Quick Prediction: The Georgia Game

My heart finally shouted down my head. On opening day between the hedges, a standing-room-only crowd at Sanford Stadium compels the defense to make a late, game-saving stand. Stafford takes a couple of knees and then we all dance in the street.

Georgia - 27
Oklahoma State - 20

Got Juice?

This is either a PR-motivated move by WWE in an effort to outwardly demonstrate that lessons from the Chris Benoit family tragedy are taking hold or a genuine step in the right direction. Given that one of the suspended wrestlers is Randy Orton [pictured, courtesy of AFP], the hottest young heel (bad guy) in the business and a performer currently in the middle of a money-making feud with WWE Champion John Cena, I'm thinking it's the latter. Orton's a throwback to a time when a pro-wrestling heel's job was to get the paying audience to hate every gut in his body. Today's heels are mostly smirking anti-heroes, out for laughs. However, he's also no stranger to the suspended list...though this is his first failed drug test. Hopefully, this suspension will be the equivalent of a forced intervention for Randy and he won't become yet another name on an already too long list of wrestlers dead way too young. In the meantime, if you know anything about WWE wrestling whatsoever, it should take you approximately two seconds to figure out who'll no doubt be taking Orton's place as the number-one WWE title contender.

Yes, but are they tapping their feet while they wait?

As galling as I find the idea of being subjected nightly to all four of the most obnoxious and entitled fanbases in MLB (along with Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets fans) this coming post-season...I'm telling you, I'm starting to like those Cubbies. Provided they successfully get past a big, four-game series at Wrigley against the Dodgers next week, they'll have clear sailing 'til October. The vast majority of their remaining road games are against the dregs of the NL Central which, BTW, is about as dreggy as it gets. If they can take care of business inside The Friendly Confines, they'll head into the post-season as one of those streaky, emotion-fuelled teams that nobody wants a part of in the first round.

Et tu, dumbass? Et tu?

Hey, anything going on this weekend? Anything at all? I'll be posting a Quick Prediction sometime tonight and, I gotta say, this pick is going to be the dictionary definition of a "head vs. heart" decision. Right now, I'm all Luke Skywalker about this particular matchup: "I've got a bad feeling about this." I'm afraid we're going to get lit up on the 'board and I don't know if we can put up the numbers to stay with the 'Boys. Like I said, I'll get back to you.

So, when did Evander Holyfield's plans change from simply winning back one of the heavyweight titles and retiring to unifying the belts? Sure, he can beat Ibragimov...and if he does, he should take that belt back to Fayetteville, GA, hang it on the wall, and spend the rest of his life counting his money and playing with his army of kids. If he decides to go on and fight IBF champ Wladimir Klitschko, he could get killed. Not "killed, ha-ha"...killed, dead. If that fight happens, and it absolutely shouldn't, I want a notoriously quick-stopping, Richard Steele-like referee in the ring as the third man. Preferably hopped up on Jolt Cola and Mountain Dew. I'm serious. We're talking serious "Apollo Creed vs. Ivan Drago" potential here.

Finally, is it just me or does Michael Douglas...

...look these days like he's starring in The Zell Miller Story?
[Pic courtesy of Breitbart.com]

On Second Thought: Preach It, Elizabeth!

How about that? Elizabeth Edwards has finally spoken out about something that I can enthusiastically, 100% co-sign. Lauren and I have had countless clenched-teeth gripe sessions about how the national Democrats do, indeed, write off The South (and, hell yeah, we capitalize both words) during the general election. Barack Obama also took a shot this issue last Spring when he spoke in Atlanta. Obama pledges to register voters and put Georgia in play. I'm on record as saying, and still believing, that Obama will in fact win the Georgia primary and that, if nominated, he will be competitive here. Hillary would have a much tougher go of it in terms of organized opposition. This state is ridiculously, almost criminally, gerrymandered in the Republicans' favor...so she's not going to find too many local candidates willing to share a stage with her. And for all the talk of whether or not the country is "ready" for an African-American president, I personally think that the deep-seated cultural, gender-based hegemony in place here in The South is a higher hurdle for Hillary than race is for Obama. But...I digress. Whoever the nominee turns out to be, the national party has got to reach out to this region...even if the Georgia Dems scurry. Appearances matter down here and it gets harder every election cycle to recruit foot-soldiers for the campaign when the appearance put forth by the national party is one of indifference and neglect. [Elizabeth pic courtesy of AP]

Here's an example of the kind of things that knowledgeable, articulate, and boyishly handsome experts were saying about the "drunken astronaut" story when it first broke: "...but the pre-flight medical testing for a shuttle mission is so extensive that the thought of guys launching into space sloshed out of their minds strains credulity." Guess what? Turns out we sexy space buffs weren't the only ones who thought so. Now we sit back and wait for the conclusion and findings of the official investigation to get as much saturation airplay in the media as the original allegations, right? Open your visor and pop a top on a cold one, Buzz...it'll be awhile.

Oh, no! Richardson donors tied to rail project? I blame Snidely Whiplash.

I hope Grift doesn't mind me nicking his words from the comments over at Peach Pundit because they pretty much sum up everything I've read so far about the whole Grady Hospital reorganization issue: "You know what irritates? The fact that no one in this state except the residents of Dekalb and Fulton have done anything for Grady since the first brick was laid. Yet, suddenly everyone has an opinion about how to fix it."

Brent Bozell will never, ever get it. And you know he's a free-market guy...but TV airs what people want to watch. There is no more bottom-line-driven business in this country than broadcast television. Rush Limbaugh had a TV show. Nobody watched it. If the President in The West Wing had been a conservative Republican and the show was all about trying to get Roe overturned and sucking up to the NRA, nobody would've watched it. It gets no simpler. Sometimes the dog just don't like the food, Brent. Gah!

Finally...how's that wind against your finger, Mittens?

Premature Conflagration

This buzzkilling dude to the left [pic courtesy of AP], (who by the way, due to his face-painting color scheme, looks like he could've been plucked out of the student section at a Georgia football game), went and torched Burning Man early. Bummer. I guess now there won't be anything left to do but lay around naked in the dirt, flail awkwardly to bad music, and smoke dope. Kinda biffs up the whole itinerary, doesn't it? It makes our decision not to go, which was actually made for us last year when some overzealous "burners" smoked our tent made of hemp, look like a winner. We'll just take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese instead. There's plenty of stuff to set on fire there, too.

Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of being given a guided tour of the new Coliseum Practice Facility on campus at UGA by the Hall-of-Famer himself, Coach Andy Landers. Jaw-dropping. State of the art. Giant plasma screens everywhere you look. Interactive multimedia displays. Practice facilities so gorgeous that you wish they'd move the games themselves there. I know the football people aren't going to like this assessment, but this joint blows Butts-Mehre straight out of the water. And it's going to be a lethal recruiting weapon. The private dedication is this weekend but whenever they have an open house...get there.

Romney distances himself from Craig. Yeah. One stall over, at the very least. And no foot-tapping!

The last two winners of the Indy 500 may be jumping to NASCAR and the Champ Car World Series season finale gets cancelled due to...well...basically, a lack of interest. Dire, dire times for fans of American open-wheel racing.

In a related story, I do not predict success for Jacques Villeneuve in NASCAR. This guy's no Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, or even a Kyle Busch...drivers whose ability to bullmoose a car to the front of the pack makes putting up with their prickly personalities worthwhile. Maybe a couple of years out of racing has changed JV's outlook...who knows?...but he has always been a bit of a diva and if he doesn't have competitive equipment (and, right now, no Bill Davis Racing guys are within sniffing distance of making the Chase), he lets the world know about it. Like I said, maybe he's changed. Maybe Montoya will clue him in about how different the culture is in NASCAR. I hope so because a still-young former F1 World Champion and Indy 500 winner like JV needs to be out there competing somewhere.

Finally, I found this pic by accident. It's a friend of mine from UGA.

His name is Brock Schnute (on the left, with the headset) and he's an Air Force pilot. I was Googling his name in hopes of getting in touch with him and found this pic on the Charleston Air Force Base website. Stay safe, Brockster...you're doing the old Ramsey Center Posse proud.

Hello, Larry

Apologies to McLean Stevenson fans about the headline...

It was reported by Roll Call yesterday that Larry Craig [pictured, courtesy of senate.gov], Republican senator from Idaho, was arrested in June for trying to pick up an undercover officer in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport. He ended up having the naughty charge dropped in return for a guilty plea for "disorderly conduct" and the matter, by virtue of the fact that we are all only now learning about it months later, was pretty much covered-up. It will surprise you not at all to learn that allegations of homosexuality have been repeatedly denied by Senator Craig over the years and that he also has a rock-solid record of opposition to gay-friendly legislation. Check this out (courtesy of Americablog):

* Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
* Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
* Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
* Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
* Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)

It's almost enough to make one ask: Are there any straight Republicans left in Washington anymore? (Must...resist urge...to...link...back...to....Rudy in drag picture...Oops.)

Man, football frenzy is in full effect here. Things are so crazy right now that Georgia head coach Mark Richt apologizing for rather emphatically renewing his call for an indoor practice facility is somehow a big story. I don't know where we'd put it...or how to pay for it...but, sure, a practice bubble would come in handy. For me, though, what I love is the fact that, in a sports culture dominated by jerks and egomaniacs, we have a coach who is such a straight arrow that he issues a formal apology simply because he didn't want to come off like he was popping off to the press. I bet he gets his practice bubble sooner, rather than later.

Now, didn't you just know that David Wells was going to go right out and win a big game for the Dodgers first time out after being passed up by the Braves? True, he didn't put up an especially gaudy pitching line...but you're telling me you wouldn't take 5 innings/7 hits/2 runs from Buddy Carlyle right now? From Jo Jo Reyes? Dude could've been had for a song. Missed opportunity.

Miss South Cackalacky gives her side of the story to The Today Show. I'll say this much for her...she's being a good sport about the whole thing. Oh...and she is blazing hot.

Finally, is giving a lightsaber to a shuttle full of allegedly drunk astronauts really that great an idea?

Lost Weekend

Here's my tale of woe: I accidentally skipped my heart meds on Saturday. Big, big mistake. As I recover from my heart attack, I'm taking ten pills a day. It was my morning dose of six that I let slip. My blood pressure/cholesterol meds and my beta blockers. As a result, I was pretty much useless this weekend. Didn't sleep a wink Saturday night, freezing from the chills I get when my blood pressure's all screwy. I spent Sunday listless, groggy, and sleep-deprived. Only this morning do I feel like I'm getting somewhat back on track. And that wasn't even the big event from this weekend.

Gabe fell out of his high chair on Saturday and smacked his head and shoulder on the floor...hard. Not that my condition had anything to do with it, mind you. I wasn't even in the room. It was nobody's "fault." He's just at a very active age right now (14 months)...he started walking last week and he simply doesn't like to be anywhere he doesn't want to be. Anyway, he somehow wriggled out of his restraints and tried to escape...taking a header in the process. Luckily, two trips to the emergency room later, it turns out that nothing was broken and he's pretty much fine (though he's still favoring an apparently stiff shoulder). We staggered out Sunday and bought him a new high chair with a five-point restraint system that he'll need to be a little Houdini to get out of. Still, it was easily the biggest scare we've ever had with either one of the kids. Yikes.

So, here's to a good week...

How about those kids from Warner Robins, huh? I don't know if they've changed the rules or the selection process at the Little League World Series but this is a far cry from when I was a kid and had to endure Taiwan waxing the United States double-digits to nothing seemingly every season. And if you could hold it together when the Georgia kids were hugging it out with the sobbing, distraught Japanese kids...well, good on you. I sure couldn't.

Well, well...Michael Vick says that he has found God. Too bad nobody saw that coming.

Not a bad weekend for the Quick Predictions. I got the winners right for Formula One, IRL, and Champ Cars while pegging three of the four class winners in the ALMS race. Speaking of the IRL race, the way Michael Andretti threw his own championship contender and all-around good guy Dario Franchitti under the bus for a wreck his own kid caused was just ridiculous.

I may have a little more for you guys this afternoon. Just wanted to check in. [Edited later to add: Or maybe not...catch you tomorrow.] Until then...Aloha.

Four Quick Predictions For Tomorrow

Well, the repaved, rebanked, kinder-and-gentler Bristol was kind of a letdown tonight. The newly minted second groove made it race like a pocket-sized Atlanta Motor Speedway. Not unentertaining by any stretch, but not...I dunno...not Bristol, either. Carl Edwards stunk out the joint and won while too many Chase contenders played it conservative and were more focused on finishing than winning. Anyway, on to a full day of racing tomorrow...including a rare live Sunday afternoon show from the American Le Mans Series (whose races usually run on Saturday and are shown on tape-delay the next day). Let's get after it:

Formula One: Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park

(Surprise...it's all about Ferrari and McLaren)

1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
3. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)

The names never change, do they? Those two teams are simply dominating this season.

Champ Cars: Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder

First off, I can't wait to see a real race at Zolder. I've only "seen" it as part of the Pro Race Driver series games for the PS2. Long straightaways, impossible curves, and three bus-stop chicanes providing prime overtaking opportunities. Should be a good show.

1. Sebastien Bourdais
2. Justin Wilson
3. Robert Doornbos

IRL : Motorola Indy 300 at Infineon Raceway

Infineon, which will always be Sears Point to me, is one of my favorite road courses. The Indy cars look cramped at The Glen but they can really stretch their legs out at Infineon. The former Champ Car guys and road specialists will have a big edge tomorrow.

1. Scott Dixon
2. Dario Franchitti
3. Tony Kanaan

ALMS: Grand Prix Of Mosport at Mosport International Raceway

I love sportscar racing. The spec series stuff like Grand-Am is entertaining but the ALMS is the place to see actual, recognizable marques competing against each other. I always make the trip over to Road Atlanta for the ten-hour ALMS Petit Le Mans. A very up-close and personal, fan-friendly series with some sweetass cars. My picks for each production class:

P1 (and overall winner): Audi R10. Alan McNish/Dindo Capello, drivers
P2: Porsche RS Spyder. Romain Dumas/Timo Bernhard, drivers
GT1: Corvette C6.R. Olivier Beretta/Ollie Gavin, drivers
GT2: Ferrari 430GT Berlinetta. Mika Salo/Jaime Melo, drivers

Miss South Cackalacky, Rizzepresentin'!

Can you believe that one-fifth of all Americans can't find their home country on a map? Can you believe that one of those one-fifth got called upon to explain the phenomenon at the Miss Teen USA pageant? And you will see nothing funnier this weekend than her response. I particularly loved how she kept trying to reel it back in by name-dropping "the Eye-Rack." She should've just stuck to her original, simple answer: "Some people out there in our nation don't have maps."

And, honestly, I know it's easy to dogpile this poor girl...and there, but for the grace, goes whatever hapless Stepford Sorority Suzie from Georgia was competeting...but they do drills with their "pageant consultants" on these stupid questions. Nutting up is simply Choke City. Plus, is there more of a 3-1 hanging curveball than a question about literacy and education in the US? She shoulda smoked it deep into the cheap seats.

"The Night Race At Bristol"

There's been some silly talk lately about coming up with a NASCAR equivalent of golf's major tournaments. One thing's for sure...if I could choose the events for a Nextel Cup Triple Crown, the late summer night race at Bristol Motor Speedway would be one of the three jewels (alongside Daytona and The Brickyard). It's the one race on the schedule that evokes all of the fun and emotion of small town bullring racing under the lights. Heck, all the small town bullrings are taking tonight off the schedule because they know anyone who might otherwise be there is going to be camped out in front of the tube...watching Bristol. 43 cars ludicrously stacked up on a half-mile oval. Paint will be traded. Bumpers will be trashed. Tempers will flare. I can't wait. So...let's get right to the quick(ish) predictions for tonight:

You guys know how much I love Juan Pablo Montoya but, despite starting on the outside pole, he's marked man tonight. He's got a lot of guys who feel he's got a receipt coming and tonight's the night you can take a free shot. Hey, it's Bristol. Kasey Kahne, the pole sitter, may also get a little tough love tonight from Ryan Newman following their dust-up in the Busch race last night (personally, I thought it was the freaking ballsiest pass of the year). So I'm going to go with some guys starting farther back in the field who know how to work their way up to the front while keeping their equipment more or less intact. Their names will not surprise you.

Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

1. Kurt Busch

2. Tony Stewart

3. Kevin Harvick

[Bristol pic courtesy of BusinessWeek, of all places]

Of Course, This Is Also How We Got Stuck With Dane Cook

Online "friends" as a factor in the upcoming Presidential election? I don't know about that. How many of these kids are even of voting age? And Obama Girl may have a quibble about the quote stating that Obama won't lose any of his online support. Still, you have to hand it to the candidates who figured out what MySpace is all about. I added Dennis Kucinich as a MySpace friend several weeks ago and, like any good MySpacer, he immediately turned around and bombarded my inbox with, like, a half-dozen stupid bulletins in the space of one afternoon. I mean, they weren't all Top Friend Surveys and LOL Cats galleries (they were, in fact, admonitions to flood an online poll and hourly follow-up exhortations with titles like "ALMOST THERE!!!! KEEP IT UP!!!!") but it was the kind of thing that I've de-friended other people for...so Dennis got the hook. On the other hand, if it's going to bring attention to long-disenfranchised groups like Barack Has A Posse (pictured), who am I to complain?

Last week, Newsweek did a cover story on Facebook in which they pretty much trashed MySpace in comparison to its college-oriented competitor. Eff that. MySpace has an egalitarian, frontier spirit that I find quite refreshing compared to the relative clubbiness of Facebook. Sure, you spend any amount of time on MySpace and you're going to run into seizure-inducing layouts, typo-filled profiles, and incorrectly-formatted pictures...but the 'Net belongs to those people, too. So, friend me up at MySpace sometime. After all, how else are you going to get that Top Friends Survey revealing what I really think about you?

Looking back, how hard is it to believe that Bobby Cox got that one terrific year out of J.D. Drew? Answer: About as hard as it is for me to believe how upset I was about letting him leave as a free agent.

My big DVD score for the week was House M.D. - Season Three. This is hands-down my favorite show on TV right now. Even if the story isn't up to par any given week (which is a rarity), it's still worth watching just for Hugh Laurie. Check out this scene of him playing the piano with Dave Matthews. Great stuff...and a nice shout-out for old school Boomtown Rats fans.

Bon Jovi? Seriously? Bon freaking Jovi? If New Jersey goes with anything by Bon Jovi over worthier native sons like Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen, then just wall the whole state off and make it Escape From New Jersey. I mean...really.

Finally...WARNING: If you experience feelings of love for your wife lasting longer than four hours, please contact your doctor.

...And Rebirth

Did you miss me? It's official, home computers are now idiot-proof. I know this because I set this new one up. Have a look...here it is. Every time we get a new computer, it seems like we get twice the features and speed for half the price of the last one we got. This newest one is no exception. So far, I'm very impressed with the Aspire...and I'm loving Windows Vista. Now we have to get the data recovered from the old computer (whose hard drive crashed), including tons of foolishly not-backed-up pictures of the kids. That's one mistake we'll be rectifying once the data is recovered.

Anyway...we're back up and running. See you kids in the morning.

Death Of A Computer

Yep. I'm sure everybody knows how that goes. We lost the old girl for good this morning. Luckily, I was able to dust off my old Commodore 64, run it through my DirecTV, and temporarily boost the power by diverting power from the warp core to the main dish deflector long enough to get this general notice out. Expect updates here to be intermittent at best until the new machine is up and running. Until then...Good night, and good luck.

Seriously...hopefully this won't take very long. A day or two.

Tuesday Spewsday (Slow News Day)

"I simply must register my objection to the unfair and slanderous portrayal in this story of patriotic, chicken-farming Americans who safely use propane and propane accessories every day."

So, according to Karl Rove (who simply will not shut up about Hillary...dude, cold shower):

"She enters the general election campaign with the highest negatives of any candidate in the history of the Gallup poll," Rove said.

"It just says people have made an opinion about her. It's hard to change opinions once you've been a high-profile person in the public eye, as she has for 16 or 17 years."

I disagree. I don't think Hillary would be doing as well as she is in the polls if opinions about her weren't already changing. No, you're never going to move the numbers of that deeply partisan 30-35% that hate anyone with a "D" next to their name...but what's left of the sensible middle in this country is giving Hillary a fair shake and coming away impressed. Rove is just bald-headedly and obesely whistling past the graveyard.

NASA's looking for suggestions about which Earth sounds to include on another possible Golden Record that would be attached to a deep-space probe. Two words: "Free Bird."

Georgia Gwinnett College (and isn't that an effing fantastic name?) is now open! I'm begging you guys...please start cranking out some Traffic Management majors.

Michael Vick Will Be Back

As the last human being left on the planet who has yet to weigh in on the whole Michael Vick thing, here's what I have to say: He'll be back. Maybe not with the Falcons. In fact, probably not with the Falcons. But he'll be back. Never forget that the NFL has always been every bit as much in the PR business as they are the football business. The league's desired ending for this sordid tale is most assuredly not "Michael Vick withers away in prison....Ends up dead in a ditch." The NFL wants Vick to do his time, come back and beg for forgiveness, and ultimately redeem himself on the gridiron. And they'll move heaven and earth to ensure that happens. He'll be humble and contrite in his court appearances. He'll be a model prisoner when he pulls his time. When he's a free man again, he'll turn up on 60 Minutes...maybe even Oprah. He'll find God. Every interview will mention what a changed man he is....how he's wised up and is carrying himself with a newfound maturity. He'll be on the cover of Sports Illustrated with some caption like, "All I Want Is A Chance To Prove Myself." Finally, somebody's going to sign him. There'll be smiles all around. The first time he scurries out of the pocket and turns nothing into a first down, it'll be like he'd never been gone. He'll be back. Bank on it.
[Vick pic courtesy of MSNBC.com]

Anyway...after that, go cleanse your sports palate.

Read about the amazing comeback of Rick Ankiel.
[Ankiel pic courtesy of AP]

Debater? I Barely Know Her!

Another weekend, another debate. And you know what? No more candidate-by-candidate rundowns. Waste of time. Everybody knows this nomination is coming down to one of three people: Dodd, Kucinich, or Gravel.

Juuuuust kidding.

Edwards - Clearly bumfuzzled. The attack dog of a couple of weeks ago was Mr. Hope And Optimism today. He's to the point of throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. Still coming off as very stage-managed and too slick by half. Still, the guy has been a constant presence in Iowa since 2004. Edwards is rolling the dice by concentrating all of his efforts in the early primaries and the outcome could reshape how we elect Presidents in this country. I can see a scenario in which Edwards wins Iowa and New Hampshire, stumbles in South Carolina against Obama, and then is buried on "Monster Tuesday" by Hillary and/or Obama. Can you imagine a 2012 election in which Iowa and New Hampshire no longer matter? We're moving closer and closer to a national Presidential primary, I think.

Oh...anyway...back to the debate, Edwards was ineffective today. Another missed opportunity, speaking of which...

Obama - Got his sea legs back a little today. Sure, he had to stand back and watch in silence as the rest of the candidates piled on him for the first ten minutes. But the upside of that is...hey, they were talking about him for the first ten minutes. The entire first segment of the debate was "Let's talk about Obama vs. Hillary." Which is great for Obama. That's how he wants to frame this whole run-up to the primaries. However, the "you're great...no you're great" vibe in this debate found Obama unwilling to draw sharp distinctions between himself and Hillary. Again, a missed opportunity.

Hillary - Her performance was like that of a basketball team with a ten-point lead late in the game that executes a flawless possession but doesn't score. She protected her lead and ran the clock down a little bit. I swear, if she could project a little warmth and empathy, Hillary might be the best performer at these kind of debates I've ever seen (a title currently held by her husband). Her poise is absolutely unshakable, she never hems-and-haws or stalls, and she never backs down. I would've bet you anything three months ago that Obama would've closed this race up to "pick 'em" status by this point...but Hillary's formidable, man. It's her nomination to lose.

And one more time: Whoever wins...please, Joe Biden for Secretary of State.
[Hillary/Obama pic courtesy of AP]

Only One Quick Prediction For Tomorrow

Nextel Cup has the afternoon all to themselves. And it's at Michigan, a green-racing-friendly track where you can't wait around for a caution...so you better know what you have going in. The Hendrick team is just about untouchable when it comes to setting a car up and getting it racey. With Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte back at the track and their drivers' (Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, respectively) flair for the dramatic, I'm going with a Hendrick one-two result with a guy who's due for a clean race and a good finish coming in third.

NASCAR-3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Kasey Kahne

[ETA: Thanks to the rain in Michigan, that prediction now carries over 'til Monday.]

[E-one more time-TA: Would you believe...TUESDAY? Bring a box brunch!]

Georgia Blog Carnival

Hey, HYH made the cut for the most recent Georgia Blog Carnival! Why not head on over to Georgia On My Mind and take in some damn fine blogging? And if you come across anything you like, please leave some comments so these folks know their stuff is being enjoyed. Remember, we're all in this thing together.

Bruuuuuuuuuce!

No, not Benedict. There's a new Bruce Springsteen album on the way. With the mighty E Street Band. Which, of course, means that a tour can't be far behind. Man, I've lost track of how many times I've seen Bruce live. The absolute best nights of my life that didn't involve getting married or kids being born. The night before my wedding, I stuck some Bruce in the cassette player and just drove around my hometown (Buford, GA) for hours. When Zoe and Gabe were born, I was blasting Bruce in the background as I sat at the computer and e-mailed out the first pictures. I've got hours and hours of Bruce right here within easy reach as I type this. More than thirty years burnin' down the road...and he's never let me down. I can't freaking wait until October 2. [Bruce pic courtesy of brucespringsteen.net]

Quick health update: I went to the doctor today for a follow-up on my cholesterol levels. Turns out that the four Niaspans I've been taking before bedtime are doing their job. I went from an acceptable level of bad cholesterol and a low level of the good kind to better-than-average in both departments...just in the span of six weeks. Of course, I've been eating right and exercising, too. But I'm finally done with doctors for the foreseeable future.

Somebody broke in and ripped off The Hulkster, brutha! Does "Macho Man" Randy Savage have an alibi?

CD over at Rowland's Office has a great take on how some of the guys shipped out or cut loose by the Braves last season are doing. As far as I'm concerned, there hasn't been nearly enough crow eaten publicly about the decision to non-tender Marcus Giles. Braves GM John Schuerholz took unholy grief about that move and...guess what?...the Padres were looking to unload Marcus for scrapple at the trading deadline a couple of weeks ago. As for the 'roids question: Hey, both he and his brother Brian have seen their power numbers go straight into the tank. And I'm firmly convinced that juicing was a factor in Ryan Klesko and Brett Boone being traded. If any organization is going to be proactive about this kind of thing, it's the Braves.

Oh, and lest I forget, this guy also gets a little credit for making everybody forget about Marcus.

Finally, we're taking the kids to the circus this weekend! I plan on sprinkling my nitroglycerin pills all over my cotton candy...

Nothing But Politics Today

Bless Elizabeth Edwards' heart and everything...but doesn't her husband's campaign have focus data showing how poorly her act is playing? Look around the political web and you'll see that Mrs. Edwards' attack-dog routine generates nothing but backlash. At one point in the linked article, she takes a dig a Hillary by lamenting not being able to take John "...and make him into a woman." Well, at least that's one problem Rudy Giuliani (pictured) won't have. [Rudy pic courtesy of liberalrapture.com]

And I know that comes off like a cheap shot at Rudy...when the truth is he's easily the least objectionable GOP candidate for my money. That picture in drag I posted and his frequent SNL appearances are a big part of the reason why I like him. He's one of the few Republicans out there who's not afraid to take the piss out of himself publicly. Maybe not a criteria that a lot of people ponder inside the voting booth...but I think it says a lot about a potential President.

Congratulations to Mitt Romney for drawing a huge crowd. To The Varsity. At lunchtime. Maybe he can draw his next "overflow" crowd by scheduling an appearance at the Five Points Marta Station on a day when the Braves and Falcons are playing at the same time. While we're here at The V though, how about a little demagoguery with your chili dog? Mittens on Hillary yesterday:

“She’s says we’ve been an on-your-own society. She wants a shared society,a we’re-all-in-this-together society. So it’s out with Adam Smith and up with Karl Marx,” the former Massachusetts governor said.

What a piece of effing work this guy is. Does he really think any talk of "we're-all-in-this-together"...of simply looking out for the other guy...really means "out with Adam Smith and up with Karl Marx"? Bite me, hard. Adam Smith's ghost ought to give you an invisible hand upside the head. You're not a bubba, Mittens...so tell those speechwriters that you hired to give you some red meat rhetoric to throw out to "the base" to dial it back a notch.

Just Facebook me, baby: This picture of our new congressman, Paul Broun, on the prowl at UGA cracks me up for some reason. I think it's because he looks like he just got a fake student ID with the name "McLegislatin" on it.

Finally, a touching scene from the White House lawn:

"Yeah, yeah...Don't let the propeller hit 'cha where the
Good Lord split 'cha, Turd Blossom."
[Bushes/Rove pic courtesy of Reuters]

That's It...You're Outta Here!

Finally, a career record broken in Major League Baseball that we can all be proud of...our own Bobby Cox passing "Little Napoleon" himself, the legendary John McGraw, on the all-time list for most game ejections. And it was for a good cause, too. Ted Barrett was effing brutal behind the plate last night. You have to be brutal to get a guy as stoic as Chipper Jones all riled up. Bobby comes out, takes the heat, and keeps Chipper in the game. Chipper, of course, goes on to deliver the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth. See you in Cooperstown, skipper...and Chipper, for that matter. Hell, the Hall of Fame is going to be chockablock with nineties-era Braves: Bobby, Chipper (yeah, I think he gets there), Smoltz, Andruw (especially if he ends up with 500-plus homers), Glavine, Maddux, and, of course, the immortal Brad Clontz. [Bobby pic courtesy of AP]

Maybe it's an omen that you picked the wrong guy: Apparently, Drew Carey got mangled his very first week on the job at The Price Is Right. I'm telling you, they screwed up by not picking Dave.

High Comedy Alert...Mitt Romney is eating lunch at The Varsity in Atlanta today. What makes it so funny is knowing that he surely put aside some time on his schedule in the past couple of days to practice ordering. It's probably spelled out phonetically on an index card: "Ahhh...yes...one nekkid dawg...one big frosted ainge." I especially like the big, all-capped FREE in the announcement. So nice of them to not charge admission...to The Varsity.

Finally, just to make it up to The Osmonds:

"Crazy Horses." Rock out with your...whatever...out.

Everybody Wants Some!! (Sorry, Atlanta)

Van Halen to Atlanta: "Drop Dead." Wow...TWO North Carolina dates for the reunion tour and nothing for Atlanta? And if you take a look at how tightly the tour is scheduled, I don't even see where you pencil Atlanta in later, if they so choose. Again...just, wow. I gotta say, the guys looked surprisingly hale and hearty at their official press conference. Dave, fresh off of being passed up as a potential host for The Price Is Right, is rocking the whole Screaming Skull look, topped off with a killer combover...Eddie's gone completely leathery and sun-dried but, given everything he's gone through the past few years, he still looks relatively combat-ready...Alex looks fine and all Wolfy needs, despite having his mama's prominent cheekbones, is Clooney's fake beard from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and the sacred Jack Daniels bottle bass and nobody will ever notice that he's not, in fact, Michael Anthony. Still...No Atlanta date?
[Van Halen pic courtesy of AP]

[Edited to add: Holy crap! I just checked ticket prices for the North Carolina shows...150 bucks and 80 bucks! I wouldn't pay that kind of money if they were playing five minutes away at the historic Winterville Railroad Depot. These guys are supposed to be a party band...not somebody you have to hock the El Camino to afford tickets for.]

Speaking of Winterville, we've got an official song now. Here's the video for it. Way too granola-ish and more than a touch on the twee side for my taste. I would've preferred something more along the lines of "Nut Bush City Limits."

Man...There's just not much shaking today, is there? I'll sign off early and check back in later if anything happens that's actually worthy wasting some of your time over. Maintain 'til then.

Oh, yeah...One last thing before I check out:

Happy birthday today to the pride of Buford, GA
(well, besides myself anyway), center/forward
Christi Thomas of the WNBA's LA Sparks. I'm
proud to say Christi's a former Lady Bulldog and
a longtime friend of our family. Happy b-day!
[Christi pic courtesy of WNBA.com]

Luckiest. Snake. EVER.

That's all I'm sayin'.
[Mary-Louise Parker pic courtesy of Showtime]

Mitt Wins! (And Other Meaningless Trivia)

Mitt Romney "won" the Iowa straw poll over the weekend, grabbing less than a third of the votes while running against the D-list dregs of an unpopular GOP field. I mean...come on...when your second-place finisher in a Republican poll is (gulp!) the former governor of Arkansas, you're looking at a weak field. Oh well, at least Mittens finally manned-up and apologized for equating the employment of his five sons (pictured L-R: Malachi, Josiah, Leviticus, Shemp, and Curly Joe) by his Presidential campaign with military service in Iraq.

Sorry, but I can't get too excited about Karl Rove resigning. First of all, it's years too late. That particular horse couldn't be further out of the barn. Secondly, it's purely a CYA move by the Bush administration. They don't want Rove hanging around GOP candidates' necks during the upcoming election season. Besides, the guy will go straight into influence peddling, collecting six-figure fees for speeches, and basically never doing an honest day's work for the rest of his life. Eff him.

That is one ugly-looking gouge on the belly of the space shuttle Endeavour. What's especially troubling is the fact that the damage is to the area where heat-protective tiles are joined together. Damage that has created an ominous hole that appears to be quite deep. NASA has a few days to troubleshoot this thing and test different landing scenarios but I'm betting we'll seen an emergency spacewalk to attempt a repair job. After Columbia, there's no way you try to land with that kind of damage if there's any way you can fix it in orbit.

Is there any other kind of county you would expect to host a GOP convention?

If yesterday's Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen doesn't convince NASCAR that The Chase For The Championship ought to include a road race, then I don't know what will. Here's hoping that Juan Pablo Montoya knocks the Reese's peanut-butter filling right out of Happy Harvick next time he gets all up in his business. If nothing else, he should at least call him a "fokkin' eediot" a few times.


Finally, Mike Huckabee's surprisingly strong showing
in Iowa this past weekend means that Primus will have
to carry on without him for a little while longer.
[Huck-a-thump pic courtesy of AP]

Another Dream Dies In Iowa

Tommy Thompson has dropped out of the race for President.

Lesson learned: Never make out in public with George W. Bush.
[Tommy/Dubya makeout pic courtesy of AP]

Not To Brag Or Anything...

...but I came within one lap at The Glen of going four-for-four on predictions this weekend. Okay...maybe you don't have to be Nostradamus to pick Bourdais to win a Champ Car race or Tiger to win a major but still...The rootin', tootin', rip-snortin' Nextel Cup race at The Glen was the best show of them all by far. NASCAR's coverage on ESPN is lamentable...but the product on the track has never been better. On any given weekend, you're liable to see something during a Cup race that's going to blow your mind and hook you for life. Today's race had it all...a lot of fender bending, unbelievable passing moves (not always on the asphalt, BTW), a good old-fashioned scrap, and a race being decided on the last lap by one of the greatest drivers ever simply biffing it up and making an unforced error. Congratulations to Tony Stewart for being the last man standing at the end.

"So, Do I Get Frequent Flyer Points?"

The internet is already inundated with "Flying Scot" jokes as Dario Franchitti ended up getting some sick air again at the end of last night's race in Kentucky. Nobody to blame but himself this time, though, as he somehow failed to take note of the checkered flag and rear-ended poor Kosuke Matsuura (who had checked up and was uninjured in the incident...as was Dario, thank goodness) at full speed. Tony Kanaan ended up winning...not that anybody could've possibly seen that coming, right? [Dario/wreck pics courtesy of IRL.com]

Okay, on to today's quick predictions:

Centurion Boats at The Glen at Watkins Glen International

(Hard to pick against the road course pros at The Glen)

1. Jeff Gordon

2. Tony Stewart

3. Kevin Harvick

Generac Grand Prix at Road America

(A few more loving glimpses of the podium for SeaBass before his burial in F1)

1. Sebastien Bourdais

2. Robert Doornbos

3. Will Power

One Quick Prediction For Tonight

Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway

1. Tony Kanaan
2. Dario Franchitti
3. Dan Wheldon

I don't know that there's a better driver in open-wheel racing than Tony Kanaan when it comes to running away and hiding from the pole position...so, with TK on the point tonight, it's hard to pick against him. Almost as hard as it is to pick a one-two finish for Andretti Green Racing in light of the way that entire team has piled on Dan Wheldon in the aftermath of last week's big wreck. Dario, maybe the cleanest driver in the IRL, is largely innocent in all of this but his AGR teammates, TK and Danica Patrick, are two of the worst offenders when it comes to the "pushing" they accuse Wheldon of. Sure, Wheldon did attempt to push Dario up the track. And you know what? If Dario had moved over and Dan had gone on to win the race, we'd all be talking about what a sensational racing move it was. It'll be fun to watch when these guys inevitably end up next to each other again tonight.

It's So Hot, I'm Not Wearing Any _______

Seriously. So make sure you knock first. This heat is killer.

"The headline was repulsive to every University of Georgia Bulldog fan who lives in Oglethorpe County." [Except, of course, to the ones who can take an effing JOKE.]

Remember my "friends" at the Barrow BullCrap blog? Never mind.

While I'm sorry for the family's loss, tell me this headline from the ABH doesn't make it sound like this guy was devoured on some savanna in Central America.

Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart are becoming teammates. I'll fess up. I freaking love Kyle Busch. Number one, I love how he drives the wheels off a car...but I also love him the way I love a good pro-wrestling "heel." Basically, I just love how most NASCAR fans hate his ever-loving guts. He pouts, he whines, he looks like a total dweeb...and he's fast as hell. When he wins a race, his victory-lane interviews are drowned out by boos. Just once, I'd love to see him pull a Ric Flair and scream, "YOU PEOPLE...SHUT. YOUR. MOUTHS!" Here's hoping that next season, Kyle's primary sponsor is Tampax Tampons and that he puts a gigantic "Hillary For President" logo on his hood...and that he runs away with the championship. Oh...and that he gives Dale Jr. a folding steel chair upside the head at the NASCAR year-end banquet. That'll show 'em.

Are you down with "Chocolate Rain" yet? There's still room on the bandwagon.

If the front-office could make the money work, the Braves could do a helluva lot worse than pick up David "Boomer" Wells as a late-season rental to prop up the back end of the rotation. That 10-5 postseason record (with an ERA of 3.17) is awful tempting. I don't know that the fiery, raunchy "Boomer" would be a good fit in the Braves vanilla clubhouse, though...or if they could stock the post-game spread with enough hot wings to sustain both he and Bob Wickman.


Finally, Mitt Romney counts off his many stances on abortion
as a worried aide in the background wonders if his emotion chip
is inserted and activated. [Mitt pic courtesy of AP]

Braves: Like A Great Man Once Said

No, this is not Bob Wickman's high school prom pic.

Still, it sure would've been nice to sweep those
effing Mets. But we had to get this rubber game
going into Phillie behind James, Cormier, and
Carlyle. Need big bats this weekend, fellas.
BONUS: Only one game back for the wild card!

Thursday, Right? Just Checking

The heart doctor stuff has biffed my whole week up in terms of good mojo. Everything's a little off. For instance, you know it's going to be a weird day when you read an interview with Newt Gingrich and pretty much agree with every word he says. He's right...the way we run a Presidential election in 2007 is slap out of hand. I do think that it's largely because this is such a unique cycle, though. No incumbent, no sitting Vice-President running...it's about as up-for-grabs as you can get. With a sitting President more than likely up for re-election, there's no way it gets this nuts in 2012.

Well, it's only a decade too late...but we're finally getting a Van Halen reunion tour with David Lee Roth. Let the jokes start ("Sittin' With The Devil"..."And The Walker Will Rock...") but if the tickets are at all affordable, I'd like to be there. Still, though...remember Beavis and Butthead trashing one of Dave's videos and his rapidly receding hair line with, "Uhhhh....I didn't know David Lee Roth's dad was in a band"? Dude, even that was fifteen years ago. At least I'll have my nitro pills handy if Diamond Dave or Eddie need one.

The PGA Championship tees off today. I shall venture way out on that limb and pick this guy to win.

Get ready, Oconee County...more white refugees are a-comin'! Me, I was lucky enough to escape Gwinnett County under the cover of darkness a little over fifteen years ago (not that the rising minority population had anything to do with it, I assure you). I've never looked back, broseph. In fact, let me get all Jim Whitehead on you good people and suggest that, except for Buford's football team, somebody probably ought to bomb the place.


Finally, this shaggin' wagon has been seen parked
outside of the Sean Hannity White Guy Woodstock
'07...errr...Freedom Concerts. Pimping out the name
of your old TV show in a slogan, Fred? Tacky.
[Fredbus pic courtesy of the Dirtbag's Delight blog]

The View From Across The River

Eight miles from the launch complex, in the city of Titusville.
Even that far away, the rumble will rattle the loose change in
your pockets. I've been lucky enough to witness over a dozen
shuttle launches in person and I can't wait to take my kids. If
you haven't...you ought to. And you'd better hurry, the shuttle
fleet is scheduled to be mothballed in 2010. [Shuttle launch pic
courtesy of Reuters]

Now Then...Where Were We?

First things first...I flat-out aced the cardiac stress test. It was an ordeal, though. It started off with the injection of a nuclear isotope, followed by two laying-motionless sessions of 3-D heart photography (twenty minutes apiece), and there was an exhausting treadmill workout mixed in between. With lengthy breaks after each part of the test, the whole thing ended up taking almost five hours and I was dead meat by the time I staggered back out into the hundred-degree heat. So the blog took a back seat to hypercaffeinating and snagging some rest. But, long story short, I'm fine...I can resume my running and the doctor doesn't need to see me for another six months. So, let's get back after it...

Even though these Presidential debates are quickly reaching "Everybody Loves Raymond"-rerun levels of TV saturation, I somehow totally missed the one from Chicago last night. From the highlights I saw, though, it looked like Obama took a lot of heat from the lesser lights (classic primary strategy...second-tier guys fighting to be The Alternative to The Official Front-Runner) and Hillary got off a great soundbite with her "I'm your girl" line.

Griftdrift has an interesting take on real names/handles/anonymity in the bloggeropolis (prepare for these stupid names for the blogging community to become a running HYH joke...I freaking hate the "sphere" word). My story is pretty similar to Grift's..."Mike-El" is my longtime handle at several message boards that require a short username. I kept it here pretty much out of whatever ridiculously tiny "brand recognition" it might have. Hit my profile and shoot me an e-mail if you're curious about my real name. It's not a state secret...but it's not something I choose to simply offer up out here in the blogghetto (see what I mean?).

You have to figure that the Braves' gameplan going into this big series with the Mets was to somehow find a way to "steal" the first game, then hit 'em with Smoltz and Hudson. Well...so far, so good. And...yeah...Bonds finally hit number 756 last night. Still, the most striking and surreal sight for me from that game was the guy who ended up with the ball being bumrushed out of the park by the cops like he had just shot the President.

If anybody has a foolproof method for getting rid of these tiny, less-than-an-inch-long millipedes, I'd love to hear it. Hell, I'll be your friend for life. They are about to overrun us this summer. I understand that they aren't harmful...but I don't want them in my house.

Don't forget...Shuttle launch this evening. Godspeed, Endeavour!

Stress...Cardiac And Otherwise

If I could grab anything in this picture, what do you think it would be? (HINT: The answer is not "Kate Beckinsale.")

I'm up to hour #22 without caffeine. Shockingly, the walls are still standing and my skin is uncut. I now know the limit to which I am willing to put my body in pursuit of good health. This is it. Hell, I'm jonesing so bad right now I wouldn't turn down a Pepsi (aka The Soda of Satan). When I get home this afternoon, I'm going to fill the bathtub with Diet Coke and soak in it...allowing its restorative caffeineyness to permeate each of my pores...as I guzzle an entire 12-pack.

But, since I know you people coordinate your lives around this blog, I just thought I'd pop in to announce no proper entry/update until this afternoon or evening. The cardiac stress test is supposed to take pretty much half the day. Until then, stay cool...yeah, that'll happen.

A Day At The Races (And Other Hits!)

As of right now, I'm embarking on 24 hours without caffeine in preparation for my cardiac stress test tomorrow. Look for degradation of coherence in any potential blog follow-ups as the day wears on. Anything posted after 5:00 PM will probably only consist of primitive, guttural grunts.

When's the last time there was a decent race at Pocono? The super-long straightaways allow guys with a significant horsepower advantage to run away and hide while the much-hyped track width, for all of its "five-wide" potential, actually gives drivers plenty of room to avoid close-quarters racing. And, sure enough, another winner...Kurt Busch this time...absolutely stunk the joint up in dominating the field to the tune of 175 laps led out of 200.

I pegged the first two finishers correctly at the Hungarian Grand Prix and probably could've nailed the trifecta if Fernando Alonso would've had about five more laps to run down Nick Heidfeld. A flag-to-flag win in a season that is rapidly turning into a World Championship coronation for the rookie sensation Hamilton.

The IRL race was bowling-shoe ugly. A grinding wreck that takes out half the field, another excuse for Danica Patrick to whine, and all of it conducted in front of an incredibly sparse crowd after a four-hour rain delay. Ugh. Anyway, Tony Kanaan picked up the win...but the wreck is all anyone's talking about today. The good news? Once his car was turned upright, Dario Franchitti walked away unhurt. Here's the wreck if you haven't seen it.

If you found this blog following the link at Barrow BullCrap, welcome! The anti-Barrow blog was the subject of a Peach Pundit post yesterday and, after I poked fun at some the many misspellings I found there, I later found myself listed on their blogroll as a "friend." Fine. I'll take all the friends I can get. Seriously, if that's supposed to be somehow retaliatory for my spellcopping them and they want like-minded folks to come frag this blog, the funny thing about that is I happen to totally agree with the premise of their blog. I've been on record that "John Barrah" is a political opportunist who's not above changing his public persona in order to protect his political viability for months now (check the comments...I'm "mike").

755. 300. They are what they are. Time for the Braves to go do some damage in New York.

Oh, man...Here I am jumping on another bandwagon. How did RENO 911! make it almost five seasons before I finally discovered it? (I mean...besides the fact that once you get past Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, there are more laughs-per-minute to be found on C-SPAN than Comedy Central.) Anyway, I'm catching up via reruns and I have yet to see one episode that doesn't have at least a couple of gut-busting gags.

Yeah, but did he ever answer the question? This just in, Rory Sabbatini is still a punk.

Finally, my pal and neighbor...former UGA golf great Ryan Hybl...is turning pro! Watch out for him on the PGA Tour in the next couple of years. The long-haired guy carrying his bag, gasping for air and popping nitroglycerin pills? That'll be me.

Three Quick Sunday Predictions

Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway

(Tony and JPM stay hot but the kid wins)
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Tony Stewart
3. Juan Pablo Montoya

Hungarian Grand Prix at The Hungaroring

(Feuding McLaren teammates share podium space...again)
1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)

[Edited to add: I originally had Felipe Massa (Ferrari) in second
place but my pick was revised after late-Saturday-night penalties
imposed by F1 that reshuffled the starting grid order]

Firestone Indy 400 at Michigan International Speedway

(Only fitting for Penske Racing to win IRL's last show at MIS)
1. Sam Hornish, Jr.
2. Scott Dixon
3. Dan Wheldon

Feeling The Love Today

I've actually heard from three people who made the list from a couple of days ago. To my great relief, they were all terrific sports about the whole thing and totally okay with it. Word is that it made a pretty good splash under the gold dome on Wednesday. Awesome. Who knows...there may be a sequel if enough new names are submitted over at Peach Pundit.

The post yesterday about Sean Hannity's Manly Man Brodeo Tour '07....errrr...Freedom Concerts...mentioned that a portion of the proceeds were going to charity. Well, as it turns out, not a very freaking big portion. Four bucks from a $78 ticket? To paraphrase your favorite President, Sean..."You can do better...(bites lip)...and you must do better."

JMac over at Safe As Houses and The Wife went and had their first baby yesterday. Little Emma Katherine McGinty...and she's got to be seen to be believed. Go now. It'll make your day.

This much I will tell you about Ron Paul: If his strength at the polls was half of that shown by his supporters in blitzing online polls and call-in shows, the guy would be President-For-Life.

Good news: Stevie Wonder's coming to Atlanta! Bad news: He'll be at Chastain Park. Wonderful. A sweltering, dog-days night rubbing elbows with a bunch of tight-ass white people (okay, I'm white too...but the Chastain crowd is, like, porcelain) who'll be more interested in their wine and cheese than the god of popular music competing for their attention. I've had some of the worst concert experiences of my life at Chastain.

Finally, the fact that it's a painting of John Glover as Lionel Luthor from "Smallville" should've been their first hint that it wasn't really a Van Gogh.

Hallelujah, It's Raining (White) Men

Okay...Some of the proceeds go to charity. Good on
Sean Hannity. But, geez, do you think they could've
made this look a little bit more like a total Sausage Fest?

The Tex Era Begins In Atlanta

A 3-run homer. 4 RBIs. I'm totally man-crushing.
[Since I didn't want to cause unthinkable damage
with the non-commercial use of an AJC pic, I've
substituted an artist's rendition of Mark Teixeira's
first home run as a Brave.]

This Old Heart Of Mine (Pictured)

A quick medical update: I saw my cardiologist, Dr. Lavine, today. As many of you know, I suffered a heart attack back in April (due to a blocked artery...believed to be a genetic defect...had an angioplasty to open the blockage) and the good doctor told me today that my ticker was "showing marked improvement in every measurable aspect." I go back for a cardiac stress test next week. Basically, that means running on the treadmill while hooked up to an EKG. Provided I pass, Dr. Lavine will be clearing me to get back to running and to finally pick up my golf clubs. Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes and kind words. They continue to help more than you'll ever know.