World Series - Hard To Watch

Here's a final word on the World Series and it has nothing to do with the Managers' decisions nor the Umpires' ability to do their jobs correctly. It has to do with TV ratings! The worst, ever, at 10.1 or a share of 17.
Why weren't people watching?
The games were on too late for kids living with responsible families, but that's an annual dilema. Maybe it was the weather! Who wants to watch a rain delay? The World Series should be played in early October DURING THE DAY. Temperatures are warmer during the day than they are at night. (Did you know that?) More people will watch baseball on tv if the games are played when they are awake. Money? If more people watch the games, the ratings will increase and the network will charge more per commercial. Oh, and speaking of commercials, :60 between innings is enough. Anything more is simply GREED. How do you play the World Series in early October? Doubleheaders during the regular season! That's how. Maybe you can shorten the season by a few games. It should be plain to see that MLB's Golden Goose (post season baseball) is ailing. The way things are going, how long before we see the World Series on Pay-Per-View in late November!

Making News

W
e have the election coming soon. We have the war in Iraq. We have many issues that are important. It is a difficult job to accurately report what is actually going on. This is evident when you see new stories reported with a slant as if to show proof that a certain viewpoint is developing. For example, the majority of Americans think that we are losing ground in Iraq. Does that mean that the media should only show us the negative from Iraq. Often we are shown what is "available" to be shown. Talk to a GI who has been there. I have. Ask him if the media is doing a good job. The answer is always NO! If it's true with war coverage, could it be true with EVERYTHING?

Gina Lollobrigida (finally) Gets Her Man

This is an odd one.
Gina Lollobrigida, an Italian actress/bombshell is getting married at age 79. That's not the odd part. She's marrying a guy who's 34 years younger than she is. This puts him at 45. But that's still not the odd part! They have been dating for 22 years! GOOD GOD - 22 years! I wonder who popped the question and how much vino was consumed? Doing the math, these crazy kids met when Miss Gina was 57 and her fiance was 23. For the record, his name is Javier Rigan Y Rafols.
They plan to wed in NYC before the end of the year.

NLCS

My Yankees are out of the running but I still find the post season interesting. The Detroit Tigers are set to represent the American League in the World Series and the Cardinals and Mets are tied (at this point) at two games each. I have lived on the fringe of "Cardinal Country" for a number of years and I've noticed something interesting. The average mentality of a Cardinal fan is about 8 years old. Is this a nasty thing to say? Maybe, but maybe not if it is true. Why don't I hate the Cubs? St. Louis has a much more successful organization. Why are their fans so weak? I may have the answer. Part of it is Mike Shannon. Yes Mikey Shannon who hit .255 for 9 years as a Cardinal. I was listening to him, Friday night, doing the game from St. Louis. Good God! It sounded like he was talking to a kindergarten class! It may have been a bad night for him, but it was at the beginning of the game and his lack of descriptive skills, on a radio broadcast, was pitiful. The fact that he was rooting for the Cardinals, harder than most of the Cardinals' fans, became tiresome.
Oh, and Mike, Polygrip...it's great stuff!

Then FOX has Jack Buck's kid, Joey, announcing the game on the FOX Television Network with Tim McCarver. First there's Buck, who owes his professional existance to daddy and the St. Louis Cardinals, and McCarver a former Cardinals catcher. McCarver was a standout during much of his pro career. He broadcast for the METS for many years. His leaving NY may have been bitter when you hear him offer his analysis. Last night, the Mets solidly defeated the Cardinals (in their house) and Buck & McCarver had nothing more to offer than "wall to wall" negative stats for the Mets. Maybe they could've given us some important information...like why does manager Tony LaRussa wear dark glasses at night?
Here's the headline for you, Joey and Timmy, THE SERIES IS TIED AT TWO GAMES APIECE.

Like much of the world, I'll be watching the remainder of the NLCS and the World Series with the sound turned down! Your advertisers may be interested.

Joe Torre Should Stay

I think it was Yankee Manager Gene Michael who said that the only certainty about managing in the big leagues was that someday you would be fired. Yes, I agree. Joe Torre has managed for George Steinbrenner for 11 uninterrupted years. Casey Stengel held the position for 12, not under George. Lets look at Torre's 11 year record with the Yankees. 11 years and 11 post season appearances. How many managers can put that on their resumes? Not enough World Championships? If you replace Torre,would you be able to find someone better? I don't think so. Would you be able to find someone "just as good?" Maybe, but what's the point? So what do the Yankees need? A new manager? NO! Better and younger pitchers? Why aren't the sportswriters asking about the possibility of a new General Manager?
Why? because as I learned in the Army, sh*t rolls downhill. It does in baseball, too - until it reaches the manager.

Got Culture?

In an effort to keep all of us as civilized as possible, I thought I'd include this item from Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage. It's a British guide to etiquette. It contains many guidelines on how to act around royalty. Included in the latest edition is the proper way for a lady have a one night, er, romantic interlude and the proper method of smoking in public. I quote:

Avoid dark-alley gropery and unladylike fumbling in the back of a cab," the guide says on the subject of one night stands. "Discuss the necessaries to avoid planting any love children or disease, and you're away."

On smoking it decrees: "Always use a proper ashtray -- never a wine bottle, flower pot or used plate -- and avoid allowing smoke to billow out of the nostrils. It is also inelegant to leave the cigarette unsupported in the mouth..."

I hope this makes you a better person. After all, I do what I can.

Anna Nicole: Commited (Kinda)

I wasn't going to include this, until I heard that LARRY KING had Anna Nicole's lawyer, Howard K. Stern on his show, last Tuesday. Larry King has more class (or is it more $)than I do, except, I've never been arrested nor convicted.
Anyway, last Tuesday on Larry King Live, Anna Nicole's lawyer, Howard K. Stern admits to being the father of her brand new baby daughter. All this time we were being told that Larry Birkhead, a photojournalist, was the daddy. He recently claimed this on TV's Insider.
Anna Nicole's mother, Virgie Arthur went on Entertainment Tonight saying that she doubted that Howie is the daddy. Ain't this classy? Then, on Thursday of last week, Howie and Anna pledged their love for one another during a secret "Commitment Ceremony" in the Bahamas. The ceremony was held on board a boat. (Pammie, you may have started something, here.) Here's where I ask a question: What the hell is a "Commitment Ceremony?" Is it a wedding for whimps? Actually, I'm told that the ceremony was religious but not binding. This all sounds banannas and is about what you would expect from Anna Nicole until you look at the tragic death of her son. Dr. Cyril Wecht, a private pathologist hired by the Smith family, has ruled out any natural cause of death. He told People Mazazine that Daniel died from cardiac dysrhythmia, caused by a lethal combination of the antidepressants Zoloft and Lexapro, and the painkiller methadone - often used to treat heroin addictions.

Parenting, it's so important.

Avril's Spittin' Mad!

Avril Lavigne has issues with the paparazzi. Wednesday while out in Hollywood celebrating her 22nd birthday she spit at a photographer. And again the evening before that, when she supposedly hocked one at TMZ.com's cameraman outside of hotspot Hyde Lounge. Her response: "I'd like to sincerely apologize for my behavior with the paparazzi," Lavigne said Friday in a statement. "It's trying at best dealing with their insistent intrusions. I meant no offense to my fans, whose relationship I truly value. I have and will always go out of my way for my fans. My behavior was a reaction to the persistent attack from the paparazzi."
The General's advice: Keep it up, young Avril. You're 22 with 2 albums out. You have a future. Spitting at the media could cause them to publish unflattering pics and say nasty things. Your record company may frown on your behavior, too. You need them more than they need you.

Minimum Wage

Raising the minimum wage is a hot issue now. Many issues have become hot simply because an election is coming up.
I used to work for minimum wage. I was a kid at the time and I worked an entry level, non skilled job. I had no family and the job contributed very little to the business' net profit. Folks, that's what a minimum wage job is! If we raise the minimum wage, there will be fewer minimum wage jobs. This means more unemployment among kids and the semi-retired. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see everyone make $50,000+ per year. I don't want to see the $25.00 Big Mac.