Wednesday, October 31, 2007

A Noun, a Verb and 9/11

Nice line from Senator Biden...


John McCain - can lines like this earn him a comeback?

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Happier Times



Those were the days, when it was the Yankees who had a World Series games winning streak.

It's great how the Daily Show now has archives of all their video since 1999 online. What an impressive collection. I stumbled upon this video while looking at some of the early stuff. Doesn't Jon Stewart look so young?

Monday, October 29, 2007

Mariska Hargitay Gets Benefits from the Police?



In a curious article, Mariska Hargitay says she can't seem to get away from Law and Order. Why do I find this article so curious? Well, first of all, how does this little anecdote justify an article? After all, Law and Order:SVU has been on the USA Network nearly 24/7 for years, and the fact that a celebrity gets recognized while she's on vacation hardly seems like news. Second, it checks in at 191 words, which seems incredibly short even for CNN.com.

Also, it seems silly for there to be a 34 word summary at the top of the article.

Finally, Hargitay notes that cops have been "very patient" with her. Why would they need to be patient with her? Why is she getting stopped so often? Doesn't anyone else find this surprising?

Oddly enough, while I'm writing this, it's the #8 article under CNN.com's "Most Popular" section.

Robot Chicken Getting Posted Before Actual Air Times?


I didn't see this noted anywhere - episodes of Robot Chicken on Adult Swim are getting posted online before they air on television. Case in point, I watched last night's episode around 8pm EST, but it wasn't set to debut until 11:30pm. I wonder if this is intentional.

Dumbledore



Thanks to gossip site JustJared.com for this one -- not only has Dumbledore been outed, but smokes and wears a mean beard cover!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Rudy's for the Sox



I couldn't believe it when I saw it: Rudy Giuliani is rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series. Here's his explanation (and impressively, it has nothing to do with being in a post-9/11 world).

“I will be rooting for the Red Sox because I’m an American League fan, and my tradition has been to root for the American League team, particularly if it’s a team that beats the Yankees. And in this case, you won the division and we lost. Somehow it makes me feel better if the team that was ahead of the Yankees wins the World Series, because then I feel like, well, we’re not that bad.”

Talk about a load of horse dung. Maybe it's because the people of good ol' New Hampshire are part of Red Sox Nation? It's amazing since he has often criticized Hillary Clinton supposed Yankee loyalty.

The Daily News reminds us that Giuliani doubted he could ever root for Boston back in July, and that Mrs. Clinton has learned a lesson saying, "Neither of my teams is in, I'm going to be an interested but dispassionate observer."

Finally, I would like to add that I would never pick a President based on which teams a candidate roots for, however in this instance, I get the sense this is another clear example of pandering by Giuliani, a very undesirable trait.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Are we going to war with Iran? (and other thoughts)

A few thoughts:

1) Are we trying to go to war with Iran? New sanctions today? I didn't even realize we traded anything with them! The markets aren't looking so good, the Canadian dollar is worth as much as the US dollar, we're entangled with Iraq and Afghanistan and now we're acting tough towards Iran? It seems like we're nearing a critical point these days where things can go totally south, really fast.

2) Looks like the Red Sox are going to win the World Series. I am completely envious of the Boston sports scene, and the fact that it's the Red Sox / Patriots makes it even worse. With the Red Sox, are they the "new Yankees?" I thought this the other day and then suddenly Bill Rhoden of the NY Times read my mind and wrote a column about it. Unfortunately I never wrote that thought down anywhere and have no proof that it happened first. But think about it - big payroll, recent success, low key manager, fans with unattainable expectations and national popularity... you get the picture.

2a) I never understood Mets fans who root for the Red Sox just to spite Yankees fans.

2b) I have also never understood the recent fad of rooting for the Red Sox because they're the anti-Yankees. That bugs me to no end - if you're going to be anti-mainstream, you can't root for the same team as everyone else!

2c) The Patriots are good, huh? They haven't scored less than 99 points in a game (give or take 70). They rely on a passing attack. The defense seems to allow relatively many points - I'm guessing that it's because they play a "prevent" style most of the time. Hmm. High scoring offense + passing attack = "finesse offense" right? I'd like to make that label stick. I suspect they will adjust to the cold weather well, but I think that might be their only challenge to going undefeated.

2d) Thinking about it the other day - it obviously pains me that the Red Sox are in the World Series and incredibly hot against Cleveland, the same team that shut down the Yankees. First, because I think the Yanks had a good shot at actually beating Boston, and second because it looks like they're on their way to another hot streak + title a la 2004. Here's hoping David Ortiz boots a few ground balls and Kevin Youkilis gets lost in the outfield while playing at Coors.

2e) You'd never realize the Yankee facial hair rule until you watch Boston on a regular basis. Even a hardcore fan has to admit that the Red Sox have their own roving police lineup. Goatees are the "official facial hair" of the Sox: Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Eric Gagne, Eric Hinske and JD Drew are all among the white dudes with goatees.

2f) I don't mind the Yankees being knocked out and the Jets stinking so much but the Knicks just add insult to injury. I have to admit, however, that last season was really entertaining off the court. I hadn't followed the Knicks so closely in years!

2g) Will the next Jets / Miami game be for the #1 pick overall? I suppose that's a bit of a stretch right now, but it could be. The Jets have actually been surprisingly close in every game. That sort of makes the misery worse.

3) Joe Torre got fired. Well, actually, he didn't get re-hired. Sort of a crummy way to end it all, huh? Too bad, I think it would have been nice to part ways with him on good terms!

4) Back to politics: a few words on the Presidential contenders...

4a) Rudy Giuliani - Can this guy go one minute without mentioning 9/11? Can he go 30 seconds without mentioning either 9/11 or Hillary Clinton?

4b) Mitt Romney - Just seems like such a businessman. The funny thing with him is he's changed positions on social issues as much as Giuliani (see: gun control) but for some reason he gets more flack for it (see: not involved with 9/11).

4c) Fred Thompson - That didn't last long, huh?

4d) John McCain - He goes to Bob Jones University after criticizing it, then says that Mitt Romney changes his mind too much. Once a maverick, now part of the establishment.

4e) Mike Huckabee - He seems like a nice person who I don't agree with very much. But he also lost a ton of weight, which has to be commended.

4f) John Edwards - Trying to offer a more liberal viewpoint than Obama or Clinton and comes up pretty flat. I think the group of people that were inspired by him back in '04 are now lined up behind Obama. My lasting memory of him is when he awkwardly mentioned Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter back in the 2004 VP debates.

4g) Joe Biden - I wonder why his campaign hasn't gained as much traction. He's always on the Sunday AM talk shows and has a ton of experience. It must be because he talks too much.

4h) Bill Richardson - Summary of his campaign: he said on Meet the Press that he roots for both the Red Sox and Yankees. Some would say Hillary did the same thing in her hypothetical "rooting for both sides" if the Cubs and Yankees made the World Series. Can someone tell politicians that nobody cares what teams they root for as long as they just stick to one? Rudy is a Yankees fan and I don't think it will cost him any Massachusetts votes.

4i) Barack Obama - I think this guy could actually bring some ideas to the table and take action if he got elected. At this point, however, seems more style over substance.

4j) Hillary Clinton - She's come a long way, but some people just absolutely hate her. Why? It's true, she doesn't seem like a very nice person, but most of these candidates don't. From what it seems like, she is one of the hardest working candidates in that she is always preparing and rehearsing and never makes a mistake while in a public appearance. As it turns out, back in 1993 she didn't shy away from introducing some pretty radical legislation. If you think about it, that sort of change rarely happens any more. My only fear is that the Republicans seem so eager to use her as a target, and that if she becomes the nominee, all the hate directed towards her will lead to another Republican President.

5) On flip-flopping. It's noted as such a negative, but people change their minds all the time - especially on non-moral issues. Consider that the popularity of the Iraq war has completely changed since it started. Does that mean most of the US public has flip-flopped on this issue? Or have we just received more information? Why is there a double standard for our leaders changing their minds? In fact, I would suggest that the best leaders do change their minds when confronted with overwhelming evidence against their original position.

6) While we're talking about the Presidency... Everyone says, "Whoever wins Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina will be a force to contend with." Why is this? The populations of these states are tiny and don't necessarily represent microcosms of the US in terms of opinions or priorities. Then with the primaries - all the jockeying for position on the political calendar is ridiculous. It's really pathetic how states like Michigan and Florida trying to move their primaries up so they can become relevant and reap the benefits of campaign dollars.

7) Fox News: I've watched about five minutes of it in the last week and can't stand it. Bill O'Reilly had a Democratic strategist on last night and they were talking about the California fires. O'Reilly was upset Democrats in Congress were trying to use Iraq as a reason that there was not enough National Guard support. He says, "I'm no expert, but there's enough support for the firefighters." Wait - if he's no expert, then how does he know if there's enough support? Then a week ago, Hannity and Colmes had family members of murder victims on and they were talking about how the convicted murderer needed a bone marrow transplant and how it was preposterous that the state would pay for his transplant and medical care (roughly $300,000). So instead we let him die in prison? At best, that's euthanasia and at worst that's cruel and uncivilized.

8) Full circle here. Would we actually attack Iran to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons? That seems a little scary to me. By the way, what do Osama bin Laden, nuclear weapons and military dictatorship have in common? They're all in Pakistan! Yay!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Are the Jets out of it at 1-3?

Watching the Jets last Sunday, I had the feeling that they were out of it if they lost to the Bills. Forgetting how poorly the team has looked in general, since they've lost to three conference opponents, it makes the playoffs even less likely in their case.

While this is a particularly pessimistic view of the rest of the season for the Jets, I was looking at the standings, and noticed a few other teams with very high expectations who are at 1-3. Do any of them have a chance? I'm not so sure.

Philadelphia
Chicago
San Diego
Cincinnati

New Orleans is 0-3, and they had high hopes. Minnesota, Buffalo and Atlanta are 1-3, but I don't think their expectations were as high entering the season.

The players keep saying it's a long season, but I don't think it will make a difference. All of these 1-3 teams have pretty significant weaknesses; barring injuries to the teams above them, I think the season might be over for them.

Baseball Briefly

I feel bad for Mets fans. There's not much more to say, other than one positive that has come from all their misery is the absolutely entertaining sports radio over the last three+ days.

Reviewing the potential World Series match-ups:

Colorado vs anyone is a tough World Series for the AL. I think going to Coors Field could prove very difficult for any pitching staff, especially one from the AL who might not be used to going there.

The Cubs haven't won the World Series since 1908, so if they make it, it will be a huge storyline no matter the opponent. Of course, fans will likely be dreading every moment on the way there. A match-up versus Boston or NY is made more appealing due to the historic ballparks, etc. With NY, specifically, Lou Pinella, Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly all had ties with the Yankees at one point. With Boston, I wonder: Would Red Sox Nation have sympathy with the Cubs' predicament? Remember in 2003 when people predicted the two teams might meet in the World Series, only to have both lose? So much has changed since then, hasn't it?

I don't know anything about Arizona and don't have much of a sense of their dynamic. I suspect that's not an uncommon feeling, especially on the East Coast. If they played the Angels, the two teams would be wearing virtually the same uniforms.
The Phillies have only won one championship in their history, 1980. If the Phillies play the Yankees, who does the Met fan root for? Phillies vs Cleveland would be a chance for Charlie Manuel to return to Cleveland, the team he once managed.

The Indians haven't won a championship since 1948. This year is 10 years after they knocked out the Mariano Rivera and the Yankees. Also, the Yankees have not had much success as a wild card - and it's been heartbreaking finishes each time.

Yankees, D'backs, Angels and Red Sox have all won championships since 2000. It looks like there's a lot of parity in the NL, the AL still has a few powerhouses that the rest contend with.