GROUP BLOG - I have joined a group blog, Sportblog.org. My first entry was on the Red Sox putting Manny Ramirez on waivers. (My obsession with the Sox continues unabated.)   ¶ 9:29 AM

  YANKEES (A post for Kate)- I am, of course, glad that they lost. I say that not only as a disgruntled Red Sox fan, but because it will keep Yankees fans quiet (for a little bit at least.) And anyone that tries that "we're just happy to go farther than the Red Sox" line, is an out and out liar.

Also, for $180 million, I am sure that Georgie S. expected another parade.

Of course on the downside, it just make this story all the more possible for 2004. If $180 million doesn't do it, maybe $250 mill will.  ¶ 1:14 AM

  I CAN'T HELP MYSELF - So here is another Red Sox comment.

It almost goes with out saying that every Red Sox fan is rooting for the Marlins to win tonight, but not merely because that means the Yankees will lose, but also because of baseball's prohibition against making personnel announcements while the Series is going on. So here's hoping that tomorrow morning's Boston Globe Sports headlines read like this:

GRADY LITTLE FIRED
YANKEES LOSE
(Marlins win World Series - details on page 4.)  ¶ 5:48 PM

  ANOTHER HOWARD MORTMAN COLUMN - Howard has another column up on MSNBC (You can read it here.)

Unfortunately he continues the right's obsession with Bill & Hill. But read it anyway.  ¶ 3:02 PM

  THE JUNIOR SENATOR FROM WYOMING - Quick name him.


Time's up. -- Mike Enzi

And this may be the first time I have ever heard him say anything I agree with.

Senator Michael B. Enzi criticized what he called an American "stranglehold" on Cuba, a country of 11 million people less than 100 miles from the United States. The decades-old travel ban, he said, merely deepens Cubans' misery without providing fresh ideas to the Marxist-led nation.

"Unilateral sanctions stop not just the flow of goods, but the flow of ideas," Mr. Enzi said. "Ideas of freedom and democracy are the keys to positive change in any nation."
  ¶ 2:54 PM

  ABERRATION? - The polling numbers that had Junior at 56% approval appear to be a bit of an aberration, not the plateauing of his fall as they were played by the press. Recent polls still show his approval falling -- Pew has the president at 50%; Zogby has him at 49%; and Fox/Opinion Dynamics has him at 52%.  ¶ 12:22 PM

  DISINFORMATION - This story in today's Washington Post ("GOP Sees Gephardt as Toughest Rival for Bush") has all the signs of a classic disinformation campaign. I mean, has anyone actually seen Dick Gephardt campaign? As a Number 2, he might cause some problems in the Midwest, but I don't think he would ever win as the nominee.  ¶ 9:13 AM

  MY LAST RED SOX POST - It must be hard for non-Red Sox fans to understand the depth of the despair that we feel today. You wonder why we don't just root for another team, or why we hope against hope that this time will be different.

Read this article by Bill Simmons, and maybe you will begin to understand. The part that resonates the most with me is this:

So it happened again. Nothing was worse than Game Six against the Mets, but this was damned close. I don't need to tell you why. If the Red Sox were a girl, you would probably just break up with them. You would call them on the phone, explain to them calmly that you can't take it anymore, let them down as gently as possible, then move on with your life. But sports aren't like that. You're stuck with your teams from childhood. It's like being trapped in a bad marriage. You can't get out.

Hey, this is my team. I came to grips with that a long time ago. They're part of my life. Sometimes they lift me to a higher place. Sometimes they punch me in the stomach and leave me for dead. There's no rhyme or reason. And there are thousands and thousands of diehards just like me, all trapped in that same bad marriage, united by our experiences and memories. We wear Sox caps, we pack Fenway Park, we travel insane distances to support our team on the road. We always have each other. And some days are better than others.

Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Red Sox nation is insane, but we are Red Sox fans and just can't help it.

Some day all of our suffering will be worth it, some day we will be the ones popping the champagne, some day we won't have to utter the dreaded phrase: We'll get'em next year.  ¶ 5:57 PM

  YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP - According to recent reports:

Concerned about the appearance of disarray and feuding within his administration as well as growing resistance to his policies in Iraq, President Bush - living up to his recent declaration that he is in charge - told his top officials to "stop the leaks" to the media, or else.

News of Bush's order leaked almost immediately.

Bush told his senior aides Tuesday that he "didn't want to see any stories" quoting unnamed administration officials in the media anymore, and that if he did, there would be consequences, said a senior administration official who asked that his name not be used.

Classic.  ¶ 12:04 PM

  THE CURSE GODS AWAKE- Most of New England (and me) were hoping that the "Curse Gods" (in charge of baseball curses) would be too hungover from their Chicago love fest to pay attention to the game going on in NYC tonite, alas the game went pass 12:00 and did not escape their attention.

The Gods did not sleep. (Again.)

Those of us who will enjoy immediate access to Heaven will have to wait for a Cub/Sox series for another year.

(On the other hand -- Let’s Go FISH)  ¶ 12:29 AM

  THE GAME - There just has never been a bigger non-World Series game that tonite's showdown. Yankee fans are more nervous than I have ever seen them, which gives this BoSox fan no small pleasure. Pedro v. Clemens, two of the Red Sox best pitchers ever, gong face to face. It has been hard to concentrate on almost anything else, I barely watched any of the Cubs-Marlins series because I need the sleep. This is it, the winner get bragging rights and a trip to the World Series, the loser goes home.

And to think that my brother-in-law Jason chose this time to go to Europe. Hopefully he can find a radio station or an Internet cafe or something to enjoy the game. Of course, if we go to the Series, I may start a collection to send him back for the next week as well, not that I believe in silly superstitions or anything.  ¶ 5:50 PM

  TROUBLE IN MS? - If you had asked me six months ago which Gubernatorial race the GOP had the least to worry about, I would have said Mississippi. Haley Barbour, former RNC Chairman and GOP grace eminence was returning home to save the state for a somewhat tainted incumbent Democrat, Ronnie Musgrove. But Barbour seems not to have made as much traction as I had anticipated, and from this report in Jackson Clarion-Ledger, it seems that Haley's debate demeanor isn't scoring any points either.

I have seen no polling data, but as a rule of thumb, candidates that are comfortably leading ignore negative ads, when they are behind, or fading they come out swinging.

(On a completely personal note, I've always kinda like Haley -- heck, we almost shared pizza on election night in 1993)  ¶ 9:47 AM

  THE NEW BIG EAST - A few months ago I spent a lot of time and space railing against the ACC for trying to destroy the Big East. After that debacle, Va. Tech and Miami joined the ACC and Syracuse and Boston College were left where they were, which actually made a little sense.

Now, the ACC, after being told by the NCAA that 11 teams wouldn't be enough for a championship football game, invited BC to again join the ACC, and BC accepted. I have a number of mixed feelings about this, but first let me vent a little at BC. This is a stupid move on their part, and one that they will come to regret sooner rather than later. What BC has done is take a snapshot of where things stand right now and decided that it would be best to be part of the ACC. I disagree with this judgment, but the insane part is that they don't seem to have looked toward the future at all.

As part of the Big East they would be able to rebuild a conference full of natural rivals, that is as strong as the ACC in basketball, and that should be strong enough to retain its BCS status -- or would join the fight to destroy the BCS altogether, which would be for the best anyway. (And BC would be one of the strongest football members.) Instead BC is now in the lower echelon in both basketball and football and has no natural rivals. (Somehow I think that the people up in Chestnut Hill aren't going to get too excited about a BC-Wake Forest or BC-Duke football game.) Plus it kills their non-revenue sports because the travel will be brutal. But BC wants to be with the "cool kids", so let them begone. They have become the Vanderbilt or Baylor of the ACC. (Bonus Prediction - BC is inquiring about getting back into the Big East within 7 years.)

So what will the Big East look like? Well it seems to be an open secret that Louisville and Cincinnati will be joining, along with DePaul and Marquette for basketball. That leaves an opening for a football team -- the leaders at the clubhouse turn for this last spot are Marshall, Central Florida and South Florida.

The new Big East could look like this for football: Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, Rutgers, Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati, one from the list above and maybe a ninth school that would make scheduling easier (Army or Navy).

In basketball, all those schools except the ninth one could join Seton Hall, Providence, Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Notre Dame, Marquette and DePaul.

I do not want another Florida school, unless you take both Central and South, and would prefer Marshall. But let me suggest another option, one that will keep the Big East a little more geographically sound, go to UMass and say if you upgrade your football program to 1A, we have a spot for you. Not only does this keep the Boston market alive; and it has the added benefit of screwing BC.  ¶ 1:24 PM

  A HUGE WIN - This was a big win for the Sox, it not only evens the series at 2-2, but puts the emotion right back in their favor. Wakefield pitched another awesome game, and if the bats ever wake up . . . look out. It is now a best of three, the Yankees have the home field but we have our two best pitchers (and maybe Wakefield for Game 6). I may be delusional, but there is just a diferent feel with this team -- they expect to win, they expect to come back, and they expect to hold a lead. What a great game, what a great series -- and LETS GO SOX!  ¶ 11:46 PM

  MORE FROM THAT SAME POLL - Seventy percent of those polled say the country’s political system is so controlled by special interests and partisanship that it cannot respond to the country’s real needs; 25 percent disagree. And more than half of respondents (54 percent) say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States now, while 40 percent say they are satisfied—almost a complete reversal from six months ago when half of Americans said they were satisfied and 41 percent were not.

These numbers are not just discouraging, if they don't turn around and soon they will be devastating. (I haven’t seen any numbers on GOP support, but it would be yet another warning sign if it has dipped under 85%, which I think it may have.)

A sign that these numbers are truly beginning worrying the WH will be if they release some of their warchest to begin advertising. After all having $200 million sitting in the bank is great, but it would pretty stupid to hold on to that money if you can use that money to help stabilize you. So far they have been trying to use free media to get the message out, but that hasn't been working.  ¶ 12:03 PM

  MORE FROM NEWSEEK - Their polling in light of Ahhnold's victory reveals that 40% of voters would sign a recall petition for their own governor. It might just be me, and upon further thought this might to be so striking to me, but that number seems real high. I think this is just another symptom of the voter anger that is out there and which poses a very real danger for incumbents.

Along those lines, there are three Gubernatorial races this year, in Kentucky Louisiana and Mississippi. All three races are in "Red States " (they went for Bush in 2000), but have either Democratic Governors or Senators, showing that Democrats can win there too. In all three states the Republican candidate can be closely identified with Junior. In two of the states the Democratic candidate has some significant weaknesses. All three seem to be pretty close right now. I think the WH will be very nervous if they lose more than one of these.  ¶ 11:56 AM

  LIMBAUGH IN NEWSWEEK - This Newsweek piece is pretty thorough and makes Rush seem a little pathetic, even before his addiction. What happened to him is sad and could (and does) happen to many others. It is hard for those who disagree with him, and have been the target of his attacks, to not gloat over this comeuppance, but I think that he has handled it with as much honesty and dignity as probably is possible. (For instance he has handled it much better than Bill Bennett or Newt Gingrich did.) My hope would be that this experience would alter his views a bit, and allow him to understand human frailties and to feel a little more sympathy toward others.  ¶ 11:43 AM

  ANGER - There is a lot of anger out there amongst the electorate right now. You can see it in the results of the California vote, you can see it in the rise of Howard Dean, you can see it in the way that people look at the stock market, heck, you can see it when you look at the New York Times bestseller list.

Democrats are angry over the 2000 election and Republicans for the Clinton years. Voters are angry with politicians for not listening to them -- although they don't really know what they want to say -- and politicians are angry with the voters for not listening to them -- although they could never admit it. Stockholders are angry with companies for the lavish spending on their CEOs, and the companies are angry at being a target, so in turn try to pin some blame on Dick Grasso. (Dick Grasso may also be angry, but with $180 million who cares – you just can’t really be angry with that much money.)

The anger first reared its head in 1992 with Clinton’s election. It showed again in 1994 with the Republican tide. It has subsided at times, at other times is has been diffused, but it hasn’t dissipated. Schwarzenegger's election is another symptom of the voter’s frustration -- nobody really thinks he can cure the problems, but he is an avenue for its expression.

I think that the core of the country's anger is a simple lack of leadership and I think that most people don’t even recognize the vacuum is the source of their anger. Clinton's personal behavior made it impossible for many people to follow him. People desperately wanted to Junior to be a leader after September 11th, but he is rapidly losing the faith that had been placed in him. (One thing that a leader must do in order to lead is make people believe in them and what they are saying, you can't lead when you keep saying everything is fine (Iraq, the economy, taxes/deficit), when everyone else can see that it just isn't true. After a while it becomes like Wizard of Oz "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”)

A guy like Howard Dean is benefiting from the anger, but I don't see the leader in him yet, but it may come. None of the other Dems, with the exception of Wes Clark, seem to be grasping for the golden ring of being a “leader” and instead spend most of their time pandering to base. (Clark is certainly playing the leadership card, but its too early to tell, because leadership is more than just a resume.)

There must be leaders out there, men or women who are willing to make sacrifices, and ask others to do the same. People who believe that they should hold themselves out as role models, and that being honest with the public is important; a person, or people, who will give the country goals; focus on what unites us, not what divides us; and who will focus the anger into something productive.

Any volunteers?  ¶ 4:03 PM

  THE PLAME AFFAIR - This really interesting article in today's Washington Post should put to rest the "she was just an analyst" or "everyone knew she was a spy" arguments that have been making the rounds.  ¶ 9:22 AM

  CALIFORNIA - I think they may be having an election or something today. Luckily I should be fast asleep by the time Der Ahhhnold gives his acceptance speech.

Since it doesn't matter to me who the Governor of California is, the most interesting aspect of the race was the utter lack of overt WH help for the likely next governor. Maybe they figured that Junior couldn't help him anyway? Maybe they figured that supporting Arnold over McClintock would alienate the conservative base? Or maybe they think that their best shot at winning California was to run against Gray Davis? One aspect that they must not like is the rise of the angry voter. Angry voters vote against incumbents, if it catches on nationally not only will Junior be in trouble, so might the Congressional majority.  ¶ 2:42 PM

  THE TRAVAILS OF A SOX FAN - This article by Bill Simmons pretty much sums up what it is like to be a Sox fan watching a game like last night.

Just for the record -- my lucky Sox cap was on for all three victories and, if we lose game 1, I may not shave again during the series.  ¶ 1:29 PM

  SENATE RACES 2004 - Two pieces of news regarding 2004 Senate races. Bob Graham has quit his campaign to be president, so assuming that he does not decide to retire, that seat should remains safely in Democratic hands. And apparently Don Nickles, realizing that he will never be Majority Leader, has decided not to run again. Oklahoma is a weird state politically, conservative, but Democrats can do well statewide, this seat will be in play, maybe even a toss-up.

This is very good news for Democratic hopes of winning back the Senate, or at least holding firm. It also has to hit the White House hard -- not only to lose a safe seat, but it says that at least some Republicans are not enjoying life with control of the government as much as they would have thought.  ¶ 11:05 AM

  PACKERS & SOX - What an amazing sports weekend for me. My first trip to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, and the Sox win a nail biter to advance to play the Yankees with a World Series trip on the line.

Too many highlights to mention, but one memory: trying to find out the Sox score while at the Packers game. They didn't put it on the scoreboard, but there were a few other Sox fans near us, so between all of us we were able to keep each other updated. What a weekend!  ¶ 10:04 AM

  TONY KORNHEISER COMING TO YET ANOTHER TV NEAR YOU - As if he doesn't have enough expose already:

Alexander to play 'Interruption' co-host in sitcom
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN.com news services

"Who am I?"

"You're Tony Kornheiser."

Then who's behind the mask?

It's Jason Alexander, who's going to play the Washington Post columnist and co-star of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" in a CBS sitcom pilot.

You've got to be kidding.

No, it's true. At least that's what the Post reports in a story published Thursday.

"Shut Up and Listen," to be based on Kornheiser's columns in the Post's Style section about his real life, was developed for CBS's fall lineup. However, it was delayed, perhaps until spring or next fall, according to the Post, because CBS and the production company couldn't find the right Kornheiser.

John Goodman was considered, but "is no Tony Kornheiser," notes the Post. "Jason Alexander, on the other hand, practically is Tony Kornheiser," according to the Post.

It's easy to picture Alexander behind the Kornheiser mask, sitting opposite Michael Wilbon, pulling off one of PTI's recurring shticks. True, Alexander's shorter, but who notices when they're sitting down?

What is noticeable is that they have "the same hair," as Kornheiser acknowledged to the Post. And, anybody who knows Kornheiser knows that he and the George Costanza character played by Alexander on "Seinfield" are similarly neurotic, too.

The Kornheiser character is named Tony Kleinman in the pilot script. He's a sports journalist with two teenagers who, according to DeKoven, "is very comfortable in the world of sports but uncomfortable in the world of parenting."

The show was developed by longtime Kornheiser friend and former NBC exec Lindy DeKoven, who will be executive producer. She wanted Alexander from the start. "He was among the first people we even thought of; he seems like he fits the role," DeKoven told the Post. "Tony, as you know, is not the easiest guy -- this is not tall, dark and handsome. Just say it wasn't an easy role to cast."

But I still love Tony.
  ¶ 4:07 PM

  RUSH OR BOSOX FANS- I am not sure who feels worse this morning. He gets pushed out of a dream gig at ESPN, and then gets accused of being a drug addict. We are forced by MLB to stay up until 3 a.m., and then see our team lose. (At least he can laugh his way to the bank, and the Sox have an afternoon game today, so we can't revel in our misery for too long.)

BTW - If Kim makes another meaningful pitch for the Sox this year, we are doomed. Doomed I tell you.   ¶ 3:52 PM

  WHEN NATIONAL COMMITTEES ATTACK - It is an automatic response in Washington to attack your accusers in response to a whiff of scandal. This article in the Washington Times (official newspaper of the RNC) makes it pretty clear that the WH will attempt to turn the news coverage on to Ambassador Wilson and his wife and the hint that this is all about trying to embarrass the President for political gains. (Also see RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie's comments that "He is someone, given his politics, who is obviously prone to think the worst of this White House" in today's Washington Post.) It is certainly not unexpected, because it is an automatic response to accuse the accuser at this point. (It is certainly a bipartisan response -- the Clinton WH was proficient at doing this.) It might even be partially successful if this story doesn't advance very much in the next few days, because the media will have to focus their coverage on something.

Two question to the WH: 1) Is this changing the tone in Washington and bring dignity back to the Oval Office? and 2) Isn't this what got you into this trouble in the first place?

(UPDATE - Josh Marshall has some views on Wilson as a Democratic supporter, but his best line is this: "contrary to what some Republicans seem to think, Democrats still are allowed to serve in the national security bureaucracy.")  ¶ 10:05 AM

  THE WILSON AFFAIR - I don't think that ball has been advanced very far today, except that the Republican attacks against Ambassador Wilson (See some here, and here) do not seem to have been well received. This is pretty simple, if 1) his wife was an operative; and 2) her name was leaked on purpose; then 3) you have a scandal. It doesn't matter what his motives were, what his political ideology is, or which Democratic candidate he may support, if 1 & 2, then 3.

How big a scandal depends on who exactly was the leaker. There are rumors that point to Karl Rove or Scooter Libby, but they are just those, so far, rumors. I get the feeling that the WH is taking this seriously, but is underestimating the very real damage that this could do in a worse case scenario. This would seriously undermine Junior's popularity and credibility with the pro-"Bring back respect to the Oval Office" crowd, and with the pro-military crowd (which i suspect is beginning to fade anyway).

Many politicos believe the reason that Junior lost the popular vote was the uncovering of the DUI, and it wasn't just because of the DUI, it was because of the lying about it. This potential scandal (and that is all it is right now) can eat right into the heart of his base. A quick resolution, and some low-level sacrificial lamb, is his best hope for minimal damage.

A much stronger denunciation than he gave yesterday would certainly not hurt either.
  ¶ 4:20 PM