Mixed Bag O' Sports Rant

Most of this week's rants have nothing to do with actual on-the-field results ...

- Lightning of the worst kind struck the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend as relief pitcher Josh Hancock was killed early Sunday morning in a car accident. Hancock, 29, was a journeyman who played a key role in the Redbirds' World Series championship and was a workhorse again this season - he pitched three innings Saturday only hours before his death. It was only five years ago that the Cards had to deal with the death of Darryl Kile - the last roster player to die during the season. The parallels between the two instances are eerie - both Cardinals, both pitchers, both causing the cancellation of a Cardinals-Cubs game. They say the clubhouse is a substitute for family during the season, and for the second time in far too short a time the Cardinals family is having to deal with a death in the family. the MB's heart goes out to them as they struggle through this difficult time.

- One of the reasons women's sports tends to get second billing is that the physical differences between the genders precludes playing each other on the same level. For some sports, though, that's not the case, and we got an example of that this weekend. At the IRL race this weekend, three women raced against the men - the most ever. The wonderful thing about a race car is that it doesn't care of you have a penis - only a lead foot. Joining series regulars Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher was sports car vet Milka Duno, who passed her rookie test in time to qualify for the race. Some have questioned her racing credentials, and it's a valid concern. But it's still good to see more people who are traditionally shut out getting a chance. So now the question is, where's the minority drivers?

- The NFL draft once again showed it's as much fun as you can have off the field. Just watching the folks in the green room twist as other guys are named is grand theater. In seasons past, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Leinart took the wild ride; this year it was Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn's turn to twist in the breeze. Expecting to go as high as 3 and no lower than 9, Quinn had to wait over 4 hours to finally be picked by the Browns at 22. He'll pay a price in pride and cash (as much as $10 in guaranteed money) because of the fall, but is likely in a better situation in terms of opportunity. BTW - did anyone else notice how the Patriots quietly continued to load up on receivers yesterday? They traded a meaningless pick to the Raiders for Randy Moss, who joins free agents Donte' Stallworth and Kelley Washington and trade acquiree Wes Walker to give Tom Brady quite a set of targets. Think Bill Belichick is still stinging from last year?

- The cycling court of public opinion claimed another victim yesterday as Ivan Basso, lead rider for Team Discovery, asked for and was given his release from the team. The ongoing doping investigations, which have dragged on for nearly two years, have cast such a pall over Basso and the hundred-odd riders involved that they have been told by the Tour de France organizers not to enter the event. All this, mind you, without any demonstrated evidence of guilt. I know we can't try to automatically apply our idea of justice to the world, but you'd think "innocent until proven guilty" would apply to the world of cycling. But I guess you can just ask Floyd Landis about that ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 11:30 AM PST [link]

Weekend Eye Candy - Who Cares Who She Is Edition

Looking for the right girl for the Weekend Eye Candy postings is a lot like marlin fishing. Sure, I have my favorite spots - places where I've found success before - but every once in a while I get a blind strike. This week is one of those.

I was cruising the internet and stumbled across this picture. Needless to say, I was stopped in my tracks. But when I saw the name, I realized I had no idea who this person was. Apparently, she's famous for something, or she wouldn't be getting attention. Thank God for Wikipedia ...

Abigail Clancy, also known as Abi Clancy or Abbey Clancy, is an English Lingerie and glamour model who made headlines during the 2006 FIFA World Cup as the girlfriend of England Football star Peter Crouch. In 2006 she appeared as a contestant on Living TV's Britain's Next Top Model but only came second, despite being favoured to win. Since appearing on the show Abigail has modelled for Maxim magazine (December 2006), Nuts magazine (November 2006), OK! magazine, GQ magazine (August 2006), The Sun newspaper, the Daily Star newspaper, Sugar magazine and is the new face and body of Pussy Glamore’s winter lingerie collection alongside Elizabeth Jagger in photos shot by Bryan Adams.

Clancy has recently filmed a fly on the wall series for Living TV in Los Angeles which follows her attempts to crack the LA modelling scene, guided by Janice Dickinson who acts as her mentor.

OK, let's see if I have it. She's a British reality TV star who gained fame by being the booty call for a football star, and now she's coming to LA looking for her big break.

Great ... just what we need - another waitress ...

Well, she may or may not find success in Hollywood, but for one shining moment, she's the star as our Weekend Eye Candy!

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:23 AM PST [link]

Here We Go Again ...

First it was OJ, then Robert Blake. Now residents of LA face their newest threat - the trial of Phil Spector - and if the first two days are any indication, it's going to dominate our lives for the next three months.

Spector, the one-time wunderkind of '60s pop music and creator of the "wall of sound" style popularized by the Crystals, the Ronettes and Darlene Love, finds himself on trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson, a part-time actress and full-time hostess. Phil met her during an evening of drinking in February 2003 and by morning, Clarkson was dead from a gunshot to her mouth. The prosecution says murder. The defense says suicide ... or accident ... or accidental suicide. They're not quite sure, and would like to get back to you on that.

Cameras are allowed in the courtroom, so you know there's a full-court-press (no pun) by the media. Nancy Grace is no doubt looking for an apartment near the courthouse as we speak. It's going to be all-Phil, all the time for the next few months, so you'd best prepare yourselves ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:11 AM PST [link]

This Is What Happens When You Don't Have A Plan

Last night, the US House of Representatives passed a war funding bill that includes a provision requiring the start of troop pullout from Iraq beginning in October. By the time you read this, the Senate will have also passed the bill, setting the stage for the promised presidential veto. Next comes the finger pointing and name calling, accompanied by the countdown to when the troops run out of money.

I don't know much about the art of war, but I know a lot about project management. If there's one thing that is painfully clear from watching our government – both sides of the aisle – bungle this war, it's this: no one has anything that resembles a plan for this war. Unfortunately, that reminds me of a favorite business adage: fail to plan, and you plan to fail.

It doesn't matter if you're developing software, building a house, or fighting a war – there are certain things that you need. You need a budget, you need a schedule and you need a plan. Fail to develop any of these before you start, and you risk project failure.

We can argue about why we're in Iraq, but at this point it's meaningless – we're there. I'll leave it to the historians to dissect the causes – the focus not needs to be on how to achieve the best outcome in the least amount of time with the smallest cost, both man and materiel. And that's where the plan would come in handy.

I understand that this is war, and war isn't something that sticks well to a schedule. Fine. But that's no excuse for establishing milestones for success – certain accomplishments that would represent significant outcomes that point towards eventual victory. Although he handled it poorly in retrospect, President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech represented a significant success milestone – the toppling of the dictator and the defeat of the organized military. But because there was no communication of the plan to the American people, they mistakenly assumed that this represented victory. No sane person would believe this, and certainly the administration understood that there would be tough days ahead. But because they did not have an established plan for victory, they could not celebrate this milestone for what it was – one step in a long path. The same is true for the elections in Iraq – a significant milestone, taken in the context of an overall plan. But that plan, assuming it existed, was never made public.

Now we have the Congress demanding a timetable for pullout. No one can possibly believe that this could lead to anything but defeat. It may well be that the Democrats believe, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has stated publicly, that the war is lost and they simply want us to cut our losses and lick our wounds. Or perhaps they hope that bringing the troops home arbitrarily will allow them to lay the loss of the war at the feet of the Republican administration. Whatever the motivation, the outcome will be the same – a clear loss for America and chaos in Iraq.

At the same time, the Administration cannot continue an open-ended war with no end in sight – and no plan for ending. They have made no attempt to define what would represent a victory in Iraq, nor to establish and publish milestones that could be achieved along the way. They seem to believe that "stay the course" is a plan – when they clearly don't know the course to follow.

So what happens now? Both sides understand that you can't play chicken with the troops, so a way will be found to fund the effort. Before the ink is dry on the presidential veto, a new bill will be passed - one that looks a lot like this one, but without the riders. After all, both sides made their political points, so there's no need to do any more ... for the moment.

One of the basic tenets of physics is that if you create a vacuum, matter will rush in to fill the void. The failure of this Administration to provide some kind of plan has created the vacuum, and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are rushing to fill it. Unless the President and his advisors recognize this and provide some kind of a rebuttal in the form of a plan – any plan - for ending the war within a reasonable timeframe, the American people will have no choice but to support the Congressional plan and hold the Administration accountable for their leadership failure.

Don't kid yourself - no matter what side you're on, if comes to that, we all lose ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 11:27 AM PST [link]

If She Wants To Shake Your Hand, Be Sure You Wash Later ...

I have a lot of respect for anyone passionate about a position to fight for it, even if I don't personally agree with their views. These days, so many of us just sit on our asses - or blog - and do nothing about the issues that surround us that it is refreshing to see someone fight for what they believe.

That said, there are those issues, and those people, that I just can't take serious. One is the whole global warming / green energy movement. Look, you have to be an idiot or in serious denial to think that we could keep doubling the planet's population and not have an affect on the environment. Just as obvious should be the notion that oil isn't infinite, and the day is going to come when we're gonna need something else to power our cars and iPods.

But until recently, the only visible spokesperson for green energy was eccentric actor Ed Begley Jr, and even the media didn't take him and his home-made energy-saving devices seriously. Now, though, we have Al Gore running around with an Oscar in one hand and pointing a finger at all of us with his other, and people are finally beginning to take note.

One outspoken advocate for change is singer Sheryl Crow. Whether it was inspiration derived from her time with Lance Armstrong or her brush with cancer - or maybe it's just the way she is - she's put herself at the forefront of the green movement. Recently, she did a small tour with Laurie David, one of the producers of "An Inconvenient Truth", where they brought the message of global warming to college students. Buoyed by her success, she's decided to go public with some of her own ideas on how to make the world a better place, one sheet at a time:

One of my favorites is in the area of conserving trees which we heavily rely on for oxygen. I propose a limitation be put on how many sqares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting. Now, I don't want to rob any law-abiding American of his or her God-given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could be required.

Right ... isn't this how we did things in the Middle Ages? You'll notice she didn't include an idea on how she'd enforce this particular limit - that would get interesting.

I think her heart is in the right place, even if her brain isn't. On her blog, she goes on to discuss other of her ideas, including special "dining sleeves" that could be used to replace paper napkins and a sort of "Green American Idol" where ... well, you'll just have to read it for yourself.

Personally, I think I'm like most folks in that I'll do my part if you make it sufficiently painless. Give me an alternative fuel car that gets decent performance and doesn't require me to strain used grease for fuel and I'll probably go for it. I might even be willing to pay extra. But for God's sake, stay out of my bathroom!

For what it's worth, it must run in her family. She mentioned the sheet limit to her brother, who thought she could take it even further:

"How bout just washing the one square out."

Posted by MarlinNut @ 04:24 PM PST [link]

How Safe Are You Willing To Be?

We as Americans have many strengths, but foresight isn't one of them. We can't see the future, and aren't very good at predicting how it will unfold. But we're damned good at reacting to events once they happen, even if that particular reaction doesn't provide much of a benefit.

After 9-11, we all learned the joys of having our carry-on bags searched, and our scissors and nail files confiscated. Once Richard Reed tried to blow up an airplane with explosives hidden in his shoe, we discovered the hard way to make sure you wear clean socks to the airport. Can we say we're any safer, or are we just doing something - anything - to convince ourselves we are less at risk?

In the wake of the shootings at Virginia Tech and NASA's Johnson Space Center, many are asking how someone could bring weapons into such facilities. The factual answer is "very easily." We live in an inherently open society, one in which we trust our fellow man to do the right thing by us. When we are betrayed we are shocked and hurt, and then react by adding restrictions to our actions.

The Boeing facility where I work isn't significantly different than JSC in terms of security. Every day, I drive into a parking lot where, depending on the lot, there might be a guard to take a cursory look at my badge. Because I'm pretty mobile, I have a backpack in which I carry all of the tools I need to do my job - laptop, PDA, miscellaneous peripherals and such. I flash my badge at the guard - if there is even one (most entrances are automated) and enter the facility. I could just as easily be carrying C4 explosive and a couple of guns in my backpack; no one would ever know.

Could we make our universities and workplaces safer? Sure, but at what price? We could put up perimeter fences around the facility and control the entrances, but that would take away any feeling of openness on the campus. We could issue badges to anyone who has a reason to be on site, and search everyone going in or out, but that would mean arriving an hour early to spend time in the inevitable lines. Are we willing to do this? I don't think so.

At some point, you have to stop the finger pointing and the efforts to slam the gate after the horses have left the barn and start looking forward. Part of the price we pay for living in a free society is that we will always be at risk; we need to focus on what motivates those who would do us harm and look to stop them before they start.

Posted by MarlinNut @ 05:58 PM PST [link]

They Also Serve Who Only Loop The Loop

You might not know it from the sanitized coverage given by our newsmedia, but there's a war going on right now. Whether you agree with the reasons for the war or not, the fact is that hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen are currently in harm's way doing your bidding, or at least keeping you from having to serve yourself.

But those in Iraq and Afganistan are only the tip of the spear. For every scared 19-yr-old riding shotgun in a Humvee on some Baghdad backstreet, there are dozens of other military personnel serving in various capacities all around the world - some seemingly far removed from the horrors of war.

Perhaps no military assignment fits that bill quite so much as working with the military flight demonstration squadrons - the Air Force's Thunderbirds or the Navy's Blue Angels. Flying weapons of war converted into the ultimate recruiting tools, these teams thrill millions of civilians each year with their demonstrations of precision flying skills and seemingly death-defying stunts.

Sometimes, though, things go wrong. Death is not defied, and the horrors of war are brought into someone's backyard. Such was the case Saturday when Blue Angel 6, piloted by Lt. Cdr Kevin J. Davis USN, was scattered throughout a neighborhood in South Carolina. One moment it was amazing skills on display, the next it was carnage and destruction.

I've seen the tape of the accident, and despite reports that the plane tumbled out of the sky, I believe it was an unfortunate pilot error. Davis was flying the "opposing solo" position in the formation, which means while most of the group are flying in formation, he and the lead solo pilot spend most of the show hurtling at each other at a combined 1500 mph and praying they don't hit each other. As a result, Davis found himself far from the formation as the end of the show neared, and had to make a tight turn to pull back into his place in the group. As he did so, it appeared that he was too low, and when the plane inevitably sank during the turn, he clipped a pine tree. You know the rest.

The media spent a lot of time showing smoke and wreckage, but I prefer to remember Blue Angel 6 as shown above - flying proud earlier in the show. The MarlinBlog salutes the memory of Lt. Cdr. Davis and all those who wear the uniform, no matter what their assigned duties.

Posted by MarlinNut @ 07:15 AM PST [link]

Look - A Sports Rant ... How Quaint!

The upside to a dark, dank weekend is a chance to catch up on the sports stories ...

- Ever think there's a reason why pitchers spend time in the minor leagues honing their craft? Apparently, the Yankees forgot about that, since they gave pitcher Chase Wright - who only had a couple of starts at Double-A and had never pitched higher than Single-A before this season - the chance to start against the Red Sox and star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. It was historic, but not in the way Wright may have hoped. In the third inning, Wright gave up consecutive home runs to Manny Ramirez, J. D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Veritek. It was the first time a team went back-to-back-to-back-to-back since the Dodgers did it last year (of which Drew was a part, amazingly), and only the second time a pitcher had given up 4 consecutive home runs in MLB history. Needless to say, he got the rest of the night off ...

- BTW, did you see Dice-K's first pitch to A-Rod? Right at the earhole. How do you say "I got your MVP right here" in Japanese ...

- The NBA Playoffs kicked off this weekend with some yawns and some surprises. The Lakers again showed that they'll only go as far as Kobe can carry them, as he was hot early and cold late in a loss to Phoenix. Don Nelson showed that you can go home again, as the Warriors - in the playoffs for the first time in over a decade - looked like the seasons veterans in handing the Mavericks a nasty loss. And the Heat learned what Laker fans already knew - that Shaq is getting older by the minute. About the only part of him that looks playoff ready is his mouth ...

- So how is your Monday going? Busy? Stressed? I'll bet it's not as bad for you as it is for Dontrelle Willis of the Marlins. The D-Train has the start tonight against the red-hot Braves in Miami, but that's the least of his worries. Before taking the mound, he has another appointment to keep - the birth of his first child. The plan is for his wife Natalee to have labor induced in the morning and the Train to take on the Braves this evening. They didn't plan it that way deliberately - it just worked out that way. Should be interesting to see how the miracle of birth affects an already-animated Willis ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 03:42 PM PST [link]

Blowing Off Their Foot, One Toe At A Time

News is a cyclic beast. Anyone who's ever been trapped in its spotlight knows that it's just a matter of time until someone else does something to attract the attention away from you. That's why Don Imus was the big story until the Virginia Tech shooting, which was replaced by the NASA shooting, which was replaced by the Blue Angels crash, which was replaced by the first day of classes back at VaTech. Keep low, act contrite, don't screw up, and eventually the media will shift their glare elsewhere.

You'd think that if any organization would understand this, it'd be CBS. Apparently not.

"Imus In The Morning" was a CBS property, and they took heat when they only fired him after MSNBC dropped their simulcast. The feeling was that if it were up to them, he'd have kept his job and they only fired him under pressure. In the wake of the eventual firing, a media watchdog blog decided to check the CBS website to see what their diversity policy was, presumably to see if they were in fact following their own policy. What they uncovered was far more embarassing.

On the site, the banner above the diversity statement displayed a series of five images of CBS radio personalities - all white males. Once this was pubicized, rather than a measured statement indicating their concern and that they'd look into it, they apparently panicked and told their webmaster to clean it up - quick. As a result, the banner soon has replaced the previously-fired David Lee Roth and Imus with - no surprise - a woman and black man. I'm not sure who the woman is, but the guy is Brian McKnight - a singer with no known connection to CBS other than perhaps their playing his songs. It's as if the webmaster Google'd "black man" and went with the first image that came up.

As if that embarassment wasn't enough, now they've done it again. When CBS suspended Imus, one station - KCAA in San Bernardino - was very public in their support for Imus and what the station manager there felt was a First Amendment issue. Unable to broadcast Imus live, they began running old taped shows from past Imus broadcasts.

CBS claims to have tried to handle this in private, but apparently decided they needed to do something flashy, so they've sued KCAA for copyright infringement. They might be in the right, but they'll definitely remain in the media spotlight.

They've shot themselves in the foot three times in the last month - how much more can they take and remain standing??

Posted by MarlinNut @ 10:07 AM PST [link]

StormWatch 2007

Lord, what is this damnable plague with which you strike us? What is this evil fluid that falls from the sky without end? What have we done that you would forsake us?

Oh, wait ... I know what this is ... rain! I've heard about it in the old texts ...

OK, so maybe it's not quite that bad, but we are getting the first real rain of 2007. The weatherheads like to remind us that Southern California really is a coastal desert plain, and that it's only because we've drained the Colorado River and Mono Lake that we have all the golf courses and lawns. But this has been a particularly dry year, even by our standards - this is literally the first measureable rain we've had since last winter - over a year!

Making it all the more unusual, both the Dodgers and Angels are starting homestands tonight - one of the very few times both teams are in town at the same time. Bet a rainout was the lasting thing they were expecting upon their returns home ...

I gotta so - suddenly I feel the urge to sing in the rain ... or at least listen to "Riders On The Storm" ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 10:16 AM PST [link]

Doin' What I Gotta Do

I know how it'll go.

I had a great candidate lined up for this edition of Weekend Eye Candy, but I know what will happen. After Wednesday's post, if I show anyone other than Kelly Hu in significantly less than her racing suit, I'm gonna get complaints.

Life's too short for that kind of abuse, so without further ado, here you go - Kelly Hu!

You can't fight fashion, City Hall, or dedicated MarlinBlog readers who've waited all week for their Eye Candy ...

For those of you unfamiliar with Ms. Hu other than her appearances here, she was in "The Scorpion King" and "X-Men X2", as well as guest roles all over TV. She was also in ABC's new sitcom "In Case Of Emergency", which started strong but was recently given the ax. Oh well ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:55 AM PST [link]

"Your Honor, The Witness Is A Jackass ..."

Some stories you just can't make up ...

What started as a dispute between neighbors in Dallas ended up looking like an episode of Wild Kingdom as the plaintiff called his donkey as a witness in the resulting civil suit. John Cantrell was suing his neighbor George Shamoun over the size of a storage shed Shamoun was building on his property. Shamoun's response to the complaint was to bring a donkey from his ranch to live in the backyard; hence the suit.

Cantrell complained of donkey noise and manure piles.

"They bray a lot any time day or night. You never know when they're going to cut loose," he testified.

Shamoun said Buddy was there to serve as a surrogate mother for a calf named Lucy that needed to be bottle-fed.

As much fun as this looked to be, the pair ended up settling out of court.

It's worth noting that Shamoun is a lawyer by trade ... which would explain the familiarity with jackasses ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 09:11 AM PST [link]

Let Them All Rest In Peace

For three days now, we've seen a constant stream of news reports coming from the campus of Virginia Tech. First it was the tragedy of the shootings, then the solemn ceremonies to mark the loss, and now the news that the suspect send a package of images and videos to NBC News, in all likelihood mailing the package between the two incidents.

There's no question that this was a horrific event, one that will impact the Blacksburg community for years. But I have to ask: At what point does it stop being a legitimate national event, and haven't we already passed that point? Imagine how it must be now on campus - every network has a minimum of two anchor crews on site, their evening news and morning show. Same goes for the cable networks, plus all their "superstars" - Andy Cooper, Shep Smith, Geraldo. Hell, even the local LA stations have sent crews there. I know it's tragic, but let's face it - it's tittlating, and that's the reason all those people are there. I mean, really - haven't these folks been through enough? Do they really have to put up with the smug mug of Nancy Grace on site as well? How can you possibly hope for these people to start to put their lives back together with klieg lights blaring through the night?

Beyond the tabloid element of it all, I worry about message we are sending when we focus on this and only this for hour after hour after hour. The pictures, notes, videos, poetry and plays of the suspect are all grist for the media mill, and every talking head is examining them line by line. But are they really that important? Do we really need to see anything more than his actions to know that we were dealing with a troubled man? Yet the media is spending hours digging into the most insignificant details. We are setting a dangerous precident.

Let's say I had a point I wanted to make, and sent my manifesto to CNN. How far do you think it'd get? But if I'm a troubled guy who wants his point to be heard, the media is sending a message loud and clear - kill a bunch of people, and we'll not only listen, we'll repeat your message every 22 minutes. Do you really think there aren't more just like him out there taking notes?

The death of 33 people under any circumstance is tragic, but look how we cover this incident versus others. If instead of a shooter it was a commuter plane full of travellers that crashed and burned, it'd be the headline for one news cycle and be gone. We certainly wouldn't be seeing biographies and tributes to the passengers being broadcast nationwide. Are the passengers any less worthy? Any less unfortunate? Any more deserving to die? How about the 170 Iraqis killed just today in car bombings in Baghdad? At most, they'd rate a quick mention in the news - if only there was a news crew that wasn't in Blacksburg.

We spend all our time ogling the tragedy, and then wonder why someone would want to emulate it. For a sociopath like this jackhole - and you know there are more out there - we're giving him the 15 minutes ... make that 15 days ... he couldn't earn any other way.

Hey media - do us all a favor. Shut down the lights and cameras and go home. Let the healing begin at VaTach, and go find some other ambulance to chase.

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:27 PM PST [link]

The Only Race That Mattered

There was a ChampCar race this weekend at Long Beach, but open wheel racing in America is so fractured and meaningless that I don't know if anyone watched - I know I didn't. But there was one race worth watching, and that's the one I'm reporting on.

Last week's Eye Candy was "racer" Emily Proctor. While defending her honor, or at least that of her face, I mentioned that I would provide an update on how she did in the race. One of our commenters also asked if actress Kelly Hu wasn't in that same race, so I'm using this one post to knock out both tasks.

As you can see, Kelly was in fact also a participant in the celebrity race - here she is in her car, suited up and ready to go. You can see the pressure is really getting to her ... . Neither she nor Emily were expected to be much of a factor in the race, and just getting to the end with a car relatively entact was a worthy goal. As it happened, they ended up being each other's main rival, and they crossed the finish line in a near dead heat. Emily placed eighth, 51.431 seconds behind the winner, X-Games hero Dave Mirra. Right on her tail was Kelly, who finished only a fifth of a second behind her!

Both girls were involved in one of the few wrecks in the race. Emily was trying to pass Star Wars creator George Lucas, who had just passed both girls, when the two cars collided, forcing Lucas' car into the wall. You don't mess with Emilicious ...

Oh, and for those who might be interested, Sebastien Bourdais won the big race for the third year in a row ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:25 PM PST [link]

Time To Reflect

I was in a foul mood yesterday, and tend to not blog on days like that. Then I heard about the shooting at Virginia Tech and suddenly my little problems didn't add up to much.

The town of Blacksburg, Virginia and, in fact, all of America are in shock today at yesterday's events. 33 dead, including the shooter, and many more injured in what will go down as the most violent shooting spree in American history - so far. The press, of course, has begun their orgasmic coverage, all racing to the scene in the hope of getting footage of just one body being carted away. The networks are wall-to-wall coverage, each with their own hand-wringing correspondant and an interview of someone who lives down the street from someone who knows someone who has a friend who's son used to go to VaTech. Events like these are seldon a shining moment for the press.

Of course, the gunsmoke had barely cleared before the second-guessing began. High on the target list is the university officials who, after the first shooting at a dormitory in which two students were killed, didn't evacuate the campus. Frankly, if I thought I might have a shooter on the loose, the last thing I want to do is wake everyone up and have them running around campus as moving targets. But the truth is that two hours later, a gunman - presumed to be the same - went into a classroom across campus and essentially executed the entire class before taking his own life.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, an evaluation of the decisions made and the preparations in place for such an event is reasonable. Certainly, we could make our campuses safer, but do we really want to? You could make VT look like San Quentin, and it may or may not stop the next gunman. It will most certainly outrage the students and faculty. Frankly, history has shown that there is really little you can do to stop a dedicated gunman once they've decided to act.

In 1992, I had a chance to visit the VaTech campus. It's located in western Virginia surrounded by the town of Blacksburg - a classic college town where love of the Hokies is inbred. If a shooting like this were to happen at USC or UCLA it would be tragic, but would have little impact on the town surrounding campus. For Blacksburg, this is devastating. Keep their residents in your hearts along with those whose lives were cut short by this madman.

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:41 AM PST [link]

Eye Candy - Wall Banging Edition

This weekend marks the 33rd Annual Long Beach Grand Prix, or as they like to call it, the "World's Fastest Beach Party". The formula cars of the ChampCar series and several support races will challenge the concrete canyons created in the streets of downtown Long Beach, and along the way will shed their share of parts as they bump and grind their way around the course.

For all but two of they events, the most unique support race has been the Toyota Pro Celebrity Race. A dozen or so celebrities and charity auction winners spend a weekend learning how to drive specially prepared street cars out at the Willow Springs Race Track before being set loose on course at the LBGP to compete for ten laps. Just to make things interesting, they include a couple of professional racers who, after giving the celebs a 30-second head start, race after - and through - the pack. It makes for an interesting spectacle, if not great racing.

In the '80s and '90s, I spent 15 years working with the race management team at the LBGP. For the three days of the race weekend, RM takes over all the normal logistical duties performed by the city - crowd control, security, fire, medical, etc. It provided a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of the event, at least until the lawyers got in involved and slowly whittled away the access opportunities. It was hard work, but fun.

Anyway, one of my most enjoyable assignments over the years was working in the Celebrity Paddock, where you got to meet and work with the celebrity drivers. I found that some were there for fun, but some were definitely there to win. All had their own pre-race routines, but none as interesting as this year's participant, Emily Proctor of CSI:Miami, who seems to be trying to bond with her car. We'll let you know how she does in the race on Monday.

UPDATE: According to our petite but loyal MB following, there is apparently some concern reqarding this individual as acceptable Eye Candy material. Actually, I don't think it's the person as much as it is the outfit - a fully zipped firesuit. Now while this is the appropriate way to wear it to insure maximum protection in the case of a crash and ensuing fire, I can see where it does leave something to the imagination - apparently, an item that is lacking amongst the average MB reader.

Personally, I think the face is enough to justify the entry alone, but I don't want to alienate an already-too-small readership. So here's another shot of the aforementioned Miss Proctor, wearing a different kind of uniform. I think this should resolve both issues - the quality of the face and the contents of the uni ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:00 AM PST [link]

Selective Outrage

The other shoe dropped today on radio talk show host Don Imus, as he was fired from his radio show by CBS. This comes in the wake of MSNBC's decision yesterday to cease their TV simulcast.

By now, everyone knows about Imus' ill-advised statement in which he referred to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy headed hos". I'm certainly not going to defend Imus' actions, for while I believe in free speech I also believe in paying the price for reckless speech.

Here's what I have a problem with: Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson led the effort to have Imus fired, first by making sure everyone knew what he'd said, then by bringing sufficient pressure on his advertisers to insure they'd pull out their support. I understand their outrage, but where were they when Imus referred to CNN's Howard Kurtz as a "hook-nosed, beanie-wearing jewboy"? How about when he called his own newsreader Contessa Brewer a "fat pig" and created so threatening an environment that she was forced to quit her job?

Beyond Imus, where is their outrage every time Howard Stern opens his trap and spews garbage about practically everyone and everything? Why don't they hold Robin Quivers, Stern's on-air partner, accountable for the content. Could it be because she's black? For that matter, where was Sharpton when Jackson was referring to New York as "Hymietown".

Look, Imus deserved to be fired. His statement wasn't intended to be racist or sexist, but it was calculated to be inflammatory and for that alone he needs to be held accountable. But he and his kind have been making statements like this for decades; the only difference this time is that Sharpton and Jackson saw an opportunity and jumped on it.

When it comes to moral outrage, there cannot be any selective filters. Either something is unacceptable, or it isn't - you can't pick and choose which incidents to escalate just to make a political point. If you are unwilling to stand up against all injustice, you don't have the right to call yourself a champion by picking and choosing battles.

There are few winners in this incident. Certainly not the Rutgers team, whose shining moment will always be tarnished by its association with an idiotic statement. Not Imus, who long career is clearly over. Not the networks who broadcast Imus, who stand to lose significant money and have already lost credibility by their choosing to can him only once pressure from their sponsors became too much to bear. That leaves only Jackson and Sharpton as the "winners" - and when we allow them to decide for all of us what is and is not acceptable behavior, we all lose.

That's my $.02 - what's yours?

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:41 PM PST [link]

Columbus Of The Cosmos

So where were you on this day in 1961? Me? I was probably in or near my crib, as I was less than two years old at the time. But if you were Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, you were strapped in the seat of your Vostok 1 capsule waiting for your compatriots to light the fuse on the really big candle you were sitting atop.

It's easy to get jaded about space travel. Even with the tragedies that have beset both the American and Russian space programs, lots of people have made the trip to orbit. Heck, even as we speak, American software billionaire Charles Simonyi is floating around in the International Space Station as the latest "spaceflight participant" - ie, someone who shelled out $20 million for the ultimate getaway.

But in 1961, nothing was certain about spaceflight other than this: rockets blow up - often. The American public had seen on live TV just how fragile boosters were, as nationally-broadcast launch efforts had gone boom. The Russians had the same kind of problems, only we never knew it because of the secrecy of the Cold War. But Gagarin knew all about it as he waiting on the booster.

You can argue that Yuri's brief flight pales in comparison to the month-long space station missions of today, but someone had to be first. His name was Yuri Gagarin, and we salute him.

Twenty years later, another untried spaceship sat on a launch pad. High atop the rocket sat John Young and Robert Crippen, the first crew of the space shuttle Columbia. The technology had changed by leaps and bounds, but the danger had not - once again, someone was going to light that candle. Ironically, the mission wasn't even supposed to launch on Gagarin anniversary. The planned launch date was April 10, but even back then they had shuttle delays.

The space shuttle program has brought its share of triumph and tragedy. The shuttle has brought outer space into our living room, as we watched hundreds of astronauts perform their duties. But it has also cost fourteen lives, a constant reminder of the razor-thin margin for error.

With the emminent end of the shuttle program, America will go through a prolonged period during which our only access to space - and the International Space Station - will be by hitching rides with the Russians, whose Soyuz capsules have changed little since Gagarin's time. There will be a national debate about the role and cost of space exploration, and many will argue against it. Whatever the feelings, know this - the next Gagarin, Young and Crippen are waiting for their chance to advance human exploration.

Posted by MarlinNut @ 07:05 AM PST [link]

Go Figure

Tonight was the night Boston Red Sox fans have been waiting for - the home debut of Daisuke Matsuzaka, their new $100 million pitcher. If they were looking for a pitching masterpiece, they weren't disappointed, even if they were surprised. The shock? The masterpiece wasn't pitched by Dice-K but rather by Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez. Hernandez, a 21-yr old right hander, went the distance for the win while yielding only one hit - a dribbling single by ex-Dodger fat ass J. D. Drew. Leave it to Drew to spoil the party - we learned enough about that here the last few years.

Boston fans had to swallow a 3-0 loss, but at least enjoyed the sight of Matsuzaka dominating fellow countryman Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro lead off the game with a comebacker to Dice-K who fielded it cleanly awash in a sea of flashbulbs. He ultimately went 0-for-5 with a strikeout.

Hernandez finished off his night with a little fistpump after striking out Kevin Youkilis. It was a dominating performance that outshadowed the hype of his opponent. You haven't heard the last of Felix Hernandez ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 07:39 PM PST [link]

And The Winner Is ...

Who did you have in the ""Who's the Daddy of Anna Nicole's Baby" pool in your office? If you had Larry Birkhead, go collect from the losers. It might only take Gil Grissom an hour to hammer out the DNA results in a murder case, but apparently it takes a month in the Bahamas. Finally, though, they made the big announcement today - live on all the networks, of course. I guess that means the sponge lawyer and Zsa Zsa's loony husband can both slither back to whatever rock they crawled out from under.

Frankly, I wish this was the end of this pathetic saga, but with all the money left in litigation you just know it's not. If anything good has come out of this, at least the child will grow up knowing who their father is and not wondering how a dark-haired dad fathered a blond, blue-eyed child. That'll be important one day, so that they'll know which person to send the therapy bills to ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 07:44 PM PST [link]

Sporting Thoughts

I was in and out all weekend, but when I was in the sports was on the tube ...

- OK, golf fans, let's start with the ending: Zack Johnson is your 2007 Masters Champion. Bet you didn't see that one coming! Conditions were tough, and the golf horrific - at times I didn't know if I was watching the Masters coverage or a screening of "Grindhouse". The one thing you have to agree was that it was fair, and everyone had a shot - hell, even Retief Goosen, who made the cut right on the number, was in the lead at one point. It was like a NASCAR event - 6 lead changes among 5 leaders. Give Zack credit - he saw Tiger in his rear-view mirror, and didn't flinch. That alone makes him unique, and a worthy champion. If nothing else, it means two things - he's got a standing tee time every April for the rest of his life, and one day he'll be able to sit his grandkids on his knee and say, "Did I tell you about the time I beat Tiger Woods to win the Masters ..."

- The NHL regular season ended yesterday. Do you care? Me neither. There was a time when hockey was the fourth big sport (after football, baseball and basketball), but it rates somewhere between the IFC and cricket now in the minds of the American people. I’m not even sure they’re watching in Canada any more. I actually heard a player trying to defend the fighting in hockey by comparing it to an extreme sport; if they’re reduced to making that kind of comparison, they might as well pack it in now.

- Once upon a time, open wheel auto racing in America was a really big thing. Formula 1 was the sport of the European royals, and stock cars were being driven by a bunch of good ol’ boys with names like Fireball and Junior and Buddy. But nothing could compare with the Indy cars. The flat mile at Milwaukee, the tri-oval at Pocono, the superspeedway at Michigan and of course, Indianapolis. Hell, F1 even made the Indy 500 a points-earning event in the ‘60s. Like most things where money is involved, though, egos got in the way. First the car owners broke free from USAC to form CART, then Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George defected and formed the Indy Racing League. Since 1996, there have been two separate series and despite what their individual PR departments will say, the product has suffered. The IRL, which initially declared itself to be an oval-only, American-only series, is racing on road and street courses and is dominated by foreign-born drives. CART went bankrupt and was replaced by something called ChampCar, but no one you’ve ever heard of is driving in it. Meanwhile, NASCAR has become one of the biggest sports – not just racing series, but sports – in America, effectively filling the void left by the open wheel miscues. The IRL started their season a couple of weeks back, and yesterday CC held their first event of the season in Las Vegas. I’m sure both fans were thrilled. I’d like to see them patch up their differences and spec a single series, but I’m not holding my breath …

- Don't look now, but the Florida Marlins have won their first two series of the year. Probably a little early to make the playoff reservations, but it beats getting your ass kicked right out of the box. The offense looks pretty good, and the defense has been solid, but I'm still not sold on the pitching - particularly our new closer, Jorge Julio. In three appearances, he's got one blown save, and two shaky outings. Maybe he'll settle down, or maybe we go with Plan B. Gotta find some kind of answer, though ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 12:27 PM PST [link]

It Ain't Easy Being Sexy

It's not easy being a supermodel. There's all the travel, and the bite-sized meals, and the cameras and the itty-bitty clothes. It's no wonder so few can find true love.

Take poor Petra Nemcova here. She's winding down a career as one of the world's top models, having graced the catwalks of the world and the pages of countless magazines for over a decade. She's been a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, and made countless millions through her modelling contracts.

Yet she can't find a man.

First, there was the fiancee' who was killed in the Thailand Tsunami in 2005. More recently, she was dating "singer" James Blunt - no real prize, but I guess you settle for what you can get if you're feeling desperate. Even that didn't work, though, and it was recently announced she was single again.

Hopefully, her appearance as our Weekend Eye Candy will show she's just another girl, hanging around the house waiting for the right guy to call.

Is it you?

Posted by MarlinNut @ 05:16 AM PST [link]

Too Funny!

By now, everyone's heard about actress Halle Berry getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Sure, the cynics were quick to remind us that it's not a real honor, since anyone who ponies up $25 grand can get one (in this case, it was paid by a studio so it could be timed to the release of her latest film). The pundits were also all over her for the pics that showed her sprawled on the ground kissing the star.

Whatever.

In their rush to poke holes in the event - and the honoree - they all missed the best moment. Johnny Grant, the honorary "Mayor of Hollywood", serves as the Master of Ceremonies for each WOF Star unveiling. As the picture at right shows, Miss Berry was only too happy to show her appreciation to Johnny for the honor. And as for Grant, well, I think the look on his face says it all.

Check out Sam Jackson at the lower left, too - he can barely stand it ...

Personally, I love the Walk of Fame, even with all the cheeziness. It's a throwback to the classic days of motion pictures and gives a chance for all those tourists to reach out a touch a piece of a star ... and what's wrong with that?

Hooray for Hollywood!

Posted by MarlinNut @ 05:03 AM PST [link]

There's A Kind Of Hush

It's no big secret to anyone who reads these entries that I'm a sports fan. I like some sports more than others, but I'll watch pretty much any sporting event - big or small. When it comes to the big time events, though, there's one that I place above the rest - The Masters.

See? Even as you say it, you lower your voice to a respectful whisper. The Masters ... the wind whistling through the pine trees ... the big oak outside the clubhouse ... the azaleas ... the ghosts of Jones and Roberts ... Rae's creek ... Amen Corner. No foam fingers, rainbow wigs, drunken fans. Just the highest level of skill exhibited in the best of nature.

All the talk this year is about Tiger versus Phil, and with good reason. They've dominated the event in recent years, having won betwen them five of the last six, and both are off to a good start this season. Augusta National is a course that suits their games, and has rewarded them well in the past. But it's a big field, and there are a lot of guys who have a chance. It should be quite an event ...

UPDATE: That muffled thud you heard was Tiger and Phil stumbling around Augusta National. Tiger was rolling just fine until he bogeyed 17 and 18 for a pedestrian 73. Lefty, meanwhile, looked like he was playing Blind Man's Bluff and staggered home with a 3-over 76. Lotta golf left, but lots of catch up to do ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 09:42 AM PST [link]

Good News For A Different Kind Of Fishermen

During marlin season, most of the local fleet will spend a lot of nights anchored on the lee side of Catalina Island. It's a great experience, made all the better by the periodic sighting of the bald eagle community that exists on the island. Few things are as spectacular as the sight of one of these majestic birds perched high on a rocky outcropping or swooping in to snatch a fish for dinner.

I had assumed that the colony was in trouble, as we hadn't seen as many in recent seasons as before, but apparently I'm wrong. According to news reports, a pair of eaglets have hatched in the wild on the island, something that hasn't happened since DDT wiped out the original colony over fifty years ago.

"We were shouting and excited and happy when we got the news," said Ann M. Muscat, president and CEO of the Catalina Island Conservancy.

The chicks belong to an 8-year-old female and a 21-year-old male introduced under a program aimed at restoring the island's bald eagle population.

"We may have more good news next week," Muscat said. Another nest also contains eggs that are expected to hatch.

We focus on the billfish element of the local fishing scene at SCMO, but these eagles are as an important part of the overall experiece as anything, and I'm thrilled to see them doing well!

Posted by MarlinNut @ 10:54 AM PST [link]

Point: Iran

In the ping-pong game that is international media relations, score a point for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In a winding, blustery speech this morning, he managed to berate his political enemies, get his thoughts out to the world in defiance of the United Nations - oh, and half way through, announced he'd release the 15 British military personnel that Iran has held for the last couple of weeks.

Ever since Iranian Coast Guard forces detained a British boarding party operating in waters contested between Iran and Iraq, the world has been waiting with breath held, hoping a sane solution would be found. Last week, the rhetoric between London and Tehran - and Washington - seemed to be quickly ramping up, leading many to believe the widely-believed rumors of an American-led invasion of Iran just might come to fruition. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and by earlier this week there was talk of a diplomatic solution.

This morning's announcement by Ahmadinejad seemed to catch everyone off guard, though, so I suspect it was a planned end play intended to trump the efforts of the superpowers while repairing the Iranian image in the world stage. Remember, the Brits were detained on the eve of a vote by the UN to once again condemn Iran for their efforts to develop a nuclear program, and effectively shifted the focus of the world media. Now, after several videos and letters from the hostages - all in violation of the Geneva Convention - Ahmadinejad is trying to paint himself as the benevolent, sane voice in the situation.

It's worth noting that in the 45-minutes of speech before announcing the pending release, Ahmadinejad managed to slam the Brits, the Americans, and the UN - all with the world media listening. He even got in a poke at the West by chastizing the British for allowing a mother to serve in the military - asking where was the Western respect for family values ...

Of course, there was the obligatory posturing, pinning of medals on chests and self-congratulatory rhetoric, but the important part is that this crisis is diffused - or will be, once the soldiers are delivered as promised to the British Embassy in Tehran.

Considering the way our administration manages to bungle press relations, they might want to look into hiring whoever's handling Ahmadinejad's media efforts ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 09:45 AM PST [link]

Silly Rabbit

One of the fun elements of a blog is following the trail of other blogs linked to a particular site. In our case, you can see them to the right under "Best O' The Blogs". You never know what you might stumble onto - seriously.

Yesterday on Scott Wolf's USC blog was the following tidbit, which I publish in full:

Our spies tell us former USC tailback Reggie Bush is persona non grata at the Playboy Mansion because of a conduct violation. And no, it was nothing involving a Playmate.

First, how can you drop a bomb like that with no additional details! Beyond that, there's the allegation itself. Now, I can understand being banned from the Mansion for a conduct violation that involved a Playmate - hell, that's why you're there in the first place! But one that didn't involve the girls? What's that - stealing one of Hef's smoking jackets? Mentioning that you're allergic to silicone?

Enquiring minds want to know ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:40 PM PST [link]

I'm In You ...

For years, doctors and medical researchers have searched for some kind of magic bullet that will kill diseases and provide longer life. Frankly, they haven't found it because they're not looking in the right place. Rather than stare at a petri dish, someone should look at Keith Richards' blood, because something in there keeps him alive in spite of all he's done to try and kill himself.

I mention this because of an interview with the Rolling Stones' guitarist that appears in the April issue of the music magazine NME. Asked to reminisce on decades-long bad boy image, Keith gave an answer that only Keith could give ...

"The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father. He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow.

"My dad wouldn't have cared, he didn't give a shit. It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."

Never one to miss an opportunity, Keith wasn't through ...

"I was number one on the 'Who's Likely To Die' list for 10 years. I mean, I was really disappointed when I fell off the list.

"Some doctor told me I had six months to live and I went to their funeral."

Long live rock ...

UPDATE: To no one's great surprise, the Rolling Stones PR Machine is in full denial mode. Good luck putting that genie back in the bottle ... or those ashes back in the urn ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 06:32 PM PST [link]

It's Monday ... It's Morning ... It's The Sports Rant!

So much sports, so little time ...

- Florida and Ohio State meet tonight for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball title tonight in Atlanta. Sound familiar? It should - it was less than three months ago that those same two schools met in the BCS Title Game to decide the football championship. It used to be that if your school had an athletic budget, you'd try to become a football powerhouse. If you didn't - or you just couldn't get over the hurdle on football - you tried to dominate basketball. USC, Penn State, Notre Dame - those were football schools, while UCLA, Duke and Kentucky ruled the hardcourt. The tide's turning, though, as evidenced by tonight's game and the decision of the #1 high school recruit O. J. Mayo opting to attend media-friendly USC rather than a traditional roundball school. All you have to do is drive up the 110 past the brand new Galen Center to see that USC - like Florida and Ohio State - is no longer willing to dominate just football. Could be bad news for the smaller schools, or good news for the pro leagues who'll see these multi-sport behemoths as a training ground for media-savvy new players.

- Congrats to Morgan Pressel, who survived the carnage to win the Dinah Shore ... er, Nabisco Championship out in the desert. A lot of folks tend to criticize the LPGA girls for their golf skills - or lack thereof - but it was their decision-making and nerves that gobbled up leader after leader. Lorena Ochoa takes a 7 on a par-3 Saturday to fall out of the lead; Se-Ri Pak blows a Sunday lead on the back nine for the first time in her career; Suzann Petterson loses a 4-stroke lead over the final 4 holes - it was like watching a bad slasher flick. All the while, Pressel - who became the youngest woman to win an LPGA major championship - waited in the clubhouse, having carded a 69 earlier. At the time, she was three strokes off the lead, but in the end she was the one who got to take the swim in the lake. Pretty amazing drama, if not stellar golf.

- The crack of the bat, the pop of the glove, the spit of the tobacco - yes, it's Opening Day in Major League Baseball. Technically the first game was last night, as the Mets pounded the Cardinals in a rematch of last year's NL Championship, but today the rest of the teams get to come out and play. As a Marlins fan, there is seldom much to be excited about at the beginning of the season, and this one's no exception. Sure, our crop of rookies played out their asses last year and nearly got the Wild Card, but now comes the Sophomore Slump. Add to that another new manager and several key players starting the season on the disabled list, and it's hard to be happy. But it's a new season and everyone starts out with a blank record, so play ball!

UPDATE: Break up the Marlins - they won their opener 9-2 at Washington. Miguel Cabrera and Dan Uggla (!) each put homers in the upper deck, and the D-Train looked like an early rendition of the Cy Young Winner we want him to be. 1 down, 161 to go ...

Posted by MarlinNut @ 07:35 AM PST [link]