( 5:37 PM )
Your Tax Dollars at Work
Someone tried to run down Katherine Harris with his car yesterday. Only in Florida that could be considered a crime.
Also straight from the "only in Florida" files, local governments can actually use taxpayer money for political advertising. How about opening up the county library or reinstating after-school programs instead of joining the already flooded chorus of negative campaign ads on our television sets.
Here in Florida, we've been overwhelmed by political commercials. From September 24 to October 7, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale television viewers were hit with 5,556 political ads. To make matters worse, only 27 percent of these ads were positive. Put that on top of two-plus hour waits to early vote and no wonder people want to run down elected officials.
People in New York have no idea how hard it is to watch television in Florida. Every commercial during the World Series which wasn't a promotion for some lame Fox show, was a campaign commercial. I'm not sure which candidate did what these days. Is Bush the one who said terrorism couldn't be defeated or was he the one that likened it to prostitution?
We have to get back to a point in this country where we're voting for someone and not against someone else. Celebrities and others who preach this "anyone but Bush" rhetoric are truly doing a disservice to our election system. If people coould actually give you reasons for supporting or opposing a candidate that wasn't based on what a television commercial told them, than perhaps I'd have more faith in our system. When you read the paper and people say that: ""Kerry takes too many stands," or "Bush won't face reality," they very well could be saying: "Save 15 percent or more on car insurance with Geiko."
::
0 comments
( 7:23 PM )
One Week to Go....
And this blogger couldn't be happier. For all those not in the swing state, you have no idea how impossible it is to enjoy this election season. Down here, we see all the ads, even ads that aren't running in any other part of the country. Is this suppose to be a thank you for being a state that has yet to make up their mind.
Here in Florida, we actually have two Senate candidates attacking each other over ties to the same suspected terrorist. One day, Mel Martinez ran an ad showing that Democrat Betty Castor didn't fire a suspected terrorist when she was head of a university in Florida. The next day, Castor ran an ad showing Martinez and President Bush in a photo with the same suspected terrorist. Funny thing about all of it, is the guy in question is really not a suspected terrorist. Of course, the truth is really not needed when you're talking about political ads.
Moving onto baseball, it seems that some still didn't get my memo that the Red Sox must be stopped. I guess I'm not as popular in St. Louis as once thought. Like Pat Riley said, a series doesn't start until a team loses a home game. The Cardinals have been as good as anyone in Busch Stadium, and I don't think that will change when the Series resumes.
Once again, it is very important that the Red Sox be stopped. There are so many problems linked to the Rangers winning the cup in 1994 - breaking a 54-year drought. Let's not make this mistake again. How many people want to wake up next week and see Bush re-elected and the Red Sox World Series champions?
::
0 comments
( 5:22 PM )
The Greatest Game
Isn't baseball just the greatest thing ever? The national past time has outlived all our expectations this year. The Yankees and Red Sox series speaks for itself, yet don't overlook the magic the Cardinals and Astros series have bought to October. Jeff Kent's walk-off home run in Game 5 certainly didn't lack in the drama department. It's been a great post-season so far.
However, the time is upon me to stop merely rooting for great, memorable games, and to chose the team I want to see as World Champions. With elimination games on the menu tonight, it's a better time than ever, but the choice even for a complusive idiot like myself, has been as exhausting as Game 4.
Let's start with the easiest choice for me: the Astros/Cardinal series. My hatred for Houston dates back to the NLCS in 1986, when the Astros played my Mets. That hatred remains to this day. Couple that with Clemens (another '86 Mets foe) and the fact that Albert Pujols is the best player in the game after Barry, makes this a no-brainer for the Cards.
Now, onto the Red Sox/Yankee series. I'm a Mets fan, yet growing up in the NYC-area, I couldn't avoid the Yankees. I probably know more about the Yankees than some people who claim to be die-hard Yankee fans. I've never had to hate the Yankees because during my childhood, there was no inter-league play and neither team were really truly World Champion material at the same time. The 2000 series made me hate the Yankees for 6 games, but as soon as their paths were no longer going to collide, I could care less about what happens in the Bronx.
I hate Boston. Not just the Red Sox but the Celtics, Bruins (except Cam Neely), Sam Adams, Doug Flutie, Creme Pie, and white clam chowder. However, I'm not opposed to the Sox beating the Yankees. I'm just opposed to the Red Sox winning the World Series. That being said, I'd like the Yankees to make sure that happens sooner, than having to rely on Woody Williams or Brad Lidge to do that later. So for Game 7, I'm rooting for the New York Yankees.
So the "happy recap" is as follows:
If the Yankees make the World Series and play the Cards then I'm taking the Cards. If the Red Sox make the World Series and play the Cards, again I'm rooting for the Cards. If the Yankees make the World Series and play the Astros', I'm taking the Yankees. And if the Red Sox make the World Series to play the Astros, I'm moving to London.
Cheers mate.
::
0 comments
( 1:44 AM )
I didn't leave the house until 9. Figuring the drive to the Office Depot Center would take around 30 minutes I knew there would be no chance on catching Talib Kweli. The Yankees and Red Sox were up to their typical nonsense: stranding runners, blowing leads and now it was onto to extras. I left a baseball playoff game that I'm interested in and left the house. I can't tell you the last time that happen.
The Office Depot Center is in the middle of nowhere. Now, it's somewhere but before the Depot Center, before the strip malls, and before the planned communities, this land was nowhere. The drive took longer than I anticipated but being so late meant there was no traffic heading into the arena. The Lexis sponsored parking lots were full with cars but eerily empty with people.
The Beastie Boys were on by the time I got to my stage seats which were stage left, eight rows up. I could them squealing their lyrics as I walked through the lobby. By the time I got to my seat, I could see Mike D standing arms raised in the air to a rocking crowd rhyming "shake your rump." Soon after that, the Boys headed down the backstairs and Mix Master Mike took over.
The Beasties came back with the musical outfit, opening the second set with Sabrosa. They were joined by a organ player and by the percussionist, whose graciousness made it possible for me to attend tonight's show free of charge. This coming from a guy who I never met. That was really nice of him and I have to also thank his beautiful and talented girlfriend Aileen for hooking us up. Aileen has great music taste, turning me on to groups like the Critical Brass Band when I was in LA a year ago.
It has been nearly 20 years since I saw the Beastie Boys in concert. Much has changed and yet nothing has. They still seem to have more fun on stage than many groups I've seen in concert. They're still sided-splitting funny and over the years, have not suffered in the creativity department. The stage show was incredible, with video screens showing every Beastie Boy move. The sets changed, with the Boys being rolled out under a neon lit circus tent, dressed in 60's ruffled tuxedos. For the first encore, all three suddenly appeared on the Mezzanine level of the arena and performed as fans tried like hell to grab any piece of the Beastie Boys. I still don't know how they got up there so quick....
I heard all the favorites and some from the new record that I didn't like prior to the show. I love 'Open Letter to NYC' and being so away from NYC now, made me love the song even more. They closed with Sabotage and even though it didn't sound as good as the track I laid down with Spitball one night in studio, it still rocked.
After the show, I sat patiently waiting for the crowd to file out. By the time I got to the lobby, a crowd had gathered around the small TV's by the concession stand. The Yankee game was still on. I couldn't believe it but than again, the way the series has been going, how could I be surprised. I got within view just as Ortiz hit his single and a majority of the crowd started chanting "Yankees Suck" as they headed for the doors.
::
0 comments
( 3:32 PM )
One for the Ages my Ass
I sure wasn't surprised to read that people like 2Walls' Mike Webb thought last night's Yankee/Red Sox game was one of hte best games he's ever seen. Webb is a partisan, bandwagon Yankees fan, who thinks that any game the Yankees win is a great game. I don't expect Yankee fans to think last nights game wasn't great but from a baseball perspective, it was one of the worse playoff games I've ever seen.
The game didn't have one moment when you could honestly say that the teams were playing playoff caliber baseball. Arroyo can't find the plate in the first inning. Manny can't run the bases. The grounder Jeter booted as the Sox were threatening. Kevin Brown throwing nothing but flat, fastballs. Javier Vasquez giving the Red Sox every chance to get back in it. Tom Gordon not being able to set down 3 straight. The further falling down the depth chart of Paul Quantrill. Bad fielding from Johnny Damon. Hideki Matsui throwing to the wrong base. Kevin Brown not covering first base. Perhaps I should stop here.
I don't expect playoff baseball to be flawless but I don't expect that many flaws. It was a slugfest and that's not a very good baseball game. It was poorly pitched, poorly managed on Francona's part (having to rely on Lowe???) and neither team executed well. Just because the Yankees almost scored 20 runs doesn't make it a great game. If I were a Yankee fan, I'd be concerned that after Lieber and Mussina, the rotation is unreliable and the middle relief is not the closed door it once was.
Onto politics. I really haven't written much about this subject since the first Kerry/Bush debate and they're really hasn't been any need to. The Big Mo for Kerry is gone and even though Bush has changed message, I don't think that labeling his new "tax and spend" liberal langauge childish, is what we'd call expert political advice. Aside from Mr. Webb's delusions as to what constitutes real political theory, he does make valid claims that Kerry needs to turn out 60% of his vote in order to win. Of course, he proceeds this brain-drop by saying those, like Yours Truly, who say appealing to swing voters is key to acheiving that goal, are dead wrong. If Mr. Webb thinks he can squeeze the Democratic lemon and get the magic 60% - he must be out of "books" over in Alphabet City.
In order for Kerry to get 60% he needs swing voters. Hey, I consider myself a swing voter and guess what, I still haven't settled on Kerry. After the debates, all one had to do was open up a newspaer that wasn't the New York Times or the Washington Post, and you saw excellent stories on real swing voters and the decision-making process they're undergoing. The election may be cut and dry for people like Mr. Webb. The people who can clearly see the evil in Bush or the promise of Kerry. It must be nice to be among the special few to actually receive answers to the important questions most of America has yet to receive. It must be nice not to be bothered by the fact that taxing the rich doesn't pay for a majority of what people think it can pay for. It must be good to know that staying the foreign policy course, only results in more lives lost and no real Democracy. I wish I could just cast values aside because Bush is evil and Kerry is as good as it gets.
But we swing voters don't count these days...Especially, us swing voters who live in Florida....
::
0 comments
( 7:18 PM )
A Night Without Baseball....
For the first time since the day after the All Star Break, there was no baseball, in any form, on television last night. I made it through but it wasn't pretty....
I also diverted from normal pattern and did something new this morning, I went to Starbucks. Yeah, I know, just when you were beginning to think I was the coolest cat in the land, I go and do something lame like go to Starbucks. Sorry to let you down. However, going to Starbucks today did yield some good, outside of a yummy, yummy white chocolate mocha coffee. I had a conversation with a nice woman from Rhode Island and that kind of stuff that early in the morning can really make your day.
Confession: Haven't been to the gym in five days and have no excuse for it. Tonight will be no different for its fight night and I believe that Edwards is going to clean Cheney's clock. Take that to the bank.
Blog typing music..."Mustang" by Donald Byrd....
::
0 comments
( 6:25 PM )
All Things Must Pass...
Well, the 2004 baseball regular season has come and gone. I'm glad the Mets won their last game and beat the Expos in their last game in existence. Overall, it was a horrible year (again) to be Mets fan. I predicted the team would finish 4 games above .500 and well, that didn't come close to happening. They fired their manager and gave a big thumbs down to their GM -all in the last month. It was a pretty bad year for the Amazin's, and the horizon isn't looking that stellar either.
With the baseball season over, so is Fantasy Baseball. This year, I looked like the Mets, lots of promise, yet the standings show an underachieving fifth place team. I blame the following players (which mind you I drafted) for my lackluster performance: Javier Vasquez, Octoval Dotel (blasted ex-Mets) and Alex Sanchez, the Detriot centerfielder who was suppose to steal a ton of bases this year but spent more time on the DL than the basepaths.
The polls are clear - Kerry is on the rise. The polls are also totally inaccurate this year, as both parties are registering a ton of new voters. But I don't want to rain on the Kerry campaign's parade -that will happen soon enough on Election Day.
George W. Bush is back on the attack. How come after four years, in which he says he did a great job, he rarely talks about his job - except that its hard-work. I mean, where is all the positive news about the economy, the war on terrorism, which we're winning coincidentally without capturing Osama or the anthrax terrorist. I guess Washington changed the definition of winning. Bush has nothing to say except bad things about Kerry - makes you wonder if he's making a case for his re-election or just trying to scare people away from the other guy. I say the latter and it has regretably become the norm in modern day politics.
Weekend fun...Let's see, saw the legend Pee Wee Ellis live Friday, playing classic jazz in a small setting. Good to see Pee Wee live finally but there should be a rule about fat saxophone players wearing sandals on stage. Also took in the Charlie Daniels Band at the Hollywood Greyhound Track. Hey, Charlie, fire your booking agent. Outside of the help, Yours Truly was the only person of color in the house. Way too many Confederate Flags for my taste. It's not that the flag upsets me, I just tend to live in the now and holding onto symbols of the past makes very little sense to me. But hey, on any given day these people would be betting on dogs, so there is really no other place for them to go but down....
::
0 comments
( 6:16 PM )
Today....
Was the first day since he captured the Democratic nomination that I woke up without that "I'm holding my nose to vote for Kerry feeling." Now, don't get me wrong, I still don't think Kerry is the best candidate the party has offer but after his masterful command of the facts and the President in their first debate, you'd be crazy to think that the Big Mo hasn't turned in JFK's direction.
Initially, I thought Kerry was going to come off as hostile and angry. But he tempered his anger and made valid, strong points that finally shined the light on the Bush family's inability to grasp reality. The same thing happened to his father in 1992 - Papa Bush had no idea the recession was so bad for Americans and was so out-of-touch that he didn't know how much a loaf of bread cost. This gaffe is now the reason why every staffer runs to the grocery store and gas station to load up on price data before a debate.
Perhaps its now time for Bush to worry. His base was satisfied, hell, they've been satisfied since he got into office. Right-wing judges, tax cuts for the wealthy, Halliburton receiving all the Iraq spoils, gay marriage ban are just a few of the slabs of red meat Bush has thrown at the conservative right. Bush didn't lose any of those folks last night. What opportunity he sqaundered is that Rove and Company forgot that precious 10 percent of America often known as the swing voters. Bush missed his chance to roll them into his column.
Every fear that Americans in the middle have about Bush were highlighted in yellow last night. He didn't have a grasp of the facts, failed to acknowledge errors and continued to give these "the world is safe without Saddam" type answers that have failed to move swing voters before.
Kerry on the other hand, might have given swing voters a reason to vote for him. All of the worse Kerry fears never came close to rearing their ugly heads. He seem resolute and confident. He gave a world view that many people can accept and put Americans role in the global world in a stronger context than Bush. Kerry understands that America is strongest when everybody doesn't hate you.
Kerry especially was strong in presenting to the American people a man who now only has been on the front lines of battle but has worked in the international arena for 20 years. His line that he knows the world leaders that Bush says won't come back to the table, and he has known them and worked with them longer than Bush has. That, and referencing Papa Bush's rationale for not going into Baghdad in 1991 was genius.
The other Kerry tactic that I believe had a strong effect was his continual use of Bush's own words at the debate to frame Bush's arguments for better understanding. People have a hard time with the way Bush communicates and what Kerry did was explain to people what Bush was trying to say. For instance, Kerry made it clear to people that Bush was trying to get away with (again) saying we were attacked and went to war against Iraq. Kerry was clear to remind the President that Al Quada attacked us and our response was to attack Iraq. This move angered Bush, it was clear from his facial expressions.
Having said that, it leads me to appearence. Bush looked far from presidential. He slumped down and had a look on his face after Kerry comments that read like "how dare you?" Kerry looked strong and Bush didn't. Regardless of what side of the policy debate you fall down, one thing was clear: one man looked and sounded like the President, while the other looked and sounded like a C student.
::
0 comments
|
