Centerfield

I've got an excuse... I was in court in BFE (2 hours away) for a 9am hearing which of course did not actually start until 11. Oh, well... at least I wont this one.

Now I'm off to put some stain on my hide-away shelves I've been building to hold my DVD collection.

Well, you wore us into submission with all your premature wednesday and thursday open threadjaculations!

I'm curious, has the story about Ted Kennedy getting pushback from other senators on his plot to sink the wind farm gotten any press outside New England? The old windbag oughtta get hooked up to a windmill himself.

NFL draft tomorrow, any thoughts? Here are mine.

1. Reggie Bush stories that say he might not go #1 are all hot air.

2. I still think Leinart will go before Young, and I expect him to go to the Titans

3. If Leinart slips to 4, the Jets would be crazy not to take him.

4. Vince Young will turn his 1st coach's hair pure white. He may be good and exciting as he learns the game, but he has some serious learning to do

5. If Bobby Carpenter is on the board at 21, I expect the Patriots to take him to play ILB unless someone else they really like slips, like a blue chip DB or DL, like Wimbley. I'll be surprised if the Pats take an rb in the first round. If they do, it will show that Bellichiuck is very unhappy with Corey Dillon and might even dump him in training camp. Don't be surprised if the Patriots make a draft day trade, we have extra picks.

6. I dunno how far Lendale White has slipped, But I can't see him getting out of the first round. Pittsburgh taking him with the last pick of round one to be the new bus makes way too much sense.

The Patriots have the 21st pick, and the draft starts at noon. So I can expect to tune in when to see that pick made, about 430? Draft coverage is, IMO, exhaustively boring. Breathless annoucers puffing footage to try and conceal that everyone is waiting for someone to make a choice from a menu....yawn.

I'm feeling hung over after reading through the comments on the oil thread. Jeez.

Did anyone catch the USC biochem prof on NPR talking about methanol as a superior alternative fuel to ethanol?

And does anyone have any thoughts on the network neutrality stuff going on with regard to potential federal regulation of the internet?

Don't know about methanol being superior, but hey, whatever works!

Popular Mechanics has a good overview on the plusses, minuses, and current costs of assorted alternative fuels.

Kennedy has gotten some minimal press on that nationally. My local paper is ignoring it. But we already have a few nice windfarms 'round here. BIG suckers. And one of the best nuclear power plants running.

Watch out! It's a cute attack! (or at least, it's golden retriever puppies meeting a cat for the first time.) Feel free to make up your own captions. I call it "Congresscritters Encounter Rumsfeld."

Pat, my uncle who's a good woodworker swears by a new product for staining called "Briwax" which has the stain embedded in a wax. He says its unbelievably good. We just frecently inished a samll secretary for our hall, and it came out great with stain and 2 coats of satin wipe on poly.

This is the most interesting draft in a long, long time. I actually plan to watch, but only because bad weather is going to wash out my golf game.

Prediction: The teams that pass on Vince Young will regret in a Portland-Trailblazers-Sam-Bowie-Over-Michael Jordan kind of way. Or an Everybody-In-The-Draft-Over-Joe Montana/Tom Brady kind of way. Reggie Bush may end up being great, but RBs don't win Super Bowls.

Thanks for the tip, Brian... of course, I saw it just AFTER I put on the first coat of stain... I used plain old Miniwax brand. I've been working on these things since February. Spent a fortune, because I had very little in the way of power tools and drill bits when I started, plus oak wood is not cheap. They'll be really cool, though. Maybe I'll try the Briwax with the next one, which I'll start next weekend, probably.

Jean, that's really precious video! And your analogy is perfect.

Just a Friday note after reading today's US report on terrorism and the IEAE release on Iran:

McCain takes the lead Russia and China warned over Iran Sunday talk shows should be interesting.Iran, immigration, poll numbers etc....

LOL I'm not off-topic Tully!

I wish the Steeler's first three quarters against Manning in the playoffs could translate into foreign policy strategy. Better officiating might have made it four quarters. Pats will be back and Chicago should get better.

On the News Hour, David Brooks and Charlie Cook both said what I've been fretting about since last summer (and I've mentioned it here before): they think the GOP is likely to lose the House this fall.

I know that when I've mentioned it here before, I've been reassured not to worry, but perhaps we could turn it around and look at it in the sense that Brooks and Shields agree on: if the Democrats can't win back the House in this climate, what is it going to take for them to do so? I mean, it's theirs for the asking, they have an open goal, all they have to do is control the ball and tap it in. If they still can't accomplish that this fall, doesn't that reflect dismally on their credibility among the public?

Y'know, it's an inversion of what I was saying after the '04 election. There was nothing to celebrate for Republicans after that election: the Democrats picked the worst possible candidate and ran the most inept campaign they could have run at the worst possible time for them, and they STILL came within a few thousand votes in Ohio of winning. If your sixth grader's football team play the Colts to a draw, and the colts manage to get a field goal in the last minute, that's still not a great victory for them. Likewise here: I mean, I hate to break Reagan's eleventh commandment, but the GOP is looking pretty vulnerable here, so if the Dems win in November, it isn't going to be cause for celebration, but if they lose, that's pretty damning. That's the Colts losing to your sixth grader.

Anyway, a few random thoughts. It's been a busy week at work, and I've had a lot to do in the garden. Now I have a homebrew to get started this weekend. :)

Just for fun, Rush Limbaugh's mugshot. At least he looks happy.

Thanks, Pat! You're quit kind. That's what came into my mind--the puppies vastly outnumber the cat, just like Congress outnumbers Rumsfeld, and they should overwhelm him easily, but the moment the cat meows, they all scramble away, stepping on each other in their mad dash for safety, until the cat's owner (W?) picks it up.

I'm not for these random threads but here's three random thoughts on sports and poltics:

I'm not even watching the draft. My Eagles were a 100% healthy TO and few McStupid plays away from a Super Bowl win...sorry Brian. It's true. Now, I don't think there's a team with more cap money, incentive to use it. But they seem so lacidasical this off season. I think they're on valium or in denial.

Off the Cuff: WHY oh WHY does MLB have all 5 team divisions except one with four and one with six?? It's driven me crazy since they did it and I never complained but I am now. Mind you, that 6th team, the Brewers, in the NL central came from the AL which could REALLY use that team to balance things a bit. Man, it's amazing what rich people do sometimes. I say put the Brewers back in the AL in the central and move the Twins to the West. Problem solved. or is that too simple.

And yes, Simon, if the Dems don't spank the GOP in november, it'll be double overdue about time they rethink their strategy. They seem so positioned to refocus their party on being everthing that the GOP has done poorly. In doing so, they may lose some corosive parts of their loyal base but they'll gain SOOOOO many more. Maybe even me.

John-
Well, that, but also, it's desirable in a way for the GOP to lose the House; it the dems recapture the House, it will destroy them. Suddenly armed with impeachment, they will no longer be able to straddle the gap between their base, which will desert them if they don't impeach Bush, and decent society, which will desert them if they do. Moreover, a two year period in the minority would also shake up the GOP and may bring them back to the agenda they were elected to put in place when they take back control in '08 following the inevitable Democratic meltdown. If we have to lose either chamber, it couldn't be better than for it to be the House.

Jean--it's all in the attitude and experience, right? ;-)

Simon,

The Democrats don't have to lift a finger to impeach Bush. All they have to do is start investigating. with much high profile and noise, the events of the past 6 years. They'll let let him linger on inteh WH as a lame duck. Now if something serious does come out, I don't think America will be as adverse to impeachment proceedings as you think. Remember that while the impeachment against Clinton had some effect against the GOP. it did not seem long lasting and the House has continued to maintain its GOP majority.

You know it's one of those surreal days when you find Pamela Anderson on the op/ed page of the Wall Street Journal. With the subhead reading "Chimps shouldn't be forced to live like me."

Marcus,
I doubt America can afford the theater of impeachment with the international theater in flames. Many conservatives are already calling the Democrats retaking the House in November a pyrrhic victory that would win Republicans the White House in 2008. With news like this, I wonder if that is true in the long run. It will take a more balanced Congress to balance properly a rapid increase in secret federal power and executive prerogative.

This NSS debate can't be resolved through more binary reductions and impeachment would certainly polarize and paralyze Congress as it did under Clinton. Nor would much headway be made on other more pressing issues. While I feel Clinton committed far less egregious behaviors, with the Congress and Country facing major decisions about its military, energy resources, healthcare and foreign policies, it would be a national blunder (unless far more facts emerge) to impeach. 9/11 will be the administration’s excuse for mistakes and abuses. The reality on the ground over the next two years will confirm many tenets of the Bush Doctrine and impeachment will be portrayed by many as using political retribution as an ideological substitute for lack of viable alternatives.

Take a page from the Clinton handbook and encourage Democrats to use any victory for solidifying their centrist credentials (co-opt your adversary’s strongest weapon) and preparing for the international crises that are sure to come harshly. They must lead us to do this as a nation united while sincerely trying to solve the growing drain of energy costs and healthcare policies on the engine of our economic future.

Just got back from seeing the opera Don Giovanni. Great score!!!!!!!!!

I've been working on a network neutrality post, but it's slow going because it's such a complex topic.

John,

Hoping you're still paying attention to this thread. Are you still planning on the NYC thing? I think you're the only one other than Adam considering it. And they're MY Eagles, pal. Okay?

NFL Draft

WHQ,

Yes, still planning on going...of course anything can happen between now and then.

As for the birds, we can share...you can have McNabb.

A couple weeks ago I posted about the blooming Palo Verde trees in AZ. Well now the yellow blossoms are on the ground but now we get the spectacular(but non-native) Jacaranda and its beautiful purple blossums. Here's one from its native continent, Africa.

Next up (in late May) the Saguaro.

Jean--it's all in the attitude and experience, right? ;-)

LOL! Exactly, Tully. That, and knowing your boss will back you up. :-)

I'm just saying...Tom Ridge is the quiet man these days. Just about every event I've attended, there he is speaking. And when he speaks, people listen. And when he finishes, I begin to hear people talking about him -- "He'd be a great president." I find myself thinking the same thing, too. Why are we not hearing his name? Vice President? He's a welcome consensus maker. The Dems like him; Repubs like him. Business likes him. Frist, McCain, Rudy, Romney. You've got a soldier, congressman, gov, cabinet secretary, one of the few people internationally liked. What gives? Can't we convince this patriot to come back into the fray? We let him go and DHS fell into a hole. I think we're missing an obvious choice, though he may be too smart to run. Maybe too smart to leave a nice life. But every time I see him he's talking duty, honor, country, security -- so he's still serving and defending. I like him. Can we draft him again?

Modman;
Two words would haunt Ridge if he ran "homeland security". Just think of all the political site gags involving "yellow alert" and "amber alert"

As for the birds, we can share...you can have McNabb.

That's the sort of sentiment that puts the weight of grim reality squarely on my shoulders. (Because, after all, pro football is SO important.) It's like reliving the Randall Cunningham days. Great stats. When he's on, he looks unbeatable. But then he can suck like a Hoover, inaccurate and indecisive. He'll do enough to give you hope, but he's never going to get you there. And what would the world be like today had McNabb broken TO's nose in that locker room incident? Not that I don't think the rest of the team would have had to have kept TO from beating the crap out of him afterwards, but it's a thought.

What moron decided we needed a remake of The Poseidon Adventure?

Just asking.

WHQ,

well two points on the birds:

As my priorites change with age, the plight of the Birds has diminished in importance in my life. That SB loss would have devestated me 10-12 years ago. Indeed, as McNabb threw his final interception in the closing minute, I younger fan next to me punched a chair and fell into a blubbering sob and I had to sacrifice my moment of solemn and measured disappointment to comfort the lad and try to put the loss into perpspective for him. It didn't work.

And for what the whole McNabb/TO saga is worth, I had mixed feelings about the situation but was thoroughly in the minority camp for TO to stay somehow. I wouldn't have thought twice about trading McNabb. His finest hours hit their pinnacle back in the 2001 playoffs vs. Bucs, Bears and Rams. Of course, Buck not getting hurt would have changed that Rams final IMO for what's worth. Then he signed the "big deal" and seemed to downshift from there on and my opinion of him has steadily dropped as has my opinion of Reid's competence in light of the talent he had at his disposal.

I would have kept TO and traded McNabb and another WR to Houston for Carr ann Johnson.

Tully, the same movie executives who don't have the guts to green-light an original story but will green light a remake of The Dukes of Hazzard for film.

Jim M,

Please! No profanity! :-D

WHY oh WHY does MLB have all 5 team divisions except one with four and one with six?? It's driven me crazy since they did it and I never complained but I am now.

It's because of the need to schedule games.Each league must have an even number of teams, or else one team from each league would have to have a day off every day, and they wouldn't be able to cram 162 games per team into 6 months. Not to mention that they schedules the games in series for travel reasons, so the team s not matched up would have 2 or 3 or 4 days off. 2 15 team leagues playing 162 game seasons with mostly 3 game series is just not logistically possible. Unless they always had 1 interleague series going.

Wow I could not have been more wrong on my draft opinions. I was pretty much way off across the board. Still, I think it was a goof not to pick Bush first, he was far and away the big wow guy, and when it comes to big wows, trust your eyes. And I think qb is the only feasible exception in football. Young is exciting, but he'll struggle, and it's an open question whether he'll become the sort of passer that an NFL quarterback needs to be to take his team all the way.

Sooner or later a talented run-first quarterback may go all the way, especially if he plays for a team with a stifling defense. But that doesn't mean it's the wisest path. IMO you have to care first about a quarterbacks ability to pass and make good decisions while doing so, because if you get behind and your offense has to focus on passing to get back in the game, the run-first teams are usually dead in the water. If circumstances and another team's strengths conspire to make your team one-demensional, you better be able to excel in that dimension.

I still think it's a shame TO talked his way out of town. All he had to do was play good team mate and sell breakfast sandwiches and cars to make the extra dough, and then he'd have been a philly folk hero forever. But his bad for being a jerk about it. Not a very classy show he put on.

John you can't hurt my feelings with "if-onlys," so no need to pre-emptively apologize. Of the 3 SB wins, that win against Philly was the easiest. Once I saw Donovan with the dry heaves down the stretch, I knew the game was ours. Frankly, the way the Eagles ran the team during the last drive was a disgrace. I don't know for sure if that was McNabb's fault, But I expected him to show a little urgency, and by that I mean crisp execution, not crapping in your drawers.

Yeah, I'd never thought I'd see the day where we have not one, but two Posiedon remakes. (One TV, one theater). My own personal favorite is the "Simpsons" remake. ("We're the band! And we're up!")

Actually, the old one has a lot of fun moments if one likes cheese. ("Just panties. What else do I need?") And the best one; where the survivors have to swim an underwater passageway; suddenly, the old lady reveals she happens to be the Underwater Swimming champion of the Bronx. (Clearly, the greatest "Cave Of The Incredible Coincedence" scene of all time.)

I actually liked the Simpsons version, THE NEPTUNE DISASTER. And the other two sub-episodes that went with it. Especially Lisa's solo:

I think we're heading for disaster,
And most of you will not be saved.
Unless the captain is attentive,
We'll all be crushed by a huge wave...

Someone's doing a remake of Revenge of the Nerds.