'Imminent departure,' Part II
Hub Blog really likes the Jason Bay part of the trade. The overall trade price, though, initially seemed steep -- until Dan crunched some numbers. I feel a little better. ... Count me among those who will 'miss' Manny (which is not the same as 'regret'). How can you not miss him? He was a major part of local sports history. But I'm relieved to get the controversy behind us, therefore there's no aching-heart regret here. ... Some are already comparing the Manny heave-ho to the Nomar trade almost exactly four years ago. Another coincidence is that both trades occurred around the time of the Olympics. The local media four years ago ramped up its Olympics coverage at about this time, giving the Sox room out of the spotlight (relatively speaking, for Boston) to adjust and recover. Hope history repeats itself. ... I would have won the Sal-or-Manny-first-to-go bet (see below). But I had a private wager with Kev that the Sox wouldn't trade Manny before the deadline. Kev's going to be insufferable when I pay up via cold beers at the bar of his choice. ... Bert is starting up his own first-to-go betting pool. ...  ¶ 7:52 PM

'That’s right. A World Series is less important to me'
In an email, Kev proudly announces his 'latest outburst of irrational exuberance.' ... If that's what makes him happy. ... Repeat: I wonder how the anti-Mannyites would be reacting these days if the Sox were comfortably in first place. I think we know the answer. Not that I'm a defend-Manny-to-the-end type. I even like the outline of the trade being talked about. It's just that many Manny haters are so irrationally over the top. Give up a WS win? For Manny's antics? Their defend-the-integrity-of-the-game arguments remind me, vaguely, of those who bemoaned recent Sox WS wins because it took away the nobleness of suffering Sox fans. ...

Update -- Trade deal is dead. For now. Maybe. We'll see. Via Adam  ¶ 11:18 AM

Separated at birth?
Is Woody Harrelson impersonating Clark Rockefeller? Just asking. ... Hub Blog, PI: The case of the missing Blue Blood. ...  ¶ 9:47 AM

'Imminent departure'
Now taking bets: Does Sal leave before Manny? I say no. Sal needs to punch in Jan. 1, 2009 for pension reasons. Manny will be gone by then. ...

Update -- From Reader A:

IMHO, Sal's plan has been the same for months -- get through July as Speaker, then (if necessary) simply announce that he's not running for re-election. It seems he's made it, and can go "on his own terms" -- without losing a vote. His current term runs through January 7, so that's all right.

Makes sense. ...  ¶ 9:45 AM

Lame ...
Lame. ... Lamer. ... Lamest. ... They're going to have to do better than this to defeat Kerry. BTW: Bill Weld would have been smashed and drooping over the babes within the third shot. That's why we liked him. ... FYI: The GOP hasn't posted its press release yet. But they've already sent out a statement from MassGOP executive director Rob Willington: "If it wasn't for these photographs, the voters probably wouldn't have even known that John Kerry was in Massachusetts this year." ... Bad joke drum roll here. ...

Update - 7.30.08 -- This and this also fall in the lame and lamer categories. No one can beat Willington's lamest comment. ...  ¶ 2:24 PM

'I would gladly give back the 2007 WS,' Part II
Kev returns the volley:

Liked the post, and I don't mind representing the irrational side when it comes to Manny.

One nit, it's not "fantasy retroactive punishment." I was calling for the team to dump his sorry ass three years ago today, over an incident in Tampa that is much like what we are seeing again now. According to the NY Times account, "He was so tired he declined to play Wednesday afternoon against Tampa Bay despite a shortage of players because of injuries." Sound familiar?

Strange, I don't recall a post last fall demanding a return of the 2007 WS trophy due to the Tampa episode. ... I wonder how the anti-Mannyites would be reacting these days if the Sox were comfortably in first place. ... Adrian pretty much sums up my views. ... Rob reports Manny might have tendinitis. But the saga still comes down to money, he notes. ...

Update -- Dan: 'Earth to Kevin: ...'  ¶ 6:49 AM

'I would gladly give back the 2007 WS'
Proudly declaring himself a "long standing Manny hater," Kevin uncorks and shows how irrational the anti-Mannyism has gotten. Here's a later email exchange between the two of us (posted with Kev's permission, of course):

K: I would gladly give back the 2007 WS win if the Sox dumped him at the time of my original post (three years ago). Gladly.

HB: You'd give back a World Series trophy in order to dump Manny? Yikes. The anti-Mannyites have lost it.

K: I would. Not the first one, but the second one, yes. I just find it appalling that I'm forced to root for this guy 160+ nights per year. How many times are we supposed to be offended and sit there and say "Thank you sir, may I have another."

I didn't write back to ask why, if we're engaging in fantasy retroactive punishments, he wouldn't go back to 2004. But the anti-Mannyites seem to have finally gotten it right this year. Manny's Manny-being-Manny antics have caught up to him. I won't be too sorry to see him go. But I'll always appreciate what he accomplished here -- and that includes two WS wins, which can't be taken away. ... Now back to the absurd prices of Red Sox tickets, hot dogs, beers and fans saying, "Thank you sir, may I have another."  ¶ 3:07 PM

Manny being Manny, Part 2,575,988
So now we're at the trade-talk point of a typical Manny-being-Manny incident. Due to his hitting and the strangeness of his behavior this season, maybe this is the real thing. But don't be naive. There's a massive ownership-PR campaign under way. We've seen it before, complete with official mouth-piece pronouncements etc. Do you really think ownership would trade away a guaranteed Hall of Famer without first preparing fans? ...  ¶ 5:56 PM

Manny being Manny, Part 2,575,987
Sooner or later, the anti-Mannyites, who love throwing around the big word 'sycophants' (here and here), are bound to get it right. Maybe they're finally right this season. But I think the Manny-being-Manny 'sycophants' and 'apologists' have a far better track record over the years for having urged people to chill out whenever Manny starts acting like Manny. Unless the anti-Mannyites think Manny's contributions to two World Series wins were somehow irrelevant. ... Did Dan really quote Bob Crane to support his anti-Manny position? Bob Crane? Who next? Joe Malone? Hack Nation needs bi-partisan guidance on the Sox, I suppose. ... I loved this Political Graveyard entry for Robert Q. Crane: "Still living as of 1964." Someone should update it to read " -- and collecting a state pension." ... Back to Manny being Manny: I am tired of the guy. The shoving-the-old-man incident was one Manny-being-Manny too far. But I have no regrets about being a past Manny sycophant and apologist. I like the two World Series trophies. Hope this latest Manny-being-Manny furor calms down, as previous furors have in the past. I'd like to see a third World Series trophy. ...  ¶ 8:14 AM

'And so it was ...'
I see the light. I see it! ... The most inspiring grafs:

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

And all went well, too, in the land of Queen Angela of Merkel and later at Mount Sarkozy and, on the seventh day, across the Channel of the Angles. ... P.S. - I had no idea that the Land of the Drudge also had the above link to the Child. I found him on my own. It's a miracle! ...  ¶ 1:18 PM

'With little if any regard for the logic, viability or necessity'
So now we have actual long-term cost estimates for pension perks for just 386 government employees: $115 million (conservative estimate) to $235 million (Newton High School probability range). ... It goes without saying that the perks are 'extremely rare in the private sector' and that 'Beacon Hill leaders are not clamoring to change the law.' Nor are they clamoring to truly reform/abolish the Pike that dishes out such perks. ... Reading the latest pension-abuse stories, Hub Blog couldn't get the word 'kleptocracy' out of mind. Here's the definition:

A kleptocracy (sometimes cleptocracy, occasionally kleptarchy) (root: klepto+kratein = rule by thieves) is a term applied to a government that extends the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats) at the expense of the population. A kleptocratic government often goes beyond mere cronyism and nepotism, or awarding the prime contracts and civil service posts to relatives or personal friends rather than the most competent applicants. They also create projects and programs at a policy level which serve the primary purpose of funneling money out of the treasury and into the pockets of the executive with little if any regard for the logic, viability or necessity of those projects.

I like the word 'kleptocratic.' It just has a nice ring to it. ...  ¶ 8:08 AM

'Consider how the press treated ...'
Jack Shafer thinks the MSM isn't jumping on the National Equirer's John Edwards/love child/hotel-rendezvous story because a.) the story broke too late and the media wants to check into it b.) there might be a double standard for covering 'homo-hypocrisy' scandals and 'hetero-hypocrisy' scandals. But I'd word the first point differently and throw in a third reason. Reworded a.): The media simply doesn't believe the National Enquirer, no matter what time of day it breaks a story, and will need lots of time to confirm or rebut its story. The new c.): John Edwards isn't a Republican. My third point is as plausible, if not more obvious, as Jack's homo/hetero-hypocrisy theory, right?

Update -- Upon quick reflection, both Jack's hetero- and my he's-not-a-Republican theories can be blown up at the same time by considering 1.) The treatment of Gary Hart and Bill Clinton 2.) Coverage of Eliot Spitzer. 3.) The antics of Eliot and Larry Craig, both firmly falling in the hetero- and homo-hypocrisy categories, repectively, were confirmed by law-enforcement agencies. ... So many sex scandals, sources and evidence to sort through! ... I guess that leaves us with a.). That's not a bad reason to proceed cautiously on a story.

Update II - 7.25.08 -- Howie finds a local he's-not-a-Republican double standard. ...  ¶ 12:29 PM

'But what drew me to Lowell ...'
Jon had a blast at last night's Lowell Spinners game. But it was the promotion that provided the most yucks. ... If PC takes over baseball, look for these other terminology changes: Balk -- bi-polar indecision. Hit -- connection. Run -- pass grade. Bullpen -- his/her center. Strike -- zone accessbile. etc. ...  ¶ 11:48 AM

Religion and Belief Systems, Part II
John also liked the James Carse interview but adds:

The only thing I take with a huge grain of salt is his contention that the Gospels were written by Greeks, and as late as he says. That was the consensus before the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

A whole fascinating new angle on the synoptics, especially Mark and Matthew, is how what we've learned about the Hebrew language of the 1st century in those Cumran documents reveals itself in Mark and Matthew. One late scholar, Jean Carmignac, for example, who was an expert in the dead sea scrolls, became curious at the large number of expressions he kept coming across in the scrolls that reminded him of the Gospels.

So he did a little experiment: he started to translate Mark from Greek back into Cumranian Hebrew for fun, assuming--because the languages are so structurally different--that it would be very hard going. Turned out he was able to do half of it in a single day -- meaning, the Greek of Mark translates word for word back into
perfect Hebrew. That can't have been an accident, and it makes it much less likely that Greeks--not Jews--wrote down the material in Mark and to a lesser extent Matthew.

As I said, fascinating stuff. I've emailed a few current Bible scholars and it seems that right now, there isn't much further research going on along these lines--which baffles me. ...

  ¶ 11:01 AM

'Curiouser and curiouser!'
Guess who wrote the following:

When Ann Coulter endorsed Mitt Romney she called the former Massachusetts governor “manifestly our best candidate” — though the paper for which she is “chief legal correspondent,” Human Events, ranked Romney the #8 RINO (Republican In Name Only) in the nation in 2005.

GOP establishment pom pom girl Laura Ingraham and water boy Sean Hannity evangelize Romney on their radio shows as the second coming of Ronald Reagan.

Curiouser and curiouser!

Romney the wallflower bats his eyelashes and coyly pretends not to notice the increasing speculation of a McCain-Romney ticket–even as he criss-crosses the country campaigning and fundraising for McCain–the same John McCain who Romney said during the primaries was “almost indistinguishable” from Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

It's scary to think you actually agree with Gregg for four paragraphs. It's also scary to realize you'd almost be as upset as Gregg if McCain picks Mitt as a running mate. Makes me want to reassess my belief system. ... FYI - The wheels start to fall off Gregg's argument in the fifth paragraph, somewhat reassuringly (scroll down - permalink not working). ...  ¶ 7:36 AM

Religion and Belief Systems
Hub Blog really liked this interview with religious scholar James Carse. I'm not in total agreement with him that religion can't be defined. I also don't think that all secular belief systems are defined by an 'absolute authority' (with a near-worshipped person, text or institution). A casual survey of contemporary American politics shows that there are many types of 'belief systems' that lock people into highly predictable ways of thinking (think of the tired 'left' and 'right' partisan and ideological divide). But Carse's observations definitely make you think about how humans need a set of beliefs to explain and navigate their lives. ... P.S. -- I also think instinctive tribalism, as defined by a desire to belong, also plays a role in shaping and maintaining beliefs. How else to explain fraternities, clubs, gangs, parties, chat rooms and the Massachusetts Legislature? ...  ¶ 6:45 AM

'It’s a wonder that great players ever choose to play here'
I wonder too, especially when even jaywalking warnings are reported, complete with handy map. ... BSM's Ted Williams item via Adam.  ¶ 2:03 PM

Debt Nation
Pop quiz time: Do you think the subprime-mortgage fiasco is largerly caused by borrowers or lenders? If you picked the former, you're generally conservative. If the latter, you're generally liberal. But there is a 'third' option: It's both, for it takes two to tango in the loan game. Much of the American financial system is now geared toward the promotion of and profit from debt -- and there's no shortage of sucker consumers willing to play the high-interest-rate game. What bothers me is that one side gets taxpayer bailouts when in trouble. The other doesn't. This is not capitalism. It's form of crony capitalism. ...  ¶ 7:39 AM

'Nellie Ball'
For a second there, I feared the Celts' new backup center, Patrick O'Bryant, might be another head-case problem like Vin Baker (without the booze). But he apparently didn't adjust well to Don Nelson's "Nellie Ball" system, so there may be hope. ... FYI: He's listed under 'THE UNESTABLISHED YOUNG GUYS' at Basketball Prospectus. Not exactly encouraging. But he's a young guy and has all the attributes, on paper, the Celts need. Maybe he'll turn out fine. ... Thanks to Reader No. 1 for the BP link. ...  ¶ 10:00 AM

Quick hits ...
Hub Blog saw the silly reference to 'potential economic benefits' in this story on repeal of the state's 1913 marriage act and thought, 'Oh, c'mon.' Then I read this editorial about the alleged economic befenfits and thought, 'Oh, now I see.' ... Think lawmakers will now be falling all over themselves to promote real economic development by reforming the workers compensation and unemployment insurance systems? Don't count on it. ... Nothing against gay marriage. But gay marriage is not about economic benefits. ... Joan nails it on Albert Arroyo: 'He is the sorry poster child for a public sector that too often shows contempt for the public that underwrites it.' Coming from a different angle, Howie also nails it. ... Oh, look. State revenue came in last year $1 billion above projections. But they're still 'warning' us that it's not enough. It's never enough. That's the problem. ... The Massachusetts Municipal Association is warning that there will be ‘widespread devastation’ if the 'dumb' income-tax ballot question is passed this fall. But hasn't Sal already said he'll ignore the vote if it's passed? So where's the risk? For lawmakers who will inevitably move to overturn it, that's where. The attraction of the 'dumb' idea is that we'll get the names of lawmakers who overturn it without implementing common-sense reforms. If they hold a quickie roll-call vote, they'll still anger a lot of people. ...

Update -- Quriltai has a great post on the frustrations with Republicans, Democrats, the Big Dig culture in general and the desire by many to 'send a message' via the 'dumb' repeal-the-income-tax referendum:

Had we a political movement in this state that could effectively keep an eye on Democrats, and truly call the Diane Wilkersons and Joe DeNuccis to account for their lassitude and poor judgment, this wouldn't be necessary. However, I think that many, many people feel the only effective way to send a message to the leadership of the Commonwealth will not be by voting for a Republican, but by voting to kill the income tax. If 50% + 1 feel that way, we're screwed.

As I've said before, the only thing dumber than the 'dumb' idea is not to change policies that anger people to the point where they'll willingly vote for what they know is a dumb idea. But lawmakers have left them no choice. They've refused to act. ... BTW: This latest Big Dig report just adds to the frustration. ...

Update II -- Here's a look at the Celts' newest backup center, Patrick O'Bryant. Don Nelson just rips into him. ...  ¶ 7:47 AM

The 'Jeter sucks' cannon
Fun article. I liked Tom Tango's joke about why stat nerds are obsessed with Jeter: 'Because he gets far more girls than his fielding talents should allow.' ... The nerds haven't yet developed an easily-understood box-score formula to explain Julio Lugo. They're working on it. It may take time. ...  ¶ 11:31 AM

'Insular culture'
I'm trying to think of a profession more damning than bodybuilding while a firefighter is out on alleged disability. Alaskan King Crab fishing? Logging? Special Forces reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan? I don't know. Bodybuilding is hard to beat. ... Notice the mayor's indignation centers on the brazenness of the scam -- not on all the scams in general. ... Speaking of 'insular culture': Some of the MBTA's richest-in-the-nation health care benefits have been chipped away. But it wasn't done by lawmakers. They have their own 'insular culture.' Hey, he put in his time for pension and health-care perks too. At this late point in life, it'd be cruel to throw him out into the cold world with all those little-people in the private sector. ...  ¶ 7:54 AM

'This made him petulant'
Harvard's Arthur Goldhammer nails the Sarkozy personality in a recent post. ... I still think Sarkozy is going to end up lashing out at America. Three things will probably prompt a shift: 1.) He'll wake up on the wrong side of the bed one day. 2.) He'll be indignantly insulted by a minor slight. 3.) Anti-Americanism is always good politics in France, especially for a pol whose approval ratings are way down. ... Check out Goldhammer's blog in general. Interesting stuff for open and closet Francophiles (I'm among the latter - God help me). ... Goldhammer via Andrew Sullivan. ...  ¶ 10:10 AM

'To a large degree in the Theodore Roosevelt mold'
John McCain's political self-description sounds pretty accurate. But he's still got that loose-cannon streak that makes me nervous. ... Strangely, his acknowledgement that he barely knows how to navigate the Internet and never sends emails is almost endearing. He knows he's risking a Bush-in-the-supermarket comparison and yet still plows onward. ... On the subject of presidential candidates: If Hub Blog's reaction is any indication, Obama's flips on issues are going to hurt him -- and some of those flips were toward positions I favor. Too many flips too fast. I know candidates have to tack to the center in general elections. But Obama's mad dash to the center was unsettling. I oddly found myself paying more attention to where he came from than where he went to -- the very thing he didn't want voters to notice. ...  ¶ 9:02 AM

Take the deal
So the Bush administration is looking at troop cuts in Iraq. It makes sense -- and I agree that McCain could politically benefit from the reductions. One of the concerns about McCain has been that he's too stubbornly wedded to the stick-it-out plan. The cuts will show that Republicans know how to wind down a war as well as start a war, assuming the cuts aren't transparently geared toward the general election. Never underestimate the electorate's ability to detect cynicism. ... I liked Glenn's reaction last week to the Iraq government's demand for a U.S. withdrawal timetable: 'Sure.' And why not? It's a no-brainer. Glenn thinks we'd leave victorious. I think we'd leave somewhere in that messy and murky area in between victory and defeat. But we'd be leaving. And I think we can thank the surge for it. ...

Speaking of the war, I haven't seen HBO's new 'Generation Kill' series. I doubt I will, partially because I already have an idea in my head how they'll treat the book on which it's based -- a fear confirmed in this Slate review. I initially liked Generation Kill when it was published. I was hungry then for any information on Iraq beyond scattered and confused news accounts. Yet, in retrospect, the book by Rolling Stone writer Evan Wright was, well, a Rolling Stone version of war, ultimately, complete with GIs in Humvees (instead of Vietnam-era helicopters) and pop music (instead of the Doors) and Hunter S. Thompson zaniness etc., etc. ...  ¶ 8:20 AM

'Hard power'
If you want to see a feel-good rescue story reduced to a circa 2003 foreign policy debate over 'hard power' vs. 'soft power,' then read Charles. ... It always come back to fist-pounding advocacy of war. Nothing in between? Forget it. ...  ¶ 7:59 AM

'The antediluvian horror burst through the water’s surface'
The Herald has preemptively launched Shark Week with a story on a 'toothsome sea beast' off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The local blogosphere cannot let this stand. It must retaliate. ... I know I have divided loyalties. But Shark Week has a long tradition on cable TV and, lately, certain blogs. It's our turf. Recall the most fearsome shark-attack photo ever caught on film. ... P.S. - The Herald has also cleverly juxtaposed an abandoned pooches story on page one. It's an all-out ratings assault. ...  ¶ 7:01 AM

'Gabriel’s Revelation,' Part II
John sends in a link that argues 'Gabriel's Revelation' could just as easily confirm Christianity's belief in a resurrected Jesus. ... The whole thing is silly, when you think about it. A secular newspaper, the NYT, touting biblical-era tablet writings of quacks to knock down biblical-era claims of quacks. At some point doesn't seriously arguing an issue of spirituality become a form of validating an issue of spirituality? Very strange. And ironic. ...

Update -- Now the Times of London is engaging in the pack-journalism hype that Jesus' resurrection could be 'called into question' because of the tablet. But not even the owner of the tablet is buying into 'shake the view' silliness:

The whole thing is fascinating. Some people say it may take away from the uniqueness of Jesus’ resurrected but I believe it gives credibility to the story that the followers were expecting a messiah.

That's the point: The tablet's importance can be interpreted in many different ways -- even if everyone agreed on what it said. But they can't agree on what it says because huge portions of the text are missing. Yet the media keeps hyping the tweak-the-nose-of-Christians angle. Think they'd do it to other religions? Not a chance. ...  ¶ 10:16 AM

'Insulting floats'
Here's 'footage of the lewd, rude, rolling raunchiness' from the Beverly Farms Horribles Parade's controversial spoofs of the Gloucester teen moms. ... I wouldn't have wanted my kids anywhere near the parade. But it's not that horrible. Well, the first float was a little over the top. And I guess the third was too. While I'm at it, so was the second one. ... BTW: Didn't know there were three separate floats, starting each at 2:20, 5:30 and 6:22, to be precise. Not that I was paying close attention ...

Update - 7.8.08 -- Margery does a better job summing up the 'not that horrible' part, in a column this morning headlined 'Parade was rude, crude ... and shrewd':

What we need here is more ridicule. ... What we need are more messages that unwed teenagers having babies is not cool, romantic, fun or something to make you more popular junior year.

But I still wouldn't want my kids to see the parade. ... BTW: Beverly shouldn't be talking. ...  ¶ 1:13 PM

'Gabriel’s Revelation'
Let's hope the NYT vetted its 'Garbriel's Revelation' story a little more than the Lost Gospel of Judas story that it ran on its front page two years ago. But I doubt it. You do remember the Lost Gospel of Judas, right? The one that turned out to have minor 'mistranslations' that called into question the hyped scholarship surrounding it? ... RE 'Gabriel's Revelation': Once again it could 'shake our basic view of Christianity,' just like the Judas Gospel was supposed to do two years ago. Only this time there's no chance of a 'mistranslation' -- because a leading scholar instead just filled in the missing blanks to fit his theory. ... You'd think the NYT would at least mention the controversy over the Judas Gospel when writing about the latest biblical-era discovery. ...

Listen, I'm a Cafeteria Catholic, so I have no dog in this or any other theological dispute. I care about the words of Jesus. But I could do without organized religions' Little Bo Peep shafts, bible thumping, sacred walls, prayer healings, priests, pastors and rabbis etc. But there comes a point when you have to wonder about the motives of people who seem so eager to 'shake the view' of Christianity. It gets annoying and even insulting after a while -- even for a Cafeteria Catholic. ...  ¶ 2:50 PM

'Boston (Hub of My Heart)’
Charlene sent in this 'song video' about Boston. Not quite anthem material. But not bad at all. ...  ¶ 2:46 PM

'Swept'
Re the Sox getting swept: 'A chimp's still a chimp.' ... But tremble not: 'A reading from the Book of Papi':

And the false prophets, cowed and silenced during the good times, fed on the negative and their hoary voices again found listeners among the fearful …

  ¶ 10:22 AM

'Deliberate inefficiency'
Pretty much sums up the Mass Turnpike. ... Though the rest of state government is arguably more efficient than the Pike (and MBTA), the failure to address 'inefficiency' problems throughout state government is why the 'dumb' ballot idea has political legs. ...  ¶ 9:06 AM

'I must say, I did not admire the Sandinistas much'
So John McCain once roughed up a Sandinista? Is that supposed to be bad? I kind of admire him for it. ... I'm not sure he should be denying it. He should have fun with it. Sort of the way Winston Churchill once gleefully reacted to false rumors he had a son out of wedlock. He thought it would help his old-man image. But that was a different era. ...  ¶ 3:14 PM

'Oh My God! Ohhhhhh. ... Ohhhh. Oh, My God!' Part II
Bert, in a post slugged 'I want my 7 minutes back!,' fails to comprehend the utter banality of the best worst video on YouTube today. Bert:

I really thought there would be something more there in the video. An entire section of fans throwing beer on an old lady rooting for the Orioles. Maybe another Eisenrich incident in the bleachers. But I didn’t find anything of interest. I’m disappointed that I held on for almost 7 minutes waiting for something, anything.

He actually held on for the entire seven minutes. Oh, my God! ...

Update - 7.3.03 -- John's compromise idea: "I couldn't watch more than a few seconds ... It's better just to turn away from the picture and listen to the guy." ...  ¶ 1:46 PM

The Manchurian candidates
Did they even think of the sick irony? ... One major problem with the otherwise good story: The communists wanted to extract false confessions from POWs for propaganda purposes. They weren't looking for the truth. So to emphasize that the 'interrogation methods' led to false confessions without making that point seems silly. ... BTW: Hub Blog doesn't care if the interrogation/torture methods led to the truth or not. The methods are morally wrong and pragmatically not necessary. The FBI warned the CIA on both counts that it was making a big mistake.

Update -- Christopher Hitchens on waterboarding: 'Believe Me, It’s Torture.' He adds after undergoing the treatment:

I apply the Abraham Lincoln test for moral casuistry: “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” Well, then, if waterboarding does not constitute torture, then there is no such thing as torture.

Via Glenn.  ¶ 7:14 AM

'It's great to be wanted'
Celts have made an offer to James Posey. Hope they keep him. It'll be close. But I like their bid for Corey Maggette. ... The champs are whooping it up in Vegas. I both laughed and winced a bit while reading it, but, hey, they earned it and remained loyal to their Somerville fan base. ...  ¶ 7:02 AM

'Oh My God! Ohhhhhh. ... Ohhhh. Oh, My God!''
Exhibit A for why the rest of the nation hates Boston fans? ... It has to be the best worst video I've ever seen -- sort of a cross between When Harry Met Sally and the Museum of Bad Art. But more than 32,000 have already viewed it -- and you're about to as well because you can't resist. ... I eagerly await John Farrell's expert critique. ...

Update -- From a friend who's seen it: 'Beyond cheesy and obnoxious.' ... So beyond cheesy and obnoxious that it's true Boston art. ...

Update II -- John: 'It should be beyond belief. But it's not. Because it's Boston.' ...  ¶ 1:10 PM

'Lack of personal chemistry'
Let's hope McCain is only going through the motions to appease Fox News, which, for reasons I can't comprehend, keeps plugging Mitt every chance it gets. ... If McCain doesn't follow his gut instinct (i.e. the 'personal chemistry' thing) and goes with Mitt, then Obama inches closer to the all-important Hub Blog endorsement. ...

Update -- Jon thinks McCain is just posturing. ...  ¶ 7:04 AM