesting the decline may not be due to new EPA rulemaking alone.  Do you think this leveling off/decline of US emissions is related to the observed flat trend in global temperatures since 1998?  Do you think it's useful for people like the former Vice President to be running around spouting falsehoods about climate?   Doesn't that undermine efforts to persuade the people?     

14.  Why won't you approve the Keystone Pipeline project?   Does it trouble you that the shale oil is being moved in unit oil trains that might not be safer and definitely produce more greenhouse gases than transport through a pipeline?  Doesn't Keystone fit well with your "all of the above" energy strategy laid out during the State of the Union?  

15.   Is there a war on women, and if so, who are the combatants?  Is Sarah Palin a target or a combatant?  Is it acceptable for Democrats to use a term like 'war' when discussing their political opponents when Palin was blamed for encouraging the Gabby Giffords shooting based on her use of 'target'?

16.   Pete Carroll is being called a "9/11 Truther" by some due to a reported incident where a retired US Army general visited his clubhouse and he reportedly asked if Bush blew the towers.  Whether that's true or not, as president you would have access to all the secrets of the government, right?   It's tempting to ask you to once and for all confirm such things here, but it's understandable if you can't.  It would also be nice to clear up the UFO conspiracies and maybe the TWA 800 crash, which some former investigators recently asked your NTSB to take another look at.

However there is something you can answer.  Allegedly Coach Carroll asked the general about the 9/11 attack during a discussion about Iraq. You are famously on record as calling the Iraq war 'dumb', so here's the question-- what would you have done about Saddam if he were still around when you took office in 2008?   Would you have continued the sanctions and no-fly zones indefinitely?  Or do you think Middle-East peace would be possible with his regime still in power, as in, do you think he could have been brought to the table to honestly broker a peace treaty amongst Iran, Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Russia?       

Thank you sir.             

AFTERMATH  2/2/14

Hate to say "I told you so" (so here it comes) but the team with better defense usually wins the big games.  In Seattle's case they were the number one defense to boot.  Also, they were severely misunderestimated, which is often a formula for victory.  Russell Wilson wasn't the team, the team was the team.   

As to BO vs BO, or O'Reilly vs O'bama, score one for the first prevaricator.  He turned every question around as a slam on Fox News, as if nobody in the country cares about the scandals he's already proclaimed as 'phony'.  Even BO couldn't effectively cut off BHO's filibustering, allowing him to run down the clock and limit any dents in the presidential armor.  Of course BO had to worry about his career and Fox's future access so he couldn't go for the jugular so to speak, but he could have pressed the president as to what he means by holding people accountable when nobody has even been demoted or placed into less-demanding jobs.  The other questions largely backfired on BO because he can't challenge the person who was there on scene and who holds all the power.  So as predicted, yawn.

Finally, this was tweeted out from HQ prior to the game....

A few initial questions come to mind.  One, why is the president looking up?  Is he trying to throw it to some guy in the stands?   Two, where is NATO field?    

A Nation of Laws?

....news from California..

The California Supreme Court granted a law license on Thursday to a man living in the United States illegally who graduated from law school and passed the state bar exam. The decision means Sergio Garcia can begin practicing law despite his immigration status. ...

Garcia arrived in the U.S. illegally 20 years ago to pick almonds with his father and worked at a grocery store and in the fields while attending school.

Oddly, the US Government was a party to the case, arguing against allowing Mr. Garcia to be state certified. This sets up an interesting scenario for 2014.  Will the administration, while promoting visions of a comprehensive illegal immigration reform bill, take Jerry Moonbeam Brown back to court for flaunting US law and the rule of law in general by allowing this abomination to stand?  After all, they sued Arizona after that state passed the ID bill they felt was improper. 

Caught a little bit of the Limbaugh program while driving around today, wherein he mentioned this story in context with Obama flaunting US law as to Obamacare and immigration (which pegs the irony meter in this instance) along with Peyton Manning's passing record story.  The Manning pass was clearly a lateral but they are going to let it stand for obvious political reasons even though Manning might have come out in the second half and been injured on the first play without getting the record (Manning himself knows it was a lateral and should have spoken up).  The same league will allow the Steelers to miss the playoffs on a blown call. 

All of these things point towards a future where the rule of law that has held America together for over two centuries--and is partly why illegal immigrants flock to our shores--will become so watered down as to become virtually meaningless.  And here the networks seem shocked that polls show that Americans have less and less confidence in their government going into 2014.  They are helping produce it. 

Destruction of the National Pastime

Baseball, the national pastime.  Hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet, what's more American than a ballpark in summer?

Not much, but like everything else in America these days it seems to be an institution crumbling from within.  The lure of millions has led many in the sport astray--in ways that far eclipse what happened with the Black Sox scandal or the existence of spit-ballers or sign-stealers or Pete Rose.  None of those rule-breakers were operating with drug-enhanced bodies.

The recent revelations about Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriquez are seriously troubling, not because they took drugs but because one of them swore up and down they had not and even begged for the public's trust, while the other continues to live in a fantasy world where he seems to think it doesn't matter.

McGwire and Sosa--then Bonds--really got the ball rolling and now people look at stats and wonder, is he juicing?  That's already bad enough for the sport.  The latest charge is against former Cardinals great Albert Pujols, coming from former Cards slugger Jack Clark:

"I know for a fact he was," Clark said. "The trainer that worked with him, threw him batting practice from Kansas City, that worked him out every day, basically told me that's what he did."

In response Pujols is suing Clark and the radio station in St. Louis that employed him (where he made the comments) for defamation. In an unusually strong statement, "King Albert" said the following:

"I've said time and time again that I would never take, or even consider taking, anything illegal," Pujols said in the statement. "I've been tested hundreds of times throughout my career and never once have I tested positive. It is irresponsible and reckless for Jack Clark to have falsely accused me of using PED's. My faith in Jesus Christ, and my respect for this game are too important to me. I would never be able to look my wife or kids in the eye if I had done what this man is accusing me of.

"I know people are tired of athletes saying they are innocent, asking for the public to believe in them, only to have their sins exposed later down the road. But I am not one of those athletes, and I will not stand to have my name and my family's name, dragged through the mud."

That bolded last paragraph is perhaps the most rock-solid denial imaginable, even stronger than the statement Braun made a few years ago (and reiterated early this year, that turned out to be a lie).  Braun probably felt he could lie with such impunity because he'd likely been told that the concoctions being used were undetectable. 

So if it turns out Pujols did use PEDs--after a denial that included a reference to Christ--it's going to be very hard to believe any denials from anyone.  In a way the suit is a benchmark moment for MLB going forward, since Pujols has done things no other player in history has done and is a first-ballot lock for the Hall of Fame.  He has become an impeccable role model.  The owners best hope he's telling the truth if they want to continue selling their 9 dollar beers and 4 dollar hot dogs.   

Side Tracks

From one simple mind to another..



Since the title of this blog is golf-related it's only appropriate to mention the greatest golf tournament at the greatest golf course in the world--the Masters, going on right now.   The song above was once tastefully wrapped into the background of a Youtube video chronicling Jack Nicklaus and his 1986 victory in that tournament (until it was taken down on a copyright).  Nicklaus was 46 years old at the time--pretty old to be winning a major.  But he was the greatest ever.  It brought a tear to my eye watching it because for some of us golf was more than a game, it was a bond with our dads.  Makes one appreciate the time spent and lament the time that wasn't spent and now gone forever.

This year another old guy is contending--at least as of this writing.  Freddie won back in 92, he has contended many times since, but a miracle were to happen he would be the oldest major winner in history.  Of course Tiger and a bunch of young guns are likely to be there in the end while there's an even younger gun--a 14 year old Chinese kid who appears a lot older than his years who made the cut.  Should be fun.

TIGER FOLLIES, FREDDIE FLOUNDERS  4/14/13

First Freddie--we all knew it was coming.  It was a good run, but it's hard for a 53 year old to keep the edge on every hole.   His swing is still butter.  Or at least margarine.

Now Tiger.  Is it Augusta National's contention that Tiger doesn't know the hazard rules?   He's only been playing golf since he was 2.   Maybe he doesn't hit it in the water often enough to remember and had a brain lock, thinking he could go backwards for his drop as if on line with the hole.  But it's where the ball crossed the hazard line, not where the shot began.   He knew going well left across the fairway was a much more difficult shot, so he admittedly wanted to backup where he was.  But good Lord, where was his caddie?   He (Freddie's former loop) should have been advising him of what he was doing. 

But but but AC, he admitted to his drop in the interview.  Why would he do that if he was guilty?  Yes he did, after he had been told by the Augusta people that it was a good drop and signed his scorecard.  This is really the crux of the matter.  If he had not admitted this in the interview this wouldn't have been typed, but his caddie should have known the drop rules and advised him not to do it.  Part of the penalty of that rule is to drop the ball as close as possible to where your last shot was hit, which brings in the possibility of it landing in your divot on the drop.  He knew he had the option of the drop zone but didn't want to go over there either because like the hazard margin rule it would have been an order of difficulty harder.

So he got the two shot penalty, which he deserved (and admitted he did) but the question is now whether players will suddenly become rules ignoramuses when caught doing this in the future, hoping for the reprieve.  Not only that, but will the anal-lysts apply the rule fairly, not taking into consideration sponsors, advertisers, race, political correctness, yada yada.   Meanwhile, we'll see how things play it out today.  Should be a great finish.

MORE WOODS  4/14/13

Let's get this straight.  People keep saying he signed for the 'right' scorecard initially.  Reports have said that tournament officials reviewed the tapes after the viewer call-in while Woods was playing 18 and determined he had dropped in the vicinity.   I am assuming he wasn't spoken to before signing his card by those officials.  If that's the case he did indeed sign the wrong card, regardless of what any viewer said because he should have known--and his caddy should have known--they played improperly.   That's the gentlemanly aspect of the game.

In looking at the replay of the initial shot it was a low punch.  It would have had a lot of bite on it, but it hit the pin in the air then careened hard to the left side.  It's hard to know where it might have ended up had it missed the pin, but there's some possibility it would have run off the back had the bite not come hard enough.  At any rate, Woods answered the issue when he said he moved back two yards.  His next shot was another punch that landed, bit and stopped next to the pin. 



Thing is, using the margin of the hazard rule he knew he had no option over there.  Keeping the point of crossing between him and the pin would put him either in the stands or right on the bank, an impossible shot.  He had two options--drop zone or drop it as close to his initial shot as possible, which brings in the possibility of dropping into your previous divot.  Most pro golfers should know this rule.   But it's possible he and his caddy got lost in the moment.   That's seemingly what the Augusta graybeards determined.

The seminal point was probably the fact he admitted to the infraction on TV.  There's hardly a scenario imaginable where he would admit this purposely.  Let's say he and caddy knew they had broken the rules.  Let's say they knew every shot was on TV and figured things would be dissected.  Maybe when he got to the scoring table and no officials approached him he figured he had gotten away with it.  At that point he could go ahead and sign the card, thinking that if someone later came back and challenged him he could use the new rule to feign ignorance.  The fact he is Tiger Woods might also pop into his head.

But it seems like a lot of thinking after just coming off the course, his favorite course.  My final guess is he just blew it, they caught it, penalized him, and now he will probably win today and we can all have more controversial fun with it.  

So Long..

Stan...the man.

I'm not gonna say they broke the mold, etc, but I will say this man was a rare breed and will be sorely missed by all of Cardinal Nation.  

It's a Secret

From the WaPo via Maguire--

After a contentious closed-door vote, the Senate intelligence committee approved a long-awaited report Thursday concluding that harsh interrogation measures used by the CIA did not produce significant intelligence breakthroughs, officials said. The 6,000-page document, which was not released to the public, was adopted by Democrats over the objections of most of the committee’s Republicans.

The outcome reflects the level of partisan friction that continues to surround the CIA’s use of waterboarding and other severe interrogation techniques four years after they were banned. The report is the most detailed independent examination to date of the agency’s efforts to “break” dozens of detainees through physical and psychological duress, a period of CIA history that has become a source of renewed controversy because of torture scenes in a forthcoming Hollywood film, “Zero Dark Thirty.”

As Maquire says, such a secret report will convince no one, with the possible exception of those who watch and report for MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, and the major newspapers. But the real kicker is whether those who work in the White House, or used to until recently, will be happy.

White House?  Why, Obama deplores torture, dumb wars and cowboys.  Nevertheless he employed guys like the current Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, John Brennan, and current Interim Director of CIA Michael Morell--Bush's personal CIA briefer!  Until July 2011 Michael Leiter led the National Counterterrorism Center.  Of course there was Petraeus, who might still be at CIA had he been able to keep his pants on.   All served Bush in the torture era.  

The most ironic of the bunch is Brennan, who once had to withdraw his name as a candidate for DCIA in 2008 due to left wing pressure over the torture thing.   His name is now coming up again to replace Petraeus, which will be a fun little test of the liberal memory banks.

Meanwhile Susan Rice also announced today she was pulling her name from contention to be the next Secretary of State due to the uproar her confirmation hearings might cause due to unfair criticism, racism, sexism, misogyny and various other future sins yet to be committed by several old white guys. Oddly enough Rice's SoS dreams were scuttled not by them, but by the fact she carried administration water to cover up the latest CIA war on terror related scandal-intrigue in Benghazi, which according to Petraeus' flame was about prisoners of some kind, look over there, a squirrel.  

As Rice bails out and takes away the specter of being asked tough questions like why she lied and what she was protecting, evidently it's become better to let that agitated dog go back and lie down.  It was also reported today that the State Department investigation into the matter might not be made public and that Hillary, already scheduled to testify in front of Congress, may not.  Sounds like at least somebody is making deals in DC.   Anyway, back to football and the Cornball Brothers (apparently a new movie coming soon starring Dave Chappelle) as RG3 has some advice for all of us. 

Birdies

It's Friday and I'm tired of politics.   So it's time for some philosophy..

(mild bad language)

Never...

..say never.  As the ESPN baseball analyst said last night, "you gotta drive a stake in their hearts"!  This St. Louis Cardinal ballclub is amazing beyond anything I've seen in all the years spent watching the sport.  Another elimination game, another deficit, another two-strike, two out situation--twice--then come back to win, this time on the road.

The reaction is entertaining.  Some are saying that Nats' 19 year old rookie sensation Bryce Harper, who had a great game after being shut down in the previous four, grabbed his crotch and made a face towards Cards closer Jason Motte after striking out badly in the bottom of the ninth. Decide for yourself..



Looks like he did, but he's just a kid and was completely owned on that at-bat.  His frustration is understandable, even retired great Chipper Jones tweeted early about the coming Cards demise.  Hey, he was supposed to still be playing.  Instead, part of his memory rests in the not-so-quiet riot at Turner Field.  

This is hard for some to process.  Many fan message boards were lit up with excitement over the Nats' early stomping only to have the same fans go into a sudden depression after the turnaround.  Legend has it someone on a Cubs board actually wished the entire Cardinal team would be stricken in a plane crash only to have another 'fan' retort, "do you want Memphis to win it all, because they will" (Memphis being the farm team of St. Louis, who would have to be called up in such a scenario).  Then again, Cubs fans really don't understand playing baseball in October.

Oh well, since this is mostly a political blog we can't leave out David Axelrod's tweet from the game when the Nats were up 6-0.   I'll have to check Clint Eastwood's convention speech and see if he made any veiled references to the Cards after nailing the first two debates (empty chair and grin with a body behind it). 

Parents and coaches preach this to kids--never give up.   It applies not only to sports but life in general.  Yet as we get older most of us occasionally give up on things after seeing the ups and downs of life.  There was no reason to ever give up on this team at any point, even down 6-0 last night.  Experience, especially of a positive nature, does matter.  Once again they made post-season history by coming back from the largest elimination game deficit ever.  If they make the WS they'll once again get home field advantage after getting in on a new one-game playoff system thanks to commissioner Bud Selig and company (oddly, former Cards manager Tony LaRussa was part of the committee that changed things) .

Hard to say whether Mr. Selig is happy or sad about the new system; maybe sad because the Cards seemed to exploit it against all odds, but maybe happy because the other three teams are division winners--and most important of all, the Yankees are still in it.  Surely if MLB could engineer a Yankees vs Yankees WS, or in the least Yanks vs Red Sox, they would, but even Selig couldn't engineer that for all the money in Bill Gates' bank account.  

Whatever, I'm going to enjoy this seventh heaven this morning.   It's hard not to dream about a Yankees-Cards World Series with a deciding game seven at Busch Stadium and a thrilling last minute walk off HR by David Freese or someone, but that's getting way ahead of things.  The Giants are an excellent team.  Much like the Cards they are underrated on a national level and made history themselves by coming back from an 0-2 deficit against the Reds.  They won the WS in 2010.  So anything may happen.  The worm will eventually turn on the Cards just as it always does in sports but right now any extra baseball is a bonus--even if we get handed the same fate as Nats fans just suffered.  So play ball, still! And never say never!

Pre-game Show

For the big contest today...  Cards vs Nats.

Just kidding.   This is about the other hardball. 

Obviously the media has hyped the hades out of the Biden-Ryan rumble in Kentuck, leaving America to believe the very election might depend on it, sorta like the Nat's season. 

So what might occur?  Surprises, most likely.  Biden is no spring chicken.  He's had his share of debates.  Ryan's only debates have been on the state level, but he's appeared on the national media stage many times.

But like the Washington Nationals against the World Champ Cardinals in the baseball playoffs, there's something to be said for experience.  Doesn't mean either the Cards or Biden will win, only that experience should not be dismissed.  The moderators also matter--think of the baseball games with an umpire crew consisting of lifelong Cardinal fans--or a debate moderator a lifelong liberal.

For me the question will be foreign policy.  Biden was trumped as Obama's FP expert yet as pointed out he's made more than his share of bad calls in this area over his career.   The obvious moment might come in relation to the state of al Qaeda.  Biden's seminal moment at the DNC convention was his quip about UBL being dead and GM alive; will the debate moderator or Ryan challenge that assertion based on the latest news on Libya (and today's attack on one of our diplomatic employees in Yemen)?

Will anyone point out that aside from Egypt being run by the Muslim Brotherhood and aside from Ayman Zawahiri and his brother Mohammed (present for the Cairo riots in support of releasing the Blind Sheikh) that the almost-vanquished AQ still has longtime operative Saif al Adel and "Jafar the Pilot", aka, Adnan Shukrajumah, on the lam?   What about Syria's alleged release of the "Red-headed Terrrorist", aka Abu Musab al-Suri?  Haven't heard of any of them?  Neither have probably 7/8ths of the debate audience, so nobody will go there.  But the point remains.     

Chances are Ryan will stay largely away.  He's a domestic guy.  His expertise is in budgets, not FP, and he's on record as saying he doesn't want to interject FP into the politics:

A good source tells me that Romney's chief advisor, Stu Stevens, has an almost fervently religious conviction against using any foreign policy issues in a campaign. But the Libya debacle isn't really about foreign policy. Its about competency and the public's trust in the Administration. The Obama Administration made virtually every wrong decision in the run-up to our Ambassador's murder. And then, they lied about the event and tried to cover up their mistakes. No Administration can survive when its lost the public's trust.

Biden would probably love to get Ryan into a FP debate and away from the economy.  Ryan will probably try to stay closer to the latter, perhaps discussing the idea of "losing the public's trust" by questioning the latest surprising numbers from the BLS, surely fodder for Biden's bluster.   Should be interesting.

RECAP  10/12/12

The NY Times calls it "spirited"..

It was Mr. Biden who sought to quiet the rising clamor among Democrats that the president was not assertive enough with Mr. Romney at their debate last week in Denver. A day after Mr. Obama conceded he was “too polite,” Mr. Biden showed no hesitation in hectoring, heckling and interrupting his challenger.

Within a single minute, Mr. Biden worked in three attacks on his rivals, referring to Mr. Romney’s opposition to the auto industry bailout, his statement that the foreclosure crisis would have to “run its course” and his comment about “47 percent” of Americans who he said were overreliant on government benefits.

Obviously, the Times is giddy. The WaPo also calls it spirited and says Biden was "repairing the damage". We don't need any blockquotes here. CNN actually had a poll that called it for Ryan. CBS's poll showed a blow-out win for Don't Mess with Joe. NBC, the Maddow-Matthews network, basically calls it a draw. ABC had a piece called "and the winner is", wherein they didn't say. Interestingly, most everyone in the media admits Biden lost points on the Libya debacle. In other words, a scandal-screw-up in the last days of the campaign, which would sink any GOP incumbent.

Sunday

A few things not related to politics..

Did you know they are on the verge of officially naming a new cloud?  Stories say it was 'discovered' but these clouds aren't a recent production of mother nature just an oversight in the classifications.  I've seen a few in my time, usually in the transition seasons.  Here's a view of some..

Very strange, almost like some kind of Picasso or Van Gogh painting.

Turning to sports, it's the time of year where everything is in swing: baseball, hockey (sorry), football, basketball and even some leftover golf.   Too bad Chipper Jones had to go out to a shower of trash that would make Philly fans envious.  The infield fly call was technically correct but totally unnecessary at the time and possibly affected the outcome of the game, not just for the Braves but the Cards fielder might have been distracted by the ump's verbal call causing him to peel away.  MLB's attempt to heighten excitement and give the division-winning teams a reward for having a better record seems to have backfired for the traditional Wild Card winning teams, both of whom lost in the one-game playoffs.   It's almost as if they need to be spotted an extra run along with home field, but of course MLB would never go there.   


Finally, nothing related to anything and yes this is a commercial, but it made me laugh out loud..



The part where this straight arrow guy air drums a stick flip is simply hilarious. 

A View on the Speech

First of all, why was Obama giving a speech today in front of an international delegation at the UN?  Not any speech, but this speech. Why?  Because Muslims across the greater Middle East and South/Southeast Asia were brought to a rabid frenzy by Islamic clerics and other leaders to protest a movie snippet critical of Mohammed on 9/11.  Oh, and because we found out on 9/11 that some people still want to kill us indiscriminately despite UBL being fish food.

Since the president is known for having a strong foreign policy of blowing terrorists and surrounding bushes, trees and family members to heck; and since he has spoken many times since the events of 9/11 on how a man's free speech criticizing a religion was detestable while detesting violence over free speech, evidently he was at the UN two weeks later to explain things. 

With that in mind how did he do?  Did he support and explain free speech?  Yes.  Did he point out that violence is not appropriate in response to free speech, even if detestable?  Yep.   Did he make an insinuation that developing democracies are going to need to learn to respect the speech of those they detest?  Roger.  It could have been a great speech...given on 9/15 perhaps.

But it wasn't.  By waiting so late to make these points the president actually cheapened free speech and the notion that we were attacked because it wasn't one of the first things he thought to say.  His first instinct was to apologize for America in roundabout terms.   That has always been his first instinct.  But as president his job description is to defend the Constitution, not Mohammad.  Two weeks made him re-think a bit.

But perhaps some of the words were just words.  This seemed particularly powerful:

True democracy demands that citizens cannot be thrown in jail because of what they believe, and that businesses can be opened without paying a bribe. It depends on the freedom of citizens to speak their minds and assemble without fear; and on the rule of law and due process that guarantees the rights of all people.

Yet in reality the same guy stood by while the filmmaker he consistently blamed for causing riots and death was basically perp-walked in public to a jail in California.  He blamed him again in front of the UN.  Anyone care to make a negative film about the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) now?

Meanwhile time has passed.  The public is moving on.  The spin cycle is powerful and there are other things to talk about around the water cooler.  The FUBAR in Benghazi story, which prompted a government spokesman to tell a journalist to F off, and which might have won someone a Pulitzer during the Bush era, is being replaced now by the NFL replacement story (admittedly terrible).  This despite CNN doing their best imitation of Fox News and despite the administration's storyline going from a protest mob out of control reacting to a vile movie clip on You Tube that America had nothing to do with, a terrorist attack spurred on by the heat of the moment, to today calling it an "attack on America".  But you betcha he weighed in on the ref story without delay.

Chances are the real reason he was speaking today at the UN was the same reason he spoke in Philadelphia after the Reverend Wright debacle.  Is cynicism a crime yet?

Side Tracks

As a long-time National League fan the All Star Game last night was thoroughly enjoyable, but this commercial made me laugh out loud...

(click to view, no imbed)

And way to go out in style for Tony LaRussa and Chipper Jones, even if he did get a small assist from Ian Kinsler.  By the way, Jones is 40.  Isn't it against the law or something for guys named Chipper to turn 40?     

Thoughts

On this day of good news the country sure needs some. It's amazing that in 2012, with a black president, the United States stands teetering on a racial divide. In the news, it appears they've captured some white suspects in the indiscriminate Tulsa shootings, a good thing.

But notice the description of the neighborhood found in this CNN story:

"For a white male to come that deep into that area and to start indiscriminately shooting, that lends itself for many to believe that it probably was a hate crime," Blakney told CNN.

This made me think of the brouhaha at National Review Online, where editor Rich Lowry has fired writer John Derbyshire for opining--on a non-affiliated blog--about similar things:

(10a) Avoid concentrations of blacks not all known to you personally.

(10b) Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods.

First, Derbyshire sounds like a guy who has never lived in the south. Second, his rules are overly harsh and judgmental, but like all such things they are based on vague truthisms. Notice the Tulsa pastor's apparent amazement that whites would be venturing so 'deep' into a certain part of their own city, which seems to confirm the Derbyshire generalization.

Of course the irony is that the poor victims didn't discriminate and were apparently responding to the shooter(s) as any normal human being would respond to a stranger asking for directions. Afterwards, the citizens living in the area were terrorized by the shootings every bit as much as the DC area was when John Allen Mohammed and his sidekick were shooting random people of both races while the FBI was frantically looking for a composite white guy.

But random racial crimes are seemingly becoming more frequent. A rash of stories have dotted the back pages of newspapers for over a year regarding flashmob attacks in cities all around the country, lately in places like Minneapolis, Baltimore and St. Louis. These attacks are not occurring deep in black neighborhood or in areas where blacks are massing for concerts, rather in the downtown entertainment sections common to most cities. Most of the victims seem to be white people. So following Derbyshire's rules 'non-black' people should desist attending downtown entertainment areas under the premise a flashmob might show up. Or just about anywhere. So much for generalizations.

With the Tulsa shooting, the Martin shooting, flashmobs and planned Occupy events we can all guess the likely future--saturation coverage of violence. If it bleeds and is politically correct, it leads.

In times like these we need calm and sober leadership more than ever. What we've seen so far is a leader self-identifying with certain victims and another chastising Americans as cowards for not wanting to discuss the issue. But there's always hope for tomorrow.

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What's going on in Syria? Are innocent people still getting mowed down by a tyrant?

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What's going on in Africa? While the Muslim Brotherhood meets at the White House stories are suggesting that radicals have virtually taken over the heart of the continent and some are worried they may align themselves with al Qaeda. Of course 'some' does not yet include most in the American media.

Also, don't we have troops over there looking for a crackpot Christian-based tyrant? No news on that operation either.

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NBC says they have fired the 'veteran producer' who apparently mis-spliced a 911 call recording to make George Zimmerman appear even more racist than their previous stories and cable commentator had already indicated. That's good, but can't they name names? Maybe they're trying to protect him and family and will release it later but at the same time, maybe they didn't fire anyone at all.

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The Masters final round is today. Golf nirvana. A lot was expected out of Tiger Woods, who hasn't won a major tournament since he was attacked with a nine iron in his front driveway several years ago. He won on tour 2 weeks ago, but this kind of stuff can't help....



The Tour may fine him, although they'd have to fine everyone who ever wacked a club into the ground or tossed it as golfers are prone to do. So they probably won't. But the role model thing is pretty much gone. President Obama weighed in on the Augusta National club not admitting women; will he weigh in now on unsportsmanlike conduct?

Oh well, it's a beautiful day in Augusta and Memphis. Life goes on despite the headlines. Family is coming over for an Easter dinner so this post will mark an end to concerns over current events and the direction of our country and transition to some needed fellowship this afternoon. Peace out and best wishes for a great Easter.

Why Bother Voting then..

Interesting.  In the past week we've seen the following in regards to the upcoming election..

Obama:

"My presidency is not over," Obama told Univision's Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo. "I’ve got another five years coming up. We’re going to get this done."

Hillary Clinton:

"He will be re-elected president," Clinton said. "I think that will be a very clear signal to the entire world as to what our values are and what our president believes." Clinton responded to a question from the audience about the pro-Israel stance from most political candidates of both parties.

And Chris Christie:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was very blunt in his assessment of the Republican presidential nominating contest: "Rick Santorum will not be the nominee." On CBS News' "Face the Nation,"

Everyone seems pretty sure, don't they?   Meanwhile here's what Indy 500 pole sitter Danica Patrick said when asked about the Catholic contraception question:

“I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans,” Patrick, a Roman Catholic, told The Daily Caller Tuesday when asked about the controversy.

Yeah, a shameless attempt to mention her today while pointing out that not everyone wants to take a stand, well, on politics at least.  Oh well, Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines....

Game Six for the Ages

Game Six---I don't believe what I just saw. What a season this has been for baseball fans, and what a ride it's been for Cardinals fans.

As to the call, like father, like son..



Hopefully game seven won't be a let-down, but it's gonna be hard to top what happened last night. I almost wish both teams would line up and shake hands after it's over before either team goes crazy.

THAT'S A WINNER!!! 10/28/11

What a series for baseball, the Midwest, and the pride of the National League and second most successful franchise in the sport, the St. Louis Cardinals. Neither team really deserved to lose, but let's face it--the Rangers got run over by destiny. The Cards got the Wild Card on the last day, got home field advantage thanks to the NL winning a rare All Star Game, then got a very fortunate one-day rainout that not only took the momentum away from the Rangers but allowed ace Chris Carpenter to get an extra day of rest and pitch 6+ strong innings. They were used to playing with their backs against the wall, and just kept doing it. The stars were aligned.

That was no more evident than with game six where the series was basically won--in my opinion and with all due respect to the Red Sox and Carlton Fisk and many others--the best World Series game ever played. Not because of the quality of play, but due to the gritty quality of the character and heart of BOTH teams who kept fighting and fighting like a pair of heavyweights going 15 rounds. Who has ever been down to a last strike twice and come back 2 runs in an elimination game?

They're in no mood now, but congrats to Nolan Ryan and the Rangers for another successful year and for building a classy team. But my personal thanks (for what they're worth) go to Tony LaRussa and John Mozeliak and the Cardinals for giving this long-time fan, who used to listen to KMOX on a transistor radio in bed under the covers (sorry Mom), the baseball thrill of a lifetime. Somewhere Jack Buck is smiling.

MORNING AFTER 10/29/11

Here's CNN covering the victory and giving credit to a catcher who doesn't play on the Cardinals:

Another one of the stars of Friday's game was Cardinals' catcher Bengie Molina, who had two hits and knocked in two RBIs.

That's a neat trick, since Yadier Molina is the one who plays on St. Louis. His brother Benjie got a ring playing with Anaheim in 2002, as did his other brother Jose. It's a picky error to point out, but hey, it's CNN.

There were some good signage at the ballpark seen during the postgame. My favorite--"We messed with Texas" (with all due respect to my Texas friends). And of course, "baseball heaven"--one of the few remaining enclaves in football-crazy America.