Grand Old Game

The National Past Time returns in all its glory today.

Sure there were games last week, but it was in Japan at 5 a.m. in the morning with the Red Sox.

Plus DIRECTV had satellite issues and I couldn't see the opening game anyway.

The Ragister committed a cardinal sin on their front page today in a story about the Iowa Cubs bat boy.

"...the Triple-A ball club that will kick off its season on Thursday."

KICK OFF A BASEBALL GAME?

Whoever wrote that should be beaned and the scientific community is united in that fact.

I caught the end of the Nationals-Braves game last night and it was great that it ended in dramatic fashion, a winning home run for the Nats in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.

Naturally, most every one calls that a walk off home run.

They use the term incorrectly, it was first coined by relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley after giving up a game ending home run and he talked about a pitcher who must walk off the field with his head hung in shame.

I've heard commentators call a base hit a walk off single, yecch!

I'd be willing to wager that some idiot has called a walk with the bases loaded a walk off walk.

The Yankees begin a new era and end another with their game against the Blue Jays.

New manager Joe Girardi takes over and this will be the last opening day in the House that Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium.

Chris and I attended a Yankees-Red Sox series in 2004 at the Stadium and I recall being a bit underwhelmed by it.

I was much more impressed with Wrigley Field which is about seven years older.

I think the ultimate would be to see a Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway Park, the oldest MLB stadium, and sit atop The Green Monster.

Sadly, a personal tradition takes a hiatus, as I will not be going to Kansas City next week to see the Yankees-Royals series.

Walking Through The Park?

Unlike Tuffy Rhodes, Chris and I stayed until the game ended at Principal Park last night.

The Iowa Cubs won 1-0, on what the common vernacular calls a "walk off", this time it was a two out single.

I got home just in time to watch the Houston Astros defeat the Oakland A's, 5-4, in what is being called a "walk off" error.

The sport-o's have sunk to a new low with this "walk off" stuff and it needs to stop.

Having watched both games, there was no walking involved and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Sadly, this is not the first "walk off" error this season, and the Astros have been on both ends of the outcome.

Sporting Life Blues

In Ragister online Norts Spews the Iowa Cubs got an extra inning win at Principal Park.

According to the sports geniuses, the win came in the top of the 11th inning on a roller to New Orleans pitcher Gary Glover that amounted to a walk-off win.

Sports News Flash -- the Home Team does not bat in the top of any inning and the scientific community is united in that fact.

On a roller back to the pitcher, I doubt there was any walking involved, but as annoying as the term walk off has become, this is at least as close to the original intent of the phrase.



Also online, the Ragister chose this headline

Douglas wrestles cover away from Michael Phelps, other stars 

I can understand the Ragister wanting to play up the somewhat local angle, but this makes it seem like the Iowa-based gymnast has the cover of Sports Illustrated (below) to herself.

Walk This Way

It escaped my attention last August, but the ultimate in annoying baseball-isms occurred for the 57th time yesterday.

A walkoff hit-by-pitch.

I've yet to come across a walk off walk, but I know it's only a matter of time and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Ironically, Jonny Gomes received the game winning Run Batted In (RBI) in both occurrences, the only player since at least 1948 to win two games by being hit with a pitch.

The pitcher, Jonathan Broxton, is the first pitcher since 1966 to end a game by hitting two straight batters.

CON job

In a TV interview Leonard BOZO-well made it seem he's too busy doing the peoples work in Washington to debate his Dummycrat opponent Ed Fallon.

BOZO-well's recent schedule, per his office, found him in Central Iowa.

Saturday, May 10

• 8:00 a.m. Boswell will walk in the Arthritis Walk at Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines
• 11:00 a.m. Boswell will attend the Sisters on Target, Brunch & Learn for Ladies meeting, DMACC Urban Campus, Building 1, Ankeny

Monday, May 12

• 7:00 a.m. Congressman Boswell’s 3rd Annual Bike Work to Week Kick-off, Ride begins at the parking lot of the Central Presbyterian Church and ends at Boswell’s district office at 300 East Locust St., Des Moines
• 11:00 a.m. Boswell will attend the Altoona Chamber Bruch reception, Adventureland Inn/Central Park, Altoona

Looks like there was plenty of room to discuss issues important to Iowa's 3rd district.

Kick-off?

Bikes have Kick STANDS, but you don't want to be Kicked-off a bike!

What's a BRUCH?

I'd be surprised if Bozo-well biked to work at his office and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Most Embarrasskin

Chris, my wife, came home early on Friday and we tuned in Jeopardy. It airs right before WHO TV/Channel 13 News at 5. As Alex Trebek was revealing the answers(questions?) during Final Jeopardy, the screen switches to Kerry Kavanaugh (pictured left). Ms. Kavanaugh is a reporter for 13 and, as we later learned, was doing a live stand up from the Ankeny Aquatic Center. Ms. Kavanaugh has no idea the camera is now LIVE on her and she proceeds to primp herself. She pulls on her low cut blouse, breast-a-sez level, and then fidgets with her necklace. She must have glanced at her monitor, because she announces, "There we are" and realizes she's now LIVE. She then proceeds to slowly walk off camera and the screen changes back to Jeopardy, too late to know what had transpired. My wife kept saying, "Oh my God" and naturally I was sure we were going to see somethings we shouldn't. DOOPS!!

He gives lawyers a bad name

Last week multi-millionaire trial lawyer John Edwards gave us ABC gum (Already Been Chewed) when he brought back his phrase from 2004...

"We need a president of the United States who can walk and chew chewing gum at the same time."

Edwards later admitted he wasn't sure he could pull off such a feat.

Edwards is now recycling his "Two Americas" mantra.

Gosh they worked so well before, I see why he'd want to go to them again.

"Our tax system has been rewritten by George Bush to favor the wealthy and shift the burden to working families. That is simply wrong," Edwards said, according to text provided by his campaign. "There are still Two Americas."

There are two Americas!

There's the America that John Edwards owns and lives in and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Per The New York Times, Edwards (praying his supporters won't wise up) reported this year that he had assets of nearly $30 million.

Edwards is also the creator of a nonprofit organization with the stated mission of fighting poverty.

The organization, the Center for Promise and Opportunity, raised $1.3 million in 2005, and the main beneficiary of the center's fundraising was Edwards himself, federal tax filings show.

The Center paid for Edwards' travel to college campuses, one can't help but wonder if those are the same college's where he gave speeches on poverty to the tune of $55,000!

As the song goes... "Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer...".

Basu knows best?

RekHA Basu typifies the fiberal attitude.

Do as I say, not as I do. I'll determine what's best for you.

Basu opines...

How high gas prices could improve our lives

At the most basic level, it should give a much-needed boost to public transportation.

With this caveat...

Right now, I'd have to walk more than a mile to get to the nearest bus stop. That's hardly practical, but if they put a bus stop in my neighborhood, I'd be the first one on.

Basu lives, at the most, 1.1 miles from a DART bus stop at 42nd & Ingersoll.

1.1 miles is hardly practical for Basu, because she lives in an over $300,000 South of Grand home.

That is still where a lot of old money, power brokers in Des Moines reside.

It's hardly practical to have them mingle with the great unwashed.

Those people, along with a writer for the state's largest newspaper, could get a bus route if they wanted one and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The SNOB SHUTTLE?

Basu could also have her youngest son drop her off on his way to Roosevelt High School, it's a straight shot and would give her a quality four minutes each morning.

Wait, maybe he takes a school bus (HA!).

Basu's bloviation continues...

More commuters may be inspired to ride their bikes to work, a great heart-healthy exercise.

So is walking 2.2 miles per day!

I Just Want To Celebrate

The news is full of Earth Day activities, most of which don't take place on this day.

Friday Central Iowa held a Trash Bash and it was a good thing that the sun was shining on that day because rain would delay it 3 days.

There's some commitment to Mother Earth for you and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Valley Junction is holding Earth Day in the Junction 5K Run Walk, be sure to click for driving directions.


Eastern Iowa chose to kick off their Earth Week Fair yesterday, with three special workshops appropriate for adults, children, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

That's an interesting breakdown.

One of the workshops is called “Get Geocaching!” and geocaching expert John Morgan gave the basics of the treasure-hunting game that’s played using GPS devices.

It looks like cars are required as simple caches are often called "drive-bys," or "park 'n grabs".

Another workshop was “What on Earth? Climate Change & Severe Weather Safety”.

This premise is completely wrong as “There is medium evidence and high agreement that long-term trends in normalized [property] losses have not been attributed to natural or anthropogenic climate change.” 

The Big Lug Nut was brought back into the news with a story on one of his pet projects, the Iowa Power Fund.

The BLN  called the program to support renewable energy research and development a resounding success by pointing to an algae production plant.

Algae? Isn't that President Obama's fuel of the future?

According to the BLN, the $4 million from the fund will grow substitutes for fish oil and proteins for feedstock.

Where's the power come into being?

Other Power Fund highlights(?) include, One company accidentally wasted most of its $1 million grant ordering equipment from an out-of-state supplier that went bankrupt and $2.8 million was spent studying a proposal to store wind energy that was later determined not to be feasible.

Don't forget the $19,000 given to Consumer Energy to study a plug-in hybrid electric car owned by Consumer Energy.

Results of the nearly two years of study found the plug-in battery used in the vehicle does not work well in the cold.

At the Statehouse two state senators got into a heated discussion about climate change, with Dummycrat Rob Boss Hogg playing the part of Al Gore -- “‘Scientists, including those representing 28 Iowa colleges and universities who recently released a statement, have warned us that changes in global climate patterns are brining more extreme weather events to Iowa, the United States and our world.’”

To which Republican Senator David Johnson responded -- “I’m on the side of the scientists I served with in Antartica and Greenland and I’m the only member of this body that has done that. And there is no agreement in the scientific community, no consensus that things have really changed because change happens.”

Johnson schooled the lawyer, who earned a master's degree in energy policy from the Hubert Horatio Hornblower...Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs.

Speaking of schooling, second grade students at Sunset Heights Elementary School in Webster City, and their teacher, will be on a Shower Strike this week.

They're promising to not take a shower or a bath until we’ve raised a thousand dollars to help build a well for a school in Kenya.

Here's hoping the winds blow out of the South until then.