The TIGERS?!

Ugh. I'm suffering from the worst allergy attack in history. My eyes are watering, and I've sneezed 20 times in the last 5 minutes. Something is in the air!

But to business:

The Red Wings were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, by a team that was eighth seed (I take some consolation in the fact that that team came within one game of winning it all.) The Pistons were shell-Shaqued (again, consolation in the fact that Miami went on to win it all.) And Team USA was eliminated by Ghana. GHANA! Did they even HAVE a soccer team four years ago? In the three games they played, they scored exactly one goal (I don't count the goal against Italy.)

So who woulda thunk that my best hope for a team I like to win a championship would lie with the DETROIT TIGERS?!

Seriously. Three years ago, this is a team that came within one game of setting a record for most losses in a season. As a manager, Alan Trammel was a hell of a shortstop. He may have loved the Tigers, but he did NOT know how to manage a team.

Enter Jim Leyland, a native of Perrysburg (just south of Toledo). In 1997, he managed Florida to a World Series win. And you can claim that it was the all-star players on that team, but having great players doesn't guarantee a good team--just look at the Yankees.

Enter Kenny Rogers, a veteran hurler who leads four all-star starting pitchers, three of whom rank in the top ten of the AL in ERA.

Enter a bunch of young players who helped the Mud Hens win the Governor's cup last year, among them Curtis Granderson and Marcus Thames.

Add all these things up and you get the team with the best record in baseball, which just completed a sweep of the Cardinals, the second best team in baseball. I'm just wondering how long it can last. As, I'm sure, are many people in Detroit...

Maybe I'll just enjoy the ride while it lasts. Red Sox fans rode that ride all the way to the World Series two years ago.

And I'll take consolation in the fact that the Cubs stink this year. When the Cubs play the Tigers in the World Series, then I'll know Armageddon is around the corner.

Making Me Crazy!

There are two reasons why I don't write very often in this blog (aside from the main reason, which is that I'm lazy!): One, I don't typically speak out unless I'm really outraged by something (which is happening with increasing frequency) and Two, I know that the only person whoever reads this blog is me.

O.K. folks. This is where you tell me that hundreds of people read it! Anyone?

(crickets chirp)

Ahem. Anyway, the source of my outrage today is the recent debates taken up in the Senate to first amend the constitution declaring marriage as being between a man and a woman and secondly to ban flag burning as a form of protest.

Getting past the facts that A) The first one violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and B) that the second violates the first amendment, period, can anyone think of a more useless waste of the Senate's time? It's making me crazy!

It's these little things that are making me crazy! It's the Republican's shameless pandering to their religious base, whose unblinking support for a party that is against everything they stand for still mystifies me. And it's making me crazy.

And it works! Every single time, for every election in the last 6 years, the Republicans seem to manage to muster this tiny-ass majority of supporters, whose views are often diametrically opposed to each other. And they keep winning elections with it. And it's making me crazy.

And I'm saying this because I'm deathly afraid they're gonna do it one more time. The Republicans have controlled all three branches of government for the last six years, and, as a result, taxes are higher for everyone but the rich, there are record deficits, gas is three dollars a gallon, environmental regulations have been gutted, Constitutional protections are in tatters, and our military is bogged down in a hopeless quagmire that may take it years, or even decades, to get out of. I just don't think this country will survive another two years of complete Republican control. I'm not sure it will survive the rest of the year.

Do I have to say it again?

Happy Father's Day

My father has been a part of my life for all of my 38+ years. I have tried to live up to the standards he set for me. With, shall we say, somewhat mixed results.

But I appreciate all he has done, and all he has sacrificed for his children, myself included. And I, along with my sister, are dreading the day that will inevitably come when we are forced to face a Father's day without a father. And I'm sure she joins me in praying that that day will be a long time coming. We've had some scares over the years.

So Happy Father's Day, everyone! Make sure you take the time to tell your dad you love him. Because you never know when the day will come when you will no longer be able to.

But whatever you do, for heaven's sake don't call him collect!

24,900

That number is the number of hits I got for going to Google and typing in the phrases "6-6-06 end of world".

Try it! It's fun!

By far, the favorite site I found was this one.

I guess the world will end tomorrow. I'm not quite sure if it will end at midnight tonight, noon tomorrow, or even whether the end of the world will observe daylight savings time.

At any rate, assuming we're all still here tomorrow, I guess we can all console ourselves with the fact that most of us will be dead by the time the next 6-6-06 rolls around.

Peace out!

Tilting at the Windmills of FOX

Bill O'Reilly is a coward.

There. I've gone and said it. Y'see, I'm still trying to get put on his enemies list. I can't think of a faster way to increase readership of this my humble blog.

It seems that he regularly rants on his shows about how the good folks over at Media Matters repeatedly slander him, apparently by taking what he says during his rants and repeating it back for all to read. This is apparently how he defines slander: Anyone who repeats what he says in a way that makes him look bad. I'm just not getting it myself.

So recently, one of the writers of Opednews.com wrote this article about how Billo will not invite David Brock, the founder of MM, on his show to debate the issue face to face.

The article encourages its readers to send a letter to FalafelMan urging him to have Brock, or another MM representative, on his show. It even provides the e-mail address (oreilly@foxnews.com).

So I did it. I sent a letter to Phone Sexman. Here is the text:

Dear Bill O'Reilly:

You have repeatedly claimed on your show(s) that Media Matters, the organization founded by David Brock, repeatedly slanders you.

I would very much enjoy seeing David as a guest on your show, so you may tell him in person what you think of his organization, and so that he may have a chance to respond to you, also in person.

Can you please tell me when this will happen, and when I should tune in to watch?

Thank you.

I expect I'll be hearing from Fox Security any second now!

By the way, BillyBoy, in case this blog entry crosses your eyes at some point, I just want to say, Up your nose with a fire hose, you fatuous windbag!

(Still trying to make that enemies list!)