Mixed Bag

Geraldine Ferraro was back in the news today hoping to remind people that she wasn't voting for some guy named Hussein. Thanks Geraldine, we stopped caring about your thoughts when you proved yourself to be a bigot.

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The crowd that saw Obama speak in Oregon numbered over 80,000. Think about it. Who else could draw 80,000 people in Oregon? Could a free concert from U2 draw that many people? Springsteen? How about the Pope? I'm hard pressed to think of many more that could draw so many people. Truly astonishing.

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The few remaining holdouts on staying Republican just about all make the tax argument. Democrats will raise your taxes. It's true I'm paying less money in taxes, but I'm paying more in gas, groceries, my housing value is going down, my stocks portfolio isn't going up as much. The moral of the story is that sometimes you get what you pay for.

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Today is Kevin Garnett's 32nd birthday. 8 more wins and you can have the summer off.

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I've seen every episode of Lost and I must admit, I'm so confused that I do not have one theory of where this is going. This really is either the most brilliantly written TV show of all time or the worst. I have no idea. Ask me in two years when the series ends.

ABC should piss every one off and cancel the series the year before it concludes.

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Quick name three Bush administration accomplishments........

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I have now attended 7 of the 8 Celtic Playoff games 5 of which with my children. While the games have been great, it amazes me how much some fans can be idiots. I was in the Men's room, standing behind a guy that could barely stand but proclaimed that hew would drive home that night. It reminded me of an article I read this year that said basically Kevin Garnett didn't want to play here because it is the only place where he was ever called the dreaded 'n' word and it happened several times.

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Jon Lester pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox tonight. A great accomplishment especially considering his comeback from cancer. Congrats Jon!

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Jim Webb has a new book out today, I can't wait to read it. In addition to being the current Senator of Virgina, lead candidate for VP, a former Reagan administration Secretary of the Navy, he is also a best selling novelist. I am glad to see that a lot of people are putting him on the VP shortlist, I hope Obama makes the call. This guy is a GREAT Senator and would be an outstanding VP.

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After tomorrow's primaries, Hillary is going to be making a claim that she is winning the popular vote (including Michigan which Obama didn't get a single vote). This is like watching a player past his prime not realizing that the clock has struck midnight. Think Larry Homes fighting Butterbean in 1995). Poor Hillary, everyone else has moved on and she has no idea it is over.

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Bob Barr is going to be a major thorn in McCain's side. He is going to put at least two states in play for Obama (Georgia and Alaska). Look for lots of Democrats to make donations to his campaign to make him viable.

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Lastly, congratulations to George Takei (of Star Trek and Heroes fame) on his engagement to long time partner Brad Altman now that California has lifted the ban on gay marriage. George is a part time announcer for the Howard Stern Show and called the show today to announce his engagement. Good for George and Brad. they have been together for 21 years and who is to say they have a less meaningful relationship than anyone else.

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Now for a Little Fun

Additional note: I must have been in a cocoon for not having read this earlier. I read in the paper today that Matt White has accused the Patriots of filming the walk through before the Super Bowl. If this can be proved, this isn't something that can be dismissed as something that the whole league does. This is tantamount to gambling on professional sports. If found that the Patriots were involved in this there should be a lifetime ban on anyone that can be 100% proved to be involved. Filming a walk through is inexcusable, although I'm sure many NE fans will look the other way.

I'm sure some Patriot fans will not like this but it is pretty funny. Enjoy.

Hillary Clinton's Runningmate

He has real high approval ratings from New Hampshire women.

Happy New Year!!!

I've been very lax of late in updating my blog. It certainly isn't because I've been busy as I have taken 10 days off from work and done just about nothing for the first 7 of them.

Since it is the last day of 2007, there is no sense in looking back only forward. So I am going run off some predictions for 2008.

Politics
Let's start on the easy one. The Democratic Presidential Nominee will be Hillary Clinton. She will sweep through the primaries and coast to the nomination. Hillary will select John Edwards as her running mate. There weren't a lot of takers for the job since most feel that a VP in her administration will be even less influential than a normal VP since Bill would be very influential.

The Republican side will be a brokered convention. Rudy will win some big delegate rich states like NY, California, and Florida. Huckabee will win bible belt south, McCain and Romney will each win their share. The eventual nominee will be John McCain as the other nominees eventually concede, Romney will be the last holdout. McCain will select Huckabee as his runningmate to appease the Christian Right.

McCain and Clinton will not be alone in the race as Bloomberg Hagel run together as independents. The Bloomberg Hagel ticket makes it interesting by hurting Clinton in traditionally blue states leaving John McCain as the President of the United States.

The Democrats pick up 4 additional Senate seats but lose a few Congressional seats although not enough to lose the majority. The expanded majority in the Senate will be enough for the Dems to remove Lieberman from his committee roles which eventually nudges Lieberman into a role in the McCain administration.

Sports
The Patriots will not win the Superbowl. The Colts will repeat. The Patriots game against the Colts will go down as one of the classic sports games of all time.

Don't feel sad Boston fans because the Celtics will win the Championship and the Red Sox will repeat. I say this while watching them dismantling the previously hot Lakers to complete their road sweep. The Celtics will be given a boost by the late acquisition of Sam Cassell. The Sox will win out on the Santana sweepstakes.

World
George Bush completes his final year of his administration by accomplishing nothing to make it a perfect 8 for 8.

Pakistan will become even more unstable and will result in the US pulling troops from Iraq and stationing them in Afganistan at the ready in case Musharraf falls.

Business/Economy
Despite forecasts of an improvement in the economy, the US economy continues to sputter and slips into a recession.

Reigning Champs - no more

The injury bug dethroned the reigning champs this week. Hard to overcome the losses of Marvin Harrison, Roy Williams and Santonio Holmes.

Wait til next year.

Quick List

Today's list is my top ten list of best sports personalities (not to be confused with best players):

10 Mike Tyson
9 Dennis Eckersley
8 Oil Can Boyd
7 Micky Rivers
6 Bill Parcells
5 Charles Barkley
4 Ricky Henderson
3 Larry Bird
2 Red Auerbach
1 Muhammad Ali

I'm sure there are some hockey players that should be on this list but who cares.

Quick Links

With all the talk about Slick Mitt's Mormon faith lately, John Dickerson had an interesting article on some recent rumors of Mitt's campaign trying to use it to their advantage.

Newsweek has a pretty unbelievable poll from Iowa that shows Mitt a distant, very distant second place.

How do you beat the Patriots? Slate gives their 8 step plan. Jets week 14, are you listening????

Everyone does the occasional stupid thing in college. These two students really need a beating. Two Penn State students dressed as Virginia Tech shooting victims for Halloween.

Reebok Nation

If you haven't seen this Reebok ad it is the best use of athletes in an ad since Bird and MJ played horse for a Big Mac (which if you would like to stroll down memory lane can be found at the end of the post). Without further ado, here is the ad and Globe write up on the ad. Enjoy








Menino pitches for Hub in new Reebok ad

By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | October 30, 2007

Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston made his pitching debut on the mound at Fenway Park over the weekend, in a commercial television spot.

Menino was the only nonathlete - with the exception of the narrator, Dorchester native Donnie Wahlberg - appearing in a 30-second advertisement for local footwear maker Reebok.

The company lined up star power endorsers including David Ortiz, Bruin great Bobby Orr, former Boston College and Patriots quarterback Doug Flutie, and Patriots running back Laurence Maroney.

The ad, hastily produced by Reebok staff last week without benefit of an advertising agency, flashed photos of the city and its athletes, as Wahlberg asked: "What do they all have in common? They all play right here, and they all wear . . ." He doesn't finish the sentence; the word Reebok appears across the screen.

Flutie says, "This is Reebok Nation."

Amid the images of sports stars, Menino, dressed in a business suit, appears on the pitcher's mound at Fenway Park with outstretched arms, and says: "Welcome to the greatest sports city in the nation."

Menino recently joined the ranks of the fitness-minded by demonstrating his cycling prowess around his Hyde Park neighborhood. But he said it was his talent trumpeting the city that earned him an invitation to appear in the ad from his longtime friend, Reebok vice president Paul Foster. He was not paid for his appearance.

"I saw the script and said, 'Why not?' " said Menino. "If you were mayor and someone said we're going to run a commercial to promote your city, wouldn't you do it? It doesn't make any difference. Anyone who asks me to sell the city, why wouldn't I do it?"

Menino called the final product "clear and precise."

"Some of those commercials, you don't know what they're about," he said. "I thought they did a magnificent job."

The company "chose people who really represent Boston," Foster said. "You see them and you know this person equals Boston. The mayor was another iconic personality that represents Boston."

The others, he said, are endorsers of Reebok or members of teams that are outfitted by Reebok.

Menino said he didn't contact the State Ethics Commission to make sure that appearing in the ad did not violate the state's conflict-of-interest laws, which prohibit public officials from using their position to gain an unfair advantage for themselves or others. He said he did not believe there was anything wrong with appearing in the ad because he was promoting the city and not a product.

The only time the commission has publicly reviewed such a case, in 1984, the commission ruled against a district court judge who asked if his name could be used in a TV ad endorsing a product, even if the judge was unpaid. "The use of your name clearly would be benefiting a private interest," the commission wrote.

Menino's advertising premiere was viewed with amusement and goodwill by several observers.

"This is kind of the golden age of Boston sports," said Councilor John Tobin. "Success of this kind has never been seen around here as it is now and probably won't be seen again for another 100 years, which will coincide with the end of the mayor's 24th term. He looked good, but I don't think he'll be getting a Screen Actors Guild card anytime soon




What is up with Jordan's outfit?? I thought this guy was fashionable.

Quick Links

Every few weeks there is another tease about Al Gore running for President. Usually after I resign myself to it not happening. Now with speculation running rampant him winning the Nobel Peace Prize and using that as a springboard to run for President.

I used to like Rudy a lot. However, the more I see him these days the more he reminds me of GWB. This Slate article shows that he has a little aversion to the truth that sounds way too familiar. The fact that Joe Biden slammed him at a recent debate, saying he is "the most uninformed person on American foreign policy now running for president" only further confirms the comparison.

Sometimes people never learn. USFL, XFL, WLAF, etc have all failed. Yet for some reason two new leagues are begining with some potentially deep pocketed owners (Mark Cuban). The best part of the article shows Tim Crouch trying out. That will be good news for those that own Tim Crouch jerseys (there is an inside joke in this last comment).

One of the gazillion political newsletters I received this week contains an interesting study on what would happen if the Electoral College were changed from a winner take all to a District by District plan. Unfortunately, Al Gore still loses (and Nixon beats Kennedy in 1960).

For those of us with satellite radio, the merger in waiting of Xm and Sirius is confounding. Mobil and Exxon merged with no issues but two little satellite companies are taking months. Interesting status of the merger noting that Sirius has spent $1mil in copying alone for the 6 mil pages of legal documents submitted. (sounds like they are getting ripped off)

Ethically Challenged- UPDATED

I hate the Patriots. The Owner, his son, his cheatin coach, and just about everybody else. But this year I find myself in the ethically challenging position of cheering them on. I drafted Tom Brady. The move was a shrewd move because he was a relative bargain compared to some of his peers, but has outperformed them.



I rationalized drafting him because if he did well, I did well. If he did poorly, I would also be happy. At least that is what I said then. That was before Lamont Jordan got hurt and Shaun Alexander had virtually disappeared. Tom Brady is currently carrying my team and I am cheering his every touchdown pass. (good thing their running game sucks).

Anyways, Boston Globe magazine has an article how to balance this ethical dilemma. I think I am violating these rules. And since Jake Delhomme has gotten hurt I am even more dependant on Brady.

One thing for certain, when the Patriots are in the playoffs, I will be back to routing for him to tear his ACL (because I can't freeze him).

UPDATE: Last night I found myself down by 1.82 going into the last GB drive against Chicago. Thanks to Brett Favre throwing an interception with no time left, I won by .18. 65.4 to 65.22. Not a great win, but a win none the less. I like Brett, but bidness is bidness.

True Blue (With a Few Exceptions)
Sometimes, you have to choose: pull for your home team, or for your fantasy league team. An ethical guide.
By Shawn Peters | October 7, 2007

It's Sunday, and you're watching your beloved Patriots trounce the historically hapless Cleveland Browns. But strangely enough, with the Patriots up by three touchdowns, the Browns' quarterback fades back and delivers a downfield strike to a streaking wide receiver and you actually have the urge to . . . cheer.

Are you confused? Psychotic? A masochist? No. You're just someone who plays fantasy sports, and you've just run smack into the greatest conflict in your stat-spouting, spouse-alienating life: Do you root for your home team or your fantasy team?

For the uninitiated, fantasy sports, a largely online endeavor, invites fans to play the role of "owner/general manager," assembling a roster of real-world players and accumulating their game stats in an effort to outmanage other owners for a league title. It's the high-tech lovechild of Strat-o-Matic Baseball and Dungeons & Dragons. In August, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association's yearly report indicated there are nearly 18 million people playing fantasy sports in the United States. That means that unless you're reading this from a hermetically sealed bubble, you either play or know someone who does, and, thus, you have been touched by this ethical dilemma: When, exactly, is it OK to pull for your fantasy team at the expense of your hometown squad? Believe it or not, there are immutable, unambiguous rules, and failure to follow them can lead to mockery at the hands of other sports fans.

First and foremost, the overriding maxim is that you never, ever, root against your home team when it's playing its mortal rivals. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Cowboys vs. Redskins. Lakers vs. Celtics. You are issued one soul at birth, and regardless of what it says on the receipt, there are no returns or refunds given when you sell it.

With that in mind, here are the few circumstances when it is allowable to put your fantasy team before your real-world team. Study them. Know them. Tattoo them on a body part that's easily accessible.

When the game is out of reach If the announcers are discussing the quality of their hotel's room service and the network, which spent all that money promoting and televising the game, is considering switching to another contest, you're off the hook. Go ahead and cheer for the other team's banjo-hitting shortstop to crush a few fastballs or for a backup running back to sprint 99 yards if it helps your fantasy team. No harm, no foul, since the game is as over as Michael Vick's endorsement deals.

When it's a matter of money Some leagues play for pride, others play for a little cash, and, finally, some play for sums of money more often associated with buying a factory-certified pre-owned Lexus. If your league falls into that third group, and an extra touchdown pass could be the difference between going home to your condo or living in a cardboard box, feel free to root for the fantasy team. As much as you love the Pats, Bob Kraft isn't about to let you live rent-free at Gillette Stadium.

When there's instant taunting involved Maybe you're the type who can blithely smile, comforted by your hometown team's success, while your head-to-head fantasy opponent talks more trash than Oscar the Grouch. I'm not. When in the presence of the person you have to beat, your fantasy team becomes the "us" and the other guy's squad is the "them," regardless of what laundry they're wearing. Root for "us."

When you care more than the real players Whether your favorite team is firmly ensconced in the playoff picture or is hopelessly out of it, this rule applies. There are times when a hit or a field goal or a win means everything to your fantasy team and not so much for the actual athletes playing the game. Once the Patriots or Sox have secured the division title, you're absolutely allowed to pull for the other side if it will allow you to claim your own fantasy crown.

When you're all alone I'd wager a first-round pick that there are several things you do in the privacy of your own home that aren't for public consumption. So, unless you have a pet that frowns on fan disloyalty, file this one under the category of "It's OK as long as no one sees you do it."

Shawn Peters is a fantasy football, baseball, and golf columnist for ESPN.com. E-mail him at gtroto@comcast.net.

Quick Links

First off is a quick interview with the Real President Clinton. President Clinton handicaps the Republican race for President and compares Barack Obama to himself when he ran.

I'm not always a fan of Peggy Noonan of the WSJ Editorial Page, but in this article is right on the money. This article says a lot about the lack of a serious dialogue and refusal of people to listen to those they disagree with.

Slate has an article about learning from the mistakes of President Bush. Also in the article is a mention of Saddam offering to leave Iraq one month before the invasion. Every time I think it is impossible for me to think less of this incompetent administration, I read something that proves me wrong.

Add two lawsuits to the list of problems for Michael Vick. Two banks are suing him for $2 mil each. When it rains, it pours (cats and dogs).

If you like lists, Forbes has the best. From the Celebrity 100, the most overpaid executives, the top 2000 global companies, and so on. Stop by this site, lots of interesting stuff.

Primetime

These are some of the most electrifying athletes of my life time. Obviously this is a very subjective list, but my only criteria in coosing them is in order of who I would pay to see?

10. Michael Jordan. I know having HIM this far down the list is heresy to some. He is probably the most gifted athlete of all time. Even though he is widely considered the greatest player in history of his sport, he left in his wake an NBA that was less entertaining than he arrived. Too much isolation and individual play which he ushered in almost killed the NBA with it's fanbase. It is only now recovering. Still, as I said...the most gifted athlete of all time.




9. Wayne Gretzky. Back when hockey was a sport, the Great One was the best ever. Like Magic Johnson with skates.



8. Jimmy Conners. yes Jimmy Conners. Tennis was more entertaining when it wasn't all about a big power serve. Jimmy was all about hustle.



7. Magic Johnson. Good for several passes a game that leave you shaking your head.




6. Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Mike Tyson, Mohammad Ali, and Sugar Ray Leonard were probably better showmen, but to me Hagler was the best boxer I ever saw.



5. Pedro Martinez. I am a bigger Clemens fan than Martinez, but boy can he pitch. He changed himself from one of the greatest power pitchers to one of the greatest finesse pitchers.

sorry no Pedro videos.

4. Jerry Rice. Greatest football player ever(despite the fact I list someone higher). May not have been the most glamorous, but definitely the best. Incidentally was on Howard Stern's radio show and gave the most interesting interview I have ever heard him give.





3. Tiger Woods. maybe the most amazing shot I ever saw him hit was from the deep rough 191 yards out over a tree within 4 feet of the cup WITH A PITCHING WEDGE.



2. Larry Bird. I feel like I am cheating on him by listing THE GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER OF ALLTIME as #2. Do not dispute this. Larry was a better passer, rebounder, outside shooter than MJ. Not as good of an individual defender but played great team defense (didn't he Isiah?)




1 Barry Sanders. If you were a defender, at any moment of any game you could put your head down to make a tackle only to come up with air and have to relive your missed tackle on every highlight reel.

without further ado.....



Honorable mentions to Pete Rose Jack Nicklaus, Deion Sanders, Derek Jeter (yes Derek Jeter), Roger Clemens, Joe Montana, Shaq O'neil, and Carl Lewis.

Siriusly Entertaining

This weekend I heard that E Street Radio was returning to Sirius, I was thrilled. Last time Bruce had a station on Sirius was in early 2006 and it was fantastic. Most of the stuff they played I had never heard before. Much of it was obscure concert recordings that could not be heard any place else. The station returns on September 27th through March 8th to coincide with the new tour (which incidentally I got tickets for today). It is one more reason to have a Sirius radio.

Somewhere around January 2006, I purchased a Sirius satellite receiver mostly to coincide with Howard Stern starting on Sirius. (Ok, it was solely to listen to Howard, but that is besides the point.) 2 stations devoted 24 hours a day to Howard Stern is great for the millions of Howard fans. Where else can you get Andy Dick's Shit Show or Jackie's Jokehunt? Want to listen to an hour broadcast of John the Stutterer talking Politics? It's right here. If not, there is always Howard 100 which plays his morning show 24 hours a day so you can always pick up pieces you missed on your morning commute. I love listening to Stern, it is like hanging out with friends on my morning commute, but when Howard retires in a few years Sirius will still be collecting subscription money from me.

Have you ever tried to listen to Air America? Don't bother answering that. Well in Boston, it no longer exists on terrestrial radio. On Sirius you have Sirius Left 146 which broadcasts the immortal Ed Schultz show. Big Ed is the best of the progressive talk shows.

Ever try listening to the Celtics on the radio? Up until this year who cares, but now you don't have to find the obscure station of the moment, just plug in the Celtics as your favorite team and your Sportster will remind you when to turn to Cornbread.

NFL, besides carrying every game (usually in both cities feed), the update show that runs on Sunday is better than listening to any one game.

Tonight on the ride home, I was listening to Barbara Walters weekly one hour show. She promoted the show last week on Stern and I've listened to it the past couple of weeks. There really is something for everyone.

Then there are the music stations. Radio Disney and Starz Hits one for the kids. All Elvis and country for my wife, and Little Steven's Underground Garage, Classic Rewind and now E Street for me. If that doesn't work for you there is always the 24 hour Frank Sinatra or Rolling Stone stations. Many, many, many more choices.

There are 2 limitations that I find on Sirius. One is that if I want to listen to the Red Sox, I have to remember what station carries it. Since I have not listened to terrestrial radio once in 18 months, I just don't know what station carries the Sox. If the merger with XM goes through, I should be able to buy a baseball package. The other thing Sirius should do is devote 10 stations to local sports in the 10 biggest markets. Think of how many Sox fans in Florida or California would love to listen to a Boston sports station on the way to work.

Maybe my favorite thing about Sirius is I haven't had the misfortune of listening to Dennis and Callahan once in the last 18 months. Are those two morons still on?

Reigning Champs

This year I took the insulting step by renaming my Fantasy team "the Reigning Champs" and making the team symbol a rotating Super Bowl Trophy. We are three weeks in to the Extreme Fantasy Football League season and my team is shaping pretty well and at least in the hunt.

At quarterback, I have Tom Brady who is probably the Fantasy Leader for quarterbacks and his back up Jake Delhomme is also having a good year (although he got hurt today). The way this is shaping up, Brady is a steal for the money I spent.

Running back is working out better than expected but is presenting challenges. We are in an auction league so I spent $72 for Shaun Alexander. He has done well, just not 40% of my team value well. Conversely I spent $8 on Jamal Lewis and $3 on Lamont Jordan, both are doing great. Other good back ups include Ahman Green, Ledell Betts and Chris Brown. Right now I am trying to move some back ups and Delhomme for an upgraded receiver.

Receiving is surprisingly tough, Roy Williams has been the stud receiver that I had hoped for but no one is stepping up from the combination of Laveraneaus Coles, Santonio Holmes, Darell Jackson, and Jeremy Shockey. Donte Stallworth was a 1st week cut.

Tynes has done ok for a kicker, one of these days I will get around to looking for an upgrade. Chicago D has been ok, but frankly I would rather pick the defence that plays the Bears and Grossman each week.

After 3 weeks I am 2-1 taking a tough loss this week despite good weeks from Brady and Williams (and having Jordan on the bench.

Lies Deceipt and Spying

While that title may sound like it refers to Bush's domestic agenda, it is actually referring to Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. While I do take particular delight in the Pats twisting in the wind over this since I am a Jets fan, I do think it is well deserved. This is no different than Barry Bonds taking steroids. This is clearly against the rules and ultimately done to give the Pats a competitive advantage.

If you look at the video, what the Patriots did could give them an advantage for years to come.



I'm glad to see that Roger Goodell has dropped the hammer on this and it looks like from the excerpt below that they are looking for more. Bob Kraft's initial response was that when an organization is as successful as the Patriots, people start trying to knock you off. This sounds a lot like Michael Vick's initial meeting with Goodell. I do not believe that someone hangs out on the sidelines with a camera every game and Bob didn't know. Please.

I don't understand all the flak Mangini is getting on this. If the opposing team is cheating, why shouldn't he point it out. The Jets may be 0-2 but at least they are not the league embarassment that the Patriots are,


Speaking on NBC's Football Night in America pre-game program, Goodell said he reserved his right to revisit the Patriots' penalties and increase them if more information comes to light as his investigation continues.

"If there is information that I have not been made aware of, or is inconsistent with what I've been told, I will revisit (the penalties)," Goodell said in an interview with host Bob Costas. "If I find out more information that's different than what I have, absolutely."

Goodell said he expected the Patriots to comply with his demand for past tapes and notes.

"I am very confident that the Patriots are going to abide by the rules," he said. "They understand the consequences and that I could increase the discipline if I don't get them."

Quick Links

First link is a series of military photos of the WTC towers on 9/11. Some of these are aerial footage shots I've never seen before.

A year ago Liberal Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee lost his Senate race despite having an approval rating of over 60%. The reason he lost was that Rhode Island voters felt it was more important to the country to have a Democrat Majority than a Senator they liked. If he weren't running as a Republican he would have won by a large majority. He has now rectified that problem a year too late.

Fox is reporting that U.S. Officials Begin Crafting Iran Bombing Plan. Does anyone envision a positive outcome on this? WTF!

Much to everyone's delight, despicable scumbag reclaims his rightful throne this week from Michael Vick. SI has a nice recap of why OJ is the most reviled figure in sports. The next time I want to hear about OJ is when his judge rejects his parole id in 20 years.
Stupid Ass!

I must admit, I liked Elizabeth Hasselbeck on Survivor more than The View. Although I find most of her opinions naive and ill informed, she is on an opinion show and she has the right to express those opinions. Somebody please tell that to Barry Manilow. Barry, Democrats encourage free speech, your stance brings you to the level of Ann Coulter.

Quick Links

Senator McCain is moving up in the latest polls and in some polls is only single digits from Giuliani. Article from Time.com asking if New Hampshire can revive him.

Salon has an article about the reasons behind the initial draw down of troops.

ESPN's John Clayon writes that the Patriots got off easy. Maybe they should have received this penalty.

Let's see if I have this right. Signed Randy Moss, Rodney Harrision gets busted for roids, Tom Brady is doing his Shawn Kemp impressions, Bill Belichick buying houses for his girlfriend, and now the organization is involved in cheating. Myra must be so proud.

Barack Obama outlines his plans for withdrawing from Iraq.

Quick Links

Today is the last day of the Rove administration. To celebrate the despicable criminal scumbag wrote an article about his former boss and man crush GWB.

Speaking of despicable scumbags. Slate magazine has a review of (if) I Did It. The Confessions of a Double Murderer. Two part review, both worth reading. Part 1 and Part 2.

Out of the Republican field for 2008, the candidate I respect the most is Senator McCain. Senator McCain was tortured by the Vietnamese for a few years and then was offered to be released (McCain's father was a General). McCain stuck to the Navy code of first captured, first released and refuse release unless those captured before him were let go. They weren't, he remained a prisoner for 2 more years. This is a 12 minute film with actual footage from his confinement produced by his campaign. Not quite the same leadership and sacrifice Romney's sons are showing campaigning for Daddy in their Winnebego, but sacrifice none the less.

Lastly, 10 questions for TO, the Terrific One. Topics ranging from Is Obama black enough to a question on Michael Vick. Quick but interesting interview.

Champs again!

Not the Patriots, my fantasy team.

Tonight I had my fantasy auction and once again, I am odds on favorite to win (as I have for 3 of the last seven years). {Note: the previous statement was written for Rob)

My strategy for an auction is to have a budget by position and not fall in love with any particular players. Just like the Celtics, get three studs and surround them with good value players.

I only had one player I kind of wanted going in and that was Tom Brady. Not surprising for someone from Boston to want Tom Brady on their Fantasy team, except I am a Jets fan and generally dislike Brady. The way I look at it, if Tom Brady does well, I do well. If Tom Brady gets arrested for cockfighting, I have JAke Delhomme so I am also happy. Win win.

For those wondering what a winning fantasy team looks like, here it is:

QB's
Tom Brady and Jake Delhomme
RB's
Shaun Alexander
Ahman Green
LaMont Jordan
Jamal Lewis
Ladell Betts
WR's
Roy Williams
Darrell Jackson
Lavernues Coles
Donte Stallworth
Santonio Holmes
Jeremy Shockey
Kicker
Tynes KC
Defense
Bears

Quick Links

Today's quick links is going to be politics free in keeping with my promise to have a politics free weekend.

With that promise in mind, this is a fascinating look at the hunt for Bin Laden done by Newsweek. Note: there are some elements of politics in this story, but it is primarily a news story.

Honda has a case of Prius envy. Read on to see what they are doing about it.

About 10 years ago, Latrell Sprewell choked his coach PJ Carlissimo. While for several years it seemed that Carlissimo's reputation was hurt more than Sprewell's. 10 years later it seems like the tide has turned. SI has an article discussing the changes in fortune.

pro Football Talk has a feature called Turd Watch. It lists out the NFL's police blotter. It includes an entry that says Michael Vick was charged with tresspassing in Feb 2007. Sounds like the least of his worries. So much for being a first time offender.

When we put our house on the market in May (we had already moved) we were prepared for te worst. We sold it within one day and pretty close to the tope end of what we were looking for. The NYT has an article that speculates that the median price for homes is going to drop for the first time on record and could continue in 2008 and 2009.