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Manifesto

Liberal blogistan is atwitter with this news:

Poll: Bush Ratings At All-Time Low

He's at 34%. I have nothing left to add.

You're, Like, So Popular!

MANIFESTO

Very interesting article by Henrick Hertzberg in this week's The New Yorker about a group that is working to eliminate the electoral college in favor of the popular vote in Presidential elections. The most compelling argument is that the last few elections have been dominated by campaigning in the 13 or so "swing states" while "spectator states" are completely ignored. The best result of the measure is it would eliminate Red and Blue states and, in theory at least, bring the country together as United States. A setimental idea to be sure, but noble nonetheless.

I tend to buy the argument, but even Hertzberg admits the measure has little chance of passing.

Kris Benson Revisited

Sporting Goods

Jon Heyman from Newsday revisits the Benson trade with a little more hindsight and some more unattributed information.

It was a mystery, until now.

Although the Mets aren't going to get into it publicly, Minaya ultimately believed Anna Benson left him little choice. It wasn't necessarily because of her R-rated portrayal of Mrs. Claus at the kids Christmas party (though that didn't help), but actually a few comments she made, especially one about the makeup of the team.

Benson's ticket out of town was written when Ms. Benson, while protesting the Mets' preference she not pose for Playboy, was quoted criticizing Carlos Delgado for his previous political stand not to stand for "God Bless America" and particularly for grousing that Minaya was putting together an "all-Latin team."

And now we know. Don't forget to check out Sergio's kick-ass Oscar prediction post below.

Sergio Will Win Your Oscar Pool!

UNIVERSAL REMOTE

First off, I’d like to apologize for my protracted absense from Daily411. I won’t bore you with mundane details, but you can be assured that drinking water has been restored, the schools have be reopened and the rebellion has been put down.

With a week to go before Hollywood’s Biggest Night™, office workers around the country are scrambling to fill out their Oscar Ballots and wondering what the hell is the difference between a Sound Mixer and a Sound Editor. You can now put your worries to rest because Sergio is about to make your lives a little bit easier by telling you who is going win every single category, even the lame ones.

All nominees will be ranked in the order of likelihood they will win.

BEST PICTURE
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Crash
3. Good Night, and Good Luck.
4. Munich
5. Capote

This should be an easy victory for Brokeback. There are rumblings of a Crash upset, but I think this is more about journalists needing something to write about. Then again, don’t count out the Tony Curtis Factor. If Crash were to win, it would be the greatest Oscar upset in history, and the biggest since Shakespeare in Love came out of nowhere to beat Saving Private Ryan in 1999.

BEST ACTOR
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
2. Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
3. Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow
4. Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
5. David Straithairn, Good Night, and Good Luck.

This is going to be the most interesting of the major categories, but I think the gay writer will beat the gay cowboy.

BEST ACTRESS
1. Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
2. Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
3. Keira Knightley, Pride & Predjudice
4. Charlize Theron, North Country
5. Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents

Witherspoon in a Walk. (Get it?) Extra fun: Watching Ryan Phillipe pretend to be happy his more-famous, more-talented spouse just won an Oscar instead of him. (The closest he will ever come to Oscar is when he's dusting off hers.) These things never work out well. Just ask Chad Lowe.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. George Clooney, Syriana
2. Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
3. Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
4. Matt Dillon, Crash
5. William Hurt, A History of Violence

The handsome, dashing, charismatic, funny movie star that got fat beats the already-fat guy that got passed over by Oscar two years running. Members want to vote for the triple-nominated (and widely-admired) Clooney and this is the best category for them to do this. Although I can't help the feeling that a dark horse like Gyllenhaal or Dillon will steal this one out from under both of them.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
2. Amy Adams, Junebug
3. Michelle Willliams, Brokeback Mountain
4. Catherine Keener, Capote
5. Frances McDormand, North Country

Another foregone conclusion, though I saw and liked Gardener and think Weisz was good but not great. Shame on voters for leaving off Shirley MacLaine (In Her Shoes) and Maria Bello (A History of Violence), both of whom gave better performances than anyone on this list.

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
2. Paul Haggis, Crash
3. Steven Spielberg, Munich
4. George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
5. Bennett Miller, Capote

Lee will finally win his first Oscar. (He was expected to win in 2000 for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but was upset by double-nominee Steven Soderbergh for Traffic.)

BEST ADAPTED SCREEENPLAY
1. Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain
2. Dan Futterman, Capote
3. Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, Munich
4. Jeffrey Caine, The Constant Gardener
5. Josh Olson, A History of Violence

Chance of victory for McMurtry and Ossana: 100%. (Margin of Error: 0%)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
1. Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, Crash
2. Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale
3. Stephen Gaghan, Syriana
4. George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck.
5. Woody Allen, Match Point

The multi-character narrative of Crash just beats indie-darling Squid. Amazingly, this is Woody Allen’s 14th writing nomination. (He won for Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters.)

ANIMATED FEATURE
1. Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit 2. Howl's Moving Castle 3. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

ART DIRECTION
1. Memoirs of a Geisha 2. King Kong 3. Pride & Prejudice 4. Good Night, and Good Luck. 5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. Brokeback Mountain 2. Memoirs of a Geisha 3. Good Night, and Good Luck. 4. The New World 5. Batman Begins

COSTUMES
1. Memoirs of a Geisha 2. Pride & Prejudice 3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 4. Walk the Line 5. Mrs. Henderson Presents

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
1. March of the Penguins 2. Murderball 3. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room 4. Darwin's Nightmare 5. Street Fight

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
1. God Sleeps in Rwanda 2. The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club 3. The Mushroom Club 4. A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin

FILM EDITING
1. Crash 2. The Constant Gardener 3. Munich 4. Cinderella Man 5. Walk the Line

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
1. Tsotsi (South Africa) 2. Joyeux Noël (France) 3. Paradise Now (Palestinian Authority) 4. Sophie Scholl -- The Final Days (Germany) 5. Don't Tell (Italy)

MAKE-UP
1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 3. Cinderella Man

ORIGINAL SCORE
1. Gustavo Santaolalla, Brokeback Mountain 2. John Williams, Memoirs of a Geisha 3. John Williams, Munich 4. Dario Marianelli, Pride & Prejudice 5. Alberto Iglesias, The Constant Gardener

ORIGINAL SONG
1. “It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” from Hustle & Flow 2. “In the Deep,” from Crash 3. “Travelin' Thru,” from Transamerica

ANIMATED SHORT
1. One Man Band 2. 9 3. The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation 4. Badgered 5. The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello

LIVE ACTION SHORT
1. Six Shooter 2. Our Time Is Up 3. Cashback 4. The Last Farm 5. Ausreisser (The Runaway)

SOUND EDITING
1. King Kong 2. War of the Worlds 3. Memoirs of a Geisha

SOUND MIXING
1. Walk the Line 2. King Kong 3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 4. War of the Worlds 5. Memoirs of a Geisha

VISUAL EFFECTS
1. King Kong 2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 3. War of the Worlds

So Brokeback Mountain will be the night's big winner with five Oscars and its place in history. I expect at least a shout-out from people when I win them their pools, if not a small cut of the proceeds. The real fun will be seeing if Jon Stewart makes more jokes about gun-toting Dick Cheneys or marching penguins.

This is cool

Sporting Goods

This is just a cool story.

GREECE, N.Y. - He had done everything he was asked to do for the Greece Athena High School basketball team — keep the stats, run the clock, hand out water bottles.
That all changed last week for the team manager in the final home game of the season. The 17-year-old senior, who is autistic and usually sits on the bench in a white shirt and black tie, put on a uniform and entered the game with his team way ahead.

McElwain proceeded to hit six 3-point shots, finished with 20 points and was carried off the court on his teammates’ shoulders.

I figured when I read the highlight that the other team must have let him score. Then I read that it was all threes. And I watched the video at CNN. I can't link to it, but I suggest you go to CNN and scroll down on the video clips until you find it. Just really cool.

Strike up the Brass Bonanza, Part 2

SPORTING GOODS

I'm no economist, but these guys are, and they have done a study of the metropolitan areas that could most handle another (or a first) major professional sports team, and those that are the most overextended.

LA and Philly rank 1-2 as sports cities that could handle another team with no problem, and then good old Hartford comes in 3rd. Based on various factors, they have also recommended which league should expand into each area, with Hartford of course being a candidate for an NHL team.

Meanwhile, Phoenix ranks #2 on the most overextended cities list. I doubt the NHL would do this, but how much sense would it make to get hockey out of the stinking desert and back into Connecticut where it belongs?

In case you missed it

Universal Remote

In 2003, ABC began airing one of my favorite shows of the last few years. Needless to say, it was canceled after 7 episodes aired. Karen Sisco was a terrific, non-formulaic, crime drama. And the other night at 1 in the A.M., while I was awake trying to fall asleep, I found it on a channel I didn't know existed, Sleuth TV. (For you New Yorkers, channel 102 on Time-Warner.) Anyway, if you missed it or want to catch it again, check it out Sundays at 10. Definitely worth a look. One of the best shows on tv, even in reruns.

All-Time Win Shares update

SPORTING GOODS

Win Shares, although not perfect, is still one of the better ways to be able to statistically compare the accomplishments of players across eras. I did this last year, and it's time to do it again. I'll provide an updated rank, along with the number of Win Shares for a few key players. Active players in bold, my comments in italics

1. Babe Ruth (756)
2. Ty Cobb (722)
3. Barry Bonds (666)
4. Honus Wagner (655)
5. Hank Aaron (643)
6. Willie Mays (642)
7. Cy Young (634)
8. Tris Speaker (630)
9. Stan Musial (604)
10. Eddie Collins (574)

Well, after a season that did almost nothing to add to his total, Bonds is still two years away from second place, and three from first. I doubt he catches Ruth at this point, because we don't know if Barry's body will hold up for three more years, if his mind will want to play three more, or if his chemical-free body will produce enough to catch Ruth even if he is around. In actuality, it's probably Ruth's pitching that separates them. Still, sitting anywhere in that top 6, with the Babe, Cobb, Wagner, Aaron, and Mays, is pretty damn good any way you look at it.

11. Mickey Mantle
12. Walter Johnson
13. Ted Williams
14. Pete Rose
15. Rickey Henderson (534)
16. Mel Ott
17. Frank Robinson
18. Joe Morgan
19. Rogers Hornsby
20. Nap Lajoie (496)

Ho hum, another list of ten of the all-time greats. Anyone who doesn't vote for Rickey on the first ballot for the hall of fame should have his/her rights examined. Anyone else already looking forward to Rickey's induction speech? Rickey knows that Rickey is.

21. Lou Gehring
22. Carl Yastrzemski
23. Kid Nichols
24. Pete Alexander
25. Mike Schmidt (467)
26. Eddie Mathews
27. Sam Crawford
28. Reggie Jackson
29. Al Kaline
30. Eddie Murray (437)

Not as impressive, but 10 more hall of famers. A lot of guys who produced near the top for a long time, racking up stats over 20 years or so. Of course, win shares is a counting stat, so these guys are up on the list here as well. Anyone seen any current players recently?

31. Jimmie Foxx
32. George Brett
33. Cal Ripken Jr.
34. Christy Mathewson
35. Roger Clemens (423)
35. Paul Waner
35. Robin Yount
38. Dave Winfield
39. Craig Biggio (414)
39. Paul Molitor

Hey, a whole bunch of guys who played in my lifetime (7 of the 10 in this decile). Clemens moved from 45 to 35 this past year, I didn't think he had it in him. Most guys are just adding a few win shares a year at the "end" of their career, but the way he is cranking, if Roger plays and did this again in '06 he'd be up to 27th. Right now he's 6th all time among pitchers, and the top 5 all pitched before the depression. At this point, someone has to really make a well-thought out argument to convince me he's not the greatest pitcher, or at least second best, of all time. The bastard. Meanwhile, Biggio is right there with Yount and Molitor. Doesn't that just seem right? But there he is, just in case you weren't sure if he was hall of fame material.

41. Tim Keefe
42. Warren Spahn
43. Monte Ward
44. Willie McCovey
45. Pud Galvin (403)
46. Fred Clarke
47. Gary Sheffield (401)
48. George Davis
49. Tony Gwynn
50. John Clarkson

Anyone else surprised to see Sheffield here? What a great career he ended up putting together, and still is. Say what you want about Sheffield and his mustache, but just look where he is, up from 72nd after another great year. He's surrounded by hall of famers here (albeit, a bunch I know very little about). I'm just sayin'.

51. Rafael Palmeiro (395)
52. Wade Boggs (394)
52. Bill Dahlen
54. Lefty Grove
55. Old Hoss Radbourn
56. Tim Raines (390)
57. Jesse Burkett
58. Tom Seaver
58. Jeff Bagwell (388)

Palemeiro, whether he plays again or not, is going to be an interesting one for the hall of fame. But I'm more looking forward to Raines's vote. The more I read about him, the more I think he is a hall of famer. The more I think about how I was following baseball for most of his career, the more I think he isn't a hall of famer. Was Montreal the reason he never really got recognized as a superstar? Probably. Meanwhile, for Bagwell it looks like he won't advance. Even a decent year in 2005 and he'd be up with Sheff, but he just can't get back on the field with his bum shoulder. Still, #58 and ahead of Joltin' Joe; not bad for a kid from Killingworth, Connecticut who was traded for a crappy short reliever. And yes, I am bitter.

60. Joe DiMaggio (387)
61. Rod Carew
62. Charlie Gehringer
63. Cap Anson
64. Zack Wheat
65. Luke Appling (378)
66. Roberto Clemente
67. Yogi Berra
67. Roberto Alomar
67. Al Simmons
70. Phil Niekro
70. Billy Williams (374)

Remember when Robbie Alomar was a lock for the hall of fame? Out of sight, out of mind I guess. And talk about counting stats, look how high Phil Niekro is. Longevity was the key there. Maybe Wakefield can get up here in about 30 more years.

72. Willie Stargell
73. Greg Maddux (369)
73. Gaylord Perry
75. Carlton Fisk
76. Steve Carlton (366)
76. Frankie Frisch
77. Roger Connor
77. Darrell Evans
79. Frank Thomas (362)
80. Ken Griffey Jr. (361)

Bill James rates Darrell Evans as one of the most underrated players of all time. I remember him as a DH, who struck out a lot, hit a lot of homers, and didn't do much else. But apparantly he was a decent third baseman with a high on-base every year, the kind of guy who would be much more appreciated in 2005 than he was in 1980.

80. Eddie Plank
82. Rusty Staub
83. Johnny Bench
83. Harry Heilmann
83. Brooks Robinson (356)
83. Arky Vaughan
87. Dan Brouthers
87. Ed Delahanty
89. Goose Goslin
90. Sherry Magee (354)
90. Mickey Welch

Just finished a very good book about the 2004 Red Sox called "Mind Game," and the name Arky Vaughan came up quite a bit when the authors (Baseball Prospectus) talked about just how good Nomar was the first 5-6 years of his career. Vaughan was the only guy who could compare to A-Rod and Nomar when it came to the impressive starts they got off to. Who knew?

92. Duke Snider
93. Max Carey
93. Lou Whitaker
94. Tony Perez
95. Loug Brock (348)
96. Dwight Evans
97. Ryne Sandberg
98. Bobby Wallace
99. George Van Haltren
100. Dick Allen (342)
101. Mark McGwire
102. Andre Dawson (340)

Dewey! The last 30 or so in the top 100 is pretty much hall of famers and borderline hall of famers. You can make the case that means that guys like Dewey and Sweet Lou Whitaker don't get enough attention. Or you can make the case that guys like Andre Dawson get too much attention.

So that wraps it up for the top 100 after 2005, with not too much movement really expected in 2006. So who else is close?

Alex Rodriguez is already at 318, hanging around with Alan Trammell and Bob Gibson, along with guys like Jack Clark, Joe Torre, and Pee Wee Reese. Two more seasons like 2005, and he'd be pushing the top 50. Even one more season like last year puts him in the 80s.

Larry Walker (done), Sammy Sosa (possibly done) and Mike Piazza (not quite) are at 311/313/310, in line with Willie "that's a lot of meat" Randolph, Joe Mudwick, Keith Hernandez, Orlando Cepeda, and Jim Palmer. That's borderline hall-of-fame territory for most positions, but for a catcher I'd guess that is good enough. At this point, I think Sosa may be out; two years ago I would not have said that.

Manny Ramirez (310) is hanging around there as well, but unlike the previous 3, he hopefully has a lot of 30 win share seasons left in him. He can have the hall of fame spot vacated by Sammy Sosa. Thanks Sammy, always so selfless.

Finally, sitting between 299 and 303, but unlikely to get very far into the top 100, are Bernie Williiams, Randy Johnson, John Olerud, and Jeff Kent.

Studying these lists like I have done, there is one major thing I've noticed. Either starting pitchers are undervalued by Win Shares, or they are overvalued by the general public compared to star batters. The same goes for closers, except for the difference is even more pronounced, as Mariano is in the company of guys like Cecil Fielder and Dave Henderson, and I don't think that really captures his importance or dominance. Of course, I'm not nearly smart enough to explain it, or to fix it, if this really is a deficiency. Are Dave Henderson's 600 at bats and 1,350 innings in the field more valuable than the 200 batters Mariano faces per year? I'm just not equipped to really answer that.

So in 2006, the baseball nerd in me will keep looking to see if next year there will be a metric that better exemplifies the top 100. Some people go fishing, some take up needlepoint...

This, that, and the other

Sporting Goods

So a couple of interesting Mets-related tid-bits. First, and oldest, Bengie Molina, signed with the Blue Jays last week. You might remember that Molina was offered a 3-year, $18 million deal from the Mets at the start of the free agent period. At the time, Molina and his agent failed to respond, so the Mets went out and traded for Paul LoDuca. Well, now that Molina has signed, he has an interesting take on his decision:

"I took a lot less money to come over here for a reason, and that's to win," Molina said.

Of course, the article notes:

The New York Mets spoke with Bengie Molina in November and offered an $18 million, three-year contract. New York then had the chance to acquire Paul Lo Duca from the Florida Marlins and withdrew the offer to Molina.

Quite the revisionist historian. This guy should get a job at the White House. Meanwhile, if Molina thinks he has a better chance to win on the Blue Jays, looking up at the Yanks and Sox, than the Mets, who admittedly have the Braves to deal with, then he really is this delusional.

Of course, so is Omar Minaya who just signed Jose "Lima Time" Lima to a minor league deal. If part of the plan of trading Benson for a reliever and a prospect involves putting Lima in the rotation, I'll stab myself in the eye. For god sakes, the Mets already signed Darren Oliver earlier this offseason. How many recycled crappy pitchers do we need? Rather than use spring training to try to see if some washed up has beens can resurrect their careers, can't we give opportunities to young pitchers to see what they can do? Wouldn't that be a more prudent course of action?

Finally, David Wright reported early to camp. Given the number of hagiographic articles written about Wright this offseason, it is clear that the NY press is pushing him to be the next Jeter. Which is fine with me, by all accounts he seems to be a stand-up guy with a great work ethic. He's also, arguably, the best hitter on the Mets, young and good looking, so there are a number of factors that contribute to these stories. But one can't help but wonder if the NY media's obsession with "Los Mets" is also contributing to these stories making Wright the golden boy and public face of the Mets. As an avid Met fan currently living in NY, I seriously doubt it (he's just the best player), but I can't say it didn't cross my mind. If Reyes ever lives up to the hype, he'll be pushed relentlessly too. That would be great.

22-2

SPORTING GOODS

A few quick thoughts after watching UConn lose its second game of the year just now:

That was a great game.

I'm not complaining, but it could have been better if the refs hadn't taken out Marcus Williams for a good chunk of the second half with a bogus third foul call.

Allan Ray is sick. Hell, all three of Villanova's guards are sick.

Josh Boone has to be one of the softest 6'10" 237 pounds around. He'll make some nice plays, and then drive you crazy getting rejected by a guy smaller than him when he should just be throwing it down. NBADraft.net currently has him going 14th in the draft. I don't see it, and it's obvious that Jim Calhoun doesn't either.

That said, ESPN (and its announcers) need to figure out that Boone is not as good as he looked two years ago. As he sat on the bench, they kept zooming in on him like it was some big surprise that he wasn't playing, trying to create some controversy. Meanwhile, Boone is probably UConn's seventh best player right now.

Speaking of ESPN announcers, will someone explain to Jay Bilas what a "pick and roll" is? He talked all night about how well 'Nova was running the pick and roll. Each time he mentioned it, the pick and roll involved no rolling, just a guy shooting behind a pick. I thought Dukies were supposed to be smart.

Jeff Adrien looks really good, and although he needs to control his temper I'd like to see more of him. I don't think he'll be a star for UConn, but then again I never thought Hilton Armstrong would be either. Tonight they were saying Armstrong may go as a lottery pick next year. Wow.

The UConn coaches should put out an instructional video on how to block shots, and sell it to every NBA, NCAA, high school, and middle school coach in the country. OK, maybe not the other NCAA coaches. But seriously, how do they dominate this category every year? And it doesn't matter who they bring in - Armstrong and Adrien were everywhere tonight.

Back when Villanova was #8 in the country, after being asked by a co-worker I picked them as one of my three Final Four teams with Duke and UConn, unable to decide on a fourth. I will be very surprised if they don't reach the Final Four this year.

Despite a tough loss tonight, I still strongly believe that UConn will still be there as well. And I'd rather play Duke (or Gonzaga or Texas or Memphis or the New York Knicks) than have to try to match up with 'Nova.

Rematch on February 26th in Connecticut - if you like college basketball, do yourself a favor and watch.

Ivy Games

SPORTING GOODS

Hey Ivy League sports fans (I know you're out there)! While the Ivies won't impress anyone in the big sports, they do have a considerable number of athletes competing in Turino right now. See here for the complete list.

Dartmouth, the home of Winter Carnival, has its usual contingent on the slopes, with eight who attend or attended school in Hanover. Women's hockey features players from five Ivies playing for four countries. Harvard has four Americans and two Canadians at the games, while Dartmouth has two Americans and three Canadians.

With the way those two are beating up on the Europeans, you can be pretty sure that all those teammates and former teammates will be competing for gold next weekend.

Oh, and by the way, goal count so far:

Harvard: 3
Dartmouth: 9
Finland+Germany+Switzerland+Russia+Italy+Sweden combined: 7

Count me out

SPORTING GOODS

While mostly everyone seems to be excited that the Sox are making a serious pitch to bring back Roger Clemens, count me among those who are not. I could probably rant about this for quite a long time in the right setting, but I'll just point to two reasons why I think this is a dumb idea.

#1 - Are we really going to forget Roger's previous misdeeds so quickly? (ESPN Insider access needed to read, but you get the point with the headline)

#2 - The Sox have 2 too many starting pitchers as it is, that we don't know what to do with. Yeah, yeah, you can never have too much pitching. But pitching costs money, and there are egos involved. If you bring in Clemens, only one of the following four pitchers can start: Wells, Clement, Arroyo, or Papelbon. And it would not really be easy/easy/ethical/ or smart to trade those guys, nor a viable option to put 3 of them in the pen.

I just impressed myself by writing about this subject without ranting, cursing, or making any fat jokes.

What would PETA do?

Manifesto

I'm a little slow and get my news from The Daily Show, but seriously, did anyone catch this bit from the State of the Union, without laughing?

"A hopeful society has institutions of science and medicine that do not cut ethical corners, and that recognize the matchless value of every life. Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research -- human cloning in all its forms -- creating or implanting embryos for experiments, creating human-animal hybrids and buying, selling, or patenting human embryos."

Also, I do like how "manimals" gets lumped in with creating embryos for experiments. Maybe the idea was to throw in something completely insane, so everything else seemed a little bit crazier by proximity.

Wait ... that's Chill's music

Manifesto

I'm going to be the first to acknowledge my 7 week absence from the blog. It was a lot longer than I wanted. Hopefully I won't be gone for so long again. But in my absence, a lot has happened and I don't have time to catch up. But my take, everything is playing out like a bad episode of "24".

Take this headline from Newsweek: Can the President Order a Killing on U.S. Soil?

Current and former government officials said they could think of several scenarios in which a president might consider ordering the killing of a terror suspect inside the United States. One former official noted that before Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania, top administration officials weighed shooting down the aircraft if it got too close to Washington, D.C. What if the president had strong evidence that a Qaeda suspect was holed up with a dirty bomb and was about to attack? University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein says the post-9/11 congressional resolution authorizing the use of military force against Al Qaeda empowered the president to kill 9/11 perpetrators, or people who assisted their plot, whether they were overseas or inside the United States. On the other hand, Sunstein says, the president would be on less solid legal ground were he to order the killing of a terror suspect in the United States who was not actively preparing an attack.

I really don't even know how to comment. Due Process. We don't need no stinking due process. Look, nobody would fault the President for exceeding his authority in the most dire of circumstances, such as those described above. But that still doesn't mean that the President has authority to do this. The idea is to draw a line that is reasonable. Maybe it is a line that has to be crossed, but if the President is going to cross the line, he better have a damn good reason (see the above scenarios). The reason you don't give the President the inherent authority to do such things is because then he can go out and make people "disappear". In which case we are little different from the dictatorships and puppet regimes we've opposed for our entire lives. And if you don't agree with that, and you don't think President Bush would abuse this authority because he's a reasonable guy, just ask yourselves, if your biggest political enemy, Bill Clinton, has this power, would you feel comfortable?

About time

SPORTING GOODS

Congrats to Harry Carson, on finally making it into the football hall of fame. Great player, great guy.

Giants' fourth-round pick in 1976 draft. ... Became Giants' starting middle linebacker halfway through rookie season. Earned All-Rookie honors. ... Led Giants defenders in tackles five seasons. ... Had career-high performance in 1982 vs. Green Bay with 20 solo tackles and five assists. ... Ferocious run stopper whose 14 career fumble recoveries ranks second in team record book. ... Made 11 career interceptions. ... Was a part of the famed Giants' linebacker trio of Carson, Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks. ... A big-play performer, his interception and 12 tackles vs. Redskins in 1986 virtually assured Giants of NFC East title. ... Made key goal-line stand play in 1987 Super Bowl against Broncos. Selected to play in nine Pro Bowls, including seven straight (1982-1988).

Finally, a reason to watch!

SPORTING GOODS

OK, that's not true considering I even watched every second of the putrid Bucs vs. Raiders Super Bowl, but I found this interesting, from patriots.com:

Tom Brady will take part in the coin toss at Super Bowl XL. He will become the first active player to participate in a Super Bowl coin toss.

Now, if I can only time missing all the pre-game crap (maybe this year they'll have a salute to auto-workers!), but still catch the coin toss. And now, for my prediction, that I thought about for at least 35 seconds:

Steelers 27, Seahawks 24

Need another reason to watch? How about these things you can gamble on (among thousands of things you can gamble on):

What Phrase Will John Madden Say First After Kickoff of Super Bowl XL?
"Heck of a ... " 6/5
"Big time" 7/2
"Boom!" 7/1
"Horsecollar" 7/1
"Manhandled" 9/1
"Wham!" 15/1

Coin toss will be won by?
Seahawks -104
Steelers -101

Longest punt by Tom Rouen ?
Over 50.5 yards -113
Under 50.5 yards -103

Will Mack Strong have rush over 2 1/2 yards (0 att = no
Yes -116
No +100

Combined final score will be an odd number?
Yes -132
No +116

Who will be the Superbowl MVP?
Ben Roethlisberger +220
Matt Hasselback +390
Hines Ward +1150
Jerome Bettis +1050
Shaun Alexander +570
Antaawan Randle El +2150
Darrell Jackson +1250
Willie Parker +1300
Troy Polamalu +1100
Heath Miller +2600
Lofa Tatupu +2500
Jeremy Stevens +3000
Bobby Engram +3200
Field (all others) +800

And don't forget:
Who will score more points?
Steelers and Seahawks combined
Kobe Bryant vs NO Hornets on 2/4 (+5.5)

Matt Hasselbeck completions
Chris Bosh points against Clippers

Elton Brand points (-3.5)
Shaun Alexander rushing attempts

How can a Street intersect with itself?

FOOD FIGHT

Finally, a bar named (appropriately) with a Seinfeld reference. Next time you're down at 1st and 1st and make a "nexus of the universe" joke (like the one monocle made here), the owners of this new lounge may just run out and invite you in, because you clearly get it.

Now, if someone can just open a laid-back bar called "Yada, Yada, Yada" across the street...