HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! GOOD-BYE 2008, HELLO 2009!!!

AULD LANG SYNE - FROM "THE BOSS" AND THE E-STREET BAND


It's that time of year. Ring out the old year and bring in the new year, full of hope and promise. Time to think about resolutions to be made for the new year. What kind of changes can we make to bring about positive change in our lives and those around us?

I don't mind seeking advice from minds greater than mine, so here it goes. First from one of my favorite organizations, Character Counts.
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http://charactercounts.org/michael/2008/12/

The key to a better life: Complain less, appreciate more. Whine less, laugh more. Talk less, listen more. Want less, give more. Hate less, love more. Scold less, praise more. Fear less, hope more.
– Michael Josephson

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.
– Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father (1706-1790)

Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.
– Mark Twain, author, humorist (1835-1910)

A Flower unblown,
A Book unread,
A Tree with fruit unharvested
A Path untrod,
A House whose rooms lack yet the heart’s divine perfumes.
This is the Year that for you waits
Beyond tomorrow’s mystic gates.
– Horatio Nelson Powers, poet (1826-1890)
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I especially like the first one from Michael Josephson, the founder of The Josephson Institute and Character Counts.

These guidelines come fairly very close to from Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the spirit.

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"


Our pastors wife breaks these qualities down into an easy to remember phrase, "One (1 syllable) Package (P-K-G) of Figs (F-G-S)".

The first three qualities (Love, Joy and Peace) are one syllable each.

P-K-G or "package" represents Patience, Kindness and Goodness. All are two syllable words.

F-G-S or "figs" represents faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All are three syllable words.

PRETTY COOL, HUH?

This makes these qualities easy to remember and easy to implement in our daily lives. And if you don't get them all or practice them all the time, fret not, the Mark Twain cynical quote above notwithstanding, we're all works in progress. It's all about redemption.

The other two I might add to my own personal list is to:

Resolve not to let money master me, but I will turn to the Master with my money.

Especially after the cataclysmic events in the financial world these days, it's easy to see how fleeting some of the things we treasure can really be.

Resolve to open my eyes more to the opportunities to care for the world.

Especially those less fortunate. It's hard to conceive when we're going through hard times that there are others going through even greater challenges and difficulties. Perspective can be important during challenging times such as this.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

WHERE DO THE GIANTS GO FROM HERE?

Now that the smoke has cleared from the initial free-agent signing blitz and the Rule 5 Draft has been completed, where do the Giants currently stand going into next year and how can they improve their chances before spring training?

The rapid-fire signings of Jeremy Affeldt, Edgar Renteria and Randy Johnson plugged some obvious weak spots, but many remain. First base, Third base and Second base are still question marks. Geez, that's all of the bases!!! At best, we have elevated to a team that may challenge the .500 mark. That leaves fans hoping that like last year, .500 is good enough to challenge for the division crown. Maybe GM Brian Sabean should set his sights a little higher.

The Rule 5 Draft cleared a few items up. First, what was gained. The Giants picked RHP Luis Perdomo from the Cardinals in the Major League phase of the draft, which means Perdomo has to be on the roster next year. He's a 25 year old relief pitcher, 6-0, 170 lbs. with a reported 93-94 MPH fastball and a "dastardly" slider according to Baseball America that allowed him to hold RH hitters to .153 average in the minors last year. A situational reliever. Maybe means bye-bye to Kevin Correia, Merkin Valdez or Jack Taschner.

The Giants lost OF Ben Copeland to the A's in the Major League phase. He was a AA player at Connecticut who was dropping off the radar as a prospect due to his age (25). They lost C Elio Sarmiento to Texas and 2B Kyle Haines to Philadelphia in the AAA phase. Not a highly rated prospect in the bunch.

The Giants did not lose 3B Jesus Guzman (24), recently acquired from the A's, after knocking around the last couple of years in AA with the A's and Mariners. Guzman's bat has blossomed in Venezuela this winter enough to attract other teams attention as a Rule 5 prospect. The fact that he was not snatched may indicate that his recent development is considered a bit of an anomaly, but he should replace 3B Ryan Rohlinger as a challenger to either Conor Gilaspie or Pablo Sandoval at third base.

As for the current roster and positions, here's my current take:

Starting Pitching: STRENGTH
Lincecum, Cain, Randy Johnson and Barry Zito backed up by the pick a lefty combo of Noah Lowry and Johnathan Sanchez (loser traded?)

No need to look at RHP Paul Byrd as an option anymore.

Relief Pitching: STRENGTH
Brian Wilson as the closer, backed by Affeldt, Bobby Howry, Sergio Romo, Alex Hinshaw and Perdomo with Taschner, Valdez and Correia looking for new addresses.

Affeldt signing removes LHP Will Ohlman as a free-agent to look at. If closer were an issue Jason Isringhausen and maybe Trevor Hoffman would be options, but too pricey given the mileage IMO. Howry removes Braden Looper as a potential signee.

CATCHING: STRENGTH
Either Molina and Sandoval split duties (close to ideal) or Buster Posey proves he is the real deal in spring training and forces a Molina trade (be still my heart <3). I think we are OK here going forward.

INFIELD: NIGHTMARISH
The signing of Edgar Renteria takes care of the need at SS. I could live with the winner of Eugenio Velez and Manny Burris at 2B (both are switch hitters) with Kevin Frandsen maybe in the mix as well. Unless Conor Gilaspie is the REAL DEAL at 3B, this is a problem. I'd settle for the second coming of Bill Mueller or even Al Gallagher at this point. Guzman and possibly Sandoval or Frandesen could compete here as well. I'm rooting for Gilaspie on the basis of upside. First base will be a glorious competition between Travis Ishakawa, Sandoval, John Bowker and journeyman Josh Phelps (that's how bad it is).

Signing Joe Crede would help 3B for now, but would delay Gilaspie's development. Sean Casey might help at 1B or Erik Hinske. Pat Burrell could help either at 1B-3B or LF. Hinske is a flex player as well.

OUTFIELD: SOMNOLENT
Freddie Lewis in LF, Aaron Rowand fixed in CF and Randy Winn in RF with Nate Schierholtz competing for a starting spot in right or left and Dave Roberts cashing $6.5M per to backup. Between his salary and Zito's $14.5M, we're paying $21M in salary to guys who suck and are living off their glory days.

Burrell in LF would be an improvement. Bobby Abreu will likely end up elsewhere. Eric Hinske would be the economic option. Burrell and Abreu would lend some credibility to the worst OF group in MLB.

Well, there you go. Get to work Mr. Sabean, the clock is ticking. It won't be long until we hear those magic words, "Pitchers and Catchers Report".

MERRY CHRISTMAS - SILENT NIGHT

STEVIE NICKS SINGS "SILENT NIGHT"

If there is a song that better epitomizes the season, I'd like to know what it is.
And if there is a better rendition of a Christmas Carol anywhere, I'd like to hear it. If this song is indeed "The Song from Heaven" as it was once called, then this is as close as we will all get to hearing an angel singing it while we are still here on earth.

The birth of a new consciousness through a Holy infant child.
Keep Christ in Christmas.
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While the mainstream media and the financial press will focus on the affect of the economic mess on the retailers--the impact on the mall--this Christmas, there are some stories that show that contrary to what you may hear, this in fact be one of the best Christmas seasons ever.

How so?

The Daily Herald's Harry Hitzeman reports that locally "the Elgin Salvation Army was predicting gloom and doom this month and early next year as the number of families in need grew and the agency's food supply dwindled."

The groups 2008 Christmas Campaign goal was a lofty $175,000. Given the recent economic data, this goal seemed insurmountable. But a Christmas miracle happened and shoppers who were spending less on gifts and presents dug down deep to help those less fortunate.

As of December 24th the group collected $183,000, nearly 20% more than 2007's total of $153,709.

This happened even though the number of large donors (checks of over $1,000) dwindled compared to last year. The number of smaller donations increased significantly however.

That's simply amazing to think about. Those that have less, gave more.

The number of families requesting assistance grew from less than 1,000 last year to over 1,700. Major Ken Nicolai of the Salvation Army said the surge in donation will allow the organization to aid those in need without turning anyone away for a few months.

Truly a Christmas miracle and an example of what can happen when we Keep Christ in Christmas.
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For a more powerful example from history, I don't think you could top the story of the "Christmas Truce" from World War I.

Our church's senior pastor, James L. Nicodem, told the story at our Christmas service and I couldn't believe it.
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FROM WIKIPEDIA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

The "Christmas truce" is a term used to describe several brief unofficial cessations of hostilities that occurred on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day between German and British or French troops in World War I, particularly that between British and German troops stationed along the Western Front during Christmas 1914. In 1915 there was a similar Christmas truce between German and French troops, and during Easter 1916 a truce also existed on the Eastern Front.
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FROM THE AMERICAN STORYTELLER:

Listen to free mp3 stories by The American Storyteller!

http://www.theamericanstoryteller.com/story-details.cfm?story=116

.....The war had started several years before the American entrance, 1914 to be exact. And at the onset, both sides confidently predicted, even promised, there victorious soldiers would be home with their families by Christmas. Before this four year bloodbath would end, nine million men would die.

Soldiers on both sides must have been lamenting that broken promise as the held their positions in the muddy trenches that had frozen solid there on Christmas Eve 1914. British soldiers could hear it coming from the German lines. They didn't recognize the words "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" but the melody was recognizable.

The Brits looked through their field glasses and could see the enemy soldiers holding up pine trees illuminated with lanterns, dancing out in the open where they could easily be shot. The British soldiers could hardly believe what they were seeing and hearing. They put down their weapons. Slowly and cautiously, only and a few at first, crawled out of their British trenches. Then more and more would put down their weapons. Both sides were now walking for the middle ground with the British soldiers joining the song in English, "Silent night, Holy night."

With some immediate trepidation, the enemy lines moved closer and closer. They reached out their hands, wide eyed and curious, greeting one another with Christmas cheer. Soon both sides worked to find whatever they could, erecting a bon fire. Men sat around it exchanging gifts: candy bars, rations, buttons, badges, whatever they could find in their meager belongings men, who only an hour earlier, were trying to kill one another.

Many of the Germans spoke perfect English. Most of the conversations were about how everyone just wished this war could end and all could go home to their wives and children, back to those simple days filled with hopes and dreams. Their once boring, mundane lives now seemed like a Utopian fantasy.

Finally, after a few hours of camaraderie and laughter and good fun, the unofficial truce would end. The commanding officers from both sides stood respectfully and saluted one another. The soldiers returned to their trenches, and the bloody business of killing one another would begin again.
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CROSS PLACED AT THE SITE OF THE "CHRISTMAS TRUCE"

from the Wikipedia story the caption reads:
A cross, left near Ypres in Belgium in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce in 1914. The text reads 1914
The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce
1999
85 Years
Lest We Forget.
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Keep Christ in Christmas - Keep the Christmas spirit in your hearts 365 days of the year instead of just one day....one week...one month.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

GIANTS ADD THE BIG UNIT

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FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS:
Adding one of the most prolific pitchers in Major League history, the San Francisco Giants have signed free agent left-hander Randy Johnson to a one-year contract, club Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Sabean announced today.

Randy Johnson and the Giants reportedly agreed to an $8 million, one-year contract, allowing The Unit to go for his 300th win with a new team.

"We are extremely excited to bring Randy Johnson to the Giants organization," said Sabean. "Randy continues to be one of the most intimidating and competitive pitchers in baseball today. He commands respect and will have a dramatic influence on the way the 2009 team conducts business."

The five-time Cy Young Award winner has 295 victories after going 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA in 30 starts last season. He can earn an additional $5 million in performance bonuses.

The Giants offered several things on Johnson's wish list: spring training in the Phoenix area, and a chance to stay on the West Coast and in the NL West so he can pitch near his current home in Arizona.
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This gives the Gigantes Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez and Noah Lowry as starting pitchers from the left side. If Lowry proves that he is healthy, it seems like he would be the most likely to be traded. Sanchez is probably more in demand of the two however. It seems like the Giants have much in terms of quantity of left-handers, but one or more of the group will have to step up and prove that they have some quality from that side as well.

TEBOW RISES ABOVE THE REST

This kid just gets it. He understands his role as an athlete, a role model and more importantly, as a human being. Humanitarian work in the Philippines? Spending time with inmates and orphans? Not on the resume of your typical college athlete.

Maybe he'll have a nice set of Heisman trophy bookends in the near future as well.
He deserves it.
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http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/article934989.ece

The Florida junior quarterback repeated as the Maxwell Award winner for the nation's best all-around football player and joined Notre Dame's Johnny Lattner (1952, 1953) as the only two-time winners.

But it was the Disney Spirit Award he received that moved Tebow most. He and his family were the subject of the evening's most emotional moment when Tebow was recognized for his humanitarian work in the Philippines and his countless hours spent sharing the Gospel with inmates and orphans.

"This means a lot, especially for me it means more than winning the Heisman or those (other) awards because it's about what I do off the field, and that's more important," Tebow, 21, said.

The Disney Spirit Award is given annually to college football's most inspirational figure. Tebow said after receiving the award that he sometimes feels the pressure of being a role model, but he welcomes it.

"There are so many athletes today that say, 'I'm not a role model, I'm not a role model,' and they make so many excuses," Tebow said. "Well, whether you like it or not, you are a role model. You're either a good one or a bad one, and unfortunately most of them are bad role models today. For me, I just want to be a good role model, like Danny Wuerffel was for me and several other guys that I looked up to. I want to be someone that kids can look up to in today's society."

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

Add Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) to the list of governors who have fallen from grace as a result of ethical or legal troubles. First, the self-styled patron saint of ethics in government Elliot Spitzer (D-NY) and now our own governor.

It has reached the point where this type of behavior almost doesn't qualify as news anymore. You remember the old standard for what constitutes news don't you?

According to a quote attributed to New York Sun editor John B. Bogart: "When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news."

Two governors out of fifty. Four percent. That we know about. Makes you wonder about what is going on with our tax dollars at the national level.

Of course this comes as no surprise to those remotely familiar with how politics works in Chicago, New York, Washington, you name it.

Maybe its just me, but I would like to know when we reach a point where we DEMAND better behavior from these miscreants.




REACTION FROM THE CATO INSTITUTE:

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From the Fiscal Policy Report Card:
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9709

Rod Blagojevich . . . has been relentless in his advocacy of large tax increases on businesses. In 2007, he pushed for a massive $7.1 billion annual tax increase in the form of a business gross receipts tax and increased payroll taxes, the largest proposed or enacted hike of any governor in this study. Blagojevich has proposed schemes to wallop businesses nearly every year, including plans to raise taxes on refineries, gaming businesses, software companies, and businesses in general through “loophole” closing initiatives. His approach ignores that Illinois is competing against other states and nations for investment in the global economy.
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After looking back at Blagojevich’s record, Michael F. Cannon isn’t surprised:

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2008/12/11/blagojevich-2/

It hardly stretches credulity to believe that a man who fancies himself a monarch might also be guilty of lesser acts of corruption like using his office to enrich himself, which is pretty much what all politicians do.
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Jim Harper isn’t too shocked either, calling the scandal business as usual:
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2008/12/09/blagojevich-business-as-usual/

Reading over the complaint against Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich (D) ― which is highly entertaining, by the way ― I’m struck not by the brazenness of his attempt to “sell” the Senate seat, but by how typical it is of the horse-trading done in politics.

Fawned over by lobbyists and staff, politicians tend to collapse together the public interest and their personal interests. It is the norm ― not some outrageous deviation ― to exchange political favors for help with attaining higher office, including campaign contributions. It’s only a small step from there to private emoluments.

GIANTS X-MAS SHOPPING CONTINUES, NETS RENTERIA

Another decent signing for the G-men. A playoff caliber SS, decent bat, great glove. He's locked up for only two years, so this gives some of the younger guys, like Manny Burriss, a chance to develop further.

It's still an offense that will struggle, but we have some time before spring training to add another bat or two, if the C.C. Sweepstakes doesn't turn out the way the Giants envision it will.

GIANTS ADD HOWRY, PURSUING RENTERIA & C.C.???

According to ESPN:

The Giants added further depth to the bullpen, signing former Cub RHP Bobby Howry.

Rumors have them also pursuing Edgar Renteria to fill the hole at SS over free-agent Rafael Furcal.

Howry will feel reborn in a pitcher friendly park after years of duty at Wrigley Field. I'm not sure if he's any closer to a World Series berth at this point. He's only locked up for a year it seems, so maybe he bounces to better digs in 2011.

Also, Jayson Stark is blabbing that the G-men are still in the running for one C.C. Sabathia. It would make for some tough payroll choices down the road when Lincecum has to cash in. But Cain is locked up for a bit and Sanchez still has to show some consistency before they show him any money. Zito would be an expensive fourth starter in this scenario.

But Lincecum, Sabathia, Cain and pray for two days of rain sounds pretty cool to me.

CHARACTER COUNTS

A couple of tidbits from one of my favorite site that promotes the positive values that sports can help deliver to the nations youth. And it wouldn't hurt for some of the adults to re-visit some of the core values as well.
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FROM THE CHARACTER COUNTS WEBSITE:
http://charactercounts.org/
Vol. 8, No. 12 - December 2008

CHARACTER COUNTS! Sports, a project of the nonprofit Josephson Institute, leads the Pursuing Victory With Honor sports campaign, which is endorsed by the country’s leading amateur athletic organizations.

The campaign’s purpose is to help administrators, athletes, coaches, legislators, officials, and parents improve personal and organizational decision-making and behavior in sports.
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The Three Ethical C’s

In seeking to develop character in your student-athletes, focus on the three ethical C’s: commitment, consciousness, and competency.

Commitment. Encourage their desire to do the right thing. Stress the long-term personal advantages of being a person of character (trusting relationships, self-esteem, and peace of mind) and advocate that virtue is its own reward and that a person of good character is an objective that is worthy of attainment regardless of whether or not it produces practical benefits.

Consciousness. Enhance their ability to perceive and understand the moral dimensions of their choices and the applicability of ethical principles to concrete sports situations and to think about how their decisions will affect others.

Competency. Improve their moral reasoning in the way they evaluate facts; distinguish informed opinions from conjecture, speculation, and assumption; predict and consider unintended consequences; and implement decisions with tact and good sense.
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Our Real Character Is Revealed
When No One’s Looking

Although 43-year-old golfer J.P. Hayes has earned $7 million during his career, he struggled last year on the PGA Tour and plummeted to 176th on the money list, knocking him off the exempt list for 2009.

To earn his way back, he had to finish nationally in the top 25 of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, which takes place in three stages. He had made it through the first stage, and last month was competing in the second stage at Deerwood Country Club in McKinney, Texas.

As he was readying for his second shot on the 12th hole of the first round, his caddie accidentally tossed him a different ball than the one he’d started his round with. Hayes didn’t notice and hit it onto the green. When he marked his ball, he saw it was different. If he reported the error, it would cost him two shots, which could throw his 2009 season into jeopardy.

He didn’t hesitate to call an official over. He finished with a so-so 74. He came back the next day, however, with a 71, which would have been enough to advance him to the third stage at La Quinta, California, in December.

But that wrong ball he’d used wasn’t done with him.

That night he realized that the ball was a prototype ball that Titleist had given him to test a month before. He thought he had removed all of them from his bag. Using a non-conforming ball is an automatic disqualification. If he called an official this time, he would be ineligible to play full-time on the tour next year.

He called an official in Houston that night. “I had no choice but to take my medicine,” he told ESPN Radio. “I have some people looking down on me who would have known.”

He hopes sponsors’ exemptions and his past champions/veteran members status will get him into some lesser tournaments next year. And a lighter year will allow him to spend more time with his family. “It’s not the end of the world. It will be fine. It is fine.”

[Journal Sentinel, 11/18/08; abcnews.go.com, 11/20/08]
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Media Scrutiny Can
Magnify Misbehavior

Is poor sportsmanship worse than ever? Two authorities say no. It’s just more visible.

“Athletes today cannot afford the same misconduct on (and off) the field as they once could,” wrote Nate Barnett, owner of Your Sport Guru, a sports information website. “That is why positive sportsmanship is so much more important in today’s technological society.”

He cites three reasons:
1.
Fifteen years ago, there were no cellphone cameras or YouTube. The capability to capture, upload, attach, and send video clips did not exist then. Today, someone is always is watching – and filming.

2.
Sports such as baseball are more popular today, and college and pro teams are pickier about which players to select. Result: If any phenom with baggage does something dumb, hundreds of kids are poised to take his or her place.

3.
Bad sportsmanship equates to mental immaturity. As kids progress, the sports they play get tougher and the pressures mount. The more mentally mature a player is, the better his or her chances to stand out and advance.

Hall of Fame quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up Don McPherson believes that increased media exposure has actually made college and pro athletes better behaved than in years past. “The athletes in my day would not be able to handle the media scrutiny,” he told the Oregonian.

Where misconduct has gotten worse, he says, is among youths. “If we don’t proactively teach what we expect out of sports, then the message of the larger sports culture is going to teach them something more dangerous.”

[ezinearticles.com, 6/3/08; blog.oregonlive.com, 10/20/08]

SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM: NOT YOURS TO GIVE

Although this is a story from an era long ago and seemingly far away, it has modern day implications for all those who feel like the Constitution of the United States of America actually means something.

The authors notes at the end of the story provide provide a reasonable action plan to get this country back on track and heading in the right direction.

It is a track that we never should have left in the first place.
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FROM THE FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC FREEDOM LIBRARY:
http://www.fee.org/library/default.asp?c=books

Not Yours to Give
By Colonel David Crockett
The famous American hero Davy Crockett, who died at the Alamo, colorfully articulates why government has neither the right nor the wisdom to take what others have produced and redistribute it to a politically privileged few in the name of charity.

http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/Not%20Yours%20to%20Give.pdf

Holders of political office are but reflections of the dominant leadership--good or bad--among the electorate.

Horatio Bunce is a striking example of responsible citizenship. Were his kind to multiply, we would see many new faces in public office; or, as in the case of Davy Crockett, a new Crockett.

For either the new faces or the new Crocketts, we must look to the Horatio in ourselves!

—Leonard E. Read
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All we have to do is look to this article to see how far adrift we are from the values our nation was founded upon. Congress builds a monument to its lack of understanding of the very document they are sworn to defend. UNBELIEVABLE.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/02/scholar-congressional-exhibits-too-liberal/

Scholar: Visitor center edits Constitution
Exhibit mangles, redefines the power, role of Congress
Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Plenty of critics have accused Congress of forgetting the Constitution from time to time.

The 580,000-square-foot underground center provides a dignified, comfortable place to assemble before tours of the Capitol. One of its exhibit areas is seen here. (Joseph Silverman/The Washington Times)

But a constitutional scholar who has toured the new Capitol Visitor Center, a monument Congress built to itself that is to be dedicated Tuesday, goes even further, saying exhibits mangle the founding document by claiming constitutional backing for powers that are still very much in dispute.

Matthew Spalding, director of the Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation, says the visitor center selectively cuts passages from the Constitution, weighing in on a long-running debate about the scope and limits of federal power by taking the liberal side of that debate, envisioning broad congressional powers that the Founding Fathers never intended.

"I started looking at this stuff, and it's just patently absurd," he said. "The dominant message when you walk though the doors in this exhibit you're hit with is the role of Congress is to fulfill our greatest aspirations. So the message you're teaching these millions of visitors each year is the Constitution really isn't what we thought it was; it's the open-ended thing that's up to Congress to decide what it means."

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MORE WISDOM FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON:

"The most effectual engines for [pacifying a nation] are the public papers [or the controlled Media in general]... [A despotic] government always [keeps] a kind of standing army of newswriters who, without any regard to truth or to what should be like truth, [invent] and put into the papers whatever might serve the ministers. This suffices with the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper." --Thomas Jefferson to G. K. van Hogendorp, Oct. 13, 1785. (*) ME 5:181, Papers 8:632

"I am convinced that those societies (as the Indians) which live without government, enjoy in their general mass an infinitely greater degree of happiness than those who live under the European governments. Among the former, public opinion is in the place of law, and restrains morals as powerfully as laws ever did anywhere. Among the latter, under pretense of governing, they have divided their nations into two classes, wolves and sheep. I do not exaggerate... Experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind; for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe, and to the general prey of the rich on the poor." - Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787. ME 6:58

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

What an awesome message delivered by this song. In this season where we are giving thanks for all the blessings that we have, it is important to understand and be grateful for the opportunity to deliver similar blessings to others.

God’s purpose is that his people should be the means of bringing blessing to the
world. As we receive his blessings into our lives, those blessings should also touch others.

When those that freely receive life's gifts also give freely and generously, then all mankind benefits and you are truly living life to its fullest.

Today, I am especially thankful for those special people who have blessed my life and motivate me to be a better person simply as a result of knowing them and having them as a part of my life:
My mom, Ledra and Erik. Thank you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.
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THE BLESSING - John Waller
Let it be said of us
while we walked among the living
let it be said of us
by the ones we leave behind
let it be said of us
that we lived to be a blessing for life
let it be said of us
that we gave to reach the dying
let it be said of us
by the fruit we leave behind
let it be said of us that our legacy is blessing for life
this day
you set life, you set death right before us, this day
every blessing and curse is a choice now
and we will
choose to be a blessing for life
let it be said of us
that our hearts belonged to Jesus
let it be said of us
that we spoke the words of life
let it be said of us
that our heritage is blessing for life
(chorus)
for your Kingdom
for our Children
for the sake of every nation
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FURTHER FOOD FOR THOUGHT THIS THANKSGIVING:

Thanksgiving and Marginal Utility by Gary North from the website LewRockwell.com

http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north22.html

The first official Thanksgiving Day was celebrated on June 29, 1676 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston. But Gov. Jonathan Belcher had issued similar proclamations in Massachusetts in 1730 and in New Jersey in 1749. George Washington proclaimed a day of thanksgiving on October 23, 1789, to be celebrated on Thursday, November 27. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln officially restored it as a wartime measure. The holiday then became an American tradition. It became law in 1941.

Lincoln was a strange contradiction religiously. He was a religious skeptic, yet he invoked the rhetoric of the King James Bible – accurately – on many occasions. His political rhetoric, which had been deeply influenced by his reading of the King James, was often masterful. For example, when he spoke of the cemetery of the Gettysburg battlefield as "this hallowed ground," using the King James word for holy, as in "hallowed be thy name," he was seeking to infuse the battle of Gettysburg with sacred meaning – a use of religious terminology that was as morally abhorrent as it was rhetorically successful. It is the sacraments that are sacred, not monuments to man’s bloody destructiveness. In that same year, 1863, he used biblical themes in his October 3 Thanksgiving Day proclamation.

"It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord."

He went on, in the tradition of a Puritan Jeremiad sermon, to attribute the calamity of the Civil War to the nation’s sins, conveniently ignoring the biggest contributing sin of all in the coming of that war: his own steadfast determination to collect the national tariff in Southern ports.

In his proclamation, he made an important and accurate theological point.

"We have been the recipients of the choisest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown."

"But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us."

This observation leads to the same question that Moses raised long before Lincoln’s proclamation: Why is it that men become less thankful as their blessings increase?

PENALIZE SUCCESS & REWARD FAILURE - A GOOD ECONOMIC SYSTEM??

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C. S. Lewis

Unfortunately, post inauguration, I fear this is the direction we may be heading. Although, to be fair, the Bush administration is clearly reading from the same playbook. They talk the conservative talk at times, but more often walk the big government walk.

A pro-European economic way of thought, more socialistic less capitalistic. More government intervention and tinkering rather than less. One of the most dreaded phrases in the English language--"I'm from the government, and I'm here to help"--becomes reality rather than a casual joke.

Mark Perry over at Carpe Diem is an economics professor at the University of Michigan, Flint. Among other issues, he covers the auto industry with a rightful dose of skepticism....Why is GM (and Ford and Chrysler) seeking taxpayer subsidies when Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Kia, BMW, Daimler, Hyundai and other foreign nameplate producers, who are facing the same contracting demand and credit crunch quietly weathering the storm, are not? Because the latter have costs structures that haven’t been made obsolete and uneconomic by ludicrous union demands. And, of course, they make cars that Americans want to buy.

Can't argue against that logic. But many in Washington will.

The current failures in our economy were not failures of the free-market system itself. They were failures in industries that were the more highly regulated industries. The hedge funds (lightly regulated) were the canary in the coal mine to some degree in that they focused attention on the crisis long before our elected leaders and officials did. If these officials had taken preventative measures when these early-birds were sounding the warning bells, instead of focusing their attention on other, less pressing matters, we would not be in the situation we are in.

If we continue to reward failure rather than success, this thing could get really ugly.

You can file this under "Even a broken watch is right twice a day" or "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile" but many of Bushies comments (made at the Manhattan Institute) were right on the mark. Too bad his administration did not live by these values instead of simply parroting them in a speech once in awhile. The results on Election Day might have been very different.

JAPANESE GIRL DRAFTED TO PRO MENS LEAGUE

THE JAPANESE ARE NOT AFRAID TO BREAK THE MOLD TO FIND NEW PITCHING TALENT

Note: The young lady pictured above is not the girl referenced in the story.

--------------
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/11/17/baseball-japanese-girl-selected-to-play-in-professional-men-s-league.aspx

A 16-year-old schoolgirl with a mean knuckleball has been selected as the first woman ever to play alongside the men in Japanese professional baseball.

Eri Yoshida was drafted for a new independent league that will launch in April, drawing attention for a side-armed knuckler that her future manager Yoshihiro Nakata said was a marvel.

"I never dreamed of getting drafted," Yoshida told reporters Monday, a day after she was selected to play for the Kobe 9 Cruise.

"I have only just been picked by the team and have not achieved anything," she said. "I want to play as a pro eventually in a higher league."

Yoshida, 5-foot-0 tall and weighing 114 pounds, says she wants to follow in the footsteps of the great Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

A female professional baseball federation existed for a few years in the 1950s, but Yoshida will become Japan's first-ever woman to play alongside professional male players.
--------------
I have always thought that this would likely be the fastest route for the first woman to play professionally in the "major" American sports at the highest level.

In football, other than as a kicker who was very accurate from 40 and under, I don't see a woman who could crack an NFL roster in my lifetime.

In basketball, maybe a crack three-point shooter--a la Steve Kerr--could be a possibility as the first woman NBA player.

In baseball, a woman pitcher with a killer knuckle ball or a splitter could pitch effectively at any level. I don't see any major league caliber hitters on the horizon anytime soon. Which is fair, because I don't see any major league hitters capable of hitting Jennie Finch.


絵里の3つの歓声!!!!!
which means, three cheers for Eri, according to Google translation.


ERI YOSHIDA - DRAFTED BY JAPANESE MENS LEAGUE

SOMALI PIRATES BELIEVE IN FAIRNESS TOO

"I predict future happiness for Americans
if they can prevent the government
from wasting the labors of the people
under the pretense of taking care of them."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826)
US Founding Father
Drafted the Declaration of Independence
3rd US President

At least if we are to believe the quotes from the article cited below regarding the most recent act of piracy. If we look at the illustration above, this has been going on for some time.

Maybe these guys should be on the new administrations economic team since they appear to share the same philosophy of robbing from the rich, the successful, the hard-working and giving to the poor, less successful, less-industrious among us and justifying it in the name of "fairness".

Read the quotes below from the "recipients" of the ill-gotten gains and they sound eerily similar to the quotes used to justify the Obama tax-policy proposals. Modern day Robin Hoods of a feather......I guess.

For me, I think Thomas Jefferson had it right.
---------------
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081119/ap_on_re_af/af_pirate_boomtown

Somali pirates transform villages into boomtowns

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN and ELIZABETH KENNEDY, Associated Press Writers Mohamed Olad Hassan And Elizabeth Kennedy, Associated Press Writers – Wed Nov 19, 3:03 pm ET

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women — even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, they have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens they operate from because they are the only real business in town.

"The pirates depend on us, and we benefit from them," said Sahra Sheik Dahir, a shop owner in Haradhere, the nearest village to where a hijacked Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100 million in crude was anchored Wednesday.

These boomtowns are all the more shocking in light of Somalia's violence and poverty: Radical Islamists control most of the country's south, meting out lashings and stonings for accused criminals. There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, plunging this arid African country into chaos.

Life expectancy is just 46 years; a quarter of children die before they reach 5.

But in northern coastal towns like Haradhere, Eyl and Bossaso, the pirate economy is thriving thanks to the money pouring in from pirate ransoms that have reached $30 million this year alone.

"There are more shops and business is booming because of the piracy," said Sugule Dahir, who runs a clothing shop in Eyl. "Internet cafes and telephone shops have opened, and people are just happier than before."

In Haradhere, residents came out in droves to celebrate as the looming oil ship came into focus this week off the country's lawless coast.

Businessmen gathered cigarettes, food and cold bottles of orange soda, setting up kiosks for the pirates who come to shore to resupply almost daily.

Dahir said she even started a layaway plan for them.

"They always take things without paying and we put them into the book of debts," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "Later, when they get the ransom money, they pay us a lot."

Residents make sure the pirates are well-stocked in khat, a popular narcotic leaf, and aren't afraid to gouge a bit when it comes to the pirates' deep pockets.

"I can buy a packet of cigarettes for about $1 but I will charge the pirate $1.30," said Abdulqadir Omar, an Eyl resident.

While pirate villages used to have houses made of corrugated iron sheets, now, there are stately looking homes made of sturdy, white stones.

"Regardless of how the money is coming in, legally or illegally, I can say it has started a life in our town," said Shamso Moalim, a 36-year-old mother of five in Haradhere.

"Our children are not worrying about food now, and they go to Islamic schools in the morning and play soccer in the afternoon. They are happy."

Meanwhile, towns that once were eroded by years of poverty and chaos are now bustling with restaurants, Land Cruisers and Internet cafes. Residents also use their gains to buy generators — allowing full days of electricity, once an unimaginable luxury in Somalia.

There are no reliable estimates of the number of pirates operating in Somalia, but they number in the thousands. And though the bandits do sometimes get nabbed, piracy is generally considered a sure bet to a better life.

PEDROIA WINS A.L. MVP

PICTURE FROM:
http://djclanc4shizl.blogspot.com/2008_08_24_archive.html

Maybe it was just me, but this is what Pedroia looked like while he was clubbing pitch after pitch into and over the outfield walla during the Sox-Rays series. Personally, it was incredible that they continued to pitch to him. He was killing it.

I meant to cite Pedroia's story at that time, as well as that of Cubs farmhand Matthew Cerda. Both are great stories of the "little" guy succeeding in the land of the "giants" and doing it the right way in spite of the obstacles.

Pedroia wins the AL MVP and Cerda ends up realizing his dream of playing professionally.

MATTHEW CERDA'S STORY HIGHLIGHTED BY ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=cerda&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

Guys of average size, with above average heart who succeed by doing things the right way. They should be the examples to kids and parents when the discussion turns to how to succeed against opponents who may not be doing things the right way.

Cerda competed against the Little League team from the Bronx led by Danny Almonte. The ESPN story highlights that while Cerda may have been "cheated", he persevered and continued to work and compete the right way. In the end, he was the one who came out on top. Kudos to both Dustin Pedroia and Matthew Cerda for the examples they have set for kids.

MATTHEW CERDA: FROM LITTLE LEAGUE TO HIGH SCHOOL - DRAFTED BY CUBS 2008

GIANTS ADD LHP JEREMY AFFELDT

Good move adding a solid LHP to the end of the bullpen. Two years @ $8M total makes it a good move economically as well. Still need a little more depth in the bullpen, mainly middle innings and long relief duties, but it's a start.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-giants-affeldt&prov=ap&type=lgns

GIANTS FUTURES......LOOKING GOOD

The Giants 2008 draft continues to draw good reviews. According to the most recent edition of Baseball America, Buster Posey is rated as the 4th best pure hitter and 4th best defensive player.

Conor Gillaspie is rated as closest to the majors with Posey ranked 5th closest.

Roger Kiescnick (2nd round) gets good early reviews as a power hitter, albeit a streaky one.

Brandon Crawford (4th round) is noted for his "premium arm strength and solid athleticism and actions to be a plus defender at short."

Juan Carlos Perez (13th round) could be a dark horse as a power hitter. He nearly set the NJCAA HR record. Visa problems kept him out of late season action.

Among the pitchers RHP Jason Jarvis (23rd round) and Aaron King (7th round) were clocked at 97MPH fastballs. RHP Edwin Quirarte (5th round) has a 92MPH fastball, good split finger and slider. Seems like he keeps the ball down pretty well. LHP Scott Barnes (8th round) went 5-3. 1.91 ERA in SAL.

Not a bad haul for Scouting Director John Barr's inaugural draft. I'd rather see them continue to build from the farm system rather than dive back into the free-agent market.

THE SLAVIK PLAN FOR THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS

Note to Pelosi: The Slavik Plan is not a bill, It's a plan. I don't introduce legislation anymore than Paulson does. And this mess is every bit as much your baby as it is Bush and Paulson's. You take the credit, you and yours better damn well be ready to take the blame. Bunch of stupid cowards. We need leaders and they send us cowards.

In the post election euphoria, we seem to have forgotten that the same knuckleheads responsible for the financial crisis are still at it. Incompetently spinning their wheels and swerving the economy all over the road.

Now Paulson crawls out and tells everyone "Never mind" regarding the use if the TARP funds. All that debate, and all that angst and they still don't know WTF they are doing with the money? A real well thought out plan fellas.

It's incredible. The value of peoples homes are vaporizing into thin air. BECAUSE OF THESE NUMB-SKULLS.

The value of their 401K's is vaporizing also, only faster. With no clear solutions in sight from our leaders. Most of who are responsible for putting us here in the first place. BECAUSE IF THESE NUMB-SKULLS.

I would dare to say that these clowns have done more emotional and psychological damage to more citizens then was done in the aftermath of 9/11. They have successfully blow this nations economy right back to the pre-WWII era. AMAZING.

I'm amazed there isn't more anger.

The Dow was at 10,750 when these morons voted on the "Bailout to Nowhere" in the beginning of October.

At that point the market had fallen approx. 23% from it's high. We were technically in a bear market at that point already and entering a recession according to anybodies measure.

By Oct 31st we were down to 9,337 after the "experts" went to work and put their heads together.

On election day we closed at 9,625.28. Once the market knew for sure the results we continued the slide, ending today at 8,283. We're down an additional 15% measure just from Election Day. So much for the Obama bounce. So down 13% after the Dems in Congress took Paulson's three page bill and "improved" it into a 100 page plus boondoggle.

The market is very forward looking so this is really not something that can be laid at the doorstep of Bush. The market is beginning to factor in an Obama presidency and puking it up in the same way it did after it had time to digest the "answer" our leaders brought to the table in response to the credit crisis.

WE'RE ONLY ANOTHER 15-20 DAYS LIKE TODAY AWAY FROM A DOW OF 0 - THAT'S ZERO!!!

I don't know what it's going to take, but if we had an informed electorate, I believe we might very well see some of the leaders meet with same fate of Il Duce illustrated below.

All these steps that are destroying our national wealth step by step is a massive CYA project on the part of these clowns. Would they really be doing this if it was the result of a few rogue Wall Street CEO's? Come on.

BUSH should have told Obama he would resign and take an early retirement back to the ranch in Texas. to help accelerate the healing process and bring an end to our long national nightmare. Wait a minute, that's from the Nixon-Ford pardon era. Once again, more damage here than was accomplished as a result of that crime. And don't kid yourself, this does rise to the level of criminal activity on many levels of government but we all know where the buck stops, right?

PAULSON should be forced to testify in front of Congress again and explain to Henry Waxman why HE earned his $500 million in salary to run Goldamn Sachs out of their long, storied primary business. They want to "claw-back" salary and bonuses from incompetent, greedy Wall Street CEO's they can start here with Paulson. Otherwise, don't go through your other charades designed to deflect blame. He should have to return the money or get the Duce treatment. Those are the only two punishments that fit his crime.

BERNANKE should be fired and forced to live out his remaining years in a nursing home with Alan Greenspan. A high security nursing home, where nobody can get in and nobody can get out. Like the one in One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest is what I have in mind. And return all government salaries earned and paid out.



ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
AN EXAMPLE OF THE FUTURE HOME FOR THE STARS OF THE OUTGOING ADMINISTRATION?

Volcker should be the new Fed head. Nobody even remotely associated with the last ten or twenty years of Federal government bureaucracy should be allowed near the Treasury. Especially not NY Fed head Geitner, rumor has it his fingerprints are all over letting Lehman slide into the abyss, which has caused a lot of the trauma to the system that we are seeing today. I'll bet Ron Paul is available.
-----------------------
FROM FEDUPUSA.ORG - A HISTORY OF THE FAILURE
http://www.fedupusa.org/

This site documents the history of failures, missteps, mistakes and lies that the principals involved made that got us to where we are today. Too many times these guys were asked whether the housing crisis was going to be limited or contained and too many times they were either wrong or lied about what was going on. This behavior continues today to the point where confidence in the system is at risk.

FedUpUSA is your online source for up-to-the-minute events surrounding the
Global Economic Crisis.

# Desperate Actions

A timeline of the actions which have led us to this point. The economic crisis seems to have come out of nowhere. Is there little wonder the American people were back on their heels when one week our President and the Federal Reserve were telling us the economy was 'sound' but two weeks later, we were in crisis and needed to pledge $700 Billion to fix what was wrong? FedUpUSA sheds some light on what the American people have been kept in the dark about.

# Bernanke's lies

A chronological documentation of the lies Ben Bernanke has told the American People and Congress.

# Paulson's Lies

A chronological documentation of the lies Hank Paulson has told the American People and Congress. Mr. Paulson's lies are particularly egregious in that he also has the biggest conflict of interest of anyone involved in this economic crisis. Do you really trust the man who was CEO of Goldman Sachs when they created CDS and CDOs? Mr. Paulson was not only at the helm when Goldman Sachs realized these little 'financial weapons of mass destruction' were failing, but was still there when they decided to take short positions betting AGAINST their own creations in order to protect themselves. Is this the man who should be trusted with the entire United States Treasury? Why do you think he really wants all this tax payer money? Read documented proof of what he has said, much of it under oath in front of Congress and draw your own conclusions.
---------
FROM ANDREWCOSSACK.COM - MUSSOLINI'S FALL FROM GRACE:
http://www.andrewcusack.com/2007/11/18/mussolini-in-his-own-words/



After a summary execution, Mussolini’s corpse, along with those of his mistress and others, were dragged through the streets of Milan before being strung up at a gas station. Il Duce had previously expounded upon the idea:

“Every man dies the death which befits his character.”

MADDON WINS A.L. MGR. OF THE YEAR, PINELLA IN N.L.

Congrats to Joe Maddon of the Rays. It would have been unanimous if whoever the delusional Minnesotan who voted for Gardenhire was sober. What do you expect? They apparently want Al Franken to be their U.S. Senator, so this slides down a little bit on the egregious scale from Minnesotans.

The Twins reporter must be drinking buddies with the Milwaukee reporter who cast a protest vote for Dale Sveum who only managed twelve games. That is just dumb. But what do you expect when you reporters the ballot?
------------------
FROM THE Associated Press:

Maddon And Piniella Named Managers Of The Year

NEW YORK -- Joe Maddon easily won the American League Manager of the Year award Wednesday after guiding the Tampa Bay Rays from baseball's basement to the World Series. Lou Piniella of the Chicago Cubs took the NL honor.

He received all but one of the 28 first-place votes -- the other went to the Minnesota Twins' Ron Gardenhire.

There has never been a unanimous winner for manager of the year.

Piniella led the NL Central champion Cubs to the league's best record and beat out Charlie Manuel of the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies to earn his third manager of the year award and first in the NL.

Manager of Year voting

The Rays' Joe Maddon was named the 2008 AL Manager of the Year, while the Cubs' Lou Piniella was voted as the NL's top skipper in '08.

AL voting Manager 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Maddon, Rays 27 1 -- 138
Ron Gardenhire, Twins 1 15 8 58
Mike Scioscia, Angels -- 12 9 45
Others receiving votes: Terry Francona, Red Sox, 6; Ozzie Guillen, White Sox, 3; Cito Gaston, Blue Jays, 2.

NL voting Manager 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Piniella, Cubs 15 8 4 103
Charlie Manuel, Phillies 8 6 9 67
Fredi Gonzalez, Marlins 5 6 5 48
Others receiving votes: Joe Torre, Dodgers, 45; Tony La Russa, Cardinals, 11; Jerry Manuel, Mets, 10; Cecil Cooper, Astros, 3; Dale Sveum, Brewers, 1.
---------------------

----------------------
UPDATE:

My apologies to Minnesota sportswriters, it was a CLEVELAND sportswriter who voted for Gardenhire. Sorry Minnesota, but you're still on the hook for Al Franken, which may be an even greater crime.

FROM THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
November 13, 2008
Pluto defends voting Maddon No. 2 for AL Manager of Year

Terry Pluto, a veteran columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has gone through pretty much everything in his 30-plus years in journalism, from winning awards to writing more than a dozen books.

"But this," Pluto told the Times this morning, "Is a new one."

Pluto was the voter who kept Rays manager Joe Maddon from being the first unanimous Manager of the Year Award recipient in baseball history. Maddon received 27 of 28 first place votes, with Twins Ron Gardenhire getting the other, and Angels' Mike Scioscia getting third.

Pluto voted Gardenhire No. 1 and Maddon No. 2, and joked he now has "many fans in Tampa" after getting more than 20 emails from puzzled Rays fans.

But here's Pluto's explanation:

Gardenhire's Twins didn't make the playoffs (they lost in one-game playoff with the White Sox for the AL Central title), but voting was done in the final week of the regular season. Pluto said he has absolutely nothing against Maddon, whom he has a lot of respect for. It was just a tough decision at the time.

"The voting is done in the final week of the season, so I did not have the playoffs to consider," Pluto said. "If they did the voting after, certainly Joe would have got it. I had great respect for both men, and gave the edge to Gardenhire for keeping his team in contention after losing Santana, etc. I had no idea how anyone else was voting. I certainly didn't set out to stiff Joe by being the lone voice not to have him No. 1."
- JOE SMITH
------------------------------
UPDATE II: Writer explains his moronic decision to Rays blogger who seems to be equally clueless.

http://www.bugsandcranks.com/tampa-bay-devil-rays/david-chalk/al-moy-voter-pluto-i-may-be-a-moron/

David Chalk from Bugs & Cranks (a site listed as a favorite) chastises the Cleveland writer who denied Maddon his unanimous MOY award. But in doing so, he continues to refer to the Rays as the Devil Rays!!!!

He even goes so far as to suggest the writer may have had secret religious motives for not voting for a "devil" Ray. PLEASE.

David, did you not get the memo??? They've been the RAYS all year!!!

Even for a blogger, a little bit sloppy, irresponsible and below the belt writing.
Don't you think you should be better than that? A mea culpa may be in order here. At the very least.

To David Chalk and the normally good folks at B&C:
Trust me, on this one, they are laughing at you, not with you..

LINCECUM WINS N.L. CY YOUNG AWARD

WAY TO GO TIMMY!!!!!
At least one bright spot for the G-men.
25% of the teams wins is almost Steve Carlton-esque.
80% win percentage on a team that barely wins 45% of the time.
The G-men only win 40% of the time in games not pitched by Lincecum.
He clearly deserved it.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081111/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbn_nl_cy_young_10;_ylt=A0geujHu.BlJ4RYBBwCspph4

NEW YORK - Tim Lincecum won the National League Cy Young Award by a comfortable margin Tuesday, taking home pitching's highest honour in his second major league season.

The slender kid with the whirling windup joined Mike McCormick (1967) as the only San Francisco Giants pitchers to win a Cy Young.

Lincecum received 23 of 32 first-place votes and 137 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks got four first-place votes and finished second with 73 points.

Listed at five-foot-11 and 160 pounds, tiny by today's standards for a big-league pitcher, Lincecum defied detractors - and the laws of physics - by firing 97 m.p.h. fastballs past one hulking slugger after another.

The 24-year-old right-hander was 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and a major league-best 265 strikeouts, remarkable numbers for a fourth-place team that finished 72-90.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY

It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it. - Robert Edward Lee, 1807 - 1870

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. - Elmer Davis

Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul. - Michel de Montaigne

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. - Cynthia Ozick


Lord, bid war's trumpet cease;
Fold the whole earth in peace.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

FROM GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER:
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together

and last but not least,
WAR IS A RACKET
by Two-Time Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Major General Smedley D. Butler - USMC Retired
http://lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm

Too much to include all in this post but here are some of the conclusions from the the Major Generals discussion here:

We must take the profit out of war.

We must permit the youth of the land who would bear arms to decide whether or not there should be war.

We must limit our military forces to home defense purposes.

Sounds like pretty sound logic to me.
================================
About America
The Origins of Veterans Day
By Department of Veterans Affairs
Jul 20, 2006, 2:17pm

The Origins of Veterans Day

In 1921, an unknown World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This site, on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of Washington, became the focal point of reverence for America’s veterans.
Similar ceremonies occurred earlier in England and France, where an unknown soldier was buried in each nation’s highest place of honor (in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe). These memorial gestures all took place on November 11, giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). The day became known as “Armistice Day.”

Armistice Day officially received its name in America in 1926 through a Congressional resolution. It became a national holiday 12 years later by similar Congressional action. If the idealistic hope had been realized that World War I was “the War to end all wars,” November 11 might still be called Armistice Day. But only a few years after the holiday was proclaimed, war broke out in Europe. Sixteen and one-half million Americans took part. Four hundred seven thousand of them died in service, more than 292,000 in battle.

Armistice Day Changed To Honor All Veterans

An answer to the question of how to pay tribute to those who had served in this latest, great war came in a proposal made by Representative Edwin K. Rees of Kansas: Change Armistice Day to Veterans Day, and make it an occasion to honor those who have served America in all wars. In 1954 President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day.

On Memorial Day 1958, two more unidentified American war dead were brought from overseas and interred in the plaza beside the unknown soldier of World War I. One was killed in World War II, the other in the Korean War. In 1973, a law passed providing interment of an unknown American from the Vietnam War, but none was found for several years. In 1984, an unknown serviceman from that conflict was placed alongside the others. To honor these men, symbolic of all Americans who gave their lives in all wars, an Army honor guard, The 3d U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), keeps day and night vigil.

A law passed in 1968 changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

National Ceremonies Held at Arlington

The focal point for official, national ceremonies for Veterans Day continues to be the memorial amphitheater built around the Tomb of the Unknowns. At 11 a.m. on November 11, a combined color guard representing all military services executes “Present Arms” at the tomb. The nation’s tribute to its war dead is symbolized by the laying of a presidential wreath. The bugler plays “taps.” The rest of the ceremony takes place in the amphitheater.

Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington and elsewhere are coordinated by the President’s Veterans Day National Committee. Chaired by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the committee represents national veterans organizations.

Governors of states and U.S. territories appoint Veterans Day chairpersons who, in cooperation with the National Committee and the Department of Defense, arrange and promote local ceremonies.

LONGORIA A.L. ROY

Great pick here, the kid would score higher in the MVP voting if not for the missed time due to injuries and early season Rays budgetary considerations. Also, he hasn't missed a beat after ringing the cash register with the big contract. We usually notice when guys cash in and stink up the joint. Evan seems like he has much higher aspirations.

Geovany Soto also a good pick on the N.L. side.

LINCECUM FOR CY YOUNG!!!!!