Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 134

On Politics
Long, long ago I proclaimed these two points about the Republican presidential candidates: 1) Keep them talking and 2) Mitt Romney would be the eventual nominee. How did I do?

Remaining question on candidate Santorum: Will he leave the race after the losing the Pennsylvania primary or will he exit before the Pennsylvania primary to save embarrassment?

As the Supreme Court ponders the healthcare mandate that conservatives proclaim as an example of government intrusion, the conservative high court continues to apply the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to government-run law enforcement.

As conservatives proclaim liberties granted by the Constitution, a federal judge assigns the Justice Department a homework assignment because of President Obama’s comment? Surely, this can’t be political?

On Headlines from The Onion

Backup Healthcare Plan Involves Nation Sharing One Big Jar of Ointment
Dolphins Not So Intelligent on Land
Cheap Garage Disposal Can’t Handle Femur
Boarding School Student Received Wet William
Neil deGrasse Tyson Lets Slip that He has been to Mars
Friend whose Mom Just Died Allowed to Pick Pizza Toppings

Interesting Reads
David Ignatius on the Healthcare Revolution
A Google vs. Facebook Graphic
All Aboard for Mongolia
Evolution and Creationism: An Infographic
Your State’s Corruption Report Card (Thanks Beagz)
Science and Monkeys
Rise of the Medical Expertocracy

On Potpourri
Baseball season has started … and I did not watch one pitch until watching the Opening Day game in Cincinnati. Piss on MLB Commissioner Bud Selig! Meanwhile, the Reds won today’s opener 4-0.

For us golfers, it’s Masters’ Weekend! Although it’s not my favorite tournament, it’s a great one to watch.

I officially declare the recent NCAA basketball tournament null and void.

For those who enjoy sacred art, here is a short gallery of some in Cincinnati.

Funniest names of towns? Woo hoo … Rabbit Hash is close to me.

I accidentally deleted a spam comment I wanted to share about staring at genital warts.

Last month I reported that February 2012 set a new monthly high for visits to this blog, breaking the benchmark set in December 2011. Well, that didn’t last long because March 2012 beat February 38.9%. Thanks to everyone who visited – and a special thanks to my regulars!

Given the Easter holiday weekend, I will not post. Besides, and statistically speaking, numbers typically drop this weekend. (Graph is by the American Cancer Society)

This weekend our handbell choir plays. Interestingly, this is also a service when we typically do not play well, which I proclaim is due to being in a different area with different acoustics and having a different physical arrangement. Oh well, I hope we break the trend. The piece (To God All Praise and Glory) is tricky with interesting techniques, so listen here.

Have a good weekend everyone; plus Joyous Easter and Chag Sameach to all who celebrate those traditions. In the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

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?

Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 80

On a few Political Shorts
Given all the hubbub of the White House’s tax deal with the Republicans, I appreciate these three op-eds: David Broder, Peggy Noonan, and David Brooks.

Speaker-to-be John Boehner (R-OH) gets tearfully emotional when relating his only-in-America journey to the challenges today’s youth face. I wonder if his tears are also a realization of the obstacles his party provides to that dream.

Both Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck book signing tours have recently stopped in Cincinnati … both not far from me. Sorry to say, I missed both.

On No-Brainer Sports
I believe Brett Favre will finally step away from the football field. Instead of gracefully retiring, his ego got him hurt … well, plus more money … and tarnished the end of his good career. In his prime, a rocket launcher as an arm.

With the signing of Cliff Lee, I believe the Phillies have the best starting rotation in baseball – Bar none!

I believe most of the upcoming bowl games do not grab the attention of viewers beyond the fans of the participating teams.

On Music
I have a difficult understanding why the Moody Blues are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Is Congress somehow involved?

Happy Birthday (240th) today to Ludwig von Beethoven. Here’s an interesting tribute.

On a Blogger
Checkout Jim at O>w/hole>1.

On a Strange One Indeed
For those who missed this, here’s Vladimir Putin rendition of the Fats Domino classic Blueberry Hill … or in the words of the WriteChic, “Putin on the Ritz”. Another oddity is the Hollywood stars in the crowd at this Russian fund raiser for breast cancer research. Think of this video in terms of the old Lays Potato Chip slogan – Bet you can’t watch it more than once.

Have a safe weekend. I’ll be back on Monday for your Monday Morning Entertainment.

On College Football 2010 Preseason Poll

The start of college football is upon us, meanwhile the pundits are proclaiming a lot with their preseason predictions and preseason polls. I must say this, and not necessarily to brag,  but I’ve been doing preseason polls for the past four years and I seem to have the knack for hitting the nail on the head every time. But before the pre-season rankings, let’s establish the criteria.

Ranking Criteria

• Last year doesn’t count
• Nor does the year before that
• Nor any other year
• Traditions don’t count
• Expectations don’t count
• Power Conference membership doesn’t count
• Band program doesn’t count
• Hosting ESPN Game Day doesn’t count
• Storied history doesn’t count
• Home attendance doesn’t count
• Number of times on TV doesn’t count
• National Anthem singers don’t count
• Number of alumni doesn’t count
• Famous mascots don’t count
• Fight and spirit songs don’t count
• Number of issued press passes doesn’t count
• Played in fabled game doesn’t count
• Hype doesn’t count
• Famous alumni don’t count
• Media market doesn’t count
• Bowl history doesn’t count
• Number of 5-star recruits doesn’t count
• Famous celebs in the stands don’t count
• Amount of school clothing sold doesn’t count
• Past legendary coaches don’t count
• Number of players in the NFL doesn’t count
• Loving or hating Notre Dame doesn’t count
• Preseason predictions don’t count
• What ESPN says doesn’t count
• Preseason predictions by magazines don’t count
• Number of returning lettermen doesn’t count
• Tailgating attendance doesn’t count
• Number of research grants doesn’t count
• Number of past and current All-Americans doesn’t count
• Number of televised games doesn’t count

PreSeason College Football Top 10

The only thing that matters is who the team played and did they win or lose. Nothing else and nothing more – and no games have been played.

On Catching Up with Sports

My goal this week is to have to post each day. Doing a collection of thoughts on a topic will hopefully help me get back in the groove after being 0 for June. Sports is today’s topic.

Tiger Woods has been an unbelievable dominance in his sport, but now, he seems to be a mere shell of himself. I’ve always said that talent differences at that level are small, and many small factors contribute to differences. In Tiger’s case, he held a strong mental edge over his competitors. To me, it sure seems that he has lost that mojo, thus is currently just one of the guys.

MLB just announced the All-Star team. Let me get this straight – (through Saturday’s games for your position), having the following rankings is NOT good enough to make the team: Runs (1), Hits (4), HR (2), RBI (3), Total Bases (2), AVG (1), OBP (2), SLG (1). The selection process is simply pathetic. How else can Joey Votto’s omission be explained? By the way, not since 1952 has a NL player who is in the top 5 in AVE, HR, and RBIs not made the team … and Votto’s stats are better than top 5!

My Cincinnati Reds have been a pleasant surprise. As I stated in my Opening Day analysis, right-handed hitters would be the key … and these guys have responded to date. Rolen, Phillips, Cabrera, and Gomes have led the way. Bullpen has been a surprise letdown, but they are getting better.

Count me in as one of those who hate seeing college football realignment. Good news is that the talk as calmed down … well for now … but remember, it’s not over. No matter how you cut it, it’s all about money and the rich getting richer. Although the Big 10 still can’t count, at least they have company in the PAC 10 and the Big 12.

With the World Cup approaching the end, I can let it pass. On the plus side, I admire the player’s physical stamina and footwork. On the negative side, the game is boring, players faking fouls is much worse than basketball, and fans “negative” reaction to those of us who just don’t get into the World Cup is the topping on the cake.

I was a Fantasy Baseball player at The Sporting News, but they decided to discontinue the service this year. Although I’ve been too busy, I still miss it.

Welcome back SnatchSports.