New Yorker Article on the New Stadiums

Nice piece in the New Yorker about the new New York stadiums opening this season:

HOME: New Stadiums For The Yankees and Mets

"There is nothing so revolutionary in Yankee Stadium’s replacement, which opens just to the north, across 161st Street...the new Yankee Stadium, designed by the architectural firm HOK Sport, is effectively an attempt to atone for the brutal 1973 renovation of Ruppert’s building, which removed the historic ambience without adding much in the way of modern amenities. HOK has reincarnated the old stadium, but with clearer sight lines, luxury suites, plenty of places to eat, and, finally, sufficient bathroom facilities."

Hot. And only a few weeks away...woot!

Remebering Ron Silver

RON SILVER SUCCUMBS TO CANCER AT AGE 62

"Some people have more courage than others. And still other people have dead on guts that make the rest of us seem like terrified guppies in a sea of cowards. That was Ron Silver."

I had the good fortune to meet Ron Silver (ever-so-briefly) at the GOP Convention in 2004. He was about to be interviewed and I was working, so it wasn't anything more than a "hello, nice to meet you" moment - but without any of the contrived brevity you would expect from a celebrity. A sincere moment from a sincere guy. He'll be missed. R.I.P.

That Damn Filet O Fish Song

I have NO IDEA why this commercial cracks me up - or why this song is stuck in my head - but that's the way it is!



For what it's worth, I HATE the McDonald's Filet O Fish sandwich. Ironic, isn't it?

Stuff I Told People About A Year Ago

...only now The Wall Street Journal is pointing it out, too.

The Obama Economy

As the Dow keeps dropping, the President is running out of people to blame.

Americans have welcomed the Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on. But after five weeks in office, it's become clear that Mr. Obama's policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence -- and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.

Addendum...

I had posted this article earlier today on Facebook and after an hour's worth of unpleasant comments that dredged up everything from the names of every politician and commentator on the right to the history of the Dow Jones Average and stimulus bills in general (er ah yeah - they never work, even ones that contain ACTUAL stimulus - I knew that already), I took it down.

The good thing about insults and name calling in lieu of an actual counter-arguement is that usually means there isn't one.

This is why I quit the debate team in high school. I not only was I giving myself ulcers, but it was getting harder and harder to fight the urges to stab people in the eye with a pin microphone - and I heard that prison was a pretty unfriendly place.

I didn't write this - the Wall Street Journal did. So please direct any insults and name-calling you may be inclined to spew as a result of the mere existence of this article to THEM, not me.

*I* on the other hand will just be sitting here twiddling my thumbs, watching my 401K and IRA evaporate to nothing. It's all good.

The Cleansing of Life

I know what you are asking yourself: where have I been?

Well, I'm smack-dab in the middle of detoxing my life from the sludge left behind by an individual who tried to fuck around with yours truly and Mrs. Yours Truly (you can do a lot of things to me, but when you mess with The Mrs you have made a BIG mistake. I don't take kindly to that kind of shit by any means), smiling to our faces and then revealing the real dirtbag beneath the phony veneer. As a result, this person is no longer part of our lives and the stench of dirty, unwashed alcoholic has been expunged from my living space.

The experience has taught me a lot. For starters, a smile and a handshake mean NOTHING if the source is untrustorthy. Promises mean crap if they are written on toilet paper. If you suspect that there is a hidden agenda with some people, most likely you are correct. There is an old saying that you can't help people that don't want to be helped, and then there are people that never intended to change in the first place.

The good news is, this has been the equivalent of the sun coming out after a tornado. You never realize how miserable you are under a rock until you crawl out from under it. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. Fool me three times and so long, SOB. I have a new clarity about what actually is and isn't important. It IS 100% true that everything is small stuff, some of it smaller than others.

It's nice to talk about future plans with excitement instead of a sense of dread. Let's face it - it's nice to know that there ARE plans and nothing can drag things down anymore.

This person's bad karma will eventually catch up with them, as I truly believe you get what you give. I have spent my entire life trying to treat people the way I would like to be treated. Granted, it doesn't always work out that way but at least I can sleep good at night knowing I tried.

How some people can act the way they do and sleep at all is beyond me. However, this is all sewage under the bridge. Yours truly is alive and well and moving on. As for some others? Who cares.

And So it Begins...

Well, this certainly didn't take very long. Interesting that he considered weakening our national security to be one of his first priorities...

Obama to Close Guantanamo and Foreign Prisons, Limit CIA Methods

Obama is expected to sign "several" executive orders Thursday, directing the CIA to close secret foreign prisons and Guantanamo Bay, and limiting detention and interrogation methods.

Great. Well, at least unemployment will be going down...at the terror camps in the hills of northern Afghanistan. The good news is, since these guys will be going back to work under the ten-year cutoff date, they are all still eligible for their '40 Virgins' retirement plan.

Good work, America.

It's Very Strange...

...anyone else notice that there is strangeness out there in the air today...? A lot of distant, aimless stares? Odd, undead-like behavior? A need to...aimlessly...follow...

Joyeaux Noel

Ooh. Sparkly.

Holiday Goodness

If there are any fellow XM subscribers out there, I wanted to tip you off on a pretty cool holiday treat they are offering up this year.

Mixed in with all their specialty channels on ch. 120, they are doing something called "Bing Crosby Christmas Radio". This channel replays all of Der Bingle's RADIO Christmas Specials from the 1940s, complete and containing all the skits, guests and songs that orignally aired when the shows were originally broadcast.

It's a fascinating slice of both radio and entertainment history, a look at a period of days gone by. I've been enjoying the shows, closing my eyes and trying to put myself in the period when the shows aired: no TV, no iPods, no internet from Al Gore, Jr. yet - this was your main source of entertainment, and it certianly was entertaining.

And now, back to the Philco Radio Hour from December 25, 1946...

Oh, Those Wacky Illinois Democrats!

Is is any wonder that so many deceased citizens have no problem voting (multiple times) in the fine state of Illinois?

Illinois Gov. arrested on corruption charges

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges on Tuesday, including trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Democrat President-elect Barack Obama, federal prosecutors said...

The case shines a light once again on old-style corruption in the Chicago political caldron from which Obama emerged.

'The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering,' U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the federal prosecutor, said in a statement.

Like, awesome. Totally.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving day and is now fully stuffed and enjoying a nice turkey nap!

All the best from the Pete Sayek show to all of you and yours!

Iowahawk: America Can Take Pride In This Historic, Inspirational Disaster

Good Old Iowahawk never fails to disappoint. His Election analysis is (as always) sprinkled with ironic humor - in this instance, more ironic than usual:

"Less than fifty years ago, African-Americans were barred from public universities, restaurants, and even drinking fountains in many parts of the country. On Tuesday we came together and transcended that shameful legacy, electing an African-American to the country's top job -- which, in fact, appears to be his first actual job. Certainly, it doesn't mean that racism has disappeared in America, but it is an undeniable mark of progress that a majority of voters no longer consider skin color nor a dangerously gullible naivete as a barrier to the presidency."

Read the full piece HERE. It's a keeper.

File Under: You Asked For It

Yes, all that "Hope" and "Change" is ALREADY paying off!

U.S. Stocks Post Biggest Post-Election Drop on Economic Concern

The market's decline came a day after the biggest presidential Election Day gain since the New York Stock Exchange first opened for trading on a voting day in 1984.

That's what happens when the pre-election polls show a tightening race and it doesn't actually happen, folks!

However, Market Watch has some advice to those of us looking to ride out the next four years without ending up in the poorhouse (and keep avoiding those glorious redistribution checks!):

How to Obama-Proof Your Portfolio

"The main theme is not to invest in America...that means non-USA oil and gas companies. The antidrilling prejudice and windfall-profits enthusiasm will drive the United States to actually import more oil..."

Boy, this is sounding great already and it's not even January 20th yet.

To paraphrase the late Bette Davis, fasten your seatbelts...it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

The Pod People Have Won

And the loser is everyone. Major companies are already discussing their hiring freeze and layoff strategies under Obama's wealth redistribution plan. Double-digit inflation rates and increased recession trends are just mere months away. When businesses cut spending growth stops and you know the rest.

Get ready for another round of "healthcare reform" to be rammed down your throat like Vincent Price with a plate full of poodles. The best we can hope at this point is that there won't be too much damage done and that conservatives can get their act together for the mid-term elections.

John McCain is a good man who ran a terrible campaign. He's wasn't really an electable candidate but he squandered any chance he DID have. He took a lot of shit from smartasses on the Left that he didn't deserve. He stuck to his word about not using public funds to run for President (Obama sure didn't) and that cost him in the long run.

More than anything, McCain was a victim of Bush Derangement Syndrome and lost to the guy with the better ad campaign and endless supply of willing media mutton heads eager to do his dirty work to get "their guy" elected.

Conservatives need to get their act together and stop coddling the RINOs and "moderates" and get a movement going for the 2010 elections to start swinging the balance of power back towards where it should be. Since JFK's assassination (keeping in mind that JFK was really a conservative) we've had eight Republican administrations and THREE Democratic ones (with the fourth around the corner). That's 32 out of 44 years, so this too shall pass.

Look at morons like Jimmeh Carter. He did so much damage in ONE TERM that the effects are still being felt today. As Gary (Gretscviking) so aptly pointed out - Presidents come and go. Let's just hope America still looks the same when THIS one goes.

Debate 2 Thoughts...

Well, there were no knockout punches delieverd tonight, that's for sure. McCain didn't come out as forceful as I thought he would (based on yesterday's appearances) but he definitlely stated his positions well and stood up to Obama's never-ending-run-on-sentence style.

JM finally hammered Obama on the financical crisis (THANK GOD) and scored on the things that really matter - foreign affairs (Obama came off as disjointed again on the topic and tried to work Iraq into EVERYTHING), substance and details. Obama repeated the same tired stuff and really went off into scary territory with all the proposed entitlements and textbook class warfare nonsense.

Hot Air has some solid analysis HERE.

Too early to tell what the armchair quarterbacking will be like on this one, but going forward and in the final debate, McCain really needs to hit a home run if we are to avoid the first Marxist regime in American history.

VP Debate Review

As predicted, Sarah Palin wiped the floor with Joe Biden last night!

What the Hell was up with Biden's eye tuck and spray-on tan last night??? He was Halloween-scary lookin'.

Now it's up to JM to take the gloves off! He needs to hit Obamessiah hard on the financial crisis - it's time for the GOP to start reminding people that they were fighting to reign in these horrible lending practices back in the 90s - only to get shouted down by the likes of Blarney Frank!

As the Boston Globe points out, these weasels need to look in the mirror before they start pointing fingers across the aisle. What balls these people have, and media just eats it up like the good little finger puppets that they are.

Come on McCain - there are four and a half week left. The emperor has no clothes. Get out there and 'em Hell the way Sarah did last night! People just need to hear the truth, baby...just the truth.

How Did This Financial Mess Happen?

I know better than anyone that we're not all economic wizards and we don't all understand how things happen - just that they happen.

If you have about ten minutes, this is one of the simplest, clearest explanations of what happened to lead us into this mess. It's important that everyone take some time for a little Economics 101 and watch this clip.

As Fat Albert used to say, "We might even learn something before it's done. Hey hey hey!"...

UPDATE 9/30: Despite several attempts by "interested parties" in getting this clip pulled from YouTube, it lives! Let's see how long it lasts this time...

AGAIN? REALLY?

Oh...my...GOD!

THEY DID IT AGAIN. The Mets were eliminated from the post-season on the LAST DAY OF THE SEASON - and on the day they closed Shea Stadium, no less! Seems like a fitting send-off.

Two years in a row...really? This is unbelievable. I would once again like to thank the New York Mets, their front office and their fans for making it suck a little bit less to be a Yankees fan tonight.

The Yankees may not be going to the post-season either, but at least they didn't get ousted in spectacular fashion. Two years in a row (did I mention that?). I knew the Yankees had no shot a month ago. Despite that, I shall have blissful sleep tonight.

Once again, the gang over at Enough Lupica sum it all up rather succinctly:

Let's Play "Guess The Season!"

Farewell, Old Home

I saw my last game at OLD Yankee Stadium last night - the Yanks won 9-2, but that was secondary. It was a chance for me to say goodbye to a place I spent a large chunk of my life in. I have not done the math but I'd be willing to bet that I've spent about as much time in Yankee Stadium as I have anywhere else.

I was torn...one one hand, I am extremely excited about the new Coliseum-like Stadium being built across the street. If you know me, you know that I have been looking forward to this new Stadium for quite some time. The current Yankee Stadium, while certainly a classic, is a tainted one. The renovation of the early-70s robbed The Stadium of much of it's character; the facade/frieze was taken down, the big scoreboard removed and the open-air "feel" replaced almuminum roofing and clinical, blue-painted concrete. As my Dad was wont to say, "they took all the life out of it". For all intents and purposes, "Old Yankee Stadium" officially closed for good in 1973.

Adding insult to injury, the 70s "renovation" was a slap-dash affair; new structures were built on the 100-plus year old skeleton (a huge chunk of which gave way during the early months of the magical 1998 season), like cement poured on Chernobyl. As a result, the renovation did not stand up to the test of time. Cracks appeared in the new cement within a few years that kept re-forming and getting patched year in and year out. It was only a matter of time before a new Stadium would need to be built.

I took one more walk around the old place before taking my seat. I stopped to get a hot dog and soda from one of the attitude-laden concession stands folks for old time's sake (I won't miss them). As I took my seat in the upper deck - and as the game went on - I scanned for the various places I'd sat in over the years. I rememberd the great games I'd seen here - ALCS-ending HRs from Chambliss in '76 and Boone in 2003...Dave Righetti's no-hitter in '83...Mattingly's last regular-season at-bat in '95 (a double)...a World Series clincher in 1999...all the games I saw from the bleachers (oh, how many second-hand contact highs did I get as a pre-pubescent kid out there...?)...and I got a little choked up looking around at all the places I sat with my Dad over the years.

After the last pitch I walked the same ramps out of the old place just like I had hundreds of times before. This time, I walked slowly, looking around was all the nooks, crannies and signs one last time. "No running". "Slippery when wet". As I walked down to the D train to head to Brooklyn, I turned and took one last look at the old girl, the lights illuminating the now-empty upper deck.

Next year will be full of excitement and pageantry as a sparkling new ballpark, one that corrects the sins laid bare by a quickie renovation some 35 years ago, is unvelied. I will be excited, too - and I am sure my first trip to the NEW Stadium will be full of eagerly-awaited awesomeness - but last night, it was all about remembering the days gone by that will soon be no longer - and saying a fond farewell.

Boycotting 'Us'? We Did!

Published reports say that Jann Wenner-published puff rag 'Us Weekly' has lost anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 subsribers since putting out a shameful smear job on VP candidate Sarah Palin last week. Good for them. This exercise in yellow journalism came less than a month after 'Us' published a hugs-and-kisses softball-tossing love-fest about Barack Messiah Hussein.

Wenner made one tactical error when he decided to reprint bullshit posts from Daily Kos as "sources": the housewives that waste money on his glossy shitrag are NOT the same tired, living-in-the-past hippes and wannabe West Side eletists that read his useless music tabloid Rolling Stone (a magazine that hasn't been relevant since...well, ever).

Mon and I won't be spending a red cent (appropriate term, isn't it?) on any future issues of 'Us', and if you think as I do that bullshit needs to be called out as bullshit, or are not aware of the whole 'Us' controversy, you can read all about it HERE.

As I once told a subscription salesperson from the NY Daily News, if all toilet paper had been abolished and the only thing that kept me from being clean or living with a lifetime of itchy, nasty personal rashes, I wouldn't even wipe my ass with an issue of "Us Weekly'.