McCarverisms

I had not heard about Tim McCarver's riff on global warming causing an increased number of homeruns. There's a reason for that. As much as I love baseball, I try to avoid watching games covered by the dynamic duo of McCarver and Joe Buck. Indeed, when the Red Sox have been in the post-season I turn the sound down and listen to Joe Castiglione on WEEI instead.

This isn't to say that weather doesn't play a role in how many homeruns get hit or don't get hit. The wind can all the difference between a three run homerun and a third out of the inning. Indeed, the air in Denver is so thin that over the past few seasons baseballs are placed in a humidor to reduce the number of homeruns that were hit at Coors Field.

But in recent years, homeruns have been declining. In 2009, 5,042 homeruns were hit in MLB. That figure fell to 4,613 in 2010 and fell again to 4,552 last season. So from 2009 to 2011, homeruns have declined by more than 10%.

So I think Larry Thornberry is being overly generous when he says, "He usually doesn't prattle too badly on air." Indeed, his prattlings are known as McCarverisms. Here are but a sample:

"That pitch wasn't down and in, that pitch was down and up."

"Watch Darren Daulton use his mitt like a glove."

"Yankee pitchers have had great success this year against Cabrera when they get him out."

The thing about McCarver that stands out for me was something he said during the pre-game show of the 2003 All-Star Game at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. He said that in order to have success at the All-Star Game you needed to have experience. Well, the hero of the 2003 All-Star Game was first time Texas Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock, a first time All-Star, who hit a two run homerun off Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne in the bottom of the 8th to give the American League a 7-6 victory. It was Gagne's only blown save that season and he would go on to win the 2003 NL Cy Young Award. As for Blalock, it was his first full season in the bigs. So much for needing experience to succeed in the All-Star Game.

Harper Shines in MLB Debut But Kemp Hits Walk Off HR

On Saturday, 19-year old Bryce Harper made his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals. He was called up as a result of Ryan Zimmerman being put on the 15-Day DL after injuring his shoulder.

Harper was the first round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. It was fitting that Harper should make his MLB debut with Stephen Strasburg pitching for the Nats. Strasburg was the number one pick in the 2009 MLB Draft.

After bouncing out to the pitcher in the top of the second and flying out to left field in the top of the fifth, Harper got his first big league hit in the top of the seventh when he hit a long double over Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp's head. Harper ran hard to second base. He's got a little Pete Rose in him.

In the bottom of the seventh, Harper flashed his arm. After A.J. Ellis singled, Harper fired a strike from left field to home plate but Jerry Hairston, Jr. knocked the ball out of Wilson Ramos' glove and tied the game 1-1. Harper's gun is almost as good as Rick Ankiel's. Of course, when Mike Morse returns to the lineup it could be Ankiel who is the odd man out.

Harper then drove in his first big league run on a sacrifice fly in the 9th giving the Nats a 2-1 lead. The Nats added a run on a single by Ramos.

Unfortunately, the Nats bullpen couldn't hold the lead. The Dodgers tied it in the bottom of the 9th on a wild pitch by Henry Rodriguez.

The Dodgers won the game in the bottom of the 10th on a walk off homerun by (who else?) Matt Kemp. It was Kemp's 11th homerun of the season. As Kemp rounded the bases, Dodgers fans were chanting, "MVP!!! MVP!!!"

Well, it's still April. But I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot more from both Matt Kemp and Bryce Harper before the season is done.

I also have a feeling the 19-year old Harper will be facing 49-year old Jamie Moyer. When that happens the generation gap will be but sixty feet, six inches apart.

Bill "Moose" Skowron, 1930-2012. R.I.P.

Former big league first baseman Bill "Moose" Skowron died today of congestive heart failure following a long battle with lung cancer. He was 81.

Skowron spent 14 seasons in the bigs, nine of them with the New York Yankees. He also spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and California Angels. Between 1955 and 1963, Skowron played in every World Series except for one (1959). He earned four World Series rings with the Bronx Bombers (1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962) and one with Dodgers in 1963 when they swept the Yankees in four. Skowron was also named to six American League All-Star teams. He was selected in five consecutive years for the Yankees from 1957 to 1961 and once with the Chisox in 1965. Skowron finished his career with 1,566 hits, a respectable .281 lifetime batting average, 211 homeruns and 888 RBI.

In recent years, Skowron worked for the White Sox in community relations. Here is Skowron letting his hair down in an interview at a golf tournament organized by former White Sox slugger Ron Kittle a few years back.

Pat Buchanan is No Heretic

Over at NRO, Peter Robinson did a week long interview segment with Pat Buchanan. In today's final installment, Buchanan discussed his abrupt departure from MSNBC earlier this year following the publication of his latest book Suicide of a Superpower:

What do all of these terms racist, sexist and homophobic(inaudible)? They're all the same thing. They're synonyms for heretic and what I am is a heretic to the conventional wisdom as it moves further and further left.

Well, Buchanan was no heretic at MSNBC during the Bush bashing days and loved Obama every bit as much as Rachel Maddow. He was a useful idiot and performed this function well. In fact, Buchanan told Robinson that he had "a very good tenure at MSNBC." But once Obama got elected, Buchanan outlived his usefulness and it was only a matter of time before he did something that would result in his dismissal. MSNBC has been an overtly ultra left-wing entity for most of the time Buchanan was in its employ. Buchanan knew full well the environment he was in, chose to stay in it and cashed their checks. He doesn't get any sympathy from me.

Is Delmon Young Anti-Semitic?

Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young was arrested in front of a hotel on Sixth Avenue in New York City this morning for allegedly assaulting a man while shouting anti-Semitic slurs and has been charged with an aggravated harassment hate crime, a misdemeanor. Young, 26, was apparently intoxicated at the time of the incident.

The Tigers are in New York to play a three game series against the Yankees starting tonight. As of this writing, the Tigers nor MLB have taken any disciplinary action against Young. However, I would be shocked if Young were in the lineup tonight especially in front of a crowd with more than its share of Jewish fans.

This isn't the first time Young's temper has got the better of him. In April 2006 (in fact, it was six years ago yesterday), when Young was playing with the Durham Bulls (the Triple A team for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as they were then known) he was suspended for 50 games for throwing his bat at a the home plate umpire after being ejected for arguing balls and strikes after he was called on out strikes during a game against the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Young was brought up to the bigs later that season and had his first full season with the Devil Rays in 2007. Despite finishing runner up in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting behind Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox, the rechristened Rays dealt Young along with infielder Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Matt Garza and infielder Jason Bartlett. Garza and Bartlett, of course, were key members of the Rays' 2008 AL championship team.

After adequate seasons in 2008 and 2009, Young had a breakout season with the Twins in 2010 hitting .298 with 21 homeruns and 112 RBI finishing 10th in the AL MVP balloting. However, Young (along with almost every other Twin) took a step back in 2011. Last August, the Twins dealt Young to the Detroit Tigers for minor league pitcher Cole Nelson. Young helped the Tigers win the AL Central and played well in the post-season.

However, Phil Mackey, an ESPN reporter based in the Twin Cities, was relieved the Twins had dealt him because he and his fellow reporters never knew what they were going to get with Young. Mackey summed up Young this way, "Sometimes surly. Sometimes charming and engaging."

Well, it would appear that Delmon Young's surly side was on full display this morning.

Naturally, I am disturbed about these accusations of anti-Semitism. Are they true? If it is true then how long has he harbored these feelings? Does his older brother Dmitri, himself a former big leaguer. also afflicted with the world's oldest hatred? I am hardly the one who is bothered by this development. Consider the thoughts of Rabbi Jason Miller who is also a loyal Tigers fan:

When I read the news about Young, my heart sank to the floor. My oldest son is 8. In the past year he has become a die hard Detroit Tigers fan. He knows all the players by name. He knows their uniform number and their statistics (just like I did when I was a Tigers fan at that age). How am I supposed to explain to my son that Delmon Young was drunk, got into a street fight, yelled an anti-Semitic slur and got arrested? To my son, Delmon Young is a hero. He cheers for him. He prays that Young will hit a home run when he comes up to bat. I don't think that it ever occurred to my son (or to me for that matter) that Delmon Young hates Jews in an inebbriated, full-of-rage Mel Gibson sort of way.

I know there's a lot left to be desired about humanity and human beings. But when Delmon Young or anyone steps up to the plate the last thing I ask myself, "Is he an anti-Semite?" But consider the numbers. At any given moment, there are 750 men who are on the rosters of a major league team. If you took 750 random men between the ages of 18 to 49 there would be invariably be a few bigots amongst them. So chances are there's someone in a big league clubhouse who doesn't like Jews or other religious, racial or ethnic groups, drunk or sober. Like poverty, hatred will always be amongst us. However, that doesn't make it any less disappointing when that hatred comes to the surface in all its ugliness.

UPDATE: The Tigers have removed Young from their active roster and have placed him on the restricted list pending further information.

Humber Not So Perfect

You might recall that Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber threw a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners last Saturday afternoon.


To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Biden Lecturing Romney on Foreign Policy is Like Obama Lecturing Us on Humility

I agree with Quin Hillyer that having Joe Biden lecturing Mitt Romney on foreign policy doesn't exactly help their cause. It would be like Obama lecturing us on the virtues of humility.

Remember, when during his debate with Sarah Palin, he said the U.S. & France had "kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon"? Surely that was news to the people of Beirut.

On the other hand, that didn't stop them from getting elected.

Obama is No Jimmy Carter

Jeff Lord makes the case that the Obama presidency is really the second term of Jimmy Carter. If nothing else, by putting the DNC acceptance speeches of Carter in 1980 and Obama in 2008 side by side, Jeff demonstrates that liberals haven't had any new ideas in at least thirty years. I know I am being generous and am sure one could convincingly argue that it's been nearly fifty years since liberalism had the semblance of an original thought.

He also cites Hamilton Jordan's 1979 memo to Carter in which part states, "We will be re-elected or not re-elected based largely on your performance as President."

Well, like Carter, Obama can't run on his record. However, Barack Obama is no Jimmy Carter.
First, Jordan might argue about the myth of the incumbent President but Obama didn't have a Ted Kennedy to worry about. The last incumbent President to lose an election without a primary challenger was when Herbert Hoover was unseated by FDR in 1932. As for Obama, the Democratic Party might not be as in love with him as they were in 2008 but their base is solidly behind him. Obama has at least 40% of the electorate in his back pocket.

Second, Obama enjoys all kinds of advantages Carter could only dream of - a billion dollar war chest, a field organization that can turn out the vote and a sympathetic, if not sycophantic media behind his re-election effort.

Third, Obama is no peanut farmer. Let's keep in mind that Obama has spent his entire adult life having had things handed to him (i.e. Columbia, Harvard Law Review, Sidley Austin, a teaching position at the University of Chicago, author of an autobiography, Illinois State Senate, U.S. Senate, author of a second autobiography and now the White House.) Obama views the presidency like an entitlement and will fiercely protect it from someone who has the audacity to take it away from him. President Obama plays for keeps.

Fourth, contrary to popular belief, Bill Clinton was not the first black President. If Chris Matthews is already asking about how the electorate could contemplate "dumping the first African-American President" then imagine what things will be like in six months from now? Throw in the Trayvon Martin shooting and it will be utterly relentless. There might be just enough white liberal guilt out there to put Obama over the top.

Fifth, as Jeff notes when Jordan penned that memo he did not know who Carter would be facing the following year. Well, the Obama team had a pretty good idea from the outset who they would be facing and as one unnamed Democratic strategist with close ties to President Obama said last August, "Unless things change and Obama can run on accomplishments, he will have to kill Romney."

Sixth, which brings me to Romney. Jeff writes, "Ronald Reagan challenged the entire foundation of liberalism, effectively asking voters to repudiate not just Carter but liberalism itself." While the Obama campaign will move heaven and earth to paint Romney as a right-wing extremist it remains to be seen as to whether Romney will "challenge the entire foundation of liberalism" much less ask voters to repudiate Obama.

Don't get me wrong. Romney could win the election. While 1980 could provide some useful information during the course of the 2012 campaign let us remember that we are not living in 1980 anymore. This isn't a 13-channel universe where a home computer is still a novelty, Asteroids is a cutting edge video game and people need to take community college courses to learn how to use a microwave. In a universe where mountains can be moved by a single Tweet, the 2012 campaign is going to present its own unique set of challenges.

Above all else, I think by comparing Obama to Carter there is a danger in underestimating Obama. Now I don't think Obama is intelligent enough to be in the same room with Romney much less qualified for an entry level job in one of Romney's companies. But there are plenty of people who don't hold Obama in such low regard. They might not be in love with Obama but they might not be so sure about Romney either and they too have a vote. If Romney is to win them over then he can't rely on Carter's cardigan. He must earn it.

Obama vs. Arizona: Administrative, Not Constitutional

Jim Antle draws our attention to the Supreme Court once again being less than impressed with the arguments advanced by Solicitor General Donald Verilli this time over Arizona's immigration law.
There is a great deal to be unimpressed about. U.S. v. State of Arizona & Brewer argues that S.B. 1070 would "conflict with and undermine by the federal government's careful balance of immigration enforcement priorities and activities" by imposing "significant and counterproductive burdens on the federal agencies charged with enforcing the national immigration scheme, diverting resources and attention from the dangerous aliens who the federal government targets as its top enforcement priority." But as I argued back in July 2010:

When the DOJ argues that S.B. 1070 "will impose significant and counterproductive burdens on federal agencies" what they mean is that the ICE operated Law Enforcement Support Center in Williston, Vermont could get a lot more phone calls from Arizona. So it could blow the overtime budget of DHS. The is an administrative issue, not a constitutional one. Perhaps it will cause some inconvenience for the feds. But let us never confuse inconvenience with unconstitutionality.

But then again what else can we expect of the Obama Administration? An administration whose Attorney General admitted under oath that he had not read the Arizona immigration law and had only glanced at it.

Newt Exits Stage Right

It appears that Newt Gingrich will suspend his campaign today. Speaking to a Republican crowd in North Carolina this morning, Gingrich said, "It's pretty clear Governor Romney is going to be the nominee."

Many words could be used to describe the Newt 2012 campaign. Dull is not amongst them. Last summer, it appeared his campaign was over before it started with key staff defecting once Rick Perry entered the race. But following a series of impressive debate performances in which he challenged President Obama to seven one on one Lincoln-Douglas debates, Republican voters began to give Newt a second look. After Herman Cain's troubles began last November, Newt shot to the top of the polls.

However, as the Iowa Caucuses approached, the remaining candidates turned their attention to Newt and he did not whether the scrutiny well. Most damaging were the ads put out by PACs supporting Mitt Romney. Discontent from the Republican establishment didn't help his cause either. Gingrich finished a distant fourth in both Iowa as the anti-Romney vote began to coalesce around Rick Santorum. Gingrich fared no better in New Hampshire with another fourth place finish.

Yet Newt found a new lease on life in the days leading up to the South Carolina primary with two impressive debate performances centering on exchanges with Juan Williams of Fox News and John King of CNN. Both exchanges earned Newt standing ovations. As it turned out, they were the only standing ovations any candidates received during the GOP debates. What also worked for Newt was releasing his tax returns while Romney hemmed and hawed. Palmetto voters awarded him with a double digit victory over Mitt Romney.

But the Romney Super PACs replicated in Florida what they had done in Iowa. Romney also outperformed Gingrich in two debates in Tampa and Jacksonville and ended up besting him in the Florida Primary by 15 points neutralizing Gingrich's triumph in South Carolina ten days earlier. Newt never recovered. The only other contest he won was in his political base of Georgia on Super Tuesday. If Newt could not withstand the scrutiny of the Romney Super PACs then how could he possibly withstand the scrutiny of the even better funded Obama Super PACs?

Since then, with campaign money running dry, Gingrich has been going through the motions and visiting zoos around the country.

I think Newt will eventually endorse Romney but like Santorum I don't think he'll be in any great hurry to do it.

Alas, Newt is not the new Nixon. There will be no more Newt to kick around.

Alberta Tories Re-Elected

Last night, the Alberta Progressive Conservatives won their 12th consecutive majority government. The Tories won 62 out of 87 seats. The Wildrose Party is the official opposition with 17 seats while the Liberals and NDP each won four seats. Alison Redford was elected Premier in her own right after assuming the premiership by winning the Tory leadership convention last October following the retirement of her predecessor Ed Stelmach.

The Alberta Tories were first elected in August 1971 under the leadership of Peter Lougheed dislodging the Social Credit Party which had been in office since 1935. In 1985, Lougheed was succeeded by his former Calgary Stampeders teammate Don Getty who was in office until 1993. Getty was succeeded by Calgary mayor Ralph Klein who served as Premier for 13 years before being succeeded by Stelmach. By the end of their new term the Alberta Tories will have been longest standing provincial government in Canadian history. The Nova Scotia Liberals were in power from 1882 to 1925 while more recently the Ontario Tories (a.k.a. The Big Blue Machine) were in power from 1943 to 1985.

As you can imagine when a government stays in power that long it acts like it owns place and corruption, abuse of power plus government waste are sure to follow. You could think of the Wildrose Party (the wildrose is Alberta's official flower) as a Prairie version of the Tea Party. To give you an idea of how long the Tories have governed Alberta, Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith was only four months old when the Tories were first elected in 1971.

Many thought that Wildrose would do to the Tories what the Tories did to the Socreds more than four decades ago. But obvously a lot of people changed their minds at the last minute and stuck with what they knew. No doubt that people who normally would have voted Liberal or NDP decided to vote Tory to keep out Wildrose. It certainly didn't help that a couple of Wildrose candidates uttered racist and homophobic comments nor did it help Smith when she refused to disavow those statements. If Smith wants to dislodge the Tories in 2016 then she needs to impose greater discipline on those who carry the Wildrose banner. The good news is that Smith seems to understand that this cost her dearly.

Another 60 Minutes Hatchet Job on Israel

I watched 60 Minutes and saw Bob Simon's story on the exodus of Christians from Israel and the West Bank and thought it was a complete load of rubbish.

Simon blamed Israel's security fence and checkpoints for this exodus. His sanctimony was unbearable whether he was berating Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren for calling the President of CBS about the segment or when he asked left-wing Israeli journalist Ari Shavit, "Do you think the Israeli government ever thinks of the fact that if Christians aren't being treated well here, and America is an overwhelmingly Christian country, that this could have consequences?"

Well, I think of a majority of American Christians believe that Christians are being treated far more harshly in Iraq, Syria and Egypt than in Israel. How many Christian churches have been burned down by Israelis? How many Christians have been murdered inside Israel? And yet 60 Minutes singles out Israel for scorn. Well, it's not the first time. In a 2009 story about Jewish settlements, Simon described Israel as an Apartheid state.

Any segment 60 Minutes does on Israel (and for that matter the Middle East) should be looked upon with the sternest possible skepticism.

Chuck Colson, 1931-2012. R.I.P

Chuck Colson passed away today of complications of a brain hemorrhage sustained last month. He was 80.


Colson served as Chief Counsel to President Nixon. He achieved notoriety for his involvement in composing Nixon's Enemies List and was one of the key figures in the Watergate coverup. After being charged, Colson underwent a religious conversion and because of that decided to plead guilty to obstruction of justice in the defamation of Daniel Ellsberg. Colson was sentenced to one to three years in prison and fined $5,000.

While many critics of the Nixon Administration said that Colson's religious conversion was a ploy to get a reduced sentence, Colson spent the rest of his life through the Prison Fellowship helping prisoners and their families in the U.S. and abroad. Certainly that counts for something.

Red Sox Blow 9-0 Lead vs. Yankees

To give you an idea of how certain I am that the Red Sox are only beginning to descend into an abyss, I knew they couldn't hold on to a 9-0 lead against the Yankees after five innings.


However, the blame cannot be laid at the door of Red Sox starter Felix Doubront. He gave up only one run (a solo homer to Mark Teixeira) on four hits in six innings pitched. The Red Sox bullpen was another story. The Yankees scored seven runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. Teixeira added another homer, Nick Swisher hit a grand slam and drove in the go ahead runs with a two run double. Swisher had 6 RBI in two innings while Eduardo Nunez went 3 for 3 in the seventh and eighth. Red Sox "closer" Alfredo Aceves did not retire a single batter.

The Yankees won 15-9. The Red Sox are 4-10 and have begun their second century at Fenway in the most inauspicious way possible.

Humber Humbled by Perfection

Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber threw a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field this afternoon.

FOX broke away from the Yankees-Red Sox game to broadcast the final three outs. I thought Brendan Ryan checked his swing on the 3-2 count but the ump called it a strike. The ball, however, rolled to the backstop and Chisox catcher A.J. Pierzynski ran like Rickey Henderson to retrieve the ball and threw it to Paul Konerko to record the final out.

Humber's perfecto is the 21st in MLB history and first since Roy Halladay in May 2010. Well, that should be Armando Galarraga but let's put that aside. Humber entered the game with only 11 big league victories on his resume. The 29-year old Humber was a third round draft pick by the New York Mets in 2004. He was one of four players traded to the Minnesota Twins for Johan Santana following the 2008 season. Humber has bounced around with the Twins, Royals, Athletics before being picked up on waivers last season by the Chisox. He worked his way into the starting rotation finishing 2011 with a 9-9 record.

Humber is the third White Sox pitcher to throw a perfect game. Charlie Robertson threw the first in 1922 in only his fourth big league start and Mark Buehrle did it in 2009. Many of the White Sox players in today's game were on hand for Buehrle's perfecto. Still, I'm certain those players were every bit as excited to be on the field for this game as they were nearly three years ago.

In a post-game interview with Dave Sims and Eric Karros, Humber was humbled by his accomplishment and said hello to his wife who is expecting their first child. While becoming a father will undoubtedly be a bigger thrill, this is a day he will never forget.

Fenway @ 100

I saw some of the ceremony commemorating Fenway Park's 100th anniversary prior to today's game against the New York Yankees.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Levon Helm, 1940-2012. R.I.P.

Drummer, guitarist, mandolin player, singer and actor Levon Helm, best known for his tenure with The Band, passed away earlier this afternoon after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 71.

To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

TransCanada Submits New Keystone XL Route

Amidst legislation passed by the House to authorize the Keystone XL Pipeline, TransCanada has submitted a new proposal which re-routes the pipeline in Nebraska.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Dick Clark, 1929-2012. R.I.P.

Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, died today of a massive heart attack. He was 82.

To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Red Sox Nation Doesn't Heart Valentine

I took Patriots' Day off and went to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays and can tell you that Red Sox Nation does not heart Bobby Valentine.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

My Remarks at The Worcester Tea Party Tax Day Rally

My remarks at the Tea Party Tax Day Rally in Worcester, Massachusetts have been posted on YouTube.

It can be viewed here and here.

I Will Be Speaking at the Worcester Tea Party Tax Day Rally on April 15th

If you find yourself in New England this weekend and are sympathetic to the aims and objectives of the Tea Party then come on down to Worcester, Massachusetts this Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. for the Worcester Tea Party Tax Day Rally.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Rosen's "Phony" Apology

Democratic Party strategist Hilary Rosen has apologized to Ann Romney. Well, sort of.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Can Zimmerman Get a Fair Trial?

Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey has charged George Zimmerman with second degree murder in connection with the death of Trayvon Martin.

Can Zimmerman get a fair trial? Are there 12 jurors who don't have a dog in this fight who can weigh the facts without bias and fear of intimidation?

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

What Reagan Really Said About Taxes

In promoting the so-called Buffett Rule, President Obama invoked President Reagan using a quote from a speech the Gipper gave in June 1985 at Northside High School in Atlanta, Georgia in which he said it was "crazy" for a bus driver to be paying more in taxes than a millionaire. Obama described Reagan as "a wild-eyed, socialist, tax-hiking class warrior."

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Thoughts on Rick Santorum

I cannot say I am surprised at this development. Indeed, I was only off by 24 hours and that speculation was written prior to his youngest daughter's latest hospitaliziation.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Marlins Suspend Guillen for 5 Games for Castro Comments

The Miami Marlins have suspended manager Ozzie Guillen for five games for his comments in praise of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in an interview with Time magazine last week.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Red Sox & Yankees are Both 0-3

The 2012 season has begun inauspiciously for both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. The Red Sox and Yankees were swept in their opening series by the Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. It is the first time both teams have started out 0-3 since 1966.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Streisand Won't Sing for Obama

A source close to Barbra Streisand has said she will not perform at a fundraiser for President Obama next month in Los Angeles.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Is President Obama Smarter Than a 6-Year-Old?

Yesterday, longtime Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley sent out a message on Twitter calling President Obama's intelligence into question.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Mike Wallace, 1918-2012. R.I.P.

Former 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace died last night at the age of 93. His health had been in decline since triple bypass surgery in 2008.

To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Guillen Apologizes for Praising Fidel

Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen has apologized for praising Fidel Castro.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Reasons #16 & #49 Why I Love Baseball

It was a long day in Cleveland. But isn't it always a long day in Cleveland?

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Shelby Steele Talks Sense on Trayvon Martin

I highly recommend Shelby Steele's piece in The Wall Street Journal concerning Trayvon Martin or more precisely the naked opportunism of so-called civil rights leaders and the liberal media.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Still Isn't "Largely Secular"

On Tuesday, several Obama Administration officials met with a delegation of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said, "Following Egypt's revolution, we have broadened our engagement to include new and emerging political parties and actors."

Given that the Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 how exactly is it that they qualify as a new and emerging political party?

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Will Santorum Drop Out on Monday?

Amidst a new PPP poll that has Mitt Romney ahead of Rick Santorum by five points in Pennsylvania, the Santorum campaign is taking a few days off.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Has Mitt's Inevitability Arrived?

With Mitt Romney going 3 for 3 last night in Wisconsin, Maryland and D.C. has his long stalled inevitability finally arrived? The folks at FNC, as noted this morning by Stacy McCain, seem to think so and were pretty much in consensus in calling for Rick Santorum to step aside lest he face a humiliation in Pennsylvania later this month.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Paul Supporters Won't Back Santorum

Earlier today, Quin Hillyer suggested that Rick Santorum needs to reach out to Ron Paul supporters.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Suu Kyi Wins Seat in Burmese Parliament

Yesterday, Aung San Suu Kyi handily won a by-election for a seat in the Burmese Parliament. One could certainly argue that such a headline would have been inconceivable a year and a half ago. Lindsay Murdoch of the Sydney Morning Herald proclaimed, "There will be no silencing Suu Kyi."

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.