Giants fate is in their own hands

That's all you can ask for at this time of year.

Lincecum shuts the door after one mistake to Stephen Drew and by moving him back a day, the Giants are now set up well for the Padres series. Thanks to the Cubs stepping up and taking two games from the Padres, the Pads now have to take two of three from the Giants to tie and then possibly beat Lincecum in a tie-breaker, winner take all game.

That assumes that things stay the way they are after tonight's games. If the Giants pick up one game and are up by three games entering the Padres series, it's all but over. The Padres would have to sweep three to tie and then beat Lincecum in SD. Probably not happening.

If the gap stays at two after tonight and the Giants lose two of three at home and then the tie breaker in SD, with their ace on the bump, then they simply don't deserve to win the division.

I like our chances as they stand today.

The Braves have to virtually lose out to not make the playoffs, so their chances are @ 92%.

The Giants chances are posted @ 91% and the Padres are listed @ 17%. They have beaten the Giants ten of fifteen times this year so far, a 2 out of three pace, so they have to have some confidence. If they are forced to win three or four straight, that leaves too little margin of error and the Giants should be able to celebrate a division clincher at home sometime this weekend.

And if you think I sound cranky when the Giants are losing or not doing well, wait until you hear me when they are winning. It's not good.

El Toro gores Padres

Big Z gives a HUGE assist to the Giants playoff hopes with this gem. Giants and Pads now go down the stretch even up in games played and the Pads one back. If the Giants can push the lead to +2 games before the Pads come to town, they will be tough to sweep.

At that point, a one-game playoff scenario comes off the table as well. As it does if the two teams enter the series tied. Playing that extra "playoff game to get into the playoffs" would be a huge setback for the team that advances.



From ESPN.com

Zambrano won his seventh straight decision since rejoining Chicago's rotation, combining with two relievers on a four-hitter, and the Cubs held on to beat San Diego 1-0 on Monday night to knock the Padres out of the NL wild-card lead.

Cain pitches Giants into position to win division

When you take a no-hitter, run support is generally not an issue. HOWEVER, I will admit that as I was driving home the other night, the ESPN radio announcer was documenting Cain's progress into the late innings with a no-hitter and my only thought was "Are we ahead?"

The thought that he could even be pitching a no-hitter and losing the game was certainly in play given the paucity of runs the Giants have scored.

Giants now hold the 1/2 game lead with a game in hand versus the Padres.

The odds of making the playoffs are now:

Giants 83%
Braves 60%
Padres 57%

but these results change nightly. Giants are home for the last six, three versus the D-Backs beginning tomorrow and the season finale versus the Padres, both at home. Padres play the Cubs before meeting the Giants. A wash in terms of competition.

Giants have Lincecum closing against the D-Backs before handing it over to Zito-Cain-Sanchez for the final three. Sanchez may have total control over his guarantee in the finale. Hopefully, a sweep against the D-Backs makes that series one where the Padres have to sweep three to tie. That means the Cubs have to come up with a split against the Pads. Do-able, but we are talking the Cubs, who have long ago mailed in this season. Maybe a lineup of kiddie corps will screw up the scouting report and vitalize the Cubs enough to pull it off.

This one is going to be close. I don't want to be thinking about all the woulda's, coulda's and shoulda's if the Giants don't push this one through the finish line.

Trouble for the NAACP...

Apparently, PJTV's Tea Party Tracking Poll looked at the Tea Party and found some results that perhaps the NAACP should take a look at. Apparently 1/3 of the folks they claim to represent do not seem to see the world through the same set of glasses that they would like them too. This is really good news for the future. Unless you are employed by the NAACP.

FROM WORLDNETDAILY:

SOMETHING IN THE AIR
Surprise! 1/3 of blacks back tea-party movement
'The wheels on the race-card bus are beginning to fall off'

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=207533

A new poll released this week soundly contradicts critics' claims that the tea-party movement is "fringe," "white" and "racist."

PJTV's Tea Party Tracking Poll has monitored nationwide sentiments toward the tea party on a weekly basis since Aug. 2. The poll's most recent reports reveal the following results:

The number of people who identify as "members" of the tea party has more than tripled over the last month alone, up to 21 percent of likely voters;

Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said they support the tea parties based on the movement's positions on the issues;

Among the likely voters who are black, 32 percent said they would vote for a candidate backed by the tea parties.
The last statistic caught the attention of PJTV.

"Questions of racism within the tea party have been raised for months now," said PJTV's Polling Director Vik Rubenfeld in a statement. "Our survey found that more than one in three African-Americans support the movement. Moreover, the data revealed that 32 percent are also likely to vote for a congressional candidate whom the tea party supports."

The Revolution of "NO" - Another Santelli Classic - NO MORE MONEY, NO MORE TINKERING

Hat tip to zerohedge.com for this oldy, but goody

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/rick-santelli-goes-nuts-top-3-rant-protesting-what-else-endless-subsidies-and-fed-meddling

Rick gets wound up based on earlier disclosure by Bill Gross that if the government guarantee of the GSEs were removed, he would only participate in the mortgage market if there was 30% down payments by first time homebuyers (oh, and, tee hee, guess who will be present and providing "eye of the monopolist beholder" advice at next Tuesday's panel). As Rick summarizes: "the people holding, the Treasury or institutions, are locked up in this place where the subsidies can't come out; extrication is going to be difficult much less getting out of the way of anything they may do in the future." Yet what sets Rick off is the debate over why the Fed should not let housing crash to its fair value bottom, instead of artificially pushing rates lower and lower, which benefits nobody except those serial refinanciers who hope to lock in a 30 Year at 0.001%. The screamfest begins at 5:40.

And yet, our fearless leaders seem to think the answer is Mo' Money, Mo' Money, Mo' Money and EVER MORE TINKERING...so much to be angry about, so little time.

HERE'S BEN AND HIS HELICOPTER DURING THE FIRST QE FLIGHT - ANOTHER FAILED POLICY (TINKERING)

Maybe before he takes the old Helicopter out for his "QE2 Voyage" Bernake can take a page from Notorius B.I.G. who rapped in Mo Money Mo Problems "I don't know what they want from me, It's like the more money we come across, The more problems we see"

DANG, WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?

Isn't it clear to all that this government and Federal Reserve tinkering via failed and misguided economic and fiscal policies has given us the equivalent of a "Frankenstein Economy". It looks like it's alive and has all the features and characteristics of a real, functioning economy, but the reality is it's not.

Some of these cats in Washington must have been huge fans of Dr. Frankenstein.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021884/quotes

Memorable quotes for Frankenstein (1931)

Victor Moritz: You're crazy!
Henry Frankenstein: Crazy, am I? We'll see whether I'm crazy or not.

Henry Frankenstein: Look! It's moving. It's alive. It's alive... It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!
Victor Moritz: Henry - In the name of God!
Henry Frankenstein: Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!

Henry Frankenstein: The brain you stole, Fritz. Think of it. The brain of a dead man waiting to live again in a body I made with my own hands!

Dr. Henry Frankenstein: The neck's broken. The brain is useless. We must find another brain.

Dr. Henry Frankenstein: You're quite sure you want to come in?... Very well.
[Locks door and pockets key]
Dr. Henry Frankenstein: Forgive me, but I'm forced to take unusual precautions.

Henry Frankenstein: Dangerous? Poor old Waldman. Have you never wanted to do anything that was dangerous? Where should we be if no one tried to find out what lies beyond? Have your never wanted to look beyond the clouds and the stars, or to know what causes the trees to bud? And what changes the darkness into light? But if you talk like that, people call you crazy. Well, if I could discover just one of these things, what eternity is, for example, I wouldn't care if they did think I was crazy.

Doctor Waldman: You have created a monster, and it will destroy you!

[first lines]
Dr. Henry Frankenstein: Down! Down, you fool!

Baron Frankenstein: [lastlines]
[Raises a glass of wine to offer a toast]
Baron Frankenstein: Well, as I said before, here I say again, Here's... Here's to a son... to the House of Frankenstein.
Maid: Indeed, Sir. You too, Sir.

THE ORIGINAL FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_(1931_film)

The film begins with Edward Van Sloan stepping from behind a curtain and delivering a "friendly warning" before the opening credits:

We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation – life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even – horrify you. So if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to – uh, well, we warned you.

THE MODERN DAY - ECONOMIC FRANKENSTEIN - THE GOOD DOCTOR HIMSELF

AND HIS MAGNIFICENT CREATION

THE BUBBLE MAN:

The Return of "The Freak" Lincecum shuts down the Rockies

Giants defeat the Rockies 2-1 in a pivotal series. The Rockies may have to run the table from here on out to get to the playoffs, they no longer have any margin of error and it's tough to play that way at this point in the season. Giants set themselves up nicely for the rest of the series and the season.

Not much more you can ask for today. Burrell provides all the offense with a two-run bomb. Typical.

How Giants starter Tim Lincecum beat the Rockies: - 93.0 average fastball velocity (highest in a start since July 7th) - Upped the fastball velocity to a 93.5 average with men in scoring position (highest this season) - Overall, hitters were 1-for-10 against the fastball (.100; .274 entering Friday)

ESPN Stats & Information

This stat is pretty awesome and speaks to how the Giants have been winning games of late.

San Francisco pitchers have gone 18 straight games giving up three or fewer runs. It's the longest streak since the Chicago White Sox set the record with 20 straight in 1917, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

So much for the lack of run support argument. If you only get three runs, hold 'em to two. If you only get two runs, hold 'em to one.

I was trying to think of teams that mirrored the Giants in terms of winning games in this fashion and the best I could come up with was the 1969 and 1973 Mets, who won with rock-ribbed pitching performances on a near-daily basis, combined with an anemic offense.

Maybe more recently, the Marlins teams that won championships, perhaps? I still like the Mets examples better.

Here's hoping for similar results.

Giants offense continues its "Boom or Bust" ways

The Giants wrap up the set in Chicago with thirteens runs tonight after managing one and zero the previous two nights. Another shutout for the pitching staff. Glad to see Joe Torre making my argument on behalf of Buster Posey for ROY as well. A good day for the Gigantes.

According to the Cubs announcers, the wind is blowing out, apparently only when the Giants bat since the Cubbies have managed zero runs so far. I've always found that the wind did blow harder when your pitching sucked. Seems like that would violate some law of nature or physics or something, but that's just my observation.

Trust me, even though I am a die-hard Giant fan, I would turn the Rays-Yankees on in a heartbeat but ESPN isn't carrying that one.

Can you believe it? There's maybe five teams still in it in MLB out of thirty teams and they can't show a potential League Championship preview? Who's in charge of marketing this game? Who makes fans play "Where's Waldo?" with games of this importance? And wonder why fan interest and ratings disappoint.

The exact opposite of the NFL experience coming down the homestretch, where only five of thirty teams would be eliminated with two-three weeks left in the season.

This should be taped to Pablo Sandoval's pillow this off-season (and maybe one or two other Giants?) -- the famous Ted Willams 77-ball strike zone. Know yourself as a hitter, your strengths and weaknesses. Bam-Bam are you listening?

And then have a good hitting approach throughout the count.

The rest should be easy, we know he can hit.

Buster Posey makes case for ROY and comparisons to BASEBALL BUGS

As if on cue, Posey used last night's game against the Cubs to refute Joe Morgan's case for Jason Heyward as ROY and once again drew comparisons to the best individual performance in baseball history, real or imagined -- the Baseball Bugs (1946) episode.

HEY LOOK, IT'S JOE MORGAN AND BASEBALL FOR DUMMIES.

Posey hit a home-run to lead the Giants continually moribund offense to a 1-0 win over the near-equally comatose Cubs offense. Presumably, Posey also had an impact defensively in helping pitcher Matt Cain and three relievers to pitch a combined shutout. That ought to keep Mike Krukow and Brian Sabean quiet for a bit. Then again, Posey is having a game to forget tonight, so far. Once again the Giants are scoreless.

From IMDb - The Internet Movie database
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038333/

CLASSIC!! - BASEBALL BUGS


Vezi mai multe din Cinema, movie trailers pe 220.ro

I still use the term Bugs Bunny Change-up for a real killer change. I always thought he got three strikes on the same batter, it was so good. It turns out that ol' Bugs actually gets nine strikes and three outs on the same change-up, a feat not performed before or since. What other pitcher can say that?

Speaking of awful swings, what is up with Panda? Those hacks he's putting out there would inspire a "Next time hit him with your purse" crack from bench jockeys at the high school level.
Maybe if Renteria or DeRosa were healthy, Bochy could sit Sandoval. Because he sure isn't getting any better. He's currently hitting .265 or thereabouts and I would just guestimate that he's dropped 20 points off his average from poor conditioning and another 20 from bad plate discipline. Whether the vision problems noted in spring training or his personal troubles are related to one or both categories, IDK. Hopefully, he comes back in better shape all the way around in 2011, because the Giants could use the old Panda's bat.

Tea Party as Third Party or the Torch and Pitchfork Crowd personified?

This will be the long-term future direction of the Tea-Party IMO.

The RINO's will regroup and reclaim their position within the GOP and push out the "Tea Party element" within the GOP.

They will be joined by the Blue Dog Dems -- who also feel out of place withing their own party -- and some Independents.

The D,I,R and TP's will each corral about 25% of the electorate.

The Crist's and Castle's and Murkowski's and Arlen Specter's of the world show a disgusting sense of entitlement and "how dare they toss me aside" attitude that people find disturbing.

The government as a whole has a sense of "how dare you question the methods by which we deliver you government" through this behavior and the continued foot-dragging on issues such as auditing the Fed. Regular folks and businesses cannot turn down an opportunity to be audited by government officials like the IRS or the SEC. But government routinely avoids having the light of day turned to their activities and the people are now suspicious as well as angry.

The government and the Fed is now afraid that if regular folks become embedded in their little country club setting and give the people an inside look at what goes on in Washington that their would be a revolution. Hopefully, it's a peaceful one.

From Gallup:

PRINCETON, NJ — Americans’ desires for a third political party are as high as they have been in seven years. Fifty-eight percent of Americans believe a third major political party is needed because the Republican and Democratic Parties do a poor job of representing the American people. That is a significant increase from 2008 and ties the high Gallup has recorded for this measure since 2003.

We can see the seeds being planted in the following stories from the past week.

Trouble to the right of me.

from publiusforum.com

http://www.publiusforum.com/2010/09/18/country-club-rino-republicans-throwing-temper-tantrums/

Country Club, RINO Republicans Throwing Temper Tantrums

September 18, 2010

-By Warner Todd Huston

One of the interesting things of this election cycle has been to see what sore losers RINOS and country club Republicans are becoming. Since the Tea Party Movement has been throwing establishment GOPers out right and left (or maybe that’s let and left) some of them have responded with petulance instead of accepting the will of the voters.

In fact we’ve been seeing quite a few little tantrums thrown by the RINO set as voters have been turning against them.

Recall that “Benedict” Arlen Specter had to jump parties because Republican Pat Toomey was encroaching on the privilege that Specter assumed he’d earned. Once it became clear that Toomey was the GOP choice, Specter petulantly snubbed him and no support was forthcoming from
supposedly life-long Republican Specter.

Are all these temper tantrums really all an effort to support the “most electable candidate,” i.e. the RINO? Or is this a RINO protection racket we are seeing? All I know is that in many cases this year the voters are speaking for the Tea Party-styled candidates, those candidates that stand for real conservative values. Yet the country club set, the RINO faction is standing in the way of the will of the voters.

And trouble to the left of me.

from Fox News

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/22/blue-dog-democrats-use-health-care-overhaul-campaign-punching-bag/

Blue Dog Democrats Use Health Care Overhaul as Campaign Punching Bag

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi let 30 Blue DogDemocrats break ranks to vote against the controversial health care overhaul in March, she probably didn't expect them to go the extra mile and campaign against it in the fall.

But for several of these fiscal conservatives, the bills they didn't vote for have become far more important to their campaign message than the legislation they supported.

Members of the so-called Blue Dog Coalition are railing against the health care bill, and other Democrat-sponsored spending packages, in a bid to highlight their independence from the Washington establishment. In a year when spending is a top voter concern and incumbency can translate to liability, Democrats in moderate-to-conservative districts are using their ads, websites and public appearances to condemn their party's marquee legislative achievement in the closing weeks of the campaign.

"The majority of the American people are against it. I believe that our nation can't afford it. And I didn't vote for it," Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., told Fox News in reference to the health care bill.

Taylor last week went further than any of his Democratic colleagues in speaking out against the law. He joined dozens of congressional Republicans in calling for a repeal of the package, the first Democrat to do so.

The good news is that slowly but surely, some on the left are starting to see the light.

EVEN CHRIS MATTHEWS -- WHO USED TO GET A TINGLE UP HIS LEG WHENEVER OBAMA SPOKE -- IS NOW CORRECTING THE ANOINTED ONE.

Important Distinction: Giving People Tax Cuts Is NOT Giving People Money; It's ***THEIR*** Money

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2010/09/giving-people-tax-cuts-is-not-giving.html




The bad news is some are still woefully ignorant. This statement, from someone who I used to admire and respect, shows we still have a long way to go. This kind of ignorant statement makes Republican Senator Jim Bunning look compassionate.

WARREN BUFFET'S RIGHT-HAND MAN SHOWS CONTEMPT FOR THE "LITTLE" PEOPLE WITH HIS STUNNING "LET THEM EAT CAKE" REMARKS.

"SUCK IT IN AND COPE" - SHOWS THAT ARROGANCE AND GREED DO NOT KNOW PARTY BOUNDARIES.

THESE GUYS OPENLY SUPPORTED, CHEERED AND PROFITED FROM THE BAILOUTS, STIMULUS AND FEDERAL RESERVE TINKERING IN THE ECONOMY.

from MISH'S Global Economic Trend Analysis Blog:

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/09/amazing-arrogance-gall-chutzpa-and.html

Amazing Arrogance, Gall, Chutzpa, and Unmitigated Effrontery from Berkshire Hathaway
Posted: 20 Sep 2010 08:07 PM PDT

It's hard to know exactly the precise words to describe the arrogance and unmitigated effrontery of Charles Munger, the billionaire vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, who today rattled off an insane barrage of insensitive comments regarding the bailouts.

Charles Munger, the billionaire vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., defended the U.S. financial-company rescues of 2008 and told students that people in economic distress should “suck it in and cope.”

Munger's quotes:

Charles Munger, the billionaire vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., defended the U.S. financial-company rescues of 2008 and told students that people in economic distress should “suck it in and cope.”

“You should thank God” for bank bailouts, Munger said in a discussion at the University of Michigan on Sept. 14, according to a video posted on the Internet. “Now, if you talk about bailouts for everybody else, there comes a place where if you just start bailing out all the individuals instead of telling them to adapt, the culture dies.”

“Hit the economy with enough misery and enough disruption, destroy the currency, and God knows what happens,” Munger said. “So I think when you have troubles like that you shouldn’t be bitching about a little bailout. You should have been thinking it should have been bigger.”

Germany was unable to stabilize its financial system in the 1920s, and, Munger said, “We ended up with Adolf Hitler.”

“Now, if you talk about bailouts for everybody else, there comes a place where if you just start bailing out all the individuals instead of telling them to adapt, the culture dies.”

So we should all thank God that our government is around to steal money from the middle class, the savers, the people who did things right -- in order to to bail out the wealthy, the profligate spenders and gamblers who bet their own money and lost and now want a subsidy from the rest of us so they can keep playing the game? That money was not manna from heaven, it was money begged, borrowed and stolen from the American taxpayer, you braying jackass.

If there's one thing that the Tea Party movement is all about is that people FINALLY are beginning to recognize what is going on and are not just saying NO, they are saying HELL NO!!!

They are tired of these intellectual snobs in Washington -- don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out Larry Summers -- telling regular folks that they know better and the voters are too stupid to understand these complex issues they've screwed up.

They are tired of these people spitting in our faces and then trying to convince us it's raining.

What they don't get is the Tea Party is the torch and pitchfork crowd personified, and they are tired of being ignored, not listened to, lied to and stolen from.

FOR FURTHER READING PLEASURE:

From The Daily Bell

US Fed Gains Power, Loses Credibility?
Saturday, September 04, 2010 – by Staff Report

http://www.thedailybell.com/1346/US-Fed-Gains-Power-Loses-Credibility.html

Libertarian Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) recently asked for an audit of the gold in Fort Knox. The mainstream media pooh-poohs such demands as paranoia. Yet the Fed and its enablers have resisted thorough ongoing scrutiny as well. Instead the institution has received significant additional powers. See the pattern? On the one hand, the Fed resists accountability. On the other, Bernanke et al. present an apologetic front and vow they will do better next time.

This is the kind of crisis control that the power elite practiced in the 20th century; it is today the kind of crisis control being applied to such failed dominant social themes as global warming. But we wonder if it will work in the 21st. In our view, people have already seen too much, know too much and are too upset. When it comes to the law and legislation, Bernanke and Congress may be in the right. But the law can only go so far. Sometimes, such ventures begin to look questionable regardless.

When people know too much, the law itself can begin to seem suspect; and this is how societal upheavals are created. This is in fact an inflection point for the powers-that-be. Creating fear-based promotions in order to generate societal consent for ongoing concentrations of power and wealth – the manufacturing of an authoritarian society in other words – has worked well for the PTB. But when the promotions begin to fail (due to information on the Internet in our view) and the elite continues its programs regardless, then the potential for social tension increases dramatically.

The Mind Conspirators
Saturday, September 04, 2010 – by Nelson Hultberg

http://www.thedailybell.com/1347/Nelson-Hultberg-The-Mind-Conspirators.html

More and more Americans today are coming to understand the terrible truth about our Federal Government -- that it seeks to dominate us as citizens, to mold us into a society of dutiful Stepford Wives totally beholden to the wishes of elite politicians, bureaucrats and bankers. Those who study history, independent of the public school system, understand that this state aggrandizement process has been under way for the past 100 years in America in one form or another, and that it is taking place because too many of our citizens sanction such dictatorial usurpation and actually work diligently for its implementation.

‎"Anyone going to his neighbor's home and taking his money at gunpoint, regardless of all the wonderful, selfless things he promised to do with it, would be promptly arrested as a thief. But for some reason it is considered morally acceptable when government does that very thing." -- Ron Paul, The Revolution: A Manifesto, 2008

Giants hit HR's, they score...if they don't, not so much

Since the August 23-25th series against the Reds at San Francisco, the Giants offense has been almost exclusively dependent on the HR to score runs.

In that series, the scored 11-16-11 R's and slugged 2-4-1 HR's, with the HR's producing 3-6-3 Runs.

Since that time the Giants have played 21 Games.

In 12 of those games, they failed to hit a HR and scored a total of 20 Runs.

An average of 1.82 RPG.

Nine of those were scored in one game. In the other eleven games, eleven runs scored.

So lately, one can conclude the if the Giants do not hit a HR, the will only score 1-2 runs.

Did I mention they have been shut out in four of those games? Seems like a lot.

In the nine games in which they did hit HR's, the Gigantes scored a total of 46 runs

An average of 5.11 RPG.

Embedded within those games are an additional 18 runs produced without the benefit of the HR.

An average of 2.0 RPG produced even on days when they are ON.

Manager Bochy comments after a recent loss:

“I do think we’re trying to do too much, overswinging a little bit,” Bochy said. “We’ve got to calm down a little bit. I know they all want to be the guy.”

The Giants had regained the top spot in the division with a 10-2 rout of the rival Dodgers on Thursday, but have managed only one run in two games since against the non-contending Brewers (69-78).

“We’re a funny team that way,” Bochy said. “We put big runs up or we get shut down.”

Not funny really. Actually quite predictable.

The Giants are a one-dimensional, predictable offense that is over-reliant on the HR to produce runs. An old-fashioned AL offense.

The last 6 games the Giants have not produced a HR, they have scored 1-0-2-0-0-1 Runs.
In the 2 games they produced a HR, they scored 10-6 Runs.

They are overly reliant on the pitcher making a mistake, which they will punish. On days the pitcher minimizes mistakes, NO HR's = Few Runs Scored.

The line on HR's from 9/18 to 8/27 (21 G's) games runs as follows:

0-0-3-0-0-1-0-0-2-1-3-0-1-4-0-0-1-0-0-1-0

So they are not even consistent in their ability to hit HR's, which indicates they will struggle against other teams 1-2 starters (better pitching) and "feast" (comparatively speaking) against the 3-4 starters.

Unfortunately -- even if they make the playoffs at this rate -- you only face 1-2-3 starters in the playoffs. This does not bode well.

The offense is overly dependent on pitchers making mistakes rather on having any capacity at all on the offensive side to force mistakes. The off-season focus should be on bringing in hitters who have some diversity in their games as well as more plate discipline.

Happy Constitution Day!!

It would be interesting as he-double hockey sticks to see some of our elected representatives stumble over some of the test questions listed below. Maybe this should be a requirement for service.

(The answers are provided at the bottom of the article, no cheating)

This is important because if you understand these issues, you understand better some of the problems we are going through as a nation today. And it has nothing to do with the issues and arguments you hear from those in power and their protectors in the mainstream media today.

From personalliberty.com

Today is Constitution Day — a day specifically designated by an Act of Congress when Americans are supposed to honor the remarkable document that created our system of government. The date was chosen because the Constitution was approved at the original Constitutional Convention on Sept. 17, 1787.

Do You Really Know The Constitution?

http://www.personalliberty.com/conservative-politics/liberty/do-you-really-know-the-constitution/?eiid=&rmid=2010_09_17_PLA&rrid=238496661

1. Has the Constitution always guided our country?
2. What are the three branches of government named in the Constitution?
3. Does the Constitution allow the Supreme Court to make law?
4. Does the Constitution empower the President to make law?
5. Does the Constitution give the Federal government any power in the field of education?
6. Where in the Constitution is there authorization to dispense foreign aid?
7. Did the Constitution give the Federal government power to create a bank?
8. Can the provisions of a treaty supersede the Constitution?
9. Does the Constitution allow a President to take the nation into war?
10. Can you name any of the four crimes mentioned in the Constitution?
11. Should the Bill of Rights be considered part of the original Constitution?
12. According to the Constitution, how can a President and other national officers be removed from office?
13. How many amendments have been added to the Constitution?
14. How is an amendment added to the Constitution?
15. Does the Constitution say anything about illegal immigration?
16. Is the term of a President limited by the Constitution?
17. Which part of the Federal government holds “the power of the purse”?
18. Does the Constitution provide a method for expelling a member of Congress?
19. How many times is the word “democracy” mentioned in the Constitution?
20. Does the Bill of Rights grant the people free speech, freedom of the press, the right to possess a weapon, etc?

The author also makes a great point that we have heard from the likes of Ron Paul and others (emphasis added by me):

I have heard it said that, if the Constitution were fully and honestly enforced today, the Federal government would be 20 percent of its present size and would cost 20 percent of its present budget. I think those numbers are an exaggeration; I suspect the truth would be closer to 10 percent.

THE ANSWERS:

1. No. Originally the nation functioned under the Continental Congress and the Articles of Confederation. Eleven years after the Declaration of Independence the Constitution was written, agreed to and sent to the states for ratification. When ratified by nine states (as the document itself prescribed), the Constitution was declared to be the new governmental system. That occurred on Sept. 13, 1788. The new government was ordered to be convened on March 4, 1789.
Legislative, Executive and Judicial.

2. No. The very first sentence in the Constitution states: "All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States….” Any Supreme Court decision is the law of the case that binds only the plaintiff and the defendant. The meaning of the word “all” has not been changed.
3. No. Executive Orders issued by the President that bind the entire nation are illicit because, as noted above, “All legislative powers” are possessed by Congress. An Executive Order that binds only the employees of the Federal government (such as granting a holiday) is proper because the President should be considered to be the holder of power much like that possessed by the CEO of a company. But the entire nation is not in the employ of the President.

4. The President does have a role in lawmaking with his possession of a veto. He can veto a measure approved by Congress (which can be overturned by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress), or simply allow it to become law by doing nothing within 10 days, “Sundays excepted.”

5. No. The Constitution contains no mention of any power “herein granted” in the field of education.

6. No such authorization appears in the Constitution.

7. No. Congress was granted power to “coin money,” meaning it was to have the right to create a mint where precious metal could be stamped into coinage of fixed size, weight and purity. There is no Constitutional authority for the Federal government to have created the Federal Reserve.

8. Absolutely not. Thomas Jefferson responded to those who consider treaty-making power to be “boundless” by stating, “If it is, then we have no Constitution.”

9. It does not. The sole power to declare the nation at war is possessed by Congress. Congress last used this power at the beginning of World War II, when war was declared on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Germany declared war on the U.S. the next day.) A congressional vote to authorize the President to enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions should never be considered a substitute for a formal declaration of war.

10. The four crimes mentioned are: Treason, bribery, piracy and counterfeiting.

11. Many do hold that view because if the promise to add a Bill of Rights had not been made during the ratification process, some states would not have ratified the Constitution.

12. The President and other high officers of the Federal government can be impeached by a majority in the House and tried by the Senate. Impeachment does not constitute removal; it should be considered the equivalent of an indictment that must be followed by a trial. Two-thirds of the Senators “present” must approve removal at the subsequent trial to effect removal.

13. There are 27. The first 10 (the Bill of Rights) can be considered part of the original Constitution. Amendment 18 was repealed by Amendment 21. This means that, in 223 years, only 15 other amendments have been added. The process was deliberately made difficult to keep anything dangerous or silly from being added to the Constitution in the heat of passion.

14. Congress can propose an amendment when two-thirds of both Houses of Congress vote to do so. Any proposed amendment must then by ratified by the legislature or a convention in three-quarters of the States. Amendments can also be proposed by a Federal Constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the States. Any amendment arising from a Constitutional convention must also be ratified by the legislature or a convention in three-quarters of the states.

15. Not directly. But Article IV, Section 4 assigns to the Federal government the duty “to protect each of them [the States] from invasion.” It does not specify that the invasion must be military. When 12 million people enter our nation illegally, it is an invasion that should be repelled by the Federal government.

16. Yes. In 1951, Amendment 22 was added to the Constitution to limit any President to two terms. The only President who served longer than two terms was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who held office during a fourth four-year term. He died in April 1945 shortly after beginning his 13th year in office.

17. The House of Representatives. Article I, Section 7 states: “All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives….” If a majority in the House (218 of its 435 members) refuses to originate a bill to raise revenue for something, then no funds can be spent on that activity.

18. Two-thirds of each House has the authority to expel any of its members for cause even though the member has been elected by voters.

19. The word “democracy” does not appear in the Constitution. Our nation is a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy. The Founders feared Democracy (unrestricted rule by majority) and favored a Republic (rule of law where the law limits the government). James Madison wrote: “…. Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.”

20. No. The Declaration of Independence, which provides the philosophical base of our nation, states very clearly that our rights are granted to us by our Creator. The various rights noted in the Bill of Rights were not granted by government. The purpose of the Bill of Rights is to prevent the Federal government from suspending any of those God-given rights, including the right to possess a weapon. Those who claim “Second Amendment rights,” for instance, make a big mistake with such a statement. If the right is granted by the Second Amendment, meaning by government, it can be taken away by government. If the right is granted by God, only He can take it away.

Joe Morgan disses Buster Posey in his own back yard

I used to think he was dumb for his reflexively calling the fake-to-third, comeback pickoff to first move as a balk on the one hand and then immediately saying it doesn't fool anyone. Somewhere as a child, little Joe must have been fooled badly by this move and just never got over it.

And I know he has a great reputation for his disdain for statistics generally, preferring to rely on his own biases to determine who is a better player or team.

Whatever system you use, I'm not sure how you conclude that Jason Heyward is a more deserving Rookie of the Year candidate than Buster Posey this year.

Maybe he's talking to Giants announcer Mike Krukow and GM Brian Sabean too much.

Hall of Famer Joe Morgan doesn't place much value on the role of a catcher and its effect on the performance of his pitching staff. Here's a quote from one of Joe's chats about Bryce Harper in particular and the difficulty of the catching position generally.

"Catching is putting the fingers down and catching the ball," Morgan wrote to a catching fan. "Veteran pitchers call their own games in the majors. No one makes the plays for you at shortstop. You get help when you're a young catcher. Managers will sometimes call pitches, like a football coach calling plays. There's more you have to do as a shortstop — it's not the hardest position to play as a young player, but there's more to learn.

It's funny, because the logic that Sabean used to start Posey in the minors were related to the intricacies of catching and directing a major league staff, so it can't be as easy as Joe makes it out to be.

Giants announcer Mike Krukow sure seems to place a lot of value on every tap of the glove and every glance or stance Posey makes in that it might be tipping one of the Giants pitchers deliveries, thereby causing it to be deposited in the bleachers somewhere. The G-men pitching staff is at or near the top of the league in most statistical categories so he must not be tipping off too much to the opponents.

The gist of Hall of Famer Joe Morgan's opinion that Heyward is the more deserving ROY candidate seems to revolve around the fact that Heyward was "winning games" for the Braves while Posey spent the first month and a half in the minors.

A cursory look at the most elementary of stats would reveal that even with this month and a half advantage, Posey has kept up with Heyward.

In 92 G and 346 AB Posey has 13 HR 59 RBI and a .324 AVG
In 127 G and 463 AB Heyward has 17 HR 68 RBI and a .287 AVG

Heyward has a 117 AB head start and is barely leading in the major, Triple Crown categories.

Looking at the secondary stats Posey outslugs Heyward .506 to .477.

In the WAR or Wins Above Replacement player stat, Heyward leads 4.5 wins vs. 2.4 for Posey.

This stat looks most closely at the category Joe was referring to as far as "winning more games" for his team. The stat compares the offensive stats versus what an average player would have produced at the position instead. Posey's lesser number of AB's and his occasional stints at 1B hurt him in this category.

Clearly, Posey plays the more demanding and important defensive position and there is some value attached to that leadership position. Both players hit in the middle of their teams orders and are offensive forces.

The offensive numbers are a virtual dead heat. I believe that by the end of the season when the ballots are cast, that the value Posey has added defensively more than makes up for the slightly less number of AB's and vaults Gerald Demp "Buster" Posey to 2010 National League Rookie of the Year.

I don't care what Hall of Famer Joe Morgan says.

I just continue to wonder who makes the dumber statements during the course of the average broadcast, Joe Morgan or Tim McCarver?

The NAACP went looking for Tea Party racism and all we get is a lousy T-shirt?

You can't make this stuff up. If it wasn't such a serious topic this would be comical. But the NAACP comes off looking like the child who cried wolf too many times and wasn't listened to when the wolf actually arrived.

And therein lies the dilemma presented to society by these hate mongers.

Let the record show that since the NAACP has been looking far and wide for racism in the Tea Party and all they have found was one lousy T-shirt?

If we are going to have this much ballyhooed discussion on race that these guys profess to want to have, should we not at least take care to get the facts right?

Good people do not feel the great need to come to the table and be lied about and slandered by others.
That is why there is no conversation.

Story from theblaze.com:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/factor-showdown-naacp-head-cant-cite-actual-tea-party-racism/

FACTOR SHOWDOWN: NAACP HEAD CAN’T CITE ACTUAL TEA PARTY RACISM

Last night, the NAACP‘s Hilary Shelton appeared on O’Reilly to talk about its new website designed to track tea party racism, and asked that the party repudiate any racism by rally attendees. But the problem, as O’Reilly pointed out, is that the party had already done that. Still, Shelton claimed that racism continues. But when pressed for an example, he admitted “the closest things we’ve seen so far is we saw a t-shirt at one the rallies that said something really problematic.” What did it say? Shelton wouldn’t elaborate.
---------
Perhaps they would do well to remember the following quote and review and learn from history instead of trying to lie about it ot re-write it to fit their narrative and agenda.

THE FALSIFICATION OF HISTORY HAS DONE MORE TO IMPEDE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT THAN ANY ONE THING KNOWN TO MANKIND -- ROUSSEAU

From publiusforum.com:
http://www.publiusforum.com/2010/08/27/hey-walter-fauntroy-the-ku-klux-klan-was-the-terrorist-wing-of-the-democratic-party/#more-15688

Hey, Walter Fauntroy, the Ku Klux Klan was the Terrorist Wing of the Democratic Party

At the National Press Club, Walter Fauntroy falsely accused the Tea Party of having ties to the Ku Klux Klan. In the many years Fauntroy was Delegate for the District of Columbia, he was a member of Congressional Black Caucus, an organization that excludes people on the basis of race. Blind to his hypocrisy, he has falsely accused a political movement open to all races, the Tea Party, of being racist. Speaking at the National Press Club, Fauntroy said: “We are going to take on the barbarism of war, the decadence of racism, and the scourge of poverty, that the Ku Klux — I meant to say the Tea Party… You all forgive me, but I — you have to use them interchangeably.”

Now is the time to speak Truth to Power.

It would have been far more truthful for Mr. Fauntroy, who is a Democrat, to have admitted the fact that the Ku Klux Klan was the terrorist wing of his own political party. Yes, the Ku Klux Klan was established by the Democratic Party. Yes, the Ku Klux Klan murdered thousands of Republicans — African-American and white — in the years following the Civil War. Yes, the Republican Party and a Republican President, Ulysses Grant, destroyed the KKK with their Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.
How did the Ku Klux Klan re-emerge in the 20th century? For that, the Democratic Party is to blame.

--------

And what is that saying about those who live in glass houses? Maybe we should worry more about racism and xenophobia from Floyd Mayweather and 50 Cent.

From espn.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5542975

The racist and homophobic remarks spewed by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an attack on Manny Pacquiao last week in a self-made Internet video has elicited a strong rebuke from the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.

The NaFFAA, a private, non-profit organization that promotes the active participation of Filipino Americans in civic and national affairs, "strongly condemned" Mayweather for his attack on Pacquiao, an icon in his home country.

"We are outraged by Mayweather's racially offensive remarks," Greg Macabenta, the NaFFAA's national chairman, said in a statement. "This disgusting diatribe against Pacquiao is a racial slur against all Filipinos and Filipino Americans and an embarrassment not only to the boxing community, but to all Americans. Talking trash may be common between boxing rivals, but Mayweather's racially laced profanities brazenly crossed the line of decency and respectability. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has taken the high road and acted like the gentleman that he is."

"At a time when immigrant communities are being viewed with increasing suspicion and mistrust, Mayweather's cruel, abusive and hurtful remarks can only stoke more hostility, derision and resentment against individuals who look foreign by virtue of their looks, their size or the sound of their names. Coming from a boxing celebrity with millions of fans around the world, Mayweather's shameless and reckless conduct unfairly paints an entire racial and ethnic group with a broad brush and seriously undermines America's core values of inclusivity and racial tolerance."

In the video, which has been widely circulated on the Internet, Mayweather repeatedly insulted Pacquiao with racist comments and derided his English-language skills, even though English is his second language.

Mayweather also used a homophobic slur against him, called him a "whore" and repeated his accusation that Pacquiao uses performance-enhancing drugs, even though Mayweather has never produced a shred of evidence.

"As soon as we come off vacation, we're going to cook that little yellow chump," Mayweather said of Pacquiao, whom he has refused to fight after two rounds of failed negotiations.

Among his other comments, Mayweather said, "Once I stomp the midget, I'll make that mother f----- make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice."

At another point in the video, Mayweather said, "We gonna cook that mother f----- with some cats and dogs. ... Rice with [a] little bit of cat, rice with a little bit of barbecued dog."

Mayweather offered a video apology the following day. In that video, Mayweather said of his remarks, "Forgive me for saying what I said. I was just having fun. I didn't really mean it. Nothing in a bad way. So let's stay on this roller coaster ride and keep riding, baby. It's all love."

----------

From the New York Post:

http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/furious_gays_fire_back_at_fitty_VU3LVj65ynS9QB1TtlGozN

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is mounting a campaign against 50 Cent after the rapper tweeted threatening comments to blogger Perez Hilton last week, including a violent photo of two men in suits running from a mob.
"Perez Hilton calld me douchebag so I had my homie shoot up a gay wedding. wasnt his but still made me feel better," read the tweet with the photo attached.
Fitty also Tweeted Hilton: "stop being so sensitive its a joke. Your acting like a big baby" and, "my next song will make your sweet ass dance lol chill out."


A rep for 50 Cent had no comment. But it wasn't the first time Fitty's run afoul of the gay community. He told Playboy in a 2004 interview, "I ain't into faggots. I don't like gay people around me, because I'm not comfortable with what their thoughts are . . . I'd rather hang out with a straight dude. But women who like women, that's cool."

His recent Twitter posts have also taken aim at unborn children and pregnant women: "I wanna do something that impact kids in a positive way, thats why im opening an abortion clinic. Ima call it 50/50 chance," one of them read.

On Friday, Fitty used nearly a dozen tweets to defend his friend, boxer Floyd Mayweather, who was arrested on charges of theft relating to a domestic-abuse complaint by his former girlfriend Josie Harris, the mother of three of his children.
"Another case of angry baby mama wanting money," he wrote.

There you go, 50 Cent defending Floyd Mayweather, it seems as if idiot birds of a feather flock together. It should be easier for the NAACP to find racism in their own back yard than it will be to find it from with the Tea Party. Now "manufacturing racism", that's another story, But one that it seems like the NAACP is rather good at.

-----------
Maybe the NAACP if they are true to their name and true to their mandate, should look in another direction for both the cause and the cure for some of the major ills facing Black America.


From thegrio.com

http://www.thegrio.com/politics/tea-party-tracker-doesnt-the-naacp-have-better-things-to-do.php

'Tea Party Tracker': Doesn't the NAACP have better things to do?
By Sophia A. Nelson

9:22 AM on 09/02/2010

From the NAACP's official website:
We are satisfied that on August 28 [at Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally], there were few overt signs of racism -- however, we remain committed to holding the Tea Party to their word. Our coalition watchdog website, TeaPartyTracker.org, will serve as evidence of this ongoing vigilance of extremism within the Tea Party movement.

The NAACP has always believed in the promise of America - a promise built on mutual respect, common civility, and hope for a better tomorrow. Together, we will continue to do our part to ensure that the Tea Party reflects these values as well.

Here we go again. I had hoped that the NAACP might have learned a valuable lesson from the events of this past summer (i.e., Shirley Sherrod, its first scuffle with the Tea Party and anti-racism Resolutions, etc.) but apparently not.

Let me be crystal clear about what I am going to write next so that there is no misunderstanding -- you ready -- buckle up: Racism is not the biggest problem facing black America. Period. Black America is the biggest problem facing black America. That's right I said it. It's time we had some real grown-up talk and stop using race as an excuse for all that ails us when looking inward would serve our community a whole lot better.

Of course racism exists in America. How could it not? Our very founding and institutions were built on racist principles (that ought to go over well with my conservative friends). Slavery was legally sanctioned in America until 1863. Jim Crow - or racial segregation - was legally sanctioned in 1896 with the Plessey v. Ferguson decision and stayed the law of the land until the Brown v. Board decision in 1954. Yes, yes, yes racism is real and its vestiges are still with us, but racism is not the biggest threat to what is wrong in black America and the NAACPknows this better than most.

Let me just give you a snapshot of what you already know but may have forgotten in the busyness of your own lives: Fact - black male unemployment in this current recession has been at Great Depression levels in many American cities. The out of wedlock birth rate for black children is well over 65 percent approaching 70 percent according to most statistics.

As noted black historian Dr. Lerone Bennett. wrote recently, "A black child had a better chance of growing up with both of his parents in slavery than he does now." The black marriage rate has declined dramatically since the 1970s. The black divorce rate has soared in the past two decades. Black on black crime and violence in the past two decades in cities like Detroit, Chicago, Camden, St. Louis, Oakland, Cleveland, Birmingham, etc. has caused more death and destruction in our communities than all of the lynchings of black people (that we know of) that took place in the Jim Crow South. And I simply do not have space here to talk about the black male incarceration rates, the AIDS crisis and black women, drug use, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and everything else that is seemingly plaguing the black community at large in alarming rates.

Now hear me out before you lose oxygen and go all weak at the knees out there -- my fellow black Americans we have got to put a stop to this game that is being played on us every single election cycle without fail. I don't care if you are Democrat, Republican, or Independent. We deserve better and should demand it. Every two years and every four years we can count on the same old garbage being dumped on us: The Republicans are racist, watch out for the bogeyman, watch out for the Tea Party, watch out for white folks. I mean come on folks--really?

Why is it that the "race" card is always trotted out in election season, and why is it always trotted out on us? We are treated as if somehow education, higher taxes, crime, national security, and a better quality of life don't matter to us, when no community out there needs more action and help in this area than does the black community.

Here is my point: the NAACP has fresh young leadership in Ben Jealous and Roslyn Brock. Both are exceptionally bright and energetic. But authorizing Tea Party tracking sites that monitor allegedly racist behavior is simply stunning to me.

What does that have to do with fixing what is broken in black America? In the final analysis, I would rather see theNAACP's wisdom and energy spent focusing on policing "us" and our own community so that we can redefine a better, healthier, more prosperous destiny for the next generation to come. When the NAACP gets back to its core mission and values, I will renew my membership and support it wholeheartedly!

Meritocracy in action...and why the Jets are losers

Hat tip to my wife, who sent me this story (with the personal message girls rule; boys drool, BTW). Seems like it will just be a matter of time before one of these young ladies makes an impact at the collegiate level as well. I know there was an effort made at Colorado a few years back that turned into a bit of a debacle.

Given the recent reports of the Jets recent juvenile behavior when placed in the vicinity of a female reporter, we may have a way to go before we work out an environment where a female athlete can perform at those levels.

And BTW, this goes back to all those defenders of Jets coach Rex Ryan when he was called to task by Tony Dungy for cursing too much in his Hard Knocks cameos. No BFD to the Rex-apologists, right?

- a lack of professionalism and maturity in one area leaks very easily into other areas
- actions speak louder than words (an area most of the Ryan clan needs work in)
- Jets will always be second-class citizens in GIANTS Stadium and NY in general
- the "Meadowlands" are not much more than a combo racetrack, ex-union leader burial ground and garbage dump without the Giants presence for the last 30 years.

Maybe the theme for this weeks Jets practices should be to mature to somewhat above the level of a wet-dreaming adolescent. Grow up a little and figure out how to get in the end zone. If you can't do that, at least have a little class. Maybe I ask for too much.

From Yahoo Sports:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Female-stand-in-helps-Michigan-football-team-ear?urn=highschool-269206

Female stand-in helps Michigan football team earn a win

By Cameron Smith

In Romeo (Mich.) High School's second football game of the season, the Bulldogs upset Dakota (Mich.), 17-10, for their first win of the season. One player accounted for five of the seven points that served as buffer between the teams, and it was her first week on a football field.

Giants and Padres tango with lead while Rockies roar back

Giants pull into a virtual tie with the Padres, with the red-hot Rockies breathing down both teams necks as we move into the final stages if the season.

A productive four game series with the Padres this weekend sets the Giants up nicely for the final eighteen games. The Giants managed to bookend 7-3 and 6-1 drubbings around a trade-off of 1-0 shutouts with that seemed to demonstrate that the Giants are on the rise while the Padres magic appears to be running out of gas.

The next three series, home stands vs. the Dodgers and Brewers precede a three-game set at Wrigley Filed versus the Cubs and a huge three game set at Colorado. If the Giants can take six of the nine against the Dodgers, Cubs and Brewers -- who are playing out the string -- they should be in good shape for the Rockies series. The season ends with two, three-game series at home versus the D-Backs and the Padres.

The Rockies are on one of their patented annual late season runs and bear watching. All the while the Giants and Padres have been watching each other, the Rockies have spent creeping back in by simply refusing to lose. The three game set looms large for both teams.

But the Giants are looking good right now. A tough loss over the weekend with the injury to Andres Torres may throw Aaron Rowand back into the mix and give Cody Ross some more looks as well.

9-11 NEVER FORGET

And if you have forgotten, watch the Powerpoint attached and sift through the site for a refresher course.

http://www.frugalsites.net/911/attack/

http://www.frugalsites.net/911/anatomy.htm

Dedicated to the men, women and children
who lost their lives; those brave people who gave their lives
And the Heroes that responded to the emergency
11 September 2001

THIS is what our nation is responding to.
Please remember that in the difficult times ahead.

Photos courtesy of: AP, CNN, NY Newsday, NY Daily News,
John O'Sullivan, Colin Walsh, USCG, Families of Victims, Family, Friends & Personal

Heroes, Strength and Solace Courtesy of: GOD

Hat tip to Atlas Shrugged

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/09/september-11th-join-us-at-ground-zero-for-rally-of-remembrance-yes-to-freedom-no-to-ground-zero-mosq.html

Friday, September 10, 2010

SEPTEMBER 11TH JOIN US AT GROUND ZERO FOR RALLY OF REMEMBRANCE
YES TO FREEDOM, NO TO GROUND ZERO MOSQUE

The weather will be exactly like 9 years ago.

Rally of Remembrance: No to Ground Zero Mosque
September 11, 3pm Park Pace and West Broadway, Ground Zero
Dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives; those brave people who gave their lives. And the Heroes who responded to the emergency
11 September 2001

From Publiusforum.com

http://www.publiusforum.com/

This morning, as we begin to observe the terrible day of September 11, 2001, let us not fall into mere rote actions and unthinking memorial. We cannot forget that this is not some long past, historical situation that we can comfortably relegate to remembrance on a single day of the year, the rest of our days to go on as if it is but a distant memory. We must keep at the forefront of our minds that we are still in extent danger of another 9/11 at any time and it is only because of the hard and dangerous work that our men and women in uniform are doing every single day that keeps the next towering inferno from our TV screens. The inhuman enemy that caused those Towers to fall, those planes to tumble from the sky, are still out there planning anew. 9/11 is fresh still. Let us remember with a keen pang of loss and rage lest we complacently imagine we are back to a 9/10 world when we are not.

In the News...

from Collegiate Baseball:

in an article by Miami coach Charlie Greene, apparently Little League has finally seen the wisdom of transitioning kids more gently from the 12 year old major league division to the 13 year old division.

Instead of throwing kids from a 46-foot pitchers distance and 60 foot baselines directly to the ADULT, MAJOR LEAGUE distances of 60-foot pitchers distance and 90 foot baselines, Little League will now allow a more age-appropriate field dimensions of 50-foot mound and 70 foot bases.

This will clearly benefit the "late-bloomers" among the 13-year olds and help L.L. to retain more kids in the program. Little League has long experienced upwards of 50% "drop-out" rate when kids were forced to go from the small field to the larger field.

The more "accelerated physical maturer" or "early bloomers" would remain in the program, as the field dimensions were not as demanding on them.

I would give kudos to LL for this development except that the question arises as to why it took so long for them to see the wisdom of this move in the first place. The "drop out rate" problem has been with them for at least one and maybe two decades or more. L.L. in effect denied the problem existed and allowed kids to move to other programs that implemented more user-friendly dimensions.

This IMO led to some of the overuse problems with youth pitchers that we see today as kids migrated and experimented with play on multiple teams and programs. And pitch counts are the solution, right? Sorry, Dorothy, the solution was at your fingertips the whole time, all you had to do is say the word. Now take your dog Toto and get the heck on out of here, knuckelheads. Talk about closing the barn door after the horses have left...


from Baseball America:

Nice story about IL prospect Jake Odorizzi, RHP from Higland IL, who took what appears to be the road less traveled to the professional ranks nowadays.

The Milwaukee Brewers #32 selection in the 2008 draft, DID NOT take the elite, travel ball, showcase laden route that many of his peers and /or their parent felt was absolutely necessary for success.

What's the old saying? "If you're good, they'll find you."

Odorizzi also credited being a multi-sport (three) athlete for helping pave his road to the professional ranks.

"You learn certain things from certain sports. In basketball, you learn quick feet and agility. In football, you have to stay centered and keep your balance", Odorizzi said in the article.

A long-term, athletic development (LTAD) multi-sport approach will win out over an early specialization, one-sport focus any time. Focusing on the process over the results, the long-term over the short term and being ready to peak when it counts over chasing "visibility" when it doesn't really matter.

Odorizzi is now considered a high ceiling, sky's the limit prospect instead of a WYSIWYG prospect (What you see is what you get).

That's what having the right, long-term approach will do for you.

HAPPY LABOR DAY

A YEAR LOST IN THE JOB MARKET:

One year ago the official unemployment rate was 9.7%. Today it is 9.6%.
One year ago U-6 unemployment was 16.8%. Today U-6 is 16.7%

A NEAR-DECADE LOST ( 9 YEARS ) IN THE STOCK MARKET:

Price of gold on Sep. 10th, 2001 - $271.50.
Current price of gold: $1,248 - up 360%.

Price of S&P 500 on Sep. 10th, 2001 - 1,093.
Current S&P 500: 1,105 - Up 1%
(Current” price as of 4:30 PM September 3, 2010)

Gold up 360% vs. Stocks up 1%

AND ALL WE GET IS MORE OF THE SAME (SOUND FAMILIAR?)

Smashing Success - http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/08/smashing_success.html

Obama expressed the following opinion about the flagging economy:
"What we did know was that it took nearly a decade - to dig the hole we are in."
Then the President gave himself eight years of economic leeway following the "dig the hole" comment with an "even longer to dig our way out."

After the sound system issues, garbled statements and flyover airplane interference ceased, the President continued blaming G.W. and then segued directly into pointing the finger at Senate Republicans. Never once did Obama acknowledge any personal culpability for being completely and hopelessly clueless.

Maybe someone should have raised their hand and reminded Obama that during the first six years of Bush's tenure the economy was booming. It was the last two years, after a national referendum on Iraq, that Democrats took over both houses and the economy began to falter. Adding Obama's liberal-socialistic policies to the already ailing economy turned a benign common cold into a case of full-blown pneumonia.

Lincecum outduels Jimenez

What a difference a week makes. The Padres, losers of seven straight, are suddenly looking very vulnerable. The Giants, with the squeaker win last night in a Lincecum-Jiminez duel with the Rockies, are now back in contention for both the divisional title and the wild-card.

Three back with 4+ weeks to play brings them back under the "make up one game per week" rule of thumb that many use to determine a teams playoff chances.

Giants close to within 1.5 games of the Phillies for the wild-card berth, with the Cardinals falling to 3.5 back of the Giants. Very surprising to see the Cards folding like this as well.

ESPN's MLB standings now includes POFF: %, the teams chance of making the playoffs. This used to be a feature exclusive to coolbaseballstandings.com.

The Giants lineup is starting to shape up as a plus down the stretch. Sandoval in the seventh hole and Posey in the six last night, not too shabby. Torres and Sanchez to set the table.

Darren Ford, a September call-up, helps secure the victory with a LLWS-staple, steal of third-take home on the catcher's overthrow.

And now those, like Giants announcer Mike Krukow, who worried that Buster Posey was the root cause of Tim Lincecum's late season swoon, can take a deep breath and relax a little bit. When a Jason Varitek taps the ground, he's showing leadership and firing up his pitcher. Apparently when Posey does it, he's tipping pitches.

Amazing how far experience and seniority bring to your credibility and acceptance as a big-leaguer and how you're viewed by some of these ex-ML'ers. But you know what 100% of 40 HOF'ers say?