Debates...

Tonight's debate between Dubya and Senator Kerry should be interesting. This will finally get Mr. Kerry back in front of a national TV audience to clearly explain his positions. This is his chance to take over the slim leads Bush is holding in some swing states. When you think about it, it does make some sense that the President is holding a lead. He did get a great bounce out of the convention and has been able to maintain some of it. I'm looking very forward to it. I caught some of Bill O'Reilly's interview with the President the last three nights. O'Reilly is now asking John Kerry to sit down with him and give a one one one interview. If I was a Kerry adviser, I would avoid this like the plague. He would have very little to gain. After the interview, the "factor" held an informal poll saying that Dubya did very well in the interview. What a shock. When you consider the conservative viewership of Fox, this makes sense. Kerry's in a no win situation. He could come across like Abe Lincoln in the interview and the viewership would say he didn't do very well. If he doesn't do the interview, O'Reilly savages him every night for not coming on. Back to the debate talk, this is the biggest night for the Kerry campaign. I've vacillated back and forth about how he should go after Bush. On one hand, he can't come across as so angry that people see him as Mr. Negative. On the other hand, he has to go after the Presidents failed policy decisions and give an alternative to them. After much thought, (and I know you're reading this Mr. Kerry, Ha, Ha), I really think he needs to go after the President with all barrels blazing. Perception is that he's not able to take a stand on some issues, deserved or not. Tonight he must change that perception. He needs to assure the undecided voter that he will go after terrorists with a better plan than is currently in place. I believe most undecided voters feel he would do a better job domestically but are concerned he won't fight terrorism strongly. This is ridiculous of course, but is the view of your typical undecided.

Movies...

I don't know if it's just me, but there doesn't seem to be a deluge of great movies I've seen recently. Everything that's coming out I feel I've seen before. There are exceptions like Kill Bill, but if I wait to see only Tarantino films, I'll see very little indeed. Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad he takes his time and doesn't do disappointing films like "The Terminal" the way Spielberg did. If I see one more remake of either: a formulaic teen movie, a formulaic horror movie, a TV show, or a sappy love story, I will literally scream. If there are any suggestions anyone can give me on something I've missed in the last few months, I'll gladly take it. The only movie that's stuck with me to a certain degree this year was "The Passion". The one major failing of that movie was the lack of humanity it had. When the movie was it's most enjoyable was when they had the different flashbacks to certain times of his life. There needed to be more scenes of the compassion of Jesus in my opinion. It could have been a masterpiece, and came up short. I do give Mel Gibson great respect for having the courage to make the film. I thought it was quite absurd for some in Hollywood to complain about the violence in the film. When you look at what they market, it's a ridiculous argument to make. Violence always has to be looked at in context. Kill Bill's violence is so cartoonlike it was humorous to watch. "The Passion" has violence that is more grounded in reality (to some).

CBS and Dan Rather

Well... What I was afraid of has happened. CBS has been fooled by partisan political operatives. As much as this liberal, lefty, Democrat hates to admit it. In Mr. Rather's rush to want to believe a story to be true (a story which still may be true, a fact that's now lost due to CBS's incompetence), they have settled the National Guard issue for the President. Thanks CBS! Every Democrat in the country should be calling for Dan Rather to step down. This was irresponsible journalism at best, partisan bias at worst. I suppose this might turn out to actually be a good thing. Maybe we can put Vietnam to rest for the stretch run of the campaign. There are other issues to debate I suppose. There is a very troubling trend happening with news though. There was a great Op-Ed piece in the Star Tribune yesterday about networks rushing to get news on the air, that the facts of a story are being lost. Also, in todays society "fair and balanced" is now having someone from the right and someone from the left sit on a show and try to outshout each other. Americans now have to be "entertained" by their news or a majority won't watch. This is a sad fact. I really don't know what news outlet to trust anymore. For example, if CBS has a liberal bias, there's another network that leans severely right and that's Fox "news". It seems to me they have a hard time reporting anything critical of the President. I do watch CNN and they seem to be at least somewhat unbiased in some of their reporting. This brings me to another issue. What defines "bias"? I think CBS rushing faked documents on the air qualifies as severe bias. But do I think Fox news is biased just because I disagree with almost all of the President's policies? Maybe, but I really don't think so. When I'm watching Brit Hume ask a reporter from a conservative news magazine "Was it possible that the President's National Guard unit could have been called up for service in Vietnam?" and that reporter says "Yes" when we all know the fact of the matter is that there was no way that unit would ever see combat. I feel that's a very strong bias.

Vikings Monday Night Prediction...

Tonight on MNF, The Vikings will be playing the Philadelphia Eagles. My prediction for this game is an overtime loss for the purple. The Vikings defense, while improved, will not be able to contain McNabb, and their secondary is banged up. Terrell Owens will have two TD's. I don't know why T.O. gets beat up so bad in the press. He's a great receiver and a nice man. We ran into him on a light rail type train at the Orlando airport. When he saw that I needed a seat he moved his bag for me so I could sit down. Not a huge deal but it was a courteous gesture. I didn't recognize him until later after we had gotten off the train and saw his limo driver waiting for him. I wish I had managed to say more than "thanks". The Texans got beat by the Lions yesterday to start 0-2. Their next couple games are very tough. So it looks like a long season for David Carr and company.

Another Twins update...

They just completed the latest sweep of the hated Chicago White Sox. 13 game lead in the division.
'Nuff said.

Currently listening to...

Jeff Buckey - Grace (The ten year Legacy edition)- Recently released remaster of his debut album. Special edition came with second CD of unreleased material from the "Grace" sessions and DVD with all the videos and a documentary of the making of the record. This album is definitely in my top five, all time.
Luther Allison - Live in Paris
Buddy Guy - Sweet Tea
Wilco - A.M.
The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Morning
Ryan Adams - Any CD he's ever released
The Tragically Hip - In Between Evolution
Steely Dan - A Decade of Steely Dan
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Keb Mo' - Keep It Simple
Primus - Live at the Orpheum, Minneapolis
Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
Bob Dylan - Love and Theft

Iraq - Descent into Civil War?

Well, President Bush is trying to maintain a positive spin on the situation in Iraq. This is becoming increasingly more difficult to do. The press is running this morning with a highly classified intel document that was presented to the President outlining various possible outcomes of the Iraq situation. None of them optimistic. These possibilties include maybe even civil war. Consider this quote by a Republican Senator in an election year:

"It's beyond pitiful, it's beyond embarrassing, it's now in the zone of dangerous," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., referring to figures showing only about 6 percent of the reconstruction money approved by Congress last year has been spent.

Hagel, Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and other committee members have long argued — even before the war — that administration plans for rebuilding Iraq were inadequate and based on overly optimistic assumptions that Americans would be greeted as liberators.

But the criticism from the panel's top Republicans had an extra sting coming less than seven weeks before the U.S. presidential election in which Bush's handling of the war is a top issue.

"Our committee heard blindly optimistic people from the administration prior to the war and people outside the administration — what I call the 'dancing in the street crowd' — that we just simply will be greeted with open arms," Lugar said. "The nonsense of all of that is apparent. The lack of planning is apparent."

The full story is available on the yahoo.com news section this morning and I'm assuming other outlets (maybe not FOX news).
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq&cid=542&ncid=716

CBS and Dan Rather and memo's

The story is turning into a bigger story than the story on the stories of the Bush memo's. What'd I just say? I'm really hoping the memo's on Dubya's National Guard service turn out to be true. Not because I think there is some debate on what Bush was doing during the time in question, (which is a legitimate issue), but this will really crush my faith in mainstream journalism. This will also give that much more ammunition to the radical right about just how leftist the mainstream media has become. I really don't want to believe this, but it is getting more difficult when CBS can't seem to find out where they got the documents from. Honest to God, is this election getting more entertaining by the day or what?!!! Elections seem to have become more and more about the 30 second ad or 10 second soundbite. I pray americans won't base their vote this year on who's ad's drew more blood, or who sounds better in their soundbites, but rather (no pun intended), by informing themselves on which candidate better represents their views on issues. I think the debates will be the definitive moment when the swing voters make their decisions. I hope so anyway.

Souhan's article in todays Star Tribune...

Jim Souhan, writer for the Star Tribune, wrote the following article about the White Sox. Classic.


Baseball Insider: Secret to Sox 'success'
Jim Souhan
September 14, 2004 INSI0914


DETROIT -- Last time the White Sox came to the Metrodome, they swept the Twins and took a two-game lead in the AL Central.

A few Twins told me privately after that series, "Just wait -- they'll fall apart."

They were right.

The second-to-last time the Sox came to the Metrodome, they took three of four from the Twins, and I praised Chicago as deeper, smarter and more versatile than their previous editions.

I was wrong.

For years, local baseball fans yearned for the Twins to again evoke the rattle and hum of a pennant race. For the past three years, the Twins have done their part, only to look around in mid-September and realize they were dancing by themselves.

So, for the third consecutive season, the Sox will spend much of September wondering what went wrong.

The White Sox would not have been able to attain this kind of consistency without a blueprint. Now the Star Tribune has those secret plans. We have clandestinely obtained intra-office memos from 333 West 35th St., on the South Side of Chicago. (Dan Rather was involved; that's all I'll say.)

Here's how the White Sox built yet another team fully capable of securing second place in the awesomely deep AL Central:

From the desk of Ken Williams.

Memo to self:

1. Get rid of Carl Everett. Why? Because if you don't, then you can't ...

2. Trade for Carl Everett. You dealt for him in 2003. You dealt for him in 2004. One of these years, it's got to work.

3. Get rid of Roberto Alomar. Why? Because if you don't, then you can't ...

4. Trade for Roberto Alomar. You traded for him in 2003. You traded for him in 2004. One of these years, it's got to work.

5. Acquire a pitcher whose belly is the approximate shape and consistency of a Big Mac.

In 2001, you signed David Wells, who will never do endorsements for the Abdominizer. In 2002, you signed Bartolo Colon, who has a better chance of doing endorsements for the Food Network than ESPN. In 2004, you traded Esteban Loiaza (great idea) for Jose Contreras (iffy idea), who lacks the sheer girth of Wells and Colon but fits the role of big ol' underachiever.

Check to see if Mickey Lolich is available.

6. Fire the manager. Until the Twins swept you in Chicago in late July, your team looked dangerous.

It has now become clear that you have the wrong personality type in the manager's office. Ozzie Guillen is too fiery, too close to his players, too emotional. It's obvious that you need someone with a more understated approach.

Is Jerry Manuel available?

7. If you're going to win a championship, you must emulate the franchise from New York, the one that makes splashy moves to win back-page tabloid headlines.

Don't do like the other big-money teams and emulate the Yankees. Think outside the box.

Copy the Mets.

Pursue big names who are past their prime. You've acquired Everett (twice), Alomar (twice), Freddy Garcia, Wells, Contreras...

Try to be even more like the Mets. Is Cliff Floyd available?

8. Help Frank Thomas maintain his status as the public focal point of the team.

He's one of the greatest hitters of his era -- and proof of how little one hitter (with the notable exception of Barry Bonds) can do for his team.

And how a selfish personality can disrupt, or at least distract, a clubhouse. I don't know if Frank's a bad guy, but an underachieving team doesn't need self-centered stars. (See: Kansas City and Juan Gonzalez.)

9. In a decisive September game, have one of your imports (Everett) tell the Twins' first baseman (Doug Mientkiewicz, last year) that "It's over." During the game. While leading off first base.

It's that kind of competitive spirit, that kind of confidence, that the White Sox have imbued in their players.

Don't worry about the future, White Sox fans. Players like Alomar and Everett can bring you four or five competitive months of baseball every year.

Twins update...

As of last look the Minnesota Twins magic number was down to eleven and they had a ten game lead in the division. This race is over. I'm really surprised they didn't face stiffer competition from either the Kansas City Royals or the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are a joke, every year they come out talking about how they're a better team than the Twins, "we have more talent", blah, blah,blah. I know they had injuries and everything but so does every other team in the league including the Twins. Minnesota lost their best hitter/catcher this year and we found a way to continue to win. The Royals were obviously a flash in the pan with their great year last season. They just didn't do a thing this year. I have a great feeling about this Twins team, I really feel we'll be seeing them play in the World Series this year and Johann Santana will win the Cy Young.

Another NFL season off and running...

Here we go again. Another season of the National Football League. I mostly follow the NFC due to the fact that the only team that matters is in that conference. The Minnesota Vikings. It shapes up to be a great season with Randy Moss saying all the right things in the media, Daunte Culpepper threw five TD's yesterday, the running game should be acceptable, and an improved defense. My other new team (you have to have a backup team to cheer for when the inevitable Vikings meltdown occurs) is the Houston Texans. They should be somewhat improved but I'm not predicting the playoffs for them. My dad's family was originally from Texas so we have some right to claim them. As for the Vikes, anything less than getting to the Super Bowl will be a disappointment for me. They should win the NFC North with the only challenge being the Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre can never be counted out. Should be fun.

New Music?

On this blog, I'll always welcome any suggestions of ANY kind of music people can suggest. I'm always looking for something that could expand my musical horizon. The things I'm enjoying most right now are kind of quirky I guess; The Shins, The Postal Service, Sigur Ros, Radiohead.... While saying this, my favorite album right now is "Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder-Live from the Charleston Music Hall". Just fierce, clean and fast bluegrass. I guess my tastes are kind of eclectic. I listen to everything from Metallica to Phish to Primus to Allison Krauss. Kind of bizarre. I'm really looking forward to the new "Les Claypool's Bucket of Bernie's Brains" CD. Les is the mastermind behind Primus but he leads may other bands as well. So when I say I listen to anything, I mean it.

Hello my friends to the show that never ends...

Welcome to my initial public offering of a blog. I'm new to this as most are when first starting out. I'm hoping to keep this from becoming a place to completely meltdown about the current state of affairs in the world, but "you never know how the show'll work out in the end". I welcome all opinions here as long as they're clean. They don't even have to be well thought out, just non-vulgar. This blog will try to concentrate on music, sports, and politics, but there will be plenty of other items as we trudge along. Hoping you enjoy,
Peace and love,
-Big Scott