The epitome of class...

I'm hanging out in New York City (more specifically, Brooklyn), having just returned with friends from idyllic Cooperstown and the 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductions. Why? Well, this man gave me 20 years of his heart and soul...I figured I owed it to him to be there on his day:




Of course Tony Gwynn was inducted with the only other player in the past twenty years who could match his class, his dignity and his dedication...the great Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken:




What a day.


You don't have to be a hardcore baseball fan to appreciate what Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken have meant to their communties. In today's sports world where we have to sift through the garbage of steroid abusers, point-shaving referees and animal-abusing quarterbacks, it was an absolute joy to celebrate what sports should be.

The sign says "My son is named 'Cal' because of you"

The crowd at the ceremony was 75,000...that's seventy-five thousand. Almost twice as many came out to celebrate Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn as had ever been at a Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony ever before (the average is 15,000). Why would so many come to honor baseball players?

75,000 fans came to honor Tony and Cal

Consider what our perception of athletes is these days. Compare that to Cal and Tony:

* Both played their entire careers (20 years) with one team.

* Both could have left their teams for more money.

* Both gave everything they had each time they stepped on a baseball diamond

* Both worked tirelessly at their craft.

* Both married incredible wives and stayed married and in turn raised terrific kids. Their off-field conduct has always been way above reproach.

* Both Tony and Cal are humble men who have always credited others for their success.

* Both reflected the classy manor in which their cities in turn honored them.

Of course with Cooperstown, New York being so much closer to Baltimore than San Diego, Oriole fans outnumbered Padre fans about 3 to 1. But the roar for each player was equally loud. Why? Because Oriole fans had the class to recognize that Tony Gwynn was everything to San Diego that Cal Ripken has been to Baltimore. Everyone I talked to agreed that Sunday was special in a way it had never been before and would never be again.

In fact, someone described it as the "perfect storm" hitting Cooperstown.

From Monday's San Diego Union Tribune:

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – If it were simply a baseball game, even the biggest baseball game of his life, he could have played it cool in the hottest heat. Throw him a change, a change of any kind, and he could handle it with nary a flinch.

Precisely because he was so adept as a hitter, Tony Gwynn yesterday was sitting in a bus full of baseball legends as it approached the Clark Sports Center, site of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for him and Cal Ripken Jr.

Gwynn had barely absorbed the stunning view of 75,000 people assembled in the duo's honor – by far the largest crowd ever for an induction ceremony – when he learned that the lineup had just been changed because of threatening weather. Instead of going third in the order, his customary and assigned spot, Gwynn was up first yesterday. Leadoff. With only minutes to go.

Tony however handled the change in order just fine. And in typical Gwynn fashion, he gave credit to everyone else:

As he said throughout the lead-up to this first enshrinement of a player who spent his entire career with the Padres, Gwynn wasn't up there alone. Indeed, the thousands of fans who made the odyssey from San Diego nudged and cajoled him through his speech of nearly 28 minutes, punctuating his career recollections and words of gratitude with their applause and chants of “To-ny! To-ny! To-ny!”

“I played for one organization, the San Diego Padres, and when this day started out today, I thought I was going to go third,” Gwynn told the crowd, which was informed that the induction of Gwynn and Ripken would be moved up as defense against thunderstorms that were forecast but never arrived. “I thought I was going to get to hear what other people said about their teams and their towns and their cities. I only know one way – that's the Padre way.

“I wore brown. I wore the brown and gold. I wore the blue and orange. I didn't get a chance to wear the (current) 'sand' and whatever color blue you want to call that, but I'm proud as heck to be a San Diego Padre. I played for one team. I played in one town.”

Padre fans traveled 3,000 miles to honor Gwynn.

Gwynn summed up why he thought so many had come to Cooperstown to honor the duo of Gwynn and Ripken:

“With our teams, in our cities, people trusted us,” Gwynn said. “They trusted how we played the game and how we conducted ourselves. They trusted us to play the game right and take care of business the right way. They can look back on our careers and see that we did things the right way. There's no question about that. "

Thank you, Tony.

The evil behind Michael Vick

Michael Vick is in serious hot water. Of course everyone knows about his troubles with dog fighting. But that might be the least of his troubles:

As if Michael Vick didn't have enough troubles, he may have to fork over $63 billion — that's billion, with a B — if one Jonathan Lee Riches prevails in court.

The aptly named Riches' lawsuit against Vick, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Richmond, was handwritten. That's because Riches is currently a guest of the Graybar Hotel in South Carolina (it's not clear which town; his handwriting's a little hard to read).

The lawsuit does not explain what landed Riches in the clink, but does spell out a number of dastardly allegations: that Vick supposedly stole Riches' dogs for dogfighting purposes, opened credit cards in Riches' name and stole his copyrighted property. ("Mr. Vick uses my name to sell T-shirts," the suit alleges at one point).

Now Michael Vick is a wealthy man...however he certainly does not have $63 billion. But if these allegations are true, it might explain why Vick is so hell-bent on self- imploding:

Riches claims that Vick sold the pilfered pooches on eBay and used the proceeds to purchase missles from the Iranian government, that he has "plead (sic) allegiance to Al-quaeda" and has subjected Riches to "microwave testing."

Alleged Al-Qaeda operative Michael Vick prepares to drop a bomb on us

Well, this all explains so much. Note that Michael Vick is especially adept at running away from armored warriors who try to catch him, his accuracy sucks, he hides behind innocent men while lobbing bombs indiscriminately at dubious targets and he is well-trained in biological warfare.

Vick's response?:

C-Ya!

Hey y'all...gonna be travelling for 10 days. However unlike some lazy-ass bloggers, I'll have a lap top with me and will be checking in periodically.


First stop...Cooperstown, New York for the induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame of Anthony Keith Gwynn:




I'll be spending the rest of the week in New York, where maybe I'll see a show, maybe go to a few great restaurants, or maybe I'll just look at strange people:





Then it's off to Nashville, Tennessee for the first annual Insufferable Pricks Party Convention...otherwise known as Prickfest:

Scheduled to appear at Prickfest:

The Boyz at Six Meat Buffet

Vinnie and Merri

Beth from MVRWC

Linda from Something...and Half of Something ...

And perhaps a few other assorted characters. Expect limited reportage from the convention as the goings-on are a continuation of that Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.

Until I check in:

Oregon prosecutors confused as to what constitutes "sexual assault"

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski had tough words for sexual predators as he signed Oregon's version of Jessica's Law last year:

"Jessica's law sends an unmistakable message to potential child abusers: Act-out and the state of Oregon will take you off the streets for years and years," the governor declared at a bill-signing ceremony held at the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. "We will not tolerate the sexual abuse of Oregon's children. And anyone who even thinks about hurting a child should know that the full weight of Oregon law will fall on them, and they will be spending a very long time behind bars."

Man...he wasn't kidding:

NEW YORK (July 25) -- Two middle-school students in Oregon are facing possible time in a juvenile jail and could have to register as sex offenders for smacking girls on the rear end at school.


Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison, both 13, were arrested in February after they were caught in the halls of Patton Middle School, in McMinnville, Ore., slapping girls on the rear end. Mashburn told ABC News in a phone interview that this was a common way of saying hello practiced by lots of kids at the school, akin to a secret handshake.

The boys spent five days in a juvenile detention facility and were charged with several counts of felony sex abuse for what they and their parents said was merely inappropriate but not criminal behavior.

"Sex Offender" Ryan Cornelison is released into the custody of his parents

On the surface, it appears as if the District Attorney has backed off a little:

District Attorney Bradley Berry has since dismissed the felony counts. The boys face 10 misdemeanor charges of harassment and sexual abuse. They face a maximum of up to one year in a juvenile jail on each count, though Berry said there was no way the boys would ever serve that much time.

"An appropriate sentence would be probation," he said. "These are minor misdemeanor charges that reflect repeated contact against multiple victims. We never intended for them to get a long time in detention."

Well...good for Berry! Except for this:

The Mashburns' lawyer said prosecutors offered Cory a plea bargain that would not require him to register as a sex offender, which the family plans to reject.But the boys, if convicted at an Aug. 20 trial, still face the possibility of some jail time or registering for life as sex offenders.

ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?!?

My guess is that DA Bradley Berry endured too many wedgies and rat-tails when he was in junior high. And because of that, he's prepared to ruin the lives of two kids who were engaged in some stupid teenage game?

Of course if Patton Middle School was a little more...you know...progressive, they could have avoided this mess altogether.

Global Warming-fueled disasterous storms approaching! Everyone head for the hills!

Uh...never mind:

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The 2007 hurricane season may be less severe than forecast due to cooler-than-expected water temperatures in the tropical Atlantic, private forecaster WSI Corp said on Tuesday.

The season will bring 14 named storms, of which six will become hurricanes and three will become major hurricanes, WSI said in its revised outlook. WSI had previously expected 15 named storms of which eight would become hurricanes and four would become major hurricanes.

"Because the ocean temperatures have not yet rebounded from the significant drop in late spring, we have decided to reduce our forecast numbers slightly," said Todd Crawford, a WSI seasonal forecaster.

I can't wait until someone at Prickfest teaches me a little photoshop. I would have loved to have done something with this:

Beware of Hermit Crabs selling carbon offsets

Knowing JP Toomey's work, I think Hawthorne will be selling these all week:

Click to make bigger

Go Bucky, go! (pt. 2)

From Sunday's Get Fuzzy:

Click to make bigger

Go Bucky, go (part 1)

City of New Haven to be renamed City of "Safe" Haven

If you live in New Haven, Connecticut...brush up on your Spanish:

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (Reuters) - As many U.S. cities and states arrest illegal immigrants in raids and toughen laws against them, a Connecticut city is offering to validate them under a controversial, first-in-the-nation ID card program.

Starting Tuesday, New Haven will offer illegal immigrants municipal identification cards that allow access to city services such as libraries and a chance to open bank accounts.

Supporters say the cards will improve public safety and give undocumented workers protections now afforded legal residents. Critics contend it will unleash a flood of illegal immigration, straining services and wasting taxpayer money.

New Haven officials overwhelmingly approved the program last month in
a 25 to 1 vote.

Of course the "bigots" are not going to take this sitting down:

Opponents hope to rally the public against it. Southern Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Reform says the ID cards will change "the entire country as we know it" and is organizing a protest on Tuesday at city hall.

"There are millions of illegal aliens right around us that when these ID cards are available to them, they will rush to them and get some identification that will allow them to go to other cities," said Ted Pechinski, who leads the group.

"Green cards? We don't need no steenkin' green cards! We're moving to New Haven!"

Since New Haven is so eager to embrace the illegal alien community, here's a little help:

North Carolina-based Americans for Legal Immigration PAC has circulated a flier in 40 states urging illegal workers to move to New Haven, said its president William Gheen.

"Maybe New Haven needs to learn, if they want the illegals, then they'll get the illegals," he said.

His flier, in English and Spanish, says: "Come to New Haven CT for sanctuary. Bring your friends and family members quickly."

Fatima, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, said she is eager to apply for the card. "The ID will help me because it's a way to be in this country and get people to know who you are, especially for people who crossed the border and lost their papers," she said. "I feel safe here in New Haven."

Proof Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are morons

I don't have a lot of time for musings today, but this is something I just can't believe:




Thanks to Justin Higgins for the new NYC subway poster...

Old Skool Miller (part 3)

Part One

Part Two

Drunken Illegal Aliens play bumper cars on our freeways...9 year old boy dies as a result

It's sad, but it seems like I could do this kind of post almost every day:

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – A father accused of driving drunk and fleeing the freeway crash that killed his 9-year-old son pleaded not guilty yesterday to gross vehicular manslaughter and other charges.

Marcos Munoz Sanchez, 33, faces several felony and misdemeanor charges, including child endangerment, driving under the influence and hit-and-run. If convicted, he could be sent to prison for up to 15 years.

Deputy District Attorney Melissa Vasel said Munoz was driving on Interstate 8 near Texas Street on Saturday when he crashed into a car parked on the shoulder around 1:40 a.m. His son, Alex Munoz , was in the passenger seat and died as a result of the impact.

Vasel told the judge that a witness came out of a nearby restaurant shortly after the crash and saw a man running from the area. Later, police saw a white pickup circling the restaurant parking lot.

Vasel said police saw the same truck again later that day near the family's Linda Vista apartment and contacted the men inside.

Marcos Munoz , the passenger, had minor injuries and glass in his hair and clothes, authorities said. Another man, Raul Munoz Sanchez, was driving the pickup. The men are believed to be related, Vasel said.

Vasel told the judge that Raul Munoz 's blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.19 percent after his arrest. Marcos Munoz 's blood-alcohol content measured 0.11 percent a little more than three hours after the collision. The legal threshold for drunken driving is 0.08 percent.

Deputy Public Defender Paul Rodriguez said Marcos Munoz has no significant criminal record, except for a misdemeanor conviction from 2005.

Of course our illegal alien amnesty supporting Union Tribune saves this bit of information for the last line of the story:

Police have said that both men were in the country illegally and were not licensed drivers.

If Marcos Munoz had been deported after his misdemeanor conviction, perhaps he could have killed his son on a Mexican freeway instead.

The Johnny Sutton weasel tour...

Well...let's give credit for once to Johnny Sutton. After his congressional testimony yesterday, he made the rounds on radio and television and faced some of his biggest critics. First up, his interview with Lou Dobbs:





Johnny's big argument is that "We had a jury trial! We had a jury trial!" Of course there never had to be a trial in the first place. Dobbs explains succinctly why so many Americans are pissed of at this weasel:

"The effect of your prosecution was to side with the drug dealer against two border patrol agents."

Even Sutton admits his case relied on the testimony of a drug dealer...he had nothing else but this dirtbag's word:

These guys were banking that that dope smuggler wasn't going to show up and if he didn't we had no case...

So let's see...who's word would I take? Two border patrol agents with impeccable service records? Or a drug dealer who not once, but TWICE, was caught smuggling drugs over our border.

Sutton still doesn't get it. All he comes back with is "We had a jury trial!" Because we all know how smart juries can be:




Hot Air has part two of the Johnny Sutton weasel tour, an interview on Hannity and Colmes.

Illegal alien molests 13 year old boy...

I wonder how Geraldo Rivera would spin this?

A 13-year-old boy was sexually assaulted near a Poway middle school Monday after a homeless man lured him with alcohol to a hillside encampment, sheriff's officials said yesterday.

Jesus Mora Nava, 30, was arrested hours later after a short pursuit by deputies and booked into jail on suspicion of several child molestation charges.

Nava is being held without bail. He also is being detained on federal immigration violations.

Nava promised the boy alcohol and led him to a nearby hillside, where it appeared Nava had been camping out, sheriff's Capt. Glenn Revell said.

Investigators said Nava gave the boy a drink before sexually assaulting him.

Jesus Mora Nava loves our "open borders" policy

Of course Nava has already been through the open borders revolving door:

Nava was arrested after a short chase. Investigators say he was identified based on the victim's statement and help from local businesses.

Nava entered the country illegally after being deported from the Imperial Valley in May, said Lauren Mack, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman.

Nava also has been arrested for public intoxication, Revell said.

“We are concerned he has possibly tried to lure other young people in a similar situation, and we'd like other possible victims to summon the same courage and come forward,” Revell said.

This story seems especially pertinent in light of the campaign begun by Patterico, Michelle Malkin and Hot Air:

As Michelle notes in her latest column:

Don’t we have enough homegrown criminals without the added public safety menace of known, convicted criminal aliens being released from prisons and jails to disappear and commit more crimes?

Get in the fight at http://www.deportthemnow.com/.

Rickey returns to San Diego

One of my all-time favorite Padres, Rickey Henderson, returned to San Diego tonight as the baserunning coach of the New York Mets.

Tonight, Padres play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian told this story about Rickey...one I had never heard:

In the early 1980s, the Oakland A’s accounting department was freaking out. The books were off $1 million. After an investigation, it was determined Rickey was the reason why. The GM asked him about a $1 million bonus he had received and Rickey said instead of cashing it, he framed it and hung it on a wall at his house.

More Rickey Henderson stories available here at 100% Injury Rate.

Some advice for Geraldo Rivera...

Dude...give it up. Picking fights with Michelle Malkin will eliminate what's left of your ridiculous career in "journalism". For the full blast, go over to Michelle's post:

But with clueless Geraldo, the immigration debate is always and only about one border–the southern border. It’s only about one kind of immigrant: Hispanic illegal aliens. And it’s all about one cheap set of talking points: All illegal aliens are hard-working angels, all ICE agents are jack-booted thugs, and everyone who believes in enforcing immigration laws is an “anti-immigrant radical.”

Remember: Geraldo’s so over the cliff, his answer to whether any criminal aliens should ever be deported was a blubbering digression about John Lennon.

Geraldo is worse than worthless. So I won’t waste another word. There’s too much work to do.

Michelle wasted this turd the last time Geraldo made the mistake of calling her out. You'd think he'd learn his lesson, but strangely he reminds me of this guy:

Pricks Rock!

My new Prick friends have some awesome taste in music:



The Insufferable Pricks Party throwdown is in 3 weeks. Looking forward to meeting y'all!

When in New York, watch out for falling drunks

Of course at a Yankees game, you kind of expect this sort of thing:

NEW YORK (July 14) - A tourist who suffered a broken neck at Yankee Stadium when another fan fell on him is recovering from his injuries.


Paul Robinson, 53, of Kirkland, Wash., was sitting in the stadium's steep upper deck with his wife and 13-year-old son last Sunday when an unidentified fan standing above him took a violent tumble down several rows of seats.

"His neck is in a big brace. He's not paralyzed. Luckily, the surgery was very, very successful," said Steven Osborne, a spokesman for Montefiore Medical Center. "And this is a miracle, because that vertebrae, if you go a fraction of an inch, you're paralyzed, or you can't breathe."

The man crashed into Robinson's head, breaking his vertebrae, then came to rest in the next row.

In typical Yankee fan fashion:

The man who fell was dragged away by his friends and never bothered to apologize or check how badly Robinson was hurt. The family believes he was drunk.



"I found it odd that they didn't even ask if Paul was OK," Robinson's wife, Kathy, told the Daily News. "It's very steep up there, but if it was an innocent trip, they would ask if Paul was OK."

Yankee fans always seem to be doing stupid and drunken things:

From 2005:

NEW YORK -- A fan who jumped from the Yankee Stadium upper deck to the netting behind home plate was released from a hospital Wednesday and appeared in court to face criminal charges.

Eighteen-year-old Scott Harper plummeted about 40 feet onto the large screen during the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game between New York and the Chicago White Sox. After the final out, he was carried on a stretcher from the ballpark to Lincoln Medical Center, his head immobilized in a neck brace.

Harper had told three friends he was sitting with that he was going to test whether the net would hold his weight -- and then he jumped, police said.

It was the second time in five years a fan dropped from the upper deck at Yankee Stadium. In May 2000, 24-year-old Stephen Laurenzi of Yonkers, N.Y., was unconscious for a short time while sprawled on the net as a game between Boston and New York went on. He also was arrested and taken to a hospital for observation.

And just so you don't think that the Yankees have a monopoly in New York on stupid, drunk fans:

NEW YORK - A New York Mets fan has filed suit, contending a drunken, 300-pound man fell on her during the home opener at Shea Stadium and broke her back.

Ellen Massey, a 58-year-old Manhattan lawyer, sued the team, the beer concession, the union that represents the security guards at the ballpark and “John Doe,” the unidentified man who toppled on her.

Massey had surgery for spinal injuries and was hospitalized for about two weeks, said her lawyer, Stephen Kaufman. Doctors put rods and screws in her back and will have to operate on her again, he said.

Massey said that on April 9 she was in the second row of the right field upper deck near a “visibly intoxicated” man who was “acting in a rowdy, boisterous and dangerous manner for a long period of time.”

Exit question. Was Flounder from Animal House a Yankees fan or a Mets fan?

Sheffield plays the race card...again!

Why can't this moron keep his mouth shut and just play baseball?

SEATTLE (AP) -Detroit slugger Gary Sheffield had an idyllic view of the New York Yankees when he joined the team before the 2004 season.

Those opinions quickly changed, and once again, Sheffield isn't shying away from sharing his thoughts.

The latest controversy surrounding Sheffield surfaced Friday, with comments he made to HBO's Real Sports, in an episode scheduled to air Tuesday night. Sheffield had strong words for Yankees' manager Joe Torre and shortstop Derek Jeter...

Sheffield claims black and white players in the Yankees clubhouse were treated differently, specifically how players Tony Womack and Kenny Lofton were handled by Torre. In the interview with HBO, Sheffield says the black players on the Yankees' roster would be "called out" in the clubhouse by Torre, while the white players would be called into Torre's office to discuss matters.

"I think it's a, a way of, the way they do things around there, you know," Sheffield told Real Sports. "They run their ship differently."

Oh. I get it. Joe Torre is a racist. Now maybe I'd simply dismiss this as another rant from the non-stop mouth of Gary Sheffield, but it looks like Shef has found someone to back up his claim:

Gary Sheffield isn't the only player who feels Joe Torre treated black players differently than white players, as Sheffield's former teammate, Kenny Lofton,
chimed in with his thoughts yesterday before his Rangers played in Anaheim.


"All I can say is, Sheffield knows what he's talking about," Lofton told The Associated Press when asked to respond to Sheffield's comments about Torre. "That's all I'm going to say."

Lofton's one-year tenure in pinstripes was a tumultuous one, as he was signed to a two-year deal by George Steinbrenner to hit leadoff and replace Bernie Williams in center field, only to have Torre declare the job an open competition in spring training.

During the team's season-opening trip to Japan that March, Lofton griped about being batting ninth in the opener despite the fact that he hit .174 with no steals during spring training.

Of course Sheffield and Lofton have plenty in common. Despite being blessed with awesome athletic abilities, these chronic whiners have never been able to settle down and find a home. Sheffield has been with 7 different teams, Lofton with 11.



Funny...if Torre was such a racist, you'd think a leader like Derek Jeter would speak out. But according to Sheffield:

... when it was mentioned that the Yankees' most prominent player - Derek Jeter - is black, Sheffield quickly clarified that Jeter is "black and white."

When asked the significance of that, Sheffield said, "It's really no significance. It's just you ain't all the way black."

Derek Jeter: Not "all the way" black

Of course this isn't the first time this season that Sheffield has played the race card...

I'm a tagging victim! (Updated)

Uh...no. Not that kind of tagging...

I was tagged by Cranky of Six Meat Buffet in this Random Facts game of tag that is spreading like a virus over the blogosphere. So as not to break the chain and keep my hopes alive for that check for a million dollars that will surely find my mailbox, here we go:

The Rules (copied from Cranky's post):

1. Let others know who tagged you.

2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.

3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.

4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

OK, well as you know by now, Cranky tagged me.

My 8 random facts:

*I have two cousins who were Republican congressmen (one from North Carolina, the other from Virginia), and a 3rd who ran for congress last year.

*I was a Washington DC Bicycle Courier in the summer of '86

*I once was involved in a crime in which me and my accomplices stole a Pepsi stand. We were never caught. I hope the SDPD doesn't read this blog.

*I was a registered Democrat until 2003. I know. I can't believe it either.

*I once owned a '75 MG Midget. I drove it for about a year before it died. The car sits at my grandmother's house in the country as my uncle still hopes to restore it.

*I had a full-blown mustache by the time I was 15.

*I dated a "rodeo princess" from Yuma, Arizona. Until I caught her cheating on me with a roommate.

*I was once a "witness" in a murder trial. I didn't actually "witness" the murder, however.

OK, I am tagging the following blogs:

Van Helsing at Moonbattery
Jamie at Eye of Polyphemus
My Liberal Friend Sharon Cobb
Rob at Say Anything...because unlike Preston, I trust him
Laurence at This Blog is Full of Crap...because I'm a cat person (and full of crap) too.
LissaKay at Oh...Really?
Linda at Something...and Half of Something...because I got to her first.
Karol at Alarming News...because I love conservative NY chicks.

As Wayne Campbell would say:

Game On!

(Update): Darn. Linda enlightens me to the fact that she's already been tagged. I was hoping to be her first...

Rob at Say Anything is a Yankee fan! Must be some Roger Maris/North Dakota thing.

Jaime at Eye of Polyphemus once wrote an X-files script.

Sharon is...uh...a member of the "Mile High Club." Crazy liberal...

We're #1!

SI.com just posted their list of the top 10 collegiate sports venues. Guess which venue was #1?

Ta da!

I feel blessed to be able to spend 5-7 Saturdays a year here. I felt especially blessed to be at the Rose Bowl for this:

Thank you SI.com for giving me a reason to post that. I will never, EVER get sick of watching those highlights.

Are you freakin' kidding me?

I know Texas takes their cheerleading seriously, but this is just stupid:

YORKTOWN - The attorney for the Billy Fischer family, whose daughter was cut from the Yorktown High School junior varsity cheerleading squad, says her clients have no other option but to sue the school district.

"At this point we are planning on going forward with a lawsuit," said Lisa Duke of the San Antonio law firm of Anderson and Duke. "We have not filed the paperwork yet, but we will soon."

Incoming freshman Wycoda Fischer was cut after tryouts were held for six positions on the squad. Seven girls tried out. The family contends that because an exception was made for the varsity cheer squad, nine girls were allowed on instead of the eight called for in the high school's cheerleader constitution, that an exception should also be made for allowing Wycoda on the squad. The high school principal and cheerleading sponsor approved the expanded JV squad, but superintendent Deborah Kneese ordered tryouts.

There's a cheerleading constitution?


Boo Hoo. Your kid got cut from the cheer squad. Fine...let her try out for a real sport then if your little girl needs that self-esteem boost. Because nobody will tease her if her attorney gets her on the cheer squad.



Of course since little Wycoda was the only one who was cut, you'd think that the school could come up with one more cheer uniform for her and avoid this whole mess.



Stupid. Just stupid.

Six Meat Buffet is Tubing!

Time to "Tube" over at Six Meat Buffet. One of my favorite pastimes...come on over for a discussion of 80's music (both good and bad), complete with video representation.

My latest contribution:





Join the fun!

Hooray for Georgia!

Seems like Georgia knows how to handle its illegal immigration problem:





Illegal aliens are leaving Georgia for "more hospitable" states. Like Tennessee. Which should mean more fun for my friends at Six Meat Buffet. They love illegal aliens...


Note this. Many are selling their cars...and returning to Mexico! But you know...tough enforcement laws don't work, ask Michael Chertoff...

Prayer Request

Vinnie of Vince Aut Morire and The Jawa Report lost his father yesterday. Vinnie's dad was 67.


Please go here to offer condolences and support. You can also send condolences to vinceautmorire@gmail.com.

O' Reilly has a pair...

...of stories relating to San Diego.

First up, the controversy of Carver Elementary School. As noted earlier here, there are over 100 Sudanese Muslim students attending Carver...a public school in the San Diego Unified School District:





Point in fact...the memo from the San Diego School District states that the Muslim students are allowed to pray during "non-instructional" time. There is a lunch period from 12:00pm to 12:50pm at Carver Elementary. Wouldn't this be an OK time for these Muslim students to get their prayer on? Or is Islam so rigid that if the students miss the proper positioning of the sun, that these students risk the ire of allah? Funny, I don't seem to remember Hakeem Olojuwon calling time out in the middle of a Rockets game so he could pray...and allah never smote him at half court.



Now on one point (and I can't believe I am doing this) I actually agree with Ibrahim Hooper. Students of all faith should be allowed to pray. However to set aside a full hour of what should be instructional time (to segregate students by faith and gender for an hour of prayer) is wrong. That is approximately 200 hours of "instructional" time each year that my tax dollars support.



Of course since this involves the encroachment of our public schools by religious zealots, the ACLU has been quick to respond:







To complete the O'Reilly doubleheader (so to speak), last night O'Reilly spoke up on the San Diego Padres' decision to have a gay "pride" night on the same night as a give-away night for kids:









By the way, Sandy Rios, baseball doesn't have a "halftime".



Full disclosure. I had plans to attend that game and was about to purchase tickets when I heard of the planned pride "festivities." I cancelled those plans when I found out that it would be "pride" night.



I have no problem with the gay men's choir singing the national anthem before a game. I have no problem with a homosexual group purchasing a block of tickets to a game...the San Diego Padres have accommodated all groups wishing to purchase tickets.



My problem is this. The gay "pride" group specifically chose this night out of all nights to make a statement. There is a gay "pride" weekend coming up and no doubt this group wanted exposure for their upcoming event. What better way to do it than by pitting their group night up against a giveaway night for children?



Something else. The San Diego Union covered the controversy in Monday's paper. Curiously however, they didn't send a regular city beat reporter. They sent Scott LaFee...their anti-Christian evolution propagandist/science "reporter". I wonder why:

Boycott of gay pride event at Padres game fizzles
By Scott LaFee

As boycotts go, yesterday's protest at Petco Park flopped – like the hats.

Objecting to the confluence of two promotions at last night's Padres game – “Pride Night,” a group event for local gays and lesbians, and a team giveaway of floppy hats to children 14 and younger – several Christian and conservative groups called for a public protest and boycott of the game.

The San Diego Police Department reported no unusual activity or arrests related to the protest.

The lack of problems contrasted with the back-and-forth barbs exchanged before the game on both sides of the debate about whether it was wise to have the floppy-hat giveaway on Pride Night.

What LaFee missed in his "in-depth" reporting was what the O'Reilly segment showed...the "pride" contingent demonstrating and practicing their values...right in front of thousands of kids who were there for their hats and a ballgame. Of course Ron deHart doesn't see it that way:

Local gay leaders responded with puzzlement, dismay and some anger. “We're talking about a baseball game. That's all this is,” said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego Pride, which had purchased 1,000 tickets to yesterday's game, then advertised them on the group's Web site as “Out at the Park with the San Diego Padres, an official San Diego Pride event.”

“Huge numbers of gay and lesbian families go to baseball games with their kids every day,” he said. “We go because we're fans. What these (objecting groups) don't seem to understand is that there are children at every Padres game and there are gays there, too. To suggest that it's anything more than a baseball game is a ridiculous argument from the Dark Ages.”

OK Ron, if all you are talking about is a baseball game, then why the signs? Why the demonstrations? Why the groups of men kissing men and women kissing women? If by your assertion, gays go to ballgames "all the time", then why don't I see similar behavior at those games?


And I have been to over a thousand major league baseball games. Add in NBA and college basketball, NFL and college football games, NHL hockey and other miscellaneous sporting events, and you can double that number. And you know what? I have NEVER witnessed men kissing men and women kissing women at any of those.



I would think that if it was "just a ballgame", that Dehart's group could have kept their urges in check and left their signs at home. But of course, we all know what the real agenda was that night.


BTW...the San Diego Padres were in a tough spot. I don't agree with O'Reilly that they were "stupid". Had they denied the sale of tickets to the "pride" group, then the ACLU would have been on their doorstep. Knowing that the local media would support the gay agenda, they took the path of least resistance.


Next year? Somehow I believe the Padres will see this coming and try to barter a compromise.

71-year old man blows away home intruder

Courtesy of Say Anything, an intruder gets it from "Bad, Bad Leroy!":

911710-t
Uploaded by hotternews

Global Warming ravages Buenos Aires (update)

For those of you Global Warming deniers who continue to ignore all Algore's (pbuh) warnings, look at this:

Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, has seen snow for the first time in 89 years, as a cold snap continues to grip several South American nations.

Temperatures plunged to -22C (-8F) in parts of Argentina's province of Rio Negro, while snow fell on Buenos Aires for several hours on Monday.

Two deaths from exposure were reported in Argentina and one in Chile. In Bolivia, heavy snowfall blocked the nation's main motorway and forced the closure of several airports.

Combine this with the recent snowfall in Johannesburg and unseasonably cool temperatures in London, and their can only be one conclusion: Full-blown Global Warming is upon us!

Thousands of people cheered in the streets of Buenos Aires at the sight of the capital's first snowfall since 1918.

"Despite all my years, this is the first time I've ever seen snow in Buenos Aires," 82-year-old Juana Benitez was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Argentine meteorologists are predicting more cold and even freezing weather over the next few days.

South American residents flee the savage effects of Algore's (pbuh) Global Warming

(Update): Rusty at the Jawa Report claims a South American sighting of Manbearpig!

Clank! Clank!

Miami Heat Center Shaquille O'Neal spends his off-season assisting law enforcement:

Shaq will work with task force investigators during his basketball off season time to help “guard the net” from sexual predators. Sheriff Brown said he was “honored and proud” to have Shaq as a Reserve Deputy with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office and the Blue Ridge Thunder task force.

“Shaq will be a tremendous asset in helping law enforcement, parents, and communities fight online crime and sexual exploitation of children,” said Sheriff Brown.

Now that isn't really "new" news...Shaq has been playing cop since his LA Laker days. I think that's totally cool.

I posted this to set up a quote from Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. From his recent column:

Shaq actually told Regis and Kelly that he might run for sheriff of Orange County when his basketball career is over. I think that's a great idea. He'd be the first sheriff since Andy Taylor not to carry a gun. Shaq wouldn't need one. He could just threaten criminals with this warning: "Put your hands up or I'm going to shoot a free throw at you."

In the danger zone!

Dirtbag Johnny Sutton is at it again!

Thanks to Ragnar at The Jawa Report for keeping this issue front and center:




Watch Sutton's lips quiver as he tries to defend his prosecution of Hernandez:




Notice that Sutton didn't even wait until the Texas Ranger investigation was complete before he rode in on his horse to take over and prosecute.
Hernandez received a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. And the illegal aliens? Well...of course the illegal aliens were all given jobs and safe haven in our country in return for their testimony against Hernandez.


I have already decided who I will vote for in the next Presidential election...the first candidate who promises to open an investigation on the corruption of Johnny Sutton.


Meanwhile...there is someone who could right this wrong...right now:




I'm not holding my breath...

St. Cindy admits to hearing voices in her head

I thought she was "retired"...

Spinal Tap Rocks Live Earth (Updated: Big Bottom added!)

I tried to stay away from Algore's (pbuh) hypocritical celebration of himself, but this cannot be ignored:



Although I must say I was very disappointed in the green room accomodations:



Huge hat tip to Cranky at Six Meat Buffet who caught this before I did. I knew Tap was playing...but I really tried to avoid all things Live Earth yesterday.


BTW...it was a scorching 68 degrees yesterday in Algore's (pbuh) greenhouse-effected London yesterday. Which by the way, is two degrees cooler than normal for July 7th.


It's a good thing too...since Spinal Tap drummers have this habit of spontaneously combusting on stage:





And did you hear that the South Africa concert had a woefully low turnout? Apparently the people in Johannesburg are suffering so much from a heat wave still recovering from a cold spell that recently hit South Africa:

Officials at Live Earth Johannesburg have blamed the effects of climate change for poor audience attendance at Saturday's (07Jul07) South African event.

Organiser John Langford believes extremely cold weather in the region - it snowed last week (ends06Jul07) for the first time in a quarter of a century - kept people away from the concert, which starred Joss Stone, UB40, Angelique Kidjo and Baaba Maal.

Speaking before the event, Langford said, "We're expecting 10,000 here tonight. It's a bit chilly, and we've had a strange winter... is it climate change? We had snow in Jo'burg last week for the first time in 25 years."

Didja get that? Global warming is now causing snow. Algore (PBUH) better get going on another concert to save the world before it's too late...


(Update): Hot Air has this clip of Tap's finale:

I wonder if this will sell in St. Louis

Saw this at the 7/11 down the street:

Of course the dolts at Anheuser Busch don't really know that "Chelada" doesn't contain tomato juice...it's simply Mexican beer with lime and rim salt.

However, for those with a nasty hangover, this might end up being the perfect breakfast cocktail.


I don't drink anymore...but I used to. I recall a drunken weekend in Tijuana when I was amused by Mexicans who were drinking their "lunch"...Tecate beer in a mug with hot carrots, onions, tomatoes and jalapenos.


I tried it. Ugh. My stomach was en fuego...

The Worst Bridezilla...(updated)

Laura at Ace of Spades posted this first, but I had to steal it:



Yup...I'll be running right out and finding a bride now. Thanks, Laura.


(Update): Turns out this video isn't all that new...and things aren't always as they seem. Still...

Go Bucky, Go!

From today's "Get Fuzzy":

Click to make bigger

Pocket Queens?

Yeah, I know. These Brokeback parodies are downright ubiquitous:

"Idiot" brings gun (belt buckle) into bank...gets feelings hurt

Turns out someone should have called the Fashion Police against this guy, instead of the SDPD:

It began as a report of an attempted bank robbery with police swarming the branch.

It turned out to be nothing more than a man's belt buckle – which closely resembled a semiautomatic handgun.

Police surrounded the Wells Fargo Bank branch on Camino Ruiz near Mira Mesa Boulevard in Mira Mesa at 11:42 a.m. (Friday) after someone in the bank reported that a man had what looked like a gun under his shirt. Jacob Johnson, 24, of Rancho Peñasquitos was wearing a dress shirt, casual slacks and a belt with a gun-shaped buckle when he and his friend and neighbor Jeffrey Russell walked inside the bank.

Johnson was clueless as to why it might not be such a great idea to wear a gun belt buckle into a bank:

Several minutes later, they walked out of the bank to see 10 to 15 police officers with their guns aimed at them, Johnson said.

“They said, 'Put your hands in the air,' ” he said.

Officers handcuffed both men and put them in the back of separate patrol cars.

“I was like, 'What is going on here?' ” Johnson said. “They told me to empty my pockets and walk backward. They put me in the back of the car, and I didn't know what was going on. Cameramen were putting their cameras in my face, like I was some criminal.”

Sgt. Jim Schorr said that by 12:04 p.m., officers had determined that the situation was “Code 4” – police jargon for “everything's back to normal.” Johnson and Russell were released.

OK, perhaps the cops were just doing their jobs in making sure that Johnson did not pose a threat...but couldn't they have been nicer?

Johnson complained, “they called me an idiot and said, 'I can't believe you were wearing that right now.' ”

Although Johnson finds some of the incident amusing, he feels police could have handled it better.

“I mean, it's a belt buckle with half a gun,” he said. “It's on my waist. If it's a gun, it's pretty amazing that it can just float on my waist.”

Upon closer inspection, the police may not have been so critical of Johnson's decision to wear that belt buckle into a bank...but maybe his decision to wear it anywhere.

I wonder what will happen the next time Johnson decides to board an airplane...

Old Skool Miller Time pt. 2

Part one from last week is here.

Michelle Malkin beats down "skeezy" porn site operator

The good stuff starts at 2:42:

Link: sevenload.com

Am I the only one who thinks Michelle Malkin should have her own show?

(Hot Air has this and more on Michelle's O'Reilly Factor appearance tonight)

If your husband is a California Hispanic Amnesty Supporting Democratic Politician...watch out for this woman!

Mirthala Salinas...political reporter and HOMEWRECKING trollop!

Though it looks like she won't be a political reporter much longer:

Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo placed newscaster Mirthala Salinas on leave today while it conducts an internal investigation into whether she breached journalistic ethics by having a relationship with someone she covered: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

OK...that "investigation" should last about 30 seconds. I think her "journalistic ethics" were breached the minute that dirtbag MARRIED mayor Tony VillaLaRaza breached her.

Telemundo executives have come under intense pressure to discipline Salinas after she and Villaraigosa acknowledged this week they had been involved in a relationship dating back more than a year. The mayor separated from Corina Villaraigosa, his wife of 20 years, early last month.During at least part of their time together, Salinas was assigned to the "political beat," in which she covered the mayor on trips to New York and Sacramento. On the night he announced the separation from his wife, Salinas was the Channel 52 anchor who delivered the news.

"OK, meet me at the Sepulveda Blvd. Travelodge, Room 204, 9pm tonight..."

Of course when Salinas reported the story on Telemundo, she forgot one important detail:

At 4 p.m. on June 8, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued a terse statement announcing that he and his wife, Corina, were separating after 20 years of marriage.

Two hours later, Telemundo television anchor Mirthala Salinas delivered the story to her Spanish-language viewers on the Friday evening news.

"The rumors were true," she declared of the split after an introduction that described the story as a "political scandal" that had left "many people with their mouth open."

(Including of course, Salinas...but let's not be tawdry)

What Salinas, 35, did not say in the newscast was that she was the other woman. She and Villaraigosa, 54, had been in a relationship even though she had previously been the political reporter assigned to cover local politics and the mayor.

Apparently, Salinas has a thang for jumping into bed with amnesty-supporting politicians:

Villaraigosa is not the first politician to be linked to Salinas. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, (D-Los Angeles), confirmed in a recent interview that he dated Salinas in 2003...

Hey everyone! I did her too!

But Telemundo has always known what they had in their perky, intrepid political reporter:

"Mirthala Salinas is one of our most respected reporters and a great professional," said Manuel Abud, Telemundo's general manager in Los Angeles.

Who says conservatives don't care about the environment?

Check out the cool little nature preserve and carbon offset Cranky of Six Meat Buffet has created for his little toad friends:

BTW, this is my Carbon Offset Victory Garden. So far, it offsets more carbon than a 50,000 sq.ft. mansion. You’re welcome. (Thanks again to your generous donations to save the planet.)-Cranky