Friday, October 8, 2010

Weekend watchdog

October means the baseball postseason.
And the NHL season openers.
Ice hockey returned Thursday with three games, and Versus continues the action from Europe the rest of the weekend. Carolina and Minnesota play at noon Friday, followed by Columbus against San Jose in Stockholm. Saturday at noon, it's Boston facing Phoenix from Prague.
Enjoy the different dasherboards.
Here in the States, the Capitals open their season Friday in Atlanta against the Thrashers. Saturday is the home opener against the Devils, then they play Ottawa Monday on Comcast.
TBS has the baseball division series coverage, with game two of both National League series Friday. Saturday it's game three in the American League contests from Texas and New York, then Sunday there will be either two, three or four games, depending on how Saturday's games go.
If various series go the full five games, they will be Tuesday in the American League and Wednesday in the National.
Brett Favre returns to New York, as the Vikings visit the Jets at new Meadowlands Stadium Monday on ESPN. The Eagles' game against the 49ers gets featured on NBC's Sunday night game - will Michael Vick play? Can San Francisco win a game?
The Packers visit Washington Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX, while CBS has doubleheader coverage most places - except Fishersville. We will get the Titans' trip to Dallas at 4:15 p.m., but the early game gets blacked out. Richmond and the rest of Virginia will be watching the Ravens host the Broncos, and I hope my cable picks up that game.
ESPN starts the college football weekend Friday with the Big East matchup between Connecticut and Rutgers at 7:30 p.m., while ESPN2 goes with Oklahoma State and Louisiana-Lafayette at 9 p.m.
Saturday's schedule starts at noon on ESPN with Indiana against Ohio State, while ESPN2 shows Illinois-Penn State. In primetime, ESPN has LSU-Florida.
CBS goes with top-ranked Alabama's visit to South Carolina at 3:30 p.m., while Pittsburgh visits Notre Dame on NBC. ABC's regional action includes Clemson at North Carolina in ACC territory, while other areas see a top 20 battle between Michigan State and Michigan or Arkansas vs. Texas A&M from Cowboys Stadium.
In primetime, ABC has the ACC battle of Florida with Florida State facing Miami. Other parts of the country will watch USC-Stanford, while ACC country gets that game on ESPN2.
N.C. State's contest against Boston College gets coverage as the ACC game of the week. Can the Wolfpack hold a lead this week?
MASN shows the Big East game of the week at noon, then West Virginia hosts UNLV at 3:30 p.m. Comcast has a Big 12 game between Texas Tech and Baylor at noon, while Versus goes with Oregon State's visit to Arizona at 7 p.m.
Jimmie Johnson's back on top of the NASCAR Chase for the Cup, with seven of the 10 playoff races to go. Will someone catch him or will his lead balloon? We'll find out Sunday at 3 p.m. as the drivers take the track at Fontana on ESPN.
The Nationwide Series will race Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
In MLS play, D.C. United hosts San Jose Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on Comcast-plus.
The NBA preseason has started, and TNT shows it's lone exhibition Sunday night as Dallas plays Phoenix.

Read and learn, youth of today

Sports Illustrated reruns a 39-year-old feature on its website - George Blanda's story of his youth and first professional season in 1949.
Blanda lists his inspirations from his youth in the midst of the Great Depression.
We knew about competition, and we knew about work. All my dad ever did was work, work, work. He'd come home grimy and black and exhausted from 10 hours half a mile down in the earth, mining coal, and he would always tell us, in that broken English of his, "Nobody else in family sets foot in those mines, you hear me. Nobody else. Only me." And he made it stick. From my oldest brother Pete, now the Western manager of the Kewanee Oil Company, to my youngest brother Tom, a mathematics instructor at West Point, not one of us has ever seen the inside of a coal mine. My father was a hard man, a good drinker, a ruthless disciplinarian, but I will always respect him for keeping us out of the mines.
Blanda's tough life seems so far removed from our lives today. And the spawning ground of many of today's athletes, especially those who run from camp to camp at early ages.
It wasn't too long ago that you worked hard because that's all you knew to do.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Wasn't this the 2008 campaign theme?

President Obama is out trying to inspire his 2008 voters to vote again.
Talking about "hand-to-hand combat" if Republicans win.
Reminding his supporters that voting is not a once in a lifetime event.
"If we think that we can just vote one time, then we have a nice party at Obama's inauguration, and then we can kind of sit back and suddenly everything's going to change – that's just not how it works."

But that sounds like most of his speeches in 2008. Vote for me and everything's going to change. Can't blame his supporters for thinking what Democrats basically said.

Dullest knife in the drawer

Vice President Joe Biden was in Wisconsin Thursday.
Makes Dan Quayle look like Einstein.

"Parade of horribles"

Six months ago, Obamacare passed.
Is it more or less popular than in March?
That breeze you feel is Democratic candidates running away from the measure.
That should answer your question.
h/t Campaign Spot's Daily Jolt

94 means?

People are talking about "94."
Some are talking about 1994, when the Republicans won 52 seats and took control of the House for the first time in 40 years.
Some are talking about 1894, when the Republicans won 100 seats in a bad economy.
Maybe in the end, 94 will be the number of Democratic House members ousted in November. Even Dick Morris would be happy with that.

Meltdown goo

Victor Davis Hanson lists the ways President Obama has gone wrong in his time in office.
And what does he think the future holds?
After November, Obama can only hope that he can outsource the messy work of cuts and budget balancing to the congressional Republicans. Chances are he will demagogue them as heartless while taking credit for an economic rebound once investors, businesses, and corporations see an end to Obamism and its gratuitous slurs against the wealthy, and thus start using their stockpiled trillions to rehire and buy equipment in 2011.In the meantime, an entire generation of Democratic House members and senators are going to pay a heavy price for falling for a clearly inexperienced, untried, and often petulant candidate amid the exuberance of the 2008 hope and change wave.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Baseball symmetry

Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter in Wednesday's playoff game.
It's baseball's 106th postseason. (The World Series began in 1903, skipped 1904 and missed 1994 due to the strike).
Don Larsen threw his perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
In baseball's 53th postseason.
It was precisely the right time for another no-hitter.
The next postseason no-hitter will be 2063. Add a year to this prediction for each postseason lost to labor strife or other causes.

Dust in the wind

Is the EPA trying to regulate dust? Smokey Shott of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph hopes not.
Pigpen could not be reached for comment.

Two tickets to paradise?

The Today show led its broadcast Wednesday with the rumored pairing of Hillary Clinton with President Obama in the 2012 election.
Pat looks at the talk.
Sounds to me like the ship is sinking, taking on major water. Hillary, Bill, Chelsea and the rest of the family aren't enough to keep it afloat.
And if you're a Democrat, don't you enjoy spending time 27 days before Election Day discussing how terrible your prospects look in 2012?

Clang

The presidential seal fell off a podium while President Obama spoke Tuesday.
Is it a one-time thing, or could it be like Jimmy Carter's sweaters or Gerald Ford's stumbles - an event that sums up a presidency.
h/t Instapundit

Gone fishing

No Sheeples Here highlighted this cartoon.
Look out, Democrats.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Give to your favorite blogger instead

Michele Obama has another email out.
Don Surber provides the text, if you're not on the list.
How about sending money to your favorite bloggers instead of the Democrats? You'll get better value.

Looking forward to Nov. 2

Is Dick Morris being too optimistic about Republican chances in November?
Or will he go from seeking a 100-seat gain for the Republicans to 125 or 150 seats by the last week of October?
I've optimistic he'll continue to be overly-confident.

A month out, then they'll be out

It's 28 days until Election Day.
Contentions has the roundup.
Sorry to make you cry, Democrats.

SEIU? CU Later

Blue Virginia touts a poll showing a close race in the 5th congressional district.
A poll whose sponsors include SEIU.
Think there might be a bit of bias coming through?
The partisan breakdown of the poll is Republican 35%, Democratic 33% and Independent/other 32%. I'll believe that when I see it.
On Sept. 28, Survey USA's poll had Hurt up 58-35. The partisan breakdown for that poll was Republican 38%, Democratic 27% and Independent 33%.
The good thing about polls, you get to see how they look on Nov. 2.

"Idiot boards"

When you're getting reprimanded by Walter Mondale about your speeches, you know you're in trouble.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Welcoming committee

Blue Virginia makes a fuss about congressional candidate Patrick Murray being pictured with Alaska senatorial candidate Joe Miller.
Murray's just being a good neighbor. Miller will be moving to the D.C. area after November, and it's good to know people where you plan on living.

Deep and wide

Imagin you're a Democrat, trying to figure out which drain to pour your money down. Because an awful lot of Senate races aren't looking good. In addition to the ones where the white flag is already waving.
The Campaign Spot has the roundup from the GOP.

Hoping to retire in style

The Atlanta Braves are back in the baseball playoffs.
Manager Bobby Cox will be retiring after the season, so it's good to see him back in the postseason.
Closer Billy Wagner also plans to retire. In the spring of 1990, I watched him pitch his senior year in high school - and no one could hit him.
In college and now pro baseball, very few could hit him. I hope he get a few chances to save Brave wins this postseason.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

A good day

A fine Sunday in Fishersville.
Beautiful weather.
The Ravens beat the Steelers.
The Braves made the playoffs.
I got an Insta-lanche.

Vote Democratic. We're inept

Blue Virginia posts Michael Moore's rant of ways to fire up the Democratic base and turn the election season around.
It starts hot.
1- Immediate Wall-to-Wall TV Ads, Internet Videos, and Appearances Hammering Who the H**l Put Us in the Misery We're In. This is necessary because Americans have short memory spans. Moore says "I don't know a single person in Hollywood who wouldn't shoot those spots for you for FREE. Dems: Do not pull a single punch on this.... the public will be astonished that you've found your courage and your spine."

We're Democrats. We don't have enough power to cause problems. The problems are too tough are us to have solved over the past two years. Give us two more years and we'll do better. We promise.
We're Democrats. George W. Bush and big business are tougher than we are.
We're Democrats. You don't understand how much we can help us. Let us tell you. Stop watching Lady Gaga and listen to us.
We're Democrats. Hollywood won't help you unless you ask. It's not important enough to any one in Hollywood - any of us - to volunteer to help you. But Hollywood will give you a win if you ask.
We're Democrats. Don't like where the country is? It's not our fault. Really.

President Obama vs. QWERTY keyboard

Look at your keyboard and you'll know why President Obama has failed.
Your keyboard is the QWERTY keyboard, a legacy of the early typewriter, designed in the 1870s. We don't have typebars inside our computers to produce letters, but the QWERTY keyboard lives on.
Your grandmother or great-grandmother might not know how to operate a computer, but they would know how to type on one. The keyboard has basically been the same for 125 years.
President Obama rode high in 2008, promising "Hope and Change". Change ran into legacy systems. And legacy systems are winning.
How does QWERTY survive? Everyone who types knows it. They learned it when they were young. Once you've learned it, you barely have to think of it. It's natural.
Another keyboard system would bring tons of errors. The fastest typists would take lots longer to type until they learned it. And would be extremely unhappy at whoever forced them to change from what they learned and knew so well.
In his campaign, President Obama's rhetoric focused on the imagined "nefarious cabal" who led the country into the ditch. Change the leadership - to him - and the country would change.
He forgot the legacy systems. They stay not because of the decisions of a "nefarious cabal," but because they've worked for years. The newer alternatives can't overcome their problems. Instead, President Obama leads the "nefarious cabal" trying to disrupt everyone's life.
Think of all the things you remember from your childhood. Even if you're in your 70s, you remember plenty of what you learned in those early days.
You're comfortable with them. Even if you're a hunt-and-peck typist, you have a certain level of comfort with the QWERTY keyboard. Something new would disrupt you.
In the Oval Office, President Obama must use a QWERTY keyboard. He should look at it sometime.
Every day, thousands of journalists sit at their keyboards and write about politics. The reason for the Democrats' failures is right under their fingers.
UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers and commenters.
UPDATE2: Ed Driscoll links.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Baseball picture - still confused

One day remains in the baseball postseason, and none of the four opening round series are locked in yet.
We should know more by Sunday at 7 p.m.
Or wait until Monday or Tuesday for everything to be decided.

Another march, another view

American Power has the roundup and photos from Saturday's excitement "We're not crazy, they are" rally in D.C.
h/t Pat in Shreveport, who can relax since the LSU game is over.

Diversity on Facebook

Checking Facebook Friday night, I saw the diversity of my contacts and interests.
A former co-worker posted this from the Village Voice White America has lost its mind.
Next on my page - Mark Levin's interview with Sarah Palin.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Wake up, you slackers

The Democrats need to rouse the base to have a chance in November.
What's the message?
  • Vote for us, pretty please?
  • If you don't vote, Sarah Palin wins?
  • You know you love me, you worthless whiner?
  • All those Tea Parties will cause the seas to rise?
  • Hey look, there's George W. Bush. Over there. Can't you see him?
  • They're going to build a coal-fired power plant next to your house if you don't vote.

RIP, Stephen J. Cannell

The man behind the A-Team has died. But his show's ending will live on.

Here's your sign

Peggy Noonan looks at the Democratic comments this week - and sees signs of deep, deep trouble.
I really liked her take on the impact of negative ads this year.
But here's a hunch: This year they will not be so effective. The primary reason is the severity of the moment. But another is that negative ads worked so well in the past. For a generation, the American people have been told their politicians are lowlifes. You know what they now think of them? They think they're lowlifes! People don't really expect high character from their political figures anymore. "Congressman Smith cheated on his wife." That's her problem. Cut my taxes.

Weekend watchdog

Once a season, CBS shows a Southeastern Conference game in prime time. It's a good one this week.
Top-ranked Alabama, fresh off a come-from-behind win at Arkansas, hosts Florida in a rematch of last year's SEC championship game.
And the schools with two of the last three Heisman Trophy winners.
And the last two national champions.
Ought to be something worth watching. Even if Tim Tebow is in the NFL.
If that's not enough, in the late afternoon slot CBS shows Tennessee at LSU.
ABC usually shows prime time games on Saturday, and has some good ones this week also. Out west, Oregon takes on Stanford while Notre Dame's visit to Boston College will be shown to much of the east. ESPN2 will show the game you don't get on ABC, except a few western areas will see Washington-USC.
ABC fires up the football day at 3:30 p.m. with the Red River Rivalry - Texas vs. Oklahoma in Dallas. Too bad the Longhorns lost to UCLA last week. Parts of the country will get to see Wisconsin-Michigan State, while ACC country gets Virginia Tech's game with North Carolina on the main channel and something else on ESPN.
ESPN begins the weekend Friday with BYU facing Utah State. Saturday begins with Northwestern against Minnesota at noon, while ESPN2 shows Miami's visit to Clemson. ESPN's primetime contest matches Penn State and Iowa.
Virginia gets its turn in the ACC game of the week, hosting Florida State at noon. Should be a tougher game for the Cavaliers than the last two home contests.
Versus brings another battle in the Commander-in-Chief trophy series, when Navy heads west to face Air Force. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
Comcast brings three games on Saturday, starting at noon with Kansas at Baylor. There's CAA action at 3:30 p.m. when Villanova goes to William & Mary, then at 7 p.m. Georgia takes on Colorado.
Golf's feature event this weekend is the Ryder Cup, being played at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. ESPN starts the coverage Friday at 2:30 a.m. (set your alarm clocks). A replay starts at 1 p.m. if you'd like to wait. NBC takes over for the weekend, with play Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., then the final day starting at 7 a.m.
It's week four for the NFL, and the first one with byes. Four teams have the week off, and the Eagles welcome someone they said "bye" to in the offseason - quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb and the Redskins visit Philadelphia at 4:15 p.m. on FOX.
In the early slots in Fishersville, CBS has the Steelers hosting the Ravens while FOX offers Carolina at the Saints.
In prime time, the Bears make a journey to new Meadowlands Stadium to play the Giants on NBC. Monday Night's game features the Patriots and Dolphins on ESPN.
The major league baseball regular season ends this weekend, bringing a merciful end to the season for the Orioles and Nationals. The Orioles face the Tigers on MASN2, while the Nationals are in New York to meet the Mets on MASN.
The Red Sox are done, but their games with the Yankees are on FOX Saturday and TBS Sunday afternoon. FOX also shows the Phillies-Braves and the NL West showdown between the Padres and Giants. Close pennant races could add games to the national schedule.
The IRL season closes at Homestead on Versus - Saturday at 7 p.m. - while NASCAR is in Kansas Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN. The Nationwide Series, waiting for Danica Patrick to return - goes Saturday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
ESPN2 offers MLS action Sunday night, with the Galaxy going against Chivas USA.