Greators!

I can't say that I am surprised, though I did not have the balls to predict it. Like the basketball team last spring, Florida "snuck" up on the world and took home a Championship. Now, there is no shortage of adulation.

I will say that until the Michigan/USC game, I felt that OSU was the favorite. The Michigan game exposed the top part of the Big Ten as mostly hype. Yes, they beat Texas early, but Texas was #2 based on the past not the present and ended up 10-3. Beating Michigan by 3 at home was not the win it seemed like at the time.

Florida's only loss was to a strong Auburn team. (Auburn had also beat LSU early in the season.) And given LSU's performance, maybe the SEC was disrespected a bit. Of course, looking at Jeff Saragin's conference rankings, the SEC was the top ranked conference while the Big Ten ranked 5th.

All this just SCREAMS for a play-off. Sure, you will still get complaints from the last team left off the 8 or 10 team playoff list, but the BSC ranking system is just a piece of junk. Further, each team had nearly a month lay-off prior. How does that promote the best game? Was Troy Smith a bit rusty? Would he have played better if he had to face Louisville or California in the prior weeks?

Just asking...

I can go OH-FER and still hit .500!

It's gonna be an interesting next playoff round, that's for sure. Especially since I don't agree with Tilam on a few of his choices...

Ravens over Colts by 10 points. The Ravens are just too good, the Colts blew their load against the Chiefs.

I like the 'Hawks over da Bears. Rex Grossman just isn't the QB to take the bears to the promised land, they don't score enough points, and although their defense is pretty damm good, losing 13-6 will be their ultimate fate.

Drew Brees is the real deal, Jeff Garcia's midnight cinderella clock just chimed. Saints 27-17.

And I'm not a member of the "rookies can't win playoff games" club. Rivers will lead the Bolts over the Pats 24-17.

That's it for now, more when I get a chance to take a deep breath...

Islamic History

Since Thew professed interest in my post on the founding struggles of Islam, I would point to Peter Wehner's review of the historical emergence of radical Islam over at Real Clear Politics.

The only point I would niggle about is that I was taught that the seeds of the Shiite/Sunni struggle occurred with the Umayyad takeover of the Caliphate. While the death of Ali was the result of a planned multiple assassination (including Muawiyah and Amr) by Islamic radicals, the other men survived and both happened to be bitter enemies of Ali. Muawiyah was very quick to take over the Caliphate as the first of the Umayyad Caliphs and then high-tailed it to Damascus to establish the throne.

Sound fishy to you? Under the Tilam view of Islam, the Battle of Karbala was open confrontation of arms, but the divergence of Shiites and Sunnies occurred nearly 20 years prior.

Playoff Prediction Recap (or Don't Quit Your Day Job)

I basically batted .500 this past weekend. The Pats/Jets game was higher scoring then I expected, but what the hell happened to the Chiefs? They really looked like they didn't belong. Of course, the Colts looked like crap too, but in comparison to the Chiefs, they were a rock.

Tony Romo played like Perry for one play and lost the game for the Cowboys. And the Iggles did win, though the game was much better (and closer) then I expected.

Hat's off to Thew, who went 4 for 4 for his weekend picks.

Give me a couple of days to ruminate, but my first cut at next weekend games are:

Pats over Bolts
Ravens over Colts
Bears over 'Hawks
Eagles over Saints

I am going with the "rookie QBs lose playoff games no matter how good they are during the season." But the only win I am confident in is the Ravens. LT may give NE fits, though the Pats have the 5th best run defense in the NFL. The 'Hawks and Bears will be a"who is going to lose it" game. I think the Iggles have an experience edge over the Saints; Garcia seems to be able to pull off the victory whether its pretty or ugly.

Here's to swimmin with bowl legged wimmen...

Nice, a rocket scientist as an NFL cheerleader! Though truthfully, I'd prefer that she were an English major, cuz then she'd be able to better help me with my Longfellow! However, a HUGE distinction must be made here - even though her degree is in aerospace engineering, her JOB is "assistant project manager", which you KNOW means "gopher". Although frankly, if she were to gopher MY gusto, I'd be more than happy to interface with her system and provide the proper trajectory!

But ultimately, I have some other ladies that can compete with her for MENSA membership:

Janette has a degree in nursing, not a cakewalk discipline...

Stephanie Graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of St. Thomas with a B.A. degree in Psychology and a B.S. degree in Business Economics

Shanna is a United States Air Force – Integrated Avionics Technician

To name a few...

Comeback to Thew's Musings

Good to read some Thew-zings. My thoughts on his topics.

NFL: Iggles over the G-men. Big 30-7. The Giants' front line will not be able to consistently stop the Eagles pressure and Manning is AW-Fucking-FUL under pressure.

Romo stops playing like Como (Perry, that is) and the 'Boys win. It helps the Seahawks were one of the most inconsistent teams this year. 24-10.

Chiefs win (24-20) and Pats win (17-6). In other NY news, Eric Magenious becomes a NYC demi-god, while Conklin gets canned.

In other NFL news, she is a rocket scientist and Houston Texan cheerleader. (Insert lame joke about sending your rocket into orbit.)

NHL: I would LOVE to see Buffalo win it all. There, my expertise is done.

MLB: The fact that Randy Johnson is up for trade shows there is hope for the Bombers in 2007. I agree with Thew: Johnson was just not right for NYC. Neither was Zito, BTW. Get some farm talent and bring them up. (But I hear Jeff Weaver is still available!)

NCAAF: Nick Saban is going to Alabama after swearing to high heaven it was not going to happen. Pat Forde goes NUTS! Pat...relax. Saban could have been telling the truth...right up until he heard $32 million over 8 years guaranteed minimum. He is also rumored to have told Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga that if Huizenga wanted him to stay, Saban would.

And read Shula's comments...Don does not look much better. Let's face it: Saban is no Belichek or Mangini or Dungy or Jim Mora for God's sake. The Fish will be better off long term without him.

Charlie Weis has done a great job at ND, but he is not done yet. They were a Top 20 team, but not a Top 10 team. But what about JaMarcus Russell? Holy Crap can that kid throw the ball. I watched the game with my Dad and we both were pulling for ND, but Russell was really impressive and has a big time pro career ahead of him. If Russell jumps early to the NFL, Detroit would be wise to pick him up with the second pick.

NCAAB: I had a lunch meeting today in Newton, MA at the Marriott. While there, I ran into the FSU Lady Seminoles Basketball team in the lobby. (They play BC tonight.) Let me tell you that 6' 3" just seems bigger on a woman then it does on a man. No disrespect intended. Good luck, girls.

Iraq: No tears for Hussein here and if the execution was imperfect...fine. Iraq is imperfect right now. Longer post on Iraq will be forthcoming.

Democrats: For six years they have been the sand in the wheels of government, now they have to govern. Initial indications are not promising - hiking minimum wage puts people out of work; mandating drug prices keeps new drugs off the market; there are no good options to leave Iraq right now. And after campaigning on bi-partisanship, they immediately shut out Republicans from the debate. Pelosi = DeLay in a skirt is not an auspicious start.

Taking a deep breath for 2007

Happy New Year to you as well Tilam. Another year of backbiting, insulting, and demeaning on the horizon, and that's just in our households! I expect the kid gloves to be shed during 2007!

I didn't watch any of the college bowls, although I heard that Boise State pulled a tricky dicky move against Oklahoma that was pure highlight action. That is why I love the college game more than the pro game, especially with regards to basketball...they play for glory and the win, not just for the money. Nothing makes an athlete hungry like a trophy - once they get the fat contracts, they tank it for show. But this is much more prevelant in the NBA rather than the NFL, but I still find the purity of the college game more exciting...that being said, WTF happened to Notre Dame? They got "palindromed", which is another word for scoring the reverse numbers of their opponents in points - 41-14. Charlie Weis, remember that in a way the college game is still like the pros - having a nice regular season is a plus, but if you have a good record but get blown out in a bowl game, it's a total loss.

NFL
WOW, look who's at the top of the supposed power rankings, the Chargers. Philip Rivers is the real deal in San Diego, and LT is making it look easy. Other than that, I have gotten thoroughly confused by the NFL. Other than the surety that my Vikings suck bullnuts, all the others teams are, as Tilam suggest, an enigma. The Colts once again are experiencing late season armor chinks, what happened to da Bears, and other pertinent questions abound...

G-men vs Philly: The Giants are on a 2-6 slide and the Eagles are playing quality football right now with Jeff Garcia (yes, THAT Jeff Garcia) at the QB position. Eagles 27-14
'Boys vs Seattle: Similar situation with the Cowboys on a losing streak and the 'Hawks playing well lately. You've got to go with the girl who's strutting her stuff right now - Seahawks 24-14

Colts - Chiefs: LT is the league MVP hands down, P-Man and the Colts are 2-3 in their last five games. Not to mention that the Colts defense kinda sux right now - they are 21st in the league and LAST in run defense. Not a good match up for Tony Dungy. BUT, I think he's going to pull this one out, the Colts' D is going to show and slow LT. This is my "against the grain" pick. Colts 28-24
Jets - Pats: Chad Pennington is the Comeback PotY in the NFL, but the Jets had NO expectations of making the playoffs at the beginning of the year, I think they are just happy to be there. Pats 24-10

NHL
In the "no way do I want to be a supervisor anymore" department, Chris Chelios was visibly shaken and upset that 2 of the employees of his Cheli's Chili bar in Detroit were stabbed to death by a former employee who was let go very recently. He faces life without parole - I wonder if being unemployed and looking for a job is a worse fate than being bent over a steel spring mattress with a largely endowed inmate teaching you the term "anal retentive". Oh well, he'll find out soon enough...

Anaheim and Buffalo, the 2 best teams in the conferences, have been showing a let down as of late, but don't be fooled folks, they are destined to meet for the Cup. And I give the edge to the Sabres at this point.

Penguins to Kansas City? KC is rolling out a major welcome mat for 'em, I bet this gets done.

MLB
The Yankees are still exploring a trade for Randy Johnson - it appears that the D-backs are interested in bringing him back to Arizona. I'm going to be sorry to see him go, I think he still did very well in NY despite the pressure - well, but not lights out like people expect, but don't over look the fact that he won 17 games BOTH seasons he was with the Yankees. The bad part is that on some of the "higher profile" games (read: against Red Sox) he was lit up like a Christmas tree, and his post-season performance was sub-par. That will ultimately spell his exit from NY. Too bad.
On a more interesting note, a company that uses computer imaging claims baseballs had a larger rubberized core and a synthetic rubber ring in 1998, including the ball Mark McGwire hit for his 70th homer. The company tested 35 or so baseballs made by Rawlings, and "the evidence shows his ball (the 70th HR ball hit by Big Mac) -- under the governing body of the league -- was juiced." So the BIG question is "does this evidence, disputed by MLB's COO, reduce the significant question of Mark McGwire and steroids"? If the balls were juiced, who cares if Big Mac was, they will still fly farther...stay tuned for more of this drivel. One other note: the dispute from the COO says "Beginning in 2000, we have had annual independent testing done by UMass at Lowell, baseball research center, under the direction of Dr. James Sherwood, and those tests have showed full compliance with standards". But it doesn't say anything about the balls used in 1998...

NBA...nevermind.

World News

I have to admit, I'm in the "who gives a shit" about the outcry over the Saddam Hussein video. I am somewhat disgusted by the fact that some asshole filmed it with his camera phone, believing he might get money or fame because of it. But that is the opportunistic nature of humans today with the advent of youtube and google video.
HOWEVER, the fact that Hussein got taunted and didn't die in a completely dignified manner really doesn't affect me that much. I highly doubt that HIS victims got much better treatment - those many he had hanged for "crimes" and I bet he didn't lose any sleep over those Kurds he gassed. Karma. Quid pro quo. Do unto others... Sorry, no sympathy there for him...

Interesting that the Democrats are taking control of both sides of Congress today. They sure talk a tough game; imposing a ban on gifts from lobbyists and a clampdown on travel funded by private interests (in response to Republican scandals recently), voting next week to raise the federal minimum wage, increase federal support for stem cell research and allowing the government to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices on prescription drugs for Medicare recipients. Not to mention challenging the president to end the war in Iraq. I don't know much about Harry Reid (taking the reins of the Senate) and Nancy Pelosi, tabbed as the most likely to ascend to speaker (and the first woman), I will let Tilam speak to them. Although Reid makes a funny statement, saying that "politics has prevented progress on many of those front running issues for too many years." HeHe. And I'm sure he wasn't one of those politicians?
Bush also claims that he has a 5 year plan for balancing the budget. What a shrewd move on the part of the Republicans - should the Dems win the Oval Office in 2008, the GOP can fully blame them if the budget doesn't balance, stating that Bush's plan would have done it had they just followed the steps. Political poison pill, if you ask me.
And a final quote from John McCain..."We forgot why we came to Washington. We lost our way, we got engaged in earmarking and pork barrel projects, and we valued power over principle and we paid a heavy price for it." Isn't this descriptive of all of our elected officials in Washington? :P

Bowl Games

First off: Happy New Year, Thew!

Second, I really like several of the Bowls games this past weekend. My favorite was the USC-Michigan game. I admit to have been rooting for Michigan, but I was won over by the USC team. Both QBs played very well and both have great pro careers ahead of them. Freakin' Henne throws ropes and nothin' but ropes. Booty was even more impressive and made the Wolverine secondary look bad.

The difference IMHO was the USC rush, which put alot more pressure on Henne. Frankly, I was surprised because Ohio State in their victory over UM, did not put as much pressure on Henne as USC did. Henne still had a 92.4 QB rating. But Booty had a 162 QB rating against (what I thought was) a very good Michigan defense. Hats off to the USC defense.

The Outback (PSU v. Tennessee) and the Capital One (Wisconsin v. Arkansas) were also entertaining. I did not see the Fiesta Bowl and am damn sorry I didn't.

In summary, after an exasperating year in the NFL where it seems team fell over themselves to lose when they needed to win, the NCAA comes through with some real entertainment.

The Answers Are...

1. Yes, with the overwhelming support of the black community. But he is likely to be forced out.

2. Nothing as far as I know, but she is having a baby.

3. It is futile!

...and justice for all

Opening Question: Did Mike Nifong actually win the election?

Second Question: How much money did the little ghetto trollop make during the course of this investigation?

Third Question: How can I argue with Tilam when he makes such excellent points?

The Duke Lacrosse Hoax

The card house is collapsing. The rape charges have been dropped by the DA's office against the Duke lacrosse players, but inexplicably, the sexual assault and kidnapping charges remain. I figure those will be dropped soon enough (but too late for these young men).

Further, the NC State Bar has brought an ethics complaint against the DA Mike Nifong. (As always, KC Johnson has all the deets.) This is an extraordinary move in the middle of this case. After all the "these white kids are GUILTY" rhetoric coming from the prosecution and the black community, to have the state bar say that the DA's conduct amounted to "dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation" further prejudices any jury pool.

As for the DA, he is done. Butter him up 'cause he is toast. He will have to cut a deal not to get disbarred. And he won't be able to get a job flippin' burgers in Durham.

I say, "Great!"

The justice system in this country is too beholden to politics and personal vendettas. There is no "sniff test" to prevent frivolous lawsuits in this country. In an instance where I was sued for settlement money, the judge noted for the record that she did not believe that the plaintiff had "any likelihood of prevailing on the merits." Okay...so why is this farce allowed to continue?

Mike Nifong brought this case to win an election. He has destroyed several years of these young men's lives. Sure, the charges will be dropped, but to paraphrase Ray Donovan, "where do they go to get their reputations back?"

Vick's Vapor Rub

Two quick comments on Michael Vick.

First, he is a very good QB and a very good running back...he is not "great" at either. Being very good will take you to modest winning season, but will not win you a Super Bowl. Hotlanta is a nutty sports town and its obsession with Vick and his almost winning ways is not unique. Witness the Braves.

Second, will Vince Young be Michael Vick 2.0? With The Young/Vick model of QB, the offense becomes increasingly complex to run effectively. The offensive linemen are never quite sure where the QB will be (pocket? what pocket?) and the receivers are often in a difficult position to effectively block for a QB run. Not impossible, but hard.

Wake up and smell the coffee!

I used to live in Atlanta. Those football fans have such a hard-on for Michael Vick it's pathetic. The prototype of the athletic quarterback. The mold of the future...

GET A FRIKKIN GRIP. Vick is a gifted athlete, but that's all he is. He's not a quarterback. Sure he can gun the ball, but his accuracy and touch are nominal at best. Sure he can run, but he can't pass, and most of all, he can't lead the Falcons to the promised land. Everyone is all agog over the fact that he's the first quarterback to run for over 1000 yards in a season; but HELLO ATLANTA, your precious team is 7-8 and definitely on the OUTSIDE looking in on the playoff picture. You can brag about Vick's athleticism and such, but you have nothing to show for it...

God, this inane hero worship...

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

By Francis P. Church, first published in The New York Sun in 1897.

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus

-Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

***

More background on the most published editorial in any English language newspaper here. The original image is here.

Merry Christmas.

A Top 2 - 6 List

Mrs. Tilam ranks as the #1 beautiful woman in the world to moi. (Does being captain of the cheerleading squad count as an athlete?) But in response to Thew's DETAILED post, I offer my current numbers 2 - 6.

#2

Diane Lane

#3

Melissa Theuriau

#4

Alessandra Ambrosio

#5

Kate Beckinsale

#6

Petra Nemcova

My next post will address the sporting gals.

Babe watching...my second favorite pasttime!

Top 20 most beautiful athletes?

Well, let me start off first by saying my beautiful hoops playing/coaching wife, Mrs Thew, is tops. She's the champion. All the rest are just bench warmers.

And I will state my "top 5" of the current crop of hollywood hotties. Women I'd ask for a free weekend pass for from the wife (not that I'd get it, but it's fun to dream):

Jessica Biel
Kate Beckinsale
Jessica Alba
Jessica Simpson
Rebecca Romijn

Rachel Hunter gets an honorable mention, as does Diane Lane, Jodie Foster, and Rene Russo. Brangelina is no, Lohan is not even appealing to me in the least. Oh, and Sandra Bullock gets my "love to see her in a schoolgirl outfit" vote.

Now on the the MOTTS...

First my "WTF are they thinking?!"
Michelle Wie (you know she holds a special place in my heart)
Anastasia Myskina (bag her)
Marion Jones (she's more of a man than I am after all those steroids)
Daniela Hantuchova (clearly, someone has stolen her breasts and replaced them with...nothing)

Next my "yeah, little dim lighting and some mazola and I'm okay"
Lisa Leslie
Becky Hammon
Anna Rawson
Gretchen Bleiler
Alisa Camplin
Amy Acuff (if I can ever reach high enough to smooch her!)
Carrie Tollefson (hmm, bit on the emaciated side)
Maria Sharapova
Sasha Cohen

Lastly, my "spot on chap!"
Veronica Kay
Natalie Coughlin
Tara Dakides
Tanith Belbin
Malia Jones
Anna Kournikova
Gabriella Reece

And the list you've been waiting for...My Top 20!
Cory Everson
Jenny Finch
Katarina Witt
Summer Sanders
Natalie Coughlin
Tara Dakides
Natalie Gulbis
Malia Jones
Anna Kournikova
Gabriella Reece
Mia Finnegan
Danica Patrick
Stacey Dales (used to be Dales-Schulman, woo! she's avaiable)
Gabriella Sabatini
Stac Keibler (did you see her in "Dancing with the Stars"?)
Jan Stephenson
Carling Bassett (remember her? best canadian import since Hockey and Labatts)
Heather Mitts

Ah well, I could only come up with 18 - but I'm already running a fever!

TILAM?

Around the Horn - Special Year End Edition

Last HoF comment. Jeff Bagwell just retired from the Astros. I would say he is a near lock for the HoF.

As usual, I will leave the NHL commentary to our resident Goon, Thew. My only point is that I think that hockey (like soccer) offers better player comparisons because of the relative stability of the game and equipment over the years. No major rule changes (ala the DH) and no big equipment changes (ala golf), so maybe it is more appropriate then in other sports. (I am not saying it IS, just moreso.)

The Nothin' But Assholes league. Too much said already.

In the MLB, there seems to be much smoke, but I am not sure how much fire. I am happy to see Pettitte back with the Bombers, but I am not sure how much he will bring to the table given his health problems. Suffice to say the Yankees-Red Sox will be fun again.

Bode Miller is back on top of the Skiing World Cup standings. I am not sure who cares, but it would be nice for this guy to turn his life around.

In soccer, you have got to like the efforts of Didier Drogba for Chelsea. In the consummate team sport, this guy seems to be carrying the team with clutch play and goals. Here is the Everton match review including Drogba's goal. Funny bit of commentary at the end concerning the "poor" defending. Balderdash! If Alan Stubbs, the Everton defender, pulls up tight, Drogba runs right by him. You don't play that tight at 35 yards. To call it a botched defense unfairly discredits the goal.

Finally, in the only important sports news, several SI swimsuit models offer their take on the 20 Best Looking Athletes male & female. I will say you can tell the panel were women, because I think they blew the female list. My challenge to Thew (which I will post on in the next day or two) is: Name Your Top 20.

Game On.

Always back with a vengeance...

Hall of Fame Discussions...
Big Mac, I think, needs to be in the Hall of Fame. The ONLY thing he's been identified as using was Andro (which I have used, btw, to a fair bit of success) - he has never been proven to have used steroids, and I think his record and accomplishments show his place in the HoF. 49 HRs as a rookie in 1988 is a good and solid start imo. But we've beaten this dead horse...

NHL - ESPN has this poll of "the greatest hockey line of all time". Well that's just stupid in my opinion. We talk about the greatest of all time in golf (Tiger v Jack), why are we getting into this in hockey too? It's just to feed the lame couch athletes who yap around the watercooler during morning coffee break. On the other hand, since I am one of those lame couch athletes, I will weigh in with my personal perference: the top line of hockey has to contain Wayne Gretzky, period. The greatest hockey player of all time cannot be denied his place on this list. I'm not sure how I can NOT include such unbelievably talented players like Adam Oates (a player who could find an open player even if he were in a coma), Stevie Yzerman (a player whose leadership and skill simply WILLED the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup), or Mark Messier (New York Rangers, 1994, playoff guarantee, subsequent hat trick), but I'm sorry, I do. On the Great One's elbow has to be Super Mario. His skill, size, speed, vision, and soft hands can label him as one of the greatest of all time, argument. I believe he was better 1 v 1 than Wayne, but Gretzky really made the players around him much better than Mario did (not that Mario didn't, don't get me wrong). On Wayne's other elbow really can only be the Flower, Guy Lafleur. It was he who owned many of the records that Wayne broke in his career...although if you said "hey stupid, put Mike Bossy in his place" I really couldn't argue. But I'll go with Lafleur-Gretzky-Lemieux. Aside from the above, I give major honorable mention to players such as Sergei Federov, Brett Hull (yes, Brett Hull, as pure a sniper as the game has ever seen), Ron Francis (did you know that he had more points in his career than Mario Lemieux?), Denis Savard, Marcel Dionne, Mr Hockey, Boom Boom Geoffrion, and Rocket Richard.

NBA - another image issue for the dumb ass thugs in the NBA. 'Melo goes berserk after Isiah Thomas orders a hard foul and is now suspended for 15 games, so now the NBA has lost it's poster child and leading scorer. What boggles Mrs Thew is how people still attend these games and corporations still advertise with this frikkin league...but as always, the almighty dollar forgives many transgressions. Why do people still give a shit about this sport? Stick to college, it's more pure and exciting...

MLB - here's a gem from the Bronx. Darryl Strawberry thinks the Yankees' clubhouse is beset by bad chemistry that can be cured only one way: Derek Jeter needs to "embrace" Alex Rodriguez. Hoo Hoo! That's beautiful coming from the Strawman. But I gotta say, if there is anyone who would know about "chemist-try" besides Doc Gooden and Bobby Brown, it's Darryl. I guess now DJ should hold it for A-Clod when he pees? Puhleeze. Quit coddling and babying A-Clod, he's the highest paid player in baseball, he needs to understand that in the Bronx, your regular season doesn't count for SHIT if you don't win the world series. For his performance in the post-season, A-Clod is the most overpaid player in the history of baseball. Well, maybe not the history, but he is way overpaid. This "touchy feely" bullshit is now spilling over from lazy parents to head case professional baseball players...sheesh. Plus, he really screwed up when he dissed DJ in an article in Esquire in 2001 - never forget that the feet you step on today might be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. Oh, and WELCOME BACK ANDY PETTITE...it's about freaking time you came home dumbass...

NFL - it's official, my Vikings SUCK. So Ladanian Tomlinson broke the single season touchdown record. Good for him. LT has been a star in this league for a while. And it's of note to realize that he's already rushed for 1600+ yards, so it's not like he's Jerome Bettis and has 20 TD's and 100 yards on the season. This guy in running wild.
Looks like T.O. spit on someone last weekend. Typical of T.O., he's just not satisfied leading the league in receiving touchdowns, he wants to stay in the limelight because of stupid shit, so he loses control and spits on DeAngelo Hall. Will this guy ever just go quietly into that good night?
Other than that, let's talk about world stuff...ah, screw it, Tilam's got that covered for now, I have nothing to add that would make us seem any more intelligent that we already do...
By the way, you didn't tell me I'd have to part the red sea to use the upgraded version of Blogger...

Baseball HoF

Who I would like to see and who will get in are two different things.

I agree with Thew that Ripkin Jr. and Gwynn are shoo-ins. Top talent and good guys. I think Jim Rice is deserving, but will not make it, and that is probably the case with Alan Trammell (I would say he was a better Tiger then Morris). (Though I think Trammell makes it before Rice.)

Donny Baseball would, in a fair world, get in, but won't. And I am sad to see Steve Garvey miss the HoF train. Gossage and OH will get a look, but a brief one.

Now, for McGuire. I think he should make it. He was arguably the first "super slugger," but if the voters read the words "steroid slugger" instead, he loses. Unlike Bonds, McGuire was a big boy from the get-go and McGuire used a non-banned substance, so I think he should be fine.

Here is a question: are steroids different from a corked bat?

More Mid East Crap

I made a point last January that TIME magazine finally catches up with: Arabs do not give a rat's ass about the Palestinians. They use it as an excuse to distract the West from the Sunni/Shiite powerplay occurring in the region.

In 632, the Profit Mohammed died. The elders appointed Abu Bakr as his successor despite the protests of those who said the Profit appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib as his rightful successor. Ali finally became Caliph for 5 years from 656 to 661 and is known as the last of the "rightly guided caliphs." After Ali's assassination, and coincident with the rise of the Umayyad dynasty (Sunni), the Sunnis and the Shiites have been fight each other. And the have not stopped since.

Iraq is the latest battlefield in this centuries old war. The US is not the problem. The fighting won't stop because we leave. The "sectarian" violence that plagues that country has plagued Islam for 1,345 YEARS! Saudi Arabia (Sunni) will never allow Iran (Shiite) to dominate Iraq, so it funds the Sunni insurgency. Iran wants to dominate Iraq, so it fund the Shiite militias.

The solution is majority (Shiite) control with inalienable rights (and oil money) granted to Sunnis. The Iraqi Kurd and Saudis (Egyptians?) should be "persuaded" to be an honest broker in this process. There are some indications that the Saudis are waking up to the reality that if the US leaves, the Saudis' lives will become much, much more complicated.

Good. It is about time.

UPDATE: Diana West from the Washington Times: Let'em kill each other.