Wednesday Softball Blogging - I AM MIGHTY... Inconsistent.

I did pretty good for a Wednesday this week: 3-for-7 with my first-ever Wednesday home run, 3 runs, and an RBI. I think part of my batting problem may have been the bat I was using. After a couple of typical crappy Wednesday at-bats, I switched to an old-school Easton solid-hunk-of-metal kind of bat that was maybe a bit on the heavy side, and immediately smacked a line drive into the left-center gap that went all the way to the wall for a home run. I hit the ball with authority my next two at-bats (it really is a great feeling when you hit the ball perfectly square on the sweet spot), but right at people. Then I started trying to place the ball, which I should never ever do.

Defense was good except for when the sun was directly in my eyes, which was pretty disastrous. I managed to not get killed, go blind, or let the ball get past me, so I count it a success, and I did make some good catches and throws. I look forward to seeing what happens when I use the Easton bat and just try to make solid contact for a full game.


Current Stats: 10 games, .554 BA (31-56), 1.018 SLG, 7 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 19 runs, 22 RBI.

Career Stats: 37 games, .570 BA (143-251), .761 SLG, 24 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 80 runs, 62 RBI.


How not to finish off a rundown.


I just love the spectator who has no idea how to react...


Here's what I look like grounding out!

Spam Trigger

I know, I'm being frivolous and apolitical today, but hey, I was super-wonky yesterday, and it's my blog, dammit. And right now I have to focus my loins and gird my brain for the intensity-packed pressure-cooker of intensity that is Wednesday Night Softball. In fact, it is such an epic contest of wills that we do not even keep score, lest such mundane detail distract us from the purity of the competition.

Umm, what was I talking about? Oh yes, spam. I have rather a lot of it. A towering backlog of blogworthy spam snippets, goofy fake names, and literature/poetry/haiku, which I've been sitting on, meaning to do something about for months now, but never quite got around to. I think I just needed a catalyst to jolt me into action, and today I finally got one.

I don't want to get your hopes up, it's not brilliant epic poetry, but it was just able to meet the minimum threshold of bizarre non-sequiturdom to trip my blogging circuits.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Marshall Whitlock's provocatively titled "Fwd: ?":

"I suppose I do. Absorptive deed would like murderous, so OK murd.

I think the moral here is that Absorptive deed kills.

(I told you it wasn't that great.)

Oookay, moving on.


Some poetic spam slices contributed by Virgil/hisstoryman:

*clears throat*

"Much libertarian in diploidy"

"But abscissae it's passe"

"Fannie not mindanao"

They just kind of... hang in the air, fraught with unmeaning.


And finally, last and probably least, some spam literature, which I suspect is probably another excerpt from Misery:

"The pinned rat squeaked feebly, and snapped at the air. Buzzard disruption If she was dead he would die in here, a rat in a dry trap.
I've had no undertaker and I will have no undertaker to come in and rouge my darling and paint her like a doll!

I think perhaps maybe it got jumbled together with something else, like a Deadwood script or something...


Stay tuned, for I have many many nonsensical spammer names, of the Batshit R. Testicles variety.

I, ah, think I may be a bit loopy today.

Wednesday Why-I-Love-The-Weekly-World-News Blogging

Dude, this could totally happen:

ALL of Hollywood is abuzz with the incredible rumor that an actual Bigfoot will join the cast of the hit HBO series The Sopranos playing a mob boss called Biggy the Foot.

(snip)

Weekly World News has acquired a copy of the script, in which Biggy the Foot arrives in New Jersey to challenge Tony Soprano's power and position. There is also a romantic sub-plot in which Biggy the Foot seduces Tony's wife, Carmela, when Tony is away at the Bada Bing nightclub. As Carmela melts into his arms, he growls, "Once you've tried Biggy the Foot, you can never go back." Later, Tony confronts Carmella, screaming at her, "What is it -- I'm not @#*$%& hairy enough for you!?"

In another powerful scene, Tony and Biggy the Foot meet for the first time:

Tony: What is it you want, Biggy, you fat @#*$%&!?

Biggy: You know what I want, Soprano. I want your territory, your house, your wife, and your daughter. You can keep your @#*$%& son.

Tony: (DRAWING GUN) You want the first bullet through your head or through your @#*$%& @#*$%&!?

Although the Bigfoot is a relative newcomer to dramatic TV roles, he is by no means a newcomer to show business. His resume includes years of work in community theater. He has also worked as a street musician, a mime at several Renaissance Fairs, a fire-eater and as a juggler for spare change in the park.

In preparation for his first major dramatic role, Bigfoot has been studying with famed Hollywood acting coach Miles Duvalier. He is also watching many classic gangster films, studying the stars' techniques.

"I especially admire the early work of George Raft, Edward G. Robinson, and Humphrey Bogart," reveals the Bigfoot. "And more recently, I learned a lot from observing Brando in The Godfather and Pacino in Scarface."

As this next season will most likely be the final one for The Sopranos, there is talk of spinning Bigfoot off into his own series. "I'd love to do something light -- perhaps a sitcom," the Bigfoot confides. "Maybe one where I play the dad. And if Kirstie Alley is available to play my wife -- she's the perfect size for me."

I might have to start watching The Sopranos now. I wonder if Bigfoot could get a spot on Deadwood...

VICTORY IS MINE!!!

Seth "Family Guy" McFarlane addresses Harvard grads as Stewie the diabolical genius baby. Uneven, but some of it is just brilliant.

And if that's not enough, you can also see him as himself, Peter Griffin, and Glenn Quagmire.

Huge hat tip to Lovely Silleigh at Eschaton.

Starting To Feel A Little Better...

Still not happy about Rover evading the much-deserved noose, but Eschacommenter DemByDefault has managed to brighten my day considerably with this happy little tidbit from The Hotline:

As Taegan Goddard reports over at Political Wire, "key allies of Sen. Joseph Lieberman

(D-CT) are making contingency plans" for an Indie bid.

And now we learn that the CT chapter of AFT will buck the three-term Sen to back Ned Lamont.

AFT becomes the first major union to bail out on Lieberman.

We heard very recently from one of Lieberman's closest friends that he knows he could "really lose this thing."

If more unions defect, he'll have good reason to think that.

Muahahahahahaha...


Shorter CT Dems: "You had me at, 'Someone's running against Lieberman.' "


UPDATE: Also, my blog is the #3 Google search result for we hate ligers. Thanks, Three Rivers Online Guy!


UPDATE 2: What Jane says:

Things look better and better for Lamont every day, and I hope every Senator who ignored our faxes and voted for cloture on Alito gets a little shiver when they watch what is happening to Joe.

Exactly. I want Joe's demise to send the message that we want to start getting some value for our support. Donation without representation is no longer acceptable.

Still Not Reassured

Well, the ever-dependable watertiger tried to cheer me up under my woe-is-me-Rove-is-free post by pointing me towards the shining beacon of legal insight that is firedoglake, where Christy (and Otis) have some postmortem analysis on the Rove non-indictment, basically to the effect that it looks like Rove might have cut a deal to rat out a bigger fish (can a fish be ratted out?). WT also suggested that the Wilsons might now hit Rove with a civil suit, which would distract and frustrate him during this year's midterm campaign.

So a lot of my fellow liberals are now all excited by the prospect of Rove helping Fitz nail Cheney. It would certainly be an impressive scalp, but trading Rove for Cheney doesn't really make my heart sing. The thing is, Rove is still a major asset to the Republicans. Nobody else is as good at throwing slime around, or at packaging fear and hate as courage and virtue - tricks the Republicans will desperately need to distract the voters from their godawful track record while In Charge Of Everything.

Conversely, as emptywheel observes (again by way of FDL), Cheney is a liability, an uncharismatic and immovable loose cannon who makes the administration look bad. Throwing him to the wolves could actually be a net positive for Bush and the Republicans, especially if it gave them an opportunity to start grooming Bush's successor so he could run as an incumbent vice-president (or president, should the Dems retake Congress and become uncharacteristally spinal).

The other problem with a Cheney indictment is that it's less harmful from an image perspective. Rove is unquestionably Bush's creature, and anything he does reflects directly on his master, who is unquestionably the face of the Republican party. Cheney, on the other hand, is a separate power center unto himself, and if he gets indicted, the media and Bush's surrogates can use that to distance his actions from the president. If Cheney notoriously does his own thing and doesn't really report to Bush, then Bush can't be responsible for his crimes. Yes, I know that should reflect badly on Bush The Strong Leader, but it'll be glossed over with a what-can-you-do-about-those-headstrong-employees shake of the head (remember how no-one questioned Bill Keller letting Judy Miller run wild at the NYT?).

As for the possibility of the Wilsons filing a civil suit against Rove, it seems a poor consolation prize. First of all, I don't know if a civil suit can gain steam fast enough to hamper Rove's midterm machinations (Little help? Any lawyers in the house?). Second of all, I don't think a civil suit is something that would trigger a Rovesignation. Third of all, it's a lot easier to spin a lawsuit brought by an individual (especially a self-promoting, unhinged moonbat individual!) than a lawsuit brought by The Federal Government. A Wilson lawsuit would simply be disparaged as harassment by a sore loser who just can't stand it that his bete noire couldn't be taken down by "legitimate" means.

I know, I know. It's not over yet. Fitz may still have some more shoes to drop, and maybe Rove screws up and gets indicted after all. In December.

Sonofabitch.

Fitz goes soft on us:

The prosecutor in the C.I.A. leak case on Monday advised Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, that he would not be charged with any wrongdoing, effectively ending the nearly three-year criminal investigation that had at times focused intensely on Mr. Rove.

The decision by the prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, announced in a letter to Mr. Rove's lawyer, Robert D. Luskin, lifted a pall that had hung over Mr. Rove who testified on five occasions to a federal grand jury about his involvement in the disclosure of an intelligence officer's identity.

In a statement, Mr. Luskin said, "On June 12, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove."

Based on everything I've read about Fitz, the only conceivable (and non-tinfoil) explanation is that he didn't think he could prove wrongdoing. Rove is one slippery sumbitch.

I think it's time for Jason Leopold to burn his sources (if indeed he ever had any) and go away forever.

UPDATE: The big problem with this is not just the obvious fact that Rove will have a free hand to orchestrate yet another campaign of smears, dirty tricks, and faux-patriotism/Christianity (it is my fondest hope that this is the year that the voters see through it and decisively reject it, but I won't hold my breath). The other big problem is that now, unless Bush and/or Cheney are indicted (not likely) the administration can deploy the One Bad Apple spin to dismiss Libby as just an overzealous rogue operator.

"Certainly we directed Scooter to counter Mr. Wilson's outrageous slander, but my goodness, we never expected him to resort to anything improper or illegal. That's simply not how we do things in this administration ." And yes, they really would be able to say this with a straight face.

UPDATE 2: As I think about Leopold's "Sealed Vs. Sealed" piece, I have to wonder whether Leopold was really reporting, or just covering his own sloppy ass. It certainly is convenient for Leopold if he can say he was totally right that Fitz was just about to indict Rove, but then AG^2 stepped in, and No-One Will Ever Know because it's a Secret.

Also, welcome to Daou Report readers! I'm not entirely sure what I did to merit a link, so I'm assuming it's random. But I'm still happy to have it. Um, if you're serious political wonks, please don't read the Mosquitophone or Bollywood Superhero posts. Thank you.

UPDATE 3: Arrgh. I must apologize for conflating Leopold's "Sealed Vs. Sealed" article with some of the speculation surrounding it. Leopold himself makes no claim that it has anything to do with an attempt to suppress Fitz. He just points out its existence and irregularity, although I would not be surprised if the aforementioned speculation was exactly what he was hoping for. I think he's clean on this, but he's still hopelessly discredited, fit only to work for the Republicans. Has anyone, ahem, filled Jeff Gannon's slot in the WH press corps?

And Later On, Monkeys Might Fly Out Of My Butt.

NYT is so cute when they expect good government from the Bush administration...

Dirk Kempthorne's chief task as the new secretary of the interior is to resurrect his department's long tradition of responsible stewardship of the public lands. [Even Master Yoda could not suspend my disbelief.] That guiding philosophy has been seriously breached only twice, during the dismal Reagan years and again during the tenure of Gale Norton, the person Mr. Kempthorne succeeds.

With Vice President Dick Cheney cheering from the sidelines, Ms. Norton replaced the department's conservation ethic with policies that favored commercial exploitation of the vast publicly owned resources the department manages, which amount to one-fifth of the nation's land. Redressing the balance will not only bring praise from the usual suspects in the environmental community, it will also win the admiration of many of Mr. Kempthorne's fellow Republicans.

(snip)

In addition to chronic financial shortfalls, which have affected everything from policing the parks to interpreting them for visitors, the administration embarked on a disastrous effort to rewrite the management policies that govern the parks. Despite moderating changes, the rewrite still tilts in favor of recreation and commercial use over preservation. The new secretary would do everyone a favor — and give the National Park Service a huge morale boost — by setting it aside.

There's one more balance issue. As she was going out the door, Ms. Norton resolved a long and complicated dispute over who controls thousands of miles of ancient cowpaths and other trails throughout the West in favor of state and local interests. Many of these trails run through national parks, wildlife refuges and monuments, and as things stand now, there is little to prevent the states from paving them and using them to promote commerce. Mr. Kempthorne should revisit this decision. If he does not, Congress should revisit it for him.

I do so wish that I lived in the same world as the NYT editorial staff, where the skies will someday be clear, the water clean, and the forests healthy.

Shorter

Just a couple of brief, distilled thoughts that I may or may not have expressed here in wordier form:

1) The principal problem with congressional Democrats, and why I fear that they will not adequately take advantage of Bush's soaring unpopularity, is not their failure to work the media or express a coherent agenda. It is their failure to materially oppose Republican nominees and initiatives. How will the Democrats use the Republicans' voting records against them when half of their own party voted the same way?

Their opposition doesn't have to be successful every time, but it does have to be undeniable.


2) The most important thing about a Lamont victory in Connecticut is not that it would replace a fake Dem with a real Dem, nice as that would be. It's that it would represent a power shift from corporations and lobbyists, to citizens and netroots. I simply cannot understate how huge this would be.

But Does He Have A Fortress Of Bollitude?

I guess it was only a matter of time...

IS the next big thing in superheroes a masked man who leaps from skyscraper to skyscraper, saves the world and suddenly breaks into song? Audiences will find out on June 23, when "Krrish" — a film that showcases Bollywood's first fully realized Superman-style hero — reaches screens.

(snip)

"Krrish" is the story of... Krishna, born with the superpowers the alien bestowed upon his father, and then some.... Krishna is superintelligent and has a handy sixth sense. He has great physical strength and is able to leap, like Spider-Man but sans web, among the trees.

After his parents are killed, Krishna is raised in an isolated village by his grandmother. But the pastoral idyll is disrupted when an alluring television reporter arrives in the village to learn hang gliding. He rescues her after an accident, and romance blooms. Krishna eventually follows her to Singapore, where he recognizes his special powers and also encounters the archvillain, a psychotic inventor who murdered his parents and is now plotting to create a machine that can see the future. Krishna becomes Krrish, a sleek, leather-jacket-clad flying machine, and, naturally, saves the world.

(snip)

["Krrish"'s $10 million budget] is considered huge in Bollywood, but is small by Hollywood standards. The Warner Brothers movie "Superman Returns," which is set to be released a week after "Krrish" (in India, too), cost more than $200 million.

Still, many in Bollywood are convinced that "Krrish" will corner the Indian market. The director Shekhar Kapur, who is currently creating a series of comic books drawn from Asian mythology, said in an e-mail interview that Indian viewers would see the film because "Krrish can dance and sing, and Spider-Man cannot, but mostly because Krrish is more rooted in our culture."

(snip)

But does Krrish really sing? Hrithik Roshan dodged the question when asked, and said only, "Well, Krishna sings."

This is actually pretty cool, and I'll be rooting for "Krrish" to do well, although I tend to have trouble relating to Bollywood films (cultural differences, presumably).

And for the record, I really don't think a singing Spider-Man would be a big draw for me, although I would kinda like to see a singing Batman. Or, more accurately, I would like to see the expression on the shadowy and mysterious Codename V's face upon learning of the existence of Bat-Tastic! The Musical. If I were filthy rich and more than borderline insane, I would make it happen exclusively for that reason.

UPDATE: I already have a title for the Bat-Tastic! sequel: Riddler On The Roof.

Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring, Mosquitophone...

The phone so cool that only kids can hear it!

In that old battle of the wills between young people and their keepers, the young have found a new weapon that could change the balance of power on the cellphone front: a ring tone that many adults cannot hear.

In settings where cellphone use is forbidden — in class, for example — it is perfect for signaling the arrival of a text message without being detected by an elder of the species.

(snip)

The [adult-inaudible ringtone] was the offshoot of an invention called the Mosquito, developed last year by a Welsh security company to annoy teenagers and gratify adults, not the other way around.

It was marketed as an ultrasonic teenager repellent, an ear-splitting 17-kilohertz buzzer designed to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected.

The principle behind it is a biological reality that hearing experts refer to as presbycusis, or aging ear....

While most human communication takes place in a frequency range between 200 and 8,000 hertz... most adults' ability to hear frequencies higher than that begins to deteriorate in early middle age.

Pretty neat, but it's no Bananaphone. On the plus side, Mosquitophone is almost certainly free of Bananaphone's deadly side effects.

(Now if they could only figure out a way to make cellphone conversations inaudible, too...)

Urban Grungeblogging

Ooof. I have finally finished processing all my birthday photos, just barely. So now I have a bit of a... surplus to get through.

That last photoblogging post wasn't really my thing. Urban grunge, on the other hand, that's all me.


Mmm... junk...


I'm not sure if that's a car part or a sexual aid...


A gutter and a manhole! Life just doesn't get much better than this.


A Festive Door Of Spring.

Sunday Softball Blogging - Faraway, So Close

Well, the game ended with me in the on-deck circle a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, which was kind of disappointing. Even so, I had a pretty good game all around: 4-for 6 with a double, a triple, a run, and 3 RBI, and I even made some nice catches and throws (including another assist at third home). I did have one drop on a wicked line drive that tailed away from me, and there were a couple of ground balls/low line drives that gave me problems but didn't cost us any extra bases.

I've added slugging percentage (total bases divided by at-bats) to my statline, and it looks like I'm definitely hitting with a lot more power this season. Huzzah!


Current Stats: 9 games, .571 BA (28-49), 1.041 SLG, 7 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 16 runs, 21 RBI.

Career Stats: 36 games, .574 BA (140-244), .758 SLG, 24 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 77 runs, 61 RBI.


Oh, I know that feeling all too well...


Can't say I was really trying for this effect, but it does look kinda cool...


It did stay in the glove. Nerts.

Botanical Photoblogging

The Photo Odyssey continues, with a paltry semblance of Nature.


How leaves sleep.

(I particularly like this one because it feels like I'm sharing something secret and intimate, even though it's really just a leaf sitting on another leaf, partially hidden by a third leaf. Maybe it's the whole kinky interspecies thing: Garden Fever!)


A rose is a rose is a photo.

(At least, I think it's a rose. I'm... botanically challenged.)


A more bashful rose, or roselike thingy.


I'm sorry, the lawn officer has just stepped out. Please take a seat and he will be with you momentarily.

PHOTO MADNESS!!!

I'm about halfway through processing the almost-700 pictures I took on my birthday (not counting another hundred or so softball pics), and that's going to take up a lot of my time for a while, probably most of the weekend. So until that's done, I'll probably be fairly scarce, and photoblogging a lot more than ranting.


That's a hell of a short fire escape. Couldn't they just jump?


This door has seen better days.


I really like B&W sky pictures for some reason.

Where The Zarqawi?

One (probably) last thought on Zarqawi, which I had many months ago and forgot about until Echidne's post jogged my memory.

I think it's very telling that the Bushies didn't want to take out Zarqawi before the invasion, because "the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam."

I don't recall Zarqawi playing any kind of prominent role in the case for war. The case for war was all about Saddam's scary WMDs and nuclear aspirations, and relentlessly, artfully, deniably implying-but-not-quite-saying that he was involved in 9/11. Zarqawi's purpose was to provide justification after the fact by allowing the administration and its creatures to say, "See? Saddam was harboring al Qaeda!" Never mind that he was "harboring" Zarqawi in the no-fly zone, where he was effectively under our protection, not Saddam's.

What makes this particularly interesting to me is that it's yet another data point in the proof that the administration knew that their WMD claims were bullshit. If they genuinely expected to find WMDs, they would have had no need for a Zarqawi boogeyman, and would have whacked him so he wouldn't disrupt the occupation (assuming they thought about the occupation at all). In fact, if troops or inspectors did find WMDs, the Bushies would have had an awkward time explaining why they didn't want to take out an al-Qaeda leader who might have had access to WMDs.

There's a reason why I assume everything the Bushies say is a lie.

Friday Quote & Puppy Blogging

This week's quote is from The 5,000 Fingers Of Dr. T. (not to be confused with Dr T And The Women, although that would certainly be... interesting), a very bizarre and entertaining 1950s live-action Dr. Seuss movie, with Hans Conreid as the megalomaniacal piano teacher of the title. I can't recommend it highly enough.

"Everyone gets into trouble. Even the King of Persia gets into trouble. But does the King of Persia come crawling out of my air vent to bother me? No he doesn't, he stays in Persia."

And, of course, there'll be other people's puppies...


I was going to post another Gollum picture, but I didn't want to put him at risk.

Friday Anti-Cat Quote Blogging

Three Rivers Online Guy has sent a liger to eat my nonexistent cats. I'm pretty sure this is actionable.

Friday Massive Liger Blogging: I have sent my mutant 10 foot Liger to eat all the cats and dogs that I have seen over at Multi Medium and the Froth blog. My girlfriend will be riding him like a Pony. All hail Magneto!

If you see this man or his girlfriend in the company of a large, mutant hybrid cat, lock all of your pets in the basement and contact the authorities immediately. Do not attempt to apprehend him yourself.


Artist's conception of a liger in the wild. DO NOT APPROACH.

They Write Letters

Argh. In today's NYT:

When Hitler died, it was a good thing. When Saddam Hussein was captured and taken out of commission, it was a good thing.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, has been killed, and that is a good thing.

Whatever else is going on in the world, whatever you dislike about the American government, it deserves credit for removing this barbaric murderer.

If Hitler had been killed in 1942, there would have been hordes of protesters calling President Franklin D. Roosevelt bad names, but today we know that it would have been a good thing. So it is with the killing of Mr. Zarqawi.

Ah yes, the Saddam is Hitler, liberals love Saddam, therefore liberals would have loved Hitler meme, one of my favorites. Listen, you right-wing war-loving freak, if anyone in the Hypothetical States of America were out there protesting Hitler's death, it would have been your guys, not mine. You know, the corporatists (like Dubya's granddad) doing business with Nazi Germany, and the insane racists who think Hitler had the right idea. Those guys.

This is not World War II, you clueless amoral monster. Yes, Saddam was evil, but he didn't declare war on us, wasn't occupying or laying siege to any of our allies, wasn't systematically exterminating millions of people. Sure, Saddam wanted to be a threat, but that damn package from Charles Atlas never showed up.

And you know what? If we hadn't invaded Iraq, Zarqawi would be irrelevant. He wouldn't have killed one single American, and no-one would have ever heard of him. And I won't even ask why our strong, decisive war president never gave the military the go-ahead to take out this terrible boogeyman when they had him in their sights before the invasion...

Good Lord.

What the deuce???

A woman angry that her new puppy had died pushed her way into a dog breeder’s home and repeatedly hit her on the head with the dead Chihuahua, authorities said.

The 33-year-old woman told police she had taken the puppy to a veterinarian, who said it was only 4 weeks old and needed to be returned to its mother. But before she could return the puppy, it died.

Early Wednesday, the woman went to the breeder’s home, pushed her way inside and began fighting with the breeder as she tried to make her way to the basement to get another puppy, police said.

The breeder wrestled the woman out of her house to the front porch, where the woman then hit the breeder over the head numerous times with the dead puppy, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, citing police.

As the woman drove away, she waved the dead puppy out of the car’s sunroof and yelled threats at the breeder, police said.

Sweet Jesus. I can understand why she'd be upset, but I think that most people who really love animals would not use their dead bodies as fucking WEAPONS.

Belated Wednesday Softball Blogging - I Am... Not Mighty.

I continue to suck on Wednesdays. I think it has something to do with fatigue, or maybe the Wednesday crew just plays better defense, but if I bet that if I could split my stats between Wednesdays and Sundays, I would be batting about 200 points higher on Sundays.

This week, after a full afternoon of picture-taking on my birthday, I was too mentally and physically drained to do much, although I did hit my first triple of the season, and I threw the ball pretty well, including another assist at third. I ended up 2-for-7 with 2 runs and 2 RBI, and a lot of popups and lazy fly balls. I should have told everyone it was my birthday before the game - maybe I could have gotten some favorable drops or something...

On the neato side, my team did turn a triple play on a fly ball to center, thanks to a couple of inexperienced baserunners who were off at the crack of the bat.


Current Stats: 8 games, .558 BA (24-43), 6 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 15 runs, 18 RBI.

Career Stats: 35 games, .571 BA (136-238), 23 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 76 runs, 58 RBI.


I don't think he's gonna get there...


Less light in the evening means slower exposures, which means more blur, which is actually kinda cool-looking. Will need to do some deliberate experimenting with that at some point...


Adventurous baserunning pays off.

The Arlen, My Friends, Is Blowing In The Wind...

In case anyone was all excited about the possibility of Arlen Specter standing up to Dick Cheney and the rest of Dubya's goons:

I'm not accusing anybody of anything. And I'm not saying the vice president acted in bad faith.

This is nothing personal between Arlen Specter or Vice President Cheney. This is a matter of civil liberties. It's a matter of separation of power. And it's a matter of important congressional oversight. And, so far, we're not getting there. And that's why I prepared a fairly strong letter. . . .

I don't think the president has acted in bad faith here. I think he is functioning on something which he thinks needs to be done to protect the country. But he doesn't have a blank check. He's not the final word. We have a Constitution. The Constitution says that the Congress has oversight. And, on a constitutional issue, that's the Judiciary Committee.

There, you see? Nothing to worry about, it was all just a big misunderstanding. The President is a fine man and he means well, and I'm sure that after Senator Specter conducts a thorough investigation, we'll all see that the President has done absolutely nothing wrong. And if not, you can be sure that there are plen-ty more strongly-worded letters where that came from.

I don't know about you, but I'm breathing easier already.

(Hat tip to The All-Seeing Eye Of Froomkin)

Yeah, Right.

Arlen Specter talks tough again. Y-A-W-N.

The powerful Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee all but declared war on the White House yesterday, and accused Vice President Cheney of sneaking around behind his back.

In a blistering letter to Cheney, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) laid out a long list of grievances over the White House seizing more and more power "at the expense" of Congress.

"It is neither pleasant nor easy to raise these issues with the administration of my own party," he wrote. He cited the administration's domestic spying, the gathering of Americans' phone records and the recent FBI raid of a congressman's offices.

Specter was particularly peeved that Cheney called Judiciary Committee members to kill closed-door hearings the senator had planned with phone company execs - and didn't tell Specter, even when they were at lunch Monday.

(snip)

The irate chairman threatened to dish out subpoenas and suggested the two branches of government were headed for a "constitutional confrontation."

I'll believe it when I see it. Specter has a long, long history of talking tough and then caving (I guess he figures everyone will remember the talk, but not the walk... or lack thereof). The next time this useless toady stands up to Bush & Cheney will be the first.

Mission Accomplished!

We've totally turned the corner now!

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and kidnappings, has been killed in an air strike, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday, adding that his identity was confirmed by fingerprints and a look at his face. It was a major victory in the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the broader war on terror.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said al-Zarqawi was killed along with seven aides Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, al-Maliki said.

This will make all the difference, just like when we killed Saddam's sons and captured Saddam himself.

But any hopes the Jordanian-born terror leader’s death would help stem the violence in Iraq were dimmed hours later when a car bomb exploded in a Baghdad market, killing 19 and wounding 65.

Like I said...


The Iraqi prime minister also apparently issued a warning to President Bush:

“Those who disrupt the course of life, like al-Zarqawi, will have a tragic end,” al-Maliki said....

“This is a message for all those who embrace violence, killing and destruction to stop and to (retreat) before it’s too late,” he said. “It is an open battle with all those who incite sectarianism.”

Al-Zarqawi was not the problem; al-Zarqawi was a symptom. Even assuming that he really is dead, nothing will change.

How Not To Care For Your Powerbook

Hilarious. But definitely not good for the screen...

Hat tip to Eschacommenter John Gillnitz.

Double-Take Quote Of The Week

From an NY Daily News article about whether or not the Knicks are going to fire head coach Larry Brown:

"Larry's fine," said Doug Moe....

The article did not say whether the $40 million left on his contract means Brown has the owner by the short-n-curlies, nor did it refer to Isaiah Thomas as the owner's stooge (or vice versa)...

I'm 37. I'm Not Old.

Happy birthday to me...

King Arthur: Old woman.
Dennis: Man.
King Arthur: Man, sorry. What knight lives in that castle over there?
Dennis: I'm 37.
King Arthur: What?
Dennis: I'm 37. I'm not old.
King Arthur: Well I can't just call you "man."

Stoopit kings. No respect for their elders.

Random Semi-Lame Photoblogging

Well, since I think I more than filled my rant quota yesterday, I guess I can post some photos without any twinges of I-Should-Write-Something...


I'm pretty sure this guy was a regular on that Buck Rogers series with Gil Gerard...


Well, this can't be good...


Jumping up and down on your motorcycle is strictly prohibited.

Your Jaw Will Drop.

Normally, I don't give comment spammers the time of day. I resent them considerably more than their e-mail brethren, much as I would resent advertisements spray-painted on the side of my house considerably more than junk mail in my mailbox.

But just like regular spam, every once in a while comment spam achieves a certain sublime grace. Behold the radiant glory that is Crazy Spaceman:

My inaugural address at the Great White Throne Judgment of the Dead, after I have raptured out billions!

Read My Inaugural Address Online
My Site = http://www.angelfire.com/crazy/spaceman
Your jaw will drop!

Besides, he says the fundies hate him, and that's a good enough endorsement for me. Plus it's topical!

(I'll probably regret this)

Gay Marriage Is A Threat To Bullshit

Just wanted to quickly expand on a comment I made chez Echidne regarding this "Defense Of Marriage Amendment" bullshit, which is basically that it is, in fact, as Echidne says, total bullshit.

The fundamentalist crazies don't give two shits about the sanctity of marriage. They knew they couldn't come out (heh) and say, "Gays shouldn't be allowed to marry because they're icky and gay and subhuman and we hate them," so they had to come up with something that would sound vaguely plausible and positive. So instead of "attacking gays", they're "defending marriage." Sure. Just like slaveowners were "defending freedom" by not allowing black people to cheapen it with their participation.

I guarantee you that not a single one of the Falwells, Dobsons, Robertsons, or their lackeys in Congress and the White House believes that gay marriage is in any way a threat to The Sacred Institution Of Marriage, and anyone who believes they do is a sucker.

I say again, Bullshit.

Nedheads

Nice Lieberman's-In-Trouble post (okay, maybe that's redundant) at ConnecticutBLOG, and I thought this paragraph in particular was particularly compelling:

"There is a very sizable contingent of liberal Democrats in this state who want a change," said Gary Rose, a political analyst at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. "Anything could happen in this primary. Turnout will be low."

Ever since 2004, I've been a big believer in the power of turnout. I'm convinced that one of the big reasons the Democrats keep losing is that the Republican base is motivated and fired up while the Democratic base is disgusted, demoralized and discouraged by a party establishment that spurns them in pursuit of fickle "swing voters" who probably don't turn out much anyway.

But I digress. In a primary, it's pretty much all base, and I just cannot imagine anyone getting fired up to vote for a dud like Lieberman, least of all an actual Democrat. So I have high hopes that if Lamont can get to within, say, 5%, turnout will do the rest. And for the first time in his miserable life, Joe Lieberman will suddenly believe in election fraud...

Gay-Bashing Strategy... OF DOMA!!!

Encouraging news from The All-Seeing Eye Of Froomkin, Athenae, and others: The Bush push for the cynically-named "Defense Of Marriage Amendment" ("Clear Skies Initiative," anyone?) is not going over well, not even with the base.

We'll start with Froomkin:

President Bush this afternoon speaks out in favor of a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage.

But nobody's buying it.

Not the Senate, where there's not even a remote chance that the amendment will muster the required two-thirds majority this week.

Not the critics, who see Bush's posturing on the issue as nothing more than a bald-faced sop to his increasingly restive social-conservative base -- and a desperate attempt to change the subject from the grimmer, more important issues that are appropriately disquieting the public.

And not even that social-conservative base, whose members doubt the intensity of Bush's commitment to the issue. The president has actively ignored this issue until this week, most notably by refusing to twist arms on the Hill.

Speaking of The Base, what kind of reaction has Athenae found at Wingnut Central?

I think consenting adults should be free to enter into whatever marital contract they please, as long as no physical harm or other crime is committed. Securing the nation's borders is, however, probably the main task of any government. It'd be nice if this government got around to performing this task.

(snip)

The Constitution is supposed to be about government behavior, not personal behavior. The attempt to change/outlaw one form of personal behavior was thumpingly reversed in a little more than a decade. Why do you want to change the focus of the Constitution?

(snip)

I often wonder how I ended up with three kids. I guess it was before all this gay marriage talk. Actually the real reason I am against the amendment is more to do with government interference than gay marriage, but either way it does not bother me or my wife and somehow my three kids are surviving as well. I really feel horrible about some people who worry about it and stay up at night consummed with angst. I also laugh about the stories that doom is coming with the people marrying their dogs and cats and snakes and horses and even dolphins (someone posted a picture of the ceremony on our conservative site). I found it a hoot. Believe me, I am conservative as the next guy, but when you go to great lengths as that then I just have to laugh.

(snip)

I think it's an attempt to distract us from their spending and the amnesty. They know we're mad as hell about both. You have to wonder how stupid they think we are. Then you think about your fellow-voters and wonder if they might be right about the voters.

Of course, there's still a lot of time left until the election, and I always take any claims of conservative dissent with a grain of salt, but if this kind of skepticism holds up, it's a huge, huge deal. This is exactly what I've said we need in order to finally reclaim this country and Constitution from the GOP stranglehold. If in November, Republicans (and everyone else) says "Yeah, right." instead of "OMG! Gay terrorist marriage is going to kill my unborn baby!!!", the spell would truly be broken, and the Republicans would have to win on their actual merits. Buh-bye.

Damn Bernankes

You're doin' a heckuva job, Benny!

Wall Street gulped and stocks plunged Monday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke decried recent increases in inflation and pledged action if necessary to make sure surging energy prices don't make things worse.

If the Federal Reserve follows through, that probably will mean higher interest rates, just when investors thought the Fed was about finished with its two-year rate-raising campaign.

For millions of Americans, rising borrowing costs would make it more expensive to buy a home or a car or to make other big-ticket purchases. It also would make payments more expensive on all the debt people have racked up _ from credit cards to loans for education, vacations and other things.

On Wall Street, Bernanke's fresh inflation warning sent the Dow Jones industrials sliding 199.15 points to close at 11,048.72. It had dropped even more, 214 points, two weeks ago on May 17.

Yet another Bush appointee spreading joy and successiness wherever he goes.

Kenosha Wins.

Courtesy of The Kenosha Kid, this is now officially The Most Awesome Thing Ever:

The End Is Nigh!!!

That would be soooo typical for the world to end on the day before my birthday...

Something about the number 666 brings out the worry, the hope and even the humor in people, said the Rev. Felix Just, a professor of theology at the University of San Francisco. A Jesuit priest, Just has taught both apocalyptic theory and mathematics and maintains a ''666-Numbers of the Beast'' Web site that contains history, theology, math and precisely 66 one-line jokes about 666.

(snip)

''Many people avoid the number; they're afraid of it almost and there's absolutely no reason to be afraid of it,'' Just said. ''It is not a prediction of future events. It is not supposed to be taken as a timetable for when the world is going to end.''

(snip)

But for some more apocalyptic theologians, the end of times is coming, even if not specifically on Tuesday. The evangelical Raptureready.com Web site puts its ''rapture index'' at 156, calling that ''fasten your seatbelts'' time. [There are Rapture seatbelts? Are there Rapture airbags as well? Where can I go to learn more about proper Rapture safety procedures?]

It's not the date June 6 that's worrisome, but the signs in our society of the approach of the 666 antichrist, said the Rev. Tim LaHaye, founder of a self-named ministry and co-author of the best-selling ''Left Behind'' series of apocalyptic novels. And even though LaHaye said Tuesday isn't the date of the apocalypse, his Left Behind Web site promotes his new book ''The Rapture'' with an ominous ''06.06.06 Will You Be Ready.''

''I don't think that people understand that 666 is not a good time,'' LaHaye said. He said he sees signs of an upcoming ''tribulation period'' that leads to the Antichrist's arrival in a movement toward one-world government, a single economic system and single religion.

This has to be my favorite part of the article, though:

You can even make sport of it, betting online whether the apocalypse will happen on that date. The good news is that one online oddsmaker has made the world a 100,000-to-1 favorite to survive Tuesday....

WHO WOULD MAKE THAT BET???

(On the other hand, if I bet $100 billion that the world wouldn't end...)

Sunday Softball Blogging - I AM LUCKY!!!

Well, the game got rained out, but we had enough diehards to have some light batting practice in the rain. Between the wet ball, muddy batter's box, and pitches that were generally not to my liking, my hitting was not so great, but I did manage to hit a few to the wall. Pretty decent in the outfield with one drop, a nice running catch on a ball over me and to my right, and a barehanded cutoff of a ball in the gap.

But most notably, I found four more four-leaf clovers: Two before BP, and two after (within about 5 seconds of each other). No pics, as I didn't bother to bring my camera.


Current Stats: 7 games, .611 BA (22-36), 6 2B, 4 HR, 13 runs, 16 RBI.

Career Stats: 34 games, .580 BA (134-231), 23 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 74 runs, 56 RBI.

More Constructionblogging

A few more pictures from the construction site.


Hose in a rusty wheelbarrow. Now that's Art!


The Bucket Of Peril graveyard.


Still in their Perilous prime, innocent of the grim fate that awaits them.

Luck In My Eyes

Got lucky again today. Only once, though - I had to be somewhere.


I either have superhuman corrected vision and pattern-recognition skills, or just some kind of instinctive affinity for freakish mutants.

Friday Quote & Cat Blogging

This week's quote is a two-fer. First quote is courtesy of my big brother - Charlie Rangel (D-NY) offering his thoughts on the Preznit:

Well, I really think he shatters the myth of white supremacy once and for all.

Second quote is from Kung Fu Monkey, by way of firedoglake - talking about how patriotism is used as an excuse for, or a distraction from Republican incompetence:

One of the great mysteries of the last six years was how and when the Bush Administration turned public policy into Special Olympics. "Oh, I know Donny knocked over all the hurdles, but HE LOVES THE RACE, so you SHUT YOUR FILTHY, CYNICAL MOUTH." Jesus H. Christ.

And, of course, there'll be other people's cats...


Glamour Gollum.

OH. MY. GOD.

Why was this not front-page news (or even reported) three years ago??? From a 2003 Ladies Home Journal interview with the Bushes, talking about the night of 9/11:

George W. Bush: But the day ended on a relatively humorous note. The agents said, “you’ll be sleeping downstairs. Washington’s still a dangerous place.” And I said no, I can’t sleep down there, the bed didn’t look comfortable. I was really tired, Laura was tired, we like our own bed. We like our own routine. You know, kind of a nester. I knew I had to deal with the issue the next day and provide strength and comfort to the country, and so I needed rest in order to be mentally prepared. [For all the rest he gets, why does he never seem even remotely "crisp" to me? Baked, maybe.] So I told the agent we’re going upstairs, and he reluctantly said okay. Laura wears contacts, and she was sound asleep. Barney was there. And the agent comes running up and says, “We’re under attack. We need you downstairs,” and so there we go. I’m in my running shorts and my T-shirt, and I’m barefooted. Got the dog in one hand, Laura had a cat, I’m holding Laura —

Laura Bush: I don’t have my contacts in , and I’m in my fuzzy house slippers —

George W. Bush: And this guy’s out of breath, and we’re heading straight down to the basement because there’s an incoming unidentified airplane, which is coming toward the White House. Then the guy says it’s a friendly airplane. And we hustle all the way back up stairs and go to bed.

Mrs. Bush: And we just lay there thinking about the way we must have looked.

Peggy Noonan (interviewer): So the day starts in tragedy and ends in Marx Brothers.

George W. Bush: That’s right — we got a laugh out of it.

Nothing quite like a massive terrorist attack in the morning to help you appreciate the absurdity of life.

This. Bastard. Has. No. Soul.

(hat tip to Arkenor)

Harris Interaction

No, I'm not referring to the video of Katherine Harris and Rick Renzi practically making out in the middle of a presentation on the House floor, although that's pretty cool too.

I'm talking about the Rejected Katherine Harris Campaign Video over at the Huffington Post's Contagious Festival (of viral video, presumably). Brilliant.

Ice. Very Ice.

Okay, this is genuinely cool. This photographer somehow figured out a way to fashion camera lenses out of ice...


All praise to the shadowy and mysterious Codename V. for alerting me to this.

Irany

I have to say, I'm instantly skeptical of any story (or "News Analysis") containing the phrase "Bush's Realization," but David Sanger's NYT piece about Bush giving in to pressure to negotiate with Iran is certainly thought-provoking.

And the thought that it principally provokes in me is this: Given the choice between a statesmanlike diplomatic coup (and I'm using "coup" in the figurative sense, just so we're clear) and a prolonged, ugly, costly, unsuccessful war that cements our global reputation as a rogue bully and a sworn enemy of Islam, which one will Bush pick?

Hey, remember when we had troops massed in Saddam's backyard, and he let inspectors in, and they didn't find anything? How did that turn out?

Look, I'm not saying negotiations with Iran would be a slam-dunk, although I believe they are genuinely willing to deal. I just believe that Bush cares only about his legacy as the Strong Fighter War President, and couldn't give two shits about this nancy-boy diplomacy stuff. And the last time he was in a similar situaton, he chose war to make himself and the Republican party look tough and serious about "fighting terror."

This time around, the case for war isn't as strong, the outcome would be more clearly disastrous (no visions of flowers and sugarplums this time), we have no troops available, and Bush is winding down his last term, which is when presidents traditionally think about burnishing their statesman credentials. For a rational president, any one of those factors would be enough to dissuade them from an unnecessary war, but Bush is not a rational president. War is the basis of his entire self-image, the only thing that makes him feel powerful and in charge. I also think he wants to recapture that heady new-war smell, when everyone thought he was Manly King Stud. I personally think it would backfire, but I don't think he cares.

Anyway, to sum up, our president is a bloodthirsty madman who needs war to get an erection. And just like an addict, he needs a bigger and bigger fix to get a buzz. Is there a 12-step program for this, I wonder. "Hello. My name is George, and I am a warmonger."

And Yet Still More Fun With Video...

I know I really should wait until after I've posted some kind of Serious Analysis Of The Political Situation, to recharge my credibility battery, but who knows how long that could take. My readers should not be cruelly deprived of this masterpiece for one instant longer:



It's like they deliberately tried to make the Worst Music Video Of All Time.

Hat tip to David (Austin, TX).

Preznit Judge As A Sober.

Mwahahahahaha.

Courtesy of the improbably, impeccably, handsome WalterNeff, marauding in the Eschaton comments.


UPDATE: Once again, the viewer preferences page, just in case.

The One That Got Away

So I went out last night on a photographic mission...


I wanted to get a picture of these with some cool extreme evening shadows on them, but there was a building blocking the sunlight. Bugger.

But, on my way back home, I did meet this very sweet and affectionate tuxedo kitty:


I'm calling him "Gollum."


Incoming!


Aw. Precious.


I seriously thought about taking Gollum home, but I just couldn't get around all the logistical questions, especially without a car. I feel pretty crappy about it, but I really don't think I can give a kitty much of a home without at least some prep work beforehand.

I'm... not impulsive.

NOOOOOOO!!!!!

Sad news about the end of an era:

Juan Valdez is retiring. Long live Juan Valdez! Colombia's coffee ambassador to the world, Carlos Sanchez, is finally quitting after four decades of playing the role of Juan Valdez. And the national federation of Colombian coffee producers is searching for a man to inherit his poncho -- as well as his trusty mule, Conchita.

Sanchez has promoted Colombian coffee since 1969 with a leather bag, bushy mustache and straw hat typical of rural Colombia. He inherited the role from Jose Duval, a Cuban, who became the first Juan Valdez in 1959.

(snip)

''I feel like a flag. I feel like I've represented the country,'' Sanchez said Tuesday at a news conference where he struggled to hold back tears. ''There is a big sense of gratitude from Colombians abroad for this.''

Sanchez, 71, said his advancing years made it hard to keep up a strenuous schedule traveling the globe promoting coffee.

Respect. And I don't even drink coffee.

Wednesday Why-I-Love-The-Weekly-World-News Blogging

Weekly World News asks: Are James Carville and Bat Boy kin?

BAT BOY has hundreds of living relatives in America -- and famed Democratic strategist James Carville is probably one of them!

(snip)

While outspoken Carville -- nicknamed the "Ragin' Cajun" -- is famous for being hyper-aggressive, no one has questioned his place in the human species before.

"This news is bound to rattle Carville," says a Democratic party source. "If he and his wife Mary Matalin -- a staunch Republican -- weren't worried about how their kids would turn out before, they've got to be now."

HERE, from the expert, are 10 traits Bat Boy appears to share with his human kinfolk:

1. Bald, misshapen head.

2. Frightening, sharp toothed grin.

3. Comes from the South. "Like Bat Boy, who first surfaced in West Virginia, most of his relatives are found in the South," notes Dr. Hensky. "Mr. Carville was born in Louisiana."

4. Flails arms wildly when excited.

5. Combative. Like Bat Boy, who's bitten dozens of people, Carville relishes a good fight.

6. Weird, cackling laugh.

7. Super-acute hearing. CNN staffers have learned not to bad-mouth Carville behind his back.

8. Physical agility.

9. Dog-like loyalty. "While other Clinton cronies ducked for cover during Monica-gate, Carville stood by his man," Dr. Hensky observes.

10. Navigates in dark. Carville often wears sunglasses at night.

God, I love these people. This sort of thing is why I used to have a subscription.

Belated hat tip to the shadowy and mysterious Codename V. for tipping me off to the WWN online.

Da Bears.

Oh dear. I accidentally found this Grizzly Man parody at ifilm. Watch. It. Now.

It helps if you've seen the original, but it's definitely not necessary. I haven't seen the original, and this cracked me right up.


UPDATE: If anyone is having trouble viewing the embedded movie, try this page here, which lets you choose between Windows Media, QuickTime, and RealPlayer, all of which are very fine media players with absolutely no annoying qualities whatsoever.

Tuesday Toyblogging

Not much to say here - just a couple of shots I took outside a toy/novelty (noveltoy?) store on Walnut St., which is kind of an upscale shopping drag in the Shadyside neighborhood, very near where I used to live.


I will donate $50 and a free print to the first Democratic congresscritter who can tell me what these objects are.


Cute, but maybe also a little creepy if your mindset is sufficiently warped...

Symbolism

After seeing this picture chez Hecate and referenced chez driftglass, the thought occurred to me that this photograph is really quite symbolic. Although the official intent of the flag here is to honor the sacrifice of the dead, it also has the effect of obscuring them from view. Instead of seeing coffins with dead soldiers in them, we see the American flag.

Republicans wave the flag in our face to distract us from looking at the deaths they have caused; of Americans, of Afghans, of Iraqis, of American democracy itself. Let us take this Memorial Day to push the star-spangled curtain aside and mourn all that has been lost.

B&W Memorial Day Picnicblogging

Well, since I can't think of anything particularly original or noteworthy to say for Memorial Day, I'll just post some photos from the Memorial Day softball picnic yesterday.


This seems... ominous.


Checking for blisters after the Perilous Smoke Exposure.


Water gooood.


Bring the whole family! And, um, your Gary Coleman "BLING BLING" shirt.

Sunday Softball Blogging - NOW EVEN MIGHTIER!

Wow. I didn't think there was any way I could possibly top last week's game, but I did. Not only did I hit another two home runs, I went 7-for-7 with 3 doubles, 4 runs, and 4 RBIs, and I gunned down a runner at third to end the game. I dunno, maybe it was the four-leaf clovers. I dropped one shallow fly ball at the edge of my range, but other than that, I was pretty solid in the outfield on the rare occasions that I got any action.

It being Memorial Day weekend, we had a cookout and some light batting practice after the game, although it was a bit disorganized (no plates, hot dog buns, or utensils). Tasty!


Current Stats: 7 games, .611 BA (22-36), 6 2B, 4 HR, 13 runs, 16 RBI.

Career Stats: 34 games, .580 BA (134-231), 23 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 74 runs, 56 RBI.


Keep Your Eye On The Ball, Part I.


Keep Your Eye On The Ball, Part II.


Keep Your Eye On The-

Oh. Oh, dear.

Construction Photoblogging

I do love construction sites.


Ooo, a Mysterious Trapdoor! With a Mysterious Spray Can!


Rope. Just lying there, for no apparent reason.


Coils of, um, I dunno, some kind of construction stuff.

The Opposite Of Swift

Well, it's good to see that John Kerry cares so deeply about clearing his good name, just so long as it's not, y'know, in the context of a presidential campaign...

Mr. Kerry, accused even by Democrats of failing to respond to the charges during the campaign, is now fighting back hard.

"They lied and lied and lied about everything," Mr. Kerry says in an interview in his Senate office. "How many lies do you get to tell before someone calls you a liar? How many times can you be exposed in America today?"

His supporters are compiling a dossier that they say will expose every one of the Swift boat group's charges as a lie and put to rest any question about Mr. Kerry's valor in combat. While it would be easy to see this as part of Mr. Kerry's exploration of another presidential run, his friends say the Swift boat charges struck at an experience so central to his identity that he would want to correct the record even if he were retiring from public life.

(snip)

Mr. Kerry has signed forms authorizing the Navy to release his record — something he resisted during the campaign — and hired a researcher to comb the naval archives in Washington for records that could pinpoint his whereabouts during dates of the incidents in dispute. Another former crew member has spent days at a time interviewing veterans to reconstruct every incident in question.

I wonder if Kerry really thinks this clears the way for him to run in 2008. If so, he's deluded. Voters will be asking, "If he knew the Swifties were lying, why didn't he prove it? Or at least say something?" He thinks he's proving that he really is a courageous war hero, but the reality is that he held his fire until after the battle was over.