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!

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.

File "The O'Reilly Factor" Under "Comedy"

Even without the Daily Show poking fun at him, the stuff he says is hilarious!

Boos and Illegal Cameras

Two more quick notes about the game yesterday:

-Many people have noted that the Giants Stadium crowd booed Chad Pennington when he limped off the field, including the ol' Wacky Chinaman. It's pretty embarrassing. While this is expected in a city like Philadelphia, it's not expected in New York. Perhaps it should be. New York fans, while considered to be educated, passionate, use whatever adjectives you want, have recently shown that they have a very short memory. The phenomenon has gotten worse and worse over time. At first I thought it started with the Mets fans, who had two recent cycles of big spending and underperforming. Most notably, Mike Piazza was getting booed towards the end of his Met career (despite being basically the best Met ever aside from Tom Seaver) and Carlos Beltran getting booed on opening day at home in his second year as a Met. But Yankee fans showed they are not immune to this sort of stupidity, booing Derek Jeter a few years back after his slow start. A-Rod heard the jeers from the crowd regularly last year despite winning the MVP the year before. Like I said, I don't know if this is something new or if it's just something I am noticing more often, but booing Chad Pennington isn't a huge surprise. However, just because it's not a surprise doesn't make it right. I have a theory that sports radio may be to blame, because it is the source of all kinds of outrageous opinions, but for now it's just a theory.

-Apparently the Patriots had some sort of camera on the sidelines that might have been used to steal the defensive signals of the Jets. Apparently this isn't the first time they've run into this sort of problem. As much as I would love to believe that this is why the Patriots beat the Jets so easily, I have a lot of trouble with this accusation. If it were true it would make the Patriots seem unbelievably insecure. Too unbelievably. They've beaten the Jets repeatedly in recent years and are on paper a better team. Why would they feel the need to cheat? There's also no way they could have maintained the sort of success that they have had even if they had stolen signs or whatever. Why were they doing something similar in Green Bay last year? Who knows, but I also don't think that the Green Bay people should have said anything until the investigation was complete. Was there something fishy going on? Perhaps, but I doubt it is as serious as it sounds in the news stories.

-Apparently the penalty for a team that does something like use an illegal camera to take photos during a game is loss of a draft pick or a fine. That doesn't seem like much to me. If it's such a big deal, the offending team should be forced to forfeit the game. However, I don't really know how a team could benefit significantly from this sort of gamesmanship. Who cares about fines and draft picks? Even the loss of one first round pick isn't the end of the world.

KFB Flashback - 7/21/07 - Baltimore Orioles at Oakland Athletics

During the month of July, I was in the SF Bay Area and caught both of the local teams. Here are some shots from the bleachers in Oakland, including a short 6 second video.


This hot dog was gigantic, I couldn't believe it.

Patriots Win, Jets Lose, Let the Agony Begin...

The Jets lost to the Patriots today, 38-14 and really looked pretty beaten up throughout the game.

The game was totally over once the Pats returned a kickoff for 108 yards. You have to just tip your cap to Hobbs' return - I did not think he would have tried to run that back. Just goes to show how the day was going for the Jets. Kicker Mike Nugent spent the offseason bulking up, kicks a deep ball that he probably would have never kicked last year, and it gets run back for a record setting touchdown!

Well, my worst fears were confirmed as the lack of a left guard hurt the Jets this game. As you may recall, Pete Kendall had a contract dispute and got traded to the Redskins during the preseason. The lack of good protection affected Pennington and the running game. Here's a few things I noticed:

-First, the Pennington injury - shades of Vinny Testaverde going down in 1999 on opening day. One can blame this on Pennington's "lack of durability" all one wants, but let's face it - lack of a left guard was to blame here. The missed coverage came from the blind side. He was under pressure all day as well, it's impressive he passed as well as he did.

-The running game was in total disarray. The Jets didn't run much play action passing, which surprised me, but I suspect that the heavy pressure made it difficult to pull this off. Also a lack of running game - probably due to no holes being open. It was telling when Thomas Jones ran for about 10 yards in the second quarter and screamed and jumped in the air as if he had just scored a touchdown!

-Chad Pennington played very well in the passing game, but I was surprised about the fact that he only threw to Coles and Cotchery most of the game. Again, I blame the lack of a left guard here, as it didn't look like they ran much in a way of spread formations in order to keep Pennington protected.

Then there's the Patriots. They looked very good, although I wonder if the Jets offense had been more balanced if the game would have been closer. Pennington ended up passing pretty well, despite their pressure, and I think if the Jets had created some running lanes that they could have kept the Patriots off balance a little more. Randy Moss obviously is over his hamstring problem and Tom Brady looks like he's in great form despite his supposed shoulder problem. The Pats should be able to do very well in the passing game and put up points but I actually thought the Jets did reasonably well against the run. I was also surprised that it seemed like the Jets stuck with a three man rush against the Pats, and it didn't seem like they blitzed too much.

Overall, I'm surprised that the Jets got rid of Kendall so easily. The blind side of the QB was trusted to some novices and it looks like it's going to hurt in a number of ways. Now we have this injury to deal with as well. There are no favors in the Jets schedule either - they have Baltimore, Miami, Buffalo and the Giants coming up. Baltimore and Miami are going to be tough if the protection isn't there on the line, and then division game Buffalo will be intense, as will the inter-city battle vs the Giants. I think the Jets are more talented than the last three teams, but these games still seem pretty tough.

KFB Flashback - 6/16/07 - New York Mets at New York Yankees

As I mentioned before, I got to see three Yankees games in one week. Three victories as well. The Mets / Yankees game was the game with the best seats as well so please enjoy this bunch of photos.

It was a long time ago, so I don't really remember the details. There was a rain delay in the game that made it really long.

At some point in the week, but not at this game, Miguel Cairo was at bat with the bases loaded. Inside the Stadium, John Sterling could be heard saying, "Miguel Cairo is having a bad year, but he is a clutch player, and the kind of hitter you want with the bases loaded." Meanwhile, on YES, there was a stat listed, "Career with bases loaded: .224 AVG." Just another day listening to the Yankees.

KFB Flashback - 6/13/07 - Arizona Diamondbacks at New York Yankees

What a strange week it was - I had planned on going to the bat day game, and then suddenly I got tickets to this Thursday evening game against Arizona and also the Saturday game against the Mets! As it turns out, the Yankees won every game I went to this summer.

First time I've been in the bleachers in a while. Johnny Damon was really close to us!

KFB Flashback - 6/10/07 Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Yankees

This is a game I went to a while back. I took a photo of Luis Vizcaino at the time because he was so horrible and I was going to complain about him. He improved significantly over the course of the season. Now I can complain about how Joe Torre has overused him this year, and had to have an MRI on his right shoulder the other day.

#19 is Tyler Clippard. Remember him? He was one of the 13 rookies that the Yankees have trotted out this year as a starter. Times were really bleak back in June - I can't believe the Yankees are now in the wild card lead!

KFB Flashback - 5/16/07 - Yankee Stadium Tour

Back on May 16, I went on a tour of Yankee Stadium. Here are some of the highlights.


Construction of the new Yankee Stadium has begun.


That's Brian Cashman, playing basketball with local kids during lunchtime. One of the tour guides told me that this is pretty common.


View from the press box.


View of the press box.


I think this is where "Cotton Eye Joe" of the 8th inning fame works.


This is the Yankee dugout.


View from center field.


Monument park.


More monument park.


Yankee bullpen.


The bat. Before the game - meet me at the bat.


This is the hallway from the Yankee clubhouse to the dugout.

Tiki

Has any professional athlete become less likeable following his retirement than Tiki Barber? Maybe Jose Canseco?

I was already down on Tiki before retirement - he seemed like such a self-promoter, willing to say anything to please the media - but he's constantly criticized current Giants personnel including QB Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin since his retirement. Why not talk to these guys while you were on the same team? Maybe then the team wouldn't have done poorly in the playoffs. By the way - Tiki's best years? Under Coach Coughlin.

Omen?

Tom Brady's kid has the initials "JET"

John Edward Thomas Moynahan

Poor Miss Teen South Carolina

Hate to laugh at the poor kid but... just watch:

Not to be a pessimistic Jets fan but...

I am still a Jets fan, so I have to be entitled to a little worrying.

I'm worried about the offensive line and how they traded LG Pete Kendall with no other options. This seems like a bad move. Chad Pennington has less protection and there's no stand-out player to take Kendall's place.

Things are made worse with the injury to Thomas Jones. Nobody knows how long he'll be out and he was their major acquisition in the off season.

Finally the secondary, which was supposed to be better with Darelle Revis is still weak due to injuries to Andre Dyson and Justin Miller.

The expectations are high for this team this season. Before training camp started, I was pretty optimistic, but these early bumps in the road have me very worried, especially with the first game of the year coming against the Patriots.

In the News...

Since there is not a lot of new programming on television in the summertime, I have been watching news and sports programming. Here are some of the more ridiculous stories I have seen. Some credit must go to the Daily Show and Colbert Report as well.

Florida State Representative Bob Allen was arrested for offering oral sex to a police department. Why was Allen do it? He was scared the undercover cop (an African-American) was going to hurt him! Nice alibi.

Moving over to the Garden State - poor Miss New Jersey. Someone was trying to blackmail her with photos from her facebook account. Who would do such a thing? Maybe, Miss New Jersey, you shouldn't have posted photos of you making out with all these random dudes. Check out the clip from Today. It's hilarious. How does Matt Lauer keep a straight face through the interview? Especially when she shows the photo of her boyfriend with his mouth over her (fully clothed) breast and says, "Oh but he's VERY intelligent."

In Iowa, Mitt Romney committed a faux pax when he was asked about how his sons would serve the war on terror. How can they help? By traveling around the country and supporting their father's bid for Presidency. What a sacrifice!

Over in Thailand, police officers who break the rules must wear a pink Hello Kitty armband for shame and punishment. Is this to encourage petty crooks to snicker at the cops trying to arrest them? I'm imagining a Thai police officer trying to arrest this teenager for graffiti and having difficulty because the kid is just cracking up.

Finally, Bill O'Reilly has been comparing the website dailykos.com to the Nazi party and the KKK. Since the website has people post comments on it that, for example, suggest that some individuals in the Bush Administration would be better off dead, he feels the hate is similar to that displayed on Nazi websites. Seems a little far-fetched to me. You can decide for yourself.

I must say, watching the news lately has been more entertaining than "Who Wants to be a Super Hero?"

The Jets Now Have Cheerleaders

It's almost time for football, a favorite topic on this blog. Guess what? This year the Jets are adding cheerleaders. That's right, welcome to the "Jets Flight Crew."

On the one hand, it's surprising that neither New York team had cheerleaders. On the other hand, I'm a bit surprised the Jets have decided to start having them now. Seems old-fashioned or something. Not to mention the name "Flight Crew" is so corny. Wait until you watch the the "Flight Crew" through this link. In particular, check out the video with the ridiculous Jets song.

Are You Listed?

I wish I knew more people who lived or worked in Washington DC. There's a search tool for the recently released phone records of escort Deborah Jeane Palfrey at www.dcphonelist.com.

Rickey

Ricky Henderson was just announced as the new hitting coach of the NY Mets. Briefly, isn't it funny how quickly coaches get the blame and credit for a baseball team's hitting and pitching? As I recall, Rick Down, the previous hitting coach got a lot of credit last year for Mets hitting. Looks like he gets the blame this year, even though the team is virtually the same. Of course, Down is probably used to this as he was also previously the Yankees hitting coach.

Henderson was really known as a great runner. I didn't know he had a reputation as a great technical hitter, although he is often considered one of the best leadoff hitters ever. Maybe they brought him in to be a mentor for SS Jose Reyes?

Also, this photo of him from the Red Sox days was posted with the ESPN story announcing his hiring. I couldn't even think of him as a member of the Red Sox, and yet when I looked it up on baseball-reference.com, there it was - 72 games in '02!

This is the 700th post to this blog. Hooray.

Superbad

This movie looks hilarious. I was on their website and it said, "Click here to put this widget on your social networking site." About three years ago, that sentence wouldn't have made sense to anyone! Here's the widget on my social networking site. Enjoy.