Postcard From Home:

This is what it looks like at home in January, after all the Holiday lights have been packed away and we await the start of Spring Training on February 17th. Say what you want about winters in the East, at least we don’t have to share the Atlantic side of the continent with the likes of this creep. It’s extremely bad form to throw co-workers under the bus…

Apropos of nothing and nothing inbetween: Do you want to know why Americans refer to people from around here as "Massholes"? Look no further than the recent comments from our "senior senator" ("Iraq is Bush’s Vietnam") and compare them to the historical record. When someone resorts to mistruths and historical fabrications to buttress their agenda, it not only reflects poorly on the individual but also his constituency. Are conditions in Iraq deplorable? Absolutely. Will it be eventually necessary to create a state partitioned along sectarian lines? Hopefully not. Will Bush’s "new strategy" prevail? It had better, both for the Iraqis and the rest of the free world. While the likes of Ted, Durbin and Obama continue to fuel internal dissension (aided and abetted by their corrupt friends in the Fourth Estate), what they fail to tell you is that the enemy doesn’t care if you’re from the ACLU or the Little Sisters of the Poor, they’d cut your throat just the same.

God-fearing taxpayers of the world: We are at war and our common interests as Americans are at stake. Speak with any veteran and they will tell you how horrific the experience is. War cannot be prosecuted in a "politically correct" way. True, we did not ask for it. However, once a commitment has been made there is no other option than succesfully completing the objective. Whether the justification for sending boots into Iraq was proper is a matter for historians to consider down the line. What is of import at this hour is to defeat the insurgents (aided and abetted by Syria and Iran) and try to establish a democratic republic in a place where "freedom" is an unknown commodity.

Once again, the Baseball Writers of America ("BBWA") astutely took the easy way out by electing only the two obvious favorites for induction into baseball's Hall of Fame, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. And what is becoming an annual ritual, Red Sox fans express their disappointment that Jim Rice did not get elected. So far, he's 0 for the last 13 years on the ballot, Rice only has two more chances before his candidacy moves on to the Veterans’ Committee for consideration. Additionally, the BBWA had a couple of glaring omissions as well; their failure to elect Bert Blyleven, Goose Gossage, and Lee Arthur Smith leave even the casual baseball fan to question the lack of baseball knowledge among those privileged enough to cast Hall of Fame ballots.

In the case of the latter three players, their statistical accomplishments already exceed a number of individuals who have already been inducted. How could they tell a guy like Jim Rice that he's not worthy of induction when guys like Tony Perez and Ralph Kiner have already been enshrined? How can they tell guys like Gossage and Smith that they’re not worthy, when Bruce Suttter is in there? And Bert Blyleven, you ask? The guy only struck out 3700 hitters! Sticking with baseball, prayers and best wishes are sent out to Yankee great Bobby Murcer for a speedy recovery.


Meanwhile, the dopes in Cleveland at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame chose none other than Van Halen as being worthy of "Hall of Fame status" while leaving out the Ronettes. Are they serious? What, are they carrying the torch for all of those vapid "Big Hair" acts of the ‘80’s? Okay, I'll admit it: Van Halen is after my time. But failing to honor the Ronettes? They were among the plum acts in Phil Spector's stable of artists and greatly responsible for the propagation of his "Wall of Sound" that remains highly popular today. Say whatever you will about Phil Spector the person. But there was no question about his ability to produce hit records. The fact is, for every one alleged "hit" by Van Halen, most rock 'n roll traditionalists can give you five by the Ronettes.

What a bunch of dopes... while most Americans appear to be preoccupied with the latest 10 worst dressed list, and the feud between that obese "comedienne" and the billionaire, there are real areas of concern that the media is not reporting on. Many Americans are mentally lazy and truly depend that the information that is being fed to them by the secular humanist, liberal media is in fact the truth. It's a sad indictment of the media when people desperate to find the truth about a certain subject matter actually need to go to blogs such as NewsBusters.org to get an unvarnished perspective of what is actually happening out there in the world. By the end of the day, most working people are tired and don't have a great deal of time for straining their minds. That's entirely understandable--to certain degree. I just never understood the prurient obsession with the lives of the rich and famous. Yet that is the form of programming that seems to dominate Americans' viewing habits from the dinner hour to the primetime block. It is possible to be passionate about many things (music, the arts, sports, etc.) and remain knowledgeable about public affairs as well. We can think and chew gum at the same time. Don't depend on others to "tell you" the news, go and find the answers for yourself. In the annals of recorded history, it's never been easier.

Case in point: the House of Representatives recently released a report regarding the activities of former Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger and his theft of classified documents during the 9/11 investigation (freely available online). Berger was called to testify before the commission regarding the Clinton Administration's activities in the days leading up to 9/11. Much of the documentation he needed regarding his testimony was highly classified, and stored at the National Archives. He was caught stealing highly sensitive documents and removing them from the Archive. What was he trying to conceal? Most likely, we'll never know. Berger was tried, convicted, and was fined $50,000 (slap on the wrist). Very little was mentioned of it at that time, and there was virtually no media coverage given to the House Report, which was issued earlier this week. Why? That's a very good question. Most fair-minded people would conclude that anyone associated with the Clintons is sacrosanct and bulletproof. That's what's frightening. This is not a partisan Democrat/Republican issue, nor a liberal/conservative one, this is about a man who stole classified documents in order to prevent them from being used to guide the 9/11 Commissioners in their fact-finding responsibilities. And nobody cares. All everybody wants to know is when’s the next football game, American Idol, or the fact that Britney was caught without any underpants on. No wonder our enemies laugh at us. We don't take our freedoms seriously, we just take them for granted. (Maybe when you're old and feebleminded and your grandaughters are walking around in burqas subject to the "enlightened" dictates of Shari'a Law will some of you finally realize how precious our Freedoms are).

…To the NFL coaching carousel, it was no surprise of Bill Cowher stepped down as the Steelers coach last week. It was a long journey to grab the Brass Ring, and both he and his team showed signs of burnout in 2006. Bobby Petrino from Louisville is the latest hot college coach to take a stab at the Big Time, when the Falcons wasted no time in picking him to replace Jim Mora. Let's hope he knows what he's in for: between Arthur Blank and Michael Vick, it wouldn't take long for an otherwise sane individual to go stumbling around in search of a padded cell somewhere. It appears that Giants ownership gave Coach Coughlin the dreaded vote of confidence for 2007. His first order of business should be to grovel before Tiki Barber, on hands and knees, begging him to reconsider retirement. The Giants had the makings of a very good team last year, before injuries derailed their season. It would be really nice to see Tiki take one more crack at the brass ring with a healthy line up. It probably won't happen though, as Tiki is off to be a talking head in TV land. He's handsome, articulate and ought to make far more money looking into a camera than getting his hands dirty on Sunday afternoons…It's looking though the Steelers' opening will be filled from within, which is a pretty good deal for whomever is chosen. From 1969 through 2006, the Steelers had a grand total of two coaches: Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. During that time, they won five Super Bowls. The Rooney family (though penurious) knows how to treat their employees right. Reports from Miami detail how the team's owner wined and dined Pete Carroll, but he wisely backed away. Why would anyone walk away from the 'SC gig? As of this post, the Miami, Arizona, Pittsburgh and Oakland positions has not been filled. As far as Arizona and Oakland, who would want those jobs anyway? When Al Davis was in his prime as general manager of the Raiders, they were one of the best teams in the NFL. However, he lost his fastball years ago, yet still remains on the scene micromanaging every aspect of the business. That's what's wrong with the Raiders. As far as Arizona? Look, they haven't had an NFL championship since 1947, back when they were playing at Comiskey Park. What have they had, one winning season since shuffling off to the desert? As long as the Bumbling Bidwell's maintain a stranglehold on this team, it doesn't matter.