Fantastic Final Four

In my two ESPN brackets, I had UNC and Georgetown as winning it all. I guess I liked the East.

Two Number 1s and two Number 2s. That hasn't happened in over 10 years. The Elite 8 had no one lower then a 7 seed; which I am certain does not count as Cinderella. The games have been generally close (even the UNC-G'Town game went OT before the Hoyas took over).

And there is a possibility of a Florida-OSU championship again!

This has been an outstanding tournament.

My quick predictions: I will stick with G'Town over Florida. As I said below, Florida should take the championship, but I like these Hoyas. I also like UCLA, who I think will have the heart to beat OSU, though I am nervous after the way OSU played against Memphis.

Finally, I see a championship for another Thompson-Ewing combo.

That's Gratitude for You

My two boys are taking the MCAS tests, which are Massachusetts' state standardized tests. My oldest son had a comprehensive essay yesterday on the topic, "Who is Your Hero?" His answer: his Dad! It is a wonderful feeling.

My youngest son had his comprehensive essay yesterday on the topic, "The Best Day of Your Life." His answer, the day he, his younger sister and I spent together while Mrs. Tilam and the oldest (see above) traveled out of state to a Jazz competition. I am two for two!

Mrs. Tilam, who has been a stay at home Mom, and his psychotically devoted to the kids and the family is none to pleased...

A long string of lies, is there more to come?

Okay, I'm done with Pete Rose. For the longest time we've all suspected that he bet on his own team, the Reds, which he had vehemently denied. Of course, he also vehemently denied betting on baseball for 15 years before finally admitting that he did. Well, of course he bet on the Red, he bet on them every night!

Okay, last straw for me. Being a racist (Ty Cobb), a womanizer (Babe Ruth was the FIRST of many), a drunk (Mickey Mantle), those are different from a) betting on baseball (which, frankly, I could have forgiven eventually), and b) betting on YOUR OWN TEAM.

But Pete says he "always bet on them to win". Sorry, how the hell are we supposed to believe that? You've lied about EVERY serious betting allegation against you, why should this be any different? I'm done with Pete. No, I don't think he should be in the Hall of Fame anymore. No, I don't want him reinstated; if he was, what's to say he wouldn't do the same thing? Nope, goodbye Pete Rose, the major league hit king.

As for saying "I should be reinstated, because I'm the best ambassador baseball has"? Not even close, Pete. Good riddance. :(

One Quickie on Coaching

I live in a mid-size town in Massachusetts. We have a relatively strong youth sports program and one thing it does is try and keep the level of coaching high. I have coached every fall and spring at least one team for eight straight years, and have seen a great improvement in the level of coaches. (I do not consider myself a great coach. My strength is identifying talent and directing that talent on the field to maximum success. My weakness is that I get emotional. Too emotional for my tastes, especially in soccer.)

In youth soccer, it now requires coaches to go to clinics and get certified depending on age. I must say, I am in favor of this though it is a pain.

In baseball, you must apprentice as a coach for Little League. Yes, apprentice. This, I think, is a bit much.

Around the Horn

Okay, my take on things:

Politics:
-Scooter Libby. Scooter got convicted of the same thing Martha Stewart got convicted of. But on (arguably) less solid evidence. I am not partisan enough to say he should get off any less or that Bush should pardon him now. Was it a political show trial? Sure, but that is Washington right now. And he is a Republican. Democrat and Clintonista Sandy Berger got off with a slap on the wrist for destroying classified material (which he lied about), but he is a Democrat.

Unfair? Certainly, but that is the way the media and Washington work.

-Iraq. The current conditions seem to be affecting the situation positively. (I don't thing the "surge" can take all the credit.) Iraq will be a mess for years, our job is to get the mess to a level manageable by the Iraqis themselves.

-Dems 2008. Anyone who thinks Obama has a shot is smoking something. Hillary will be the nominee. Barack has too much baggage that is only trickling out. The Clinton op-force is patient and will strike fast and brutally when the time is right. The Clintons INVENTED the politics of personal destruction.

-Attorney Firings. More political hay. Dems and Repubs are shocked (SHOCKED) that this sort of thing goes on. (Hillary also fired 93 attorneys when the Clintons came to town. But, claim Democrats, that was DIFFERENT! Of course, it was. ) I simply do not see the problem with firing a political appointee if that appointee is not carrying on the administration's wishes. NEXT!

-GOP 2008. I am not sure any of the current Big 3 will be nominated. McCain does not want to make nice with the more conservative wing, Romney still makes people uneasy with his flip-flops and religion, and Gulianni has appeared too many times in a dress.

Two words: Fred Thompson.

Sports:
-UConn. I weep. Nothin'. Not even an NIT bid. I think the this might mark a real transition year in NCAA Hoops. Calhoun (and every other DI coach) will need to understand how to work with very talented freshman/sophomores and mid-level upperclassman that do not have the talent to go early. But Calhoun will clean house in the off-season.

-Tournament Time. Wow. Who knows? I would think that UNC should walk away with it. Or Florida. But I like Kansas (who has the hardest road) and UCLA is a legitimate contender. I am still down on the Big 10, but I think Maryland has a real shot if they can stay up for the games. (But then everyone who can stay up for the games does.)

My choice right now: UNC.

-38 Pitches. Love him or hate him, Curt Schilling is a worthy read. He has a blog, 38 Pitches, that I have added on the left. Check it out.

-Cleats. Okay, so I am in a sports shop looking at the clearance rack and I find these Kelme cleats. For $29! One slight problem is the biggest size they have is an 8, which I passed long ago. But a deal is deal, so I make like freakin' Drizella trying to cram her doggies in that glass slipper before Cinderella gets a shot. With about as much luck. Damn, so close.

-The Kids. Youth sports starts soon. My eldest has his first lacrosse practice tonight, Little League tryout are in a few weeks and spring soccer starts soon. More observations on the insanity that are kids' sports leagues to follow.

World Wide Visibility

So you know that we are far reaching in our Blog...

A special call out to our readers in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. A hockey breeding place if there ever was one - that's where the tough players grow up.

Also, referencing the comment from our anonymous poster..."Well Kelly has a real talent for BUTCHERING songs...NASCAR anyone? Her HYPE is sooo over. She's terrible live." We'd like to thank Justin Guarini for his comments, and thank him for reading the drivel that is this blog. :) And my return comment..."well, at least Kelly is better than Britney (or, dare I say, Paris Hilton?).

Serious URL Mistakes

1. A site called "Who Represents" where you can find the name of the agent who represents specific celebrities:
www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at:
www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at:
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at:
www.therapistfinder.com

5. The Italian Power Generator company:
www.powergenitalia.com

6. The Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:
www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you're looking for computer software, there's:
www.ipanywhere.com

8. The First United Methodist Church in Cumming, Georgia:
www.cummingfirst.com

9. Brainless art designers, at Speed Of Art:
www.speedofart.com

10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at
www.gotahoe.com

An Open Letter to CPAC Sponsors and Organizers Regarding Ann Coulter

Conservatism treats humans as they are, as moral creatures possessing rational minds and capable of discerning right from wrong. There comes a time when we must speak out in the defense of the conservative movement, and make a stand for political civility. This is one of those times.

Ann Coulter used to serve the movement well. She was telegenic, intelligent, and witty. She was also fearless: saying provocative things to inspire deeper thought and cutting through the haze of competing information has its uses. But Coulter’s fearlessness has become an addiction to shock value. She draws attention to herself, rather than placing the spotlight on conservative ideas.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2006, Coulter referred to Iranians as “ragheads.” She is one of the most prominent women in the conservative movement; for her to employ such reckless language reinforces the stereotype that conservatives are racists.

At CPA2007 Coulter decided to turn up the volume by referring to John Edwards, a former U.S. Senator and current Presidential candidate, as a “faggot.” Such offensive language–and the cavalier attitude that lies behind it–is intolerable to us. It may be tolerated on liberal websites but not at the nation’s premier conservative gathering.

The legendary conservative thinker Richard Weaver wrote a book entitled Ideas Have Consequences. Rush Limbaugh has said again and again that “words mean things.” Both phrases apply to Coulter’s awful remarks.

Coulter’s vicious word choice tells the world she care little about the feelings of a large group that often feels marginalized and despised. Her word choice forces conservatives to waste time defending themselves against charges of homophobia rather than advancing conservative ideas.

Within a day of Coulter’s remark John Edwards sent out a fundraising email that used Coulter’s words to raise money for his faltering campaign. She is helping those she claims to oppose. How does that advance any of the causes we hold dear?

Denouncing Coulter is not enough. After her “raghead” remark in 2006 she took some heat. Yet she did not grow and learn. We should have been more forceful. This year she used a gay slur. What is next? If Senator Barack Obama is the de facto Democratic Presidential nominee next year will Coulter feel free to use a racial slur? How does that help conservatism?

One of the points of CPAC is the opportunity it gives college students to meet other young conservatives and learn from our leaders. Unlike on their campuses—where they often feel alone—at CPAC they know they are part of a vibrant political movement. What example is set when one highlight of the conference is finding out what shocking phrase will emerge from Ann Coulter’s mouth? How can we teach young conservatives to fight for their principles with civility and respect when Ann Coulter is allowed to address the conference? Coulter’s invective is a sign of weak thinking and unprincipled politicking.

CPAC sponsors, the Age of Ann has passed. We, the undersigned, request that CPAC speaking invitations no longer be extended to Ann Coulter. Her words and attitude simply do too much damage.

Tilam

While I normally do not "sign" letters of this sort, civility is something I believe separates conservative voices from the liberal left. Captain Ed makes a personal stand.

Idol Time 2

Daughtry Rules! Sorry...lost it for a second.

I am not a big Kelly Clarkson fan, nor am I too enamored of Carrie Underwood. Idol has has some great singing talents...they just have not won. Which leads to comment two.

Looks. The fact is that the hot girls (and to a certain extent, guys) will survive over the great singers. The "Mandissas" of this year are LaKisha and Melinda: each has a great voice but they are too *ahem* big to make it. Antonella is the Kelli Pickler of Season 6: she can't sing very well, but she is very cute. (Actually, I thought Kelli was not cute at all, but Antonella is.)

So the voting seems to first get rid of mediocre looks, then mediocre talent and then talent without the look.

***

To answer Thew's question: incest is statutorily defined. The state statute will say "incest is when A has a certain type of sex with B, C, or D" and B, C, and D will be very specific (sometimes grossly so). It is not usually up for interpretation. As you can see in the MA statute, if you are prohibited from marrying someone and that someone is consanguine to you (descendant), then it is incest.

American IDULL

Not a fan. The excitement factor died with me shortly after "To Kelly from Justin" hit the big screen.

Kelly Clarkson is a REAL talent.
Where is Ruben Studdard? Clay Aiken seems to have a fringe career somewhere, but his first song was about stalking some nice girl "if i was invisible, I would hide in your room".
Carrie Underwood is another talent, although she has shifted into country and has a successful career going.
I saw Taylor Hicks on Letterman, or the Tonight Show, or something like that a couple of days ago, he was awful.
I don't know why Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul were picked for the panel, but I admit I'm a fan of Simon.

Other shows that really NEED to be cancelled:

Survivor
MTV's Real World
The Surreal Life (and any other shlocky assinine reality show on VH1)
Ty Pennington's house fix up show needs to go too.

Reality shows that you really want to watch:

The Contender (although Ray Leonard is REALLY annoying with his dramatic speeches)
The Ultimate Fighter
America's Next Top Model (although *I* might not be in favor, my wife and 15 year old daughter love this show)
Project Runway (I hate to admit my feminine side, but this show is interesting)

******

News from the world of sports

NBA - there's an NBA? Actually, I have a close neighbor who used to work for the Portland Trail Blazers as a personnel advisor, keeping their young elitist thug punks in line with advice, accountability, and tutlege. Portland fired him. 'Nuf said.

MLB - Hello spring training. Quit bitching and whining Bernie Williams, you need to earn your starting spot, but I think a roster spot isn't out of the question. However, if you're holding out like a primadonna and you get cut, you have no one else to blame. For years you have been associated with the great WS winning Yankee teams of the late 90's, now you're just an over the hill no skill having whiny little geriatric. TEAM first dood...
More steroids probes and allegations, this time not on the west coast, on the east coast (New York). Biggie Smalls v Tupac all over again? Look, MLB needs to understand that people ARE USING performance enhancing drugs, they just have to find those offenders.

NHL - Lots of trades, the HUGE one being Ryan Smyth out of Edmonton to the Islanders. WTF is Edmonton thinking?! Wayne Gretzky, then Mark Messier, now Ryan Smyth? There is something to be said about trading the heart of your team...

NFL - nuttin...

*****

In the question of legalities, I heard about a case where a father who was involved sexually with his daughter is going to jail for incest. HOWEVER, I'm not sure this is a crime for the following reasons:

- the girl was his step-daughter
- she was an adult, age 22
- she admitted to this being a concensual relationship

Morally abhorrent? Yep.
Sick and twisted? Oh Yeah.

But here's the question. Is that incest? Our resident legal expert, Tilam will weigh in...

NOTE: It is unknown at this time whether or not he has legally adopted her.

Idol Time

The truth is I am not an Idol fan. But it is a show that the whole family can watch. So, we have begun TiVo'ing and watching it with the kids in the early evenings.

But I can't sit idoly by (sorry for the pun) and not make a couple of comments.

Song Choice. Okay, there is a pretty hard and fast rule that, if you are a girl, DO NOT pick a song from Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston or Celine Dion. (Some add Mariah Carey to the mix, but I don't for reason's mentioned below.) These are three women who you simply can not imitate. They are also big enough that their signature songs are pretty well tailored for them.

So stop it! Mariah Carey is a different matter. I don't place her in the same league as BWC and if you really have chops, you can pull off a Mariah song. But any pitchiness will kill you.

Guys do not have the same problem, BUT they do have a totally verboten song: Unchained Melody. Everyone hears the Righteous Brothers in their head and there is no way you can do what Bobby Hatfield did on this song; and many (Willie Nelson, Barry Manilow, Elvis) have tried. The only half-way good rendition was done by a woman: LeeAnn Rimes.

More later...

Small Town New England

I just got back from a vacation in Vermont, near Stowe. While the vacation was not necessarily "relaxing" (three kids ages 8 - 12 will do that), I will say that I thoroughly enjoy the refreshing, small town New England friendliness.

From Keith, the baker at Thompson's Flour Shop in "downtown" Morrisville, to all the "good mornings" from strangers as you walk or jog. Coco, who pumps gas at the corner Mobil station, was as cheerful as can be, even though she was out in -8 degree weather. For some reason, New Englanders do not have the reputation as being as friendly as, say, Southerners, but the good people of Northern Vermont put to rest this lie.

Of course, being so close to Ben & Jerry's would improve anyone's attitude...

Religion of Peace

James Cameron of Titanic fame is coming out with a documentary that says the bones of Jesus and his family have been discovered.

Does this remind anyone else of Geraldo and the vault of Al Capone? One thing for sure, Christians will not be rioting in the streets calling for fatwas against Cameron.

Now it is possible, but does not make sense to me. After his very public ministry, Jesus did what? Retire? Marry and have a child? In obscurity? All these family members buried at various times and it never came up? Okay, I am willing to believe that Jesus did not matter to the Romans, but the Jews failed to mention it to the early converts? He was buried in Jerusalem for goodness sakes.

But I will TiVo it, so Cameron scores one I guess...

UPDATE: Or maybe not. Maybe there is a reason this has not sparked serious interest before.

Strange Bedfellows

No BLOG fans, this isn't going to be a story about Thew's noctural activities with Mrs Right (middle name: Always)...

A-clod just DOESN'T get it. In some recent interviews with the press, he's admitted that his relationship with Derek Jeter has changed, perhaps not a good as it used to be. But it's all in the past, he says, we should just move on and play baseball together. We don't have to have sleepover parties and such, our friendship has cooled, etc etc etc.

What the hell are you saying? Basically, you're saying that you're no longer in the inner circle of one of the most beloved Yankees ever? Do you not understand what it is to be a Yankee? It's ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS with Jeter. It's not good enough to be a teammate who plays good baseball (except for the postseason, of course), it's about BEING A YANKEE. If that means sucking it up and bowing to the captain and kinda kissing his butt, then DO IT. Jeter will go to the well for you if you prove you're a YANKEE, which you haven't done, and the others will follow suit. Being on the same team doesn't mean you're a TEAMMATE! It's not good enough to play, you have to be a Yankee teammate.

Sheesh. He'll never get it. He'll never be a YANKEE. He'll be traded, even though Cashman isn't in a rush, he'll be gone.

Attracting Negative Attention

I think that gays have made much progress in their fight for recognition, but they have also done themselves a vast disservice in the manner that they have tried to achieve this, thereby slowing their progress.

"See My, I'm Gay, Deal With It!" Running around trumpeting the fact that your GAY AND FABULOUS (said with the proper lisp), drawing attention to your differences, cramming your gay-ness down peoples' throats, I think isn't quite the way to go about things. I used to work at one of the top Telecommunications companies, and probably 1/3 or our IT staff, centered on the DBA's for some reason, was gay. One of them, in particular, was VERY gay. Gaydar alarm gay. Grab the fire extinguisher gay. But (I'll call him) Dean was also a really fun guy, professional, had a great sense of humor, made me laugh, and was a quality DBA with a great knowledge of technical aspects and a focus on the customer, and we became good friends. Forcing people to acknowledge your homosexuality by shoving it into their faces (into their "personal space") makes them uncomfortable, and by doing this you foster a reaction of scorn. If you were much more subtle and pleasant and matter of fact about being gay, and your announcements and trumpeting of your love of the same sex were not plastered on page one of the newspaper, you'd find that people wouldn't feel so...well, threatened is not the true word here, but I'm going to use it anyway. Shouting on the rooftops that you're gay is making the huge issue of it, thereby causing a chain reaction where others make a huge deal of it, albeit on the negative side of acceptance. One of the reactions you have to consider is the fact that the more in their face you are about being gay, the more your audience will worry about the fact that you're going to prey on them sexually. Your behavior goes a long way in programming and determining the reaction of the people you tell.

"You're different, Deal with it" Differences, personalities, and behavior which are NOT "normal" in society, and frankly religious circles, are going to be frowned upon. Gays want to be recognized but they don't want people to think they are different - which in fact, they are. The natural human reaction among many people (the unelightened ones?) is to segregate and criticize behavior that is seen as different. So understand that you're different, non-standard, and that there are going to be some difficulties in getting people to accept you; but there will be difficulties, and you have to understand that in accepting you for "who you are" people are going to go through some stages, the first of which is usually "IEWWW, yer a fag, get away from me?".

Be patient. I'm sure that you can gain full acceptance and recognition, but if you push the issue according to a "we want it NOW" attitude all you are going to get in return in push back. See: black rights, women's suffrage, the designated hitter.

More Musing on Life Styles

Some further thoughts on the gays struggle for acceptance. In "Gay in NJ", I said:

"I think gays do a disservice to their cause by using the courts to attempt wholesale change. I think this is because they are ultimately trying to impose moral acceptance as well as legal acceptance. I think I am like a great many Americans: while I support gay rights, I find gay sex repulsive. Does that make me a bigot? Maybe. Should the gay community care. No."

In a broader context, Jonah Goldberg in NRO discusses Dinesh D'Souza's contention that American culture does not always win the hearts and minds. But I think the issue is deeper and more complex than that. The imposition of culture, whether by accident or design, can provoke a visceral reaction. You need not look past our shore to see it. Agree or not, the movement to amend states' constitutions to define marriage as between a man and a women is the backlash against the imposition of gay marriage on the general populace. Further, you might see the rise of Evangelicals as a reaction to the imposition of a certain moral culture by Hollywood, coastal liberals, etc. on the rest of us.

I think the vast majority of people are willing to NOT impose their moral vision of the world on you, so long as you reciprocate. Liberal cultures (small "l" liberal) run up on the rocks is when they seek to impose their "culture" on an unwilling audience. The gays have run into that in the US and the US has run into it abroad.

Coming back to Hardaway's reaction, he may find gay sex disgusting. I do not believe he has anything to apologize for that. But to make the leap from "yuck" to "hate" is reprehensible.

Gays in Sports

Can't anyone be a bigot today? Why is Hardaway apologizing? He feels a little heat and goes all weak on us. Fag.

End sarcasm.

Thew is dead on. I would only quibble with "verb tense" here and there. There is no doubt that professional sports is not receptive to gays. But the status quo will not change unless there are more John Amaechis coming out. He has made it easier for the next guy and the one after that will be easier still.

Hardaway represents a point of view that comes from his heart, not his head. (I do not mean that in a good way.) When I was part of a fraternity, the thought of a gay Brother would not have sat well with me or the rest of the guys. Years removed, I know its wrong, but I still felt it.

I think, for me, the issue was that sex was always at the front of our "public" persona. Who are you going to "do"? Who are you doing? How many? We were young guys looking to score with girls. Promoting that image (and the resulting "successes") helped our fraternity recruit members and throw great parties well attended by the opposite sex. It fed into not only the public perception, but our own self image. For better or worse and psychologically very complicated. I would weakly say we were really nice guys, but we behaved like brutish cads.

In the midst of this sea of testosterone, the relationship between Brothers was very simple: beers and sports. Very simple. A openly gay Brother would have complicated all that (to say nothing of the total "blech" factor). I do not know if we, in fact, had a gay brother in our midst. But if we did, he would not have gotten one ounce of encouragement to come out of the closet.

Fraternities, sports teams, the military. None are particularly receptive to homosexuals. This will change, but over time.

More to follow on this issue...

That's not a skeleton in my closet, it's my boy-toy!

So the sports world (well, mostly the pro basketball world) has been rocked by a couple of "scandals"...

John Amaechi, a quality if unspectacular center for several seasons, has come out of the closet. You can read an excerpt from his book "Man in the Middle" (no, I'm NOT going to go there...). Many questions abound about why he didn't come out earlier, why keep his life secret, yadda yadda yadda...

Well, in scandal number 2, we find out why. Tim Hardaway says "I hate gay people" and goes on to say things like "I wouldn't want him on my team", etc. Nice Tim. Way to promote the anti-gay sentiment. The next athlete who is gay will CERTAINLY out himself (herself?) now that you've set the landscape...

But frankly, I don't think a sport like the NBA is the right place for a player to come out. DEFINITELY not football, hockey, nor baseball. Look at the microcosm of sports and the people who play them today - the abundance of testosterone, masculinity, groupie promiscouity (e tu Shawn Kemp?), the entire attitude and presentation of professional athletes is "we are manly men, kicking ass, taking names, screwing bitches, we are the uber-mensch of the world!". Regardless of how good a player that person was, and regardless of how much acceptance gay people have garnered in the last however many years, I really don't think that it's good for a homosexual to come out while playing professional sports. Not because it will make them less of a person or player, but because their professional peers are, for the most part, homophobic. Or somewhat homophobic. They will ostracize and segregate their gay teammate, forcing him or her to lead a miserable and lonely existence. Sure, there will be some who don't care, but let me ask you this...of the people who said they "didn't care really" about Magic Johnson being HIV positive, how many of them do you think would trade physicality in the paint with him for a rebound, taking a chance to get a bit bloodied? NONE! Different diseases, same attitude.

By the way, in all this, Amaechi has conducted himself with class and dignity and without apology for who he is...his response to Tim the homophobe Hardaway? "It's what stops gay and lesbian people in the workplace from coming out."

PTI or Pardon Tilam's Idiocy

Various and sundry from the sports world:

1) There is talk that Duke may not make the NCAA tournament. I suspect they will be in, but the outrage is how any team in the middle of their division can be ranked in the Top 25 at all. Prior to the rose color glasses being knocked off, Duke was ranked 16th while being .500 in the ACC. Of course, readers of TvT heard of Duke's woes early.

2) The USMNT beat Mexico 2 - 0 in Arizona. The US did not play particularly well, but they also did not have their first team. Mexico had their first team and could not put the ball in the net. Overall, my thought is that the USMNT needs more games like this where mental toughness helps win. Now the US is playing in Copa America against Argentina in late June. That will be more of a metric on how the team will fair in the future.

3) Lefty wins Pebble Beach. Good to have you back, Phil.

4) Boston University wins the Beanpot Championship and college hockey is ruled by Notre Dame. Mrs. Tilam's alma mater is ranked seventh in the nation, but she does not give a whit.

5) Speaking about alma mater's, mine is ranked 14th in DIII hoops. Go Maroons!

6) Marty S. is out as coach of San Diego. I am taking bets on whether the Bolts will be in the playoffs next year.

7) Dodge is coming out with a very nice roadster called the Demon. (Okay, sports to cars as follows: Daytona 500 to NASCAR to fast cars to the Demon.) Nice.

8) My 8 years olds are 2 - 2 in their indoor league this year. While we are nearly an all-girls team, they are playing in a boys league. Not bad, but the difference between the sexes is starting to show.

9) It is snowing and I am smiling. Because next week the Tilam clan will be skiing at Stowe. No cellphones, no e-mail just a few feet of powder (and me trying to keep up with the little Tilams).

Ta-ta.

Global Warming

BTW, one thing I failed to mention is that there are other reasonable explanations to global warming other then human activity. Obviously, time will tell and further study is necessary, but that is my point. (Again, that human effluence contributes in some manner seems pretty logical, but how, in what way, to what degree and what should be done are fair questions.)

The scariest part of the sun spot explanation is the whole "lack of control" problem: we just can not stop that. The comforting part is that the cycle will change again...eventually.