A Rare Domestic Condoleezza Rice Sighting


She has collected a ton of air miles, but she apparently has been an almost-do-nothing Secretary of State. And where she has performed, she has left her mark on the biggest failures of the Bush presidency.

She is the last of the major loyal Bushies to stick around. She still might resign next summer. But for the time being, she is serving out her term. The corner office at Stanford can wait until January 2009.

A Tiny Friday News Roundup

Time is running-out for Al Gore to throw his hat into the ring. My guess is that he won't.

There is a rumor that Fidel Castro is dead. We'll see if that has legs. I had a feeling he was in trouble when it was reported that he has nearly made a full-recovery.

The August job report is in the red (-4000 jobs). Plus the June and July job reports have been revised down. An analyst at Oppenheimer calls the drop "dreadful" (when do analysts use those strong words?) and says, "it seems almost inevitable we are heading for recession." If the FED does not cut short-term interest rates by at least a quarter on September 18th, expect the Marks to throw the biggest tantrum ever.

With Boston's nail-biting, painful victory last night, the Baltimore Orioles are officially eliminated from playoff contention.

And the NY Post this morning ran this front page:

Yes, it seems that Osama bin laden has dyed his beard. Now we would expect a tabloid to make comments about the appearance of celebrities. The color of Osama's beard can be discussed in Page Six along with what so-in-so was wearing at a movie premiere (or look, it's Maggie on the front page as well). But the headline "die [dye] already" is a stark contrast to the "Wanted" poster both NY tabloids ran nearly 6 years ago. Despite his rumored diseased kidneys, Osama isn't going to die easily on his own. Wishing him to die is just sad for a newspaper that pretty much declared that Rudy and W were going to personally get him in the wake of 9/11.

Listen, Jerusalem Post, you can wish all you want. But we need action, not wishes. We have a 'decider' in Washington who either forgot about bin Laden or decided to drop the pursuit. We need a new president who can act as 'the avenger.'

Unfortunately, it seems that aside from Obama and Kucinich, not a single Democratic candidate, seems committed to the goal to capturing or killing bin Laden in their first term in office. That is even more sad. And Kucinich is the only one who has committed to the goal of a complete US withdrawal from Iraq. Even Obama fails when it comes to fully reversing the biggest disaster in US foreign policy.

So today I have arrived at a primary decision. I am for Kucinich.

UPDATE, 15:49 EDT: In bin Laden's new video message, he apparently asks US citizens to convert to Islam as a way of ending our occupation of Iraq. Silly as that is, he didn't demand it. Being the gentleman that he is, he asked us politely, saying, "I invite you to embrace Islam."

I think I said in an early post that bin Laden really is a gentle guy. You can picture him surrounded by sheep and children. He's a really nice guy...who finances massive acts of terrorism. He might be the most curious enemy this nation has ever had.

Fog on the Tyne

I was not able to post this yesterday due to an afternoon and evening spent out with the boys on the Lower East Side. We all met-up at Nevada Smith's to watch the 5pm Fox Sports replay of Newcastle's home victory against Wigan (we all stayed away from the Internets so we did not know the result). Then I suggested we go around the corner to famed Red Sox bar, Professor Thom's, to watch the Orioles-Red Sox game. Obviously, our sports day went from great to supergreat. Amazing. And we went to celebrate at Libation, where it seems to be stuck in 1999, even though it opened in 2005. And that's a good thing.

So Saturday was great. Besides the Clay Buchholz no-hitter, Newcastle finally won at home. That's the reason I was in the Lower East Side to begin with. So I have to finally post a video I swore I would not post until Newcastle scored a home goal and won a home game this season. They had not scored a goal at home since February, in a game against Liverpool last season (which was also a game they won). The Magpies remain undefeated this season with 2 wins and 2 draws.

Now this fucked-up folk band (and they are really fucked-up) is Lindisfarne, with their #1 hit from 1971, "Fog on the Tyne." The Genesis fans among my readers will recognize the song without ever hearing it before. Today it lives-on as a Newcastle chant, and I heard it briefly sung at Nevada Smith's yesterday.


We can have a 'wee wee'? You mean sip? Gotta love the cowbell.

When I think cowbell, I think of the SNL clip with Will Farrell and Christopher Walken, which makes me think of the Red Sox because that clip was among the many rallies of Red Sox fans and writer Bill Simmons three years ago...which somehow brings me back to two things - the Red Sox and Genesis. Professor Thom's bar shows every Red Sox game, AND they have most Genesis albums on their jukebox. That makes it a winner. They have a regular yacht bell at the bar though, not a cowbell. Maybe we can change that.


The nachos at Professor Thom's. Think there's enough?

Live Blogging The Sox-Yanks Finale



Retro Rocket
Clemens fuels Yankees past punchless Sox

By Gordon Edes
Boston Globe Staff | August 30, 2007

NEW YORK -- The lead is down to a still-comfortable six games, and unless Curt Schilling can offer some vintage Schilling this afternoon the way Roger Clemens gave the Yankees some retro Rocket last night, it might be five before the Red Sox head home after their longest trip of the season.

A sweep by the Yankees, a plausible scenario after the Bombers made it two in a row with a 4-3 win last night, might be the least of the Sox' worries, although for fans with a masochistic bent, it may conjure flashbacks of '78, when the Sox also held a seven-game lead with 30 to go and saw it vanish in a span of 10 days.

Of even greater concern to the Sox than watching the Yankees beat their best two pitchers, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Beckett, on successive nights is the absence of Manny Ramírez, who last night was diagnosed with a strained left oblique (side) muscle that is likely to sideline him for "multiple days," in the words of manager Terry Francona.

"That's one of your thunder [sic]," said David Ortiz, who interrupted a Clemens no-hitter in progress with a home run into the third deck with one out in the sixth inning. "So when your cleanup hitter goes down like that, it doesn't matter how much of a lead you have, it's hard to replace a cleanup hitter."

Ramírez, in a rare comment to a media member, was quoted in the Associated Press last night as saying "maybe a week" when asked how long he thought he might be out. "You watch that replay," catcher Jason Varitek said, referring to Ramírez's last at-bat Tuesday night when he aggravated the condition, "he buckles pretty good. We'll have to see. We're not going to panic before it happens."

The Sox were down two players when last night's game began, as outfielder Bobby Kielty was sent for X-rays and an MRI, then sent back to the hotel, his back still too sore to allow him to play even though the tests showed no structural damage, according to the manager. Kielty is listed as day to day, clearly an uncertain candidate to play this afternoon.

"That's not really an excuse," Varitek said. "We've found different ways to win all year. You can't replace Manny in the lineup, but that's no excuse."

Ramirez watched from the dugout, a welcome sight for Alex Rodriguez, whose seventh-inning home run off Beckett, his 44th of the season, gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead and ultimately furnished the margin of victory when Kevin Youkilis countered with a two-run home run off reliever Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth.

"I hope he's out for all of September," Rodriguez said playfully. "That would be great. Manny is a good friend, but it's kind of nice to see him sitting on the bench with a lot of my other good friends."

Some boffo Beckett, who was 9-1 with a 1.90 ERA on the road this season and bidding to add to his major league-leading total of 16 wins, would have gone a long way toward balancing the loss of Ramírez. But while the 45-year-old Clemens, who surprised the Sox by throwing, as Varitek noted, with "more power than we had seen on tape," danced around the five walks he issued by holding the Sox hitless until the sixth, Beckett was buffeted for a career-high 13 hits.

Four of those hits, all singles, plus a walk, came in the second, when the Yankees took a 3-0 lead. In the middle of the rally was Johnny Damon, who beat the Sox with a two-run home run Tuesday night and last night delivered a two-run single in what Varitek acknowledged was a "nice piece of hitting."

"Johnny has been hurt all summer," Ortiz said, "but everybody knows what kind of player Johnny is. Everybody knows Johnny is one player you want up there at the right time."

Beckett still has all the Clemens baseball cards he collected growing up in Spring, Texas, when he was known as "Kid Heat" and yearned to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, fellow Texans Nolan Ryan and the Rocket. "I have several pages of them," Beckett said. "My grandfather has them in a box at home."

Last night, Beckett faced Clemens for the first time, and while the grownup Kid showed as much heart as heat, avoiding major damage despite putting base runners on in every inning, in the end he was no match for the Rocket.

Try as they might, the Yankees could not crack Beckett. He gave up a triple to Hideki Matsui in the third, but struck out Jorge Posada and Jason Giambi to leave him at third. The Yankees loaded the bases in the sixth on three singles, but Beckett retired Damon on a roller to first, just beating Damon in a footrace to the bag.

The last Yankee hit off Beckett was the one that counted most, Rodriguez adding to his MVP résumé by lining a Beckett curveball into the left-field seats.

"He guessed right and hit it," Varitek said. "We knew that. He took a gamble and won that one."

And the Yankees creep ever closer.

"You know, this series doesn't make me worry about things," Ortiz said. "What makes me worry is how we keep on rolling this month. We've got to keep playing. We had a good road trip.

"We all knew what kind of players [the Yankees] are. Even when their guys were struggling, I knew it wasn't going to be like that year round. Dude, they got talent. They got talent all over the place."

And a 45-year-old wonder who somehow turned back the clock one more time.

"I'll tell you what," Ortiz said. "Man, at that age, I'll be cutting grass in my backyard."

© Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

13:21 First hit of the ballgame. Derek Jeter singles off of Curt Schilling, who is 5-0 when starting after a Red Sox loss this season.

13:24 While Joe Girardi comments on the color of Manny's sunglasses (Manny is not playing for the next few games), Curt seems to be OK today. It's early, but he is not falling behind in the counts. 2 out.

13:27 A-Rod strikes out looking. End of the first.

13:32 Lowell grounds into a 5-4-3 double-play. How did Giambi stay on the bag for the second out? When Giambi is playing good defense, you know you are in for a tough game.

13:36 Bottom of the second. Johnny Damon's replacement catches a deep fly ball and makes it look easy.

13:40 Posada strikes out. Third strikeout for Schilling today.

13:42 Steroids flies out. End of the second. No wingnut moments from the YES broadcasting team so far. Just wait. Schilling's pitch count is on-pace to last 7 full innings. But the Sox need to score first in this game. Schilling needs runs to protect.

13:46 Wang walks Varitek. A good start. But last night, walks got us nowhere. And a walk last inning led to a double play.

13:48 A bad catch by Posada, but Varitek does not run to second.

13:50 Alex Cora flies out to Damon in left. Two gone.

13:53 Joe Girardi mentions that the 2006 Sox offense is not as deep as the 2004 team. Correct. He gives us respect for building the best pitching staff in the majors.

13:54 Dustin grounds out to a diving Giambi. Jeezus. Giambi is all over the ball today.

13:54 Glenhoffmania on Sons of Sam Horn: "Wisdom from [Michael] Kay: When you take Manny and Lugo out of the lineup, it's not as deep as it usually is."

13:55 TFisNEXT on SOSH: "that fat sweaty 'roided up fuckhead pulls another defensive play out of his ass."

13:57 Bottom of the third. Robinson Cano hits a solo HR off the center field wall. 1-0 Yankees. Dammit.

13:59 Coco makes a sliding catch after a running start. Beeeeeutiful. And he did it backhanded. Web gem.

14:00 The Sox have not had a lead in this series. They sure know how to make these games infuriating. They sweep Chicago and now they can't beat-up the Yankees. Just one win is all they need to keep the heat off them, and they are not winning.

14:03 A-Rod pops out to Dustin. Curt Schilling's pitch count is up to 39. He faced 6 batters this inning and threw just 10 pitches! Let's see if he remains calm and doesn't give-up another run through the next two innings. If he can do that, then this game is in the hands of our feeble offense.

14:14 Sox go in-order in the fourth. They still don't have a hit. My god.

14:20 Morassofnegativity on SOSH: "That's it! I can't do this shit anymore. They've become one of those pathetic teams that rolls over and dies against the Yankees. They don't deserve to win the division."

14:21 Yankees go in-order in the fourth. Good work, Curt. Just 11 more pitches! But he can't hold out much longer, can he?

14:22 This is scary. We can't hit against our arch rivals.

14:23 Top of the fifth. Drew grounds out. Yawn. Can't expect a damn thing from him.

14:27 Varitek walks again. The fourth walk issued by Wang. We need consecutive walks in order to score today.

14:29 Hinske strikes out. Should we be thankful it wasn't a double play? Two out.

14:31 Cora flies out. This game seems like a lost cause. Schilling, Varitek, and Coco have been doing their jobs. Everyone else has been awful.

14:35 Bottom of the fifth. Robinson Cano hits a second solo home run off of Curt Schilling. That's all folks. I will keep blogging, but this game is lost unless something wakes-up this Red Sox lineup.

14:38 As Damon grounds into a 5-3 DP, I see that Cano had a curtain call? If that is true then Yankee stadium really is hell. Curtain calls for mid-game solo home runs are just shit. Granted, it was Cano's 16th HR, his new career high. But think about that. A curtain call for Robinson Cano in the middle of a Yankee home game? What kinds of fans ARE these?

14:40 Derek Jeter singles for the third time this afternoon. They have all be bloopers.

14:42 Joe Girardi comments that Schilling should not be tired at this point. But he is.

14:43 Bobby Abreu flies deep to left, but Hinske catches it with his back to the wall. End of the fifth.

14::52 Ortiz strikes-out to end the top of the sixth. Still no hits for the Sox. Michael Kay tells YES viewers to call friends and family to alert them of a possible Yankee no-hitter. Someone sedate me.

14:55 Smiling Joe Hesketh on SOSH: "it's a no-hitter through 6. The thing about this team is that every time I think they've reached utter rock bottom with dogshit games, they go out and top it. Today is shaping up to be an epic kick in the balls."

14:59 Schilling cruises through the bottom of the sixth. As far as I'm concerned, the next frame is the last chance for the Sox. If they can't break the no-hitter now, then this will be a sad day in Red Sox history.

15:02 Top of the seventh. Wang is up to 90 pitches. Here is Kevin Youkilis at bat for the Sox...

15:04 Giambi misses the tag as Youkie grounds one in the infield and reaches the bag! Recorded as an error on Giambi.

15:05 Mike Lowell singles. The no-hitter is broken!

15:06 Now let's see how Wang can handle his first serious threat of the game. Oh wait, it's JD Drew at the plate.

15:08 Drew grounds one, but only he is out at first. Youkilis was not tagged on his way to third, although he ran on the grass infield. He should have been called out. Umpires discuss....

15:09 Youkilis is called out. It is the correct call.

15:11 Tito argues the reversal. He will probably be ejected...he's gone. Lowell remains on second. Two out.

15:14 Varitek strikes out. The Sox rally will not happen.

15:15 Drocca on SOSH: "We got a hit. Somehow I think that will be the only positive note from this game, maybe this entire series. 25 men will be corking champagne and slapping high fives after the game frantically screaming, "We got a hit, We got a hit". Congratulations guys."

15:18 Napkin on SOSH: "They still get to go for ice cream after the game though, right?"

15:24 Another 1-2-3 inning for Schilling. He has retired 7 Yankees in a row. What a waste.

15:26 Top of the eighth. Joba Chamberlain says a prayer and takes-over the mound for the Yankees. We have waited for this moment. Joba the Hut has arrived. The bleachers chant "Ja-ba...Ja-ba...Ja-ba."

15:29 Hinske flies out.

15:29 Alex Cora grounds out to A-Rod. This game is just about over.

15:31 Dustin Pedroia doubles with two outs.

15:31 Coco Crisp arrives at the plate. If he gets on, David Ortiz is next. This is the last chance for the Sox. This inning with two outs.

15:33 Coco hits a dribbler down the right field line. An easy out. That's it. That's all.

15:35 Caspir on SOSH: "Game's over, swept. How very embarrassing, yet familiar."

15:37 Bottom of the eighth. First wingnut comment from Michael Kay. A recycled sound byte that I think Suzyn Waldman first uttered earlier this season. "Many people in Boston thought that the only reason the Sox signed Okijima was for Daisuke Matzusaka to have someone to hang out with." Which people, Mike? Not in Boston.

15:39 Derek Jeter is 4-4. Yup. Another bloop single.

15:44 Bobby Abreu doubles. Jeter scores. The game was already out of reach. This is just sad to watch, regardless. Mariano Rivera is not warming-up. Joba is selected to close the game.

15:48 This is quite a week isn't it? We sweep the White Sox and think the AL East is secure. We go to the Crack House and both our home field advantage and our AL East lead fall back into question.

15:51 It just went from worse to catastrophic. A throwing error by Varitek to third leads to two Yankee runs. Abreu and A-Rod score. It is now 5-0 Yankees.

15:56 Kyle Snyder takes-over the mound for the Sox to get the final out of the top of the eighth. September 1st can't come soon enough.

16:03 Top of the ninth. One out. Joba throws two consecutive fastballs over Kevin Youkilis' head. And he's ejected! Wow. No warning. What the hell provoked that anyway? That was so weird.

16:03 "Joba you fucking cunt!" - Josh Beckett. Easy to read those lips.

16:07 Edwar Ramirez comes to the mound to get the final two outs. So Joba won't get his first save against the Sox. If the score were still 2-0, I'd say the Sox would have a chance to rally back.

16:13 JD Drew (how fitting) pops out. That's the ballgame. Wow. Just wow. The Red Sox were simply terrible. If they had won 1 of these 3 games, they would have held their big lead. Had they won 2 games, they would have locked the AL East. Now they have the Yankees just 5 games behind them again. And they only scored 5 runs in these games. Pathetic.

Someone at SOSH suggested giving this song a listen. Rod Stewart is a slimeball, but here goes anyway:


mother don't you recognize your son

coming home, yeah yeah
getting home, 'cause I failed you, mother

I'll be there in the mornin'
if you have me back
the rent up here is much too high
for a room without a tap
a room without a tap

I'll be early in the morning
and I'll find my way back home
back home bad 'n' ruin
with my tail between my legs
tail between my legs
and I'll be so tired
I'll be so tired, now listen

I'll be early tomorrow morning
and I'll fall down off my plane
don't be embarrassed mother
by your ugly worn-out son
your ugly worn-out son

so just let me warn you
mother, you won't recognize me now
mother, you won't recognize me now
mother, you won't recognize me now

and I'll be down on Cannon street
passport in my hand
should you could not recognize me
I've heavily made-up eyes

momma, you won't recognize me now
brother, you won't recognize me now
hello there
sister, you won't recognize me now
mother, you won't recognize me now

so mother when you've seen me
don't forget I'm your boy too
I know my brother has done you proud
he's one foot in the grave
mother don't you recognize me now

I'm a burglar in the first degree
but it don't seem to worry me
I'll be so tired, so tired
I'll be so tired, so tired
so tired




Sox get Bronx broom treatment
08/30/2007 4:14 PM ET
By Ian Browne / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Even at the age of 40, Red Sox right-hander Curt Schilling still relishes the opportunity to play the role of stopper. A big-game pitcher throughout his career, Schilling again stepped up on Thursday afternoon against the Yankees. It just turns out that his fine effort wasn't quite enough.

Two mistakes -- both of which were put over the wall for solo homers by Robinson Cano -- were all it took for Schilling and the Red Sox to come up on the short end of a 5-0 loss. This is because Chien-Ming Wang was even better for the Yankees, holding the Red Sox hitless for six innings and allowing just one hit for the entirety of his seven innings.

By getting swept in this three-game series in the Bronx, Boston's lead in the American League East has been cut to five games by the Yankees. The teams meet again at Fenway Park for a three-game series that starts on Sept. 14.

Whether it is the loss of star cleanup man Manny Ramirez (strained left oblique) or simply running into hot Yankees pitchers, the Boston bats came up dry throughout this series. After scoring 46 runs in four games at Chicago, the Red Sox produced just six runs in New York.

Schilling held the Yankees to six hits and two runs over seven innings, walking one and striking out four. Both of Cano's homers -- one in the third and the other in the fifth -- were hit to left-center.

With Wang positively stifling the Red Sox, those long balls proved to be all the difference.

The Red Sox snapped the right-hander's no-hit bid when Mike Lowell rifled a single to right with one out in the seventh. Perhaps Wang's momentum was altered when Kevin Youkilis opened the inning by reaching on a Derek Jeter throwing error. J.D. Drew then tapped a grounder to third that wound up sparking controversy. Alex Rodriguez missed the tag on Youkilis and then narrowly threw Drew out at first.

Though Youkilis went out of the baseline, the umpires initially called him safe. After an argument by Yankees manager Joe Torre, the call was overturned. Red Sox manager Terry Francona was not pleased with the reversal and was ejected by crew chief Derryl Cousins. Jason Varitek struck out to end the first rally the Red Sox had all day.

Red Sox Notes: Sox Enter The 161st Street Crack House As The Yes Broadcasters Become Unhinged


Here is M again with a guest post. Great stuff:

Good to see Yankee fans and their bloggers keeping both feet on planet earth.


Did you happen to watch the Yankee game last night on YES? Michael Kay and Al Leiter took turns having monumental meltdowns that had me in tears from laughing so hard.

Michael Kay likes to the play the role of disciplinarian in his broadcast. He can't just analyze the game. Somebody, somewhere is doing something wrong and being the good schoolmaster he is he wants to call that individual out in front of his classmates and embarrass them. It doesn't have to be a Yankee player. Once the division got down to four games (meaning in Yankeeland, the race is over, the playoffs are cancelled, start the coronation, and schedule the parade) Michael started lecturing the Red Sox and their fans. Diatribes such as, "the Red Sox should have taken care of business...they have let the Yankees back into this"...blah, blah, blah.

Never mind the reality that all the Red Sox did was maintain the best record in baseball while playing the top teams while the Yankees beat the pants off of Tampa Bay and Kansas City.

But let's get back to last night. Obviously Mussina was going to be the culprit. For his third straight appearance he was atrocious....and it was more than Michael Kay could handle. On this night his mission (besides digging his nails into anything he could find as desperate attempt to hold onto his sanity) was to get Al Leiter to join into the Mussina tirade. Al of course has actually played the sport that Kay thinks he's the world's biggest authority of and is not so prone to ripping players (pitchers in
particular) to shreds. He can and will critique them but also has a healthy understanding of the demands and pressures of the profession.

By the 2nd inning Kay had washed his hands of Mussina, stating that this is not the time of year for the Yankees to be patient with their troubled starter because they have to WIN GAMES. This became his mantra for the next few minutes. "The Yankees have to win games Al...they have to win games...don't they understand they have to win games...they can't afford to lose at this time of year Al...they have to win games!!!"

I myself only have a basic understanding of the game itself, the importance of the standings, and how they relate to qualifying for the playoffs. So you can imagine my surprise to learn that "winning games" is a crucial part of the process. Its observations like this that make Michael Kay the consummate pro that he is. I mean nothing gets by this guy.

Based on Michael Kay's brilliant observation (or in other words complete psychological breakdown...and it was...he was literally shrieking his words, hitting notes that Rob Halford would strain to hit) I could just imagine the conversation in the Yankee dugout as the Yankees are well on their way to losing 16-0.

Torre: (to Ron Guidry) Ron...based on what you see here...are we going to playoffs?

Guidry: Not so sure Joe. The word on the street is we have to actually win games

Torre: What?

Guidry: That's right..we have to win games...and not just some games. We have to win more games than any other team in our division...or at the very least we have to have the best 2nd place record in the American League...we could get in as the Wild Card that way.

Torre: You mean they're not going to just let us in

Guidry: I'm sorry Joe

Torre: Get Mattingly over here...Don!!!

Don Mattingly: I'm sorry Joe...I heard what Ron was saying. Its true...we have to win games. In fact Michael Kay just announced it on the YES network.

Torre: When when the fuck was someone going to tell me? Christ if I knew we had to win games I'd have had Sean Henn start the game.

Well Al finally grew tired of Kay's shredding of Mussina and took his turn becoming completely unhinged. He raised his voice into a forceful whine, apparently nearly on the verge of tears..."Michael I don't think you understand how hard it is to play this game...to stand on a mound made of dirt, with a little white ball in your hands, with a catcher standing far away from you, holding a little mit, and you have to throw that ball right where he's holding his glove, through a small strike zone, while another man is in the way, holding a wooden stick, and trying to hit that ball as hard as he can....this is a very very very difficult game!!" (I'm paraphrasing a bit...but my jaw literally fell to the floor during this meltdown...I've never heard anything like it).

By the late innings Kay had ripped the Yankees and their not understanding the importance of "winning games" as much as he could. So he turned his focus to the Tigers...the team that at this point had over 10 runs and was pitching a shutout.

First Kay went after Cameron Maybin...a 20 year old just called up to play in the outfield. He didn't go after him so much as he did the Tiger organization for bringing him up in the first place. Apparently in this year alone the kid has shot straight up from single A to the majors leagues...obviously quite a jump. WELL YOU JUST SHOULDN'T DO THAT!!!! says Michael Kay. He then went on some rant about how this kid should be developing in the minors, honing his talents, and getting to play everyday.

What this has to do with anything is anybody's guess...but it allowed Michael to take his attention off the scoreboard. Next on his list was the Tiger organization again...and again as an opportunity to complain about the four hour rain delay from Friday night (I'm guessing he still hasn't caught up on his sleep).

According to Michael, when the Yankees make their fans wait four hours for a game, Mr. Steinbrenner thanks the crowd for their patience and then offers some sort of compensation...usually free tickets to another game.

Well get this...you're not going to believe this...no I mean really...

Ok I'll tell you...according to Michael Kay, the Tigers did not and will not offer the fans who waited four hours on Friday night ANYTHING (other than watch their hometown team beat the Yankees...Kay left that part off).



All in all a beautiful evening.

I wish I had TIVO or some way to have recorded this. It was broadcasting at its finest.

Red Sox Notes: Keeping Tabs On Baseball Wingnuts


Guest-blogged by M:

Ozzie Guillen is an idiot.

I know that's not exactly a news flash. I have on a few occasions defended his idiotic comments. I'm prone to do that sometimes.

Sometimes I'll defend idiotic comments because it can be refreshing to at least hear someone say what they think as opposed to speaking via a script or in acceptable meaningless platitudes. Sometimes its nice to hear sombody actually say something when they speak (even if its moronic or offensive) than to speak but not actually say anything.

But this from Ozzie is really...really stupid.
"They swept us this time," he said.
"I swept them in the big one. That's when it counts."

I would have simply rolled my eyes at Ozzie's childish need to recall his teams 2005 success...but its his use of pronouns that really got my attention. Perhaps I'm nitpicking...but note the Red Sox beat "us"...meaning its a team thing when they lose...however in 2005 "I" (meaning Guillen) beat them...when it counts!!!. Well thanks for clearing that up Ozzie. Previously I had thought the reason the 05 Sox got swept in the ALDS was because they were playing a superior team...my mistake. They lost because they were facing a superior man...who deserves ALL the credit (but only a small fraction when his team gives up over 40 runs in four days).

ok...moving on....

Listening to Michael Kay on the YES network was a joy this weekend as well. He was in rare form Friday night after the four hour delay. He was bitching up a storm about how its not fair that the Yankee's have to play after a four hour rain delay...he even questioned whether there was...."an agenda" at work.

One of the most painful aspects of the current Yankee broadcast team is that Jim Kaat (aka the only sane one in the bunch, actually capable of taking his Yankee glasses off to talk intelligently about baseball) is gone...and replaced by Al Leiter. Leiter was my favorite non-Red Sox player for years.

I loved his intensity. I enjoyed his work as a Fox commentator during the 04 ALCS. He brought balance to the Buck/McCarver nonsense. But now he's relegated to being Michael Kay's sidekick...and Mr Kay does kick him quite frequently if Leiter dares to not completely agree with his ascertions....for example that it was criminal the Yankees had to play Friday...Kay obviously forgetting that the Tigers would also have to comply and play the game as well...perhaps he was expecting a forfeit.

However Al did a sneaky trick Friday. He followed Kay's rant with his now customary, "you're 100 percent right Michael"...and then tried to explain why they were actually going to play that night. Basically this is the last time the Yanks would be in Detroit for the year. The weather going forward for the weekend was suspect...meaning to schedule a day night doubleheader could be problematic if it continued to rain over the weekend. And the Yankees most certainly would not want to have to play a doubleheader on Monday the day before they start a series against the Red Sox (who would be well rested with an off day Monday).

So....it seems....there....was...an "agenda"...and that was to make sure the Yanks only played only one game Monday. That and the obvious weather situation made it necessary to get the fucking game in. I found this explanation amusing because 1) I found it completely on the mark 2) despite telling Mr Kay that he was 100% right, he explained why he was in actuality 100% wrong.

Michael Kay continued to complain that it would damn near impossible to get a winning performance out of a 45 year man who had prepaired to play a game at 7:05.

Is that the Tiger's fault too...or part of someone's "agenda"?

Did someone force the Yankees to pay Mr. Clemens 28 million to be in bed by 11? Hmm I wonder...

Yankees Surviving Losses That Would Destroy Other Teams


In an earlier post, I noted how on August 25th 2001 the Red Sox lost an excruciatingly painful 18-inning game in Arlington, Texas. That game signalled the unofficial end of the 2001 Red Sox. For the rest of the season, they were an embarrassing bunch of losers, who somehow managed to look like the biggest assholes in sports during a supposed time of national mourning. It was ugly.

While the Yankees have had embarrassments and a long era of losing (1984-1994). Their recent season downfalls have been rather quick, and at the very end of their season. In the last decade, there just doesn't seem to have been an ugly, regular season game we can point to and say that the Yankees were unofficially "done" for that year.

Just take these recent examples.

September 3rd, 2004. The Yankees lose a close one to Baltimore 3-1. Their AL East lead over the Red Sox shrinks to 2.5 games. Pitcher Kevin Brown throws a tantrum and breaks his left (non-pitching) hand when he punches the dugout wall. That should have signaled that the Yankees were not going to win the AL east that year. But they did anyway.

June 23rd, 2007. The Yankees lose a game that is almost as painful as the Sox loss in Texas in 2004. They lose in San Francisco, to a soft Giants team, 6-5 in 13 innings. The Yankees use 7 pitchers, including Roger Clemens who pitched in relief. They ware humbled. They looked finished. But they weren't.

And now we have August 24th 2007. Apparently it is not a day that will live in infamy. We know better now, right? Mediocre Yankee reliever, Sean Henn, was one strike away from getting out of a bottom of the 11th inning jam. But Carlos Guillen hit a 3-run, game-winning home run in dramatic fashion. Oh, and it happened at 03:30, local time Saturday. This is because the game was delayed 4 hours by rain. Amazingly, the officials decided to start the game at 11pm, rather than schedule a doubleheader for Saturday. Usually, when the Yankees are playing, they are treated well by the league. But even I have to say the Yankees were not treated well last night. They were forced to play a heartbreaker of a game in the wee hours, in damp Detroit.

The loss was huge. Except, it wasn't.

It would have destroyed any other team. But these are the Yankees.

The way I see it, there are only two scenarios that must happen before we can declare the 2007 Yankees are "finished."

1. The Red Sox sweep their remaining six games against the Yankees. Even though this has no direct effect on the AL Wild Card chase between the Yankees, Mariners, and Tigers, six losses to Boston should finish-off the Yankees. This is unlikely to happen.

2. The more likely scenario is the only scenario that works: The 2007 Yankees will only be finished when they lose a series in October. The only way to surely finish them off is in the post-season.

That would be the end of this monster movie. Until the next chapter...

Red Sox Doubleheader In Chicago. Time To Break 'Em Off.


This has been a productive day as I have been at home, overseeing renovations at my apartment. This morning I finally got around to watching American Beauty. Great performances, but did Sam Mendes have to be so pretentious? Did he know he was writing Oscar material when he wrote it? It does have the best one-liners of 1999, but you could have gotten all of them from the trailer. I will stick to Magnolia for best pretentious, Oscar-nominated drama of 1999. In 2004, when I observed that Desperate Housewives was a mix of Blue Velvet and American Beauty, I wasn't aware of how right I was. I was just guessing.

I have also dusted-off several recent issues of Maxim (both the English and Latino versions) and GQ (both the US and UK versions) that I had in my incoming mail pile. Besides looking at fall clothes I cannot afford, I learned that I am still young enough to wear a pair of brown Avirex P-45 sneakers. I have a $15.00 bid on eBay for them. Wicked cheap and very similar to the pair of Reebok BOKS F-117's I wore in the summer of 1992. Oops.

OK. This is a fun Friday afternoon. The Red Sox have yet another golden opportunity to put more distance between themselves and the Yankees with a doubleheader today in the south side of Chicago, at one of the worst ballparks in the league, New Comisky Park.

So while I want to post videos from Joy Division as we inch closer towards the US premiere of Control, the Ian Curtis biopic (October), there is still time to serve-up some rap. See, when I visited the Avirex website, the first thing I heard was Break 'Em Off. Not only is it a better song than Grillz, it mentions Big Papi. So I have to post it here. That's my logic anyway.

So here is badass white rapper, Paul Wall, with Break 'Em Off.

Go sox!! They have gotten into early trouble in the 1st, but they should come back from that 1-run deficit.


I’mma break ‘em off real bad, I’mma show'em pourin up a duece while ridin slab

I’mma break ‘em off real bad, I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad,
I’mma break ‘em , I’mma break ‘em off real bad
I’mma show'em pourin up a duece while ridin slab

[Paul Wall]
Now I gotta work ma wood grain wheel
Poppin’ trunks, poppin’ pillz, still poppin’ seals
Higher than a hill with ma mind on millz
Piece and chain swangin’, bank roll, shiny grill
Baby, I got million dollar dreams, with ma mind on cream
I’m in that mean green machine clean on 19s


Hold up. He rides on 19s? My dad rides on 18s. He'd better upgrade. The regular folks are riding on bigger rims nowadays.

Flat screens in the headrest, swangin’ like a swing set
Brandy wine, paint wet, comin’ down that's a bet
I’m in the lot chasin’ broads like a lesbian
Full of that Kush flower, I’m breakin' off pedestrians
Higher than a street light, floatin’ like a parachute
Buzzin’ like a bumble bee, mustard green Bentley coupe
Young gangsta, Mac game, sharper than a thumbtack
Breakin’ ‘em off, makin’ all the boppers attract
Then they watch me, I’m rocked up fully loaded and sloppy
Tryin’ to hit it and quit it
And walk off like Big Papi then break ‘em off

I’mma break ‘em off real bad, I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad,
I’mma break ‘em , I’mma break ‘em off real bad
I’mma show'em pourin up a duece while ridin slab
I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad, I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad,
I’mma break ‘em , I’mma break ‘em off real bad
I’mma show'em pourin up a duece while ridin slab

[Lil' Keke]
Aye, aye
I pull up like this, untouchable white wrist
I’m hotter than warm piss, berry grape Sunkist
The truck blow mist five 50 snow bunny
Bentley continental with the mink floors dummy
Paul Wall money, dat’s expensive taste
And ‘em frilly ass fools we send ‘em to myspace
I’mma break ‘em off until the backbone broken

Stainless steel drop phantom, leave the top open
Shit done hit the fan, better cover your nose
And the Kush done start burnin’, better cover your clothes (that’s right)
Concrete crumblin’, glass shootin' lazers
Crawlin’ and cuttin’ up on 24 razors
I’mma show ‘em how to make the slab look phenomenal
Chasin’ paper in the mornin’, call me Houston Chronicle
Hold on then u buckle up the seat belt
Swisha House, Young Don, capital TF

I’mma break ‘em off real bad, I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad,
I’mma break ‘em , I’mma break ‘em off real bad
I’mma show'em pourin up a duece while ridin slab
I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad, I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad,
I’mma break ‘em , I’mma break ‘em off real bad
I’mma show'em pourin up a duece while ridin slab

[Paul Wall]
Already
Higher than the satellite, crawlin’ like a baby
Maneuverin’ thru the traffic like I’m Tracy McGrady
Still choppin’ on ‘em buttons, I’m struttin’ and lookin’ fresh
Switch hittin’ like Berkman, this is ballin’ at its best
In dat minute maid droppa’, with retractable roof
Finer than wood, wavin’ the hood, student loans on the two
The fifth wheel on the ground, and the trunk in the air
Paul Wall, baby I’m the definition of playa
Ma skillz is so ill when workin’ the wood wheel
Tippin’ 4s like a waiter, beware of the oil spill
Wide screen mind frame, panoramic pimpin’
I’m sippin’ on dat Osama, baby leanin’ like I’m limpin'
In dat 2 seater feeder, it’s me and a senorita
3 ounces up in the liter, and it’s ten up in the heater
Mackin’ a mamacita
Runnin’ game like a cheetah
I’m knockin’ ‘em out the park
Similar to Derek Jeter (Break ‘em off)

I’mma break ‘em off real bad, I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad,
I’mma break ‘em , I’mma break ‘em off real bad
I’mma show'em pourin up a duece while ridin slab
I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad, I’mma break ‘em
I’mma break ‘em off real bad,
I’mma break ‘em , I’mma break ‘em off real bad
I’mma show'em pourin up a duece while ridin slab

Jenna Bush's 2008 Wedding: Will It Help Her Dad's Ratings? Does It Matter?


First of all, if Jenna's wedding is in October 2008, what difference does it make if it raises W's ratings by 10 points? He and the American public both want him out of office. Will it help the Republican nominee at all? Doubtful. Will it remind Americans that kids the same age as Jenna and Harry are stuck in Iraq, losing limbs and lives each day? Peggy Drexler hopes so. I just hope Ms. Drexler is simply being ultra-cynical when she argues that a White House wedding will entertain and captivate even the most liberal women out there. Now that's cynical. This potential White House wedding can't possibly glue women to a TV screen the way a classic episode of Sex And The City can, right?......Right?


Here's to the Happy Couple -- and a 10 Point Bump
Peggy Drexler
The Huffington Post
Tue Aug 21, 8:21 PM ET

Jenna Bush and Henry Hager plan to marry. And there is already buzz of a spectacular White House wedding that will gather society, power and politics around these two cute kids.

Ordinarily, I'm a sucker for such things. I've cried when the groom kissed the bride -- and I didn't really know either of them.
But this time I have to say to Jenna and Henry: don't do it. The sixteen months to go as this administration ebbs away is not too long to wait.

The bigger the wedding, the sweeter the music of the Marine Band, the greater the
contrast with what is happening to some other kids in the 110 degree hell of a far away desert country.

They can try to keep it simple. But a White House wedding is going to be big. It will be the first one since the coming of cable. It's a union of Republican royalty. It could be Philip and Di -- without the carriage ride. Or, wait, the carriage might make great TV.

The thing I find most disturbing is that there is already talk that a White House Wedding will be great politics. It could be a terrific way to hook women -- who are the angriest about the war, and one of the biggest problems for Republicans going into the election.

Women -- even the angry ones -- are going to eat this up. We can't help it. It's what we do.

The father of the bride is responsible for the loss close to 4,000 American lives, the lives of uncounted Iraqis, and many thousands of injured and maimed. He has had the big boy office in an organization that has lied, manipulated and ultimately failed at every turn. But on this day, he is the proud and loving papa walking his daughter down the aisle.

Eyes will grow moist, and approval ratings will rise.

Can I possibly be cynical enough to suggest that this is timed around the election? Could it be that the children's book Jenna Bush wrote with her mother is a bit of pre-wedding character repair for a girl who seems well-versed in the difference between shots and shooters?

The administration gives great and ongoing credence to the old saying: just when you think you're too cynical, you realize you're not cynical enough.

Let's run down just a partial list: the swift boaters, the smearing of John McCain in South Carolina, the mythical WMD, the phantom National Guard service, Brownie at the levees, Valerie Plame, secret torture sites, Pat Tillman, the stem cell veto, the fired federal attorneys, an attorney general with the memory of a gold fish, the surgeon general who was tossed out of the club house for taking on causes that upset the Republican right, and assorted other assaults on our trust in this administration's motives, methods and competence.

With that body of evidence on the record, I'm not discounting anything. Hey, if international state visits don't work any more because much of the world hates us, a White House wedding just might.

Ok -- politics is politics. And this president would not be the first to make use of photogenic offspring.

But we have this inconvenient problem of young people the same age as the happy couple dying on the roadsides and in the alleyways of Iraq. I wonder if those at risk will be gathered around the television to watch the festivities.

One who won't be watching is Army Reserve Sergeant Jose Velez, a young man from the Bronx who asked his girlfriend Naomi to marry him the day he left for Iraq. She was busy planning the wedding when she got word he was killed by a roadside bomb.
I didn't know Jose Velez. I just read about him in a magazine. I don't know the hundreds of other young women who were engaged to be married, went to Iraq, and never returned [sic]. I can't speak for them. I have no standing in their lives or their families' grief.

All I can do is wonder. As the proud parents bask in their child's very special day, as current and past members of the administration clink their champagne glasses, will they think about all those who will never have that day -- and why?

Truckin' To North Carolina


I have to transport boxes to North Carolina this weekend. It's moving time for a family member. So I am hitting the road and driving down to the land of hogs, tobacco, NASCAR, and quality barbecue and minor-leage baseball. I'll be back next week.

Hot, Dangerous, Deadly Month In baghdad



A couple of news stories this morning (other than 4 more US troops were killed overnight, bringing the August death toll to 20 in just 6 days, which puts it on-track to 100 by the end of month).

First, Iraq's Electric Ministry reports today that the national power grid is on the verge of collapse. Power plants are receiving less fuel, and have had to shut down. Baghdad is receiving less electricity this month, and that means that less water is being treated or pumped to businesses and residences. That means that the sanitation problem continues to get worse. And now the US general overseeing Iraq infrastructure says this is a problem for the Iraqis to solve themselves - even while the multinational fund-raising for re-building Iraq's infrastructure is nowhere near the set goal. Wait, how many years has it been since the fall of Baghdad, again?

Second, it needs to be stressed that one of the most underreproted facts about Iraq is the amount of unemployment there. Under Saddam's regime, the most stable and prosperous jobs were in oil, government, african trade, and most important, the military. Now with unemployment hovering at 50%, where are the good jobs? Well, it seems a UN News network has found one growth industry.

It Was Seven Years Ago Today



Photo copyright 2000 Stephanie Sinclair.

On Thursday, August 3rd 2000, George W. Bush accepted his party's nomination, and delivered this shameful speech at the GOP convention in Philadelphia. This is a sad document,and a dark foreshadowing of what was to come. I have added emphasis on comments that I find interesting in the light of the events and developments that followed this speech. Note his amazing line about how World War II was a good reason to maintain high taxes, and compare that to his 'wartime' tax cuts.

Every nomination acceptance speech contains false promises, embellishments, and grand ideas. But just look at what he said, and compare it to where we are today. It is far more significant and revealing than either of his two inauguration speeches.


Mr. Chairman...

(APPLAUSE)

Mr. Chairman... (APPLAUSE)

Thank you all.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Mr. Chairman -- Mr. Chairman, delegates and my fellow citizens, I proudly accept your nomination.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you. Thank you for this honor.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you for this honor. Together, we will renew America's purpose.

Our founders first defined that purpose here in Philadelphia. Ben Franklin was here, Thomas Jefferson and, of course, George Washington, or, as his friends, called him, George W.

I am proud to have Dick Cheney by my side.

He is a man -- he is a man of integrity and sound judgment who has proven that public service can be noble service.

American will be proud to have a leader of such character to succeed Al Gore as vice president of the United States.

I'm grateful for Senator John McCain. I appreciate so very much his speech two nights ago. I appreciate his friendship. I love his spirit for America. And I want to thank the other candidates who sought this office, as well. Their convictions have strengthened our party.

I'm especially grateful tonight to my family. No matter what else I do in my life, asking Laura to marry me was the best decision I ever made.

And to our daughters, Barbara and Jenna, we love you a lot. We're proud of you. And as you head off to college this fall, don't stay out too late.

And e-mail your old dad once in a while, will you?

And mother, everybody loves you and so do I. Growing up -- growing up, she gave me love and lots of advice. I gave her white hair.

And I want to thank my dad, the most decent man I have ever known.

All of my life I have been amazed that a gentle soul could be so strong.

Dad, I am proud to be your son.

My father was the last president of a great generation, a generation of Americans who stormed beaches, liberated concentration camps and delivered us from evil. Some never came home. Those who did put their medals in drawers, went to work and built on a heroic scale highways and universities, suburbs and factories, great cities and grand alliances, the strong foundations of an American century.

Now the question comes to the sons and daughters of this achievement, what is asked of us? This is a remarkable moment in the life of our nation. Never has the promise of prosperity been so vivid.

But times of plenty like times of crises are tests of American character.

Prosperity can be a tool in our hands used to build and better our country, or it can be a drug in our system dulling our sense of urgency, of empathy, of duty. Our opportunities are too great, our lives too short, to waste this moment.

So tonight, we vow to our nation we will seize this moment of American promise. We will use these good times for great goals.

We will confront the hard issues, threats to our national security, threats to our health and retirement security, before the challenges of our time become crises for our children.

And we will extend the promise of prosperity to every forgotten corner of this country: to every man and woman, a chance to succeed; to every child, a chance to learn; and to every family, a chance to live with dignity and hope.

For eight years the Clinton-Gore administration has coasted through prosperity. The path of least resistance is always downhill. But America's way is the rising road. This nation is daring and decent and ready for change.

Our current president embodied the potential of a generation -- so many talents, so much charm, such great skill. But in the end, to what end? So much promise to no great purpose.

Little more than a -- little more than a decade ago, the Cold War thawed, and with the leadership of President's Reagan and Bush, that wall came down.

But instead of seizing this moment, the Clinton-Gore administration has squandered it. We have seen a steady erosion of American power and an unsteady exercise of American influence. Our military is low on parts, pay and morale. If called on by the commander-in-chief today, two entire divisions of the Army would have to report, "Not ready for duty, sir."

This administration had its moment, they had their chance, they have not led. We will.

This generation -- this generation was given the gift of the best education in American history, yet we do not share that gift with everyone. Seven of 10 fourth graders in our highest poverty schools cannot read a simple children's book. And still this administration continues on the same old path, the same old programs, while millions are trapped in schools where violence is common and learning is rare.
This administration had its chance. They have not led. We will.

America has a strong economy and a surplus. We have the public resources and the public will, even the bipartisan opportunities to strengthen Social Security and repair Medicare. But this administration, during eight years of increasing need, did nothing.

They had their moment. They have not led. We will.

Our generation has a chance to reclaim some essential values, to show we have grown up before we grow old. But when the moment for leadership came, this administration did not teach our children, it disillusioned them.

They had their chance. They have not led. We will.

And now they come asking for another chance, another shot. Our answer: Not this time, not this year.

This is not the time for third chances; it is the time for new beginnings.

The rising generations of this country have our own appointment with greatness. It does not rise or fall with the stock market. It cannot be bought with our wealth. Greatness is found when American character and American courage overcome American challenges.

When Lewis Morris of New York was about to sign the Declaration of Independence, his brother advised against it, warning he would lose all his property. But Morris, a plain-spoken founder, responded, "Damn the consequences, give me the pen."
That is the eloquence of American action. We heard it during World War II when General Eisenhower told paratroopers on D-Day morning not to worry. And one replied, "We're not worried, General. It's Hitler's turn to worry now."
We heard it in the civil rights movement, when brave men and women that did not say, "We shall cope," or "We shall see." They said, "We shall overcome."

An American president must call upon that character.

Tonight in this hall, we resolve to be the party of -- not of repose but of reform. We will write not footnotes but chapters in the American story. We will add the work of our hands to the inheritance of our fathers and mothers and leave this nation greater than we found it.

We know the test of leadership. The issues are joined. We will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the greatest generation and for generations to come.
Medicare does more than meet the needs of our elderly; it reflects the values of our society. We will set it on firm financial ground and make prescription drugs available and affordable for every senior who needs them.

Social Security has been called the third rail of American politics, the one you're not supposed to touch because it might shock you. But if you don't touch it, you cannot fix it.

And I intend to fix it.

To the seniors in this country, you earned your benefits, you made your plans, and President George W. Bush will keep the promise of Social Security, no changes, no reductions, no way.

Our opponents will say otherwise. This is their last parting ploy, and don't believe a word of it.

Now is the time -- now is the time for Republicans and Democrats to end the politics of fear and save Social Security together.

For younger workers, we will give you the option, your choice, to put part of your payroll taxes into sound, responsible investments.

This will mean a higher return on your money in over 30 or 40 years, a nest egg to help your retirement or to pass on to your children.

When this money is in your name, in your account, it's just not a program, it's your property.

Now is the time to give American workers security and independence that no politician can ever take away.

On education, too many American children are segregated into schools without standards, shuffled from grade to grade because of their age, regardless of their knowledge. This is discrimination, pure and simple, the soft bigotry of low expectations.

And our nation should treat it like other forms of discrimination: We should end it.
One size does not fit all when it comes to educating our children, so local people should control local schools.

And those who spend your tax dollars must be held accountable. When a school district receives federal funds to teach poor children, we expect them to learn. And if they don't, parents should get the money to make a different choice.

Now is the time to make Head Start an early learning program to teach all our children to read and renew the promise of America's public schools.

Another test of leadership is tax relief.

The last time taxes were this high as a percentage of our economy, there was a good reason; we were fighting World War II. Today our high taxes fund a surplus. Some say that growing federal surplus means Washington has more money to spend. But they've got it backwards.

The surplus is not the government's money; the surplus is the people's money.

I will use this moment of opportunity to bring common sense and fairness to the tax code. And I will act on principle. On principle, every family, every farmer and small-business person should be free to pass on their life's work to those they love, so we will abolish the death tax.

On principle, no one in American should have to pay more than a third of their income to the federal government, so we will reduce tax rates for everyone in every bracket.

On principle, those with the greatest need should receive the greatest help, so we will lower the bottom rate from 15 percent to 10 percent and double the child credit.

Now is the time to reform the tax code and share some of the surplus with the people who pay the bills.

The world needs America's strength and leadership. And America's armed forces need better equipment, better training and better pay.

We will give our military the means to keep the peace, and we will give it one thing more: a commander-in-chief who respects our men and women in uniform and a commander-in-chief who earns their respect.

A generation shaped by Vietnam must remember the lessons of Vietnam: When America uses force in the world, the cause must be just, the goal must be clear, and the victory must be overwhelming.

I will work to reduce nuclear weapons and nuclear tension in the world, to turn these years of influence into decades of peace. And at the earliest possible date, my administration will deploy missile defenses to guard against attack and blackmail.

Now is the time not to defend outdated treaties but to defend the American people.
A time of prosperity is a test of vision, and our nation today needs vision.

That's a fact. That's a fact. Or as my opponent might call it, a risky truth scheme.

Every one of the proposals I've talked about tonight he's called a risky scheme over and over again. It is the sum of his message, the politics of the roadblock, the philosophy of the stop sign.

If my opponent had been at the moon launch, it would have been a risky rocket scheme.

If he had been there when Edison was testing the light bulb, it would have been a risky anti-candle scheme.

And if he had been there when the Internet was invented...

He now leads the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but the only thing he has to offer is fear itself.

That outlook is typical of many in Washington, always seeing the tunnel at the end of the light.

But I come from a different place and it has made me a different leader.

In Midland, Texas, where I grew up, the town motto was, "The sky's the limit," and we believed it. There was a restless energy, a basic conviction that with hard work, anybody could succeed and everybody deserved a chance.

Our sense of community -- our sense of community was just as strong as that sense of promise. Neighbors helped each other. There were dry wells and sand storms to keep you humble, life-long friends to take your side, and churches to remind us that every soul is equal in value and equal in need.

This background leaves more than an accent, it leaves an outlook: optimistic, impatient with pretense, confident that people can chart their own course in life.

That background may lack the polish of Washington. Then again, I don't have a lot of things that come with Washington. I don't have enemies to fight. I have no stake in the bitter arguments of the last few years. I want to change the tone of Washington to one of civility and respect.

The largest lesson I learned in Midland still guides me as governor of Texas: Everyone, from immigrant to entrepreneur, has an equal claim on this country's promise. So we improved our schools dramatically for children of every accent, of every background. We moved people from welfare to work. We strengthened our juvenile justice laws. Our budgets have been balanced with surpluses. And we cut taxes, not only once, but twice.

We accomplished a lot.

I don't deserve all the credit, and I don't attempt to take it. I work with Republicans and Democrats to get things done.

A bittersweet part of tonight is that someone is missing, the late lieutenant governor of Texas, Bob Bullock.

Bob was a Democrat, a crusty veteran of Texas politics, and my great friend. We worked side by side, he endorsed my re-election, and I know he is with me in spirit in saying to those who would malign our state for political gain: Don't mess with Texas.

As governor, I've made difficult decisions and stood by them under pressure.
I've been where the buck stops in business and in government. I've been a chief executive who sets an agenda, sets big goals, and rallies people to believe and achieve them. I am proud of this record, and I am prepared for the work ahead.

If you give me your trust, I will honor it. Grant me a mandate, I will use it. Give me the opportunity to lead this nation, and I will lead.

And we need a leader to seize the opportunities of this new century: the new cures of medicine, the amazing technologies that will drive our economy and keep the peace. But our new economy must never forget the old, unfinished struggle for human dignity. And here we face a challenge to the very heart and founding premise of our nation.

A couple of years ago, I visited a juvenile jail in Marlin, Texas, and talked with a group of young inmates. They were angry, wary kids. All had committed grownup crimes. Yet when I looked in their eyes, I realized some of them were still little boys.

Toward the end of the conversation, one young man, about 15 years old, raised his hand and asked a haunting question, "What do you think of me?" He seemed to be asking, like many Americans who struggle: Is their hope for me? Do I have a chance? And, frankly, do you, a white man in a suit, really care about what happens to me?
A small voice, but it speaks for so many: single moms struggling to feed the kids and pay the rent; immigrants starting a hard life in a new world; children without fathers in neighborhoods where gangs seem like friendship or drugs promise peace, and where sex sadly seems the closest thing to belong. We are their country too. And each of us must share in its promise or the promise is diminished for all.

If that boy in Marlin believes he's trapped and worthless and hopeless, if he believes his life has no value, then other lives have no value to him, and we're all diminished.

When these problems are not confronted, it builds a wall within our nation. On one side are wealth, technology, education and ambition. On the other side of that wall are poverty and prison, addiction and despair. And my fellow Americans, we must tear down that wall.

Big government is not the answer, but the alternative to bureaucracy is not indifference. It is to put conservative values and conservative ideas into the thick of the fight for justice and opportunity.

This is what I mean by compassionate conservatism. And on this ground, we will lead our nation.

We will give low-income Americans tax credits to buy the private health insurance they need and deserve.

We will transform today's housing rental program to help hundreds of thousands of low-income families find stability and dignity in a home of their own.

And in the next bold step of welfare reform, we will support the heroic work of homeless shelters and hospices, food pantry and crisis pregnancy centers, people reclaiming their communities block by block and heart by heart.

I think of Mary Jo Copeland, whose ministry called Sharing and Caring Hands serves 1,000 meals a week in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Each day, Mary Jo washes the feet of the homeless and sends them off with new socks and shoes. "Look after your feet," she tells them. "They must carry you a long way in this world, and then all the way to God."

Government cannot do this work. It can feed the body, but it cannot reach the soul.

Yet, government can take the side of these groups, helping the helper, encouraging the inspired. My administration will give taxpayers new incentives to donate to charity, encourage after-school programs that build character, and support mentoring groups that shape and save young lives.

We must give our children a spirit of moral courage because their character is our destiny.

We must tell them with confidence that drugs and alcohol can destroy you, and bigotry disfigures the heart.

Our schools must support the ideals of parents, elevating character and abstinence from afterthoughts to urgent goals.

We must help protect our children in our schools and streets, and by finally and strictly enforcing our nation's gun laws.

But most of all, we must teach our children the values that defeat violence. I will lead our nation toward a culture that values life -- the life of the elderly and sick, the life of the young and the life of the unborn.

Good people can disagree on this issue, but surely we can agree on ways to value life by promoting adoption, parental notification. And when Congress sends me a bill against partial-birth abortion, I will sign it into law.

Behind every goal I've talked about tonight is a great hope for our country. A hundred years from now this must not be remembered as an age rich in possession and poor in ideals.

Instead, we must usher in an era of responsibility.

My generation tested limits, and our country in some ways is better for it. Women are now treated more equally.

Racial progress has been steady; it's still too slow. We're learning to protect...
…we're learning to protect the natural world around us. We will continue this progress, and we will not turn back.

At times we lost our way, but we're coming home.

So many of us held our first child and saw a better self reflected in her eyes. And in that family love, many have found the sign and symbol of an even greater love, and have been touched by faith.

We discovered that who we are is more than important than what we have. And we know we must renew our values to restore our country.

This is the vision of America's founders. They never saw our nation's greatness in rising wealth or in advancing armies, but in small, unnumbered acts of caring and courage and self-denial.

Their highest hope, as Robert Frost described it, was to occupy the land with character. And that, 13 generations later, is still our goal, to occupy the land with character.

In a responsibility era, each of us has important tasks, work that only we can do.

Each of us is responsible to love and guide our children and to help a neighbor in need. Synagogues, churches and mosques are responsible, not only to worship, but to serve. Corporations are responsible to treat their workers fairly and to leave the air and waters clean.

And our nation's leaders our responsible to confront problems, not pass them onto others.

And to lead this nation to a responsibility era, that president himself must be responsible.

So when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.

I believe the presidency, the final point of decision in the American government, was made for great purposes. It is the office of Lincoln's conscience, of Teddy Roosevelt's energy, of Harry Truman's integrity and Ronald Reagan's optimism.

For me, gaining this office is not the ambition of a lifetime, but it is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I will make the most of it.

I believe great decision are made with care, made with conviction, not made with polls.

I do not need to take your pulse before I know my own mind.

I do not reinvent myself at every turn. I am not running in borrowed clothes.

When I act, you will know my reasons. And when I speak, you will know my heart.

I believe in tolerance, not in spite of my faith, but because of it.

I believe in a God who calls us not to judge our neighbors but to love them.

I believe in grace because I've seen it, and peace because I've felt it, and forgiveness because I've needed it.

I believe true leadership is a process of addition, not an act of division.

I will not attack a part of this country because I want to lead the whole of it.

And I believe this'll be a tough race, down to the wire. Their war room is up and running, but we are ready.

Their attacks will be relentless, but they will be answered. We are facing something familiar, but they're facing something new.

We are now the party of ideas and innovation, the party of idealism and inclusion, the party of a simple and powerful hope.

My fellow citizens, we can begin again.

After all of the shouting and all of the scandal, after all the bitterness and broken faith, we can begin again.

The wait has been long, but it won't be long now.

A prosperous nation is ready to renew its purpose and unite behind great goals, and it won't be long now.

Our nation must renew the hopes of that boy I talked with in jail and so many like him, and it won't be long now.

Our country is ready for high standards and new leaders, and it won't be long now.

An era of tarnished ideals is giving way to a responsibility era, and it won't be long now.

I know how serious the task is before me. I know the presidency is an office that turns pride into prayer.

But I am eager to start on the work ahead, and I believe America is ready for a new beginning.

My friend, the artist Tom Lea of El Paso, Texas, captured the way I feel about our great land, a land I love. He and his wife, he said, "Live on the east side of the mountain. It's the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day that has gone."

Americans live on the sunrise side of the mountain, the night is passing, and we're ready for the day to come.

God bless. God bless America.