If ever there was a time for the NFL to move into the LA media market, this is it. My allegiance is currently up for grabs (or at least as weak as it's ever been) and, for the first time, I can imagine myself rooting for someone other than the Silver & Black.

Here's my map. No science (and no sense) was involved. Just gut feeling.


Other predictions:

• Libertarian Candidate Michael Badnarik will finish third in the national popular vote- just ahead of Ralph Nader.
  
  
• Republicans will gain three seats in the Senate (giving them a 54-45 advantage), with the key races breaking down as follows:
  
  
  • Alaska- Knowles (D) over Murkowski* (R)
    
  • Colorado- Salazar (D) over Coors (R)
    
  • Florida- Martinez (R) over Castor (D)
    
  • Georgia- Isakson (R) over Majette (D)
    
  • Illinois- Obama (D) over Keyes (R)
    
  • Kentucky- Bunning* (R) over Mongiardo (D)
    
  • Louisiana- Vitter (R) wins without run-off (>50%)
    
  • North Carolina- Burr (R) over Bowles (D)
    
  • Oklahoma- Coburn (R) over Carson (D)
    
  • South Carolina- DeMint (R) over Tenenbaum (D)
    
  • South Dakota- Thune (R) over Daschle* (D)
  
  
• Republicans will gain four seats in the House (due in large part to multiple successes in the state of Texas), bringing their majority to 231-204.
  
  
• The Democrats will launch a massive tidal wave of litigation in Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, and New Mexico. None will be successful.
  
  
• Wednesday's big story will be alleged "voter intimidation" in Ohio- due to multiple sets of poll watchers in some polling places. It will be bull shit.
  
  
• Kerry will not concede on election night, despite being soundly defeated. His concession speech- in which he will accuse Republicans of disenfranchising four million African American voters (no evidence will be supplied to support this claim)- will be made on Thursday morning.

As if we needed more proof that George Steinbrenner was a total dick:

There still are roughly 20 Yankees employees who haven't received their 2000 World Series rings, and many of the snubbed insist the team won't win another title until they get properly rewarded.

Perhaps the Red Sox's long-awaited triumph this season will convince George Steinbrenner to end "The Curse of the Rings."

So much for the Curse of A-Rod...

Two interesting items in today's Post. First, on the Angels and Carlos Beltran:

Don't fit the lone $100 million free agent for pinstripes so quickly. It is amazing how many executives and agents dismiss the hype that Carlos Beltran (left) will definitely be a Yankee. One AL assistant GM, echoing a growing sentiment, said, "The Cubs want to change their centerpiece away from Sammy Sosa, saw up close in their division what Beltran could do as an Astro, and have the money," which will top $100 million. There are conflicting reports if Angels owner Arte Moreno is a spender or wants to cut back, but a person close to Beltran said Anaheim is where the center fielder will go. An AL GM said, "This is about money and the Yanks have the money and the desire which makes them the favorites, but I still don't think he ends up there."

An interesting- albeit meaningless- piece of information. I wonder who this "person close to Beltran" is? His gardener perhaps? And as for the "conflicting reports" surrounding Arte Moreno's off-season intentions, it's really quite simple- he's going to both cut payroll and spend big. It's a luxury he can afford, as the Angels have expunged well over $40 million from the payroll.

Second, regarding the Yankees and a possible interest in Darin Erstad:

To address center-field defense, the Yanks could look to remove financial burdens elsewhere in a trade for Andruw Jones, Jim Edmonds or Darin Erstad.

That's just about the most unlikely rumor I've ever heard, but it is nice to dream. "Oh, Mr. Steinbrenner- you've made me the happiest girl in the whole world!"

I finally sat down and looked at the HTML, and I managed to fix whatever was causing the text to run off the page in Mozilla. The site should work equally well in all browsers now. Hoo-ray for me!

UPDATE: Ok, now it's fixed. For real this time.

I don't care about the politics involved- as someone with an interest in graphic design, this is just the coolest campaign poster ever made:


That's from the current Ukrainian presidential election. The candidate against whom this attack is aimed (I would assume that a Bush comparison is an attack in European politics) is a Mr. Viktor Yushchenko. Unfortunately for Mr. Yushchenko, Bush comparisons are just about the least of his concerns- he narrowly survived an assassination attempt in September.

Yeah, good luck with that...

Bill Shaikin in today's LA Times (HT: Joe):

The Angels plan to cut ties with third baseman Troy Glaus, handing the position to rookie Dallas McPherson and positioning the team for a possible run at center fielder Carlos Beltran, the crown jewel of free agency.

"From a financial standpoint, McPherson fits better than Glaus and we've got other needs," Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman said Friday. "We'll probably make use of our resources in other areas."

The Angels plan to move center fielder Garret Anderson to left and keep former center fielder Darin Erstad at first base, leaving starting pitching and center field as the top two winter priorities.

Color me impressed by Stoneman here. I didn't think there was any chance he would walk away from Glaus without a fight, but there he goes. I'm almost certain that Glaus will return to form, both offensivly and defensivly- key word being "almost". He is still something of a gamble, and likely an expensive one at that. With McPherson and Quinlan lined up behind him, the best decision was to let him walk. More from the article:

Stoneman spoke Friday with Paul Cohen, the agent for Percival. On Thursday, as Percival filed for free agency, Cohen said a lack of communication from Stoneman led him to believe the Angels had no interest in retaining the closer.

Cohen said he had "a nice conversation" with Stoneman and expressed modest hope Percival might return to the Angels.

"I wouldn't say the door is closed," Cohen said.

"We're not through having conversations," Stoneman said. "I'll talk about it after we've hashed it out with Paul and Troy."

"After we've hashed it out"? That sounds an awful lot like a negotiation...

Stoneman also said he had received inquiries from several clubs interested in acquiring outfielder Jose Guillen, whom the Angels are expected to trade after suspending him for the final week of the season, following a confrontation with Manager Mike Scioscia.

After the Cleveland Indians got fed up with outfielder Milton Bradley last spring, they traded him to the Dodgers for two minor leaguers. Stoneman suggested he could get major league talent for Guillen, who hit .294 with 27 home runs and 104 runs batted in last season.

We can only hope. One thing about Bill Stoneman- on the rare occasion that he does pull the trigger, he almost always gets the better end of the trade. I see no reason that shouln't happen this time.

My reaction to the UBL tape? First off, I'm surprised to see that he's alive. I had just assumed that his corpse was rotting in the back of a Tora Bora cave. Oh well, this just means we have the chance to end him in some sort of confirmatory fashion.

I find it amusing that bin Laden thinks President Bush was talking about an actual goat ("...listening to the girl telling him about her goat...") in that Florida classroom. I guess he's not up-to-snuff on his children's literature. (Seriously though- the similarities between this message and several key points from Fahrenheit 9/11 is a little eye-opening.)

There's been a lot of talk about the political ramifications (I think it's pretty clear that the simple reminder of terror is "good" for Bush) and about bin Laden's intentions. Was he stumping for Kerry? Or is it reverse psychology- does he actually want Bush re-elected? In other words, does he have a disturbingly tight grasp on the finer points of American politics (in the case he's stumping for Bush), or does he grossly underestimate the American people (if he's for Kerry)? I'd agree with Alan Colmes' assessment (and that's about the only time you'll here me say that)- bin Laden doesn't particularly care who wins- he just want's to be involved. He wants us to know that he can inject himself into our elections and our daily lives.

Fuck him.



UPDATE: Of course the most obvious political ramification (so obvious I forgot to mention it), is that no one is talking about this anymore. And yet another one of the MSM's attempts to push an "October surprise" goes by the wayside... I question the timing!

All-Baseball has this year's Internet Baseball Writers Association Awards up. No big surprises anywhere- Barry Bonds nearly unanimous (just nearly?) 'NL Player of the Year', Vlad earns a fairly easy win in the AL, and Johnson and Santana take the pitching awards. Interesting voting in the 'AL Executive of the Year', where Bill Stoneman finishes fifth, with Arte Moreno not far behind in eighth. Uh, oh...

UPDATE: Similar story for the Dodgers, as Frank McCourt and Dan Evans receive votes, in addition to DePo.

You can see a complete list here.

The Angels have expressed little interest in retaining Troy Percival:

The Angels have expressed no interest in retaining Troy Percival, and the popular closer expects to play elsewhere next season, the agent for Percival said Thursday.

"Sometimes the strongest message is no message," agent Paul Cohen said.

[snip]

Cohen said "four or five" teams contacted him Thursday to express interest in Percival. The Angels rebuffed Percival's interest in a contract extension in spring training and have not spoken with him about a new deal since then, Cohen said.

"He wants to pitch another three or four years," Cohen said. "He's left with no choice but to see what else is out there."

When you look at the back-end of this bullpen, it's hard to justify giving Percival anything above $4 million a year. Even that seems a bit much when you consider that the Angels could split that money and get a pair of decent relief arms.

Good luck to Percival wherever he ends up next year.

UPDATE: The Tribune thinks that the Cubs are a strong possibility.

...well, several plans really.

Just watched the Pentagon briefing on the missing explosives. More confused than ever...

UPDATE: So, from what I gather, this Maj. Pearson was responsible for removing the "easily accessible" ordinance from the Al QaaQa facility. He doesn't know if he removed any of the explosives in question, or if any were to be found in the base. So we're right back where we started.

We might know more, but some genius in the press corps felt the need to burn a question and two follow-ups on the dimensions of the "palette boxes" found in the bunker. C'mon dude, have you never shopped at Costco?

It seems my concerns were well-founded; Yasser Arafat has lived to see another day. And if France has anything to say about it, he'll live to see at least a few more:

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is suffering from a blood platelet deficiency and is being moved to Paris for additional tests to determine its cause, one of his doctors said Thursday.

How typically French. Here's a revealing quote from the French Foreign Minister, Mr. Michel Barnier:

"France, as I told you (Arafat) in Ramallah on June 30, will be always on your side..."

There was never a doubt in my mind, but thanks for confirming your allegiance. Terrorist appeasing scumbags, the lot of you (no offence to actual bags filled with scum intended, as Dennis Miller would say). Uncle Sam says:

Part 1: Prop. 1A to 62
Part 2: Prop. 63 to 67

California propositions 68 to 72, with my vote and my opinion on each:

Prop. 68

Tribal Gaming Compact Amendments. Authorizes Governor to negotiate tribal gaming compact amendments requiring 25% tax on all "machine gaming". If tribes fail to accept compacts amendments within 90 days would authorize the creation 16 non-tribal gaming facilities at specified locations.

My vote: NO. I don't know how this ever got on the ballot. Just a horrible, horrible idea. I see no reason to even discuss the merits of this proposition specifically, because there is no way in hell it's going to pass.

Both tribal gaming propositions (86 &70) are nothing but scams. The five largest gaming tribes in California have already signed new compacts that would permit limited expansion in exchange for a 25% tax. It is surmised that the rest of the tribes will soon follow suit in order to keep up- all they're waiting for is to see if the voters of California are dumb enough to pass either of these amendments. So, if you vote 'no' on 68 and 70, you are voting, in effect, 'yes' on the Governor's new compacts. They aren't a great option, but they're the best we've got.

Prop. 69

DNA Samples. Collection. Data Base Funding. Requires the collection of DNA samples from all felons- and others arrested for specific crimes- to be submitted to statewide DNA database. After five years would require the collection of DNA from any adult arrested for a felony.

My vote: NO. The key words here are "arrested for, or charged with, a felony." Is it just me, or does that seem spectacularly unconstitutional to anyone else? I'm all for collecting DNA from convicted felons, but this goes too far. Whatever happened to presumption of innocence?

Prop. 70

Tribal Gaming Compacts. Exclusive Gaming Rights. Upon request of gaming tribe, would require Governor to execute renewable 99-year gaming compact. Compact would allow for unlimited expansion of number of gaming machines, gaming facilities, or types of games. In exchange, tribe would percentage of net-gaming income based on state corporate tax rate.

My vote: NO. This is a license for the gaming tribes to run wild. It would allow the tribes to create more games- both in expanding their gaming floors, and creating unlimited variety in gaming types. It would allow them to create more casinos, closer to population centers. It would also call for fewer environmental regulations than the Governor's compacts. It would result in lower tax revenue than the governor's compacts. And, the 99-year length of these compacts means the state would be powerless in any future negotiations.

There are absolutely no redeeming qualities in this proposition.

Prop. 71

Stem Cell Research. Funding. Bonds. Floats bond ($3 billion) to establish "California Institute for Regenerative Medicine" with mandate to regulate and fund stem cell research in the state.

My vote: NO. Put your views on stem cell research aside for a second, and look at what this proposition actually does. It floats $3 billion dollar bond. A bond which is going to cost the state $6 billion- $6 billion more than the state can afford. It also creates a huge new government bureaucracy to oversee the program. Lovely- because we all know how well that usually works.

No matter your position on stem cell research, you have to see that this proposition is simply a boondoggle at the expense of the California taxpayers.

Prop. 72

Health Care Coverage Requirements. Requires "large and medium" (50+ employees) employers to provide heath coverage for workers, covering at least 80% of costs.

My vote: NO. Make it harder for business to do business in the middle of an economic recovery? Real smart.

Review:

1A- YES
59- YES
60- YES
60A- YES
61- YES
62- NO
63- NO
64- YES
65- NO
66- NO
67- NO
68- NO
69- NO
70- NO
71- NO
72- NO

It rains for a week straight and the little bastards move in like they own the place! I spent about an hour this morning vacuuming and spraying all the entrance points, only to return this afternoon to a second wave. Now they're flooding through all the faucets and even out from under the chair-rail in the hallway. I have no idea what they hope to find, because the trashcan and the empty 2-liter bottles have long since been moved to the shed. All that's left is the cat's dish, which is defended by a diabolical trap of my own design (a pie tin filled with water).

My can of Raid is nearly empty (and I'm starting to get a little light-headed with all the windows closed), at which point the fuckers will have the run of the house.

There's no way this report can be accurate. If it is, the world is ten times more fucked-up than I ever could have imagined.

UPDATE: Powerline:

"If Shaw's version, as reported by the Washington Times, holds up and (as importantly) gets heard, the consequences for Kerry could be serious. The Senator will have (a) jumped to a conclusion that wasn't supported by the facts, (b) assumed the incompetence of our troops, (c) confirmed President Bush's position that Iraq had weapons worth worrying about, and (d) unleashed evidence that, as Rocket Man notes, suggests that chemical and biological weapons could easily have been moved out of Iraq just before we invaded."

I agree. If this story is indeed true, it will be devastating for John Kerry.

UPDATE: Commenter Miles points me to this account of corruption allegations against Deputy Undersecretary for International Technology Security John Shaw, the Times' main informant for the above story:

"With the guidance of a deputy undersecretary of Defense, John Shaw, this effort became one of the most brazen lobbying campaigns of the postwar reconstruction, one that has brought Shaw under investigation for potentially breaking federal ethics rules."

The "brazen lobbying campaign" they speak of would be Qualcomm's failed attempt to bypass the Coalition Provisional Authority's contracting procedures, in order to force their cellular technology system- known as "CDMA"- as the Iraqi standard. I don't know what the investigation found, or even if it is still on-going, but take that as you will.

I hate the Red Sox, and all their fans. Except Joe, because he's been here since the beginning. And Chris is pretty cool too. Oh, and I have nothing against the guys from SoSH. You know what? Fuck it- I just hate the Red Sox.

UPDATE: "Boston Red Sox, World Champions." Saying it is like acid in my throat...

I guess "concern" is the right word. I am concerned that he might live another day. I'm also concerned that his death won't be accompanied by the excruciating pain he so richly deserves. A pain equal to the pain he has not only brought upon the Israelis, but his own people as well.

Since it became clear that the Angels were intent on dumping Jose Guillen, I have considered Pittsburgh as the most likely destination. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Paul Meyer brings up the possibility today:

Would you see any interest on the Pirates' part in trying to obtain (via a trade) either Milton Bradley or Jose Guillen? Obviously, each has temperament/attitude issues, but are both promising younger players. The Dodgers and Angels may be trying to dump them in the off-season due to their recent outbursts. Will the Pirates pursue either? I feel that Lloyd McClendon (as a hands-on manager) would mesh well with both of their personalities. Not to mention they would be excellent additions to our young core. I feel that we may be able to get Guillen for a Craig Wilson (DH) type of player and Bradley for one of our younger pitchers?

It does seem to work- the deal makes sense for all involved. Guillen has, in the past, made it clear that he would like to return to the Pirates (last off-season he contacted Dave Littlefield and offered to accept less than he would later receive from the Halos), and Pittsburgh does have the talent to offer in return. If a Jose Guillen/Craig Wilson offer were to come about, the Angels should jump on it.

I have some surprising news for you. You may want to sit down for this. If you have a weak heart you should probably just turn-off the computer. You ready?

Andrew Sullivan has officially endorsed John Kerry.

Shocking, right? You can read the whole thing here, if you have a subscription. It's truly a sight to behold- Sullivan spinning his way to the center of the Earth in an attempt to justify his Bush-hate. Money quote:

"I want [the Iraq war] to be as bipartisan as the cold war, to bring both parties to the supreme task in front of us, to offer differing tactics and arguments and personnel in pursuit of the same cause."

Just ask John Kerry how "bipartisan" the Cold War was. Why is Sullivan so afraid to admit that he's a single-issue voter? Does he think that will make us think less of him? Because I must say, it would be hard to think any less of him than I do at this point.

As one would expect, Lileks swats this one right back into Sullivan's face ("don't be bringin' that weak-ass logic up in here!"). Worth reading, as always.

Here's a piece of Angels news that I (and the rest of the blogosphere, for that matter) seem to have missed while I was gone. According to the Times, Angels management has assured the city of Tempe that the club will fulfill the final three years of it's spring training obligation. For those of you who still do addition with your fingers, it means the club will continue to train at Diablo Stadium through the 2007 season.

No word on how this effects the proposed move to a new, $40 million complex in Goodyear, but it certainly puts it on the back-burner for the moment.

What goes around comes around. Or at least one would hope...

FOXNews' Special Report w/ Brit Hume- an hour-long program- devoted a solid 50 minutes of today's broadcast to discrediting this New York Times/CBS hit piece. It's a fully justified action, as the story is a blatant distortion, but the look of smug satisfaction on Brit Hume's face throughout the program lends little credence to the "fair and balanced" moniker of the network.

He could have done a better job of holding back his laughter is all...

The President has taken to using a new line of attack while on the stump, one which he has used several times (in several different contexts) over the past days and is particularly effective, I feel:

"Now my opponent is throwing out the wild claim that he knows where bin Laden was in the fall of 2001 and that our military had a chance to get him in Tora Bora. This is an unjustified and harsh criticism of our military commanders in the field. This is the worst kind of Monday-morning quarterbacking. And it is what we've come to expect from Senator Kerry."

UPDATE: President Bush today in Wisconsin:

"My opponent has no plan, no vision- just a long list of complaints. A Monday-morning quarterback has never lead any team to victory." (ed. fixed quote)

Not only is it an accurate observation of the campaign as it stands today, but it is also a subtle reminder that this man, not John Kerry, is more in-tune with American society, specifically sports. Would Mr. Kerry even understand the reference?

Don't underestimate how important a candidate's perceived love of sports can be to a campaign. There is practically nothing in this world that taps into the pulse of America more than sports- nothing that gives a politician that coveted "man of the people" image. It is often a required component of winning over the all-important "undecided voter", who tend to base their votes more on personal like/dislike of a candidate rather than policy.

Today's Washington Post:

However, because this series might not require a Game 7, it remains a possibility that Tuesday night will mark Martinez's final start in a Red Sox uniform. He becomes a free agent after the season, and most Red Sox insiders say the odds are no better than 50-50 that he will return to the team.

The Anaheim Angels are expected to pursue Martinez aggressively, and there is a segment of the Red Sox family that believes Martinez will end up with the Yankees -- if only for the shock value.

Leave it to the Red Sox to start whining about what a terrible off-season it's going to be while they're up 2-0 in the World Series...

On a somewhat related note, human plague Randy Youngman has his panties in a bunch over Randy Johnson trade rumors. Rumors he tried to kick-start nearly a month ago.

Adam Riggs released

Meh.

Newsday: Pedro to Anaheim?

(via Ben Maller, and Rob is on it to)

There's already speculation that Martinez will go to Anaheim, where he is close to Vladimir Guerrero and Bartolo Colon, and owner Arte Moreno is serious about winning.

I'd rather have Carl Pavano for any number of reasons.

Halo's in the heat

You can see what the Angels' prospects (including Dusty Bergman, Nick Gorneault, and Mike Napoli, among others) are doing in the Arizona Fall League at this link. It looks like Gorneault and Tommy Murphy are tearing things up at the moment, but that's about it.

If you follow any of the political blogs you've no doubt seen the hype surrounding this Washington Times article. It was supposed to blow the lid off of a big controversy regarding Kerry, foreign policy, and truthfulness. Could this be Karl Rove's "October surprise?"

Not quite. Here's the big article we were all waiting for. Turns out Kerry was lying when he claimed that he had meet with the entire UN security council during the second debate.

Wow. So you're telling me that John Kerry would exaggerate his past to get elected!? You're kidding! [/sarcasm] Christ, the guy's been lying about the past the 30 years of his life all along- why is this even newsworthy at this point?

(I did like DailyKos' response though- in a post which has now been deleted. It was something along the lines of "but it's not true! Kerry did meet with the security council, and I can prove it!" He then went on to prove absolutely nothing. What an asshat you are Kos.)

I'm back to offer you more of that sweet, sweet bloggy goodness I know you can't do without. I would tell you where I've been, but I don't recall just off-hand. Seriously- the past week is a haze. All I remember are bright lights and lots of liquor.

Vegas? Sounds plausible- so we'll go with that...

I'm no Allah, that's for sure...

Josh has all the details. Rice just couldn't keep up with the likes of Porter, Gabriel, and Curry. Don't get me wrong- that's more a complement about the Raiders' young receiving corps than a condemnation of Rice's abilities. He's still got a few catches left in him.

The Cardinals reliever Julian Tavares broke his left (non-pitching) hand in a fit of rage during the club's Sunday loss to Houston. Tavares broke three bones when he punched the dugout phone after giving up a homerun to Carlos Beltran. It is not known when he could pitch again. This comes almost a month to the day after the Yankee's Kevin Brown made a similar mistake, only this time a brick wall was the focus of his rage.

What amazes me is that these players are smart enough to avoid using their pitching hand. I mean, they're obviously pretty dim, as they can't seem to stop themselves from punching immovable objects, but there does appear to be some flicker of awareness there.

I decided to do a little investigation, and I think I've gotten to the bottom of the case:


Well, that's why RJ's the best!

Despite what you may have been told, rain is not the first sign of the coming apocalypse. Please adjust your programming accordingly.

Much appreciated,
Everyone

UPDATE: Ensie has some similar thoughts.

I am quickly growing to hate David Ortiz.

And what's up with this little freak? Man, as if I needed another reason to root against the Red Sox.

The Governator has broken from his party, his legislature, and most importantly, his senses in voicing support for proposition 62. The proposition would create an open primary system for all state and federal elections (excluding presidential primaries), in which voters would be able to vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation. The top two finishers would then be placed on the general-election ballot.

Once again, Schwarzenegger has sent me a little reminder of why I voted for McClintock. Prop. 62 supposedly brings more moderates into the fold, but in practice the system has had the exact opposite effect- allowing extremists with a strong group of core supporters to swoop to victory. It also has the added incentive of being easily manipulated to weed-out real competition. Just ask the folks in Louisiana what they think of the system. It's been nothing short of a disaster there, and it will be the same in this state.

This is just a blatant attempt on Schwarzenegger's part to dodge a challenge from his right-flank when he runs for re-election in 2006, as he would avoid the Republican primary process. Why is it that the so-called "political outsiders" always seem to be the ones playing the political games?

(Speaking of so-called "outsiders", John McCain is lending his support to Prop. 62. That's Arizona Senator John McCain voicing support for California Proposition 62. I don't know what pisses me off more- McCain sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, or "Operation: Annoy an Ohioan". Hey, Mr. McCain- stay the fuck out of our business, and we'll stay out of yours.)

I don't know why I just thought of this (probably has something to do with the recent release of "The Kids In The Hall: Season 2" DVD) but I just had to share it for those who may not be the biggest fans of The Kids In The Hall.

Think of all the years of sketch-comedy television. From "Your Show of Shows", to "Monty Python's Flying Circus", on through "In Living Color", and of course, the king of the genre, "Saturday Night Live". Hundreds of shows. Thousands of episodes. A million sketches. But only one of those sketches can hold the title of "Greatest Sketch of All-Time".

Well, I have found it.

"Comedy, Inc." (aka "The 'I want a raise' Guy")from Kids In The Hall episode #303. The greatest sketch of all time- hands down.

Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald at the top of their games. An over-all premise that can only be described as "a total mind fuck". The self-deprecating humor that made KITH the best thing to ever come out of Canada. It's all on display in this masterwork of comic genius. This sketch should be in the Smithsonian.

Is it safe to say that the Kerry Collins experiment in Oakland has ended in dismal failure? I mean, sure, the guy can throw the ball 100 yards. But that doesn't impress me much when he can't seem to make the 5-yard dump-off to his running back with any kind of regularity.

The season isn't going anywhere with Collins behind center- it's time to hand the reins to Tuiasosopo and see if he can make anything happen. It's not like Rich Gannon is going to swoop in and save the day...

Part 1: Prop. 1A to 62

California propositions 63 to 67, with my vote and my opinion on each:

Prop. 63

Mental Health Services Expansion, Funding. Imposes an additional tax on high-income ($1,000,000+) individuals to fund expanded health services for the mentally ill.

My vote: NO. Can you believe that the state of California is still having this debate? Funding for the mentally ill dates back to the days of the Reagan administration- the Reagan gubernatorial administration- when, to decrease state spending, he radically realigned the state's mental care system.

Obviously there is a need here, but lack of funding is the least of the system's problems at the moment. A bloated bureaucracy once again runs the state's mental care facilities- and as long as that is the case no amount of money is going to fix the problem. Another well-intentioned proposition, but considering the cost involved, one I cannot support.

Prop. 64

Enforcement of Unfair Business Laws. Limits the individual's right to sue to cases where the individual suffered injury or financial loss due to unfair business practices. Mandates that class-action lawsuits on behalf of the general public may only be initiated by the Attorney General.

My vote: YES. Would stop the practice of "shakedown lawsuits" against small businesses. Really, all you have to know is that the "no on 64" campaign (which argues that 64 would allow corporate polluters to get off scot-free) is paid for by a group of trial lawyers. That alone should merit a 'yes' vote.

Prop. 65

Local Government Funds and Revenues. Requires voter approval of any local revenue reduction.

My vote: NO. See Prop. 1A. This is a good idea, but Prop 1A does all this and more. If you voted 'yes' on 1A, you must vote 'no' on 65.

Prop. 66

Limitations on "Three Strikes" Law. Limits "Three Strikes" sentencing to only violent and/or serious felonies. Permits limited re-sentencing for current inmates.

My vote: NO. Are you kidding me? This must be the "but it was just a little felony" argument. You know what? By the time that you hit your third felony- even if it is something relatively minor like B&E- you have proven that you cannot be a productive member of society. I was under the impression that was the intention behind the "three strikes" law.

Prop. 67

Emergency Medical Services. Funding. Increases "telephone surcharge" to raise funds for emergency room services/community clinics/911 system.

My vote: NO. Emergency rooms and clinics are woefully under-funded in this state, but raising taxes (especially in this form) isn't the answer. The state needs to cut discretionary spending now, and focus on what's important- not make the public foot the bill for their reckless spending habits.

Angels' bench coach Joe Maddon has interviewed for Seattle's vacant managerial position, according to the Seattle Times:

[Grady] Little, 54, who most recently was an assistant to Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry after taking the Boston Red Sox to the playoffs with 95 wins in 2003, reportedly met with Mariners officials Tuesday in Los Angeles, a dinner date that by all accounts left good impressions all around.

Seattle club officials also interviewed Joe Maddon, Anaheim's bench coach, but a source said they prefer someone with managerial experience in the major leagues. The Mariners, who are also believed to have met with Terry Collins, also are setting up meetings, or seeking permission to do so, with Don Baylor and Jimy Williams.

The Mariners also are interested in Buddy Bell, Jerry Manuel, Lee Elia and Mike Hargrove.

That's quite an exhaustive list. But no matter what the Times says about "experience", you just know that it's going to come down to Maddon and Collins, what with Bavasi at the helm.

And yes, this is what passes for "Angels news" these days.

Today is the 30th birthday of Gary Gygax's time (and life) sucking creation, Dungeons and Dragons. I am proud to declare that I was an avid D&D player for several years. Sadly, I retired my favorite wizard (who went by the name of Percival, of course) sometime during my junior year of high school- about the same time I lost my virginity. Coincidence, I'm sure...

On a related note, anyone want to buy a set of first edition AD&D books, including "Unearthed Arcana", "Legends and Lore" and even the "Fiend Folio"? They're in used, but surprisingly good condition considering that they're all older than I am. Make me an offer.

The Angels have outrighted outfielder Curtis Pride, making him a free agent.

I'm shocked![/sarcasm]

UPDATE: Also, the Royals have released (f)utility infielder Wilton Guerrero. I've got $50 bucks that says he's next year's Shane Halter.

Here's one of the letters being sent to a lucky Clark County, Ohio resident care of the Guardian's Operation: Annoy an Ohioan (via Tim Blair)

You may wonder why on earth your friends in Britain are telling you how to vote. I can understand how perplexed you must feel. Once again faced with the hyperbole of a US election, the rest of the world seems to be resounding to the chorus of "Your vote counts!", and I can appreciate you may be feeling a touch cynical. After all, I suspect you never voted for Bush in the first place, or maybe you did but are now feeling a little misled. I would, too.

[snip]

I know that you, as Americans, understand the issues and will not allow your sincere and industrious population to be misrepresented, exploited and cowed any longer in the name of a so-called democracy that dishonours your founding fathers. I implore you to vote on November 2. The greatest weapon in the war against terror is you.

"Dishonours" our founding fathers? Lady, I stopped listening when I saw the 'u'.

But you should read the whole letter- it is truly the most patronizing thing you'll ever have the misfortune of reading. I keep getting the mental image of this woman sitting at her computer, asking herself "do you suppose this word is too big for those ignorant colonials?" This is a case when a little reverse psychology is in order, because I'm pretty sure the first reaction of anyone who receives on of these letters will be to do the exact opposite of whatever is suggested, just for spite.

It's the second most closely-watched race in America, and it may be over before a single ballot is cast. It seems that Democratic Senate minority leader Tom Daschle may have forfeited his South Dakota residency when he proclaimed his new Washington, DC home as his "principal place of residence" in order to qualify for a local tax cut. That would make the Senator ineligible to represent the state in Congress.

How is it possible that no one caught this earlier?

Check out Daschle v. Thune for more as this one pans-out.

UPDATE: How important is the South Dakota Senate race to the parties? Daschle and John Thune (the Republican candidate) have combined to raise nearly $20 million- in a state that had just 471,152 registered voters in the last election. That's about $41 dollars for each voter! And that doesn't even include the considerable amount of 527 money coming in.

Chronicles has some interesting thoughts on the future of Darin Erstad, among others. Check it out.

I'd like to point out that when I said "we can look forward to another season of the worst everyday firstbaseman in baseball", I wasn't basing that any form of statistical analysis- I was just talking out of my ass. But, low and behold, there is a very real case to be made that Erstad was the worst firstbaseman in baseball this season.

Depending on who you consider to be the "everyday" firstbaseman of the Mariners, Erstad could easily have been the worst in the AL. His GPA of .264 would beat only that of Scott Spiezio (.231), but he would just lose out to the M's opening-day firstbaseman, John Olerud (.266). Over in the NL, he barely nips Shea Hillenbrand (.262) and he also beats either of the Prirate's sad excuses for firstbaseman, Daryl Ward (.255) and Randall Simon (.188). So, anyway you look at it it's safe to say that Erstad was the worst firstbasman who started- and ended- the season with an everyday job.

California propositions 1A to 61, with my vote and my opinion on each:

Prop. 1A

Protection of Local Government Revenues. Ensures that the state government cannot short-change local tax revenue, except in times of "fiscal emergency", as declared by the Governor.

My vote: YES. Prop 1A and 65 were both placed on the ballot to fulfill one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's main campaign pledges- that the state would never again raid the coffers of local governments in order to increase it's discretionary spending (1A was created to patch some holes in 65, making 65 obsolete before even coming to a vote). I'm sure we all realize that the most effective form of government is at the local level. This proposition should ensure that services provided at the local level- such as health and public safety- always have the funding they need.

My only reservation about 1A is the "fiscal emergency" clause, by which the Governor can suspend this practice at his discretion (a 2/3 vote of the Legislature is also required) to fill a state budget shortfall. What constitutes a "fiscal emergency" has not been adequately defined in my view (for instance, are we in a state of emergency now? It seems to me that we are.), but I trust the Governor's discretion enough to go along with it.

Prop. 59

Access to Government Information. Ensures "the right of access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business."

My vote: YES. Transparency in government can only be a good thing, but let's not kid ourselves here. This is purely symbolic- in reality it will do little to free the sort of information the state is keeping from us now. It's provision intended to force judges to interpret privacy laws "narowly... if it limits the right of access" is a joke. Judges are going to keep on doing whatever the hell they want, and that's the major barrier standing between the people and their right to know. Still, it's worth a shot.

Prop. 60

Election Right of Political Parties. Ensures that the general election ballot includes the winners of closed party primaries.

My vote: YES. Keeps current state election laws as-is. Would preserve the practice of "closed primaries", which give political parties the right to select their own candidates for elected office.

In direct competition with Prop. 62, which would create an open primary/run-off system like that of Louisiana. It's hard to describe Louisiana's switch to this system as anything short of a disaster. The system is easily manipulated to weed-out real competition by allowing Democrats to vote for Republican primary candidates and vice-versa. 62 is a bad, bad idea.

Prop 60A

Surplus State Property. Forces the proceeds raised from the sale of surplus state property to go toward paying down specified bonds.

My vote: YES. Another proposition that doesn't do a whole lot, but its heart is in the right place. Won't force the sale of surplus state property, but would ensure that if such a sale were to take place the proceeds would be used to pay down bonds floated in previous elections, thus lowering the overall cost of those bonds.

Prop 61

Children's Hospital Projects. Floats a $750 million bond to be used to expand and renovate state children's hospitals.

My vote: YES. Very reluctant yes. With the state's current fiscal crisis I would usually reject any new bond measures. But this one is fairly cheap (will cost the state 1.5 billion over 30 years) and is for a good cause. Plus, I don't want to live with the image of crying little kids in my nightmares.

Prop 62

Elections. Primaries. Creates an open primary system in which voters may select any candidate- regardless of party affiliation- for any state or federal office. The top two candidates would then be placed on the general election ballot. Excludes presidential primaries.

My vote: NO. See Prop 60. Would create a system vulnerable to mass corruption and would destroy the public's right to a clear and open debate between candidates.

Kennedy out 6-10 months

Adam Kennedy will undergo surgery to repair a tear in his right ACL on Friday. He also tore is right MCL while fielding an Ichiro Suzuki grounder on September 20th, but it does not require reconstructive surgery.

The recovery time for such an injury is anywhere from 6-10 months, meaning Kennedy will likely miss all of spring training, and possibly several months of the regular season.

Angels "committed" to Anderson in left

The Register's Mark Saxon reports (ed: found the link) that Bill Stoneman is "committed" to moving Garret Anderson back to left field, and that the team is in the market for a center fielder. Another possibility is to move Chone Figgins to center, allow David Eckstein to replace Kennedy at second, and go after a free-agent shortstop- where the talent runs considerably deeper this off-season (Garciaparra and Caberea are mentioned as possibilities).

Two things, not mentioned, but made abundantly clear:

• Jose Guillen is as good as gone, despite all the talk to contrary.
  
  
• The Angels won't even consider moving Erstad back to center, meaning we can look forward to another season of the worst everyday firstbaseman in baseball.

UPDATE: Turnbow acquired by Brewers

Rob links to this note on the ESPN News Wire showing that right-hander Derrick Turnbow has been picked off waivers by the Brewers. Turnbow was in his last option year, so the Angels would have been forced to keep him on their 25-man roster all next season- something they were obviously not willing to do.

First thoughts- Solid Bush win, but like the second debate, an unspectacular one. I felt that Bush was slightly better in the town-hall format, and Kerry was having his worst night by far. He seemed to be on the defensive the entire debate, something I never expected to see.

Kerry has a plan for everything, he just doesn't have time to explain it. It's starting to get real old, John.

Kerry's stressing of Mary Cheney's sexual orientation was absolutely disgusting and reprehensible. Senator Kerry owes Mary Cheney an apology. It could have been the big gaff everyone was waiting for, and everyone expected to see coming from Bush.

More later...

UPDATE: The Cheneys' response to Kerry's comments:

Vice President Cheney: "I would have said Sen. Kerry was out of line to bring my daughter into it. I thought it was totally inappropriate."

Lynne Cheney: "The only thing I could conclude is that this is not a good man. This is not a good man. And, of course, I'm speaking as a mom. And a pretty indignant one. This is not a good man. What a cheap and tawdry political trick."

Damn right.

Now Elizabeth Edwards response to the Cheneys' response:

"She's overreacted to this and treated it as if it's shameful to have this discussion. I think that's a very sad state of affairs… I think that it indicates a certain degree of shame with respect to her daughter's sexual preferences… It makes me really sad that that's Lynne's response."

You want to know what's shameful here? "Outing" an innocent political bystander on national television, in front of 26 million viewers to score political points- that's shameful. Yes, I know, Mary Cheney is open about her sexuality- but she certainly didn't want it broadcast into the home of every American or made an issue in her father's campaign. She is not a public figure, she is not an issue in this campaign, and she is not "fair game". Her sexuality has as much baring on this campaign as does the fact that Mrs. Edwards is a fat cow. Which she is. A fucking land whale:


And then to respond to criticism of your cheap political trick by accusing the parents of a gay daughter of being homophobes and being ashamed of their child? Classy. Just when you think the Democratic ticket couldn't get any lower, it finds a way.

I was going to vote for Bush- now I'm voting against these people.

UPDATE: A round-up of related links:

Surprisingly, Andrew Sullivan doesn't see what the big deal is. Oh wait, that's not at all surprising.

Ace wonders if this means Sullivan won't have a problem with being referred to as "Andrew Sullivan, the homosexual" from this point forward. Good question...

Instapundit also had a run in with Sullivan.

To which Spoons responds:

You know, I don't remotely object to Andrew criticizing the President. But I do object to Andrew's intellectual dishonesty, his decision to paint all Republicans as evil bigots, and his willingness to turn nasty towards people who have never treated him with anything but friendship and respect.

[snip]

I don't care that Sullivan's become a Democrat. I care that he's become a dick.

Getting off the Sullivan bashing for a moment, Steve at ThoughtsOnline puts his finger right on the issue.

And finally, Ensie begs to differ.

This is just a bad idea:

In the spirit of the Declaration of Independence's pledge to show "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind", we have come up with a unique way for non-Americans to express your views on the policies and candidates in this election to some of the people best placed to decide its outcome. It's not quite a vote, but it's a chance to influence how a very important vote will be cast. Or, at the very least, make a new penpal.

It works like this. By typing your email address into the box on this page, you will receive the name and address of a voter in Clark County, Ohio.

Shouldn't the Guardian at least contact the Clark County voters in question (they are only using voters with no party affiliation, lifted right off the voter rolls) and receive permission to give out their names and addresses? A little common courtesy, please!

Pity the poor Clark County voters who are about to be inundated with these letters, this on top of all the other political analog-spam swing state voters receive on a daily basis. On the bright side, maybe they can use the opportunity to start an international stamp collection.

Catbird in the Nosebleed Seats has the details of Bill Stoneman's interview on the McDonald-Douglas show today. I don't want to completely jack his scoop, so go over there and check it out.

Tell me again how the war in Iraq was unjustified?

US-led investigators have located nine trenches in Hatra containing hundreds of bodies believed to be Kurds killed during the repression of the 1980s.

The skeletons of unborn babies and toddlers clutching toys are being unearthed, the investigators said.

You want WMD? He's sitting in a jail cell as we speak.

UPDATE: From Cox & Forkum:

Of all the distortions, half-truths, and bold-face lies told in this election season, this is, without a doubt, the most despicable:

"When John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk. Get up out of that wheelchair and walk again."

-Dem. Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards

Senator, you should be ashamed of yourself.

UPDATE: Senator Edwards made the statement yesterday during a campaign stop in Newton, Iowa. He also promised to "...stop juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases..." according to Drudge. Simply disgusting.

UPDATE: Senate majority leader Bill Frist- a former heart surgeon- hits back at John Edward's comments: (via Crank)

Frist, a Republican from Tennessee, called Edwards' remark "crass" and "shameful," and said it gave false hope that new treatments were imminent.

[snip]

"I find it opportunistic to use the death of someone like Christopher Reeve -- I think it is shameful -- in order to mislead the American people," Frist said. "We should be offering people hope, but neither physicians, scientists, public servants or trial lawyers like John Edwards should be offering hype.

"It is cruel to people who have disabilities and chronic diseases, and, on top of that, it's dishonest. It's giving false hope to people, and I can tell you as a physician who's treated scores of thousands of patients that you don't give them false hope."

Frist/Romney '08!

If you want to get really angry, check out Carol Gould's tale of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism in Europe. Actually, it may make you more sick than angry.

But remember, there's no such thing as "anti-Americanism" in Europe. Nope, they're too well-informed for that.

Of a heart attack in the Bronx. He is survived by three daughters.

Let's hope that young ballplayers learn something from this sad, sad event.

I'll always remember my first (and most likely last) Instalanche...

1st and 10 at OAK 49- Edgerrin James (IND) rushed for 3 yards.
2nd and 7 at OAK 46- Peyton Manning (IND) pass complete to Marvin Harrison (IND) for 6 yards.
3rd and 1 at OAK 40- Peyton Manning (IND) pass incomplete.
4th and 1 at OAK 40- 5 yard penalty on Oakland. (Encroachment, Gbaja-Biamila)
1st and 10 at OAK 35- Peyton Manning (IND) pass complete to Reggie Wayne (IND) for a 35 yard touchdown.

Bill Callahan's immortal words are as true today as the moment they were uttered.

This is part two of a five-part(ish) series examining the possibilities of the Angels' off season. In this installment I will cover the contract status and outlook of the Angels' position players.

Part one: Pitchers contract status and outlook.

Infielders:

Alfredo Amezaga (no contract, renewable)

Amezaga will be one of the guys to watch this winter. He failed to show that he can hit in the big leagues, and the Angels already have a glut of middle infielders. I wouldn't be surprised if the Angels let him walk, a-la Shawn Wooten last season.

David Eckstein (no contract, arbitration eligible)

Don't let his baby-face fool you- David Eckstein is 30 years old and on the down-side of his career. The Angels should cut and run- but I doubt they will.

Darin Erstad (signed through 2006, $8m in 2005)

Erstad had a decent season by Erstad standards. But if the Angels insist on leaving him at first base, where his defensive prowess adds almost no value, than his offensive contribution will continue to be unacceptable. I'm afraid we're stuck with him, because I don't see that $16.5 million contract moving any time soon.

Chone Figgins (no contract, renewable)

Will certainly be back, and will likely earn a place in the everyday lineup. Where? I have no clue.

Troy Glaus (free agent)

Without a doubt, the hardest decision the Angels will have to make this off-season. When healthy, Troy is the club's best hitter. But health is the concern. His labrum tear and the subsequent surgery have left his shoulder vulnerable to re-injury and the slightest contact. After his successful playoff run Glaus is almost certain to ask for a multi-year contract, and there will be no hometown discount. Are the Angels willing to gamble with a long-term contract at that price? I doubt it, and that's just fine by me. I'll have a lot more on Glaus later.

Shane Halter (free agent)

Yeah... um, next?

Adam Kennedy (signed through 2006, $3m in 2005)

Before his injury I would have told you that Kennedy and his $3 million contract would be prime trade bait this off season as the Angels attempt to find a spot for Figgins. But the ACL and MCL injuries change all that, making it very unlikely any team would make a significant offer for him. So the Angels are "stuck" with a reasonably priced gold glove defender for at least another season.

Bengie Molina ($3m team option, $100,000 buyout)

The Angels are between a rock and a hard place here. $3 million is way to much for Molina- both his defense and offense have taken tumbles this season (has anyone else noticed that he's been the club's worst everyday hitter?)- but he's better than all the alternatives. Jose Molina can't hit, Josh Paul isn't an everyday player, and Jeff Mathis clearly isn't ready for the show. The Angels will probably pick his option up, but grudgingly. Either that, or exercise the $100,000 buyout and try to resign him at a more reasonable price.

Jose Molina (no contract, renewable)

He's quite possibly the best defensive catcher in baseball, which makes him a valuable backup- even if he can't hit a lick.

Josh Paul (free agent)

I would say the Angels would let him walk, but Mike Scioscia seems to have a hard-on for the guy, so who knows?

Robb Quinlan (no contract, renewable)

Will be back, and may take a platoon role at third in the even that Glaus' days as an Angel are done.

Outfielders:

Garret Anderson (signed through 2009, $9m in 2005)

This may be the worst contract on the Angels' books. GA missed a major portion of the season with a mystery back injury that turned out to be arthritis. He came back to diminished bat-speed and power. A series of leg injuries then made him an extreme liability in center field (as opposed to a plain liability when healthy) down the stretch. This is yet another contract that the Angels are stuck with, but I doubt they willing to watch another season of lazy fly balls dropping in front of Anderson in center. Expect to see him back in left.

Jeff DaVanon (no contract, arbitration eligible)

DaVanon has proved himself a more than capable major leaguer. There's no way the Angels let him walk, and he may get a shot at an everyday job next season.

Vladimir Guerrero (signed through 2009, $11.5m in 2005)

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that he'll be back next season.

Jose Guillen (signed through 2006, $3.5m in 2005)

This should be interesting. Guillen was the Angels second most productive hitter this season, and one would think that the Angels would be thrilled to have him locked-up at $3.5m. Unfortunately there's more to Guillen's story than his big bat. His frequent blow-ups and clashes with Mike Scioscia led the club to suspend Guillen down the stretch, leaving his future status uncertain. Both sides continue to insist that reconciliation is possible, but I don't see how. It's likely that he will be dealt for whatever the Angels can get for him- which isn't much at this point. More on Guillen later.

Tim Salmon (signed through 2005, $9.75 in 2005)

A litany of injuries brought Salmon's season, and likely his career, to screeching halt. It's not yet clear if Salmon intends to retire this off-season. He's still under contract for next season, but due to knee and shoulder surgery he would miss a substantial portion of the season (the most optimistic prognosis have Salmon returning at the All-Star break). Even if he does decide to rehab and attempt a return, he won't be in the Angels' plans as anything other than a sideshow. Put me down as hoping he does make it back, so the club can give him the send-off he deserves.

Summary:


Next time I'll give Bill Stoneman a little advice...

I don't have all my thoughts together quite yet, but my initial reaction is a solid, but unspectacular, Bush win. At the very least he easily cleared the hurdle of low expectations, and I'd go as far as to say this was the best I've ever seen him in this format. Kerry did well to, but obviously his supporters were looking for the big win, which did not come.

Full write up in the morning.

It's do or die... Kelvim Escobar vs. Bronson Arroyo. I'm looking forward to Vlad and Troy leaving a few dents in the Green Monster.

UPDATE: Has anyone else noticed that The Punter has been the Angels' best hitter (.571/.667/1.000) in the first two games? Who woulda' thunk it?

UPDATE: GA loses a ball in the sun, and somehow it's Jeff DaVanon's fault for not playing both left and center. God I hate Chris Berman.

UPDATE: Troy Glaus just clobbered a ball out of Fenway Park, and in the process has put the Angels in an unfortunate position. As we all know, Troy is a free agent at the end of the playoffs, and obviously his shoulder injury is a HUGE question mark. So much so, that Bill Stoneman would be, and should be, very hesitant to give Troy a multi-year contract.

A few months ago that didn't look like a problem. The conventional wisdom (in some circles) was that Glaus would be best served by accepting a one-year deal- likely at close to his current salary- giving him a year to prove his value and health so he could then make a run at his big pay-day. Is his performance in the postseason going to change all that? He's hit two monstrous homeruns so far, and I'm sure he's caused a few GMs to raise an eyebrow.

UPDATE: The sand in the Angels' hourglass is quickly running out. Escobar struggled and is now gone. Shields is in to attempt to save the season. Angels 1, Red Sox 3

UPDATE: And that should just about do it. Angels 1, Red Sox 5

UPDATE: What can you say about the defense? It's been iffy all year, but this is just ridiculous.

UPDATE: Hey, at least now I can continue with my offseason preview...

UPDATE: Spoke too soon?

UPDATE: YES! Angels 6, Red Sox 6

UPDATE: Amezega vs. Foulke? There's no way that's going to end well.

UPDATE: However this turns out, it won't change the fact that Brendan Donnelly pitched his ass off; 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 5 SO. Wow.

UPDATE: Five walks off Boston pitching? Who are you and what did you do with my Angels?

UPDATE: That's eight strikeouts for the Angels' bullpen tonight, and 12 total.

UPDATE: Something interesting just passed the lips of Chris Berman (I know- I'm just as surprised as you are...)- in nearly three whole games played in this series, the Angels have lead for all of 1/2 inning. Ouch.

UPDATE: We've got a rally in the making- bases loades, one out, GA at the plate.

UPDATE: The Angels don't get it done. Why is it that everytime Troy Glaus steps into the box the strikzone stretches out from sea-to-shining sea? Seriously- what the fuck is that?

UPDATE: Good to see the strikezone shrink right back down to nothing in the bottom of the inning...

UPDATE: And we have bonus baseball. I hope this ends in time for the debate...

UPDATE: Eckstein just saved the Angels' hides by digging out a Figgins throw to second. It looks like Figgins has a bit of the Knoblauch brainlock going on during the playoffs. Scioscia really needs to rethink this pattern of using him as a late-inning defensive replacement at third. I'll take my chances with McPherson, thank you.

UPDATE: K-Rod done, Washburn in. I don't know about this...

GAME OVER: Yeah, I'm going to have to call Scioscia on that one. The Washburn move was not smart. You have Percival down there for a reason, Mike. Oh well, it was just your entire season- no biggie. Angels 6, Red Sox 8

UPDATE: Alchemist comments:

"That's why the Angels shouldn't care about lefty-righty matchups. They haven't for the last two years. Especially when your lefty is a flyball pitcher against a home run hitter."

Exactly. Why start now? I hate to say it, but this one is on Scioscia. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Peter Gammons has been reading my mind again...

His awards ballot almost exactly mirrors my own (sure, he places far too much value in Mariano Rivera, but that's classic Gammons) right down to the selection of Randy Johnson for NL Cy Young. How many sports writers are going to have the sense to make that kind of pick? One might make the case that Jason Bay and Khalil Greene should be flip-flopped in the NL ROY race, but they're pretty close.

I wonder if he got any help from the 'stats nazis'...

For what it's worth, the Angels are listed as favorites tonight, and by a substantial margin. The listed odds (not the odds in Vegas) stand at Angels -130 (bet $130 on the Angels to win $100) and 110 Red Sox (bet $100 on the Red Sox to win $110).

I don't see any reason to actually play the game now.

WTF? (via Allah)

I don't have the time or patience to read the entire 1000+ page Duelfer report, but here are the key points gathered by the Special Advisor to the Director of Central Intelligence on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction.

• Saddam wanted nothing more than to escape sanctions.

  Saddam’s primary goal from 1991 to 2003 was to have UN sanctions lifted, while maintaining the security of the Regime. He sought to balance the need to cooperate with UN inspections—to gain support for lifting sanctions—with his intention to preserve Iraq’s intellectual capital for WMD with a minimum of foreign intrusiveness and loss of face. Indeed, this remained the goal to the end of the Regime, as the starting of any WMD program, conspicuous or otherwise, risked undoing the progress achieved in eroding sanctions and jeopardizing a political end to the embargo and international monitoring.

• Indeed, the UN's Oil for Food program gave him his escape route.

  The introduction of the Oil-For-Food program (OFF) in late 1996 was a key turning point for the Regime. OFF rescued Baghdad’s economy from a terminal decline created by sanctions. The Regime quickly came to see that OFF could be corrupted to acquire foreign exchange both to further undermine sanctions and to provide the means to enhance dual-use infrastructure and potential WMD-related development.

  "[A]cquire foreign exchange... to further undermine sanctions..." So you need foreign support to help undermine global security and regional stability in exchange for oil. Who do you turn to? Sounds like a job for the French to me: (via Puppy Blender)

  Saddam Hussein believed he could avoid the Iraq war with a bribery strategy targeting Jacques Chirac, the President of France, according to devastating documents released last night.
  
  Memos from Iraqi intelligence officials, recovered by American and British inspectors, show the dictator was told as early as May 2002 that France - having been granted oil contracts - would veto any American plans for war.
  
  [snip]
  
  Saddam was convinced that the UN sanctions - which stopped him acquiring weapons - were on the brink of collapse and he bankrolled several foreign activists who were campaigning for their abolition. He personally approved every one.
  
  To keep America at bay, he focusing on Russia, France and China - three of the five UN Security Council members with the power to veto war. Politicians, journalists and diplomats were all given lavish gifts and oil-for-food vouchers.
  
  Tariq Aziz, the former Iraqi deputy prime minister, told the ISG that the "primary motive for French co-operation" was to secure lucrative oil deals when UN sanctions were lifted. Total, the French oil giant, had been promised exploration rights.
  
  Iraqi intelligence officials then "targeted a number of French individuals that Iraq thought had a close relationship to French President Chirac," it said, including two of his "counsellors" and spokesman for his re-election campaign.
  
  They even assessed the chances for "supporting one of the candidates in an upcoming French presidential election." Chirac is not mentioned by name.

  Are you listening Mr. Kerry? This is the real world. These are our "allies".
  
  
• While his WMD programs had been dismantled after the first Gulf War and had not been reconstituted, Saddam intended to produce WMD when sanctions (which were rapidly deteriorating) disappeared.

  Saddam wanted to recreate Iraq’s WMD capability— which was essentially destroyed in 1991— after sanctions were removed and Iraq’s economy stabilized, but probably with a different mix of capabilities to that which previously existed. Saddam aspired to develop a nuclear capability—in an incremental fashion, irrespective of international pressure and the resulting economic risks—but he intended to focus on ballistic missile and tactical chemical warfare (CW) capabilities.
  
  [snip]
  
  Iraq Survey Group (ISG) judges that events in the 1980s and early 1990s shaped Saddam’s belief in the value of WMD. In Saddam’s view, WMD helped to save the Regime multiple times. He believed that during the Iran-Iraq war chemical weapons had halted Iranian ground offensives and that ballistic missile attacks on Tehran had broken its political will. Similarly, during Desert Storm, Saddam believed WMD had deterred Coalition Forces from pressing their attack beyond the goal of freeing Kuwait. WMD had even played a role in crushing the Shi’a revolt in the south following the 1991 cease-fire.

• Saddam continued to actively seek and preserve the intellectual ability to produce nuclear weapons.

  Starting around 1992, in a bid to retain the intellectual core of the former weapons program, Baghdad transferred many nuclear scientists to related jobs in the Military Industrial Commission (MIC). The work undertaken by these scientists at the MIC helped them maintain their weapons knowledge base. As with other WMD areas, Saddam’s ambitions in the nuclear area were secondary to his prime objective of ending UN sanctions.
  
  [snip]
  
  Although Saddam clearly assigned a high value to the nuclear progress and talent that had been developed up to the 1991 war, the program ended and the intellectual capital decayed in the succeeding years. Nevertheless, after 1991, Saddam did express his intent to retain the intellectual capital developed during the Iraqi Nuclear Program. Senior Iraqis—several of them from the Regime’s inner circle—told ISG they assumed Saddam would restart a nuclear program once UN sanctions ended.
  
  [snip]
  
  Initially, Saddam chose to conceal his nuclear program in its entirety, as he did with Iraq’s BW (biological warfare) program. Aggressive UN inspections after Desert Storm forced Saddam to admit the existence of the program and destroy or surrender components of the program. In the wake of Desert Storm, Iraq took steps to conceal key elements of its program and to preserve what it could of the professional capabilities of its nuclear scientific community.
  
  [snip]
  
  Baghdad undertook a variety of measures to conceal key elements of its nuclear program from successive UN inspectors, including specific direction by Saddam Husayn to hide and preserve documentation associated with Iraq’s nuclear program.

• Saddam continued to actively seek an preserve both the intellectual and material ability to produce chemical weapons, which he intended to do once sanctions were lifted.

  Saddam and many Iraqis regarded CW as a proven weapon against an enemy’s superior numerical strength, a weapon that had saved the nation at least once already—during the Iran-Iraq war—and contributed to deterring the Coalition in 1991 from advancing to Baghdad.
  
  [snip]
  
  Iraq’s acceptance of the Oil-for-Food (OFF) program was the foundation of Iraq’s economic recovery and sparked a flow of illicitly diverted funds that could be applied to projects for Iraq’s chemical industry. The way Iraq organized its chemical industry after the mid-1990s allowed it to conserve the knowledge-base needed to restart a CW program, conduct a modest amount of dual-use research, and partially recover from the decline of its production capability caused by the effects of the Gulf war and UN-sponsored destruction and sanctions. Iraq implemented a rigorous and formalized system of nationwide research and production of chemicals, but ISG will not be able to resolve whether Iraq intended the system to underpin any CW related efforts.
  
  [snip]
  
  The Regime employed a cadre of trained and experienced researchers, production managers, and weaponization experts from the former CW program.
  
  [snip]
  
  ISG did not discover chemical process or production units configured to produce key precursors or CW agents. However, site visits and debriefs revealed that Iraq maintained its ability for reconfiguring and ‘making-do’ with available equipment as substitutes for sanctioned items.
  
  [snip]
  
  ISG judges, based on available chemicals, infrastructure, and scientist debriefi ngs, that Iraq at OIF probably had a capability to produce large quantities of sulfur mustard within three to six months.
  
  [snip]
  
  A former nerve agent expert indicated that Iraq retained the capability to produce nerve agent in significant quantities within two years, given the import of required phosphorous precursors.
  
  [snip]
  
  Uday—head of the Fedayeen Saddam—attempted to obtain chemical weapons for use during OIF, according to reporting, but ISG found no evidence that Iraq ever came into possession of any CW weapons. ISG uncovered information that the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) maintained throughout 1991 to 2003 a set of undeclared covert laboratories to research and test various chemicals and poisons, primarily for intelligence operations. The network of laboratories could have provided an ideal, compartmented platform from which to continue CW agent R&D or small-scale production efforts, but we have no indications this was planned.
  
  [snip]
  
  The existence, function, and purpose of the laboratories were never declared to the UN.

Does this sound eerily similar to the scenario put forward by John McCain in his RNC speech to anyone else?

Say what you want about the original justification for war- this report shows that Saddam was a grave and gathering danger who fully intended to create, and had no qualms about using, WMD. It fully justifies the war in my mind, even if you exclude Saddam's well-documented links to terror. Too bad the American media has shown no intention of covering this outside of the "no WMD stockpiles" angle. (What bias in media?)

Oh, and thank you to our French and Russian allies, who did everything they could to further his ambitions. If there were justice in this world Paris would be next on the United States' shit-list.

UPDATE: Some will still question whether the ability and intention of Saddam to create WMD necessarily made him an eminent threat. Consider the following:

• Saddam could have produced mustard gas within six months of sanctions being lifted.
  
  
• He would have produced deadly nerve agent within two years of sanctions being lifted.
  
  
• Much of Saddam's biological warfare infrastructure was still in place at the time of the US-led invasion, which could have been up and running "within a few weeks to a few months of a decision to so".

  Iraq would have faced great diffi culty in re-establishing an effective BW agent production capability. Nevertheless, after 1996 Iraq still had a significant dual-use capability—some declared—readily useful for BW if the Regime chose to use it to pursue a BW program. Moreover, Iraq still possessed its most important BW asset, the scientific know-how of its BW cadre.
  
  [snip]
  
  In spite of the difficulties noted above, a BW capability is technically the easiest WMD to attain. Although equipment and facilities were destroyed under UN supervision in 1996, Iraq retained technical BW knowhow through the scientists that were involved in the former program. ISG has also identified civilian facilities and equipment in Iraq that have dual-use application that could be used for the production of agent.

• Those facts, coupled with his continuing quest to acquire the ability to produce nuclear weapons, show that Saddam had the ability to create WMD within months of sanctions being lifted. Not only did he have the ability to create those weapons, he had the express intention of creating them according to interviews conducted by the Iraq Survey Group. And as we all know, he had no apprehension about using such weapons, as he had proven several times in the past.
  
  The ability to create, the intention to create, and the will to use.
  
  
• So all that was missing was a delivery system. Or not:

  While other WMD programs were strictly prohibited, the UN permitted Iraq to develop and possess delivery systems provided their range did not exceed 150 km. This freedom allowed Iraq to keep its scientists and technicians employed and to keep its infrastructure and manufacturing base largely intact by pursuing programs nominally in compliance with the UN limitations. This positioned Iraq for a potential breakout capability.
  
  [snip]
  
  By 1991, Iraq had successfully demonstrated its ability to modify some of its delivery systems to increase their range and to develop WMD dissemination option...
  
  [snip]
  
  Iraq’s decisions in 1996 to accept the Oil-For-Food program (OFF) and later in 1998 to cease cooperation with UNSCOM and IAEA spurred a period of increased activity in delivery systems development. The pace of ongoing missile programs accelerated, and the Regime authorized its scientists to design missiles with ranges in excess of 150 km that, if developed, would have been clear violations of UNSCR 687.
  
  [snip]
  
  ISG uncovered Iraqi plans or designs for three long-range ballistic missiles with ranges from 400 to 1,000 km and for a 1,000-km-range cruise missile, although none of these systems progressed to production and only one reportedly passed the design phase. ISG assesses that these plans demonstrate Saddam’s continuing desire—up to the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) —for a long-range delivery capability.
  
  [snip]
  
  Given Iraq’s investments in technology and infrastructure improvements, an effective procurement network, skilled scientists, and designs already on the books for longer range missiles, ISG assesses that Saddam clearly intended to reconstitute long-range delivery systems and that the systems potentially were for WMD.

So now Saddam has a clear ability to produce not only the weapons, but delivery systems capable of hitting Israel and US interests in the region as well. That's not even to mention the possibility of Saddam passing WMD to one of the several terrorist organizations to which he was linked- perhaps the most devastating delivery system of all, and the one most likely to be used against US interests.

Perhaps some would be comfortable with that knowledge. I am not one of them.

UPDATE: Instalanche. Sweeeeet.

I'll probably be doing the majority of my blogging via AudioBlogger tonight, as I'm not sure that I'll have consistent access to my computer. Just a heads-up.

Top 1st: Bart works into, and out of, a bases-loaded jam. Despite that fact, I think Bart looked damn good. He was hitting all his spots, and his fastball hit 96 a couple times. He'll pitch well tonight- I can feel it.

Maya has posted a bunch of pictures from her trip to Oakland, the Angels' rally at the Spectrum, and game one of the ALDS. Start here and work your way backwards.

Headline in today's LA Times:


Republicans? The Republicans lost when they defeated a bill proposed by a Democrat (Charles Rangel of New York) and supported only by Democrats (the only two 'yes' votes came from John Murtha of Pennsylvania and Pete Stark of California) and left-leaning special interest groups?

It's no secret that the LA Times is one of the most biased news outlets in America, but this headline is just ridiculous, even by their twisted standards.

The article itself isn't much better, as it devotes at least twice as much page space to the crackpot activists who are trying to scare teens into voting for Kerry (who's opinions read as gospel) as they do to Republican leadership discussing the bill (who's claims are immediately refuted by said crackpot activists). And amazingly, the name 'Charles Rangle' (or that of any other Democratic supporter of the bill) doesn't appear until paragraph 16. (HT: LGF)

It's clear that the LA Times is attempting to keep the 'draft scare' story alive- a story backed by nothing even remotely resembling evidence. The Times' news directors should be ashamed of themselves.

It was clear what John Edwards was attempting to do tonight. He wanted to keep whatever momentum Kerry may have gained from his Thursday debate win alive heading into Friday's second clash. In fact, he referenced it five separate times by my count. He failed miserably.

He used it most notably whenever Cheney would toss out the "flip-flopper" speal. Edwards would counter with "you all saw Thursday night- John Kerry said..." Yeah, but John Kerry says a lot of things. Half of it is bullshit, and other half contradicts the first half. Defend your man Edwards! Don't just parrot him.

Cheney got in the three or four best punches, including this gem:

"Your rhetoric, Senator, would be a lot more credible if there was a record to back it up. There isn't.

"And you cannot use "talk tough" during the course of a 90-minute debate in a presidential campaign to obscure a 30-year record in the United States Senate and, prior to that by John Kerry, who has consistently come down on the wrong side of all the major defense issues that he's faced as a public official."

It's the first time I've heard a word about Kerry's senate record in ages- since the Republican National Convention if memory serves. Hopefully this will be a new, consistent line of attack for the Bush campaign. Cheney hammered on it all night, and I assume that it marks the beginning of a coordinated assault.

Edwards was far too focused on Halliburton- he used the word "Halliburton" six times- a situation that Cheney diffused admirably. My only problem with Cheney's response was that he failed to retaliate by attacking Edward's past as a trial lawyer (and a particularly despicable past it is). Cheney didn't mention it once, not even when asked about tort reform. (By the way, I thought Edwards' response to the tort reform question was one of the most misleading and evasive responses I've ever seen. Not a surprise coming from an ambulance chaser.)

I felt that Cheney mounted a well-reasoned defense of the war (I hope W was taking notes) and he clearly won the national defense/foreign policy portion of the debate. I would go as far as to say that he thrashed Edwards for the first 45 minutes. Edwards turned his night around on a few of the domestic policy issues, but I would still give that portion to Cheney, who seemed to be the more informed of the pair all night.

Overall, I'd say it's clear that Cheney had this one well in hand. Like Bush, he constantly questioned his opponent's facts without seeming combative or accusing him of being a liar (that's about all Bush did well on Thursday)- the same can't be said of Edwards, who attempted to play the "pity me, he's exaggerating my record" game all night. It came off pretty bad from my view.

Really, I don't have much positive to say about Edward's performance. I'm trying to be non-partisan here (and I'm failing miserably, I know), but I thought it was a dismal showing. That was my inititial thought after digesting the debate, and it was only solidified after reading the transcript.

So Edwards failed to achieve his goal of keeping Kerry's momentum in-tact. I wouldn't call his performance disastrous, but only because it was in a Veep Debate, which ultimately means squat. If this has any effect on the polls, most likely it will bring whatever surge Kerry was riding to a halt, but won't go as far as to help the President's numbers. More importantly, however, is the fact that Cheney opened up many new lines of attack and exposed some vulnerabilities that Bush can now exploit (if he has that capability).

UPDATE: I gave out grades for the Presidential debate, so I figured I should do the same here:

Style:

Cheney: B-. He kept inadvertently covering his mic with his hands, so he sounded like he was in a box. He also came off rather dull, because, well... he's rather dull.

Edwards: B+. He's so dreamy...

Content:

Cheney: A. There can be no doubt that Dick Cheney has a firm grasp on all the issues. He's always had the reputation of being a policy wonk, and he lived up to that tonight.

Edwards: D-. What did he say, really? I've read the transcript, and I still don't know. When he did actually answer the questions that were asked he simply regurgitated Kerry's talking points (verbatim at times)- only he got called on them. Basically we had a case of Kerry debating Cheney, only Cheney had already seen, and prepared for, the talking points. Not smart.

Overall:

Cheney: A-.

Edwards: D.