Monday, April 30, 2007
'Simplifying your simplification'
Reader Bert writes in about the recent Sal pension and McCain posts:
Reader Bert writes in about the recent Sal pension and McCain posts:
Shouldn’t (the Sal post) be filed under “government acting more like private business?” True, it probably takes a lot more than two or three employees/shareholders to pay for a Big CEOs annual salary/benefits/severance package
And yes, they’re both very wasteful and very wrong, but boy is there a difference in scale. And yes, I’m simplifying your simplification.
On other stuff: I didn’t see Stewart, but I think you’re right on about McCain. He seems washed up. And I don’t think he did himself any favors when he let Bush off the hook on that hatchet job they did on him back in the day and then became a Bush cheerleader. I think it’s silly for anyone to dismiss Hillary, no matter how much she’s despised. But I also think Richardson could be a good candidate, if a longshot at this point.
'Scaring the American people into this blind alley'
A few months back, I took a swipe at Chuck Hagel and immediatey got an earful from a reader who convinced me I was cynically wrong. I didn't/don't agree with Hagel on everything. I still believe General Petraeus should be given until September -- the administration's own timetable marker, not mine, BTW -- to see how the change in strategy and tactics work. But the senator is clearly an intraparty 'deviator' (see post below) who's been more right than wrong on Iraq compared to GOP loyalists. Republicans better start listening to him. Plan G is right around the corner. ...
Update -- FYI: My earlier swipe at Hagel was based on a belief he wasn't sincere in his opposition to Bush's policies. Just clearing that up for a reader who wrote in.
A few months back, I took a swipe at Chuck Hagel and immediatey got an earful from a reader who convinced me I was cynically wrong. I didn't/don't agree with Hagel on everything. I still believe General Petraeus should be given until September -- the administration's own timetable marker, not mine, BTW -- to see how the change in strategy and tactics work. But the senator is clearly an intraparty 'deviator' (see post below) who's been more right than wrong on Iraq compared to GOP loyalists. Republicans better start listening to him. Plan G is right around the corner. ...
Update -- FYI: My earlier swipe at Hagel was based on a belief he wasn't sincere in his opposition to Bush's policies. Just clearing that up for a reader who wrote in.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
'We're comfortable'
If Bill's comfortable, I'm comfortable. I like the Pats' pick. ... Did you feel as uncomfortable as I did watching Brady Quinn squirm before the cameras during yesterday's NFL draft? Initially, I viewed him as a golden-boy showboat who deserved the humiliation if he was egotistical enough to sit in the front row awaiting an early first-round pick. But it turned out it was an all but NFL-ordered PR stunt that backfired. I felt bad for him. ... But not too bad. Charlie Weis can compare Quinn to Tom Brady all he wants. But I wasn't overly impressed with Quinn at Norte Dame. He didn't deserve all the attention he got yesterday. ... Now watch him turn into the next late-first-round equivalent of Dan Marino. ...
Update -- Wow! Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick as the new George Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman of the NFL? Not quite. But they're on a roll. ...
If Bill's comfortable, I'm comfortable. I like the Pats' pick. ... Did you feel as uncomfortable as I did watching Brady Quinn squirm before the cameras during yesterday's NFL draft? Initially, I viewed him as a golden-boy showboat who deserved the humiliation if he was egotistical enough to sit in the front row awaiting an early first-round pick. But it turned out it was an all but NFL-ordered PR stunt that backfired. I felt bad for him. ... But not too bad. Charlie Weis can compare Quinn to Tom Brady all he wants. But I wasn't overly impressed with Quinn at Norte Dame. He didn't deserve all the attention he got yesterday. ... Now watch him turn into the next late-first-round equivalent of Dan Marino. ...
Update -- Wow! Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick as the new George Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman of the NFL? Not quite. But they're on a roll. ...
'The deviators'
Guess which governing party viewed intraparty disagreements during tense international times as a form of betrayal, smearing its critics and playing dirty tricks to keep party members in line. You have two guesses. ...
Guess which governing party viewed intraparty disagreements during tense international times as a form of betrayal, smearing its critics and playing dirty tricks to keep party members in line. You have two guesses. ...
Saturday, April 28, 2007
'State Boys Rebellion'
Finished Mark Bowden's 'Guests of the Ayatollah.' I'd give it a thumbs-up review. But it didn't meet my initially high and excited expectations. I wanted to know a lot more about Iran and its history. But that wasn't Bowden's goal. I did come away with many useful pieces of knowledge. Among them: A.) Anyone who thinks there's a great Westernized undercurrent in Iran that can be manipulated to our advantage ought to be very careful. There is such an undercurrent. But the same thing was said about Iraq before Saddam's fall -- and look what happened. Ayatollah Khomeini and Muqtada al-Sadr didn't spring from nowhere. B.) Bowden convinced me that, for the most part, Jimmy Carter handled the hostage crisis with great dignity and determination. ...
... Now for my next book: Michael D'Antoni's 'The State Boys Rebellion.' I'm only a few chapters into it and already in a state of shock how the mentally ill, and those who were thought to be mentally ill, were brutally treated. It begins to explain a bit why it was so difficult to act on the warning signs of the Virgina Tech killer. The mental health system here and elsewhere was so dominated by quackery for decades that there's now an understandable hesitancy to do anything that even remotely smacks of forced commitments to mental institutions. But I'd still argue that past abuses -- as portrayed in other books, including 'One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest' -- forced the pendulum to swing too far to the overly cautious we-can't-do-anything side. ...
Finished Mark Bowden's 'Guests of the Ayatollah.' I'd give it a thumbs-up review. But it didn't meet my initially high and excited expectations. I wanted to know a lot more about Iran and its history. But that wasn't Bowden's goal. I did come away with many useful pieces of knowledge. Among them: A.) Anyone who thinks there's a great Westernized undercurrent in Iran that can be manipulated to our advantage ought to be very careful. There is such an undercurrent. But the same thing was said about Iraq before Saddam's fall -- and look what happened. Ayatollah Khomeini and Muqtada al-Sadr didn't spring from nowhere. B.) Bowden convinced me that, for the most part, Jimmy Carter handled the hostage crisis with great dignity and determination. ...
... Now for my next book: Michael D'Antoni's 'The State Boys Rebellion.' I'm only a few chapters into it and already in a state of shock how the mentally ill, and those who were thought to be mentally ill, were brutally treated. It begins to explain a bit why it was so difficult to act on the warning signs of the Virgina Tech killer. The mental health system here and elsewhere was so dominated by quackery for decades that there's now an understandable hesitancy to do anything that even remotely smacks of forced commitments to mental institutions. But I'd still argue that past abuses -- as portrayed in other books, including 'One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest' -- forced the pendulum to swing too far to the overly cautious we-can't-do-anything side. ...
'Born in Springfield, Massachusetts ...'
I guess we can claim two Massachusetts people are running for president -- one who distanced himself from Massachusetts a long time ago and another who's in the process of distancing himself from Massachusetts. ... More on Mike Gravel here and here. ...
I guess we can claim two Massachusetts people are running for president -- one who distanced himself from Massachusetts a long time ago and another who's in the process of distancing himself from Massachusetts. ... More on Mike Gravel here and here. ...
Friday, April 27, 2007
'Slam dunk' vs. 'never a serious debate'
George Tenet explains the debate nuances for taking the country to war. ... Question: Why didn't he resign if he thought there wasn't enough serious debate? ... George, I have extra paper bags if you now have second thoughts about the war. I advise the non-handle types. They fit more snugly over the head. I wear mine all the time. ...
George Tenet explains the debate nuances for taking the country to war. ... Question: Why didn't he resign if he thought there wasn't enough serious debate? ... George, I have extra paper bags if you now have second thoughts about the war. I advise the non-handle types. They fit more snugly over the head. I wear mine all the time. ...
'Here comes Animal House II'
Not quite. But still Animal House 1.5. Not bad. ... FYI: They needed lively dancing with lampshades to reach full Animal House status -- or the mere presense of 'Ma Barker' to reach said status. ... More pols behaving badly here.
Not quite. But still Animal House 1.5. Not bad. ... FYI: They needed lively dancing with lampshades to reach full Animal House status -- or the mere presense of 'Ma Barker' to reach said status. ... More pols behaving badly here.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
'Damn clever'
Armchair Gen. Savin Hill writes in about this Economist ad (scroll down a bit):
Unfortunately, U.S. news magazines spend most of their time dreaming up ways to cram more biblical topics on their covers.
Armchair Gen. Savin Hill writes in about this Economist ad (scroll down a bit):
I thought this was damn clever. For some reason, can't ever imagine a US news magazine, or what passes for "news" magazines these days being half this clever in self-marketing.
Unfortunately, U.S. news magazines spend most of their time dreaming up ways to cram more biblical topics on their covers.
Pander Express
So John McCain made it official yesterday. Maybe it's just me. But I thought his performance last night on the Daily Show was somehow sad. McCain was part impressive, part media panderer and part roasted guest. When I saw him laughing and clapping his hands each time Jon Stewart skewered him, I couldn't help but think McCain's act was old and his candidacy all but over. ... Rudy still intrigues me, though his stand on the war seems as unrealistic as McCain's. Obama is mildly interesting, but he strikes me as a one-note wonder. Forget Hillary. I really don't want 22 straight years of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton (not to mention a possible 26 years if she ever won re-election). I'm trying to get more interested in Tommy Thompson and Bill Richardson. They both strike me as intelligent moderates. It won't happen, but it would be nice if each party nominated a non-polarizing candidate. ... Good post by Glenn on the general unattractiveness of both parties. ...
So John McCain made it official yesterday. Maybe it's just me. But I thought his performance last night on the Daily Show was somehow sad. McCain was part impressive, part media panderer and part roasted guest. When I saw him laughing and clapping his hands each time Jon Stewart skewered him, I couldn't help but think McCain's act was old and his candidacy all but over. ... Rudy still intrigues me, though his stand on the war seems as unrealistic as McCain's. Obama is mildly interesting, but he strikes me as a one-note wonder. Forget Hillary. I really don't want 22 straight years of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton (not to mention a possible 26 years if she ever won re-election). I'm trying to get more interested in Tommy Thompson and Bill Richardson. They both strike me as intelligent moderates. It won't happen, but it would be nice if each party nominated a non-polarizing candidate. ... Good post by Glenn on the general unattractiveness of both parties. ...
'A final decision was made'
The pension game: This is how it works. Think of it this way: That extra $15,000 a year for just one employee roughly equals the annual state tax withholdings of about two or three private citizens, who will now have to support her for the rest of her post-42-years-old life. ... Let's not get into how many individual tax withholdings it takes to pay for Billy Bulger's annual pension. ... I know it's not that simple. But simplifying drives home the point that there are real taxpayers on the giving end of these pension antics. ...
The pension game: This is how it works. Think of it this way: That extra $15,000 a year for just one employee roughly equals the annual state tax withholdings of about two or three private citizens, who will now have to support her for the rest of her post-42-years-old life. ... Let's not get into how many individual tax withholdings it takes to pay for Billy Bulger's annual pension. ... I know it's not that simple. But simplifying drives home the point that there are real taxpayers on the giving end of these pension antics. ...
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
David Halberstam, RIP
What a loss. ... Bostonians can be forgiven if we claim Halberstam as one of our own. Three of his books -- 'Summer of '49,' 'Teammates' and 'Education of a Coach' -- dealt with Boston sports legends in a way that made you feel proud to be a Boston fan. ... His wife says he would have liked to be remembered as an historian. He should be. My favorite of his books is 'The Fifties,' a look at a complicated and dynamic decade that wasn't quite what ideologues argue about to this day. ...
What a loss. ... Bostonians can be forgiven if we claim Halberstam as one of our own. Three of his books -- 'Summer of '49,' 'Teammates' and 'Education of a Coach' -- dealt with Boston sports legends in a way that made you feel proud to be a Boston fan. ... His wife says he would have liked to be remembered as an historian. He should be. My favorite of his books is 'The Fifties,' a look at a complicated and dynamic decade that wasn't quite what ideologues argue about to this day. ...
Saturday, April 21, 2007
'How to File for Unemployment Insurance Benefits'
One has to wonder if Nicholas Winset's unpopular (for Boston) 2nd Amendment views might have factored a little into his firing. But one really has to wonder how the heck he was allowed in a classroom in the first place, if re-enacting the VT massacre (complete with a Magic Marker gun and an accompanying 'pow') and tying it into the financial markets is his idea of teaching. ... Now about those 'die ins' that students regularly perform. ... This is a very odd story. I find very little about Winset on Google. Maybe I'm missing something. ...
Update -- One of the all-time put-downs of 'die ins.' ... Needless to say, Winset and others' 're-enactments' are an insult to serious debate. ...
One has to wonder if Nicholas Winset's unpopular (for Boston) 2nd Amendment views might have factored a little into his firing. But one really has to wonder how the heck he was allowed in a classroom in the first place, if re-enacting the VT massacre (complete with a Magic Marker gun and an accompanying 'pow') and tying it into the financial markets is his idea of teaching. ... Now about those 'die ins' that students regularly perform. ... This is a very odd story. I find very little about Winset on Google. Maybe I'm missing something. ...
Update -- One of the all-time put-downs of 'die ins.' ... Needless to say, Winset and others' 're-enactments' are an insult to serious debate. ...
Friday, April 20, 2007
'Shake-ups loom'?
On Wayne's column and those new polls: 1.) Kerry's numbers may be low but he's still going to win re-election. He's a tenacious campaigner. Republicans should instead spend the dough on on trying to build a grass-roots network. 2.) I just hope lawmakers follow constitutional procedures on the proposed gay-marriage referendum. Let 'em feel confident enough to vote it down. I don't care. Just follow the procedures. 3.) Mitt's low numbers here are not at all surprising and I don't think he could win a statewide dog-catcher race at this point. ...
On Wayne's column and those new polls: 1.) Kerry's numbers may be low but he's still going to win re-election. He's a tenacious campaigner. Republicans should instead spend the dough on on trying to build a grass-roots network. 2.) I just hope lawmakers follow constitutional procedures on the proposed gay-marriage referendum. Let 'em feel confident enough to vote it down. I don't care. Just follow the procedures. 3.) Mitt's low numbers here are not at all surprising and I don't think he could win a statewide dog-catcher race at this point. ...
'Increasingly unhinged,' Part II
If universities take action against a disturbed student, they get sued. If they don't take action against a disturbed student, they get sued. What's wrong with this picture? ... Favorite quote from a Temple University official: “We’re actually going to go ahead and have the counseling service here do a session for all our instructors and faculty on what to look for, what the procedures are, and what the counseling center can do.” ... But Virginia Tech instructors and faculty followed their exact procedures and still nothing was done. ... Counseling sessions about counseling sessions. Maybe Virginia Tech instructors and faculty should give counseling sessions to counsel session leaders about how the counseling-session system didn't exactly work on Monday. ... Repeat: The system utterly failed those 32 students and instructors. ...
Update -- A reader responds: "re this am's post: what do you propose to do?" Answer: I'd lower the standard for 'intervention,' giving authorities legal protection for their actions. Lawyers and mental-health activists won't like it. And I'd agree there's a potential for abuse. But the current system isn't working. It didn't at Virginia Tech -- and can't and won't in the future if current 'procedures' are dutifully followed, again. ...
If universities take action against a disturbed student, they get sued. If they don't take action against a disturbed student, they get sued. What's wrong with this picture? ... Favorite quote from a Temple University official: “We’re actually going to go ahead and have the counseling service here do a session for all our instructors and faculty on what to look for, what the procedures are, and what the counseling center can do.” ... But Virginia Tech instructors and faculty followed their exact procedures and still nothing was done. ... Counseling sessions about counseling sessions. Maybe Virginia Tech instructors and faculty should give counseling sessions to counsel session leaders about how the counseling-session system didn't exactly work on Monday. ... Repeat: The system utterly failed those 32 students and instructors. ...
Update -- A reader responds: "re this am's post: what do you propose to do?" Answer: I'd lower the standard for 'intervention,' giving authorities legal protection for their actions. Lawyers and mental-health activists won't like it. And I'd agree there's a potential for abuse. But the current system isn't working. It didn't at Virginia Tech -- and can't and won't in the future if current 'procedures' are dutifully followed, again. ...
'ESPN Interrupts Drew Bledsoe's Retirement Speech To ...'
Now Drew is getting it from the Onion. ... Thanks to Kev for the tip. ...
Now Drew is getting it from the Onion. ... Thanks to Kev for the tip. ...
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The ongoing Prohibition, Part III
Another call to lower the drinking age. Earlier thoughts here. ...
Update -- More here, via Glenn. ...
Another call to lower the drinking age. Earlier thoughts here. ...
Update -- More here, via Glenn. ...
'Plan B was to make Plan A work,' Part II
Phillip Carter says we're actually on Plan F in Iraq, not Plan C. I'll concede the point. ...
Phillip Carter says we're actually on Plan F in Iraq, not Plan C. I'll concede the point. ...
'Without my camera'
Turns out Carpundit helped the elderly driver get out of the burning taxi that was photographed and posted yesterday on Adam's site. Thanks and congrats to Carpundit. Too bad about the camera. ... Is it my imagination or are the conditions of Boston cabs getting crappier by the minute? Also yesterday, in a far less dramatic incident, I was standing on the sidewalk on Harrison Avenue, when I was jolted out of my usual Walter Mitty smoking-break reverie by a loud metalic banging sound coming down Herald Street. The commotion stopped when a cab pulled over to the side. The driver got out, inspected the cab, looked underneath it, and then shrugged his shoulders. A few minutes later, a hotel van came to pick up the stranded passenger in the back seat. I didn't stick around to see what happened to the pathetic junker. ...
Update -- It's Walter Mitty, not Middy. Changed it. ...
Turns out Carpundit helped the elderly driver get out of the burning taxi that was photographed and posted yesterday on Adam's site. Thanks and congrats to Carpundit. Too bad about the camera. ... Is it my imagination or are the conditions of Boston cabs getting crappier by the minute? Also yesterday, in a far less dramatic incident, I was standing on the sidewalk on Harrison Avenue, when I was jolted out of my usual Walter Mitty smoking-break reverie by a loud metalic banging sound coming down Herald Street. The commotion stopped when a cab pulled over to the side. The driver got out, inspected the cab, looked underneath it, and then shrugged his shoulders. A few minutes later, a hotel van came to pick up the stranded passenger in the back seat. I didn't stick around to see what happened to the pathetic junker. ...
Update -- It's Walter Mitty, not Middy. Changed it. ...
'Increasingly unhinged'
Despite repeated textbook warning signs of mental derangement, Cho Seung-Hui was allowed to stay in classes and dorms because 'nothing could be done'? If that's the case, then let's stop all the blather about 'detection' and 'intervention' etc. Because in the end, nothing can be done, right? ... The system utterly failed those 32 students and instructors. Forget the two-hour gap. There's now a two-year gap to analyze. ...
Despite repeated textbook warning signs of mental derangement, Cho Seung-Hui was allowed to stay in classes and dorms because 'nothing could be done'? If that's the case, then let's stop all the blather about 'detection' and 'intervention' etc. Because in the end, nothing can be done, right? ... The system utterly failed those 32 students and instructors. Forget the two-hour gap. There's now a two-year gap to analyze. ...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
'No one builds ranch houses'
I like ranch houses. Easy to navigate and maintain, etc. But I'm in a minority:
Breezeways. There's a word I haven't heard in while.
I like ranch houses. Easy to navigate and maintain, etc. But I'm in a minority:
No one builds ranch houses or split-levels anymore. Picture windows and carports are gone, and so are breezeways. Home buyers' affair with modernistic design is over. When I leaf through a directory of one big home builder's current models, I notice that all the houses have similar architectural features: pitched roofs, gables, dormers, bay windows, keystones, shutters, porches, and paneled doors.
Breezeways. There's a word I haven't heard in while.
'London is the seventh-largest French city'
More evidence that French youths are leaving France. Problem: Labor laws. ... Second link via Solomonia.
More evidence that French youths are leaving France. Problem: Labor laws. ... Second link via Solomonia.
'You won't get away with this, Brownstone!'
Via John, here's a one-act play by the suspect in the Virginia Tech massacre. Imagine the creative-writing instructor and students in his class as they peer reviewed these lines: "I'd like to kill him. ... I'll be damned if he doesn't die. ... If he's a leech we'll be able to yank it off and squash him beneath our boots. ... I wanna watch him bleed." ... Fellow students were "very careful" with their review comments. ...
Via John, here's a one-act play by the suspect in the Virginia Tech massacre. Imagine the creative-writing instructor and students in his class as they peer reviewed these lines: "I'd like to kill him. ... I'll be damned if he doesn't die. ... If he's a leech we'll be able to yank it off and squash him beneath our boots. ... I wanna watch him bleed." ... Fellow students were "very careful" with their review comments. ...
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
'Safer in their classrooms'
Initially, Virginia Tech officials said that they thought the first gun incident was a 'domestic-violence incident' and that the shooter might have left campus, perhaps even the state. But this WaPo article makes clear they were also mulling what would happen if the suspect was still roaming the campus:
They concluded wrong. There was no 'lock down' per se. The classrooms were not safer. They proceeded as if they hoped the first incident could be contained and campus life could go on, even while they sensed danger. ... I don't want to second guess people who were under great stress. But when 32 people die, you second guess. ...
Initially, Virginia Tech officials said that they thought the first gun incident was a 'domestic-violence incident' and that the shooter might have left campus, perhaps even the state. But this WaPo article makes clear they were also mulling what would happen if the suspect was still roaming the campus:
University President Charles W. Steger said officials also were unsure what the alternative would be to allowing classes to proceed. More than 14,000 of the university's 26,000 full-time students live off campus, and, with some classes starting at 8 a.m., many of them were en route when officials were having to decide, he said. The university and police decided that students would be safer in their classrooms than milling around the campus or in their dorms, he said.
"The question is, [where] do you keep them that is more safe?" Steger said. He added: "We concluded that it was best, once they got in their classrooms . . . to lock them down" there.
They concluded wrong. There was no 'lock down' per se. The classrooms were not safer. They proceeded as if they hoped the first incident could be contained and campus life could go on, even while they sensed danger. ... I don't want to second guess people who were under great stress. But when 32 people die, you second guess. ...
Monday, April 16, 2007
'The New New Boston'
Alan explains how 'The New Boston' is actually the old Boston and 'The New New Boston' isn't that much different from the old/new Boston. ... He also defends (sort of) gentrification. Well, someone had to say it. Good column. ...
Alan explains how 'The New Boston' is actually the old Boston and 'The New New Boston' isn't that much different from the old/new Boston. ... He also defends (sort of) gentrification. Well, someone had to say it. Good column. ...
'Undercover tanking mission'
Bill Simmons rips into Doc and Danny. ... I'm one of those who has a soft spot for the current abysmal Celts -- and even Doc. But if the Celts don't get Oden or Durant, it's time for owners to clean out the management house. The losing numbers -- capped by the 2007 season -- speak for themselves. ... Simmons piece via BSM, which is celebrating its fifth year of blogging. Happy Blog Birthday! ...
Bill Simmons rips into Doc and Danny. ... I'm one of those who has a soft spot for the current abysmal Celts -- and even Doc. But if the Celts don't get Oden or Durant, it's time for owners to clean out the management house. The losing numbers -- capped by the 2007 season -- speak for themselves. ... Simmons piece via BSM, which is celebrating its fifth year of blogging. Happy Blog Birthday! ...
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The Great 'Nor'easter' versus 'NORTHeaster' Debate, 2007
Adam revives the great debate over 'Nor'easter' or 'NORTHeaster.' Two years ago, Hub Blog grudgingly conceded 'nor'easter' is a real word, after a stubborn rear-guard argumentative retreat of epic proportions. ... I still hate the way the word is overused on TV. ...
Adam revives the great debate over 'Nor'easter' or 'NORTHeaster.' Two years ago, Hub Blog grudgingly conceded 'nor'easter' is a real word, after a stubborn rear-guard argumentative retreat of epic proportions. ... I still hate the way the word is overused on TV. ...
'Up until I came to Boston'
The Sox and Curt looked mighty good yesterday. Maybe I'm wrong to be down on this team. ... Curt, who went 8 innings, on how he's changed his mind on 9-inning games:
And on Patriots Day traditions:
Read on for good vs. bad umpires and the thrill of walking off the field after a job well done.
The Sox and Curt looked mighty good yesterday. Maybe I'm wrong to be down on this team. ... Curt, who went 8 innings, on how he's changed his mind on 9-inning games:
Up until I came to Boston the complete game was about as important a stat as there was to me as a starting pitcher. I figured that within the complete games all the other numbers would take care of themselves. Johnny Podres preached that mentality to me as a young pitcher and it’s something I have always thought the better pitchers strove for. Things are different now. Me getting a complete game shutout would have been great, it’s been a looooong time since I’ve done that, but in the end I’d have been going out in the 9th to satisfy a personal goal that really has nothing to do with us winning it all. I need to be healthy in October, and as fresh as I can be.
And on Patriots Day traditions:
No idea what the next two days will bring both schedule and weather wise, but it’s not looking to good. I still can’t believe we’re actually playing a game that starts at 10am, but we are. This has to be the ONLY city on the planet that sells out its ballpark for a pre-noon game start. Unreal.
Read on for good vs. bad umpires and the thrill of walking off the field after a job well done.
'Why George Bush should resist a Wagnerian exit from the White House'
Jim Hoagland reports that A.) Iran may be feeling the pressure and B.) The Bush administration seems committed to a diplomatic approach to Iran. Hope he's right. ... I reprint the Economist cover from February because it was accompanied by an excellent editorial (sub. req.) and one of the best headlines that summed it all up. One can just hear Flight of the Valkyrie playing as the bombers take off. ...
Jim Hoagland reports that A.) Iran may be feeling the pressure and B.) The Bush administration seems committed to a diplomatic approach to Iran. Hope he's right. ... I reprint the Economist cover from February because it was accompanied by an excellent editorial (sub. req.) and one of the best headlines that summed it all up. One can just hear Flight of the Valkyrie playing as the bombers take off. ...
Saturday, April 14, 2007
'Governor Spitzpatrick'
A good Scot column on Deval's first 100 days. ... I also harped on the Spitzer angle here and here in January. The contrast between the two is sadly obvious. Still, I'd give Deval a B- for the first 100 days. The lack of truly bold reforms/surprises disappoints. The other (fill in the blank)-gate misteps also hurt him. But I was impressed by the way he's admitted mistakes and, recently, taken action to correct them. He'll be stronger for it all. ... FYI: I too am puzzled why Deval doesn't run with this ball. Heck, it's fundamentally Deval's idea. I second the motion: 'Take the deal, Governor.' And I'd add: Don't forget to take credit. ...
A good Scot column on Deval's first 100 days. ... I also harped on the Spitzer angle here and here in January. The contrast between the two is sadly obvious. Still, I'd give Deval a B- for the first 100 days. The lack of truly bold reforms/surprises disappoints. The other (fill in the blank)-gate misteps also hurt him. But I was impressed by the way he's admitted mistakes and, recently, taken action to correct them. He'll be stronger for it all. ... FYI: I too am puzzled why Deval doesn't run with this ball. Heck, it's fundamentally Deval's idea. I second the motion: 'Take the deal, Governor.' And I'd add: Don't forget to take credit. ...
'Paul Revere's Ride'
Patriots Day weekend is one of my favorite holidays. It authentic. It's local. It's all ours. The latter is especially gratifying because it's so rare to call something your own in these days of globalization. ... Speaking of Patriots Day, I should link to J.L. Bell's terrific Boston 1775 blog, a true local history buff's haven. One small quibble with this post (via Adam). Of course Longfellow's Paul Revere poem isn't 100 percent accurate. But I still think it's an inspiring and even brilliant poem, partly because Longfellow deliberately set out to glorify a common man's contribution to the Revolution. Without it, the simple heroics of Revere -- and William Dawes et gang -- would have been lost to history. If you doubt whether Revere was a hero, pick up David Hackett Fischer's 'Paul Revere's Ride.' It addresses all the myths and leaves you wowed what Revere actually did on April 18 and 19, 1775. Two incidents stand out: the defiance Revere displayed when captured by British scouts (something that's oddly held against Revere) and Revere's rush back to Buckman's Tavern to fetch papers as British troops approached Lexington Green. ...
Patriots Day weekend is one of my favorite holidays. It authentic. It's local. It's all ours. The latter is especially gratifying because it's so rare to call something your own in these days of globalization. ... Speaking of Patriots Day, I should link to J.L. Bell's terrific Boston 1775 blog, a true local history buff's haven. One small quibble with this post (via Adam). Of course Longfellow's Paul Revere poem isn't 100 percent accurate. But I still think it's an inspiring and even brilliant poem, partly because Longfellow deliberately set out to glorify a common man's contribution to the Revolution. Without it, the simple heroics of Revere -- and William Dawes et gang -- would have been lost to history. If you doubt whether Revere was a hero, pick up David Hackett Fischer's 'Paul Revere's Ride.' It addresses all the myths and leaves you wowed what Revere actually did on April 18 and 19, 1775. Two incidents stand out: the defiance Revere displayed when captured by British scouts (something that's oddly held against Revere) and Revere's rush back to Buckman's Tavern to fetch papers as British troops approached Lexington Green. ...
'To be told he's doing just fine'
Oh, God, not again: the 'Anglosphere.' What next? A return to pre-Iraq war chest thumping about unilateralism, Andrew Jackson, the Scot-Irish, Munich, Churchill comparisons and more Churchill comparisons? ... The sad thing about National Review's cover story on Andrew Roberts' new book and all things Anglosphere is how romantically wrong it is in terms of history. The Bush administration, which reportedly invited Roberts to the White House for an English-speaking neocolonial pep talk, doesn't seem to understand, nor care, how far it has drifted from traditional American foreign policy since World War II. To prove the point, Hub Blog typed into Google the following: "U.S. anti-colonialism during World War II" and came up with this gem: A Time magazine piece from 1958 on the U.S. reluctantly coming to grips with its historic anti-colonial impulses and the realities of the Cold War. I found this passage particularly interesting: "In World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt so harried Churchill about Britain's colonial possessions that during one wartime conference Churchill cried: 'Mr. President, I believe you are trying to do away with the British Empire.'" ... Not exactly an Anglospheric passing of the baton that Roberts promotes -- and which some Bushies have embraced. Sure, America and Britain have had a special relationship over the last 65 years. But it's far more complicated than lumping the relationship together into Roberts' simplistic and semi-revolting 'Anglosphere' formulation. ... Back to NRO again, Victor Davis Hanson pens a 'I recently had a dream' piece bemoaning the days when Britain would fight and the West was the West. Hey, Victor, you can wake up. Michael Yon is writing about how Britain is indeed fighting. Another great article by Michael. ... Art above courtesy of New Republic. ...
Update - 4.15.07 -- While talking about this subject last night, a friend brought up Pat Buchanan's book 'A Republic, Not an Empire.' Not a fan of Buchanan's isolationism. But I catch his drift about empires. I'd argue that embrace of Roberts' views is profoundly anti-conservative, considering how the Founding Fathers railed against colonialism. But of course NR long ago put hack partisanship before conservative principles, so Rudyard Kipling Bush it shall be. ...
Oh, God, not again: the 'Anglosphere.' What next? A return to pre-Iraq war chest thumping about unilateralism, Andrew Jackson, the Scot-Irish, Munich, Churchill comparisons and more Churchill comparisons? ... The sad thing about National Review's cover story on Andrew Roberts' new book and all things Anglosphere is how romantically wrong it is in terms of history. The Bush administration, which reportedly invited Roberts to the White House for an English-speaking neocolonial pep talk, doesn't seem to understand, nor care, how far it has drifted from traditional American foreign policy since World War II. To prove the point, Hub Blog typed into Google the following: "U.S. anti-colonialism during World War II" and came up with this gem: A Time magazine piece from 1958 on the U.S. reluctantly coming to grips with its historic anti-colonial impulses and the realities of the Cold War. I found this passage particularly interesting: "In World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt so harried Churchill about Britain's colonial possessions that during one wartime conference Churchill cried: 'Mr. President, I believe you are trying to do away with the British Empire.'" ... Not exactly an Anglospheric passing of the baton that Roberts promotes -- and which some Bushies have embraced. Sure, America and Britain have had a special relationship over the last 65 years. But it's far more complicated than lumping the relationship together into Roberts' simplistic and semi-revolting 'Anglosphere' formulation. ... Back to NRO again, Victor Davis Hanson pens a 'I recently had a dream' piece bemoaning the days when Britain would fight and the West was the West. Hey, Victor, you can wake up. Michael Yon is writing about how Britain is indeed fighting. Another great article by Michael. ... Art above courtesy of New Republic. ...
Update - 4.15.07 -- While talking about this subject last night, a friend brought up Pat Buchanan's book 'A Republic, Not an Empire.' Not a fan of Buchanan's isolationism. But I catch his drift about empires. I'd argue that embrace of Roberts' views is profoundly anti-conservative, considering how the Founding Fathers railed against colonialism. But of course NR long ago put hack partisanship before conservative principles, so Rudyard Kipling Bush it shall be. ...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
'Retire with a smile on my face'
Drew Bledsoe goes out classy. Say what you will about his playing skills, Drew was and is 1.) a gentleman. 2.) a fundamentally nice guy 3.) a Superbowl quarterback who could throw unforgettable rockets 4.) a leader who played no small role in transforming the Pats into the popular, high-expectations franchise that it is today. .. Granted, he couldn't scramble out of a pocket or read defenses very well. ... Is he really 35? Seems like only yesterday I was reading about how, soon after signing with the Pats, he once took his high school buddies to an ATM to show them the seven-figure balance in his checking account. For some reason, that always stuck with me as such a down-to-earth reaction of a down-to-earth guy. ...
Update -- OK, I know linking to the fake Drew Bledsoe blog isn't in the spirit of what I wrote above. But I couldn't resist. No reaction yet to the retirement. But here's what "Drew" wrote after Tony Romo blew the Cowboys' last game of the season:
Update II -- Whoa. It's official: Kevin Durant is going into the NBA draft. The draft could be very disappointing for the Celts if Oden doesn't declare. ... From a successor blog to Drew's blog:
Drew Bledsoe goes out classy. Say what you will about his playing skills, Drew was and is 1.) a gentleman. 2.) a fundamentally nice guy 3.) a Superbowl quarterback who could throw unforgettable rockets 4.) a leader who played no small role in transforming the Pats into the popular, high-expectations franchise that it is today. .. Granted, he couldn't scramble out of a pocket or read defenses very well. ... Is he really 35? Seems like only yesterday I was reading about how, soon after signing with the Pats, he once took his high school buddies to an ATM to show them the seven-figure balance in his checking account. For some reason, that always stuck with me as such a down-to-earth reaction of a down-to-earth guy. ...
Update -- OK, I know linking to the fake Drew Bledsoe blog isn't in the spirit of what I wrote above. But I couldn't resist. No reaction yet to the retirement. But here's what "Drew" wrote after Tony Romo blew the Cowboys' last game of the season:
I walked up to him, put my hand on his shoulder and said "Hey Buddy. I know how you're feeling. This is probably the low point in your life. You look around and you're surrounded by a room full of people you've disappointed today. It's tough to look any one of us in the eye and say 'Thanks for practicing all year long and preparing, but it doesn't matter because I couldn't hold onto a football.' As an athlete there is nothing worse than letting your team down. It's hard, I know. It's really hard. But on the plus side I saved a lot of money on my car insurance by switching to Geiko. ..."
Update II -- Whoa. It's official: Kevin Durant is going into the NBA draft. The draft could be very disappointing for the Celts if Oden doesn't declare. ... From a successor blog to Drew's blog:
Kevin Durant has declared for the NBA Draft. In an unrelated story, Paul Pierce has injured his elbow and is out for the season. When asked how, Pierce said Ainge bit it.
Monday, April 09, 2007
SoWa the hell
Carpundit catches his wife referring to a portion of the Sound End as 'SoWa.' ... Don't get me going on this topic. ...
Carpundit catches his wife referring to a portion of the Sound End as 'SoWa.' ... Don't get me going on this topic. ...
'Changing the Iraq debate from A to B,' Part II
A lament about what could have been -- and about the current state of debate on Iraq. ... An Iraqi who regrets. ... 'OK, OK, enough with memory lane.' ... First link via Glenn. ...
A lament about what could have been -- and about the current state of debate on Iraq. ... An Iraqi who regrets. ... 'OK, OK, enough with memory lane.' ... First link via Glenn. ...
Sunday, April 08, 2007
'Changing the Iraq debate from A to B'
Mickey makes a good point about Dems turning the Iraq spotlight from President Bush onto themselves. They're not going to change fundamental policy until 2008. Therefore they should concentrate on the president's gross incompetence in conducting the war. ... Can someone yank Nancy Pelosi off center stage? Her trip to Syria was an egotistical debacle. But she's obviously committed to the political script of combating political theater with political theater. ... FYI: I disagree with Mickey that the surge might work. At most, I'm hoping, at this point, that it lessens the degree of defeat. I truly hope I'm wrong on that degree-of-defeat count. ...
Update -- David makes a good catch on Republican trips to Damascus and past GOP congressional forays into foreign policy. But saying 'Newt Gingrich did it too' is not exactly the comparison I'd want out there. Pelosi's trip remains a scripted disaster. ... Repeat: Democrats should be pounding into the incompetence issue, not diverting the Iraq attention onto themselves. ...
Update II -- Reader No. 1:
Mickey makes a good point about Dems turning the Iraq spotlight from President Bush onto themselves. They're not going to change fundamental policy until 2008. Therefore they should concentrate on the president's gross incompetence in conducting the war. ... Can someone yank Nancy Pelosi off center stage? Her trip to Syria was an egotistical debacle. But she's obviously committed to the political script of combating political theater with political theater. ... FYI: I disagree with Mickey that the surge might work. At most, I'm hoping, at this point, that it lessens the degree of defeat. I truly hope I'm wrong on that degree-of-defeat count. ...
Update -- David makes a good catch on Republican trips to Damascus and past GOP congressional forays into foreign policy. But saying 'Newt Gingrich did it too' is not exactly the comparison I'd want out there. Pelosi's trip remains a scripted disaster. ... Repeat: Democrats should be pounding into the incompetence issue, not diverting the Iraq attention onto themselves. ...
Update II -- Reader No. 1:
Democrats can't help "diverting attention to themselves." Personalizing issues is what their national candidates do - all too frequently, to the detriment of the issue.
On the surge, see Senator McCain in today's WaPo: "This progress is not determinative. It is simply encouraging.... There is no guarantee that we will succeed, but we must try."
SHN poll - Globe poll = Pretty good
Ah ha! The first David had it right if you subtract the Globe poll from the State House News poll. See? Things really can turn fast. ... The polling on individual controversies -- CallGate, AideGate, DrapeGate, CaddyGate and HeliGate -- is interesting. The former two really mattered. The other three not nearly as much. But collectivey, the latter preceded the former, helping to build a pattern. ... No dates when the Globe poll was taken.
Ah ha! The first David had it right if you subtract the Globe poll from the State House News poll. See? Things really can turn fast. ... The polling on individual controversies -- CallGate, AideGate, DrapeGate, CaddyGate and HeliGate -- is interesting. The former two really mattered. The other three not nearly as much. But collectivey, the latter preceded the former, helping to build a pattern. ... No dates when the Globe poll was taken.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
'Pretty good' - 'Mightily Disappointed' = Pretty Disappointed
I've settled the difference between David and David on how to interpret the latest State House News poll on Deval. No politician in his or her right mind could be happy with these numbers so soon after taking office and after such a resounding election victory. But the numbers aren't that bad -- and the old cliche is right that things can turn fast. Remember: Clinton. ... But also remember that Clinton made a genuine effort to veer to the center after his initial mistakes. I detect a similar effort by Deval with his 'pull the pants up' remark, stem cell position and smart pro-business radio ads, etc. From a purely tactical standpoint, his out-of-state gay marriage proposal got lost in this centrist shuffle -- perhaps by design and/or perhaps just as well. ...
I've settled the difference between David and David on how to interpret the latest State House News poll on Deval. No politician in his or her right mind could be happy with these numbers so soon after taking office and after such a resounding election victory. But the numbers aren't that bad -- and the old cliche is right that things can turn fast. Remember: Clinton. ... But also remember that Clinton made a genuine effort to veer to the center after his initial mistakes. I detect a similar effort by Deval with his 'pull the pants up' remark, stem cell position and smart pro-business radio ads, etc. From a purely tactical standpoint, his out-of-state gay marriage proposal got lost in this centrist shuffle -- perhaps by design and/or perhaps just as well. ...
'One of the most effective weapons against anti-Christian madness in the middle of the last days of a political war'
By Gregg Jackson. Who else? ... Now guess who he's defending and who he's fulminating against. ...
By Gregg Jackson. Who else? ... Now guess who he's defending and who he's fulminating against. ...
Friday, April 06, 2007
'We'll take it'
They're on to us! The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers the Cape, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket as officialy designated 'rural' areas -- and the locals haven't missed a beat in getting loans and grants for a municipal dock, museum, garden center, the Black Dog Tavern, rental subsidies on Nantucket etc. ... Town managers have obviously been reading Matthew Lesko again. Hey, if it keeps property taxes down. ...
They're on to us! The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers the Cape, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket as officialy designated 'rural' areas -- and the locals haven't missed a beat in getting loans and grants for a municipal dock, museum, garden center, the Black Dog Tavern, rental subsidies on Nantucket etc. ... Town managers have obviously been reading Matthew Lesko again. Hey, if it keeps property taxes down. ...
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Darryl Stingley, RIP
His injury so many years ago shocked fans and players. His grace and courage afterward inspired fans and players. RIP, Darryl. ... Still on my list as one of the more repugnant books ever written. ...
Update - 4.6.07 -- More on Darryl and Jack. ...
His injury so many years ago shocked fans and players. His grace and courage afterward inspired fans and players. RIP, Darryl. ... Still on my list as one of the more repugnant books ever written. ...
Update - 4.6.07 -- More on Darryl and Jack. ...
'The ethicists'
Taken to its logical extreme, the assertion that 'academics are supposed to be independent thinkers' would mean professors should never associate with shady characters or represent dubious causes -- and then Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky would be in real trouble. ... Somehow, I get the feeling this is more about some 'ethicists' simply not liking old Mo. ... BTW: What's the criteria for becoming an 'ethicist'? Just wondering. ...
Taken to its logical extreme, the assertion that 'academics are supposed to be independent thinkers' would mean professors should never associate with shady characters or represent dubious causes -- and then Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky would be in real trouble. ... Somehow, I get the feeling this is more about some 'ethicists' simply not liking old Mo. ... BTW: What's the criteria for becoming an 'ethicist'? Just wondering. ...
'Live blogging is like Paris Hilton'
If a game is already being aired on TV and radio, quite true. ...
If a game is already being aired on TV and radio, quite true. ...
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
A more perfect school for the perfect, Part II
Some letters on those 'amazing girls.' My favorite reaction comes from Chris of Maynard: "When will the madness end? Yet another generation consumed with the destination rather than the journey. ... Unless we teach our children to enjoy each day, this race to the next peak will continue." ... The World War II generation: middle class. Baby Boomers: Upper middle class. What are Boomers pressuring their children to be? Uber Upper Middle Class? Quasi-artistocratic? What? The lust for status boggles the mind. ...
Some letters on those 'amazing girls.' My favorite reaction comes from Chris of Maynard: "When will the madness end? Yet another generation consumed with the destination rather than the journey. ... Unless we teach our children to enjoy each day, this race to the next peak will continue." ... The World War II generation: middle class. Baby Boomers: Upper middle class. What are Boomers pressuring their children to be? Uber Upper Middle Class? Quasi-artistocratic? What? The lust for status boggles the mind. ...
'It's not Tobin Bridge time yet,' Part II
Curt analyzes his Opening Day disappointment. ... More on Curt and Sox here. ...
Curt analyzes his Opening Day disappointment. ... More on Curt and Sox here. ...
'The Letter'
It's not a movie -- but it should be. ... Think of all the plot angles and characters involved in the now discredited Niger-uranium documents that ended up in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address: An Italiam journalist, secret documents that could change the course of history, a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, disgruntled CIA officers, trips to Niger, West Wing-like meetings at the White House, nuclear bombs, shifty aides, French spies, a speech, and then war. No car chases through European cities. But they can always be written into the plot. ... Of course there's the question of how to treat the material: As a dramatic conspiracy thriller like Syriana or tragic farce like Fargo? Because of all the ineptness involved, the bumbling Jerry Lundegaard sticks to the mind ... and so a variation of Fargo it is!
It's not a movie -- but it should be. ... Think of all the plot angles and characters involved in the now discredited Niger-uranium documents that ended up in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address: An Italiam journalist, secret documents that could change the course of history, a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, disgruntled CIA officers, trips to Niger, West Wing-like meetings at the White House, nuclear bombs, shifty aides, French spies, a speech, and then war. No car chases through European cities. But they can always be written into the plot. ... Of course there's the question of how to treat the material: As a dramatic conspiracy thriller like Syriana or tragic farce like Fargo? Because of all the ineptness involved, the bumbling Jerry Lundegaard sticks to the mind ... and so a variation of Fargo it is!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
'It's not Tobin Bridge time yet'
Reader No. 1 looks at the Sox and Yanks' pitching:
Reader No. 1 looks at the Sox and Yanks' pitching:
A breakthrough? Nick notes Sox pitching projections in the 2007 Bill James Handbook for a collective 33 wins from Schilling/Beckett/Wakefield. This doesn't seem like much from your 1-2-4 starters... and is a sobering reminder of (a) the Red Sox' older profile, (b) the delicate/unreliable (take your pick) nature of a former Florida Marlin phenom, (c) the effects of injuries.
But Nick doesn't mention the same book's projection for the Yankees 1-2-4 starters (Wang/Mussina/Pavano): 31 wins... which is a sobering reminder of (a) the Yankees' older profile, (b) the delicate/unreliable (take your pick) nature of a former Florida Marlin phenom, (c) the effects of injuries.
Also, we haven't factored in the #3 starters: Dice-K and Andy Pettite (pretty good matchups there!) Conclusion: it's not Tobin Bridge time yet, folks. Or in the words of Bill Parcells, "that's why they play the games."
The aforementioned Handbook is worth reading just for James' article on Baserunning (pp 291-295), and (as long as we're on an Evil Empire kick here), a compare/contrast of Jeter and Ortiz on the basepaths. Aside from giving us locals great pleasure, it confirms the gut reaction gathered from spending the last 4 years with eyeballs glued to NESN...
Play ball, already!
A more perfect school for the perfect
Boston student Travis Miller ponders how he can 'die at any time and any place.' Meanwhile, Newton is spending $154 million on a more perfect high school for 'amazing girls' and other nearly perfect people living just miles away. What's wrong with this picture? ...
Boston student Travis Miller ponders how he can 'die at any time and any place.' Meanwhile, Newton is spending $154 million on a more perfect high school for 'amazing girls' and other nearly perfect people living just miles away. What's wrong with this picture? ...
'A Memorandum on the Protocols of Power Breakfasting'
If you haven't seen it yet, check out Seth Gitell's piece on power breakfasts in Boston. ... New York has its power dinners. Washington has its lobbyist lunches. Boston has its beloved breakfasts dating back to Emerson. ...
If you haven't seen it yet, check out Seth Gitell's piece on power breakfasts in Boston. ... New York has its power dinners. Washington has its lobbyist lunches. Boston has its beloved breakfasts dating back to Emerson. ...
