Iraqi Journalists have bad aim

I'll post the video when I find it online somewhere but for now it is all over the news channels but here's a little article from BBC.

Mr Bush met Iraqi leaders to celebrate the new security agreement between the nations and was to thank US troops.

But at a news conference in Baghdad, a man threw his shoes at Mr Bush, calling him "a dog" but missing the president.

Mr Bush was speaking to reporters with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki when the footwear was thrown.

"All I can report is a size 10," Mr Bush said according to the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

The shoe thrower was taken away by security guards and the news conference continued.

Link



Edit:



Video

More RU fun

The entire stadium booed at the end of the play because everyone wanted a horse collar penalty called here. There was a replay from another angle on the stadium big screen and again the crowd booed. When you watch the ESPN Feed....you can see why there was no penalty on the play. Summaiyah found this for me.....wait.....what was Summaiyah doing on ESPN.com?

Kenny Britt is a Monster

Hoping to get it from another angle....and possibly the ESPN clip but here is the hit that Britt laid out on some poor Louisville WR to end the first half. For those not familiar with RU Football, Kenny Britt is a WR and will be a 2nd round pick in next year's NFL Draft.

63-14

What a night. 63-14. Need I say more? So right before heading to the game I made a pick for ESPN's Streak for the Cash....and went with the over at 53. I told my brother at the time jokingly that it was going to be 44-10.....definitely wasn't expecting this.

The night started with a bang with RU scoring less then 2 minutes into the game....and the intensity never stopped after that. Take the hit Britt lashed out on the last play of the first half for example with the score 49-0 at the time.

Hoping to get it from another angle....and possibly the ESPN clip but here is the hit that Britt laid out on some poor Louisville WR to end the first half. For those not familiar with RU Football, Kenny Britt is a WR and will be a 2nd round pick in next year's NFL Draft.



Crazy play in the first half when everyone in the stadium thought there should have been a penalty.....turns out the refs were right in not calling one.

Rutgers has been on the other side of this score far too often over the years.....it was great to see this night. Gotta feel good for Mike Teel. I wanted to blog earlier about when is booing counterproductive but I'll save that for another day but what a turnaround he had. Definitely a well deserved night. Glad I brought out the Teel Jersey for the first time on this senior night.

Can someone explain to me why people leave early when it is their team that is winning big? It has always bothered me. Why are you there if you don't want to stick around to watch your team win?

Some postgame notes courtesy of the Knights' website:

POSTGAME NOTES

Team Notes
Rutgers’ 63-14 victory over Louisville was the Scarlet Knights’ sixth-straight win. It tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in school history to close out a regular season with the six consecutive victories. The win was also the Scarlet Knights’ fifth-straight BIG EAST victory, a school record.

It was the first home victory in the month of December since Dec. 7, 1878.

The 63 points scored was the most Rutgers has ever scored in a BIG EAST game. It topped the previous total of 62 scored in a 62-0 victory over Temple on Oct. 2, 1993. The 63 points were also the most scored in a game by the Scarlet Knights since the 1993 season, when RU defeated Colgate 68-6.

The 63 points was the most allowed by Louisville in a BIG EAST game.

The 49 first half points were the most Rutgers has ever scored in a half in a BIG EAST game and the 49-0 advantage was the largest halftime lead the Scarlet Knights have ever had in a league game in school history.

The 49 first-half point total tied for the third-most scored by a league member in the conference’s history.

Rutgers’ 98-yard, first-quarter scoring drive was the longest scoring drive of the season for the Scarlet Knights

Rutgers averaged 15.1 yards per play in the first half and finished the stanza with 468 total yards of offense.

The Scarlet Knights achieved a season-high 671 total yards, the most-ever by a Greg Schiano coached team at Rutgers.

Rutgers finished with a season-high 224 yards on the ground on 33 carries. The Scarlet Knights averaged 6.8 yards per rush.

I'll have more to say about this game once I watch it again....but man. What a night!

C.C Sabathia

I can't be the only person who does not want C.C Sabathia on their team correct? You have no idea how much it is bothering me that after being relatively quiet over the years with Free Agency the one year the Angels go after a pitcher is this year....and with Sabathia no less? This upcoming contract has disaster written all over it for some team....God willing it won't be the Angels. He'll be well over 300 lbs by the end of the contract.....and still stinking it up in the playoffs. Normally I would compliment an athlete who takes less money to go play somewhere...but not in this case. Please let Sabathia go anywhere but to the Angels. Come on Yankees....open up your wallets for him.

Should see a bunch of transactions next week with the winter meetings. I hope Teixeira is back with the Angels.

John Oliver and CNN's Magic Wall

The two new weapons unleashed upon America this election cycle were John Oliver and CNN's Magic Wall, a toy you saw John King playing around with for the past year. Well the wall and John King himself made a cameo in this piece with John Oliver on The Daily Show Tuesday night.

Link

Kudos to LeBron James

I am not a big Lebron James fan as a lot of you are already aware but Kudos to him here. Tiger and Jordan take a hint.

Its OffIcial!

So at 11 PM it becomes official. These pictures are surreal. How many of us really thought we'd see this day? I'll put up a more in depth post in a couple of days because this will take some time to soak in. Do I think all the negative views of the US go away with this? Ofcourse not, but this is a huge step forward. Its a shame what ended up happening here to McCain. Here is a man who is a shell of his former self. Had he run the campaign this time that he did in 2000 he probably could have ran away with this election.

What happens to the Republican party as we know it? Does the Republican party split away from the religius nuts that have hijacked it and rebuild? Does McCain leave the party? Does he leave the senate altogether.

Let us all pray for the safety and well being of the president-elect.

President-Elect Obama

The networks won't call it until 11 but Obama has won. Barring a major fraud there is no mathematical way for McCain to get to 270.

-Love the early win in PA
-Love the senate pickups
-Is Indiana really still up in the air!
-Did anyone else catch the hologram on CNN?

The Christian right makes me laugh

Growing up in Toronto and then in Edison I've been lucky enough to grow up around a diverse group of people. I've never been shy about political discussion but the Christian right is nuts. A message just popped up on my facebook newsfeed that a student from a "Christian" school had left for someone on my friends list. I'm fairly certain this friend is voting Republican(which is not the source of the trouble here). This person mention the need for prayer tonight because President Osama(and yes that is how the name was spelled) policies on abortion would kill babies.

Why isn't this same sanctity of life argument going the other way? Why aren't these "religous" people voting against McCain because tens of thousands of people who's only fault was being born in a country with oil have died as a result of an illegal war that he supports.

Election Day

Have not posted much lately as I have been busy moving but expect a few posts in the next couple of days. Election day is here and let me once again urge all of you to go out and vote. Our age group is always horrible at this but hopefully things are different this time around. By now everyone known my political affiliation so I'm hoping the early results from Dixville Notch are a sign of things to come. For just the second time in the last 13 elections and for the first time since 1968 the town has gone for the Democratic candidate. For those not familiar with Dixville Notch go ahead and google it because I am going to try and go to sleep as tomorrow will be a long night,

Kristen Schaal is Brilliant

Coming into Wednesday night I had only seen this segment from her relatively short tenure at the Daily Show but this one from Wednesday is going to be hard to top.

McCain screwed up

I'll come back to post on the McCain in a bit but everyone turn on Letterman right now.

Here is the youtube link if you don't see this in time.

McCain and Economy

This my friends is why someone should check the news before they feed the prompter with the same stump speech that they've been giving for the weeks.

Carlos Zambrano throws no-hitter for Cubs

Carlos Zambrano pitched the first no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs in 36 years, returning from a recent bout of rotator cuff soreness to shut down the Houston Astros 5-0 Sunday night in a game relocated because of Hurricane Ike.

read more | digg story

People always talk about guys having no-hit potential yet somehow they never get it. That's not a knock...just shows how hard it really is. Carlos Zambrano is always talked about in that manner....well after a bunch of close calls he finally got it done. Allows 1 walk and gets 10 strikeouts in a truly dominating performance under the strangest of circumstances. This was a Cubs/Astros game played in Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike. A crazy amount of Cubs fans made the trip and turned it into a Cubs home game.

Boxscore

McCain Pre-Palin: Mayors And Governors Can't Handle National Security

Doesn't it suck when your own words come back to bite you. October '07....one of the Republican debates and....

I am prepared. I need no on-the-job training. I wasn't a mayor for a short period of time. I wasn't a governor for a short period of time."

Next up for Palin: Sean Hannity.

Sean Hannity, the conservative commentator, will interview Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin next week, the Fox News Channel announced Friday.

read more | digg story

So they continue to baby her....how about going up against Brian Williams?

Palin links Iraq to 9/11

Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would "defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans."

read more | digg story

Are you serious? Its 7 years later and the Republicans are still trying this?

McCain Campaign: Barack Obama is Sexist

So I got up today and saw this article that had me fuming immediately. Why was I angry? Well I remembered this happening a few months ago.

Republican Politics

Eight years ago I was a big fan of the McCain campaign. I have said repeatedly it is a shame what Karl Rove and company did to McCain in 2000. Man those 8 years feel like a long time ago because McCain has become a shell of himself since then. The "maverick" has fallen right in line with the right wing nuts. Take this ad that he just put out.



According to Obama the bill in question stated "the main objective of the legislation, as it pertained to kindergarteners, to be to teach them how to defend themselves against sexual predators." Obama at the time said:

“I have a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old daughter, and one of the things my wife and I talked to our daughter about is the possibility of somebody touching them inappropriately, and what that might mean,” Mr. Obama said in 2004. “And that was included specifically in the law, so that kindergarteners are able to exercise some possible protection against abuse, because I have family members as well as friends who suffered abuse at that age.”

Source

CBS: Fake Soldiers Used In RNC Video

It was a video that was supposed to elicit soaring patriotism and real emotions about the Pledge of Allegiance... But CBS News found that the footage of the ‘funeral’ and soldiers is what is called ‘stock’ footage. The soldiers were actors and the funeral scene was from a one-day film shoot, produced in June. No real soldiers were used.

read more | digg story

Gotta love this party. First the continued exploitation of 9/11....

CNN: Alaska state jet didn' fly on eBay

read more | digg story

Gotta love politics.

McCain Was Against Palin Before He Was For Her

Long before McCain focused the national spotlight on Palin as his Veep pick, he was making her famous as a dedicated feeder at the pork barrel trough.

read more | digg story

Nico Pitney: Palin Laughs As Opponent Is Called a "Bitch"

Sarah Palin demonstrates lack of judgment and immaturity during a radio show by cackling at cruel attacks on one of her political opponents earlier this year.

read more | digg story

You seriously can't make this stuff up. Way to aggravate the media even more today Sarah Palin. What else is going to come up tomorrow? Wonder how many female votes this gets them?

Analysis: GOP contradicts self on Palin family

GOP says preggers Palin kid is off limits, but then parades them in front of the cameras at the airport and events. Hypocrisy at it's finest!

read more | digg story

Good Read from the AP.

Politico:Why the media should apologize

Why the media should apologize
By ROGER SIMON | 9/4/08 12:15 AM EST

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry.

On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.

We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.

It is not our job to ask questions. Or it shouldn’t be. To hear from the pols at the Republican National Convention this week, our job is to endorse and support the decisions of the pols.

Sarah Palin hit the nail on the head Wednesday night (and several in the audience wish she had hit some reporters on the head instead) when she said: “I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.”

But where did we go wrong with Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways:

First, we should have stuck to the warm, human interest stuff like how she likes mooseburgers and hit an important free throw at her high school basketball tournament even though she had a stress fracture.

Second, we should have stuck to the press release stuff like how she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere (after she supported it).

Third, we should never have strayed into the other stuff. Like when The Washington Post recently wrote: “Palin is under investigation by a bipartisan state legislative body. … Palin had promised to cooperate with the legislative inquiry, but this week she hired a lawyer to fight to move the case to the jurisdiction of the state personnel board, which Palin appoints.”

Why go there? What trees does that plant?

Fourth, we should stop making with all the questions already. She gave a really good speech. And why go beyond that? As we all know, speeches cannot be written by others and rehearsed for days. They are true windows to the soul.

Unless they are delivered by Barack Obama, that is. In which case, as Palin said Wednesday, speeches are just a “cloud of rhetoric.”

Fifth, we should stop reporting on the families of the candidates. Unless the candidates want us to.

Sarah Palin wanted the media to report on her teenage son, Track, who enlisted in the Army on Sept. 11, 2007, and soon will deploy to Iraq.

Sarah Palin did not want the media to report on her teenage daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant and unmarried.

Sarah Palin thinks that one is good for her campaign and one is not, and that the media should report only on what is good for her campaign. That is our job, and that is our duty. If that is not actually in the Constitution, it should be. (And someday may be.)

The official theme of the convention’s third day was “prosperity,” but the unofficial theme was “the media are really, really awful.”

Even Mike Huckabee, who campaigned for president this year by saying “I am a conservative, but I am not mad at anybody,” discovered Wednesday night that he is mad at somebody.

“I’d like to thank the elite media for doing something,” Huckabee said, “that, quite frankly, I didn’t think could be done: unify the Republican party and all of America in support of John McCain and Sarah Palin.”

And could that be the real point of the attacks on the media? To unify the Republican Party?

No, that is simply the cynical, media view.

Though as Lily Tomlin says, “No matter how cynical I get, it’s just never enough to keep up.”

I couldn’t resist that. For which I am sorry.

Source

Good read.

Night 3 of RNC Convention

Gotta love Republican hypocrisy. On one hand they want to kill the media for exploiting a "family issue" with the pregnancy of Bristol Palin. They say families should be off limits. Fair enough. Just explain to me though how that works when Sarah Palin goes out and mentions her sons' up coming deployment to Iraq.....on September 11th of all days. Gotta love it.

Who's bright idea was it for her to bring up Obama's lack of experience? Are you kidding me? They want to talk about "executive experience" but by that logic....doesn't that make her more experienced then McCain? Why isn't she on the top of the ticket?

Who's bright idea was it for her to go and attack the media? Again, it reaches out to your base....but why piss off the media even more? There are already thousands of journalists descending on Alaska digging into her past (apparently more thoroughly then the McCain camp ever did).

Her speech reached out to the base....a base which was pretty much behind her anyways. What did they do to reach the voters who are stuck in the middle?

Of course no Republican event would be complete without reaching out to redneck America (see the Guliani, Huckabee and Romney speeches).

MSNBC: Palin Praised Obama's Energy Plan

So the Republicans have tried really hard this election cycle to use previous quotes from Biden or one of the Clintons attacking Obama or praising McCain. But what will they say now that their own VP candidate used a state press release to praise Obama?

Link

Or maybe they'll love the Ethics probe against her.

The Republican nominee for VP is......who?

Is this a desperation attempt to try and gain some media coverage after the huge week Obama had? After all his speech from Thursday was the most watched convention speech....ever.

The one argument McCain has been campaigning on is experience.....how exactly can he continue to do that when he just chose an unknown woman who has less then 2 years experience being Governor of Alaska of all places. Does being runner up for Miss Alaska qualify? James Carville on Larry King Live tonight said that the only foreign policy experience she has is that Alaska is close to Russia. This just takes the whole concept of an "outsider" to a whole new extreme doesn't it? After all Alaska is about as far away from Washington as you can get. Just think about this....2 years ago this woman was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. The population of that town is roughly 9,000. Just sit back and think that through for a moment. Barack Obama just drew 80,000 people to his acceptance speech....and an estimated 40 million others on TV.

Once again the Republicans are banking on the stupidity of the average American voter (hey it worked in '04). So how many pissed off Hillary women go and vote for the McCain ticket? Can people really be that dumb?

God doesn't like Republicans

So I'm online today at and I saw this:

If anyone's been following other news, a hurricane is expected to strike Louisiana and Mississippi sometime early next week. You know, for the party that runs on being all about Jesus, apparently God hates them if he's going to remind the world of Katrina during the Republican convention.

Brilliant.

Nice built in excuse they get for keeping Dubya away from the convention if they want to....that is if they don't just delay the convention altogether.

Democratic National Convention

I would've liked to have done a nightly recap but time did not permit me to do so.

Day 1
When you think of this week a few years from now one of the main highlights will be the "surprise" appearance of Ted Kennedy. Even after all these years the man can hold the crowd in the palm of his hands. Its a shame he won't be able to have a full campaign schedule this fall because he is an amazing asset for the Democrats to have.



Michelle Obama went out and did her job. She needed to come out and show her emotions and be "normal" She spoke eloquently which is no surprise given her back ground and helped set the pace of the convention. She has taken too much heat in this campaign for the "loving America" quote and the fist bump joke was just plain ridiculous. I wasn't a big fan of the scene at the end with the younger daughter having the mic....but that is one of the dynamics at play here. There hasn't been kids running around the White House since JFK was president.



Day 2
Haven't had the chance to go back and watch it myself as of yet(will do so tonight)but everyone keeps telling me Dennis Kucinich did well with his "wake up America" speech. The keynote address from Mark Warner didn't do too much for me. I was expecting something more from the "keynote address" but maybe I was grading it too hard....after all nothing will ever top the keynote address from 2004.


The Governor of Montana Brian Schweitzer gave a very good speech. I had never heard of the man but he is a very good speaker.




When all was said and done....this was Hillary's big night. Going into the week I fully expected Bill and Hillary to do their thing and deliver 2 powerful speeches. Hillary definitely delivered. Just as she had when she first endorsed Obama she went out and did just about everything you would want her to do. Many people continue to complain about her demands at this convention....but I have no problems with them. She did run a historic campaign....and would've made a good candidate for President. Ever since the primaries ended she has done everything expected of her in my eyes so a little recognition at the convention is well deserved.



Day 3
Missed all of it but Biden's speech. A solid choice for Vice President by Obama. Biden will go out and do the dirty work. He will go out and attack McCain so Obama doesn't have to.



Just caught Bill Clinton's speech tonight. I didn't expect anything less. I had arguments with my brother and sister all week on this. Bill and Hillary care way too much about their legacies to have screwed this up.


Day 4
I'm surprised that Al Gore was saved until the 4th day....but I guess they needed a 2nd major speaker tonight. Nice little reminder from him that the next president will fill multiple Supreme Court seats. Loved the little recycling joke.



The images from tonight are just surreal.




Barack Obama was solid. Not his greatest speech by any stretch of the imagination but it did its job. The outdoor setting provided for some brilliant visuals and was fitting for this event as this was no ordinary acceptance speech. I'll put up the link to the video as soon as one is available. I loved the little jabs he took at McCain. I truly believe that he will run circles around McCain at the debates. For those of who've grown to disdain a lot of our politicians Obama does bring a new energy. Chances are that we'll be let down yet again....but for the moment can we at least hope? In the Words of the man himself...."Yes we can."

Edit: Video

Summer Olympics: Week 1

I haven't had a chance to post at all this weeks but I've been tuning in to these Olympics a lot. They may not be as big as they were in the past but in my family it is still a big thing. I just love the Olympics....the summer ones even more then the Winter ones.

What a week for Phelps. His 8 gold medals were amazing. It is going to be a long time before someone else matches that. Granted it pretty much has to be in swimming. What a great story this has been. I love Olympics swimming. They should spread these events out more over the course of two weeks.

Congratulations to Usain Bolt. The World's fastest man shattered his own world record running the 100 meter Final in a time of 9.69 seconds. The craziest thing is he could have ve ran it even quicker. He wasn't even trying at the end. I was disappointed because I caught the result of this race earlier in the race so watching it in prime time wasn't as fun as it could have been. This event is usually one of the highlights for me during the Olympics. Correct me if I'm wrong....but isn't this race usually on much later in the Olympics?

The "Redeem Team" continues to do its thing for now. They destroyed Spain yesterday but I truly believe a rematch will provide for a much better game.

NBC's coverage so far has been really good other then the Gymnastics where Bella Caroli ruined the coverage. Can't argue with his resume...but I don't want him anywhere near a mic. Bob Costas continues to do his thing. Doesn't get enough credit for all that he does.

My highlight of the week so far? We have to go back to swimming. The Mens 4x100 Freestyle relay. What an anchor leg by Jason Lezak.



I'm sure I'm going to think of more to add to this but that will come in a separate post later.

The next political scandal?

Originally I had planned on putting up a post on the MLB Trade deadline but something else caught my eye earlier today.


As most of you know I was a big John Edwards guy in '04 (once Dean dropped out) and again this year. I thought he dropped out of the race way too early this year.....and the way he was turning down a potential VP slot was odd too. Then today I read this. Granted that the story was reported first by the Enquirer....and then Fox News, hardly the 2 most credible places in the world but then I saw it on UPI as well. I wonder why the mainstream media hasn't jumped on this story yet as this would be right up their ally. Although nothing shocks me with politicians anymore but hopefully there is an explanation for this and the truth will come out. Deadspin said it best:

"So if you put money down on Edwards as Obama's running mate, yeah, you might want to consider that money lost. After all, there are two Americas—one where you can have an illegitimate child and afford to pay someone else to take the blame, and the other where you have to go on Maury and own up to your transgressions."

I know people can put a front really easily but this is one man who really did come across as a family man but if this story turns out then it would mean that the stories would be from right around when his wife was battling cancer. Like I said before....hopefully the truth comes out.

July 20th 1969

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Its been 39 years since those words and the more famous "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." were spoken allegedly from the surface the moon. Granted I am a conspiracy theorist from time to time as far as this subject is concerned but I am a big time NASA "fan" as far as manned missions are concerned.

Will we ever go back? Everyone knows how much I disagree with Dubya on pretty much everything but I applauded his call for a return to the moon as far as manned flights are concerned. I hope to see it happen during my lifetime.

History in the making?

So Greg Norman is tied for the lead right now in the early goings of the 4th and final round. Can he pull it off? He was known to be a choke artist in his prime....but can he do it today? A win today would make him the oldest major winner in PGA Tour history. Its on ABC right now.

What a game!

What a game. It would have been interesting to see what they would have done if the game went on another inning or two. Francona has to be relieved. First half of the season has been really good so hopefully the 2nd half is as great as tonight was.

WWSD?

That shot of Selig after the 12th was great. How many pitches will they let Kazmir throw? What a tough situation Francona is on here. What will Selig do?

Extra Innings

What a 10th inning. I thought Mariano was gonna blow in the top half but what a job by Aaron Cook in the bottom half of the inning getting 5 groundballs and getting out of a bases loaded nobody out jam courtesy of 2 straight errors by Dan Uggla.


What a block by Martin after the great throw from Nate McLouth.This pitching situation is getting interesting. What happens incase of a tie?

Not a perfect ending

What a bummer of an ending that was but doesn't take anything from the great night Josh Hamilton had. He had 55,000 at Yankee Stadium on their feet chanting his name and as Rick Reilly said on the broadcast "there are Yankee players who don't get that despite having played here for a couple of years."

Josh Hamilton - HR Derby King

I planned on doing a long Hamilton post at some point over the next couple of days but I had to put up something after that awesome show. I have seen some great HR Derby rounds in the past but this one is up there with just about any of them. He wasn't just hitting fluke shots either. I will put up a video just as soon as I find one.

HR Derby

You'd think that the MLB would've stacked the Derby a bit more given how much publicity there is around this all star game and rightly so being at Yankee Stadium but it is what it is. As always I do plan on watching and have pretty much narrowed down the the field to 3 guys (Longoria, Hamilton and Hamilton) I'm rooting for and don't care which order they finish in as long as they are the top 3. Any predictions? There has been some talk about how no ball has ever been hit out of the stadium at this ball park.....the guys even played around with the idea of it happening. Bet on it being Hamilton.

Canadian Vacation

I got back from Toronto early Monday. The more I go back to Canada the more I want to just stay there. Its definitely where I want to be long term. A week of vacation time only is not enough for a trip to Toronto. There are so many family and friends there that it is impossible to cover them all in a week. Especially a week when there was a family wedding involved. I have another week of vacation left this year so maybe another trip to Toronto?

The drive back was just ridiculous. A trip that can take around 7.5 hours took almost 12 hours instead. There was a 2 mile stretch near the border that took us over 2 hours to cross. Insane. Caught a bit more traffic in Pennsylvania and took this detour of about 35 through what can at best be described as the "middle of nowhere." Houses were spread out, there was basically a jungle on both sides of the road, there was no cell phone signal and to top it all of there were no lights on anywhere (including the houses) and it wasn't even 10 PM yet. Didn't see any civilization for a good half hour until we came out in Clark Summit a small town near Scranton.


P.S I want to go back to Canada

Toronto

As most of you already know, Monday was the start of a week of vacation time for me spent in Toronto. I got here after a rather smooth drive of roughly 7.5 hours. Didn't catch traffic at all along the way and the wait at the border was short as well. Its been nothing but family stuff so far but I am hoping to catch up with some old friends over the next couple of days.

I think I have mentioned this in the past but I love driving in the GTA. The highways are so wide open here and fast for that matter. Living in NJ you get used to driving on 2-3 lane highways and jug handles so this is always a nice change of pace.

It was pretty much a formality but its nice to see Calderon back in Toronto. I have to pick ul a jersey or something while I am here.

"Rarest of rare"

Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully referred to is as the "Rarest of rare" in the top of the 9th with 2 outs. Why such a distinction? The Angels as a pitching staff were pitching a no-hitter. Weaver went 6 innings before being pulled for a pinch hitter in the 7th having thrown 97 pitches. Arredondo came in and pitched 2 more no-hit innings. This led to the 9th inning as the Angles were down 1-0 not having allowed a hit all game. Here is how the 9th went:

- T. Hunter struck out swinging
- C. Kotchman grounded out to second
- H. Kendrick doubled to left
- M. Napoli walked
- R. Willits hit for J. Arredondo
- R. Willits struck out swinging

0 runs, 1 hits, 0 errors
LA Angels 0, LA Dodgers 1

"Rarest of rare" indeed. I have never seen anything like this. I believe this is the 4th or 5th this has happened in MLB history. I'll list the other ones as soon as I can find it. If someone else finds it first please post it here with a link. Thanks.

Boxscore

High School Team Conspires To Hit Umpire

Video
I have been meaning to blog on this all week but my brother and Rick Reilly pretty much summed it up well.

Neil Best: 'Mike and the Mad Dog' radio show could be history

"Mike and the Mad Dog," the most successful, influential show in sports talk radio history, could soon be history itself.

Barring a change of heart, the partnership between Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo is not expected to survive to see its 19th anniversary Sept. 5, industry sources with knowledge of the situation said.

They may have already done their final show together; their next scheduled broadcast is not until July 11.

It is not clear which host would remain on WFAN, only that it would not be both of them. One factor appears to be a fraying of their personal relationship in recent months

Link

Is it the end of an era? I've been listening to the show on a regular basis since 2003 and on and off for the 3 years prior to that. Like them or hate them it is really good radio. Is it the most in depth analysis around? Definitely no. But somehow they've carved out their niche over the years and have set the standard by which other sports talk shows are graded.

From time to time (don't ask me why) I check in on this message board. Its filled with the most crazed lunatics in the world. It is pretty much a critique site of WFAN....created by a fan. What you'll find there is a minute by minute critique of most WFAN shows....but a definite daily Mike and the Maddog thread. The site has been mentioned on air. These crazy people do everything from knocking Mike's weight, to laughing at Russo stumbling through the English language to how these two are reacting to each other. A couple of months ago several members started to feel some tension between the two. Do any regular human being.....it'd sound crazy. But these people apparently were right. It all started from Chris' last appearance on Letterman. For whatever reason Letterman doesn't like Francesa....and always has a joke or to about Mike. Ever since Russo's last appearance people have been speculating that something was up.

If they go through with this it'll be a huge blow for WFAN having already lost Don Imus last year. Only if WFAN had sensed this coming.....they could have tried to push Mike Francesa to take the morning show at that time.

Is Fox News even trying anymore?

So everyone knows I knock the fools at Fox News as much as anybody....but this can pass for pure comedy. Credit to tonight's Daily Show for pointing this out. I'll post the Daily Show clip once Comedy Central puts that up.


Link


Edit: Here is the Daily Show clip.

The Daily Show - Headlines - Baracknophobia
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Tim Russert dead at 58.

Video

BREAKING NEWS

NBC News and MSNBC

updated 10 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58.

Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the network said. No details were immediately available.

Russert, the recipient of 48 honorary doctorates, took over the helm of “Meet the Press” in December 1991. Now in its 60th year, “Meet the Press” is the longest-running program in the history of television.

In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Those who know me and have talked politics with me know how I prefer NBC/MSNBC to other American media outlets. Tim Russert has been a major part of that. I get the Meet the Press Podcasts for my ipod to catch the shows as chances are I never got up early enough on Sunday to catch the show. He was one of the go to guys for me whenever there was breaking news. CNN/FOX News/ABC have all broken into their regular coverage to carry this. Whoever takes over " Meet the Press" has some big shoes to fill.

Hillary's Endorsement

Did you catch the Hillary speech from earlier today? For a few weeks now its been certain that this day would come and it finally did arrive today. Say what you want about the Clinton family....they know how to deliver. Both are going to be huge assets for Obama and the Democrats in congress this fall.

If you have a complaint about this speech...you're crazy. This speech was exactly what it needed to be. A tribute to the historic campaign her staff ran and a transition towards uniting the party. To me it was a strong endorsement and I look forward to seeing the Bill and Hillary on the campaign trails in the next few months including giving 2 strong prime time speeches at the convention.

Video

NBA Finals Predictions

Its been a while since I posted but just wanted to drop a short entry before the Finals started. I'm taking the Celtics in 6. KG has waited forever for this moment and I don't see him screwing this up now. Its gonna be a great series....I haven't watched the finals much the last few years....but I'll be into it this year.


BEAT L.A

Great Day of Sports ahead

So I am a little annoyed right now that there is a great sports day ahead and I'm going to miss pretty much all of it. You got the French Open on right now. The Indy 500 in a bit. Mickelson is leading at the Colonial and to top it all off the Angels are on Sunday Night Baseball.

Jon Lester gets a no-hitter

Congratulations to Jon Lester who just moments ago finished off the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history. He allowed just 2 walks and was dominating throughout. Gotta love sports. A year ago he's fighting cancer. Then goes on to get the win in the World Series clinching game last year and now a no-hitter. Good stuff. Interesting note....4 out of the last 6 American League no-hitters have come courtesy of the Red Sox.

Boxscore

Why gas in the US is so cheap.

Despite daily headlines bemoaning record gas prices, the U.S. is actually one of the cheaper places to fill up in the world.

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A great read from Money Magazine/CNN.

Huckabee fails at being funny.

Despite thinking he can be a lunatic at times....I like Huckabee somewhat. I think he's a pretty good speaker and carries himself well most of the time in front of a mic. This is him speaking in front of the NRA today. I believe McCain was also a speaker at this even today.



Check the video by going to the link.

Edwards endorses Obama

We knew this endorsement was coming soon and now starts the countdown to the Al Gore one. Is Edwards still a possible VP candidate? Wouldn't surprise me as he'd help Obama get the Hillary votes without having to put Hillary on the ticket. Most likely he's the next Attorney General.

Random Election stuff

Its been a while since I posted but here are some random stuff from the past week.

McCain has been going everywhere lately, including the Daily Show, talking about how Obama would hold talks with Iran and North Korea. In light of that here is a piece from today's Washington Post about McCain's hypocrisy.

Seems like the Hillary campaign can't do anything right. Check out this clip.



Daily Show looks at why Obama lost West Virginia.

Chrysler To Sell Cars With Gas Subsidies

Remember when the prospect of $3.00-gallon gasoline was supposed to cue the death knell for the domestic auto industry? Now the prospect of keeping $3.00 as a ceiling price is being used by Chrysler as in incentive to sell its cars.

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Saw this last week. Wonder why it took so long for someone to come up with the concept.

Big night for Obama

So it appears we have ourselves a nominee. Obama made Indiana a lot closer then people expected. Can't believe at 1:25 AM I am still watching the TV coverage of this. Hillary Clinton has canceled her morning TV appearances. Take it for what its worth. Her campaign is saying since they never accepted the invitations you can't say they are canceling. We all know if she still though of herself a candidate she wouldn't be shrugging off free media. It pretty much signals the end of the Clinton campaign. I'm sure she'll still do a couple more fund raising events to help alleviate the campaign debt and I'm sure Obama doesn't want her dropping out and then destroying him in West Virginia.

Looking back at the 07/08 Raptors

Coming into the year I had really high hopes for this team. Key injuries throughout the year pushed that optimism to the side somewhat but when the Raptors drew Orlando in the first round I along with many others let out a sigh of relief. I thought it was a favorable match up for the Raptors. Hats off to Dwight Howard. Man did he play like Superman.

Going into next year the Raptors need to trade away T.J Ford. I like what he brings to the team. I was even in the minority that somewhat liked the trade when he was brought to Toronto. His time with the team has passed by though. The team plays with a much better flow with Calderon on the court. I look at Calderon as being from the Steve Nash /Jason Kidd/John Stockton mold. Guys who don't need to take shots but make guys around them better. Calderon needs to be the starter on this team. Ford obviously has a problem with that.....why let him return next year and cause a distraction?

CB4 is CB4. I don't have many worries about him but he needs to be tougher inside. That goes for the team as a whole. The Raptors as a team need to be much better at the glass.

I like Bargnani. Definitely want to see him have a bigger role with this team next year. I think his jump shot is such a major asset to have. Hopefully he can draw the opposing teams big men out to the perimeter helping out the team on the glass.

Trade Nesterovic as fast as possible. His value will never be higher. With him and Ford the Raptors actually have a couple of nice trading chips.

Parker needs to take more plays. I don't get why he doesn't shoot more or create more plays? He's definitely a lot more talented then his stats from this year reflect.

Moon was a big surprise this year. Looking forward to see what he brings to the table in year two. I love the energy he brings to the court.

Being at Games 4 and 6 in New Jersey last year was amazing. Watching the team in person I thought for sure that it was the start of something great for the city of Toronto. Hopefully the 08/09 group can restore that promise.

SWIRSKY LEAVES RAPTORS ORGANIZATION AFTER TEN YEARS

Chuck Swirsky, an icon with the Toronto Raptors radio and television broadcasts as play-by-play announcer for the past 10 seasons, is leaving the organization for personal reasons related to his family.

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Having lived in the US since 2000 I obviously didn't get to watch much of his TV work with the Raptors but I have thoroughly enjoyed his work with the Raptors. I've been a regular reader of his blog CCI(Chuck Checks In) which made a regular appearance on Raptors.com. Definitely listened to as much of his radio show as possible. His fan base as a play by play was as big if not bigger then pretty much any Raptor ever.Definitely didn't see this departure coming. "Chuck the Canuck" even got his Canadian citizenship last year. Good luck in the future endeavors.

Economic Stimulus Rebate

By now everyone has heard of the "rebate" you're supposed to be getting if you filed a tax return this year. Well the payments are on their way to you.

Economic Stimulus Payment Schedule



Find out how much you’re getting back.

Ultimate Standings: Fan Satisfaction Rankings

Where does your team Rank?

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Every year ESPN releases this Fan Satisfaction Rankings. They rank the major sports franchises from the big 4 in eight different categories. Each of those eight categories are weighted accordingly.This year the Colts rank as the #1 team. Coming in dead last at 122 are the New York Knicks. How do your teams stack up?

Angels 1st in MLB 5th overall.
49ers 24th in NFL 102nd overall.
Raptors 14th in NBA 44th overall.
Maple Leafs 30th in NHL and 121st overall.

Keep in mind that there are 30 teams in the NBA, NHL and MLB while there are 32 in the NFL. Check out the report to see previous years results too.

Rutgers-Notre Dame canceled over 'home' stadium terms

Rutgers and Notre Dame have called off plans for a six-game home-and-home series starting in 2010, as Rutgers does not wish to play its home games against the Fighting Irish off-campus

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Can't completely blame Rutgers here. I hope they can still work something out. Exposure on National TV against Notre Dame for 6 years would be huge for the RU Football program.

Raptors bounce back in Game 3.

What a win for the Raptors. The ACC crowd is really quickly becoming one of the better ones in the league. The atmosphere was electric. Yes, Howard got another double but the Raptors dominated him all night. Hats off to Calderon(he needs to be starting)and Ford. Between the two they play exactly 48 minutes. Get 39 points on 13-22 from the field, 12 rebounds and 16 assists. Can't wait for game 4.

Box Score

Democratic PA debate

So I'm sure by now everyone has seen coverage of the disaster that was the Democratic debate hosted by ABC. If not.....The Daily Show summed it up well. Man does ABC miss Peter Jennings.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Church Sign Causes Controversy

Pastor Byrd says the sign is not meant to be racial or political but rather to make people think. "His name is so close to Osama I have a feeling he might be Islamic therefore he doesn't recognize Christ," Pastor Byrd said.

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I don't even thing I have words to describe this.

Bannister digs into stats to pile up pitching feats

It had to happen sooner or later.All those new-wave statistics that are taking baseball far beyond earned-run average, runs batted in and batting average. All the cutting-edge research into what really is meaningful — and what isn't — in judging player performances.

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Faraz pointed me towards this good read on Brian Bannister of the Royals from Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.

Bosh takes a shot at ESPN's Smith

Raptor calls comment made about him playing soft like former NBAer Manute Bol 'classless'

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Does Stephen A. Smith do anything other then making ridiculous statements? I mean no wonder this man can't stick at one job. How on earth are you going to call Bosh soft on the eve of a series against a team he's owned this year?

Barkley's legacy continues to evolve

Twenty ... 30 ... 40 years from now -- whenever they spin in -- you're going to be surprised by how we remember Michael Jordan and the friend he playfully mocks, Charles Barkley.

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Great article from Gene Wojciechowski. Agree with him completely on the two. Barkley will definitely be Governor of Alabama one day.

NBA Playoffs Predictions

Didn't get around to posting my first round picks as of yet so here they are.

Celtics in 4
Pistons in 6
Raptors in 6
Wizards in 6

Nuggets in 6
Hornets in 7
Suns in 6
Rockets in 7

ESPN Cancels Barack Obama Interview!

Most people would give anything to land an interview with Obama. Not ESPN.

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What on earth is wrong with ESPN? I would've loved to hear this. What harm would this have caused? No one is asking ESPN to endorse a candidate. Why do they need to wait until we have a nominee?

MLB Predictions

Just realized I hadn't put my MLB predictions down on paper as of yet. I am really looking forward to this season. Got my MLB.tv package again this year. I think this season will be one of the better ones in recent memory as far as competitive balance is concerned. Check out my over/unders too.

AL East
I really could see Toronto, New York, Boston and Tampa all win 85 games this year. Of course that means that Baltimore probably loses a 100 games this year. The Red Sox are obviously the cream of the crop and should come out on top at the end. Manny and Papi in the middle of the lineup is just too much for pretty much anyone to handle. I really expect the Jays to be very good this year. I really like their pitching and hopefully they can stay healthy. The lineup should score a lot of runs with Rios having a breakout year and announcing his arrival on the big stage. I expect Vernon Wells to have a really solid comeback year. My choice for AL Comeback player of the Year. Wouldn't surprise me if they are the Wild card team this year but with this division being so deep I'm pretty sure the Wild card comes out of another division. I have a lot of questions about the Yankees. The pitching would really worry me if I was a Yankee fan. What kind of inning limits are Hughes and Kennedy on? Can Mussina bounce back? How will Pettite handle steroid talks over the summer as the Clemens story develops? Who builds the bridge to Chamberlain and Rivera? A-Rod should have a monster year. A season of 55+ HRs wouldn't surprise me one bit. I like Tampa's lineup. Pitching is obviously a concern. I like the signing of Percival. How early do we see Price called up? Saw his stuff in the spring and I'm surprised he's not up on the roster already.

Red Sox
Blue Jays
Yankees
Rays
Orioles

AL Central
Even with their awful start I will stick to my original pick of the Tigers winning the Central. I'm not just doing it out of the principle either. That lineup is just too good. They will score a ridiculous amount of runs this year and should feast on AL pitching staffs all year. I really don't think Cleveland is that good. Twins somehow or another pull it off every year. Really pulling for Liriano this year. Wouldn't surprise me if Gomez won Rookie of the Year. I don't what to think of the White Sox. Their lineup doesn't impress me one bit.....and the pitching staff isn't much to write home about. The Royals? What else is there to say. One of these years they might do something. I love their pitching but don't see them scoring anywhere enough runs to matter.

Tigers
Twins
Indians
Royals
White Sox

AL West
It is the Angels division to lose. I like the Hunter signing but am still scratching my head over the Matthews contract from last year. I love the pitching staff even with the injuries. As an Angels fan I really want to see what Adenhart and Wood can bring to the table this year. Contract year for K-Rod so hoping he comes through. I wouldn't be surprised if he's pitching elsewhere though. The Mariners bullpen is just filthy. I like their starting pitching....but where exactly are they going for offense? The A's are rebuilding....again. Only thing that matters with the A's is...where does Blanton end up at the deadline? The Rangers have had some horrible pitching staffs over the years but this year's group is just horrible. Their lineup is pretty bad too. Millwood probably gets traded at the deadline.

Angels
Mariners
Atheletics
Rangers

NL East
I think this is the Mets division to lose. The Pedro injury doesn't bother me. His arm seems to be fine. The Mets should let him come back mid June/early July and keep his arm fresh. I have questions about the Mets lineup but I expect Reyes to have a great year. There is no way we see a repeat of the 2nd half with him. Even with Pedro hurt the Mets have the best pitching staff in the league. Perez is going to get himself a really nice contract somewhere next year. Is Delgado finished? I don't understand how some of the experts are picking the Braves here. What exactly do they see with this team? I love the Phillies lineup but the pitching staff would bother me if I was a Phillies fan. Which Lidge will we see? Is Tom Gordon really the setup guy here? What's the over/under on the amount of big games he blows for them? I like the trades that Nationals made in the offseason. I think Milledge is going to be a very good player for them for a long time to come. This is a lineup with some potential when healthy (Do they trade Nick Johnson somewhere at the deadline?)but the pitching is just awful. The Marlins? What is it....a $16 million payroll? Wow. What a joke. Someone strip this franchise from Loria.

Mets
Phillies
Nationals
Braves
Marlins

NL Central
Love the Cubs. Although I have questions about the lineup I think the pitching is strong enough that they should carry this division. Can Wood stay healthy? Hopefully their ownership saga can be resolved soon as this team could be a player at the deadline. It's been a 100 years since they won it all. I love the Reds as the Wild card team coming out of the NL. I think that lineup as long as it stays healthy will score a lot of runs and the pitching staff is good enough to keep them in it in the NL. The Cardinals and Brewers are just awful. The Pirates pitching staff I like but that lineup is awful and it'll only get worse once they ship Nady off to a contender

Cubs
Reds
Brewers
Pirates
Cardinals

NL West
If the bullpen can hold it for them this is one of top 3 pitching staffs in all of baseball. What can they get out of Randy Johnson? Webb and Haren will be a handful for anyone in the playoffs to open up a series. The lineup is really young but it should score more then enough runs for that pitching staff. The Giants are just awful . Barry Zito needs a change of scenery. I don't believe he's forgotten how to pitch. How much of the contract are they willing to eat up in order to ship him somewhere. I love Lincecum and really like Cain. Too bad none of the big 3 will get anywhere close to the run support you'd expect in the big leagues. This just maybe the worst lineup I have ever seen any team have. Dodgers are a borderline playoff team. If they were in the Central I'd have them be a lock for the playoffs. Torre obviously gives them a lot of credibility. Lineup is good enough....does the pitching hold up? I love the Rockies lineup but the pitching really worries me. Don't expect a repeat of last year. Padres are right up there with the Dodgers. Another team where I wouldn't be surprised if they were in the playoffs but with the Dodgers and the D-Backs they'll be beating each other up all year long.

Diamondbacks
Padres
Dodgers
Rockies
Giants

Playoffs

Divisional Series
Red Sox over Mariners
Tigers over Angels
Mets over Reds
Cubs over Diamondbacks

League Championship Series
Red Sox over Tigers
Mets over Cubs

World Series
Mets over Red Sox

Digg story

Jeff Weaver Finds Himself A Home

Who says Scott Boras has lost it? Sure, he bombed out the Alex Rodriguez negotiations, and he ended up putting Kyle Lohse, the supposed top free agent pitching name, in St. Louis at an extreme discount.

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I'm actually a Jeff Weaver fan (don't ask me why). It's a shame that all that potential hasn't produced much results other then his 2002 with Detroit before the trade to the Yankees and those few weeks in St. Louis.

Leaf's San Diego failure had ripple effect

If Ryan Leaf had performed to expectations, the careers of quarterbacks Drew Brees, Michael Vick, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers could have started quite differently.

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Read this really good piece on ESPN today. Can't believe it has been 10 years since that draft.

Workers dig to rid new Yanks stadium of Red Sox Jersey

It took about five hours, but the Red Sox jersey that was embedded in the concrete of the Yankees' new stadium to place a curse on the New York franchise has been unearthed with jackhammers, according to a published report. Earlier this week, a construction worker who is a Boston fan working on the concrete crew...

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So someone in the Yankee organization was actually worried about this shirt? Funny thing is that Ortiz is off to one slow start this year.

CREW SABOTEUR BURIED RED SOX GEAR UNDER NEW YANKEE STADIUM

A devilish Boston fan working on a concrete crew at the $1.3 billion stadium covertly buried a Red Sox T-shirt under what will become the visiting team's locker room to jinx the Yanks

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You really can't make this stuff up.

"A tradition unlike any other"

In a year when many are picking him to win the Grand Slam Tiger Woods began his quest with an even par 72 today in the first round. Who are you guys rooting for? Ever since Duval dropped off the map I've continued to be a big fan of the two lefties, Mickelson and Weir. When all is said and done this weekend I think Mickelson walks away with the Green Jacket.

As good as Tigers has been this year there is no way I can pick him to win the Grand Slam. The competition today is just too deep. I can actually see a scenario where he wins none of the 4 major championships this year. The fields seem to get deeper every year. Ogilvy is playing really well right now. Goosen has putted really well the past couple of tournaments. As much as I despise him Vijay is always a threat. Want a long shot? How about Aaron Baddeley, arguably one of the best putters on the tour. People have been talking about Justin Rose for a couple of years and even though he really hasn't made much noise he was the only guy not named Tiger to finish in the Top 12 at all 4 events last year. Weir has won here. Couples is always a threat here. Weir and Zach Johnson have won in the past few years. I haven't even begun to talk about the other 3 events yet.

I love the Masters. There always seems to be guys up on the leader board that usually don't play much of a factor elsewhere. Mark O'Meara is 3 off the lead after one round. I can't believe it was 10 years ago when he beat out one of my all time favorites (David Duval) to win the Green Jacket. Of course most people remember that Masters more for Jack Nicklaus finishing tied for 6th shooting 2 strokes better then Tiger.

Leaderboard

Bill Buckner throws out first pitch at Fenway Park

Loud cheers and a long ovation greeted Buckner, who occasionally dabbed at his eyes as he walked to the mound to throw out the first pitch. Former Red Sox outfielder Dwight Evans caught his throw from the mound.

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That is from the ESPN.com story. This is something that I wanted to see happen opening day 2005 but Buckner wouldn't do it then. I have to go check this out on mlb.tv as soon as the archive for the game is up. For so long Buckner was one of the faces of the "curse". That is quiet a burden on anyone and his anger at the Red Sox fans was somewhat understandable. So today he decided to forget all that and make his first trip to Fenway since '97 when he was a coach with the White Sox. Will Steve Bartman get his day in Chicago one day?

Yankees’ Matsui gets married, pulls fast one on teammates

Seems like Jeter and Abreu owe Matsui some $$

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Why I'm not worried about the Raptors

With the recent slide the Raptors have been on I've been asked on more then one occasion whether I'd like to retract my pre-season prediction about the Raptors. My response?No. The Bosh injury was obviously a big factor in the the slump. This group plays like a team more then any group in the history of the franchise. In the short history of the Raptors the team has had a lot of "me" players.....you can not say that about this team. When Calderon replaced T.J Ford in the starting lineup the team didn't miss a beat. Both of these guys have played their position well over the past year and a half. You want your Point Guard to be a leader....a general on the floor if you will The Raptors have two guys who do that. To prove my point more.....Calderon volunteered to give up his starting spot today to Ford. The result? A 89-82 win over the Pistons.

No Madden in Madden'09? EA Promises New Game Announcers

A potential bombshell has been dropped by EA audio director Aubrey Hodges. In an interview with Louis Bedigian of Gamezone, Hodges seems to suggest that John Madden may not be one of the game announcers in Madden 09.

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I miss the days of Madden/Summerall and Madden/Micheals. I hate the "radio" voice that they have now. They need a broadcasting team in the game. I will be getting '09 for 360....as long as its not the ESPN crew (as I don't know how they'd work the 3 man team into the game) I don't care who they get.

2008 MLB Over/Under

I'll have my full MLB preview up this weekend but wanted to get a head start on these. I've been doing these the past few years for all the sports with friends. I've had a decent track record with these so why not bring them to this blog. Simple drill. Copy the list and leave a comment indicating whether you think that the team's win total this year will be over or under the listed number. I'm getting these #s off of Vegas Watch.

Listed below are my picks:

Arizona UNDER 86.5
Atlanta UNDER 86
Baltimore UNDER 65
Boston UNDER 94
Chicago (N) OVER 87.5
Chicago (A) UNDER 76
Cincinnati OVER 76.5
Cleveland UNDER 91
Colorado OVER 83
Detroit OVER 93.5
Florida OVER 68.5
Houston UNDER 73.5
Kansas City OVER 73.5
LA Angels OVER 92
LA Dodgers OVER 87.5
Milwaukee OVER 84
Minnesota OVER 73.5
NY Mets OVER 92.5
NY Yankees UNDER 94
Oakland UNDER 74
Philadelphia OVER 88
Pittsburgh OVER 68.5
San Diego OVER 85
San Francisco UNDER 72
Seattle UNDER 85
St. Louis UNDER 77
Tampa Bay OVER 72
Texas OVER 75
Toronto OVER 84
Washington OVER 71.5

Use the same numbers and post your predictions in the comments .

Hillary's 3 AM Ad.....and the girl's response.

By now we've all seen the Hillary Clinton "3 AM" commercial. Faraz showed me this response that the little girl from the commercial, Casey Knowles, posted up on Youtube.


3AM Ad


Response


On a related note Keith Olbermann's scolding of Hillary the day the original commercial was released was brilliant and definitely worth a look.