Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 102

On Politics
I never thought I would see the day when Democrats have more concern about decreasing spending than Republicans do about raising revenues.

It’s time for the Democrats to call the GOP bluff, thus fail to raise the debt ceiling. Let’s see if Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) is right.

Regarding Michelle Bachmann, as her campaign seems to be gaining steam, let us not forget that the key to winning an election is winning the center. Oh – I forget – That doesn’t matter in the Republican primary. I’m cheering for Bachmann! I said cheering, not voting.

Meanwhile, as Bachmann continues to capture Nincompoop supports, The Nincompoop continues on her quest to be the Tea Party’s Oprah – thus I’m anxiously awaiting the first issue of Sarah on the stands and the launching of Palinpalooza: the all-Palin all-the-time network.

Over in Capitol Hill’s House Chamber, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) completes his first six months without a jobs bill. To quote Mr. Speaker, “Where are the jobs?”

As Speaker Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continue to ask President Obama to lead, I ask, “Don’t we elect representatives and senators to lead?” Oh – I forgot – the follow their party!

Here’s an interesting website: Costs of War

On Potpourri
Cheerios recently turned 70! No wonder one of every eight box of cereal sold is Cheerios. Wow! It takes 3,115,524,416 Cheerios to circle our planet.

Loyal reader and commenter John loves cars, so here’s a link for John.

Doing my shoulder exercises continues to improve my shoulder, so I am to be able to golf this fall.

As the Cincinnati Reds continue not meet the expectations of many, much of what I wrote on this Opening Day post will explain their troubles.

The project is going well, but I miss my daily interactions with readers here and on the blogs of others. Even posting three times a week, I’m still not keeping up with responding to comments here. Thanks to those who keep coming back and for understanding my general absence. I encourage others to visit many of the fine bloggers in my sidebar.

On a final note, Fourth of July 2011 gives us a long weekend. As those of us with adolescent minds think of other variations of George Cohan’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, I enjoyed this video. Have a safe weekend!

Read Full Post »

On Rapture and Baseball

By now, most of us have heard the news of the upcoming rapture that is to occur at 6:00 pm (EDT) today. As a Cincinnati Reds fan, I can see that this increases the likelihood that the Reds may not win the NL Central title. Fortunately for the Reds, the Cardinals have an afternoon game, but must lose. Unfortunately, the Reds game starts at 4:05 pm, thus unlikely the game would be completed by 6:00 pm.

As a baseball fan, I am disappointed that MLB has yet to issue a public statement around the event. With that in mind, here are some of my questions/concerns.

If a game is in progress, what happens if neither team has enough players to complete the game?

If the pitcher is raptured, thus leave the game without an injury, will the replacement pitcher get unlimited time to warm up?

Will MLB replace the Angels franchise? After all, all of them automatically qualify for rapture.

If all the umpires are gone, to whom does a manage file a protest regarding the outcome of the play in action at the time?

Are ticket holders entitled to refunds?

Will ESPN continue broadcasting Sunday Night Baseball?

Will MLB George Steinbrenner be able to resume ownership of the Yankees?

If the rapture is accompanied by hell freezing over, will MLB reinstate Pete Rose?

So, what questions do you have?

Read Full Post »

On Predicting the 2011 Reds

All baseball fans start the season with the optimal optimism. After all, that is one aspect of the love of the game. Then again, many fans make predictions – some optimist, others realistic, and many just for fun. So, here’s a look at my team – the Cincinnati Reds.

They are the NL Central’s defending champions, as in 2010 they defied the predictions of the pundits – including me. Reds strengths are defense, starting pitching depth, and timely hitting. Joey Votto is for real, and the team surrounds him by a good mix of young and old players. Team speed is good, but not great. As with many teams, who knows which way the bullpen goes, but the latter seems to be in good hands.

Although the team is highly touted by baseball pundits, I have the following concerns for the 2011 season.

• 2010 did not involve many injuries. Two starting pitchers start 2011 on the DL. Is this an omen for what is to come?
• In 2010, the Reds led the league in late-inning, come-from-behind wins. Can this be done again? I know Opening Day says YES, but time will tell.
• Sometimes the stars align with the right players doing the right thing at the right time. Was that 2010?
• Individually, can Drew Stubbs continue to improve? Can Johnny Gomes produce enough to justify his questionable defense and streaky hitting? Can Scott Rolen productively play 110-120 games?

Every team has questions – plus repeating as division champs isn’t easy. I’m a loyal fan and will root for as many wins as possible – and I’ll settle for less than 162 wins – yet 90 will win the division. Tom Lasorda said each team wins a third of its games, loses a third, with the remaining third being the key to their success.

On paper, the Reds are the class of the NL Central. The games are not on paper, but played on the field over many months. Unfortunately, I see the Reds finishing in third place, but closer to second than fourth.

Logo property of the Cincinnati Reds Baseball Club

Read Full Post »

Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 90

On Japan
As the nuclear situation in Japan remains a top news story each day, the earthquake and tsunami are becoming moving into distant memory. Yet, the human need remains paramount. To remind us of the destruction, see this photo essay by the Boston Globe.

On Worth Reading
I try reading Bill Tammeus’s Faith Matters blog as often as I can. Misreading sacred texts is the topic of this worth-reading post.

Columnist David Brooks had two recent posts worth reading: one on science and the other about the Libyan leader. Interestingly, the science column coincided with my recent post about science. The video on that post is awesome.

On Political Shorts
A few weeks ago, we were with my in-laws watching the golf’s Match Play Championships. One frequently seen commercial promoted the final episodes of the Haney Project, with renowned golf instructor Hank Haney teaching Rush Limbaugh. My father-in-law, a definite Republican asked, “Why is that guy on? He’s an asshole!” I replied, “Because the asshole has three million listeners.”

Given the mixture of the Tea Party folks, RINOs, religious-political zealots, and anything else they can get their hands on, Republicans are still a volatile group. Just examine the different attitudes within the party regarding Sarah Palin to see the diversity. I found this article interesting, although also realizing its basic bias. However, some of comments are even more revealing. Thanks Don in Mass for the link.

On Opening Day’s Success
Given the 3-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to win, Opening Day in Cincinnati was an extra success – simply the icing on the cake to a great day. Meanwhile, I will reveal my prediction for the 2011 Reds tomorrow in a special weekend edition.

By the way, for baseball trivia buffs, see this George Will column for some good, tough questions.

On a Thought for the Weekend and the Weeks Ahead
Don in Mass offers interesting things. I’ll use Don’s words to introduce the video: Hug your loved one, a Democrat, a Lefty, a Progressive, a Republican, a Tea Partyier, a Right winger, anybody. We should take the time to give hug, ’cause we all could use one. Here’s the popular video from Italy that you have to watch on YouTube.

By the way, A Frank Angle now has a Facebook page. Now there’s something I didn’t plan to do.

Read Full Post »

On Opening Day 2011

The annual rite of spring is about to begin – the first pitch of the baseball season.

When I was a kid, the start of the season meant many things. One was trying to catch the movie It Happens Every Spring, the story of a chemistry professor accidentally discovering a wood-repelling chemical that he rubbed on a baseball. Sure, the storyline is corny, but it was a simple story about dreams and the love for the great game of summer.

I can also remember hurrying home after school to watch the rest of the Reds Opening Day. After all, that was a time long before big spending and free agency as all fans started the season full of hope and optimism. It was also the days before cable television, so seeing the Reds on TV was a treat that only happened 10-20 times a year. It was also before the days that television revenue was a plus instead of a decision maker. Yes, it was a time when the Reds, as the oldest professional franchise, opened the season for Major League Baseball.

Now that I live in Cincinnati, I understand how the season’s start still has special significance here. Gone is the day that Cincinnati leads the way in the nation, but to Cincinnatians, the season still starts here.

Today, thousands of people dressed in Red will line the streets to watch a city version of a small town parade displaying a stream of organizations forming a float on a trailer or a truck with a few signs and streams, some marching bands, and even motorcycles, fire trucks, and horses. People will gather on Fountain Square for activities, and fill the stadium for the game.

Like any start of the season, Cincinnati is excited today. Given our teams success in 2010, expectations are high. I will save my prediction for the 2011 Reds until next week because today is a special day – Opening Day in Cincinnati – and a tribute to our local history. Enjoy the video because it says a lot.

Read Full Post »