Friday, October 27, 2006

No, Tigers!

What the hell is going on?!

The series is not following the script!

The Tigers' blazing ace pitchers were supposed to quiet the Cardinal bats.

The Tigers' power hitters were supposed to light up the scoreboard.

The Tigers' excellent defense was supposed to work them out of any jam.

So.

The Tigers' aces have been trumped by hot Cardinal bats. The only one who has been effective was the crafty old veteran, Kenny Rogers.

The Tigers' bats have been largely silent.

The Tigers have committed error after error, and have at least 6 unearned runs to show for it.

Now they are one game away from elimination.

And I can't stand it!

Go Red Wings!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Flags of Our Fathers

Four words: Go. See. This. Movie.

Just came back from seeing it and I've gotta say, Wow.

I don't think I've ever seen a more honest look at the human face of the heroes we idolize.

You see, there are few heroes these days. Few genuine, honest-to-God, All-American heroes.

Today, we idolize the likes of Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise, and other cream puff celebrities.

Today, people who plunge an entire conquered country into chaos, or lie to mislead us into an unnecessary war, are awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom.

Today, people who dare to have the moral courage to stand up and speak the truth to a corrupt power are shouted down by an outraged chorus of wingnuts and blowhards.

And, today, people who perform genuine acts of physical and moral courage go unnoticed in the din of today's 24-hour media circus.

So when we are given a chance to take an inside look at the real people behind the hero facade, we should take advantage of that opportunity.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Lost in the Fog

The spirit of the late Edward R. Murrow is alive again, and his name is Keith Olberman.

Over the past several weeks, on his MSNBC program "Countdown", Mr. Olberman has delivered a series of special commentaries that have struck to the very heart of everything that is wrong with the decisions made by the current Bush administration.

His latest commentary, "Beginning of the End of America", graphically demonstrates how decisions made by a sitting President can be proven by history to not only be wrong but also to have dire consequences to the future survival of our coutry's democratic ideals.

But are they doing any good?

You see, when the late Edward R. Murrow made the brave and costly decision to challenge a popular demagogue, at the time his voice was not only respected throughout the world due to his past work, but it was also one of the few voices the public had available. As a consequence, people listened to him and gave his voice the weight it rightfully deserved.

That is not true today.

Because, today, the voice of Keith Olberman is but one of a thousand or more voices fighting for the attention of the public. And today, the public is much more interested in seeing who is the latest to be kicked off of "Dancing with the Stars", or who will win the most money on "Deal or No Deal", or what Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' baby looks like, or any of a thousand other meaningless items that fight for the public interest.

Even the mid-term elections, which are less than a month away, capture less interest than who will be the winner of the next "Survivor" series.

Perhaps the best way of looking at this is the use of Murrow's own words:

To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box.(emphasis mine)


What has the media become lately, but merely wires in a box and lights to entertain?

I'll keep waiting while you consider your answer. I expect to be here for a while...

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Magg-li-OH!

OH YEAH!

THE TIGERS WIN!

Me loves me the Magglio Ordonez!

Oakland goes home cryin'. And Detroit sits back and rests while the Cardinals and Mets bloody each other.

Play on you Tigers! No early playoffs exit for you, like so many people predicted.

Man, what I would give to have a ticket to one of those games...

More later!

Friday, October 13, 2006

Tigers WIN!

Tigers win! THREE GAMES TO NONE!

BRING IT ON FOR TOMORROW!!!

Me likes the Tigers!

See you tomorrow!

Blogging the Tigers, cont.

Ugh! Still 3-0 Tigers, but they are now three outs away from being up in the series 3-0!

Top of the ninth

Blogging the Tigers!

Well, they just sat Kenny Rogers down after pitching 7 1/3 shutout innings. If the Tigers go on to win it all, you know who has my vote for MVP!

7:14 p.m. Tigers up 3-0. Bottom of the 8th. More later!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

The Roller Coaster

I'm beginning to dislike the weather in Northwest Ohio.

Last Monday, it was sunny, clear, and near 80 degrees. Today, 3 days later, it's cold, cloudy, and snow showers with temps in the 30's and a freeze warning.

Living here is like living on a weather roller coaster.

There's a joke going around: You know you live in Northwest Ohio if you've ever switched from heat to air conditioning in the same day. Been there, done that, bought the T-Shirt.

Or this: You know you live in Northwest Ohio if you've ever designed your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

But even after all this, I have to say that I wouldn't trade it for anything. After all, where else am I gonna live? Florida (Hurricanes)? Arizona (Desert)? California (Arnold)?

Go Tigers!

Monday, October 09, 2006

Guess Who's Back?!

Wow. I've been gone a long time. You never fully realize how much you miss your internet access until you don't have it anymore.

So what has happened in the interim? A LOT, apparently. Let me start off with this:

The Toledo Mud Hens are the Governor's Cup Champions for the second year in a row. I was at the final game. Here's a picture of the celebration:



Sorry about the poor quality, but my camera phone doesn't take the best pictures.

So what else? Ah, yes!

I understand former congressman Mark Foley was reading a book the other day, but couldn't find a bookmark. So he decided to just bend over a page...

(Ba-bump Ching!)

What else?

What do you call 35 guys sitting around a TV watching the World series?

The New York Yankees.

What else?

Where's the safest place to go in a tornado?

Ford Field. They never get a touchdown there...

More? Okay!

What do the Cleveland Browns and Billy Graham have in common?

They can both make 50,000 people stand up and say, "Jesus Christ"!

I've got a million of 'em...

What do you call the number one college football team in the country?

The Ohio State Buckeyes!

What? You thought that was some kind of joke?

Anyhoo, that's all for now. Hopefully I can go back to regular posting now.