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Monday, April 07, 2003
Not a Bug, but a Feature
The sudden moves into Baghdad have had some other affects.
Opec President Abdullah al-Attiyah said he proposed an emergency meeting of the producer group, which controls 40% of world oil exports, on April 24 to discuss reducing output to prevent a post-war fall in prices.
"My main worry is how to deal with the dramatic price drop," said Attiyah, the oil minister for Qatar, after discussions with Opec Secretary-General Alvaro Silva. "The market is full of oil; it's facing a glut, not a shortage."
US light crude oil futures fell 66 cents, or more than 2%, to $US27.96 a barrel, while London Brent crude was off 10 cents at $US24.60 a barrel.
Before Attiyah's statement, Brent had slumped to $US23.40, a four-month low, on news of US raids into Baghdad that raised expectations that the invasion could end soon without significant disruptions to Middle East oil flows.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is concerned that prices, already down 30% from their pre-war peak, could continue dropping unless cartel members rein in supplies raised before the war.
Yee-hah.
I have to wait until when? For how long?
I'm not saying I want my daughter to start potty training tomorrow, but I didn't know the wife and I have to wait this long.
When parents began intensive toilet training — directing the child to use the toilet more than three times a day — before the child reached 27 months, it took 10 to 16 months and ended, on average, when the child was 35 months old.
Children who began the process from 27 months old to 33 months old were toilet trained, on average, by their 36th month, according to the study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics.
Dogs are so much easier to train, and you can rub their noses in the s**t without being arrested for child abuse.
I Am Sisyphus, Hear Me Whine Impotently
While reading this long on predictable anti-war rhetoric and short on facts piece, I thought of Sisyphus. Then I reached the end of the column and found that apparently the author, Gunter Grass, felt the same way:
Many people find themselves in a state of despair these days, and with good reason. Yet we must not let our voices, our no to war and yes to peace, be silenced. What has happened? The stone that we pushed to the peak is once again at the foot of the mountain. But we must push it back up, even with the knowledge that we can expect it to roll back down again.
Gunter has apparently decided that John LeCarre shouldn't be the only author to pen factless rants on the "Imperial America."
Pitt Coach Watch
A little background before the rumors, reports and innuendo. In December, Pitt's Athletic Director, Steve Pederson, left for his alma mater, Nebraska, for the AD job there. The assistant AD, Mark Boehm, was named interim AD while the school decided on a new AD. To date, the job has not been filled. This hurts in the search for a new coach, since there is no clear person in charge of the Pitt Athletic Department and in the search and interview. It does appear that the Chancellor, Mark Nordenberg, has been very active in the search for a new coach. According to some reports, it appears Nordenberg will remove the interim tag on Boehm.
The other problem with the present search for the coach in relation to an untested AD and a suddenly successful basketball program -- his job and the continued success of the program will be considered riding on the hiring. This makes it more difficult for Boehm to go out and hire a relatively unknown, but successful, mid-major head coach, such as Bobby Gonzalez of Manhattan who has been mentioned. It also makes it damn near impossible for him to hire the Pitt players' choice -- associate head coach, James Dixon. Dixon has no head coaching experience. No one knows how he would handle the full job. As this article suggests (using college football head coaches), Dixon could be as good as Miami head coach Larry Coker succeeding Butch Davis, or fail as miserably as Foge Fazio did following Jackie Sherrill at Pitt in the early 80s.
If they hired a mid-major coach or elevated Dixon and the performance dropped then it was an unnecessary risk that cost the program. Boehm would be one of the fall guys. On the other hand, if you bring in a successful, "name" coach and things don't work out, well who would have really predicted it. It is far less riskier for Boehm's job security.
So, now the coaching rumors. It looks like Pitt is very interested in hiring someone with ties to the Pittsburgh area. I guess the theory is that they are less likely to want to leave where they have ties. The three most prominent names have been John Calipari, Herb Sendek, and Skip Prosser.
The first name that got a lot of attention has been John Calipari, Memphis head coach. By the end of last week, Calipari expressed a good deal of interest in the job, and it seemed mutual. This of course pissed off Memphis when Calipari issued the standard non-denial denials, despite Memphis' AD saying he believes Calipari would stay. I'm not that excited about Calipari. He built UMass to national power in the 90s before a poorly played move to the NBA's NJ Nets. After leaving UMass, though, some NCAA violations were revealed. Calipari appeared clean, but questions have always remained. Now, it appears that Pitt has not been that interested in Calipari.
Herb Sendek, the North Carolina State coach was the next name to be under consideration. There has been legitimate interest, at least by Pitt boosters and alumni.
Sendek has been mentioned as a possible candidate in that he is a Penn Hills, Pa., native who attended Penn Hills High and is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon. Sendek's parents still live in the Pittsburgh area.
"It's kind of an unusual situation at the school in that they don't have an [full-time] athletics director now," Fowler said. "I'm not sure who's conducting the search, but some trustees apparently are helping with the initial search, and one asked a friend who knows Herb to contact Herb.
"That doesn't mean Herb's interested in going anywhere. Herb said he didn't tell the person one thing or the other. He just talked with him. It was all unofficial."
Sendek has declined to comment on possible job openings.
It appears, however, that Sendek isn't that interested in Pitt. ("N.C. State's Herb Sendek, who ... is a Pittsburgh native, has made it clear through school officials that he has no intentions of leaving Raleigh.") Much to my relief and the annoyance of many Wolfpack fans who would like to see Swndek gone.
Then there is Skip Prosser, Wake Forest head coach and the ACC coach of the year. Prosser has been at Wake Forest for two years after 7 very successful years at Xavier. Prosser would be a great hire, but it seems that it would be a shock to get him from Wake and the ACC. Wake Forest is poised for continued strong showings and despite its location and competing with North Carolina, NC State and Duke for local recruits (or as my friend Lee describes Wake, "Wake Forest will always be Duke and UNC's little bitch. Coaching hoops at Wake is like coaching football at Michigan State."). So, I've been surprised to learn that there is a sizable amount of interest by Prosser in the Pitt job. This is even being noticed down in Winston, NC.
What may seem unfathomable to some who follow ACC basketball is that Prosser, after just two seasons, would leave Wake Forest. As popular as he has been successful, Prosser, the 2003 ACC Coach of the Year, has seven members of his eight-man rotation back from a team that went 25-6 and finished first in the ACC regular season.
...
Prosser, it would seem, is not about to leave Wake Forest for just any program. But Pittsburgh, especially for Prosser, is not just any program.
Born in Pittsburgh, Prosser was raised in nearby Carnegie and attended Carnegie High School, which is closed. He has often waxed eloquently about his love for his hometown, about standing in line in the freezing cold for nine hours to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff game in which Franco Harris made the Immaculate Reception to beat the Oakland Raiders, about seeing the first Pirates game ever played in Three Rivers Stadium, about watching Roberto Clemente of the Pirates lace the 3,000th and last hit of his career.
"It's my hometown," Prosser told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review this week. "I have a lifelong love affair with the City of Pittsburgh. It's home."
A further enticement might be the condition of Pittsburgh's basketball program.
Prosser would be my top choice. He would cost Pitt at least $1 million per year. Right now he gets about $700,000 per at Wake.
I don't expect Pitt to wait too long to hire someone. The new hire will probably be announced within 2 weeks. Pitt needs to preserve its recruits, and act before the drama at North Carolina finishes playing out.
UPDATE: Looks like Prosser is the top target, as this article suggests, and makes most of the same points I already made.
Sunday, April 06, 2003
Thinking About Sleeping In
I don't think I want to get up tomorrow morning. Not because it's Monday. Not because I still haven't found any freelance work. Not because some idiot record company executive decided putting out a Lisa Marie Presley album out would be a good idea.
No, it is the fact that the Cleveland area can expect rain, sleet and anywhere from 4-8 inches of snow by tomorrow. Tomorrow was to be the Cleveland Indians home opener. They have already postponed it.
Ugh.
Not So Shocking News
A couple weeks ago, Calvin Klein was attending a NY Knicks game, seated courtside. Knicks player, Latrell Sprewell, was getting ready to inbound a pass. Calvin decided to get up and have a conversation with Latrell. He was, not surprisingly, incoherent and was "escorted" away by security. It is now being announced that he is "seeking" treatment for an unspecified drug problem. I guess the only surprise was that it wasn't announced that he was merely getting some rest for "exhaustion."
Friday, April 04, 2003
It's Never Enough...
Almost as soon as Ohio has signed into law lowering the DUI level for BAC from 0.10% to 0.08%, a new bill is introduced for additional drunk driving punishments.
A new bill sponsored by Rep. Bob Latta, a Bowling Green Republican, attempts to deter repeat and habitual alcohol- and drug-related driving offenses by making it easier for troopers and deputies to spot and test offenders.
Latta's proposal would stretch the "look-back" period for calculating repeat offenses to 10 years from the current six and require repeat offenders to carry a special bright orange driver's license.
...
Latta's bill would not toughen the penalties for repeat DUI offenders - that bill is expected later this session. But it would create criminal penalties for any repeat offender
who refuses a breath, urine, blood or chemical test when arrested. Currently, refusal to take the test - or testing over the legal blood-alcohol limit - results only in a license
suspension.
Ohio's blood-alcohol limit was lowered from 0.10 to 0.08 in a sweeping transportation budget bill signed yesterday by Taft. Lawmakers said the change was the result of
"blackmail" by the federal government, which was about to impose expensive penalties on the state if the standard wasn't changed. Opponents had long warned that toughening that limit would open the door to more DUI restrictions.
And it looks like they were right. So if you would refuse a test to determine BAC, you would face criminal charges. A presumption of guilt.
Latta and supporters somehow argue that since a little over 25% of all traffic fatalities in Ohio were alcohol related (344 of 1284), and over one-third of all DUI convictions are for repeat offenders, it is important to get these truly dangerous repeaters. This means by expanding what it means to be a repeat offender. I'm not defending drunk driving, but a person who would be busted for drunk driving twice in 10 years is not a habitual threat; and this sort of law will not make one difference in reducing drunk driving. Feel free to explain to me how this sort of law will make a real reduction in the number of alcohol related traffic fatalities. The only thing this law will do, will make it easier to get a DUI conviction, by creating criminal penalties for refusing to take a BAC test.
Oh Shit, No
Michael Kelly, a regular columnist at the Washington Post and editor of the Atlantic Monthly, was killed in an accident while traveling with the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq. Kelly is survived by his wife and two sons, ages 6 and 3.
This was his last column.
Here is gloating at the DC Indymedia site.
Fisk Under Fire at Home
It looks like Fisk is taking flack in the UK.
In a front page leader comment, the paper dismissed Mr Hoon's "innuendo" as a "miserable attempt to brush aside unwelcome truths" about the Iraqi conflict.
The Independent was responding to comments Mr Hoon made yesterday in the Commons, when he questioned the accuracy of Fisk's reporting on civilian deaths in two Baghdad marketplace bombings.
Mr Hoon said there was not a "shred of corroborating evidence" other than that "supplied by Saddam Hussein's regime", that US forces were responsible for the two marketplace tragedies.
"The allegation is that because a piece of cruise missile was handed to the journalist it somehow proved it was caused by coalition forces.
"We have very clear evidence immediately after those two explosions there were representatives of the regime clearing up in and around the marketplace. Now why they should be doing that other than to perhaps disguise their own responsibility for what took place is an interesting question," Mr Hoon said.
Though he is being defended by his paper.
Robert Fisk has a proud record of reporting what he sees. He has travelled to dangerous places and described unflinchingly what is happening. He prefers to speak to the people caught up in conflicts rather than report what the generals, politicians and spokesmen are saying.
Any careful reader of his reports from Iraq would know that he holds no brief for the Saddam regime.
I notice, accuracy isn't listed. This is good -- his report from yesterday in Iraq.
Reports of airport assault premature
04.04.2003
8.00am
SADDAM HUSSEIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - So where are the Americans? I prowled the empty departure lounges, mooched through the abandoned customs department, chatted to the seven armed militia guards, met the airport director and stood beside the runways where two dust-covered Iraqi Airways passenger jets -- an old 727 and an even more elderly Antonov -- stood forlornly on the runway not far from an equally decrepit military helicopter.
And all I could hear was the distant whisper of high-flying jets and the chatter of the flocks of birds which have nested near the airport car park on this, the first day of real summer in Baghdad.
Only three hours earlier, the BBC had reported claims that forward units of an American mechanised infantry division were less than 16km west of Baghdad -- and that some US troops had taken up positions on the very edge of the international airport.
Then he quickly assists in reporting:
Allies 'seize most of Baghdad airport'
By Robert Fisk in Baghdad and Donald Macintyre in Qatar
04 April 2003
The Americans opened their offensive against Saddam Hussein's capital when ground forces swept into Baghdad's international airport under cover of darkness.
During the assault, an air strike on a village south of the city reportedly killed up to 83 people and wounded hundreds of others. The troops encountered almost no opposition from Iraqi forces and secured part of the airport complex with tanks and other armoured units in pitch darkness, according to Bob Schmidt, a correspondent with ABC News embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division. The airport assault was led by a combination of special operations forces and the 82nd Airborne.
( both Fisk reports via Damian Penny) But, but, I thought Fisk was just at the airport? How did he not see the US forces -- those tanks and armored units -- nearing? The ones that you had just said were no where near.
Will Cleveland Follow Chicago's Lead?
Doug Dever pointed out a couple days ago, how Chicago Mayor Daley, under cover of night ripped up the lakefront airport to force the formerly functioning Meigs Airport to become a new park area (to say the action was legally questionable is being polite). Dever wondered how long it would be until Cleveland Mayor Campbell tried the same thing at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport. Looks like some locals are hoping for it.
While Daley said security concerns drove the move, it has been his long-term plan to turn Meigs Field into a 91-acre park.
Daley's bold move had environmentalists and lakefront advocates here dreaming.
As Dever noted, "I've always wanted a toxic park on top of a former landfill."
Eastlake Gets Bed Tax for Lake County Captains
Back in January, Eastlake and the Lake County Visitors Bureau proposed hiking the bed tax in the county from 1.25% to 3%, with almost 1% going to retire the bond debt incurred for financing the new minor league ballpark in Eastlake. The proposal appeared to be opposed by several cities in Lake County. In the financing of all the minor league ballparks in Ohio, like in Niles, Akron, and Toledo; none of them get money from the local tourist bureaus. Only one ballpark in Northern Ohio gets money from the visitors bureau -- Jacobs Field in Cleveland.
Eastlake and the cities around Eastlake (Willoughby, Wickliffe, and Willowick) all backed it. The largest city in Lake County, Mentor, (and the city with the most hotels) opposed the idea. Painesville apparently didn't care. 3% is the maximum allowable bed tax by a county in Ohio unless the state grants them permission to go higher.
Well the proposal was approved. It appears to have been a unanimous by the three county commissioners. This is hardly a surprise that it passed when the president of the Board was also the former mayor of Wickliffe, and another member was a former Willowick City Councilman and an appointed member to the visitors bureau board.
My problem with this, as I said before, is that the Lake County Captains is not a tourist attraction for that many people outside of Lake County. There will be some initial curiosity by some residents in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), but it's not going to generate overnight stays to benefit the hotels that will be paying over the tax. This new ballpark will just reshuffle local resident's entertainment dollars.
I'm looking forward to a ballpark less than 3 miles from my house. Even my wife, who could care less about baseball, is excited. I don't buy the economic stimulus arguments, and I still think the Cleveland Indians were dumb for letting a minor league team operate within 25 miles of their stadium, but at least I can go to a baseball game for only $8.
Thursday, April 03, 2003
F**k him, Let Ben Crash & Burn
I tried. I really tried. I wanted to be "big" about Ben Howland taking the UCLA job and leaving Pitt. I wanted to say thanks for helping rebuild a program that Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News, back in 1999 (sorry, no link just memory) questioned as to whether Pitt would ever be good in b-ball again. I mean, how could I be upset at a SoCal native going home to coach at what even I have said is one of the most prestigious jobs out there? Then today I hear on "Pardon the Interruption," that he didn't have the guts to tell his players on Pitt that he was leaving, but had one of his assistants tell them. Then to read this:
The day after Pitt lost to Marquette in the third round of the NCAA tournament, Howland had a friend contact Guerrero [UCLA's Athletic Director].
"I knew right away what I wanted to do, which was to pursue this opportunity," the coach said.
That isn't merely "listening," that is blatant pursuit. The body wasn't even cold yet. And going back, this Sunday to talk to his former players hardly makes it right. Goddammit, at least be nice enough to lie and say that you listened to the offer, talked to your family and decided that it was the best decision for everyone. Don't stick it to your former team by saying, in effect, "I couldn't wait to lose in the NCAA tourney so I could jump to a better job."
They Are Not Coming Back
An interesting article in Scene about Athersys, a biotech firm based in Cleveland. Athersys is letting it be known that it is being wooed by Minneapolis-St. Paul, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina's Research Triangle around the same time they were looking for a $250 million cash infusion from the state and local government and from the three major local medical research powers: Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, and the Cleveland Clinic. From the hospitals and university, they were seeking between $10-25 million each. This for a company that employs about 130, and in its 8 years of existence has not yet turned a profit. Their odds aren't good at getting that. To me, it is merely a PR move for them to leave when they get the best deal from somewhere else.
Of course it has potential. It is biotech, and it does have some key patents for gene threrapy. Plus, the state and local governments have been lauding Athersys as the herald of new technology and job growth in Ohio. So, it has supporters and is considered part of the cornerstone for a "new Ohio."
I don't like large government subsidies for businesses. They are generally poorly considered, poorly carried out, based on lobbying than actual economic impact, tend to be very temporary -- when the subsidy ends the business leaves or folds -- and generally don't come close to meeting the expectations. That said, I don't believe governments have no role in helping businesses develop. Tax incentives for research, reducing levels of red tape, and general support are all things that I think are good. Direct cash infusions or tax abatements, however, aren't.
The story questions whether Athersys will ever live up to the hype and repeatedly points out that this company only employs 130, and will likely never exceed 200. Not like LTV which, when it went bankrupt, employed some 3200 people. The low level of employment, the story suggests, is basis for letting Athersys walk.
That's just wrong. The plain fact is that Cleveland (and most former manufacturing heavy cities) has to accept that the large manufacturing employers aren't coming back. In fact, it is a pipe dream to believe there will be big companies with lots of well paying jobs that will come and resettle in their city or state. The only large businesses that will come to a city like Cleveland to set up operations will be those that are hiring cheaper, general labor. Call centers, customer service bases. What government should be encouraging is the smaller business and business development. Companies that start and grow in the area -- that employ 5, 15, 50, 500 people. That, however, is harder to sell to the public and doesn't look as good in a press release.
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Eric Olsen has a new gig as the resident blogger at Cleveland.com. Excellent. Very cool of Eric to put me down as one of his links. Actually, it seems that they have a stable of bloggers. Of course, there was nothing on the front page promoting the blogs (yet?). The Weblogs listing can be located on the drop-down menu under "Living"
So Far Ahead of the Plain Dealer Editorial Board It Is Embarrassing
In my write-up about the Cleveland Convention Center proposals and public meetings back on March 12, I wrote:
So, this appears to end the public phase for a while. The CCC will fall back to silent jockeying until April, when the final recommendation is made.
Last Friday, I noted an article confirming that, and that this was by design to push the Health and Human Services tax levy on the May 6 ballot through (so that it won't have to show up in November).
The Cleveland Plain Dealer Editorial board finally catches up (or are they cribbing my copy?).
After a brief sashay across the public stage, work on a Cleveland convention center proposal once again is going low-profile. This time, it's with the blessings of elected officials, notably the Cuyahoga County commissioners, who want to limit distractions in the run-up to a May 6 vote on a health and human services levy.
Their concern is understandable. Trying to raise taxes in tough times is never easy, so the levy faces daunting odds. The Cleveland Public Library has not helped matters by placing its own sizable levy on the May ballot. If the human services issue loses, the commissioners, who need to pay for vital health and welfare programs, will be forced to try again in November. But presumably, that's when some package to finance a convention center and other economic development initiatives would be up for approval. Thus the commissioners, quite correctly, want to get the human services fight out of the way now, then turn to other matters.
They do say they wish discussion to continue, and that perhaps keeping quiet about the CCC isn't the best idea. Hey, they finally even get around to admitting that one of the sites, just doesn't have support and probably shouldn't be the site chosen. The West 3rd/Warehouse District site pushed by Forest City and Jacobs. Again, something I noted back on March 12.
Then there is another blog post I wrote last Tuesday about a bad anti-riot law being introduced in the Ohio legislature that would allow for jail time for "failure to disperse."
I do not like this. I suspect the order to disperse will be a vague definition that will be given flexibility and generally will be hard to prove the order wasn't issued or that anyone could hear it. This is the kind of law that allows the police to just sweep an area, rather than actually evaluate and decide who needs to be taken into custody.
Again the PD Editorial board picks up on my work.
These riot spectators, whose presence impeded the ability of police to apprehend many of those engaged in the physical mayhem, have caught the attention of Ohio lawmakers. A measure introduced recently in the legislature would ramp up penalties for those charged with failure to disperse.
...
The bill, which calls for up to 30-day jail penalties for those who fail to disperse, is a misguided proposal that should not become law. Such a law undoubtedly would be abused.
The bill comes uncomfortably close to assaulting the constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Who would determine what constitutes something other than a peaceful assembly? Who would determine what constitutes a timely failure to disperse?
Well, it's good to know who's reading this. Though, maybe someone there should offer me a column or a weekly op-ed spot. I need the work, and as an employee or independent contractor I couldn't be as critical of them.
Now What?
Shit. Knew it was coming but, shit.
Ben Howland, who resurrected the basketball program at the University of Pittsburgh the past four seasons, is expected to become the new men's basketball coach at UCLA soon, the Los Angeles Times reported last night.
Now here's the thing. Pitt has to move fast to hire a new coach, to help save the excellent incoming class Howland put together.
On the positive, the Pitt head basketball coaching gig looks like one of the plums in college basketball right now. New facilities, solid returning team, fan support.
The negative, it can go south quickly owing to a real lack of tradition at Pitt, the lack of local talent to pull to Pitt, and who's in charge? Pitt lost its Athletic Director earlier in the college basketball season. They are still looking, and there hasn't been much reported progress. Right now, it is run by the assistant AD -- presently designated as interim -- Marc Boehm.
Assuming for the moment, that they get a head b-ball coach before a new AD is named, the question is: Who does Pitt hire?
This becomes very interesting with the firing/resignation of Matt Doherty from North Carolina. He did do a great job at Notre Dame before bolting (though with Mike Brey working out so well there, there appears to be some revisionist history suggesting ND was happy to see him go; not to mention usual Irish arrogance/annoyance at the very idea anyone would ever leave ND for a "better" job).
I think Pitt would have to at least consider Doherty.
They can leave Steve Lavin for Penn State.
I don't think Pitt could get Few from Gonzaga -- he'd probably listen just to get some more money from Gonzaga, but I don't think he wants to leave the West Coast.
What about Tom Crean at Marquette? He actually was a Pitt assistant for a year, albeit under Ralph Willard. That is a question of whether he would consider Pitt a step up, and whether he believes it would give him a better shot at winning consistently. Marquette is in C-USA competing with Louisville, Cinci., Memphis, and DePaul. He might at least listen.
Then you start looking at the mid-majors for an up and comer. Recent history is obviously mixed. Howland was fantastic, but Willard bombed (and Willard had the added pedigree of being a former Pitino assistant). If so, who? I imagine the head coaches at Butler, Creighton, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky should all be on the list -- owing to their continued achievements over the last few years.
Or do you pick someone without headcoaching experience, but has been a key assistant on a successful program/coach. Crean came from being an assistant under Izzo in Michigan State. Maybe someone there. A (and it pains me to even type this) Coach K disciple? Someone who is an assistant at Kansas? Maryland?
My feeling is you take a run at Doherty (unless something really lousy is revealed) and Crean. Then you look at a head coach at a mid-major.
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Mixed Emotions on the Red Sox Bullpen
The Red Sox, this year are attempting a "bullpen by committee." Basically, they don't have a closer, by choice, and will count on the entire bullpen to do the job. The pen blew the job in the first game of the season to the worst team in the division, if not the entire AL, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Not surprisingly, Red Sox Nation is a twitter over this. In the Boston Herald and Globe, there were many stories and columns about the failure of the bullpen in the first game as an omen, with special reference to the bullpen by committee approach.
Numerous sportspundits are also watching this unfold. Watching "Around the Horn" this evening, I caught the most of the pundits ripping on Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and Bill James for this "ludicrous" plan. Especially wanting to unload was Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times who seemed (in the short time allowed to discuss) very disparaging of Bill James. In baseball there is a general conservatism. Bill James has constantly challenged and quantified assumptions, that tends to piss off a lot of established people in baseball -- especially writers of baseball. He takes away the cliches. He can make real, logical arguments that make it harder to go with gut and emotions.
The roll of the bullpen and closer have evolved and changed, slowly. Where once relievers and closers like Rollie Fingers, Tug McGraw, Bruce Sutter and Dan Quisenberry worked at least an inning and a half, now they are specialists that come in for only one inning, and rarely in the middle of an inning. The bullpen is now filled with "specialists" who only work to certain hitters. Some sportswriters (and myself) have decried this overspecialization and complain. Though, now with the attempts by the Red Sox, they seem to want it both ways. Decry the present state, but at the same time mock and ridicule as unworkable a different approach.
I'm completely of two minds on the Red Sox bullpen plan. As a baseball fan and a fan of Bill James, I would like to see this work. I think the overspecialization of the bullpen 1) slows down the game when there are numerous pitching changes in the later innings; 2) makes the team too dependent on one pitcher in close games, and makes any injury to that pitcher a potential wrecking ball to the entire season; 3) helps restore real value to a save where the pitcher may actually go more than one inning; 4) it is more cost efficient to not pay one closer so much money for at most, 70-80 innings a year.
Then there is the Yankee fan in me. Anything that hurts the Red Sox is good. I'm also spoiled by having one of the best modern era closers, ever, on my team. Of course, with Mariano Rivera's injury problems last year and now this year, it goes back to point 2.
The Little Thing That Bothered Me
Watching the Yankees win last night was a bittersweet thing. Clemens looking very strong, and the Yankees scoring. Then there was that horrible collision at 3rd base that knocked Jeter out for at least a month with a separated shoulder.
Now while I was concerned about the injury to Jeter, what I didn't understand was how they could call Jeter out when he was forcibly shoved off the bag. Yet no one was even questioning that. Not in the game, and not on Baseball Tonight. I just didn't understand how that could be allowed. Since when could you shove a player off a base? I didn't have a copy of the rules handy, and I hadn't had time to look it up, I was honestly hoping Rob Neyer would come through. And he did.
Catcher Ken Huckaby, who's what you might call a "defensive specialist," saw all this and sprinted toward third. Huckaby and Jeter arrived at the same time, with Jeter sliding head-first and Huckaby trying to get there first and tag Jeter out. Huckaby tried to block the bag -- which is against the rules, by the way -- but Jeter got his left hand between Huckaby's legs.
That didn't do him any good, though, because Huckaby knocked Jeter away from the base, then tagged him. Now, the rules clearly state that once the runner has touched the base, you can't forcibly remove him from it. That's exactly what Huckaby did, but for some reason third-base umpire Paul Emmel called Jeter out (which means Emmel blew two calls on the same play).
In unrelated baseball column, SI's Tom Verducci, catalogs the Mets mess of an opening day performance. I watched most of the game and can't disagree with him. One of his ending notes caught my attention. I agree with him regarding baseball marketing and sales morons:
At a time when throwback uniforms are must-have streetwear, baseball's marketing dolts order teams to wear beer-league softball-style batting practice jerseys and caps. The idea behind changing looks is to get fans to replace their team gear every year or so. But other than knee-high black socks with Bermuda shorts, can you think of a worse fashion faux pas than being caught in one of those Mets creamsicle shirts, or a Red Sox flaming red jersey, or a Pirates bumblebee-yellow brimmed cap? Most of the looks are hideous. Give credit to the Yankees for refusing to take part in the marketing stunt. Oh, yeah. People buy more Yankees gear than any other team.
Anything, Anywhere
Remember when it was the CIA behind every little thing? When the conspiracy freaks would link everything from the Kennedy Assassination to longevity on TV of Touched by an Angel to a CIA plot? Lately, though, the CIA just hasn't looked that competent. The 9/11 thing (yes I know some think they were behind that), apparently not being too good in Afghanistan, and other high profile screw-ups has downgraded their image.
Still, good conspiracy loons need a shadowy villain, so it looks like Mossad has been elevated from minor player in the World Zionist Conspiracy to leading force. Of course this is an easy transition since Jews run everything, so it's time to stop operating in the shadows as puppet masters of America and the federal agencies, and let the Jews operate directly.
Of course there was the whole story of 4000 Jews were warned against going to the WTC on 9/11 (usually by Mossad). Jews driving the war with Iraq was another. The latest, and closest to the mainstream, is now a blind allegation by a Guardian columnist that the photo of Rachel Corrie -- the "activist" who accidently got bulldozered in Gaza a couple weeks ago -- burning a paper version of the American flag, was actually altered to look that way by the Mossad.
The shear idiocy pointed out by Charles Johnson, that the photos in question came from the AP and Rachel Corrie's own organization. Damian Penny, Bill Herbert and Zach Cohen have also torn this argument to shreds.
Free Speech to Bark
No, this isn't an April Fools Joke. The 4th Ohio District Court of Appeals ruled that a man had the legal right to bark back at a police dog. He was charged with taunting a police dog when he barked back at a police dog that was in a cruiser some 30 feet away. Under Ohio law, it is illegal to taunt, torment or hit a police dog or horse.
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