"Ladies and Gentlemen" Biden/Corzine (09!)

Jon Corzine's week got off to a good start today. He held a campaign rally at the Middlesex County College in New Jersey where he was joined by Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Frank Lautenberg, Representative Frank Pallone and Representative Rush Holt among others. Bill and Hillary Clinton campaigned at the same venue way back in 1992.

Before the event even got under way I saw 4 anti-Corzine protesters representing "Students against Corzine." I heard that number got up to 10. I was going to photograph them on my way out but they weren't there anymore. Up until around 11:15 or so everyone had to wait outside. Just like the Obama/Corzine (09!) event earlier this summer this left a lot of time for people to just mingle and share stories. I was actually interviewed by a reporter from the Home News Tribune (part of the Gannett family). Yeah, I know it's not the New York Times or the Washington Post but I'll take what I can get. I had tickets to the event thanks to a friend who works in New Jersey politics but was lucky enough (again!) to get access to an extra VIP pass and ended up sitting in the 2nd row. When you have elected officials sitting behind you, you know you got lucky.

I'm sure this is a common occurrence any time someone high profile like the Vice President is involved but the event didn't start anywhere close to the time listed on the ticket.

None of the local officials really inspired anyone aside from maybe Freeholder James Polos.
The two congressmen in attendance were better. Frank Pallone who is now serving his 11th term in the House as well as Rush Holt. If you aren't familiar with Holt's background you should read into it. It is really impressive. It can be argued that he is the smartest person in Washington.

This was the first time in a long time that I've heard Frank Lautenberg speak and he just seemed out of it at times. I mean the man is 85 years old but his speech at time was off. I don't think he stays senator until the end of his term in 2014 which is another reason why this Governor's election is important because Corzine can be in a position to appoint a Democratic senator to replace him should need me. Mayor Cory Booker of Newark perhaps? Launtenbeg was on the stage to introduce State Senator Barbara Buono and completely botched her name.

Next up was state senator Barbara Buono who was there to introduce Corzine and Biden. Funny moment before then as an aide to Buono came around to people sitting near the front and asked if they'd give her standing ovations when she came in. Buono's speech wasn't anything to write home about and by this point everyone was ready for the main event. People had been waiting for over 2 hours and by this point were pretty much ignoring the speakers.

Joe Biden and Jon Corzine both came out together and joined Buono and Lautenberg on the stage for a photo op. Buono quickly left the stage and Senator Launtenberg literally wandered around the stage from end to end. It was awkward. At one point Vice President Biden even asked him to sit on a stool that was on the stage but Lautenberg turned him down. At some point during the Corzine speech he walked off the stage and didn't return.

Corzine's speech was what you would expect it to be. He was getting decent reaction but the crowd of about 600 or so got into it a lot more when Corzine was criticizing Chris Christie then they did when he was talking about himself. New Jersey does have a love/hate relationship with this governor but voting Chris Christie into office is not an option. As Congressman Holt said earlier in the day "One Christie (former governor Whitman) is enough." Corzine went through the generic campaign shtick talking about having partners in Washington in Barack Obama and "the 3rd senator from New Jersey Joe Biden." The Governor hammered Christie on his refusal to accept stimulus money. As expected Chris Christie was tied to the failed policies of Bush/Cheney but Corzine took it one step further by making sure to link Christie to Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford over the stimulus money.

The main event was of course Vice President Joe Biden. People always talk about how much fun it is to be at events where Biden speaks, and they were "literally" right. He didn't use the word as often but did not fail to disappoint with his "ladies and gentlemen." I lost count of the amount times he said it today. Biden was effective in his role. He started off by talking about his mother saying that if you weren't a Democrat you went to hell. He had a nice laugh about that before adding that he didn't think it was true. He talked about Corzine's financial background. He made sure to emphasize just like President Obama had back in July that Corzine was one of the voices the Obama transition team turned to on economic issues. Many like me believe if Corzine had endorsed Barack Obama from the start and not Hillary Clinton he just may have had a prominent role in the Obama administration. The Vice President hammered Christie and the GOP for their opposition to everything saying "I know what all these guys are against. I always have trouble figuring out what they're for." I couldn't have said it better myself. Biden also talked about his wife Jill who as we all know is also a professor at a community college. Biden had to throw in his obligatory Amtrak reference too. Not sure if this was the right though, Amtrak and NJ Transit northeast corridor were hours behind schedule with their service this morning.

Healthcare was a big theme through the day. Normally you see a diverse group standing behind or to the side of the stage for the TV cameras. Today it comprised entirely of women, pretty much all of whom had pink mammogram related stickers on their shirts as part of "Breast Cancer awareness month."

Education was another theme sprinkled throughout, especially early education. Joe Biden made sure to mention his wife Jill who is a professor.

As Jon Corzine is in the middle of his big week, raising money for Chris Christie today is Bobby Jindal?

All in all it was a good event. Corzine doesn't exactly capture you with his words but he is the man for the job at this time. The motto for me all summer long has been "anyone but Christie" and most of New Jersey at this point seems to agree. New Jersey loves Joe Biden. Biden got a huge reaction from the crowd. He shook a ton of hands afterwards and seemed to take as many pictures with the people in the crowd.

As we were walking back to the parking lot we were stopped and had to wait on the sidewalk for about 10 minutes waiting for the Biden motorcade to go by. Someone from the Corzine PR team did a great job here because just as the Biden motorcade was going by Corzine got out of his SUV (Jed Bartlett style from that West Wing Budget negotiations episode) and shook some more hands and took photos with people.

I was expecting a much heavier security presence at the event. Definitely was expecting more secret service personnel there too. Everyone had to go through metal detectors but inside the building (at least in the front where I was) there weren't as many visible secret service personnel. No food or drinks were allowed into the building. In addition to the Secret Service  the security was also being handled by campus police, NJ state troopers, Rutgers police. Want to see how different the situation is on Wednesday when Barack Obama campaigns for Jon Corzine. There are some disturbing reports about the amount of death threats these days.

I have tickets to the Bill Clinton/Jon Corzine event at Rutgers University tomorrow night. I am still trying to get my hands on one for the Obama event Wednesday. If you were there today or will be at one of ones the next two days, let me know what you thought about the experience.

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Video of the Biden Speech



Below you'll find some pictures I took at the event.






Women were placed front and center at the event by the Corzine camp.


Congressman Frank Pallone


Congressman Rush Holt.....smartest congressman out there?


Senator Lautenberg


State Senator Barbara Buono, just don't ask Senator Lautenberg to say her name.







Joe Biden took a lot of pictures with people.


Jon Corzine pulling a Jed Bartlett.

That's Joe Biden in that SUV.

Joe Biden campaigning for Jon Corzine Monday

This is a big week for Jon Corzine. He's been surging in the polls and just got endorsed by the New York Times. This is a big campaign week for him as I mentioned previously.

I will be in attendance tomorrow morning as Vice President Joe Biden stops by the Middlesex County College in Edison to campaign with the Governor. Bill Clinton campaigned there in there in 1992 and as far as I know no other President or Vice President has been there either before or after winning an election. If anyone needs tickets to this event let me know. I have extra tickets courtesy of a friend who works for a state senator.

Stay tuned to this blog tomorrow for pictures and reactions from the event. If you are attending let me know.

I also received confirmation from the Corzine campaign today that I will be in attendance Tuesday evening when former President Bill Clinton campaigns at Rutgers University for Governor Corzine.

I am still working on getting tickets for the event on Wednesday that will welcome President Barack Obama back to New Jersey.

Like I said, stay tuned to this blog all week long for updates and pictures from these events. Also follow my twitter feed.

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Move over "Balloon Boy"....hello "Miracle Stroller"

For about 24 hours now Americans have been fascinated by the "Balloon Boy" and the Heene family. The media needs to move on because this next story is far more amazing....and it actually isn't a hoax.

Watch the video:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Yes, that is a stroller with a 6 month old baby inside it...being hit by a train.....dragged 130 feet.....and the baby some how survived.

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Falcon Heene - "Balloon Boy" Hoax continues

Lets do your job media. This Heene family is exposing themselves as frauds

By now you must have already watch the CNN interview from last night where the kid admits "we did this for the show" while the parents scramble to make excuses.

The story from the family was that the 10 year old son saw the 6 year old son get in the craft and take off. The older son then allegedly ran in to tell his parents, which led to a big time search for the kid. By now you obviously know how the story ended.

But that story is a lie. First the CNN interview and now this home video on ABC's "Good Morning America" this morning.

What a shame. What a disgrace.

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Chris "Maddog" Russo appearing on WFAN Friday?

If you follow sports radio anywhere in the United States chances are you have heard of "Mike and the Maddog."

For almost two decades they ruled the New York airwaves. They're credited as being the original sports talk show guys. WFAN was the first all sports station in the country and they became a major part of it. It was an odd pairing. At times....very odd. They fought a lot in the early days.....and eventually one of those fights let to the end of their great partnership.

Last year Chris Russo left for Sirus Radio to never be heard from again (I kid!). Couldn't really blame him. For years it was reported that he was always paid less then his partner. That never made any sense to me. They were a team....a solid one at that. They contrasted each other's styles well and brought the best out of each other on the air.

Russo said an emotional goodbye last year....and hasn't been back on the station since.


There was a rumor of a possible Chris Russo appearance on Mike Francesa's show at the Super Bowl this year....but it never materialized. The two have been at war over guests.

Earlier today Chris Majkowski who's a producer at WFAN tweeted that Russo will be appearing on the station tomorrow.

For those listening on our flagship, Francesa and Russo will be together to start the show tomorrow at 1:05 from Yankee Stadium.

Sal Licatta who is Mike Francesa's producer would not officially confirm.


Looking forward to it. Should be great radio.

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Falcon Heene - "Balloon Boy" Hoax

Did you guys follow this Falcon Heene story all day today?

He is the kid all of America thought was on the Helium balloon today as it floated across Colorado. Immediately a lot of people thought it was some kind of hoax. More people jumped on that bandwagon when the balloon landed.....and no one was there.

Then there was a manhunt to find the kid......and he turned up hours later from the attic of his own home. Strange....right? I immediately thought something was up and have been saying so all day long on my twitter feed.

It had to be a hoax. This family from all we know about it, just craves attention. So the media played right into it and rightfully so. It was a fascinating story today but immediately people began to catch on that something was up. If you read my earlier post from today you saw Youtube links and other stuff that helps point to this family being crazy.

Wolf Blitzer landed the interview on behalf of Larry King Live that all the news outlets wanted. He exposed this family for the frauds they are....and didn't even realize it. He should have pressed them harder when the kid says "you said it was for the show." What a disaster. What a disgrace. What was Blitzer thinking? Watch the clip.




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Time is now for Jon Corzine (09!)

It has been a long summer so far for New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. He's been down in the polls all summer long but this week just might be what the doctor ordered for this once stagnant campaign.

Jon Corzine will benefit from some pretty powerful campaign stops coming up next week.

On Monday Vice President Joe Biden will stop by at the Middlesex County College in Edison for a campaign rally at the College Gym. Bill Clinton also stopped by to campaign in 1992 when he was running for President.

On Tuesday the attention shifts to the College Avenue Gym at Rutgers University as Bill Clinton will hold a night time rally. The College Avenue Gym actually sits on the site of the stadium where the first ever college football game was played way back in 1869. The Scarlet Knights beat Princeton by a score of 6-4.

Wednesday brings to us the main event as Barack Obama will stop by Fairleigh Dickenson University in Hackensack. I don't know how set in stone that venue is. I realize Bergen County is a key region in NJ....but why not hold this rally somewhere you can fit more people? Barack Obama was here back in July and the rally was moved at the time to a bigger location which led to 17,500 people showing up. Why would you not do the same here? Or are they going to do another last minute swap like they did back in July?

I was fortunate enough to attend the Obama rally in July, will do my best to attend all 3 of these.

Also on Wednesday Caroline Kennedy will be coming down for an event in the evening.

Latest polls show that Corzine has made up what was once a double digit deficit.


Anyone else going to any of these events?

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The saga of Falcon Heene.

Edit 3: Are you guys watching this interview on Larry King Live? Did this kid Falcon say something along the lines of "for show" when they asked him why he didn't come out when people were calling him?

Edit 2: The entire Heene family will be on Larry King Live tonight. Wolf Blitzer will be filling in for Larry King.

Edit: Kid found at home....in a box....in the attic. There is still more to this story that we do not know.

Ok...finding more out about this father now and the more we find out the more bizarre it gets.

Original Post:

Are you guys watching this Helium balloon story from Colorado? Reports are a 6 year old boy climbed aboard his father's Helium balloon....and took off.

The kid ironically named Falcon was reported to be on the aircraft by one of this brothers. This balloon has been flying around for a while and just landed. There was no one inside though?

What happened along the way? Did a piece of the aircraft fall off before cameras got to the story? Was this a hoax? Is the boy really missing? Kidnapping? Need to hear from the family fast.

One of the early ABC reports.

This is a family that chases storms and UFOs. They made this aircraft together as a family. Huffington Post did some quick research. The kid's father has his own website about this balloons and storm chasing. That is not the end of the craziness for this family. They were on a recent episode of the show "Wife Swap".

When the story first broke I thought there was no way this story would end well. When I saw the soft landing....my thoughts changed for a moment. Now this? Where is that kid? What happened to him? Did he ever take off?

Look at this family made music video that the 3 Heene kids were in.



Richard Heene also believes he discovered life on Mars.



Someone is already having some fun with this story on twitter. See this account?

Anyone know how old the brother who reported the story is?

This father seems like quiet the character. David Shuster quoted someone earlier who said this kid's father in the 80s gave his dog a mohawk. What a whack job.

Oh...and yeah this family is into conspiracy theories....and "faking stuff?



Where is Falcon Heene?

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Rush Limbaugh wants you to give up the NFL

For the longest time Rush Limbaugh has been a crazy, ignorant, racist, fear mongering, hate spreading fool. Well today brings a new chapter in that saga.

Rush, who all week was crazy about the NFL and wanting to own a team now says that the NFL is "outpost of racism and liberalism." Is anyone really surprise that he ignored all available data that proves otherwise. What a joke. I can safely say that 90% of NFL owners are probably Republicans and conservatives. If the NFL was this big liberal outpost.....why did Rush want to join it in the first place? Why did he take a job at ESPN a few years ago commenting on it?

Rush wants to go around blaming others for him getting shut down by the league this week. Does he not remember his disgraceful stint at ESPN? Now I'd be the first to say that McNabb has been overrated but...when was he ever built up by the media? The media has been rough on McNabb forever.

Hilarious stuff, Rush is threatening to sue over "false statements". Pretty funny coming from a guy who's entire show is popular because of lies and propaganda that he feeds to ignorant people.

Credit to Media Matters. Here are just some of Rush's idiotic comments over the recent years.

Good luck with this one Rush. Your followers might be bigots and racists....but they aren't going to give up their football. You would have had better luck if you asked them to boycott oxygen.

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Barack Obama and Reggie Love

By now unless you've been living in a cave somewhere you should know that Barack Obama is a big time basketball fan. Not only does he watch basketball, he plays a lot of basketball. It has been well documented on Twitter too where Christina Bellantoni of "Talking Points Memo" created the brilliant hashtag called "#potuslovessports"

Some of you might be aware that the President is holding another pickup game today. I'm guessing that came up in today's press briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Watch the video to see what happened.





Reggie Love for those who aren't aware of it is the personal aide to the President. The "body man" as they are called. If you're a "West Wing" nerd like me you'll make the immediate connection to "Charlie." This is what Reggie Love does. What makes this basketball story better is that Reggie Love actually played for Duke. He was part of a pretty loaded Duke team that won a national title. A total of 5 players from the team ended up going to the NBA.

Saw another piece on Obama and Basketball today. ABC did a little reporting and wants to know why there have been no women involved in these pickup games?

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2009 MLB Playoffs Day 2....Live Blog

Welcome back for day 2 of the MLB playoffs. Hopefully the games are more entertaining today then they were yesterday. We're still a while away from first pitch today. Got some good baseball articles? Send them my way.

12:46 AM - Angels win 5-0. Big win. Needed this. Great play from start to finish. Lackey and Oliver combine for a shutout.

12:21 AM - Great start for Lackey. 7.1 innings of shutout ball. Just what this team needed. Glad the team finally scored some runs for him.

12:14 AM - What a strange inning. 5-0 Angels after 7.

12:03 AM - Angels have to capitalize here. Bases loaded nobody out as Vlad hits it off the pitcher. You can not let the Red Sox hang around.

12:01 AM - 4 walks for Bobby Abreu. Nice. Makes it two on nobody out for Vlad as Torii Hunter got hit by the very next pitch.

11:55 PM - These Wikipedia users are just crazy. C.B Bucknor's page was updated.

During the off-season, Bucknor, who is legally blind, speaks at the Helen Keller Institute for Sensory Impaired Children.

11:45 PM - Nice play from Jacoby keeps the score at 3-0.

11:42 PM - The Angels still haven't attempted a steal? Did not see that one coming.

11:19 PM - Speaking of good pickups by the Angels....Torii Hunter with a 3 run Homerun gives the Angels the lead here in the 5th. Still just one out.

Angels 3 Red Sox 0

11:14 PM - If a year ago you told me I'd be cheering for Bobby Abreu I would've called you crazy. What a pickup he's been for the Angels.

10:44 PM - Vladmir Guerrero strikes out swing with the bases loaded to end the inning. We're headed to the 4th in Anaheim. Still scoreless.

10:36 PM - I am liking this TBS crew doing the Angels/Red Sox series. Buck Martinez solid as usual. As bad as TBS has been doing these games so far I love the "Pitchtrax". Everyone who broadcasts baseball needs to start copying that now.

10:00 PM - You know...I didn't even think about it but "Pardon the Interruption" of ESPN brings up a good point.

Matt Holliday's crotch botch: karma for missing home plate? http://bit.ly/2E1nYx

9:43 PM - As this Angels game gets underway take a few minutes to read this article on Nick Adenhart.

9:15 PM - Dodgers win on a bloop single to centerfield. Mark Loretta gets the game winning hit. Snaps 0-15 streak against Ryan Franklin. Poor Matt Holliday, drops what would have been final out. Gotta feel for Adam Wainright. Dodgers win 3-2 and lead series 2-0.

9:14 PM - Russel Martin walks to load up the bases. Winning run is at 3rd. Unbelievable. Cardinals wasting great outing from Adam Wainright.

9:11 PM - What an at bat from Casey Blake. Ends up drawing the walk. Belliard follows that up with a base hit up the middle tying this game up at 2. Winning Run is at 2nd.

9:05 PM - How did Matt Holliday just drop that ball?

8:51 PM - We head to the bottom of the 9th. Dodgers are down 1 but have 3-4-5 due up here in the 9th. Get ready for a parade of pitchers out of the Cardinals bullpen.

8:43 PM - Wainright battles out of the inning. He's through 8. Great stuff from him as the Dodgers leave the bases loaded here in the 8th. Still 2-1 Cardinals. He threw 109 pitches giving up 3 hits and striking out 7.

8:41 PM - This is Wainright's game to lose. Bases loaded now for the Dodgers. Kemp is up. Dodgers still trail 2-1 but there are 2 outs here in the bottom of the 8th.

8:36 PM - Jim Thome pinch hitting for the pitcher Jonathan Broxton with one on and 2 outs get plunked in the back. Orlando Hudson comes in to pinch run at first. He's the go ahead run. Wainright still in this game.

8:29 PM - Broxton gets Pujols, Holliday and Ludwick on 9 pitches. Once again....brilliant move from Joe Torre there bringing him in that situation.

8:24 PM - Interesting move from Joe Torre. It is the right move. Bringing in the closer Jonathan Broxton here in the 8th with the Dodgers down by one but the Cardinals have the heart of their order coming up.

8:01 PM - Cardinals take 2-1 lead. With the way Wainright is pitching right now that might enough. Heads up play by Loney there getting the runner at 3rd.

Kershaw does not make it out of the inning. Joe Torre going to the bullpen with runner on first and two outs here in the 7th.

7:56 PM - This my friends is playoff baseball. We're tied at 1 as we head to the 7th. Does Kershaw have more inning in him? Wainright is pitching a gem right now. Through 6 innings he's allowed just 2 hits striking out 5. He's thrown just 79 pitches.

7:31 PM - Shadows playing a factor now. Tough to hit out there. Wainright dealing right now. Just that one mistake right so far that took away his perfect game and shutout. Bottom 5 right now we are tied at 1.

6:44 PM - The starting lineups have been posted for the 3rd game of the triple header.

Red Sox:

Ellsbury, Pedroia, V.Mart, Youkilis, Ortiz, Bay, Lowell, Drew, Gonzalez with Lester pitching.

Angels:

Figgins, Abreu, Hunter, Guerrero, Rivera, Morales, Kendrick, Mathis, Aybar. Lackey pitching.

Those lineups courtesy of Ian Browne.

6:27 PM - Matt Holliday solo homerun gives the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. Agree with the TBS crew....those shadows are going to come into play as the game goes on.

6:19 PM - Rockies win 5-4. Huston Street gets Victorino out to end the game. Rockies win 5-4 and split the two games in Philadelphia. Game 3 Saturday with snow in the forecast.

6:17 PM - Meanwhile over at Dodgers stadium the Cardinals just went down 1-2-3 in the first inning.

6:15 PM - Jimmy Rollins base hit to right field. Winning run on first now for the Phillies. There are two outs.

6:11 PM - Matt Stairs draws a one out walk.....and with the bench quickly emptying for the Phillies Cliff Lee comes in to pinch run. He's the tying run here in the bottom of the 9th. With Cliff Lee coming into the game every member of the Phillies starting rotation not named Pedro Martinez has come into the game today.

6:00 PM - We're headed to the bottom of the 9th here. The Phillies are down by one and will have the bottom of the order coming up against closer Huston Street.

5:56 PM - Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe is reporting that the Yankees plan on keeping Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen if they advance beyond the Divison Series.

5:48 PM - Jayson Werth win a solo shot. Phillies down just 5-4 now in the bottom of the 8th. Two outs and Raul Ibanez coming to the plate as the Rockies make a pitching change.

Has anyone benefited more from playing in Citizens Bank Ballpark then Jayson Werth?

5:43 PM - Is TBS serious with this "language of the game" thing? Baseball fans know how to calculate stats

5:39 PM - Horrible job by the Rockies. Bases loaded and one out and the Rockies get nothing out of this inning. Lead just 5-3 as head to the bottom of the 8th. Jason Giambi strikes out to end the inning.

5:30 PM - The Rockies need to add a run or two here. Two on and nobody out here in the 8th.

5:11 PM - Good work from Scott Eyre. Comes into a tough situation and gives up only one run on a sacrifice fly. We're headed to the bottom of the 7th and the Rockies lead 5-3.

5:00 PM - Tough luck for the Phillies. Looks like Happ just hurt himself. Grounder came straight back and hits him in the leg. He seems to limping after his warmup tosses. Tough break for Phillies. Pedro Marinez has to start game 3 now for the Phillies right? Bases loaded for the Rockies no outs. Pitching change yet again.

4:57 PM - Joe Blanton can't shut the Rockies down here in the 7th. They have runners on the corner and the Phillies are going to the bullpen again. In comes Happ. No one out.

4:51 PM - Raul Ibanez with another big hit brings in two more for the Phillies. They are down just 1 now. Headed to the 7th inning. Rockies lead 4 to 3.

4:39 PM - Runners on first and third no one out for Ryan Howard here in the bottom of the 6th. His double scores one. Runners on 2nd and 3rd nobody out right now. Pitching change for the Rockies. Colorado still leads 4-1

4:32 PM - I have to ask again....why is 1050 ESPN Radio in New York not broadcasting the first game of the day? It's not like Michael Kay's show does great ratings going up against Mike Francesa and WFAN.

4:18 PM - Phillies pinch hit for Hamels here in the bottom of the 5th. He's only thrown 83 pitches but with being down 4-0 and a man on first here they have to try and get some runs here.

4:16 PM - Good work by TBS (wait...did I really just type that?) on that replay. What was Gonzalez doing there? That was a big run there. If he gets thrown out at 3rd there and the score stays at 3-0 it's a completely different game.

Rocies lead 4-0

4:08 PM - Just as the Rockies get that double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out here in the 5th, Jayson Stark brings some bad news for Phillies fans:

Cole Hamels' last win in a day game? (Cue Jeopardy music.) It was in LAST year's LDS. That was 10 starts ago (in the sun)

3:53 PM - We head to the bottom of the 4th with the the Rockies leading 3-0. That was Torrealba's first homerun since early May.

By the way did you guys see this? I know it is not baseball related....but it is sports related.

3:5 PM - Homerun Yorvit Torrealba. It's a two out, 2 run shot. Rockies lead 3-0.

3:42 PM - We're only in the 4th inning of the first game on the second day of these playoffs but George Lopez is already getting on my nerves.

3:34 PM - Good work from the Rockies getting ahead early. They obviously wanted a couple more in the early going. They can't let Cole Hamles settle in. Only way the Rockies win this series is by getting into this Phillies bullpen.

Rockies 1 Phillies 0

2:37 PM - Getting ready for first pitch in the Phillies/Rockies game. As much as I dislike all Philadelphia sports teams I have to say that everyone has to check out Citizens Bank Ballpark. It is an amazing ballpark. Went there a couple of years ago for a Mets/Phillies game.

1:55 PM - Yankee fans need to seriously back off about Jeter having 18 playoff Homeruns. Have they seen how many playoff games he's played? Mickey Mantle had 18 World Series homeruns. This is yet another reason why I hate Yankee fans.

Listening to Mike Francesa on WFAN and Yes Network in the meantime. WFAN is moving to a new studio in Manhattan after 22 years. Show starts off with a Mike Francesa tradition. Listening to audio clips from WCBS880 Yankees Radio play by play man John Sterling. If you don't know of him go ahead and google him. If you think Chip Caray is bad....you haven't heard anything yet.

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MLB Playoffs Day 1....Live Blog

1:32 AM - Rick Ankiel strikes out looking on a 100 MPH fastball to end the game. Dodgers go up 1-0 winning this one by a score of 5-3. I'll be back again tomorrow to live blog. Spread the word. Have a good night.

1:30 AM - Wow...tying run coming to the plate for the Cardinals with two outs. What was Kemp doing there? You have to keep the ball in front of you there. We've seen some bad outfield play today. Dodgers lead 5-3.

1:23 AM - We head to the 9th inning with the Dodgers leading 5-2. These 2 teams have left 29 men on base tonight. That is a record for a 9 inning playoff game. Unreal. Matt Holliday, Ryan Ludwick and Yadier Molina due in the 9th against Broxton.

1:18 AM - Back to back 1 out walks here in the bottom of the 8th. Dodgers threatening to extend their lead. Russel Martin at the plate grounds out to the right side. Pujols with a great diving stop. Runners move over. Broxton is staying in the game. Dodgers feel safe enough with the 3 run lead. Need Broxton to close it out in the 9th inning.

12:57 AM - For a game that has had so many base runners there hasn't been any juice to it at all. There are runners getting stranded all over the place.

We are through 7 at Dodger Stadium with the Dodgers leading 5-2.

12:26 AM - Bob Nightengale points out that the Dodgers and Cardinals have set a Divisional Series record already tonight:

The Dodgers and Cards have already set a Division Seires record by leaving 23 runners on base....and we still have 3 innings left.

12:18 AM - Bases loaded yet again.....and this time Russel Martin gets hit by a pitch forcing in the Dodgers 5th run. Dodgers now lead 5-2. Bases still loaded as the Cardinals change pitchers. Jim Thome is pinch hitting for the pitcher.

11:52 PM - What an at bat from Rafael Furcal here. Gets the RBI on a sacrifice fly after an 11 ptich at bat. Runner on 3rd now....2 outs. Dodgers lead 4-2.

11:46 PM - Pierre pinch hitting for Jeff Weaver drops down a bunt with 2 on and no outs.....but why didn't he run right away? Runners on 2nd and 3rd for the Dodgers. One out....and they still lead 3-2.

11:25 PM - How many times have the bases been loaded already in this game? Dodgers have them loaded here in the bottom of the 4th. Still 3-2 Dodgers.

11:10 PM - Randy Wolf doesn't make it out of the 4th inning. Bases loaded and 2 outs. Jeff Weaver coming into the game to face Ryan Ludwick. Dodgers lead 3-2.

10:56 PM - Chances are by the end of the playoffs I'll be sick and tired of Ernie Johnson, his mother, his blackberry and his mailbag.

10:49 PM - Big error by Derosa there. He has to throw that ball home. Don't look at the umpire either....throw the ball first. Big error. Dodgers lead 3-1. Two on and one out. Carpenter is in some trouble here.

10:24 PM - I haven't verified Jay Crawford's math but:

the yankees have spent 1.555 billion since 2002. 6 div titles 0 ws rings. twins have spen 475 million. 5 div titles, 0 ws rings. REFUND!!!

10:18 PM - I'm going to interrupt this Live Blog because I just won $50 gift card from the WNBA. I wonder if it works on the NBA store website too?

WNBAStore.com winner is @sahyder1, who correctly predicted the @PhoenixMercury win & Catch, @cappa23 hi scorers

You can now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

9:58 PM - Matt Kemp 2 run Homerun. Dodgers take 2-1 lead. Nobody out in the bottom of the first.

9:52 PM - Dodgers get out of the inning without much damage as Cards leave bases loaded thanks to inning ending double play.

9:51 PM - Bases loaded and a run in for the Cardinals already? Randy Wolf's first career playoff start isn't going well. Only one out.

9:46 PM - Ballgame over....Yankees win. Marino pitches a scoreless 9th. 7-2 Yankees the final.

Time for Cardinals and Dodgers.

9:35 PM - What? Why put in Joba in for only one batter? Why is Rivera pitching the 9th? Why not let Joba finish the game? What exactly did the Yankees learn about Joba from that one batter?

9:30 PM - So TBS just showed a picture of the Empire State Building. One problem though....I don't think that video was from tonight. This link updates what color the Empire State Building is lit up with that night...and according to this it is white today. TBS showed Red and some other color.

9:25 PM - Phil Coke and Joba Chamberlain get the final 2 outs of the 8th on 3 pitches. Lets see how Joba pitches in the 9th with a big lead.

9:00 PM - I don't agree with the Twins here. Two outs in the 7th and Jeter on 3rd. A-Rod is at the plate. They just took out Liriano and brought in Rauch. I would've stuck Liriano there...pitch around A-Rod and go after Matsui. Should've tried getting Liriano to the end of the game. The bullpen is shot....why waste the arms?

Of course as I type this A-Rod drives in Jeter. Yankees lead 7-2.

8:47 PM - Phil Hughes with a big strike out of Orlando Cabrera. Great at bat but Hughes gets the better of him. Twins strand two runners in scoring position. Mauer was on deck.

My question is why did they show Kate Hudson after that strike out?

8:38 PM - Posada is having a really rough game behind the plate. Big spot here for the Twins. Runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs. Cabrera to the plate against the new pitcher Phil Hughes. Mauer is on deck. Cabrera needs to get on base here and bring Mauer to the plate with men on.

8:09 PM - Hideki Matsui crushes one off of Liriano. Two run shot. 6-2 Yankees. This one is turning ugly in a hurry.

8:04 PM - Here is where you fall into a trap. A-Rod was in an 0-19 slump with runners in scoring in the playoffs....runner on 2nd and 2 outs, you have to walk him. Twins decide not to and he gets a hit scoring Jeter.

Ken Davidoff of Newsday in New York did a little research on that A-Rod RBI.

The last time he had postseason hit w/RISP, A-Rod's teammates included Ruben Sierra, John Olerud, Esteban Loaiza and coach Willie Randolph.

Yankees lead 4-2. Pitching change as Liriano comes into the game for the Twins.

7:51 PM - Cliff Lee got a complete game earlier today. Have any idea who got the last complete game in National League playoffs before today? Ed Price has the answer.

7:42 PM - With 2 outs Swisher doubles down the left line. Cano scores from first. The throw from Young was up the line. Mauer had not shot at the plate.

Cabrera strikes out to end the 4th inning.

Yankees lead 3-2

7:29 PM - Jerry Crasnick just posted this:

I just checked this: The opposing team BA against Brian Duensing rises from .219 to .250 to .317 to .379 with every 15-pitch increment.

7:21 PM A-Rod strikes out to end the 3rd inning. Since the start of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS he is now hitting 9 for 63 (.143) with 2 homeruns and 3 RBIs. He's also struck out 19 times.

7:14 PM - Derek Jeter ties it up with a 2 run homerun. Yankees 2 Twins 2

7:12 PM - Chip Caray just called another fly ball a basehit. Are you kidding me?

6:55 PM - Chip Caray says he "thinks" Yankees gave #27 to Girardi because they want their 27th championship. Hasn't that been widely known for 2 years?

6:12 PM - Suzyn Waldman on Yankees Radio Network just said Orlando Cabrera got a World Series ringwith the Angels. Um....in 2002 Cabrera was playing for the powerhouse Montreal Expos.

5:50 PM - That Dwight Howard "NBA on TNT" commercial where he jumps out of a taxi might be the best commercial we see all playoffs long.

5:45 PM - Carl Pavano just got booed in the pregame introductions.

5:26 PM - Atkins strikes out to end the game. A complete game for Cliff Lee in his first career playoff start. Wh at a start for him. What a pickup he's been for the Phillies.Another base hit would have made things interesting. Manuel surely would have had to go to the bullpen.

Way too much time left until the Yankees/Twins game which comes our way at 6:07 PM. I guess I'm switching over to the Yes Network to watch the Yankee pregame show.

The Phillies win Game 1 by a score of 5-1.

5:24 PM - There goes the shutout. A 2 out hit breaks the shutout. Rockies are still down 4 down to the last out. Lee going for a complete game.

5:06 PM - Cliff Lee is through 8. Ed Price of Fanhouse.com points to this possible historical note:

No pitcher has ever stolen a base and thrown a shutout in the same postseason game

5:00 PM - Why did Barack Obama record a commercial for George Lopez's new show?

4:51 PM - Great article in the Wall Street Journal about the one and only Vin Scully.

4:35 PM - Rockies get out the inning but down 5 runs now. They have 9 outs left and the heart of the order coming up in the 7th against Lee.

4:28 PM - Finally an out. Pedro Feliz flies out to left.

Jayson Stark brings us another nugget:

Phillies have actually scored 5 runs without hitting a HR. Not their thing. Only did that 9 times all year -- and just once since July 22

4:25 PM - Wow, no National League team has won back to back World Series since the Reds in 75-76....before that you go back to the Giants in 21-22. Wow.

Pitching change. The lefty Beimel comes in but gives up a base hit to Ibanez. Worth scores easily. Rockies head back to the bullpen and in comes the right handed Matt Daley. 5-0 Phillies

4:21 PM - Werth crushes one to left center.....but the wind carries that ball more to center field.....Werth with an RBI triple. He thought about rounding 3rd and going home too but with no one out wisely stops at 3rd.

Phillies lead 4-0. Philly bullpen can't blow this....can they?

4:18 PM - Chase Utley singles. Ryan Howard follows that up fly ball deep to left field....where Carlos Gonzalez over runs the ball before crashing awkwardly into the wall.

Utley scores easily on the double to make it 3-0 Phillies and no one out here in the 6th. Keep in mind though that this Philly bullpen is an adventure.

4:13 PM - This nugget from Jayson Stark of ESPN:

Not that this means anything. But the Phillies were 10-0 last postseason when they took a lead of two runs or more.

We head to the bottom of the 6th. Phillies lead 2-0.

4:05 PM - The Rockies get out of the inning giving up just 2 runs.

3:58 PM - Nice at bat by Ruiz. What was that...like 8 pitches? What was Hawpe doing there in Right Field? Have to keep the runner at first there. Ibanez scores easily from 3rd on the play but Hawpe's misplay in RF sends Ruiz to 2nd as Cliff Lee comes up to the plate with just 1 out.

3:51 PM - It's cliche but a leadoff walk to Jayson Werth comes back to haunt the Rockies here. Raul Ibanez (what a pickup he was by the Phillies) follows that with a double.

Phillies - 1 Rockies - 0. Bottom 5th and there are still no outs.

3:43 PM - Just over an hour into this game and we are already headed to the bottom of the 5th in Philadelphia. Gotta love a pitchers duel.

3:23 PM - Rockies got lucky there. Just can not let a pitcher get a base hit and then still a base.

Quick stat from Ed Price of Fanhouse:

Cliff Lee gets first postseason SB by a pitcher since John Smoltz in 1995. Smoltz also had SBs in 1991-92, before that Billy Loes in '52

3:19 PM Can't let the Phillies pitchers get on base with 2 outs and turn the lineup over for that top of the order. And you can definitely not let Philly pitchers steal a base. What are you doing?

What is Cliff Lee trying to do here? He's lucky he didn't get picked off there.

3:08 PM Lineups for Yankees/Twins have been posting. Credit to Tyler Kepner, he's the Yankee beat write for the New York Times.

Twins Lineup:

Span cf, Cabrera ss, Mauer c, Cuddyer 1b, Kubel rf, Young lf, Harris dh, Tolbert 3b, Punto 2b; Duensing p

Yankees Lineup:

Jeter ss, Damon lf, Teixeira 1b, ARod 3b, Matsui dh, Posada c, Cano 2b, Swisher rf, Cabrera cf; Sabathia p

2:39 PM Wind is going to be a factor in today's game. Looks like some serious gusts in Philly. Yankee Stadium Forecast for later today calls for gusts of 40 miles per hour.
2:35 PM I wonder if we can ask "EJ's mailbag" if it is possible for TBS to replace Caray on the main broadcasting team?

2:32 PM Brian Anderson and Joe Simpson (who are these 2? Who's games to they call?) welcome us to Citizens Bank Ballpark on TBS.



It's finally here. Playoff Baseball. It should be an interesting month. The National League is wide open. There isn't that much seperating the 4 teams. The American League is a slightly different story. The Yankees go into their Divisional Round Series against the Twins as heavy favorites. Last I checked they were around 5 to 1 favorites to win the series. The problem for them is that they can't seem to beat the Angels.....who in turn can't seem to beat the Red Sox. So where does all of this leave us? I'll try to live blog on days I am at home or somewhere with an access to a computer. On Saturday I'm going to a Rutgers Football game so I'll blog the late games then.

The Twins game 1 starter Brian Duensing was a teammate of Joba Chamberlain's and has apparently never even been to New York. Oh boy. C.C Sabathia needs a solid game 1 here for the Yankees. His career playoff numbers are nothing to write home about. What a sight it would be if the $161 million man got booed out of the stadium?

The Twins have nothing to lose here. Without Justin Morneau they go into this series as heavy underdogs as was already mentioned. I expect Joe Mauer, who should be the American League MVP to get a lot of IBBs.

The Phillies/Rockies series starts off on a bad note. Jorge De La Rosa a 16 game winner is out for the Divisional Series for the Rockies. Major loss especially against this Phillies lineup. Lots of pressure today on Cliff Lee. He's had good run for them since the trade but he has never started a playoff game.

I'll talk about the Dodgers/Cards Series later.

Listening to a Brian Cashman interview with Mike Francesa right now. The Yankees brass was gathered at Yankee Stadium last night watching the Twins/Tigers game and then going over the advance scouting reports on the Twins.

Quick predictions
Yankees in 4 (Twins need to jump out early today on Sabathia and wear out the Yankee bullpen to have any shot)
Angels in 5
Dodgers in 5
Rockies in 5

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Has the United States run out of countries to bomb?

I was reading the Huffington Post and saw the following headline:

NASA To Bomb The Moon

The first thought that ran through my mind.....has the United States ran out of countries to bomb? Check out the article though and if you have access to a telescope you might want to bring it out for this one.

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Taxi and Pedicab Drivers in Awesome Times Square Brawl

If you live around here you are fully aware that there is never a dull moment in Manhattan. Turns out this morning was no different. Watch this video courtesy of NY Mag.



Yes, that Pedicab driver acted like an idiot but that Taxi driver could've easily killed him. For anyone who's ever driven to New York or any other major city....they are fully aware how awful cab drivers are. They are even worse in Manhattan. It doesn't matter what time of day. These idiots just go where they want without looking out for traffic.

Here's the beautiful part of this. The cameraman was probably there because Letterman's Studios are right there otherwise this would have been missed.

I'd be interested to know in what ends up happening with this. Surely the cab driver will be charged too right?

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Fox: "149 Million Americans are unempolyed"

Oh boy. Another great brainwashing attempt from the clowns at Fox. I was on Digg earlier and saw this so credit to Digg User "Weirdralph" for this screen shot. No idea when this is from. Does anyone have more info?
Link to image


As the Digg User points out:

I had no idea things were this bad! I mean, our labor force is only 154 million, so that would put our unemployment rate at a whopping 97%. It would... if it were accurate.

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Cory Booker is awesome

Not that people from NJ don't know this already but Mayor Cory Booker of New Jersey is a fast rising political star in this country. There is no doubt in my mind he is going to run for higher office one day, I think the Senate once Lautenberg steps aside will definitely be an option. He's doing great work in Newark and having fun doing it. Great to see that from a political figure.

Check out this clip.







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Hey Yankee fans....shut the hell up.

Watch the video first.



Can Jorge Posada be any dumber? What the hell is he whining and crying about? Two Blue Jays got hit yesterday. Edwin Encarnacion (who homered earlier in the game) and Aaron Hill. Carlson threw a pitch behind Posada which was no where near him....you couldn't even call it head hunting because the pitch was no where high enough.

Posada then goes bumps Carlson....when he had no reason to. Credit to home plate umpire Jim Joyce who tossed Posada immediately. What I want to know what the hell was Posada thinking? This is nothing new for him. Don't get me wrong....I'm sure he's a good guy. He does a lot of charity work in the NYC area. But he's a hot head...there's no where around it. He's done this in the part in Red Sox series as well. The Yankees haven't clinched the division yet. They are 5 up in the loss column and heading out on a west coast swing....and still play the Red Sox again this season. Now Posada faces a suspension. He could've ended up with other teammates suspended or worse....hurt. What a selfish move from a supposed leader on the team.

This brings me to Yankee fans. Can't help but laugh at some of these clowns. Of course most of these clowns are young fans. Same bandwagon fans who would've been Mets fans if the Mets had 4 World Series in 5 years in the 90s. It has been hilarious listening to WFAN today. Yankee fans calling in and saying this "fires up the team"....are you serious?


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Senator Ted Kennedy dies at 77

What an eventful morning already.....and it is just 5:22 AM as I start to type this. With Ramadan going on right now us Muslims wake up long before sunrise (the time for this morning was around 4:50 AM) and eat in the morning before fasting until sunset. Then I find out Senator Ted Kennedy has passed away.

Somehow today we all slept in. Somehow I missed all the text alerts that are piled up on my cell phone right now. Somehow I turned to the internet this early morning and just happened to catch a Tweet from Steve Brusk of CNN:

President Obama says "an important chapter in our history has come to an end" with the passing of Sen. Kennedy

It is an end of an era today. Since 1952 there has only been a short stretch for 2 years (1960 election until the special election in 1962) that did not have a Kennedy in the United States Senate.

The man was simply a legend. If the United States Senate had a 100 Ted Kennedy's this country would be a better place. His was a voice that held some major clout in the Senate. His was a voice that mattered. When he was giving a speech...you stopped and listened. When he endorsed Barack Obama about a year ago....it mattered. When he showed up at the Democratic Convention last year....it mattered. The man just knew how to hold the crowd in the palm of his hands. He showed it over and over again. He spoke with passion....and his record in the United States Senate shows it.

His 3 older brothers all died at a really young age but the images we have of JFK and RFK are those of those 2 young charismatic men. We forget that if JFK was alive today he'd be 92 and if RFK was alive he'd be 84. Although not as famous as the his 3 younger brothers Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was only 29 when he was killed. Ted was the only one of the 4 brothers to die of natural causes. Associated Press points out that there is only one living Kennedy sibling left.

"For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

Who can ever forget his infamous speech from the 1980 Democratic Convention?

What happens to Health Care reform now? Did it die with him this morning or do the Democrats finally wake up and unite on this. His was a voice that really could have made a big difference in the months to come. He spoke about it at the DNC Convention last year:

But we have never lost our belief that we are all called to a better country and a newer world. And I pledge to you -- I pledge to you that I will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate when we begin the great test.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

For me this is a season of hope -- new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few -- new hope.

And this is the cause of my life -- new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American -- north, south, east, west, young, old -- will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.

We can meet these challenges with Barack Obama. Yes, we can, and finally, yes, we will.

It should never be forgotten that Ted Kennedy was one of the voices who opposed the Iraq War in 2002.

Who picks up the torch on the Left?

Barack Obama released a statement early this morning. Reports had it that he was scheduled to meet with Ted Kennedy this week.

His impact was recognized around the world. Just this year it was announced that he would receive Honorary Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth.

A Statement from President Obama:


Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.

For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.

I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.

An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time.

And the Kennedy family has lost their patriarch, a tower of strength and support through good times and bad.

Our hearts and prayers go out to them today--to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family.

His death leaves the question....who will pick up the Kennedy family torch of public service? Some would say he himself passed the torch off to Barack Obama last year.

Yes I am aware of Chappaquiddick. But like millions of others I long ago decided that the 40 years in Senate after that paint a better a picture of what the man has done for this country.

Someone has to do him justice and give him a eulogy we'll remember years from. Whether it is Barack Obama or Caroline Kennedy...someone has to fill the shoe that unfortunately we've come to know "Uncle Teddy". He buried his brothers at a young age. He eulogized his mother. He's even eulogized nephews. Always with class, always with a speech worthy of the moment.

Ted Kennedy eulogies:
Jackie Kennady Onassis.
Robert F. Kennedy

The Dream Shall Never Die.

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Ridge says Bush era "Terror Alerts" were politcally motivated.

Surprise! Former Head of Homeland Security Tom Ridge says that the Bush government "Terror Alerts" were politically motivated.

This of course is no surprise to many like me who caught on right away. Take a look at some brilliant work Keith Olbermann has done on this in the past.

The Nexus of Politics and Terror



Olbermann's Special Comment: Chertoff's Bullshit Terror Alert


Bush administration False Terror Alerts (part one)


Bush administration False Terror Alerts (part two)


Is anyone really surprised?

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Accidental MSNBC Humor?

So I went over to MSNBC.com just now and saw this story on the release of the Lockerbie Bomber. What caught my eye first was this picture right next to the story on MSNBC's main page. Notice what it says on the steps leading to the airplane?







MSNBC is urging to relax when boarding a plane.....right next to a story about a plane being bombed.

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Attention Daily Show/Colbert Report fans

At the end of tonight's Daily Show Jon Stewart said they are going on a 3 week hiatus. That pretty much means Colbert will be off for 3 weeks too. Need your help here. I don't want to just be relegated to whatever old Daily Show/Colbert Report episodes they air on TV. I want to utilize the archives they have up on their websites and dig out some classics.

Anyone have some suggestions? I'll post mine tomorrow. Give me your suggestions and I'll add them to this list too.

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Lack of recognition for National Heroes.

I haven't gone back to Pakistan in the nearly 14 years it has been since my family emigrated first to Canada and then to the United States. I was just 10 years old at the time. It is odd at times to feel a slight disconnect with the surroundings you grew up with but one thing that hasn't changed and will never change is that I am and always will be a Pakistani first. There are few things that bother me more as a Pakistani then the fact that we just don't recognize our national heroes the way we should.

The country has faced so much darkness and gloom in its short history that one would assume that the country would embrace its heroes even more. Granted it hasn't been easy to find heroes for most of our history due to the political regimes that have been around but it really is shameful that we haven't done more as a people to preserve the legacies of those who have been a beacon of hope for Pakistan.

Last night out of the blue I just happened to take the time to research the story of Rashid Minhas. It is a story that always fascinated me growing up as I just happened to grow up right off of Rashid Minhas Road in Karachi. So it was a name I did hear a lot as a young kid. Rashid Minhas was only 20 years old and a rookie pilot in the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) in 1971 just before the Civil War intensified when him and a flight instructor by the name of Matiur Rahman died when their plane crashed close to Pakistan/India border. Apparently Matiur Rahman was attempting to take advantage of the rookie pilot, hijacking the plane in an attempt to defect to India and eventually fight against what was at the West Pakistan. The story as it is told says that the young pilot, Rashid Minhas in a struggle with the flight instructor seated in the seat behind him forced the plane to go down rather then it crossing the border into enemy territory. Both men died instantly. While Rashid Minhas did get an Air Force base named after and was awarded the "Nishan-e-Haider", the highest military award in Pakistan(to this date only 10 have been awarded and he is the only member of the PAF to have received the honor) the memory is pretty much all but forgotten except for a couple of times a year. I just happened to Google some stuff on him last night and discovered that we are right at the anniversary of this incident that occurred on August 20th 1971.

Rashid Minhas by no means is the only one that hasn't received proper recognition. The problem isn't just limited to our military heroes either. Our heroes in other fields haven't been recognized either.

Dr. Abdus Salam, to this date the country's only Nobel Prize winner was forced to leave the country back in the 70s because the government chose to question his religion. Who are these people to judge?

A.Q Khan, the father of the Pakistani nuclear program was left to rot under arrest and made a "sacrificial lamb" to please the U.S. Really? Just look across the border into India and take a look at how their father of the Nuclear program is treated.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, without a question was the greatest leader Pakistan ever produced. I think it is safe to assume no Muslim country in the 20th century produced a leader like that. One who united not just Pakistanis or Muslims but other so called "third world countries." Unfortunately he was overthrown and hung. Who knows how the course of history changes if that military coup didn't happen.

The same goes for the our sporting legends too. Squash players like Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan were never truly appreciated for the legends they were in their sports. Our hockey legends of the past are a distant memory now as the National team continues to fall into oblivion. Cricket legends like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Javed Miandad have never been fully utilized. While young bowlers from around the world continue to reach out to Wasim and Waqar the Pakistan board fails to utilize them. Waqar who they had under contract as a coach was treated like garbage and eventually left. Who wouldn't have?

This problem by no means is restricted to Pakistan alone. It just hurts a lot more as Pakistani when we should be reaching out and touching the beacons of hope that can hopefully guide to a better tomorrow.



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Hiroshima & Nagasaki - Biggest acts of Terror ever

August 6th 1945. One of the darkest hours in human history. On this date the United States dropped a Nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan killing about 100,000 people instantly. This was followed a couple of days later by dropping another nuclear bomb, this time on Nagasaki.

The total number of casualties is listed at over 260,000 people with Hiroshima alone accounting for almost over 200,000. Just think about that number for a little bit. The attacks of 9/11 killed 2,900 people. Now we read all sorts of stuff in our history books and even in conversation with a bunch of people. We hear and read all sorts of justifactions. None of them to me are legitimate though.

The most common one of course is that "they" attacked us first at Pearl Harbor. Fair enough. Yes, the Japanese military did attack US military bases at Pearl Harbor but using that logic since the United States started the current Iraq War it is perfectly alright for the Iraqi military to come and destroy New York and Los Angeles with nuclear bombs? Sounds silly when you put it this way right?

Another one is that the Japanese were arming their citizens and the ground war would have been bloody. Isn't that what the United States did though? Why do people forget about the draft? Somehow it is perfectly alright for one side to do it....but not the other? Kind of silly don't you think?

Another one I hear is that a ground offensive would have been deadly for both sides. Again, really silly. Over 260K people died. Anytime that many people die in one place you CAN NOT use the "saving of lives" as a justification. You sound like a fool when you do.

To this date survivors are effected by the radiation and get sick as a result of it. It is quiet easy for most Americans to dismiss Hiroshima and Nagasaki but think what the reaction would be like here to this date if that many lives had been lost here? For a while I've been calling this the biggest act of terrorism ever. This of course gets people mad. Time to look at the world from a broader perspective. What would your reaction be today if the town you lived in was struck by a Nuclear bomb that killed that many people around you? Just look at how Americans treat 9/11 and the amount of people that died that day is microscopic compared to how many died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombs served one purpose. Strike some fear into Russia in the aftermaths of World War II.

A recent Quinnipiac University Poll shows some interesting numbers in reference to what Americans currently think of the Nuclear strikes.

This country has a lot of dark moments in its history. The treatment of Native Americans, African Americans and the events of Hiroshima & Nagasaki just happen to be at the top of the list. Again....think about it.

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Obama's Birthday

Happy 48th Birthday to President Barack Obama and Happy 89th(!) to Helen Thomas. She has covered every American President since Kennedy. Pretty impressive.

Barack Obama dropped by the Press briefing room to wish her a Happy Birthday today.

Barack Obama's cake isn't too bad either. Picture courtesy of NBC's Savannah Guthrie

It is Obama's Birthday so be on the lookout for crazy birthers around you who should be out in full force

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Corzine Campaign Commerical

Saw a new Corzine TV advertisement yesterday. My only question is....what took so long? This commercial should have been on the air at the latest by the morning after the rally. Just what is going on at the Corzine camp? Anyone actually trying to win this thing? I was at this rally and the support there was huge. Should have capitalized on it with a campaign commercial right away. Terrible job. I blogged about it.

Corzine Commercial





As always you can leave a comment here, reach me by e-mail or contact me via Twitter.