Say it is so!
I noticed that Will Carroll posted a link to Batting Third on his site/blog. Will is an author for the great Baseball Prospectus, and recently came out with the book "Saving the Pitcher" which should be required reading for every baseball coach in the country. (Follow the link to the left to his blog for a good read or to buy the book.)
His blog is one of the few places I visit every day on the web. It's exciting to know that a "name" has even visited my measly blog, let alone enjoyed it enough that he felt he could recommend it.
So thanks Will!
No posts?
No posts since Tuesday? No, I haven't jumped off a bridge due to the election results. If I can survive the Pirates making Jose Mesa a contract offer, I can survive anything.
Actually, I've been away from the internet for several days because my son was born. Avinash Patel Kopec. 8 lbs, 3 oz. 21.5 inches. Everything and everyone is fine! What a week!
E-day
I'll only make 1 prediction...by this time tomorrow we will know who will be president on January 20. As close as the polls are, history tells us that the election probably won't come down to 'who sues who.'
While I do think the outcome will be clear by tomorrow morning, that doesn't mean I think the outcome will fall outside the 'margin of error' built into the system.
By 'margin of error' I mean that there is a certain probability that the election will be so close that factors other than the will of the people will determine who wins.
There are 3 major factors that determine the 'margin of error' in an election.
1. A certain amount of cheating always goes into every election. (see dead people)
2. Inaccuracy in counting votes. (see Florida - 2000)
3. People who accidentally vote for the wrong person. (see butterfly ballots)
Obviously, the 2000 election fell within this 'margin of error' and the winner probably did not reflect the will of the people.
Our leaders have had 4 years to narrow this margin of error, and have done virtually nothing about it. This is partly by design in that it is in the interests of the major parties to be able to impart their own influence on elections. It's their security blanket/safety net.
No matter what happens, I just hope that the will of the people is honored this time around.
In the enemy camp
Here's an interesting article about what happens when you wear the opponent's shirt at a rally.
What happens in those situations is rather instructive. Wear the wrong shirt at a Kerry rally, and people hired to run interference try to hide you with Kerry signs.
Wear the wrong shirt at a Bush rally and you aren't allowed in. If you put the wrong shirt on after you get in, you are politely instructed that it is a private event and that you'll have to leave.
Of course, to even have the opportunity to wear the wrong shirt at the Bush rally, you'll be forced to write an essay stating why you support Bush and recite a pledge to that effect. If that sounds a little creepy to you, you aren't alone.
Last minute desperation
I wasn't going to blog tonight, but anytime I hear Karl Rove assert on national television that democratic 'get out the vote' organizations are paying their employees with crack cocaine, I'm gonna write about it.
Anyway, the story intrigued me, so I did a little research and sure enough, someone was arrested in Cleveland (shocking!) for allegedly submitting false registrations and being paid in cocaine for her efforts.
What's the tie in to the Democratic Party? Well, the registration were received via a third party and then submitted by the NAACP. Of course, Rove is equating the NAACP with the DNC, which is probaly fair on some level.
Never let them see you sweat
Early voters
I must admit I don't understand all this early voting. Either you vote on election day, or you don't vote. Unless you are forced to be out of town for work or military duty, there is no reason to vote absentee or early.
Anyway....
According to a Gallup report, about 30% of registered voters in Florida have already voted. You read that right! (FYI...Gallup is reporting Kerry is up 51-43 on these ballots.)
Again, according to Gallup, 27% of registered Iowans have already voted. (Kerry up 52 - 41.)
Early votes were expected to turn for Kerry, but this is still good news.
PNC Park turf replacement
According to
this article at the PG, the Pirates are currently re-sodding PNC Park.
Unlike at Heinz Field, I've never heard any complaints about the turf at PNC, so this perplexes me a bit. It seems to me that the longer turf is in place, the hardier and more consistent it should become.
In fact, this article alludes to the fact that they are doing it this year in order to give it time to mature for the 2006 All Star Game. But then the article also quotes the manager of field maintenance as saying he'd prefer to replace the turf every year.
I don't get it.
Who knew the elderly were so gullible?
Taking a cue from Nigerian bank scams and phony pyramid schemes, GOP fundraisers have discovered that it's pretty darn easy to trick open grandma's purse.
You can read the sordid details
here and
here. Props to
talkingpointsmemo.com for connecting the dots.
Once again, if you vote GOP, then you implicitly condone crap like this. And if you don't think the GOP isn't impressed, then why is Scott Stewart, the man previously in charge of the scam, now running the Bush campaign in Nevada?
Introductions are in order
Superstardom, meet Ben Roethlisberger.
Ben Roethlisberger, meet superstardom.
Now don't get too comfortable with each other just yet.
If the season ended today, BR would get MVP votes (and deserve them.) Of course the season is not over yet, and while I'm sure there are tough days yet to come, BR is making it fun to be a Steeler fan again.
After today, I feel alot better about the Steelers being legitimate contenders this season. I still can't get the over the way the Ravens manhandled them, but that was still early in the season. I also can't shake the fear of an injury to BR, Staley, or anybody on the O-line. But so far, so good. Next week will actually be a much tougher matchup for the Steelers, and more telling about how far they may go this year.
