Jayson Stark on the Mets Pitching

As the season winds down and I chew through my fingernails, I thought I'd share a couple of great articles by ESPN's Jayson Stark detailing Johan Santana's greatness and just how bad the Mets' bullpen has been and how the NL East race has been decided by relief pitching.

Merrill Hoge Calls VY a "Baby"

I thought that the writers at the Tennessean have been tough on Vince Young, but take a listen to Merrill Hoge's critique of Vince's future as an NFL quarterback.

Palin & McCain Blocking 'Troopergate' Investigation

So this is how the 'reform-minded' Palin operates? Palin who initially welcomed the investigation, saying "hold me accountable," is now trying to delay the investigation until after the election is over. The McCain campaign said on Monday that Palin, who was not subpoenaed, was unlikely to cooperate.

For someone who proclaims she has nothing to hide, she's acting as if there's an awful lot to hide. Yeah, she's just the person to clean up Washington.

The best line on the whole situation was from Democratic state Sen. Kim Elton who is chairperson of the Legislative Council that is overseeing the investigation. Contending the deal had been broken, Elton said, "Bluntly, I feel like Charlie Brown after Lucie moved the football."

Perhaps the McCain campaign should change their slogan "Election first, truth second".

Read more on Yahoo News

A few more fibs from Palin Convention Speech

OK, I'm sure many of you have seen these, but just in case you didn't:

• "I sold it [private jet] on eBay". Well not exactly. Give her credit, she had it listed on eBay for $2.7M. But when the Alaskan government didn't get a bid that met the minimum they were looking for, they went to a private broker who sold the plane for $2.1M. Now forgetting about how whether or not she lost money on the transaction, does she not know the difference between listing an item for sale and actually selling it? It made a great sound bite and made her look hip to technology, but it just flat isn't true.
• 
  
• Fiscal Disciplinarian. She wants you to think that she hews to fiscally conservative Republican principles, but she doesn't really score that well there either. As Governor she was able to deliver a surplus due to higher oil revenues resulting from record oil prices and levying her own version of 'windfall profits' taxes on the oil companies operating in Alaska. This is the same kind of 'windfall taxes' that she and the other Republicans consider anathema when proposed by Obama.

There's a good article on Palin's performance as Governor in the Boston Globe called "A forceful, but narrow agenda". Take a read.

VY Close to Losing Locker Room

It's been well chronicled over his first 2+ seasons that Vince Young has had issues with letting go of bad plays and accepting responsibility for his level of play. Most of these concerns have been aired by the media and fans. But Week 1 seemed to take these concerns to a different level. Now he may be losing confidence in the locker room, which is the death-knell of a starting QB in the NFL.

Mid-way through the 4th quarter, after throwing his second interception, it appeared that VY had opted out of the game. The official word was that VY experienced tightness in his hamstrings. Fisher all but ordered Vince out there and 4 plays later, he had to leave the game after taking a hit on his knee. But take a look at these quotes from teammates:

"I am under the assumption something happened and to him and he was hurt. I don't know what the situation is so I am not going to comment on it." -- Kevin Mawae, Center and President of NFLPA

"No one is going to quit on this side of the ball." -- Keith Bulluck, All-Pro OLB

“You can’t lose confidence as a quarterback. You have to have a short-term memory and handle adversity when it does come…You have to find a way to persevere no matter what the situation is." -- David Thornton, OLB

“Vince is an emotional guy. You never know what’s going through his head,’’ Hall said. “I’ve been with Vince a long time. I love him like a brother. I don’t know what he’s going through, all I can do is try to motivate him and get him going." -- Ahmad Hall, FB and former University of Texas teammate of Young

The Titans front office has been consistent, perhaps to a fault, it it's public support of Young during his evolution as a quarterback. But if Young doesn't get his head together soon, the front office won't be able to gloss over Young's deficiencies or risk fracturing the locker room or worse losing it alltogether.

Politicians Never Learn: The Truth is Out There

No, this has nothing to do with aliens (why in God's name are they making an X-Files movie now anyway?).

I'm continuously amazed that politicians say things publically that aren't true. It's as if they think that nothing they ever say or do has been recorded or documented in someway. And have they not heard of Google? That's how reporters do their research today.

Anyway, one of Sarah Palin's best lines Wednesday night had to do with the boondoggle called the Gravina Island Bridge -- more famously is known as the "Bridge to Nowhere", reviled as the worst example of pork-barrel politics. Let's not forget that this was pushed through Congress by Alaska's Republican delegation, led by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) who threatened to quit if the funding was pulled.

In her speech Palin boasted that one of her great achievements as a reformer and fiscal leader was to kill of the ill-conceived project, proclaiming that she "...championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress...I told Congress, 'thanks, but no thanks,' on that bridge-to-nowhere." Oh really.

First of all, when running for Governor she was an advocate for the Bridge. And only when the funding was cut off by Congress did she abandon the project. According to a press release from her own office she stated:

“Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer,” said Governor Palin. “Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it’s clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island,” Governor Palin added.
-- State of Alaska, Governor's Office, Press Archive
September 21, 2007

And what's worse, according to CBS News, Palin kept all $233M in federal funds that had already been appropriated for the project and had it allocated to other transportation projects in the state.

So is this really the kind of change she's going to bring to Washington? For all those that think her to be naive, she seems to know all the ropes already.

GOP Wants it Both Ways on Preggo Palin Teen

Hands off Bristol Palin. Too bad that no one told that to Levi Johnston 5 months ago.

Well that's at least what the GOP wants from the media, unless it suits their purposes.

While Republicans continue to show outrage at teen pregnancies in the inner cities or in Hollywood, somehow little Bristol Palin gets a pass. Is it because he family is rich (or at least now famous) enough for her to not have to worry about ruining her life? Or is it just that it's a better story to talk about the courageous choice she is making in keeping the baby and getting married before her 18th birthday. Any other 17 year old girl, in almost any other family and she's trailer-trash and the poster child for irresponsibility. Now she's the poster child for the "Right-to-lifer's" and the un(sex)-educated. How's that position on teaching abstinence working for you now?

Here's a link to a great article about the GOP's double-standard regarding the Palin familty situation by the Associated Press (that despicable tool of the liberal elite media) as it appeared in the NY Daily News.

Was that Sarah Palin or Rob Schneider?

Just catching up on a few thoughts.

I love how even when trying to show how inclusive and progressive the GOP is by making the bold move of putting a woman on the ticket, they still can't shake their misogynistic roots. There were a number of signs saying "Coldest State, Hottest Governor" and a great shot caught by CNN showing an old guy wearing a button that read "Hoosiers for the Hot Chick".

I mean I've heard of pandering to the base, but perhaps it was Palin's good looks, not her ultra-conservative values that were the biggest present to the GOP base.

But I can envision a great SNL skit featuring Rob Schneider, reprising his role as "The Hot Chick", impersonating Palin.

Live Blogging from the McCain Acceptance Speech

Here are my reactions as they came while watching McCain's speech:

Does McCain realize that the big spending, do nothing people in Washington have been the Republicans over the last 8 years? Federal spending have risen to the highest levels in history under the Bush administration -- and for the first 6 years did so under a Republican controlled Senate and House.

Gotta give props for his position on the surge. Good tactical decision that improved the situation. But the fact that he still thinks that in hindsight that attacking Iraq -- not pour resources to finish the job in Afghanistan, not Iraq, not Syria who both provide more support to terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah -- is just bad judgment.

Again, why is this both parties. The lost trust ALL happened under a Republican controlled White House and Congress. Can the "Straight Talk" guy keep it straight?

Red Meat Time: One thing that always bothers me about the "legislating from the bench" argument is that it presumes that conservatives don't do the same. It's really just that they just mean it's OK to "legislate" as long as it comports with conservative principles.

Education: Interesting comment on education. Does that mean that we can choose to send our kids to school that teach creationism over science? abstinence over sex education? Oh, wait, I guess by the video of Palin's pregnant 17 year old daughter that doesn't work very well ;)

I do like the message about reaching across party lines. I wish that more politicians thought this way. He's a good man. Probably in any other election, he'd have my vote. Certainly would have voted for him over Hillary.

He's got a really compelling story. If you haven't read his first book "Faith of my Fathers", pick it up. I really enjoyed it when I read it when it first came out.

Big finish: Great, great finish. Terrific cadence, terrific message. I feel like the real McCain finally came out.