Patrick Ruffini Nails Gitmo

This is some of the best analysis of the current lefty furor over Guantanamo Bay and Camp X-Ray. Basically, WE ARE AT WAR! These people are/were trying to kill us and possibly know of others who are trying to kill us. When, in the history of the world, has throwing people who are at war with your country into hock been frowned upon? It is a ludicrous argument that we on the right should be happy to fight.

I'm surprised that some on the right haven't been quite this forward about making the argument. When it comes to national security, as evidenced by last November's election, unalloyed strength is almost always the best position, regardless of the specifics. And yet, when it comes to making the argument for strength, conservatives have been flummoxed. But there's a cure for all that ails us.

National security populism.

We shouldn't be afraid of making the argument, even when it sounds rough, even when it sounds impolitic, in ways that connect directly to the security of you and your family. That's how you approach debates like Guantanamo and Bolton. The moment you get bogged down in arcane procedural minutae (Is it or is it not a filibuster?) you make it something less than what it is: a referendum on strength or weakness in the war on terror.

With rare exception, Democrats have taken the position of weakness. Oh sure, they can call it what they want: conciliation, negotiation, nuance, understanding, but their basic position is something the public pretty plainly understands and clearly rejected in the elections of 2002 and 2004. As such, we don't need to win the argument all over again when trying to mobilize people over al Qaeda detainees and Bolton: just connect these issues to the narrative of strength and weakness people already feel in their gut.

FSU QB: "I AM GOD!"

Chris Rix is a teetotaler, (note the brushed out booze glass in Michael Bolton's hand). Rix and fellow QB (for a brief stint) Adrian MacPhersons had legal trouble to varying degrees. Now, incoming incumbent QB Wyatt Sexton has been escorted to the hospital by police after a Dave Matthews concert (see also, acid/mushroom induced hysteria) for causing a ruckus in the middle ofthe street.

Witnesses told police that Sexton had been making strange gestures, and at one point jumped onto a car. When asked to identify himself, Sexton "yelled that he was 'God,' " the report said, and acted in a manner irrational enough that the officer pepper-sprayed him.

Only when police put him in a patrol vehicle did Sexton identify himself by name. As police transported him to the hospital, and upon arrival, he reverted to identifying himself as "God" or the "son of God."

Bobby Bowden, the notoriously soft head football coach at FSU and friend to Burt Reynolds has suspended Wyatt, at least until he decides upon one part of the Holy Trinity with which he identifies.

Feingold Solidifying His Radical Stance

Today Sen. Feingold made it a point to be a radical by voting (with 23 other dems) against confirmation of a moderate judge nominated by President Buch. Not even the nuts at DU could get themselves worked up over this one, yet Feingold voted against confirmation, throwing his name in with other ultralibs like Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.

Maverick my ass! Even fellow leftists like Chuck Schumer and Barak Obama voted to confirm.

Exposing Barak Obama - Leftist

WILLisms has a fantastic dissection of Barak Obama, exposing the media darling and so called moderate for the leftist he really is. It is quite in depth, as are most of WILLisms posts (remember the Babe Theory!)

But Obama is not moderate. He wasn't a moderate before his 2004 election, nor has he become moderate since joining the Senate.

Indeed, Obama recently went out of his way to compare President Bush's vision for an Ownership Society to "Social Darwinism-- every man or woman for him or herself," in a commencement address at Knox College:

It’s a tempting idea, because it doesn’t require much thought or ingenuity. It allows us to say that those whose health care or tuition may rise faster than they can afford—tough luck. It allows us to say to the Maytag workers who have lost their job—life isn’t fair. It let’s us say to the child who was born into poverty—pull yourself up by your bootstraps. And it is especially tempting because each of us believes we will always be the winner in life’s lottery, that we’re the one who will be the next Donald Trump, or at least we won’t be the chump who Donald Trump says: “You’re fired!”

Requisite Video Game Tournament Advice

via FARK

There are few pieces of advice one can give to a friend when they embark on a video game tournament. Top on the list has to be "get a life" but a close second comes from Gary, an Anglican pastor and avid Halo 2 gamer.

"Look out for the guys with no tans," Gary says. "They're the dangerous ones."

The rest of the article is a pretty funny play-by-play of the decimation faced by novice gamers when they venture into the no holds barred world of competitive video gaming.

The next game is a blur on failure. I can't count the number of times someone snuck up behind me and "assassinated" me. I'm tempted to change my game name from The Parcel to Target Dummy.

Suddenly the Master Chief enters, clad in his magnificent green armour. Fans flock around to have their photo taken with him. It's like Pamela Anderson has entered the room. Interestingly, he doesn't have his trademark battle rifle - it's illegal to brandish even a replica gun in public in NSW.

It is on game six that I cross battle rifles with Grim Wally. The object of the game is to hold a ball for five minutes, but after Wally kills me a few times, all I can think about is revenge. Once I get him in my sights, I lose it.

"Die, Grim Wally, die!" I scream. After a burst of gunfire, his figure crumples to the ground, arms twitching. I'm not the only one screaming in the room. By this time, people have fuelled up on Red Bull and are getting jumpy.

Caffeinated teammates are exchanging high fives and yelling, "Double kill! Double kill!"

Our losing streak continues until lunch. We resolve as a team to win at least one game. Gary and I discuss the possibilities of Halo 2 as a church event, but Gary is unsure about the idea of his flock "shooting" the pastor.

Sorry but this whole article inspired a lot of searching for a documentary called Gamers and hillarity ensued. Eventually, I found the Gamers website but not before stunbling upon a video that has made me laugh for hours on end when the work trickles to a drizzle. The classic LARPer "lightining bolt" video. In addition, I ran into this film, an entire documentary about the crazy LARPer's (live action role playing). Nutty stuff. Make sure to check out the trailer! There is also a TV spot worth viewing.

The Situation with Tucker Carlson

Tucker Carlson Starts Anew With MSNBC Show - Yahoo! News

Tucker Carlson's new show starts on Monday on MSNBC at 8 O'Clock. The Yahoo! story says it will be like a PTI for politics, which actually sounds promising. Also, if Olbermann's show is any indication facts, news and ratings won't affect the shows tenure.

I like Carlson's show on PBS, I can't for the life of me recall what its called right now, and I hope it will be a blend of that and Crossfire, in that it will feature political substance with some debate, instead of the story du jour used to incite arguments.

"What we have on the air is not a right-wing program or a left-wing program or even a middle-of-the-road program," said Kaplan, a longtime producer at CBS and ABC News before moving up the executive ranks. "We think that we have a program that's full of opinion and full of biases on all sides. I think that's really the key. You want to leave it with the viewers to make their own determinations."

Sounds like it is worth a shot on nights when the Crew isn't playing. It can't be worse that Countdown or Coast to Coast.

The Situation homepage over at MSNBC.com has a preview of the show, seems like it could work. Also, in what seems to be a prerequisite over at MSNBC these days, Tucker will have a blog hosted by MSNBC.com.

Radio Bleg

A buddy of mine was just on 620 telling Stuart Scott to "take a hike." I was watching the Cubs-Sox game so I didn't hear it. I despise Stuart Scott and was hoping one of you had recorded the show. I really want to hear this segment but have no idea how, unless someone by chance recorded it.

Any help is much appreciated!

South Park Conservatives

I finally got around to listening to the gop.com podcast with the author of South Park Conservatives, Brian Anderson. I am particularly interested in this book because I have an inkling that my political views are closer to the so-called "south park conservatives" than they are with traditional conservatives. By this I mean on social issues I tend to lean somwhat more libertarian than I do on economic issues, where I am a hard core free market Randian.

Anyway, to the point. I listened to the podcast and was quite surprised. It is well done, insightful, and entertaining. I think it is about ten or fifteen minutes and well worth the listen.

In short, I will be picking up South Park Conservatives tomorrow, and will drop a review when I get a chance.

To keep the reading kick going (and to make it look like I do more than surf the internet) I am currently reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity. It's actually a well-written, light read that has some helpful techniques about how to get your work done without the hassle of all-out mental effort, thus really freeing up your free time. I recommend it to anyone with a job that also wants to have a life. The fact that it was helpful to me, a 23 year old without any real responsibility, I imagine it would be incredibly helpful to those who have to share their time with family.

Why They're Losing

Honestly, hysterics will never win "the people" over. Recent talk from the Nader fringe about impeachment and from the Dean nuts about white Christians (does he know the GOP chair is Jewish?) can have nothing but a negative effect for the party of leftists. The only way they have won in the past is by masking their radicalism. Think Clinton and Gore. Clinton really is a more moderate lefty, but we are seeing the real Gore now. The screaming frothing bearded nutball leftist is the real Al Gore. He had to hide that to be a somewhat effective candidate, but now he has unmasked himself in the past few years.

The best part of this is that the core left doesn't seem to understand that. Perusing DU today I came across some pretty funny, end-of-the-world, conspiracy theory hysterical rantings. (I guess our fringe has the Rapture, their fringe has Orwell's 1982).

Here is a nice little sampling of my morning:

-The BFEE (Bush Family Evil Empire) has performed "one of the grand coup d'etats of all time"

- Republican Party is really the Klan Party in hiding!

- You Are Not Safe Bush is a terrorist, trying to bring America to its knees, and will "stop at nothing to attack this country." Poster implies Bush is planning another (yeah, he was behind 9/11) terroirist attack to bring up approval ratings.

- Why we are f'ed in Iraq (from the "partner" of a Gulf War vet)

- The always fun 9/11 conspiracy board (yes, updated every minute basically)

I'll keep this updated throughout the day, just so everyone can get a feel of the true leftist nature.

Brewers Draft: Morning Update

Come on folks, don't get down. We still took 2 of three for the Yankees.

Round 43 - #1281 Kyle Eveland 2B 5'10'' 175 Palmdale HS 4/11/1987

Round 44 - #1310 George Washinton RF 6'2'' 175 Demopolis HS 7/8/1987

Round 45 - #1339 Ulrich Snijders CATCHER 6'1'' 210 St. Petersburg JC 7/8/1986

Round 46 - #1368 Alexander Lowrey LF 6'1'' 205 Mosignor Edward Place HS 2/11/1987

Round 47 - #1397 Matthew Broughton RHP 6'1'' 185 Triton Central HS 11/10/1986

Round 48 - #1425 Frederick Lewis LHP 6'2'' 190 Bucholz HS 12/16/1986

Round 49 - #1452 Cory Large LHP 6'3'' 175 Ld Bell HS 10/12/1986

Round 50 - #1479 Garret Regan RF 6'4'' 200 Sir Winston Churchill HS 2/7/1988

Brewers Draft: Here We Go, Rounds 19-50

Round 19 - #565 Patrick Ryan RHP Embree Riddle University, Daytona Florida 6'0'' 200lbs 5/13/1983. FB tops outs at 88-90, with a sometime nasty curve. "competitor"


Round 20 - #595 David Welch Texarcana Community College LHP 6'4'' 200lbs 6/02/1984

Draft Fun Fact: Bozo the Clown's grandson got drafted in the second round yesterday!
Trevor Bell, who went 37th overall to the Angels, is Bozo’s grandson. Bell’s father Craig is the son of Bob Bell, a Chicago legend who spent 24 years on morning and afternoon television as Bozo the Clown. The family now lives in Shadow Hills, Calif. "I never really realized the effect my grandpa had on kids in Chicago until I started doing reports on him for school and learned that there would be a six-year wait for tickets to the show," Trevor told the Chicago Tribune. "He was just my grandpa, but he was also Bozo, and we don't ever forget that. We can sit around the house for hours telling stories about him."

It seems that one of the top high school catchers is still on the board. Brent Milleville is still available, but he has commited to Stanford. I am not sure if he has made it known to not draft him or if he has a Boras-like agent or what, but he is someone I would like to see the Crew take a flier on.

Round 21 - Justin Stiers RHP Saddleback Commuinty College 6'2'' 195

FYI Nick Punto (current Twins middle infielder/utility player) is a product of Saddleback CC, and Justin is not mentioned in any news releases, begging the question...

I'm gone for lunch, I will resume at 1:30 or so. Round 22 has yet to start.

Round 22 - Kenneth Holmberg 2B 5'9'' 175 2/21/1983

Round 23 - Brendan Katin OF 6'1'' 235 1/28/1983 University of Miami Big time power, good athlete for size (muscular strong build)

And the "first-team-to-select-a-guy-already-picked" sweepstakes winner goes to those Idiots, the Boston Red Sox.

Round 24 - Michael Ramlow LHP 6'5'' (!?!) 165 LBS 3/2/1986 Owens Community College

Round 25 - Taylor Green 5'11'' 2B 11/02/1986 Cypres College

Round 26 - Jacob J Arrietta 6'3'' 210lb 3/6/1986 RHP Weatherford College (TX)

Another Whitewater player taken, Kevin Tomasiewicz (born a year and a day after me)LHP, by the New York Mets.

Round 27 - Bradley Wilcutt 6'1'' 220 CATCHER Southern Miss 2/18/1982 I will defeinitely look into this pick. A college catcher with any sort of talent should be with the club freaking tomorrow!

Southern Miss senior catcher Brad Willcutt was named Third-Team Louisville Slugger TPX All-American sponsored by Collegiate Baseball today...The Columbus, Miss., native led Southern Miss with 16 home runs, 21 doubles, 82 RBI and 149 total bases this season, helping Southern Miss to a 41-19 season, for the school’s third consecutive 40-win season, a school record.

Very interesting. WIlcutt went 4-5 and was MVP of the Coca Cola Classic Baseball Championship.

Round 28 - #835 Scott McKnight SS Saddleback CC 12/22/1984 6'1'' 155

Round 29 - #865 Dane Renkert 6'1'' 210 RHP Washington State University 10/17/1981


He was named first team All-Pacific League.

Round 30 - Omar Aguilar RHP 6'0'' 220 lb 3/31/1985 Merced College



On my boy Milleville, I heard he is a strong commit, and since he is a high school catcher, not many team are willing to take a flier yet on him. I still like his potential, and now there is a record of my desire for the Brewers to pick him. If he pans out, I can point to this. If he doesn't, no one will remember I wrote this. Win win in my book.

Round 31 - #925 Patrick Murray 6'2'' 230lb Marina HS (CA) 12/24/1986

Round 32 - #955 William Pennington 6'4'' 225 U Alabama Tuscaloosa 4/11/1983

Round 33 - # 985 Jorge Core 6'2'' Puerto Rico Academy high School 2/17/1988
"Large excellent toned pitchers frame, good extension FB runs away from RH, low 3/4 slider"

In his scouting video, he looks about twelve years old.

Round 34 - Riley Kjelgaard RHP 6'5'' 215 Indian Hills CC 1/22/1986

Round 35 - Sebastien Vendette RHP 6'0'' 165 Northeast Oklahoma A&M 4/4/1986


He was picked last year by the Marlins in round 36, big step up!

Round 36 - #1075 Stephen Barnes RHP Lake City CC 6'3'' 215 11/15/1985



He is a draft and follow guy (from brewerfan.net)

Barnes is a good sized righty (6'3", 215) that has shown a powerful arm, but has struggled to consistently pitch in the 90s. His curveball also flashes plus potential, but he needs to tighten his mechanics to become a more consistent pitcher. From his Head Coach at Lake City CC, Tom Clark: "Barnes was shut down for most of the fall with some tenderness in his forearm, so we decided to not take any chances with him. He should be fine for the spring though and hopefully will grab one of our starting rotation spots. When I saw him in the spring he was 89-91 with a curve, slider and a change up. Had excellent control. If he is healthy he should play a large role on our team." Like Johnson, Barnes needs to show consistency, and if he does while staying healthy, there's a good chance he'll be added to the farm system by June.

Round 37 - #1105 Christopher Hopkins CF 5'1'' 170 Sierra JC 9/10/1987



Round 38 - #1135 Christopher Jean 6'4'' 175 RHP Texas State University 10/31/1982



Round 39 - #1165 Bradley Miller SS 6'0'' 185 Cowley County CC 12/11/1985



Draft Fun Fact - Junior Spivey is a Cowley County CC alum.

Round 40 - #1194 - Ryan Crew SS Texas - San Antonio 6'0'' 175 8/31/1983

Cool PDF Flier they made up for him.



FIRST TEAM TO BAIL - Oakland Athletics!! Adios losers.

Damn, the Angels picked up my boy Milleville in the 39th round. This guy will be a top cathcer. Offensive pop and fantastic defense, should be a fun guy to watch.


Round 41 - #1223 Jordan Lennerton 1B 6'2'' 215 El Paso CC 2/16/1986


"Pure left hitter with power to both fields. Works counts, appreciates balls and strikes."

Round 42 -#1252 Chris Copot CATCHER 6'2'' 175lb Lethbridge CC 12/13/1986

from Brewerfan.net

Copot, like Patterson, plays for the Prairie Baseball Academy in Lethbridge, Alberta. The first of two draft and follow catching candidates, Copot is a similar prospect to Clay Blevins, a draft and follow candidate from a year ago, in that he bats left-handed and is more refined at the plate offensively than he is behind it defensively. He has good size and athleticism at 6'3", 185, and starred in hockey as a hard-hitting defenseman as a Calgary prepster. Copot has the perfect no-nonsense demeanor to don the tools of ignorance.

Another draft and follow guy.

That'll do it for now, I'll recap the rest of the pics later on, but I am outta here for now.

New Hillary Book Implies Lesbianism?

I found this on Patrick Ruffini's 2008 Presidential Wire. This book could be crippling to Hillary Clinton's polotical career if it is written with even half an ounce of crediblilty. If it is like the Bush Dynasty book that came out last year written by the tabloid chick with no credibity and sources claiming she made everything up then, no, this will be worthless. However, it was written by a former New York Times writer, so it immediatley has a bit more credibility.

Hillary Clinton is facing astonishing allegations that she ‘embraced’ revolutionary lesbianism when she was young and tolerated her husband’s philandering because their marriage was a largely sexless political convenience.

The claims are made in The Truth About Hillary, a book by ex- New York Times journalist Edward Klein.
‘She was a mother, but she wasn’t maternal,’ says Klein, reporting that rumours were rife that she was a lesbian after she became First Lady in 1992. ‘She was a wife, but she had no wifely instincts. ‘She said she was passionately in love with her husband, but many of her closest friends and aides were lesbians. Everything was ambiguous.’ Political analysts say the book could be a devastating blow if, as expected, she runs for the White House in 2008. Klein claims ‘the culture of lesbianism has influenced Hillary’s political goals and personal life since she was a student at Wellesley, an elite college near Boston, from 1965 to 1969.
‘There was a long tradition of lesbianism at Wellesley,’ he writes.
‘At least two women who were close to Hillary would become out- of-the-closet lesbians.’ The book charges that the Clintons’ marriage in 1975 was a sham, designed to further their liberal ideological aspirations. There is also the explosive claim that Chelsea Clinton was conceived as a ploy to cover up Hillary’s sexuality.

Very very interesting...

Brewers Draft FYI

Just a heads up for those who still care. I will be semi-live blogging round 19-50ish (the draft goes til teams decide they don't want to take anyone else, in other words until everyone related to anyone even remotely involved in MLB is drafted) starting at 11 o'clock today. I probably won't catch every Wisconsin native since they have zero space between picks today, but I will try and get every Brewer pick, and hopefully a little background or pertinent info on most. I will be paying special attention to any catcher selected. (If the guy they took yesterday doesn't sign with UCLA, he could be special.)

Also, if you haven't made it to a game this week, consider it your duty as a Wisconsonite to make it tonight. I went Monday and Tuesday and can't tonight because the bowling league started, so I need someone to pick me up. (BBA, I"m looking at you).

Anyway, from 11-5:30, I'll be firing away to keep up with the draft, so check in periodically with notes of encouragement.

Also, a Ryan Braun note. Miami will play Florida this weekend in the Coral Gables Super Regional for a right to go to the College World Series in Omaha. Their first game is this Saturday at 11 am and I think it will be on ESPN or ESPN2, so we get a chance to watch the guy in action. Rumors have it that he may be a fast-tracker, on the Crew in 2007.

If you read anything today, read this (World Trade Memorial Cultural Complex)

Vodkapundit - Pardon the Language

Steve Green hits the "World Trade Memorial Cultural Complex" out of the park.

Debasing freedom on the site where freedom was attacked, is more akin to giving equal time to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion at the National Holocaust Museum. Why doesn't the IFC just go on and include a multimedia exhibit of the West's crimes against Islam?...the IFC exhibit is treason to the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who were murdered for the crime of going to work on 9/11/2001...We don't memorialize our war dead by including pictures of them picking their noses. We shouldn't remember our losses by blaming its victims - or even their great-great-grandfathers. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier isn't inscribed with, "What a Fuck-Up, Huh?"

This is the worst idea I have heard. I am sure it is going to explode in the right side of the blogosphere, as it should. I sincerely hope that, once again, the larger bloggers are able to make a difference here.

Brewers Draft: I Just Can't Stop

The Brewers have already signed one pick, Steve Garrison, who will be assigned to rookie ball in AZ.

From baseballamerica.com:

Just a few days after a workout at Miller Park, New Jersey high school lefthander Steve Garrison (The Hun School of Princeton) was taken in the 10th round, pick 295, by the Milwaukee Brewers. He had committed to play baseball at North Carolina, but sent signals before the draft to the teams who were interested in him that he would consider signing if he was taken during rounds five through 10. Garrison’s father, Gary, said that his son had already agreed to a contract with the Brewers, and will be assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona League.

Brewers Draft: Ryan Babineau

I am going to do a quick look into the first (and thusfar only) catcher the Brewers have taken. There acctually seems to be a nice load of info on him.

He is the 28th ranked player in California, according to CAbaseballzone.

Seems he signed a LOI to UCLA. I am not sure if he was a previous pick by the Brewers or what, but here he is in a Brewers uni.



He seems to be a bit of a big deal in CA baseball, which is both nice and crappy. A guy like this, it is unlikely he will sign with the Crew, which is probably why he fell so far. He looks destined to be a Bruin. If anyone else has anythng else I would love to hear it.


UPDATE: According to Steve Trombly of tromblybaseball.com, which seems to be a CA baseball specialist, Ryan is wearing a Brewer jersey during something called the Area Code Games.

Brewers Draft: Quick Update

Here is who they have taken so far, since I left work in the 12th Round.

13th Round - Ryan Babineau C Etiwanda HS (CA) 6'2'' 190 12/13/1986
14th Round- Mark James RHP Sinclair Secondary School 6'1'' 185 07/24/1987

15th Round- Michael Bell 2B Grayson County College 6'0'' 3/30/1985
16th Round-Andrew Bailey RHP Wagner College 6'3'' 220lbs 5'31'1985
17th Round-Timothy Smith RF Midland College 6'2'' 200 lbs 6/14/1986
18th Round- William Braddock LHP Gloucester Catholic HS 6'3'' 220lbs 8/23/1987

I will look up info on some of them, at this point I don't really think many of them are worth much, at least not to take up my evening. Hopefully we found some gems, and I will definitely look into Ryan Babineau but since he is a high schooler I doubt there will be much on him.

Come On Sheets!!

Brewers Draft: Rounds 6-whenever

I'll just keep the rest in this thread and update it as they draft. These rounds fly by, and God knows how long this will go on, so I will try and consolidate.

Round Six:

UPDATE: Steven J Hammond (6-2 205) LHP Long Beach State (two long beach pitchers go in a row...odd).

Gregory Reinhard from UW-Whitewater got picked by Tampa Bay.

Round Seven:

UPDATE: Michael C Brantley (6'2'' 180 5/15/1987) CF Fort Pierce HS (Son of Blue Jays hitting coach, Mickey Brantley)

Round Eight:

I can't help but notice the Brewers have yet to pick up a Catcher. I'm not sure of what type of catchers are available but how do they expect to get any catching depth if we sign no catchers. I am thinking I should hit an open tryout. I'm still only 23 with a live arm. I'm playing with my pop in an alumni game this weekend so we'll see what I have left.

Brewers 8th round pick: Jemile M Weeks (Rickie Weeks younger brother) HS shortstop 5'9'' 160lbs. Lake Brantley Florida

There is actually a lot of info on weeks.

he Weeks' siblings are also making this draft a family affair. Rickie Weeks, who is currently starring for Nashville of the Pacific Coast League, is a former first-round pick of Milwaukee. Jemile Weeks is a senior at Lake Brantley High in Florida and has drawn comparisons to his older brother.

The switch-hitting Weeks has a quick bat and has good power to the alleys and at least one National League scout says he is impressed with the way Weeks handles himself on the bases. He's committed to the University of Miami but whether he ever plays there remains to be seen.

Check here, here, and here. Older brother Rickie also gives little bro "props."

Also in Round Eight, Roger Clemens' son, Koby, was drafted by the Astros.

Round Nine:

UPDATE: Pick #265 - Carlos E Hereaud (yet another) Third Baseman 6'0'' 195lbs 2/20/1986 from Lawrence E Elkins HS. Seems he is a commit to University of Houston.

Round Ten:

UPDATE: Pick #295 - Stevenson Garrison LHP The Hun School (NJ) 6'1'' 185 09/12/1986



Talk about young looking!!

Round Eleven:

UPDATE: Supposedly now is the time most teams start to look at positional needs, so I expect the Brewers to take two or three catchers in the coming rounds. Signability is no longer an issue as teams look to take a flier on someone who they hope they can sign, it seems there are a few good HS catchers (i.e 7 years away) still available.

Pick #325 - Brent W Allar RHP Weatherford College Texas 6'2'' 210 3/1/1985



Well, it seems XM has cut off Draft Coverage but I am going home soon anyway, so here is where the live coverage ends. I will go through it later tonight or first thing tomorrow morning and update everything else. I hope this was informative.

UPDATE: I switched over to listening at mlb.com, and will be here til about 5:30. After that I'm seriously out of here.

Round Twelve:

UPDATE: Pick # 355 - John L Alonso First Baseman Polk Community College Winterhaven Florida 6'0'' 220 2/19/1986

Sorry, that's all I have time for, I'll probably update more during the game tonight if I don't end up going. I also still have to post about last night's fantastic game.

Brewers Draft: Finally something on Gamel

From the Baseball America Draft Day Blog

While putting together our draft preview issue, we checked in with Jeff Johnson, the head coach at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College to get the vitals on speedy outfielder Darren Ford, who signed a couple of weeks ago with the Brewers. During the same call, all Johnson wanted to tell us about was Matt Gamel, his third baseman, who as the 115th pick, will join Ford in the Brewers system. Gamel went .433-14-63 this year, and Johnson called him the second or third best hitter in the state.

Brewers Draft: Fourth Pick: #145 Kevin W Roberts RHP - Univeristy of Houston

Reputation as a reliever, Houston has a good history of relievers.

Versatile athlete who played at every position except catcher, first base and center field... Led the Cougars with a .374 batting average and tied for third with six home runs.... Finished third with 31 RBIs and led all players with a .439 on-base percentage... Was equally effective on the mound for the Cougars.... Was projected as the team's closer but moved into the starting rotation when injuries hurt those plans... Finished second on the team with 67 strikeouts and third with 57.0 innings pitched.... Ranked second among Cougar hurlers with five wins... Finished second with nine multi-RBI games... Struck out four batters in three innings of relief against Texas Tech at the Minute Maid Park College Classic... Threw three shutout innings of relief against nationally-ranked Long Beach State in that series finale...

Brewers Draft: An Op-Ed on Inman

I am intrigued by this pick, mostly because he seems to be revered in Virginia, and untalked about elsewhere. Barnie Day, from something called www.baconsrebellion.com seems to love the kid.

Will Inman. You'll see him on the cover of Sports Illustrated one day. But you read about this Danville pitching prodigy in this column first...Remember his name. You don’t know it now, but you’re going to. You’re going to see it lots of times. And you’re going to see him. On magazine covers. And doing commercials. And God knows where else before this is all over.



And if you follow baseball, you can write this down: you’re going to see him start, and win, in the World Series.



I don’t know anything about baseball, but I’ll take bets on this one. And, no, I won’t be writing the letter. Nobody’s going to require one. It would be as presumptuous as recommending Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. Besides, coaches have been tailing him for years. Representatives from Duke and Virginia Tech were watching Tuesday.



The only thing that will keep this kid out of a major college career will be how high he goes in the baseball draft next year. That’s right. Next year.



Will Inman is a junior in high school. Nobody — coaches, scouts, nobody — can talk to him yet, not even so much as to say “hello.”



This kid faced 21 batters Tuesday afternoon here in Stuart — and struck out 18 of them, most on three pitches, 90 mile-an-hour-plus fast balls, and curve balls that are scary, that defy the laws of physics.



In three games this year he has 47 strike-outs. He broke Tunstall’s all-time career strike-out record as a sophomore, the same year he was district and regional Player of the Year, and was named First Team, All State in Virginia.



And he hit two home runs here Tuesday — one a grand-slammer — straight shots that went out at the 340 ft. marker in center field.

I am unimpressed, the guy as much admitted he knows nothing about baseball, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Brewers Draft: Will Inman

Looks like he is commited to Auburn. He only threw in the mid 80's last summer, but brought that up senior year.

The Brewers and Braves were among the few teams that didn't shy away from Tunstall High righthander Will Inman after he sat in the mid-80s at Virginia's Commonwealth Games last summer. But the state's career strikeouts leader bumped his velocity up to the low-90s as a senior and Milwaukee nabbed him in the third round. He'll now have to decide between pro ball and a college commitment to Auburn.

Brewers Draft: Matthew Gamel

Third Baseman from Chipola Junior College. I'll look for more.

Brewers Draft: William Inman

I can't find anything on our second pick of the draft, William Inman, other than he is a 6-1 210 lb right handed pitcher from Tunstall HS in Virginia. Also, he was born on February 6, 1987. So, more than likely a young man , a project, who probably has a rocket arm. He wasn't a Baseball America Top 200 prospect, which is strange since I noticed a few top level pitchers went well after the 86 spot, which is where the Crew got Inman.

The Brewers third pick is now.

Brewers Draft: Braun Update

Bottom of the page, there is a video of Braun's reaction to being selected by the Crew. He even calls them a "tremendous organization."

Adam McCalvy already has an article on our first round pick.

With the fifth overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player draft the Brewers selected University of Miami third baseman Ryan Braun. He can hit, he can run and he can play a number of different positions (some scouts project him as a big league outfielder), and he is closer to the Majors than any high-ceiling high schooler the Brewers may have coveted.

Braun, 21, is just the second collegiate player drafted by Zduriencik, but the other -- Southern University second baseman Rickie Weeks -- was a no-brainer at No. 2 overall in 2003. Zduriencik's other picks were all straight high-ceiling, long-term projects out of high school: outfielder Dave Krynzel (2000), right-hander Mike Jones (2001), first baseman Prince Fielder (2002) and right-hander Mark Rogers (2004).

"I can bunt, I can steal bases and I can hit the ball hard and with power,' Braun told MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo last month. "I can help my team win games in a number of ways."

Ankle Biting Pundits on the Benefits of Unions (GM cutting 25000)

The union could have cared less that health care and other costs were skyrocketing - they wanted to continue the free ride and refused to see how this stance could only lead to disaster for everyone. Sound familiar (think Medicare and the RX Drug Bill)?

A very good interpretation of what went wrong in UAW's tactics. Basically, they were greedy idiots.

Your Next Milwaukee Brewer: Ryan Braun

I am a little disappointed. It just seems strange that with the fifth overall pick the Brewers took the third best player at a position. I could see if the was the third pitcher taken, but thid third basemen? Seems strange.

However, he is a hitter. And we will be able to watch him in the College World Series, which was a ton of fun when I was a kid watching Jenkins. He is projected to play third and possibly develop into a corner outfielder. He went to Miami as a SS and played a bit there in college.

Braun's Career Bests
Hits: 4 vs. Bethune-Cookman, 5/30/03
RBIs: 5 vs. Georgia Tech, 3/30/03
Runs Scored: 4 (three times), last vs. Pace, 5/2/03
Home runs: 2 vs. NC State, 6/7/03
Walks: 2 (five times), last vs. Georgia Tech, 3/29/03
Stolen Bases: 2 vs. Georgia Tech, 3/29/03
Strikeouts: 3 (three times), last at Jacksonville, 5/12/03

More:

From ESPN

The Brewers would love a crack at Gordon or Zimmerman, but instead will address their needs at third base with Braun, one of the best college bats available.

From MLB.com

Medium build. Athletic frame. Round shoulders. Body similar to Aaron Boone. Aggressive hitter, hits to all fields. Quick bat. Makes adjustments at plate. Power to all fields. Runs well, long strides. Avg arm strength. Makes plays in field. Solid 5-tool player.

I'll look for more throughout the day.

MLB Draft Results

Listening live via XM. Brewers pick fifth and are reportedly looking for a third basemen. The best two available are Alex Gordon and Ryan Zimmerman, both expected to go top four. Therefore, the first "up in the air" pick is probably going to be the Brewers. The process is different than most, as they fire off picks every 30 seconds. Therefore, once it starts, I'll stop and look into the Brewers pick.

Turns out the delay is because the Yankees aren't in the room yet...pricks.

UPDATE: Diamondback take Justin Upton, SS Great Bridge HS

UPDATE: Royals Alex Gordon 3B, U of Nebraska...DAMN!!

UPDATE: Mariners Jeffrey Clements C SoCal

UPDATE: Nationals Zimmerman Ryan 3B U Virginia

UPDATE: Brewers Ryan Braun 3B U of Miami

The Erstad Train Tolls Through Estrada

Check out this video, they show five or six fantastic angles of Erstad playing old time baseball. To me, this is classic, hard nosed ball that we need to see more of. The fact that Estrada keeps his hockey-style helmet on makes it even more appropriate for Erstad to roll him. By the way, armor clad Estrada dropped the ball and Erstad scored.



By the way, I was at the game last night and have a few thigns to say about that, and today is the MLB draft, so I will have a few things to say about whichever hot corner player they pick. The Crew picks fifth FYI, and two 3B are expected to go in the fourth, so they are looking at possibly taking the third best third basemen with the fifth overall pick. Seems strange to me, but we shall see.

Those Compassionate, Peaceful Leftists

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3793603

Cola Wars

Unknown to me, or anyone else I know of, there is a blossoming industry of Anti-American cola drinks sprouting up in Europe and the Mid-East. This is sort of strange but understandable. Never underestimate the human ability to turn a buck. Beautiful Atrocities has the story.

My favorite has to be Muslim Up, whose slogan is ""It is so by proposing an alternative of purchase so small it is which will prevent these neo-executioners of the new century from buying maybe the munition of excess a ball, a life." Very catchy.

There is also a Turkish cola that features an ad starring Chevy Chase.

Very strange times indeed.

For the Record, even I have been called Hitler

Beautiful Atrocities: IN THE FUTURE, EVERYONE WILL BE HITLER FOR 15 MINUTES

This is a nice, bipartisan list of people who have played the "Hitler Card" in the past few minutes. Good read.

By the way, I do have a lot to say about the Brewer game, I'm just struggling to come to terms with this absurd game. Honestly, has anyone ever seen anything so crazy as the Obermueller wild pitch on an intentional walk that scored a run? Baseball tonight starts in a few minutes and I guaranty, guaranty! that it is part of the opening video montage. Dispicable.

Talk About Living the Dream

1000 Bars

1000 bars in a year...sir, I salute you. If anyone knows of a blog like this in Milwaukee, I would be interested. Not that I'm a drunk or anything, but I am a young man in Milwaukee, bars are sort of my thing.

Bill Fillmath...Poker Genius

Bill Fillmaff's Secret System - You're Playing Poker. He's Playing Poker Right.

In honor of the start of the WSOP 2005 (casino employee tourney was/is today) I am posting a hillarious poker spoof video. It seems like these days if you're surfing the net you're also playing poker, and I talk to plenty a blogger who plays online poker as well so I figured I might as well share this with those who haven't yet seen it. Fantastic fantastic stuff.

While it pains me to say it, the uber-lefties over at Gawker Media have basically taken over much of my day. Lifehacker, Gizmodo, and Kataku are fantastic. Add the new oddjack.com, the gamblers blog, and I am spending a lot of net time on Gawker sites. (Any Fleshbot jokes and you are banned!) It looks like Oddjack will have a pretty good running commentary and poker blog roundup during the WSOP so if you're interested you sould probably check there throughout the week.

Travis Diener, top THREE PG in Draft

I was listening to Homer, still am actually, and he had a gentelman on from a website called tendexhoops.com which rates draft picks and potential pros. Based on the conversation it sounded like Tendex has a pretty good track record. Anyway, they have Travis Diener as a first round draft pick, and better than such names as Rashad McCants , Hasaan Adams, Ray Felton, Channing Frye, Ryan Gomes, Luther Head, and of course Mike Wilkinson.

This leaves us with an interesting dilemma. Should the Bucks take Diener at 36? It would be a PR coup (local boy makes HUGE) and would make for the interesting situation of the Bucks taking two white guys. That combo makes the draft much more intriguing to me.

I will say that this gentlemen and his system, Tendex, has convinced me that Bogut is the way to go. I have changed my mind, Bogut is the way to go. This system has been right far too often for me to ignore.

#1 - Bogut
#36 - Julius Hoge (if available this guy is a gamer, single handedly beat my UConn Huskies this year) or of course Travis "Spike" Diener.

That would be a nice draft cause face it, TJ Ford is a cripple.

So uh, I am Gene Sehrt

AP Wire | 05/30/2005 | Man owed $617,000 refuses to identify himself and claim money

"If you want my cooperation," the man in the courthouse warned the reporter asking about Sehrt, "you will not try to ascertain my travels, my location or my contact information."

Meanwhile, the $617,000 sits in the bank and gathers interest.

2005 National Spelling Bee Champion...Anurag Kashyap!!!

Hooray Anurag. He won by deftly spelling the word "hodiernal" a word I just had to double check three times to make sure I spelled it right. To clinch the victory he spelled "appoggiatura" in the 19th round.

Congrats, I am sure you're be wildly successful on the pro spelling circuit. I knew I shouldn't have picked Nidharshan S. Anandasivam. Damn.


EDIT: "double check three times." Heh, I'm an idiot.

Store Wars...

Grocery Store Wars | Join the Organic Rebellion

Personally I don't care if my food is organic or supermarket andi t's not something I worry about, but this is pretty funny. A take off on Star Wars about the virtues of organic food.

Greatest Athlete Ever...Kobayashi?

THE MIRACLE THAT IS KOBAYASHI.

A crazy, (tongue-in-cheek?) article on the "greatest competitive eater in the world, ever."

I saw Gutbusters and Gutbuster in Alaska the other day (late night TV is king) on the Discovery Times channel and these guys really are this nuts.

Officially Jumping on the Raul Chavez Bandwagon!

The Astros have designated Raul Chavez for assignment. A catcher, in the NL Central no less, will probably be available for the Brewers to pick up in the next week or so. PLEASE POUNCE! He knows the league and is hitting .200, a whopping 100% increase from Moeller. He also has the potential for power (stress potential). This guy isn't a long term solution by any means, but he can fill the backup catcher chasm that the Crew currently is facing. If Miller goes down for a significant amount of time, the Brewers are stuck with two pitchers in the line-up every day. At least this guy is a change, which is really all we need.

What a Petty Ass

I can't honestly believe that Doyle vetoed the Reagan renaming bill. I was dumbfounded when I heard that last night, and thought for sure the reporter got it wrong and just assumed Doyle vetoed any bill that came across his desk. I figured surely there was no political gain to vetoing such a bill.

Turns out I was wrong and Doyle really is that big a prick. I am incredibly angry right now basically because there is zero reason to do this. The highway is the Reagan Highway in Illinois and this would just rename the part that comes into Wisconsin to match. The reasoning given was that Reagan didn't have enough connection to Wisconsin. Hmmm, set aside that Wisconsin is part of the United States (well, maybe Madison isn't) and Reagan was the PRESIDENT for eight years. The past day I have driven on Ceasar E Chavez drive, Martin Luther King Drive. I can't even imagine all the Chairman Mao Circles and Lenin Lanes that must abound in Madison. Does this mean that Dolye would back a McCarthy Mile before a Kennedy Ave? If, heaven forbid, Doyle were still in office when Mr. Clinton passes, will he veto any bill renaming anything for him? Will that leftist rag the Urinal Sentinel put a lid on the "Governor Walker vetoes Clinton renaming bill" story?

This is angering in that it was done out of pure spite and arrogance.

So Crazy It Just May Have Worked (Napalm Bat Bombs)

THIS is what the history channel should be showing (although the torture thing and the Third Crusade shows the other night were sweet!). WWII plans for bomb casings filled with bats carrying napalm...

At the appropriate altitude, the bomb would open and over one thousand bats, each carrying a tiny time-delay napalm incendiary device, would flutter away and roost in various nooks and crannies, many of them in extremely flammable wooden Japanese buildings.

Here is the whole story

(via Defense Tech)

More Deep Throat Coverage?

Bill Clinton will be on Larry King tonight...

baaazing!

Chirac's Baby Down and Out?

I say party time in ol Amsterdam! Red light hookers cheap as they have been in years!

Peter Gammons - Something Brewing

If you missed this over the weekend, Peter Gammons jumps on the Brewcrew band wagon. (He really amps up the rotation and the farm system). I liked this nugget:

However, the feeling within the organization is that Fielder (.248) may need another year of Triple-A, which blocks any attempt Boston, Houston or anyone else might have of getting Lyle Overbay. "I don't believe in most cases you can get as much for a positional player during the season as you can in the offseason," says Melvin. "That's why we did the Sexson deal the way we did. Now, with pitching, especially frontline pitching, it's different. Sometimes there are so many contending clubs looking for pitching that they can make an advantageous deal."

07-08 the Brewers win the division. Mark it down. Next year they win 90 games...better write that in pencil.

Ben Stein on Deep Throat (We both think Felt is a scumbag)

This is probably the best "Deep Throat" commentary I have seen so far. Personally, I think the guy is, basically, a traitor to his country. He must have felt it was pretty important to do, since he didn't do it for fame or fortune it seems, but from here it looks like he was a government official who gave out secrets to journalists. Pretty damn traitorous, regardless of the context.

Oh, now I remember. He lied. He was a politician who lied. How remarkable...He lied so he could stay in office and keep his agenda of peace going. That was his crime. He was a peacemaker and he wanted to make a world where there was a generation of peace. And he succeeded...That is his legacy. He was a peacemaker. He was a lying, conniving, covering up peacemaker. He was not a lying, conniving drug addict like JFK, a lying, conniving war starter like LBJ, a lying, conniving seducer like Clinton -- a lying, conniving peacemaker. That is Nixon's kharma.

Stein does go a, um shall we say a tad overboard in his conclusion:

So, this is the great boast of the enemies of Richard Nixon, including Mark Felt: they made the conditions necessary for the Cambodian genocide. If there is such a thing as kharma, if there is such a thing as justice in this life of the next, Mark Felt has bought himself the worst future of any man on this earth. And Bob Woodward is right behind him, with Ben Bradlee bringing up the rear. Out of their smug arrogance and contempt, they hatched the worst nightmare imaginable: genocide.

What the Bucks Should Do

I am trying to get in the shower so that I can start primpin to go out, but with the Brewers holding onto a tenuous lead I am totally unable to leave the living room, much less stop watching the game. While I could listen to it on the radio in the shower, a 1-0 lead is far too much to risk. Hence, I am surfing the laptop.

I was shocked that the Bucks got the first pick, but when I looked at the draft I figured this is about right. Get the top pick in a lame draft...fantastic. My Bucks strike is still official (the UConn shorts I am currently sporting show my loyalties are with Ray) but I still would like to see the team do one or two things right.

Here is the scoop, the Bucks are a ways away from a solid team. They may squeak into the playoffs, but won't threaten. Bogut does not put them over the top, and he is about a 15-20 point, 8-10 rebounds per game guy. Solid, solid production. Marvin Williams could be special. A Garnett type player, a superstar. The Bucks could have a face. Therefore, since the Hawks probably want Bogut anyway, make a real serious show of desire for Bogut and see if you can't get Atlanta to bite, make a trade, and get a little extra to move down a spot and take Marvin Williams.

Boom, you get incentive to take the bigger upside player, the more exciting player, the bigger bang type player. If they can't get anything, still take the guy. The Bucks don't need solid, they need spectacular.

Friday Quick Hit

I would argue that any lame attempt at humor that will get you invesitage by the Secret Service is really not worth it.

Obvious Muslim Priorities

Cutting off civilian heads, burning and hanging contractors from bridges, car bombing weddings; these will get you a stern reprimand from a handful of Muslim clerics.

Allegedly putting a book in a toilet, now that will get you riots and "muslim outrage."

I liked this line

Muslim countries have condemned the reported Koran abuse. Many Muslims and Arabs are already angry at the U.S.-proclaimed war on terrorism, which they believe targets their communities.

So at least they know that they are a bunch of terrorists and terrorist sympathizers.

Spoofin "I'm Lovin It" brilliant!

mofnaldo2

Sorry for the goofiness today, but I get a little frazzled when there is no ball game.

(via A Hamburger Today)

Happy Anniversary Jose Canseco!

Long fly ball by Indians' Carlos Martinez bounces off Jose Canseco's head and goes over fence for a home run May 26 in History

Great line!

A few days after designating "I feel so small right now" Danny Graves the Reds are tearing up baseball, winning three in a row. I believe they call that a winning streak. It seems getting rid of the volatile Graves had nothing to do with it however, as Adam Dunn expalined.

The massage chairs that belonged to outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn were gone from the Reds' clubhouse, as well as a desk that Jason LaRue had set up, according to the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER.

"Surprise," Dunn said. "The chair is gone. Now, we're going to start winning."

Dunn said the chair didn't deserve what it got.

"It came to play," he said. "It never (griped) or complained."

Seems like it's all fun and games, but he ends with a bit of a shot:

Dunn wasn't happy with the decision, but he kept things light.

"We won last night," he said. "Imagine if we lost, he might have taken my glove."

Dunn bought the chair for about $1,000 last year. He had a tip bucket next to it to finance his investment. The tip bucket was still there.

"I'm surprised he didn't take the money," Dunn said.

Nicely done Adam, way to throw Miley uner the bus. At least Miley will be going out doing things his way.

I am still looking for the absurd Jeff Gordon "Wrigley Stadium" seventh inning stretch recording. MLB in the morning on XM175 has been playing it a ton but I can't find it online. Honestly, it is horrifying.

I'm also trying to get a clip of Mr. Baseball neighing yesterday after El Cabayo (Carlos Lee) home run. It was classic stuff.

Speaking of the Crew, they are back to .500. It's heartening considering the killer loss they took on Sunday to come back and sweep. They have Houston at home and should take at least two, we'll see.

End of May record WILL be: 26-25. Nothing impressive but anything over .500 is a bonus.

Kellen Winsolw...moron.

More "Hate America First" fun over at DU

What I pray for, should Bolton get confirmed, is that he will spark a global rebellion against the United States. Bush already has stroked a rebellion, but it's not a unified effort yet. Bolton could be the trigger.

Really need no commentary. These folks are nutters.

Leftist Forum on "Media Bias"

I am listening right now to Air America radio (currently being sued, for shame...) and they are broadcasting the leftist forum on media bias. Specfically I guess uber-dems like John Conyers are going to grips about Iraq war coverage and the Downing Street Memo coverage.

They have gathered such emminent and unbiased media dignitaries as Al Franken, Wonkette, abd Eric Alterman.

Congressfolks involved include extreme libs like Sheila Jackson-Lee, Jerry Nadler and Socialist Bernie Sanders.

I am looking forward to some fun and funny stuff. You can listen live at air america radio online. Google it then clean up your computer.

UPDATE: Franken opened up the deal, and whined about right wing radio, managed to plug his book and his radio show, and cracked a joke or two. Shockingly, he didn't mention Bill OReilly once.

Update: I guess the guy from AmericaBlog hates sports. I don't know why that matters, but it's the only interesting thing that has been said in the past few minutes. Oh and Eric Alterman isn't sure but he thinks the 2004 election was stolen. Oooh, AmericaBlog guy has written for The Economist and "isn't just a blogger." Way to go chief!

Tim Robbins, out from under the rock

Tim Robbins comes out and makes a post on the Huffington blog. Why? Not to espouse some profound political opinions he learned from his mother...er wife, Susan Sarandon. Nope, he wants to hawk some crap. His absurdly terrible play (so most critics have labeled it) is coming out on DVD next week and he wants to make some coin. That's a little umm, capitalistic there Timmy. Does the hyperbolic chamber that keeps Susan Sarandon "youngish" need some work?

Maybe I Like the Deal

Feingold is pissed. That makes me curious. If he is unhappy, I have to think I am happy about it.

This is not a good deal for the U.S. Senate or for the American people. Democrats should have stood together firmly against the bullying tactics of the Republican leadership abusing their power as they control both houses of Congress and the White House. Confirming unacceptable judicial nominations is simply a green light for the Bush administration to send more nominees who lack the judicial temperament or record to serve in these lifetime positions. I value the many traditions of the Senate, including the tradition of bipartisanship to forge consensus. I do not, however, value threatening to disregard an important Senate tradition, like occasional unlimited debate, when necessary. I respect all my colleagues very much who thought to end this playground squabble over judges, but I am disappointed in this deal.

When it comes down to it, I don't think it is possible to like/dislike this deal until a Supreme Court judge comes up. Once that happens the demeanor of the leftists will dictate if this was a good deal or a bad deal.

The Moeller Line

Forget the Mendoza Line (.200), Chad Moeller is steadily asserting a new line, the below .100 line. Not only is he the worst hitting player on the Crew (.098 batting average, .157 slugging, and .148 On-base) but TWO pitchers are hitting better than Ms. Moeller (Capuano has a .111 batting average and Obermueller is hitting .222) and a third, Gary Glover (.083) is steadily climbing above the Moeller line.

He can't bunt, can't field (his passed ball on Friday cost the Brewers the game) and can't throw runners out. For a fun little exercise, go here and check out his hitting chart. At Miller Park, Moeller has only gotten the ball out of the infiled 5 times. Are you kidding!?! To top it off, in 17 games playd, Ms. Moeller has 18 strike outs!

Not since Billy Schroeder has a Wisconsin athlete more deserved the nickname "Skirt."

A DU Morning Gem

Honetly, DU is the best place to go to follow C-Span without actually having to watch it, since they give you a blow by blow (with fantastic cataclysmic predictions thrown in...Feingold just sighed, it must be over, the Nazis are marching!!!!!). However, this was just odd:

Goodness gracious... we'd be better off with the Taliban in charge.

No, I did not make that up.

Democratic Underground: Only We Can Call People Nazi's!

A funny thread over at DU complaining about Frist using Hilter refrences in his opening remarks Thursday during the judicial debate currently raging.

Not only are they pissed, they think he should resign, for saying "I'm in Paris. How dare you invade me? How dare you bomb my city? It's mine."

Yeah, that's as offensive as some DUer's. absolutely.

Lampley Personally Knows "Big Time" Juicers

Jim Lampley has yet another interesting post on Huffington's "celebirty" blog. Being the headlining celebrity (he does HBO Boxing and stuff) he must feel it necessary to talk big. As such, he sort of puts his foot in his mouth.

Steroids and their imitators have been readily available to top athletes in every major sport for up to thirty years, and they are distributed through a massive pipeline that involves athletes, trainers, doctors, other medical personnel, agents, coaches, bodyguards, sycophants and hangers-on of all descriptions. The number of big-time athletes who have used them regularly is much larger than the public would ever want to know. The number who have used them situationally, just to recover from injury, dramatically expands the pool.

so uh, Jimmy, I think it's time you spill the beans. The first step to ending this abusrdity is to crack down. So lets hear it. The who what when where and why's of the steroid "pipeline" as you call it. You cliam trainers, doctors other medical personnel, agents, COACHES...who are they? You must know. I can't imagine you would just be spouting off to sound important, come on, you do boxing commentary, you're a big shot!

I especially want to know the "big-time athletes" who you know are doping, and who have doped situationally as you call it.

This should be jaw-dropping, headlining, subpoena generating news.

Apologies

I am having some issues with Firefox, somehow I lost all my settings and bookmarks and extensions and what not.

There are more pics and I'll get em up at some point, but first I have to figure this out.

President Bush Protest - May 19th

President Bush Protest - May 19th

President Bush Protest - May 19th

President Bush Protest - May 19th

President Bush Protest - May 19th

President Bush Protest - May 19th

President Bush Protest - May 19th

Keepin Tabs on Your Reps

Plogress.com (found via lifehacker) gives a blog of what each and every congressional representative is doing and when. Pretty nice tool for political junkies. It lists what they have their names attached to and is sort of an "effort tracker." Not surprisingly, Herb Kohl is still worthless.

Dr. Seuss Goes To War

This is actually an interesting site I found while using Stumble (a fantastic extension). Basically it catalogs a bunch of cartoons Dr. Seuss has done throughout the years to support the war/America. There are a ton of them, some funny some over the top, but all interesting.



Remind anyone else of leftists?

At Least Higuera didn't get the Win

This is just to say that Jeffrey Hammonds, I hate you as much as Stu Scott and Phil Kessel. You ate up seven roster spots with your outrageous contract and played in barely a full season. May the most recent hit be your last, and may you be sent to the Japanese leagues and swindled like Cecil Fielder.

It's not possible to really be this dumb, it it?

Kathryn Ireland (not the hot model, some designer, Hollywood type moron) thinks there should be a military draft. However, not the random, pick a number any number lottery style draft with loopholes and exemptions. Nope, she wants all Republican kids drafted. She doesn't say if she wants kids who are Republican drafted, or if she wants kids of Republicans drafted, but she knows she hates Republuicans so much, she wants them out of the country, in a war, and presumably dead.

Can anyone tell me, are they going to bring back the draft? I have three sons -- all nearly teenagers -- and am terrified that they will. Why don't they make it that just Republican kids get called up?

I think maybe this isn't such a bad idea. While we're at it, only liberals and their children have to pay taxes for social programs. Only liberals have to dump money into social security, and so on. See, if the leftists get freedom from Republican military sacrifices, then Republicans should get to live off the work of these leftists.

I think a 75-80% total tax on Kathryn's (and the rest of the fabulously rich over at Huffington's blog)income should do just nicely.

Presidential Protest with Class

Those classy hippies and socialists are at it again, this time in preparation for the President's speech tomorrow.

George Bush
in Milwaukee
this Thursday, May 19
Milwaukee Art Museum promoting his
Social Security plan
at a luncheon.
PROTEST

That part is fine. I can respect a good protest. I stopped by the No-To-Gold rally where we had discussion and debate. It seems however that discussion and debate are not what these nutters have in mind.

gather at 12 noon at O'Donnell Park at the far east end of Wisconsin Ave. We will then march with coffins and banners to join the rally at Michigan and Lincoln Memorial Drive.

We will need about 12 volunteers to help us carry coffins

Wow. Coffins, really? Shockingly they don't come right out and say "make you Bush is a Nazi signs" but I can almost guaranty at least one. I'm going to try and head over there during lunch to see if I can't get a few pictures of the moonbats.

Firefox Extension Bleg: Open Thread

I am constantly amazed at the amount of retooling that can be done with Firefox. I have been looking around all day to find various extensions and plugins and new search engines. I think that's part of the fun. However, I wanted to see if there were any really useful add-ons you have found.

Please leave any you like (or dislike) in the comments, thanks!

Rove Behind Newsweek-induced Killings!

Wow, I love this Huffington Post place. I have found out that Jim Lampley is an extremely unbalanced childish and radical liberal and I have learned that despite Andy Richter's brief reign, it is Karl Rove who Rules the Universe!

Norman Mailer feels that Newsweek was set up, just like Dan Rather was.

Who, indeed, was Isikoff's supposedly reliable Pentagon source? One's counter-espionage hackles rise. If you want to discredit a Dan Rather or a Newsweek crew, just feed them false information from a hitherto reliable source.

Not only that, he feels US "agents" could have SET UP THE RIOTS!

As for the riots at the other end, on this occasion, they, too, could have been orchestrated. We do have agents in Pakistan, after all, not to mention Afghanistan.

Richard Bradley agrees, rather heistantly, and throws out the name of Cobra Commander, er...Karl Rove.

The way this Newsweek fiasco has played out is a little too neat, and the White House has jumped on it almost as if they knew it was coming...Would Karl Rove or someone at the Pentagon really plant such a volatile item just to discredit the MSM?

Classy folks Huffington is bringing aboard, classy indeed.

Cheap Gas - Milwaukee

Cheap Gas - Milwaukee

This is absolutely amazing. Using google maps and gasbuddy this website has compiled constantly updated maps showing where each gas station is, and how much they are charging in various US cities. Luckily, Milwaukee is one of them (there are a ton). Just pull down the city from the drop box and presto, current, sortable (within hours in some cases) gas prices!

Relieving the boredom...Tuesday Style (pt. 1?)

Sick new Madden preview (new to me anyway).

Here is more on the recently unvelied PS3.

PS3 v. XBox 360.

Interview with Dave Chapelle, he's not insane, he just hates white people.

An off color interpretation of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as ultimate college metaphor, not for the easily offended.

My brilliant post about those idiots at the Urinal and their incessant desire to raise taxes over at Badger Blog Alliance

This is some kind of crazy counter-culture underground too hip for you deal where people remove wall hangings from hotel rooms and paint their own art underneath. Kinda cool, kinda vandalism. Now instead of checking for hidden cameras in the shower of your next hotel room you can check for art behind that terrible sea painting. By the way, they're called "secret wall tattoos." (thanks Lifehacker)

We don't live in a real tourist laden city, but I think this would be fun to do next time those FIB's invade our beautiful ball park (june 20-24).

pt. 2 later...possibly.

Eat it IE

CNN.com - Group: Internet Explorer share slips below 90 percent - May 13, 2005

Firefox is steadily gaining ground on IE as the little browser that could has more than doubled it's market share since October, from 3 to 6.8%.

Congratulations all you Firfox snobs...keep up the good work!

Firefox PSA

The Notebook - Funnyfox

I found these Firefox commercials via Lifehacker and it seems they are meant to be passed on. They are surprisingly good quality and as for effect, wel I guess they're pretty imaginitive. As Lifehacker says, it's tough to convey the fantastic web browsing experience through a commercial.

Anyway, check em out and pass em on.

Stay hot West Allis!

JS Online: The Morning Mail

What a great letter today from John Beatty in Stallis:

Clearly, the time has come to rename all sports teams at all levels, amateur and professional, the Progressives. Doing this has the dual purpose of eliminating all quibbling about team names and ensuring that no player's self-esteem is harmed by too many fans rooting for the opposition, since they would all be rooting for everyone. Further, it offends no one with fractious images and insensitive mascots.

Let's just settle this issue once and for all so we can get on to more important things that will determine the future of our civilization, such as the Michael Jackson trial.

Not to say I told you so...

April 26: Call Me Miss Cleo!

Scroll to the end of the post, how brilliant am I? I ask you, how brilliant am I? Plus, they did it without my Sheets disclaimer. Fantastic work Crew!

Finally, if Carlos Lee continues this power surge, and Turnbow can hang onto the closer role, AND Sheets doesn't miss more than one more start the Crew will come home looking like a much better ball club, and come May 13th, when they hit the road again WILL have a record above .500.

The End Is Nigh

The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster

I saw this maybe a week ago and was sort of hoping it would go away. Alas, now that Vodkapundit has linked to it, I'm sure it will go on for months. A freaking Darth Vader blog.

It is time to close the internet to all newcomers, even though his blog is probably far more entertaining than mine, I guaranty his hard core fans are waaaaay bigger dorks.

I don't want to go on a rant here...

mediabistro: TVNewser

But this is pretty lame. I really like the Dennis Miller show, even though he doesn't get the best guests. I usually watch the replay of it later in the evening when I'm going to bed and I think he's entertaining as hell. Now I am down to zero decent late night talk shows (I was a Kilbourn fan). What a shame, I guess I'll just have to watch the third Sportscenter of the day and get ZERO new information.

Speaking of ranting, is there anything more stupid than this new Trifecta crap? Why not give Baseball Tonight the hour it deserves? There is no need for an outside the lines nightly. There are not enough truely compelling stories to fill 5 nights a week. It's crap, and it is pissing me off. If Fox Sports would get their act together and do some quality sports programming, they could steal a lot of viewership. Plenty of real sports people are getting quite sick of the MTV atmosphere that is starting to invade Sportscenter. In the last week I have seen that freaking IDIOT Stu Scott walking on a treadmill and wearing a ballcap and sweatshirt to close the show. ESPN needs more professionals like Dan Patrick. I'll tell you what, the best people on that show these days are Peter Gammons and Tim Kuprisin. More professionalism and less idiocy, the whole country should adopt that mantra.

I just don't get why people hate the French?

French channel portrays Pope as 'Adolf II' - Newindpress.com

The French version of the Daily Show decided it would be funny to call the new Pope, Pope AdolfII and disgrace the Holy Trinity. About as classy as you can expect from those filthy cowards.

Jim Lampley Is A Left Wing Whacko!

Only three days and already some "celebrities" are outing themselves as top notch nutcases. I've only browsed a few posts but this one made me laugh out loud.

Jim Lampley says Karl Rove stole the election because bookies "understand which information to trust and which indicators to consult in determining where to place a dividing line to influence bets, and they are not in the business of being completely wrong."

Hey Jim, wasn't Giacommo 50-1? Out of curiosity, what were the odds agaisnt the Panthers being in the Super Bowl a few years back? I'm curious if Jim knows the line on the Mircale on Ice?

So bookies had it at 2-1 that Kerry would win, that means Kerry really did win? I don't understand the logic Jimbo. I the Orioles keep playing good ball and make it to the Series, will Jimbo say it was stolen, that Karl rove must be an Oriole fan?

Jim Lampley's final thoughts:

I challenge every other thinker at the Huffington Post: is there any greater imperative than to reverse this crime and reestablish democracy in America? Why the mass silence? Let's go to work with the circumstantial evidence, begin to narrow from the outside in, and find some witnesses who will turn. That's how they cracked Watergate. This is bigger, and I never dreamed I would say that in my baby boomer lifetime.

By other Huffington Pot thinkers is he talking about great political minds like LArry David, Gwenyth Paltrow, Robert Evans and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss? Yeah, a real powerful team you have there Lampley...jackass.

In Case You Haven't Noticed, and Judging by the Attendance You Haven't

Honestly, I have been incredibly preoccupied lately. There is something special about what is going on down at Miller Park and it's a damn shame that everyone seems to be missing it. No, they aren't playing .750 ball and they aren't nipping the heels of the Cardinals, but they are playing very good baseball. This isn't the flukie, home run fueled winning streak of past years. Granted, they still might fall apart this year, but we are finally able to see the pieces fitting into place. I've missed only four home games so far and I feel terrible when I miss one. Why? Well yes I am a die hard Crew fan and have rarely missed many games (former beer vendor, so I went to the first 2 1/2 years solid at Miller Park) but there is something else.

For the first time I can remember it is possible to SEE a winner being formed. Hardy WILL hit. He'll end this year around .250 and a solid #2 hitter, and by next year will find his form as around a career .280 avg. with a .330-370 OB. Later this year we will see some more call-ups as guys start getting moved (don't be shocked if the Crew is minus Lee, Overbay, and Spivey by September)and we may get to see Fielder as an everyday guy for a month if OVerbay gets shipped out. Secondly, Hendrickson, while he is struggling now, will probably get a shot in late summer as will Capellan. I think by the end of thise year we will have a good look at a team that will be in serious contention for NL Central Champs in 06.

It is because of this excitement that I have been spending all my time on baseball blogs and minor league scouting sites and listening to MLB Home Plate on XM radio (honestly the greatest channel in the history of radio). I have spent my nights watching the crew while listening to the Cards, Cubs and Astros on XM. It's become a bit overwhelming and I have really fell off on politics.

Trust me however, as this nuclear option blows up (possibly Thursday) and the Governor race heats up and politics gets a tad jucier as the summer progresses, I will be back to posting in bunches. This isn't to say that I am taking a hiatus or anything, and since the Brewers go on the road my weeknights will be a lot less hectic, just to explain my recent slacking.

Go out and see the Crew!!

Oh yeah, check out House of Flying Daggers, a Zhang Yimou film...saw it this weekend, fantastic!

Pimentel: People of Cleveland, you are offensive racists!

As are you, FSU fans, Washington Redskins fans, and especially you "Fighting Sioux" fans of North Dakota, how dare you symbolize Native Americans as heroic warriors fighting for your community's honor in various competitive endeavors. It is insulting to suggest that Indians could properly carry the banner for your athletic team which fills you with such pride. How dare you!

Or so it would seem with this shot across the bow at reason and common sense opening today's "Oh, my goldness" editorial;

Now is - ahem - a golden opportunity to remember and appreciate that Marquette University did not return to the Warriors nickname. Doing so would have boorishly given offense to a race of people and betrayed the principles on which the Catholic institution stands.

I'm curious, how does the gay/lesbian/transvestite/god-knows-what-else student group setting up shop around campus reinforce those Catholic principles? Just curious?

Since when is the Urinal editorial board the least bit concerned with Catholic ideals. What a freaking crock.

I Don't Care How Stupid it is...We're Doing It!

Showing an incredible stubborn/arrogant/pompous/condescending/asshattedness the big wig jackasses at Marquette have come out swinging against their detractors.

"We're done," an upbeat John Bergstrom, the chairman of the school's Board of Trustees, said in an opinion echoed by Father Robert A. Wild, the university's president. "This is not an optional program. This is going to be a brand that we're going to build."

Excellent. While you build that brand people are laughing, not just at the University but at me for being associated with the University. I got text messages from friends ranging from Arizona to Providence taunting me. While it was mostly lighthearted kidding, this does serious damage to the value of an association with Marquette. A brand is important, and it seems this whole "Gold" fiasco is all about marketing for the Marquette higher ups. I don't remember them talking about the Golden Eagles as a business decision, which this clearly seems to be.

This is absurd. I will be at the No 2 Gold rally today...will you?

Worst...Nickname...Ever

As a 2004 alum, one of those fortunate enough to hear the speech that started this entire fiasco, I can say with all certainty that Marquette has managed to do what was previously thought impossible; they have pissed EVERYONE off.

I have already received about a half dozen golden retriever emails, and I don't want to tell you how many golden shower jokes have rained down on me since I've been in to work (and I've only been here ten minutes). This is a complete disaster.

I went to the ballgame last night (I am worried since today is the first one I'll miss since the streak started) and it was one of the best games I've seen all night. Then, I get to Kelly's Bleachers and the bartender drops this little bomb on me, I thought she was kidding and just trying to rib me a little bit. When I heard it on the trusty ol TV however, I knew it was true. Total lack of judgment. Are there zero people with marketing sense on the MU board? Isn't the Alan Edmonds guy on there, shouldn't he have some sense of marketing? How was this a unanimous decision?

The part that really gets me is nobody is talking about the Crew? Six in a row, a ten game hitting streak for Overbay, back to back fantastic pitching performances, fighting back to a .500 record, and SECOND PLACE! Not a word this morning on the radio.

My recommended mascot:

PSA: May 6th is "No Pants Day"

I have no clue what you'll do with this infromation, just thought you should know.

Sheets Update

This cannot go without quoting.

"It's like that guy said in 'Coming to America,' " Sheets said, citing the 1988 fish-out-of-water comedy starring Eddie Murphy as an African prince who heads to Queens, New York, in search of true love and ends up working in a fast-food joint.

"Today, it's sweeping floors. Tomorrow, it's fries!"

I absolutely love this guy!

Get well soon Ben, the Crew is on a tear!

More: I hate guns but not enough to do anything REAL

JS Online: Council backs bill to let county stiffen gun laws

JS Online: Council backs bill to let county stiffen gun laws

Okay, letm e get this straight: The Mothers Against Gun Violence think this bill will force your average gang banger in Milwaukee to wait for a background check before the guy selling guns out the back of his van will finish the transaction? Do these people have literally zero idea of the real world? Do they have no foundation in reality? I can sort of see how people could scare themselves into not being rational about conceal & carry (they won't use the gun if they don't have a permit...what?!?) but how can anyone honestly believe this bill is somehow worthwhile?

Davis said aldermen who do not represent central-city districts might have a hard time understanding the toll violence has taken in some parts of the city.

"When I have to attend funerals of kids," he said, before switching his approach. "Have you ever been jacked before? Have you ever had a person stick a gun in your face?"

And how will this stop that? I guaranty most of these aldermen were up in arms when Sheriff Clarke wanted to search automobiles for firearms. His gun initiative would have actually accomplished something, this will do literally nothing and just allows these incompetent boobs to say "heck, we tried!"


Side note: Ebay for guns...www.gunbroker.com

The George W. Bush Conspiracy Generator

I ran across this a few minutes ago and now I know how Air America's Randi Rhodes gets most of her ideas.

Luckily, the DUer's don't care how leftists mouth pieces make up their stories, as long as they involve the vast Bush Conspiracy...Bechtel Bechtel Halliburton Cheney Oil OIL!!!

What a Weekend!

If you're a Brewer fan, and why the heck wouldn't you be, then this weekend was fantastic! I made it to all three games (I've only missed the two weekday day games) and they were each exciting in their own right.

I was incredibly impressed with the baseball IQ of those in attendance on Sunday. The cheers and boos were exactly when they should have been, and seemed to have some impact on manager Ned Yost's decision making process. Overbay gets his fifth hit and the fans explode, standing ovation, forcing a curtain call. It was really an electric moment. I actually got chills watching the fan reaction and imagining what the place will look like (hopefully next year) when the crew is playing for a division title and Miller Park is packed. I am convinced that Milwaukee is a wonderful baseball town and is just itching for a winner. It really appears that given something to cheer about, Milwaukee could sell out more often than not.

The second indicator of high fan IQ was in the ninth, with two outs and Davis beginning to labor. Yost had Adams and Santana (the new call-up) warmed up since the top of the eigth and after a walk Yost got up and started walking to the mound. The fans let him have it. Boos rained down from all in attendance, literally everyone knew how great a complete game would be, and allowing Davis to finish it out made sense. He was at about 120 pitches, not a ton for the durable lefty and the score was wildly out of hand. The meat of the order was past so letting Davis pitch to one or two more hitters had little downside. After a brief discussion during which the booing continued, Yost relented and allowed Davis to stick it out. He was rewarded with a ground out and a Doug Davis celebratory fist pump.

The whole afternoon was incredible. Everything went perfect, two guys with 5 hits, a few home runs, a JJ Hardy RBI and a Doug Davis complete game. Watching the team play confident and with a bit of a swagger was new and exciting and I hope it means good things to come when those hated Cubs bring their rude crude fan base up from the depths of that hole known as Chicago. I generally enjoy Chicago, but it seems the dregs of the city make their way up to Milwaukee. I can't wait to hear their whining and moaning about the increased ticket prices and the backed up traffic and the lack of Bud. Idiots one and all...

I-Jacked, who says lefties can't come up with a gem?

The Shift Memo Gets I-Jacked : Sploid

You'll have to scroll down about halfway but if you like screwing with your snobbish iPod friends (my Dell Jukebox was such a better deal) then you'll love this idea. It comes from the newly launched Sploid.com, leftists lame answer to Drudge (but they are in the Lifehacker, Gizmodo family so at least it looks nice and is run efficiently) which blares news stories in a tabloid like fashion with over the top headlines like "Trump v. Bush" in an attempt to garner leftist audiences.

Anyway, the idea is i-Jacked, basically putting strange and creepy files onto your friends iPod, but short blips that are cleverly named thus hard to find and delete:

iJacked: 1) The intentional planting of horrible stuff on an iPod belonging to a friend, co-worker or loved one. 2) To hijack some fool’s iPod...How does it work, you ask? Simple. These days, people often share songs with their pals, which is a terrible crime known as Piracy or Felony Child Endangerment. Find out what kind of music your victim enjoys. If it’s your wife, for example, you might casually ask, “Lady, do you enjoy music? If so, please list three musical acts that would interest you, especially if I said I just downloaded secret new bootleg music by these acts.”

Then you offer to put this secret music on her iPod.

And then you load a cornucopia of awful things onto said iPod.

What kind of awful things? I’d stay away from traditional “songs,” because they tend to be several minutes long — giving the victim time to skip the song and find out its title — and there’s always the chance your victim will actually enjoy whatever crap music you install. Instead, just put a bunch of Deeply Wrong short audio clips, things that flash by with great weirdness & violence, leaving your victim confused and agitated. Did I really just hear that?

Your primary goal is to load as many little mp3’s as possible, because those iPods can hold thousands of songs and you want to up the chances that your grim additions will pop up in Shuffle mode. Also, if you have the time you’ll want to rename all the files so they don’t stand out. Tuck these little files on the end of long albums, you know? “HogSlaughter.mp3” becomes the last song on The Clash’s “Sandinista,” etc.

I love this idea, especially for your runner friends. What could be better than having a friend running in the park and out of nowhere hear a car horn and screeching tires from their immediate right and then turn and nothing is there. Talk about freaking out!