Ends and Odds

A lot of sports is contained herein so beware.

This is being written before game 6 of the ALCS. I want the Yankees to win but I have to say it is nearly as satisfying that I know the Red Flops are sitting at home. I will add that Mr. Sabbathia is an absolute horse who looks less fit than me and happens also to have a very pleasant attitude. There will be much yakking and hand wringing up here about the Red Flops and what they need to do to get back at the top. I would start by kicking Varitek to the curb and saying bye bye. Enuf said.

Interesting race to replace Ted Kennedy. Two very typical/traditional pols (and I include Ms. Coakley here because, despite being a woman, she is more like Capuano than not) and two outsiders. Pagliucca has all the money in the world (as a partner at Bain along with Romney) but if I see one more ad where he claims some credit for the Celtics championship 2 years ago, I will puke. He is a part owner but come on--pictures of him hugging Paul Pierce in his political ads? Khazei has the moral high ground but I cannot imagine him winning--his big advantage is that he is totally unlike the other 3.

Dan Shaughnessy is covering the Pats in London today and, if we are all lucky, he will end up on the wrong plane and land in Bulgaria never to be heard of again. Allowing the current sports writer version of the "Ugly American" loose in London is pathetic.

I am a little nudgy about Obama et al attacking Fox News. Not because they are wrong--in fact, they are correct. But it seems a bit unseemly to pick one media outlet and go after it. Why not go after some radio station in Pocatello? I would have left it to Olberman who seems to go after Fox News (or as he calls it Fix News) regularly and with more latitude.

We are going to get a health plan and it looks like Olympia might not be crucial in the final tally. Harshly/selfishly speaking, I think it is ok to allow states to opt out. Let all those Senators (the majority from the South) explain to their constituents why they should not have the same access to health care as some of the rest of us. This group of senators includes some Democrats. By the way, mechanically speaking, it is relatively easy to deal with rates for rural health care and get a bill passed. That's a technical problem not a philosophical one. Don't know if any of you are represented by Congressman Wyner (from Queens) or Senator Wyden (Oregon) or Senator Whitehouse (RI) or Senator Rockefeller (W.Va.)--but they have been great.

We happen to get the National Hadassah magazine--my worse fantasies have come true. Eric Cantor is a member of my tribe--that would be the Jewish people. He was interviewed in the latest issue and he is so in bed with the American Israeli PAC, it is ludicrous. Had to write a letter about balance which likely will never get published since Hadassah is also in that bed. He talks to his rabbi regularly--probably the Jewish rabbinic equivalent of Jerry Falwell.

I have deleted myself from Facebook. Anna always was against my "membership" (said I was too old!) but I just did it. Then last week I must have hit the wrong button because all of a sudden I got like 15 emails from people via Facebook--some from folks I don't know. There was one from a kindergarten friend that was worthwhile. But I immediately removed myself after that fiasco.

Lets hope Mr. Brady looks for approaching cars in the correct direction as he crosses streets over the pond in London. If so, the Pats win.

Sayonara.