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Friday Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 01:41:01 PM EST
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It's a jail day for me, here's an open thread for you, all topics welcome.

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    Friday Open Thread | 101 comments (101 topical)
    As poverty increases, the funds are decreased (5.00 / 3) (#3)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 02:36:37 PM EST
    ❖ Another blow from the Obama budget.  LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) helps millions of poor people keep the lights and heat on in their homes. LIHEAP was budgeted at $5.1 bn in 2010, reduced to $3.4 bn in 2012 and 2013, and reduced to $2.97 bn in 2013 if the President's budget is adopted. link
    Well, if it's dark, you won't be able (5.00 / 3) (#5)
    by Anne on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 02:46:46 PM EST
    to see how little food is on your plate, and if it's cold, it might mask the catfood taste.

    Parent
    Let's hope... (5.00 / 4) (#6)
    by kdog on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 02:59:58 PM EST
    Venezuela continues to supply home heating oil aid to our poor and working poor, post-Chavez.

    Maybe they can supply an education on a little thing called "priorities" too, cuz we apparently have no f*ckin' clue.

    Parent

    Protection of vulnerable seniors (5.00 / 2) (#24)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:19:07 PM EST
    Sheldon Whitehouse does the math so we don't have to.

    And the protection of vulnerable seniors, as I read your plan, is actually less than the hit to them. They end up still negative, even at 85 years old, because by the time they get the 5% benefit, they are getting a 6.5% hit. link

    Sheldon Whitehouse put into the Budget Committee record a summary sheet on the proposal opposing the chained CPI. I will trade 10 sweet Claire's for one Sheldon.


    Parent

    Perhaps better than (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by KeysDan on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:58:31 PM EST
    Senator Whitehouse's characterization  (the $15 billion that comes back to seniors through the benefit against the $230 billion overall cut, to me, is a fig leaf) is that this "compassionate conservatism" is an attempt to pull wool over citizen's eyes.  Lawrence O'Donnell, for example, on MSNBC for the last few nights, has been championing the cuts to social security.  He has long demonstrated, despite, or perhaps because of, his senate staff background, a poor understanding, if not hostility to social security.  

    But he, in my view, dishonored the role of Frances Perkins, FDR's wonderful Secretary of Labor, by claiming that both Secretary Perkins (as well as FDR) would have agreed to cut social security to save it.   O'Donnell, as with so many, in ignorance or in malice, misrepresent and misconstrue, social security seeing it as essential to make cuts to "reduce the deficit" or to "strengthen" the program, when it does neither.

    Parent

    Preferred Maddow vs Axelrod (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 08:39:03 PM EST
    MADDOW: I believe you that he believes in his budget, but I think that if what he really believes in is Social Security benefit cuts, he's going to feel the ground beneath his feet give way. And I think this is the start that ends badly on the Democratic party (crosstalk).

    After Axelrod tried to pretend that progressives "want to do nothing" and just leave the programs exactly as they are now, Maddow shot back.

    MADDOW: Nobody's saying do nothing. That's not fair. Nobody's saying do... nobody's saying do nothing. First of all, Social Security isn't the problem with the deficit. Second of all, there is a way to fix it that has nothing to do with starving old people now or in the immediate future.

    You have people pay more. And then your system is solved. If you wanted to approach it toward just solvency, that would be one of the things that's on the table. For the Democrats to not put that on the table and say it's all about solvency and not the politics, I just don't buy it. link



    Parent
    Yes, I saw this exchange. (none / 0) (#72)
    by KeysDan on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 07:45:31 AM EST
    The usually glib, if not smarmy, David Axelrod  responded with a jumble of words intended to change the subject from social security cuts to the marketing of  other measures in the Obama budget that he deemed progressive.   I don't think it was effective, neither in his argument nor in his body language.  

    Parent
    I agree that his body language (5.00 / 2) (#73)
    by MO Blue on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:01:36 AM EST
    was very telling. It spoke of yes I'm a lying weasel and everyone can see that I'm trying to con people into robbing granny.

    The technique of responding "with a jumble of words intended to change the subject from social security cuts to the marketing of  other measures in the Obama budget that he deemed progressive." is one being used regularly here at TL to distract from the subject at hand.  

    Parent

    There was also more of the message that (5.00 / 2) (#75)
    by Anne on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:13:02 AM EST
    "if we don't do this, the GOP is going to come in and do something worse," but in what universe and on what planet does anyone believe that when it's the GOP's turn - and it will inevitably be their turn, we know this - they will take the position that they no longer have to propose and push their awful ideas because of something Obama did in 2013?  I mean, come on...

    I know - most all of us know - that the GOP will take whatever they can get, will blame it on the Dems, will offer nothing in "compromise," and will use all of it as the foot-in-the-door it is.

    It's more of the "we have to do something" with a lot of "it's not ideal" and "we can't do that" that these people say when they're pushing bad policy that serves their goals, and not the interests of the majority of the people.

    I have to say, I get pretty damn tired of being talked to as if I can't round up enough brain cells to have a quorum, and I am especially tired of craven, smarmy weasels like Axelrod bamboozling the public on purpose.

    And I wish Rachel had called him on conflating Medicare with Social Security - his little lecture on the 3-people-having-to-pay-in-for-every-1-person-getting-benefits was misleading, and he should have been exposed for it.

    Parent

    A matter of degree... (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by lentinel on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 01:56:58 PM EST
    And I wish Rachel had called him on conflating Medicare with Social Security - his little lecture on the 3-people-having-to-pay-in-for-every-1-person-getting-benefits was misleading, and he should have been exposed for it.

    I wish he could be impeach for it.

    Parent

    I think Axe was a bit taken (none / 0) (#85)
    by brodie on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 09:07:45 AM EST
    aback by the passion with which Maddow, to her credit, called him out on his spin.  He might have assumed she, as a liberal and rather outspoken Obama backer since the battle with Hillary, was going to just let him jabber on with his "balanced" chatter about all the supposed nifty things in the bill for the elderly and poor.

    And spin it was, from a newly hired Msnbc analyst who was quoted upon hiring that he would be independent and not merely a mouthpiece for the Obama WH.

    But mouthpiece he was, and a not very convincing one at that.  Axe needs to remember the words he uttered upon hiring, and start living up to them.

    (As for Maddow, her good job calling out the nonsense almost makes up for her recent spouting of state propaganda wrt LHO the alleged lone assassin in the context of gun control. Don't get me started again on that one...)

    Parent

    Just listened to O'Donnell's second program (5.00 / 3) (#101)
    by MO Blue on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 01:17:35 PM EST
    on how Secretary Perkins would embrace cutting benefits to Social Security. Don't you just love using fiction rather than facts.

    Supporters of cuts to Social Security have to create fictional narratives to support their POV rather than prove how the chained CPI really is a more accurate COLA for seniors or show how much longer this change will expand full benefits for the program.

    Let's face it the powers that be want to continue to collect the premiums in the form of taxes expanding the SS trust fund to fund their bank bail outs and unnecessary wars etc. but have no intention of ever using those funds to pay benefits.


    Parent

    Saying that cuts to SS... (none / 0) (#61)
    by unitron on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 12:34:02 AM EST
    ...are to strengthen it or save it is like saying that what goes on in those Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies is physical therapy.

    Parent
    It's Wierd... (none / 0) (#8)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 03:28:30 PM EST
    ...to me when the man speaks you can tell he cares, and you he understands where people with little are come from and issues they face.  The R's are falling over themselves, to label him a socialist, and this week a communist, with some actually believing it.

    There is no downfall in helping people with little.  It just sucks when I read about heating for the poor being reduced after that jackass and his opponent each spent a billion dollars to get a job they would both suck at.

    If it were me, and why I could never be a politican, I would say F y'all, let me show you what socialism really looks like, grab a camera.

    Then wage war on the wealthy starting with the IRS and finishing with the SEC.  The budget for handcuffs would have to be multiplied by a factor of 10.  And lose cuffs, clamp them down down LAPD sytle to make sure those Rolex's get scrathed so they never forget my name.  Just kidding.

    Beyond the money seizure and fines, an option to pay ridiculous sums of money to stay out of jail.  And every nickel goes to the needy.

    I woulds stop our current socialist military from protesting foreign business interests who currently receive free security to do business in areas a free market would never allow, aka third world countries.

    I got off track, but not doing good when there is no downside is pathetic and protecting people who have everything should be criminal.  And if he's doing it to prove something, he doesn't deserve to be president.

    Sorry, just needed some happy thoughts, been reconciling old accounts for two days, mind brain is numb.

    Parent

    I can tell he doesn't care. (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by fairleft on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 04:43:46 PM EST
    I guess we'll just have to differ on that. But aside from how he speaks, the recent substantive evidence is all on my side.

    Parent
    Aloha, Jonathan Winters (1925-2013), who ... (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 02:40:01 PM EST
    ... died today at 87. He had been in declining health for some time.

    Winters was one of the great mimics, who excelled at the art of improvisional comedy (probably before there ever was such a term). As such, his work proved profoundly influential to the talented comics of our own generation, such as Robin Williams.

    The way he could move in and out (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by Anne on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 03:16:47 PM EST
    of so many personalities used to just fascinate me - Robin Williams has that same ability.

    Such a funny guy, and one whose comedy functioned on multiple levels at the same time - sometimes I'd be laughing at the obvious and then the not-so-obvious would click in and I'd be laughing about that, too.

    RIP and Godspeed.

    Parent

    Mearth! (none / 0) (#14)
    by jbindc on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 04:06:03 PM EST


    Parent
    Maria Tallchief, prima ballerina, has died. (5.00 / 4) (#9)
    by caseyOR on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 03:36:55 PM EST
    Tallchief, widely regarded as United States' first major prima ballerina, was 88. Cause of death was pancreatic cancer.

    Tallchief, whose father was a chief of the Osage Indian Nation, rose to ballet heights at a time when those lofty perches were mostly populated with Russians, not Native Americans.

    She was a phenomenal dancer who collaborated often with Gorge Ballanchine. Her signature dance was perhaps in Firebird.

    "What an extraordinary career Maria had," said Ashley Wheater, artistic director of the Joffrey Ballet, who met her several times in Chicago. "She really paved the way for dancers who were not in the traditional mold of ballet. And reaching such a high rank, she was crucial in breaking the stigma. She also was the spark behind much of the amazing work created by Balanchine.

    If you have never seen Tallchief dance you are missing out on something so beautiful. Here is a short youtube video of an interview she did with some footage of her dancing Firebird.

    I never studied dance or took ballet lessons. I know next to nothing about the technical aspects of this arts. What I do know is that Maria Tallchief was indeed extraordinary.

    I was never interested in ballet (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by jondee on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 04:13:49 PM EST
    but the first time I saw Margot Fonteyn dance, I remember thinking "wow, so that's what they've been talking about"

    Something ethereal, not-quite-human, or more than..

    What a wonderful story, Casey.

    Parent

    We were lucky enough (none / 0) (#118)
    by Zorba on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 07:28:00 PM EST
    to see Margot Fonteyn dance with Rudolph Nureyev.  An amazing partnership.  We were absolutely entranced.

    Parent
    That was beautiful (none / 0) (#10)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 03:43:21 PM EST
    Thank you.

    Parent
    Did you see this wonderful (none / 0) (#16)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 04:16:32 PM EST
    documentary?

    Ballet Russes

    Parent

    Everything I know about dance (none / 0) (#105)
    by sj on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 02:21:59 PM EST
    I learned from "So You Think You Can Dance" but even I can tell that was extraordinary.  Exquisite.

    Thank you for posting that.

    Parent

    Medicare changes in Obama's budget proposal (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 03:51:34 PM EST
    WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's plan to raise Medicare premiums for upper-income seniors would create five new income brackets to squeeze more revenue for the government from the top tiers of retirees, the administration revealed Friday.
    ...
    Currently, single beneficiaries making more than $85,000 a year and couples earning more than $170,000 pay higher premiums. Obama's plan would raise the premiums themselves and also freeze adjustments for inflation until 1 in 4 Medicare recipients were paying the higher charges. Right now, the higher monthly charges hit only about 1 in 20 Medicare recipients.
    ...
    Starting in 2017, there would be nine income brackets on which the higher premiums would be charged. There are only four now.

    If the proposal were in effect today, a retiree making $85,000 would pay about $168 a month for outpatient coverage, compared to $146.90 currently.

    Under current law, the next bump up doesn't come until an individual makes more than $107,000. Under Obama's plan, it would come when that person crosses the line at $92,333. If the plan were in effect today, the beneficiary would pay about $195 a month for outpatient coverage under Medicare's Part B, rather than $146.90.

    The top income step -- currently more than $214,000 -- would be lowered to $196,000. And individuals in the new top tier would pay 90 percent of the cost of their outpatient coverage, compared to 80 percent currently.

    The administration did not provide a comparable table for the effects on married couples.

    The impact on monthly premiums for prescription drug coverage is hard to calculate, since different plans on the market charge varying premiums. link
    Good question (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 04:23:53 PM EST
    Does the Obama administration have the money to set up Obamacare?

    A few months after Obamacare became law, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that Health and Human Services would need between $5 and $10 billion to get the law up and running.

    That was not great news for HHS. The law's drafters gave the agency just a fraction of that: A total of $1 billion in implementation funds. Any further funding would require Congress to act.

    Unsurprisingly, House Republicans who voted to repeal Obamacare altogether were none too keen on spending additional money on the program. Meanwhile, the 26 states that refused to build health exchanges have only increased the agency's workload.

    This leads to a question that I've had for a while, in covering the Affordable Care Act. How does HHS handle the country's largest insurance expansion decade -- one that's supposed to come with at least a $5 billion price tag -- on a $1 billion budget?

    The short answer, which I got at a HHS media briefing on Wednesday, seems to be: By piecing together a patchwork of obscure funding sources that, so far, have seemed to make ends meet.
    We Could Sell... (5.00 / 3) (#30)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:51:28 PM EST
    ...an aircraft carrier, they are about 10 Billion and we have 10 of them and only operate in 4 oceans.  That would leave us with 7 more than any other country.

    Or we could stop building an additional the two additional ones, which will give us 12 aircraft carriers, 2 more than everyone else combined.  10 Billion empty, double that when it's fully equipped, and a little over a million a day to operate each one.

    Stupid, but the point is I bet the military has never patch-worked anything together to get it rolling.  We will spend any amount to defend citizens from imaginary enemies, at least in the sense that we need 12 fricken aircraft carriers to beat, but no funds to protect them from them from a life without adequate health care.

    This is getting so old.

    Parent

    Lots and lots of billions available if we (5.00 / 3) (#33)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 06:04:09 PM EST
    end the lifetime of the F-35 like maybe tomorrow.

    historically over-budget F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that has already drained $84 billion from the U.S. Treasury, and is projected to cost $1.5 trillion over its lifetime.


    Parent
    What Will Protect... (none / 0) (#37)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 06:48:47 PM EST
    ...our 900 bases worldwide in spanning 130 countries ?

    Parent
    More importantly (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 08:12:55 PM EST
    What will protect the 200+ golf courses owned and operated around the globe by the military?

    Parent
    Exactly. The Navy has a (none / 0) (#51)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 09:52:53 PM EST
    contractor who is responsible for the quality of the grass on those golf courses. What a gig.

    Parent
    Yes and I am sure that if the (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 10:40:22 PM EST
    quality of the grass deteriorated or they sold one of those golf courses the terrorists would win. National security demands that we save each and every golf course and instead have the troops sacrifice by reducing health care, troop pay and retirement benefits. :-(

    Parent
    Ask (none / 0) (#110)
    by jbindc on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 02:48:17 PM EST
    And you shall receive (somewhat).

    Parent
    Evidently the Justice Dept. ran out of "big (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by MO Blue on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 09:18:20 PM EST
    fish to fry."

    Breaking: Obama Justice Department serves Oregon officials with warrant seeking the identities of the state's medical cannabis patients

    The Seattle Post Intelligencer has reported that the US Department of Justice secured a court order demanding that the state agency in Oregon that oversees the provision of medical cannabis to Oregonian patients who are suffering from serious, and in some cases, life threatening diseases to turn over records that personally identify patients, care givers and suppliers of the medicine.

    The search warrant was filed in November of 2012 and requires the Oregon Medical Marijuana Project to turn over the names, addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates, and driver's license numbers of "patients, growers and care givers in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program database files."

    The state officials who register patients and suppliers were ordered by the US Department of Justice to not disclose the existence or contents of the search warrant. The federal demand for patient records was discovered in public court filings.

    Bank and mortgage fraud not pursued but medical marijuana patients are fair game.

    ugh.... (none / 0) (#107)
    by sj on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 02:30:21 PM EST


    Parent
    Masters meeting this morning (5.00 / 1) (#77)
    by CoralGables on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:26:07 AM EST
    on whether to DQ Tiger Woods over an illegal drop from Friday afternoon.

    Give a penalty to a 14 year old Chinese kid? Yes. DQ Tiger? I've got my money on that movie "No".

    Former USGA chief David Fay on Tiger (none / 0) (#78)
    by CoralGables on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:31:21 AM EST
    "Based on the way the rules are written, I don't see how he's anything other than a spectator today."

    Parent
    Rules are rules. Even Woods said as much (none / 0) (#81)
    by Angel on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:45:34 AM EST
    when asked about the slow play penalty.  To me, an illegal drop is far more egregious than slow play.

    Parent
    Word leaking out (none / 0) (#83)
    by CoralGables on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:48:22 AM EST
    he may be hit by a (2 stroke?) penalty but not a DQ since technically the DQ would be for signing a wrong scorecard and the illegal drop wasn't brought to his attention until after signing it.

    Know for sure soon.

    Parent

    USA Today reporting (none / 0) (#84)
    by CoralGables on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:55:50 AM EST
    2 stroke penalty changing his score on the 15th hole from a 6 to an 8 yesterday moving him from a tie for 7th to a tie for 20th

    Parent
    An honorable player would have DQ'd himself. (none / 0) (#90)
    by Angel on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 09:32:39 AM EST


    Parent
    Not a Tiger fan (5.00 / 1) (#91)
    by CoralGables on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 09:50:25 AM EST
    but have to be honest. When I played golf, my own interpretation of the rule was that what he did was legal. Even though he should know far better than me, I can see how that mistake could be made.

    It he had hit it straight into the water what he did was fine. The fact that it ricocheted into the water put him in the wrong.

    The USGA person present at the time didn't call it. It was someone watching at home that brought it to the attention of the PGA. I think the Rules Committee made a fair decision.

    Parent

    My sister saw it when it happened and said to (none / 0) (#92)
    by Angel on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 10:02:49 AM EST
    herself "Uh oh. He just made a drop mistake." She's a longtime golfer, president of her club, past club champion for two different clubs, has played pro-am golf and goes quite a few invitationals. She said their interpretation is wrong and they are just making special circumstances for him. I don't have a dog in this fight but it seems to me that the integrity of the game is brought into question when the rules are not enforced. Because he "didn't know" isn't an excuse for a pro, be it golf or tennis or any other sport. You're supposed to know the rules. Michelle Wie was DQ'd in one of her first pro tournaments for a bad drop; they DQ'd her for signing a scorecard without adding a 2-stroke penalty!

    Parent
    Here is the history on it (none / 0) (#93)
    by CoralGables on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 10:45:35 AM EST
    Michelle Wie was DQ'd in 2005 for a wrong scorecard after it was determined she made the illegal drop when it was brought to the attention of officials by a Sports Illustrated reporter after she had signed her scorecard.

    In 2011 Padraig Harrington was DQ'd for a moved ball when picking up his marker when a TV viewer emailed in his concerns after Harrington signed his scorecard.

    (there have obviously been others)

    After the Harrington incident the USGA relaxed the rule and now abides by the following:

    The governing bodies determined players should not be disqualified because of "facts that he or she didn't know and could not reasonably have discovered prior to returning his scorecard. Thus, stroke penalties will be added to a score retrospectively."

    I do agree though that it does take away the "gentlemanly" part of golf which is that you are supposed to call the penalty on yourself and leaves open the possibility of people trying to skirt a rule with claims of "I didn't know".

    Parent

    How many jails do you go to? (none / 0) (#2)
    by fishcamp on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 02:26:21 PM EST
    I know there's the big Fed lockup in Englewood but do you go to state, county and other city jails as well?  

    the feds use (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 02:46:03 AM EST
    county jails to house federal pre-trial detainees as well as the Federal Detention Center in Englewood, since FDC can't house them all. The county jails include Denver, Jefferson, Douglas (Castle Rock) and Clear Creek (Georgetown.) They also just opened a new one at the site of the old immigration jail near Aurora, but I haven't had anyone housed there yet. I hear it's miserable.

    The new Denver county jail downtown is pretty good for visiting, the sheriff's are nice and it's real speedy to get in and they bring clients out fast. That's where I was today.

    FDC is a pain because they make you leave at 3:30 (count is at 4 and they won't let you come after that.)It's also 15 miles from Denver and they also only have 3 small attorney-client rooms so you never know how long you have to wait if other lawyers or probation are there. And they don't have someone stationed at the entrance so you can wait 15 minutes to a half hour even to sign in and ask for your client to be brought down-- and then it's usually another 20 - 30 minutes for your client to arrive. You also have to fill out 2 pages of paperwork, with checklists as to what you are swearing you are not bringing in and even give them the license plate number for your car in the parking lot.

    Georgetown is the worst physically, simply archaic and dungeon like. Jeffco is a depressing.

    These are not convicted inmates, or defendants who can't afford bond, but defendants who are denied bond pending trial -- usually because it's a drug charge and there is a statutory presumption against bond in drug cases where the possible penalty is ten years or more -- which is almost every federal drug charge. Also, undocumented defendants don't get bond because they have ICE detainers, which means even if they were granted bond they wouldn't get out, they'd just get transferred to an ICE facility and those are worse.

    2013 Stats from U.S Marshals Prisoners Operation:

    • Average number of prisoners in Marshals custody each day, housed in federal, state, local and private jails throughout the nation: 59,800

    • Prisoners received by U.S. Marshals in fiscal 2012: 232,709

    • Contracts with state and local governments to rent jail space: approx. 1,800

    • Prisoners housed in state, local and private facilities: approx. 80%

    • Prisoners housed in Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities: approx. 20%

    Once a defendant is sentenced, custody is transferred from the Marshals Service to the Attorney General and the Bureau of Prisons takes over.

    Parent
    Granted, it's still early, but if there was ... (none / 0) (#12)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 03:56:46 PM EST
    ... ever a team more deserving of a last-place finish in major league baseball this season than the San Diego Padres, I've yet to see them.

    The Padres' Carlos Quentin has a documented history of crowding the plate and leaning into pitches. He's been hit by a pitch 95 times since 2008, more than any other active player in major league baseball.

    And as a result of last night's ugly 6th inning brawl, Quentin is probably facing a lengthy suspension that the anemic Padres can ill afford right now, having deliberately charged L.A.'s Zack Greinkeafter getting hit once again -- only this time, he broke the Dodger ace's collarbone in the ensuing melee.

    Greinke is now on the disabled list and out of the rotation for at least two months, while for his part Quentin has shown no remorse for his actions, which may possibly become a factor as MLB determines the length of his prospective suspension. The Padres could be looking at 15 to 20 games without his much-needed bat.

    And suffice to say, the Dodgers themselves are none too happy with Quentin and the Padres right now. Dodger OF Matt Kemp confronted Quentin as both players were leaving Petco Park after last night's game, and they had to be seperated by teammates.

    Further, I'd lay better than even odds that a very belligerent crowd of Dodger faithful will be on hand at Chavez Ravine this coming Monday, as the now-heated rivalry shifts 110 miles north to Los Angeles.

    saw that, good report Donald. (none / 0) (#13)
    by fishcamp on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 04:04:20 PM EST


    Parent
    It will likely end up as (none / 0) (#19)
    by CoralGables on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 04:44:07 PM EST
    a 5 game suspension for Quentin.

    Unless MLB changes their approach, punishment has been handed out based on the action rather than the result. The standard for charging the mound has been 5 or 6 games and most often 5. Sometimes more has been given and after appeal lowered down to 5.

    Parent

    I think it'll be more. (none / 0) (#34)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 06:29:52 PM EST
    I'd otherwise agree with you, because normally these types of "basebrawls" are really so much bad kabuki. ESPN's Buster Olney takes your side in the debate, and predicts a suspension of anywhere between three and eight games.

    But in this particular instance, you have a pitcher who was seriously injured and is now sidelined for probably eight weeks, while the guy who caused his injury not only showed no remorse for his actions, but even bragged to the media about settling some longstanding score with that pitcher, dating back to when both were playing in the American League for other teams.

    While Zack Greinke needs to shoulder his share of fault for this silly brawl (pun intended), because he threw his glove down in that time-honored kabuki cue for "basebrawl," it would not surprise me if MLB uses Carlos Quentin as an example, and suspends him for longer than the norm -- although the players' union could later compel a reduction of that suspension. A slap on the rest could tempt the Dodgers to retaliate against the Padres as early as next week, and that really serves no one's best interests.

    Parent

    Quentin Initial suspension 8 games (none / 0) (#45)
    by CoralGables on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 08:56:57 PM EST
    We'll see if he appeals.

    Parent
    Being reported (none / 0) (#47)
    by CoralGables on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 09:25:32 PM EST
    the appeal has already been filed which will keep him playing for awhile.

    Parent
    Oh, great. (none / 0) (#50)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 09:45:51 PM EST
    That means he'll be taking the field Monday in Los Angeles. I'd tune into that game, just to watch the reception he receives from the Blue faithful.

    Parent
    Now wait just a damn moment. Has it (none / 0) (#21)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:00:12 PM EST
    been proven to beyond a reasonable doubt that Quentin, a former football player, caused the pitcher's collarbone to bresl?  That was a huge scirmish. And furthermore, Quentin insists the pitcher "said something," and absent that Quentin would not have charged the mound.

    Parent
    Dodger fans. (none / 0) (#22)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:05:02 PM EST
    What are you going to do?  

    Parent
    The better baseball (none / 0) (#26)
    by CoralGables on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:31:37 PM EST
    and far more bizarre story today is A-Rod. True or not, nothing he might do surprises me

    Parent
    Is this the A-Rod story you mean? (none / 0) (#28)
    by caseyOR on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:37:00 PM EST
    The story about Rodriguez trying to purchase the medical records of the FL clinic MLB as investigating?

    Now, why would Rodriguez want to get his hands on those records? Why, why, why?

    Parent

    Frickin' A-Dog (none / 0) (#36)
    by scribe on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 06:43:42 PM EST
    He never ceases to amaze me with his arrogance and what it leads to.

    Then again, buying the clinic and trashing the records is a savvy move if you get away with it.

    Parent

    He'd make a great politician: (none / 0) (#57)
    by NYShooter on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 11:03:38 PM EST
    Don't like the Law? Buy the Lawmakers.

    Don't like what's in the records? Buy the Library.


    Parent

    I know. What was he thinking? (none / 0) (#48)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 09:36:05 PM EST
    A-Rod lost me as a fan, ever since he bolted the Mariners to chase the big bucks with the Texas Rangers. Great player, but very self-absorbed.

    Parent
    That's not what Quentin said last night, ... (none / 0) (#32)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 06:01:29 PM EST
    ... in which he practically bragged about having settled some outstanding score he had with Greinke, dating back to the time when both players were in the American League.

    And yes, he did break Zack Greinke's collarbone. He crashed into the pitcher, threw him to the ground and piled on top of him. Doctors say that the injury probably occurred in the players' initial collision.

    I'm sorry, but Quentin's reaction to being hit by a pitch -- again! -- was way over the top and well into foul territory. Why would Greinke deliberately try to bean the batter when he's facing a full count with no outs and no one on base, while trying to protect a one-run lead in the bottom of the 6th? No pitcher or manager in their right minds would go headhunting in that situation. It was clearly an accident, yet Quentin used the incident to start a brawl and inflict serious injury.

    Quentin deserves to be benched for a few weeks, at the very least. And were I the MLB commissioner and I had my way, he'd be suspended for as long as Greinke remains on the disabled list.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Has any pitcher in the history (none / 0) (#40)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 08:34:23 PM EST
    of the game admitted he was trying to hit the batter?  Seems like most of these situations arise in close games. Good cover.

    Parent
    You can't admit it (none / 0) (#44)
    by CoralGables on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 08:51:35 PM EST
    or the fine is huge.

    but...

    Nobody intentionally hits a batter on a 3-2 count with no outs in a one run game. You'd have to be crazier than Roger Clemens and Grienke is no where near that kind of nuts. (Although I believe Pedro Martinez once intentionally plunked the leadoff hitter for Tampa Bay to start a game)


    Parent

    "Crazier than Roger Clemens" ... (none / 0) (#53)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 10:05:46 PM EST
    ... is pretty effin crazy. I was always half-hoping a while ago that they'd throw him in jail for perjury, even though I knew the evidence was rather circumstantial, just because he's such an a$$hole.

    I remember when I was playing college ball for Washington and we were in Honolulu for the Rainbow Easter Tournament, and Clemens was playing for the Texas Longhorns at the time, and was also there with his team.

    Anyway, we watched Clemens and the 'Horns play Hawaii the second night of the tourney, and Clemens beaned Hawaii OF Mario Monico in the head because he was having a particularly bad outing against the Rainbows that night, had given up five runs in the fourth inning, and was clearly frustrated. Monico was hurt pretty bad, and Clemens of course got tossed from the game -- and as a chorus of boos rained down on him from the packed house, he looked up and flipped off the crowd with both hands. That was his first and only appearance in that tournament, and his head coach later apologized to the local media that night for his player's behavior.

    Really classy guy, that Roger. Great pitcher, without a doubt, but a total rectal cavity, nonetheless.

    Parent

    He did the exact same thing in Boston (none / 0) (#58)
    by shoephone on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 11:24:55 PM EST
    during the 1990 playoffs. While going to school that year, I worked at Fenway. The Sox lost in four straight games to the A's. But my lingering memory is the night Clemens pitched. He was so bad that he got pulled halfway through. The entire crowd booed him with gusto. And Clemens turned towards the stands and flipped off the hometown crowd. I'd never seen a pitcher do that before. In my naivete I thought, "I don't know who this Clemens clown is, but I don't think he's gonna last long in baseball. You don't flip off your hometown crowd!"

    Parent
    Why, sure you can. (none / 0) (#62)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 12:53:12 AM EST
    Just watch Roger Clemens. And here's what he'll be, 15 years from now.

    Parent
    Hilarious...lock me up if I get that bad. (none / 0) (#86)
    by fishcamp on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 09:17:59 AM EST


    Parent
    Only if you lie to Congress ... (none / 0) (#117)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 07:14:12 PM EST
    ... about your steroid use.
    ;-D

    Parent
    And in other California sports news, ... (none / 0) (#29)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:44:25 PM EST
    ... could it be that Mayor Kevin Johnson is about to become the Man of the Hour in Sacramento and the Central Valley?

    There were initial reports out of New York two weeks ago indicating that members of the NBA Board of Governors were very impressed by the former Phoenix Suns point guard's impassioned presentation to them, in which he offered a viable ownership alternative for the Sacramento Kings, while also urging the board to reject Microsoft billionaire Chris Hansen's record $645 million offer to buy the Kings from the financially-troubled Maloof family and move the franchise to Seattle.

    Back home, Mayor Johnson has rallied his city behind his effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento, cajoled the fractious City Council to support his planned public / private partnership to build a new downtown arena about four blocks from the State Capitol, brought together a rival consortium of Sacramento-area investors to match Hansen's offer, and enlisted the help of the Golden State Warriors' owners over in the Bay Area to pitch that offer to their fellow owners.

    And about two hour ago, it was reported that the NBA has asked the Sacramento investment group if they would consider reimbursing Hansen his $30 million non-refundable down payment made earlier to the Maloofs.

    Johnson's very public high-wire act on behalf of the Kings' long-suffering faithful was considered a longshot when he first went to the NBA last year and successfully convinced its Board of Governors to deny the Maloof brothers' request to move the team to Anaheim. The odds looked even longer a few months ago when Hansen made his record-breaking offer to buy the Kings, which the Maloofs accepted, subject to NBA board approval.

    But if Kevin Johnson somehow succeeds in not only keeping the Kings in Sacramento, but also finding them new local owners committed to rebuilding the team, securing an agreement for a long-sought catalyst to downtown Sacramento's revitalization, and simultaneously hustling the very unpopular Maloof brothers out of town, you can look for his star to rise very rapidly in California political circles -- because what he will have pulled off would be no small feat, no matter how you look at it.

    Parent

    Is the present arena obsolete already? (none / 0) (#41)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 08:36:50 PM EST


    Parent
    It's obsolete, like Key Arena in Seattle ... (none / 0) (#49)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 09:43:02 PM EST
    ... is obsolete. (Eyes rolling.)

    Because the Maloof family is presently in serious financial straits, thanks in large part to their speculation in Las Vegas real estate and the subsequent crash of that market, they haven't spent any money on repair and maintenance since first acquiring the team back in 1998. ARCO Arena is only 24 years old, but it's been seriously neglected.

    Further, the NBA owners changes the rules over the last decade, and any arena built or modified before the turn of the century that doesn't have extensive room for luxury skyboxes is considered "obsolete."

    Parent

    Hansen is a harda$$ hedgefund brat (none / 0) (#56)
    by shoephone on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 10:59:14 PM EST
    This entire "deal" has made me sick to my stomach. I oppose it on many counts, but mostly, because it is EXACTLY the same dirty tricks that Clay Bennett, David Stern, and Oklahoma played on Seattle.

    At this point, I couldn't care less about getting an NBA team back. We have a perpetually sh*tty baseball team, a football team populated by homophobic creeps, and a soccer team that is the only sports team worth rooting for. This city has become an expensive, crowded, snobbish, mean, traffic-laden nightmare. The developers and the bratty rich boys have ruined it for the rest of us. Chris Hansen exemplifies all of that. I sincerely hope Sacramento wins this one.

    As for me, I had a fantastic vacation to California, which only confirmed for me how much I want to move back there. I'm already networking and planning my escape.

    Parent

    Glad to hear you had a good vacation. (none / 0) (#60)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 12:28:03 AM EST
    We'll be in Pasadena for a few days twice next month, on our way to and from New York for Elder Daughter's college graduation.

    There are times when I miss California. But if I did live back there, my first choice would probably be in the San Francisco Bay area. Santa Barbara is a close second, with San Luis Obispo running third.

    And I could handle the L.A. area if we lived near the coast in Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach or Alamitos Bay / Seal Beach. And I have to admit, Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley is much nicer now than it was back when I was in high school -- but real estate there is very expensive.

    Parent

    I won't be moving to LA... (none / 0) (#63)
    by shoephone on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 12:58:55 AM EST
    but close enough to make visiting family a nice little drive. Planning on living in a much smaller, quieter coastal community...if I can make it work! According to folks who live there, it's not easy to find housing without "knowing people" so, luckily, I re-connected with an old friend nearby, and met two new folks there who are helping me network.

    Sunshine and warmth is good for my soul.

    As a comparison, right now in my part of the NW it is 42 degrees, raining, and very, very windy. Ugh.

    Santa Barbara's beautiful, but waaayyyy outta my price range.

    Parent

    How about Carlsbad? (none / 0) (#65)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 02:20:12 AM EST
    That's a pleasant beach community, and the sunsets are to die for. When my cousin and I were in high school, she and I ran around with the same pack of friends, and we all used to go to the beach at Carlsbad a lot in the summertime. She lives down there now, and just loves it. Carlsbad even has a small commercial airport (United flies there), and air fares are often cheaper going in and out of there than what you find at other SoCal airports.

    My parents first met each other in Carlsbad back in the early 1950s. My mother had taken the train down from L.A. to Carlsbad to visit her friend. They were both 19, and were out cruising the main street that night, when her friend hooked up with a young Marine officer from Camp Pendleton, and that officer had a young fellow officer buddy with him -- and then I guess young hormones being what they are, they eventually ditched Mom and the buddy.

    Mom was understandably quite irritated, and ever the officer and the gentleman, the equally ditched buddy gallantly offered to drive her home, naturally assuming that she resided nearby. He asked where she lived, and she said simply, "Pasadena." And so, he drove her home anyway -- and by the time they arrived at her parents' house in Pasadena two hours later at about 1:00 a.m., they had already made a date for the following weekend.

    Apparently, my grandmother was initially quite upset that Mom had casually accepted a 90-mile ride home at night from a complete stranger, while my grandfather was even more appalled that she had further and just as casually made a date to see him again the next week. That first impression softened significantly after my parents married two years later, and my grandparents came to cherish their son-in-law.

    Mom only first shared that story with me last year.

    Parent

    Carlsbad is pretty expensive now (none / 0) (#82)
    by Dadler on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:47:23 AM EST
    Median sale price for a house is well north of half a million dollars, I'd guess. Besides Imperial Beach down at the border, which is still kind of like Rosemead or El Monte or Alhambra on the water, I don't know of a really "affordable" (by most people's definitions) beach town until you get up to, what, Oxnard or something like that? We're lucky fools, tho, living in Hawaii and San Francisco. Hell, that I get to spend next Monday night up on Nob Hill at the gorgeous Regency Ballroom swinging my socks off to the Parov Stelar Band, pinch me. That's the BAND, baby, not just the trio or the sole DJ. Check it out, it's the bees knees. (link)  Peace out, my man.

    Parent
    Don't worry, I've already got the town picked out (none / 0) (#95)
    by shoephone on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 10:58:57 AM EST
    and spent nearly a week there on this last trip. I'm just not saying where until it looks like a done deal, and that may be awhile yet.

    Parent
    There's always the more central coast (none / 0) (#76)
    by Dadler on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 08:25:01 AM EST
    North of Santa Barbara. Say Santa Maria up to Cambria -- San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Pismo, and of course Cambria itself, which is terrific. Not as crowded or hectic or anxiety-laden as traffic-encrusted SoCal, and not as pricey either. But if you want SoCal weather, beach and less pricey, there's always as far south as you can get, Imperial Beach. Facing the ocean, on your direct left will be May-He-Co. Kind of has a rep as a sort of sleepy, slightly, uh, weathered, and not as exclusive SoCal beach town. Anything north of that all the way to Santa Barbara is big bucks for most people. Good luck.  

    Parent
    Sal Beach used to be good (none / 0) (#88)
    by fishcamp on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 09:26:15 AM EST
    but I'm not sure how it is now.  I had an aunt and uncle that lived there so I would come down from the mountains to surf at ray bay by the power plant.  Had to be careful not to step on a ray because even the little ones would sting like a m/f and you know how they sting.

    Parent
    Seal Beach (none / 0) (#89)
    by fishcamp on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 09:27:13 AM EST


    Parent
    I still love Seal Beach (none / 0) (#113)
    by Dadler on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 06:29:54 PM EST
    Like a small town crammed into the SoCal sprawl. But I wouldn't say it's really "affordable" anymore. And those rays, how could I forget? Haven't been in the water there in decades probably, I guess that's how.

    Parent
    My grandparents owned a house on ... (none / 0) (#116)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 07:06:25 PM EST
    ... Naples Island by Alamitos Bay, which is right next to Seal Beach. Back in the 1930s, they'd live down there with their kids in the summertime to escape the inland heat in Pasadena. My grandfather used to commute to his bank job in L.A. from there. Back then, Long Beach was mostly all oil derricks, except for the few blocks along the coast.

    Parent
    I'm more culturally inclined towards (none / 0) (#87)
    by brodie on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 09:24:12 AM EST
    the Bay Area, lived there for years, but a while back sold and took the profits to buy a very cheap house in a very nice suburban part of SoCal, 10 min from Malibu, 10 min from my office on the western edge of the Valley.  Not quite a coastal town as the mountains block most of the ocean breeze, but just over the hill and close by and the air is good quality.

    Prefer this to what some friends and family have in San Marino and upscale areas of Pasadena.  Yes, they have fancy million $ plus homes, but it's too far inland for me, and the air quality, though improved since the 70s, is still sub optimal.  Plus the heat in summer.  And more traffic than here. No thanks.  

    As for SF, I have a bad feeling about that city and the Big One hitting in the not too distant future, causing tremendous destruction. My hunch is that SoCal, while it won't be unaffected seismically, will fare better in the next 15-20 years in terms of damage than upstate.

    Parent

    Sounds like you live in Topanga (none / 0) (#114)
    by Dadler on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 06:45:11 PM EST
    Or thereabouts. Nice country, not like LA at all, the other LA that is, further east.  That LA, tho, having grown up there, having lived through the 92 riots in the armpit of east Hollywood, has always struck me as more of a social powderkeg. The lack of adequate public transportation rendered it a much more segregated place than people realize; and everyone is locked up in their cars so much, stuck in traffic, angry as hell about it, the whole place is anxiety central, to me anyway. And don't talk all that earthquake stuff with the Bay Area, I live literally on top of the San Andreas Fault. Supposed to be the less active section tho. Sure it is. There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

    Parent
    That;s the downside of the ... (none / 0) (#115)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 06:53:50 PM EST
    ... San Gabriel Valley and the rest of inland SoCal. When we were at my Mom's last September, there was a godawful heat wave and the temperature was 108 or more for three days straight. The first day of the heat wave, we were driving back up from San Diego, and when we stopped in San Juan Capistrano for lunch, it was 109 down there, and felt like a blast furnace when we stepped out of the car.

    That kind of heat just drains me. I've never understood how so many people can live even further inland in the desert, in places like Palm Springs and Victorville.

    Parent

    They say death comes in threes... (none / 0) (#20)
    by unitron on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 04:49:43 PM EST
    ...so is it going to be Winters, Tallchief, and Social Security?

    No, not Social Security. (none / 0) (#67)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 03:05:19 AM EST
    Rather, the third passing today was Marv Harshman (1918-2013), who was the beloved former head coach of the Washington Huskies men's basketball team.

    Having long labored in the shadow of John Wooden's UCLA juggernauts, Harshman inflicted what proved to be the final defeat of Wooden's storied career in 1975, a 103-81 thrashing of the eventual national champion Bruins by his Huskies.

    In Nov. 1984, Coach Harshman announced his retirement effective at the end of the 1984-85 season, having been compelled to do so by UW President William Gerberding, who wanted somebody more youthful in the coach's chair. As his swan song, he led the Huskies to 28 wins and the first and only conference title of his own career, and then got them to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tourney, before falling to Dayton.

    Aloha, Coach Harshman.

    Parent

    Winters was the third (none / 0) (#108)
    by jbindc on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 02:43:12 PM EST
    Thatcher, Funicello, Winters

    Parent
    Have any of you seen the film (none / 0) (#25)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:28:46 PM EST
    "No"?

    No (none / 0) (#27)
    by CoralGables on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 05:32:20 PM EST


    Parent
    You beat me to the obvious. (none / 0) (#35)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 06:32:04 PM EST
    ;-D

    Parent
    No? (none / 0) (#38)
    by ruffian on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 07:01:20 PM EST


    Parent
    "No." (none / 0) (#43)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 08:40:08 PM EST
    Imdb

    Parent
    No (5.00 / 1) (#70)
    by ruffian on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 07:13:50 AM EST


    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#54)
    by P3P3P3P3 on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 10:11:39 PM EST
    I have, it is a good movie, remarkable that the oppressed defeat the tyrant with a "pleasant" TV ad campaign, no D-Day or Blitzkrieg

    it is in Spanish with English subtitles, the wife continues the unsuccessful leftist/communist street demonstrations, while the husband, who returns from America, where he was working in the advertising business, brings a "fresh idea", the upcoming citizens vote on whether to keep Augusto Pinochet is allowed TV time to make their cases

    he chose to run an upbeat message, as the wife is getting beat down

    the chorus they sing is worthy of a Broadway performance, "Chile, Happiness is Coming" and it succeeds, there is a happy (bloodless) transition to power

    Roger Ebert gave it thumbs up

    Parent

    Thank you. (none / 0) (#59)
    by oculus on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 12:06:16 AM EST


    Parent
    Interesting article in NYT we (none / 0) (#52)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 09:56:31 PM EST
    CIA in Pakistan, who decides re drone strikes there, who is superior--US Dept. of State or the CIA.

    Mark Mazzetti

    I saw "42" this afternoon (none / 0) (#64)
    by shoephone on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 01:11:30 AM EST
    and enjoyed it. Harrison Ford's good as B. Rickey, although he uses a funny gravelly voice that kinda seems like a caricature at times... Chadwick Boseman and Nicole Beharie are great as Jackie and Rae. In fact, the whole cast is good. In the downside, I would say it's definitely sentimental, with some of that slo-mo visuals and soaring music, and it sometimes gets a little preachy in a way that seems more 2013 than 1947. But...it's worth seeing. The baseball scenes are really well done.

    Anyone see Rand Paul at Howard? (none / 0) (#71)
    by ruffian on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 07:19:45 AM EST
    Check out the Daily Show video for Stewart's excellent piece on it.  I cannot do it justice.

    Then there is Reince Priebus in the paper this morning talking about their 'outreach' and says "It is not what you say, it is how you say it".

    Uh, no...it is mostly what you are saying, Reince.


    i'm closing this thread (none / 0) (#121)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 13, 2013 at 10:41:27 PM EST
    there's something wrong with the comment structure.

    Brodie, sounds like we are neighbors. (none / 0) (#122)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Apr 15, 2013 at 01:57:23 PM EST


    Friday Open Thread | 101 comments (101 topical)