Celtic Green and Kevin Garnett

I don't have anything to say about either Boston or Garnett, but when I thought of that headline, I had to use it.

(Get it? Green is a color and so is Garnet . . .oh, never mind.)

Thank You Sir. May I Have Another.

From the October 6, 2007 edition of The Economist:

The [U.S.] administration also hailed some success in the war on drugs in America. Cocaine prices were said to have doubled, after a crack-down on smuggling.

So, "success" results in higher profit margins for drug smugglers. Higher profit margins result in incentive to enter the business.

The attempt to shut down market forces is futile. One might as well attempt to shut down gravitational forces.

Land of the Free

The United States Supreme Court, in 1896, had occasion to discuss the history of government authority over the people. The Court said that

the erection of additional barriers for the protection of the people against the exercise of arbitrary power, was not uncommon even in England.

Brown v. Walker, 161 U.S. 591 (1896).

Over a century later, it has become less and less common, even in America.

The Broadus Group

In the November issue of Maxim, Snoop Dogg is interviewed.

He gave his thoughts on the charges facing Michael Vick:

It's sad. We're losing humans daily in Iraq. Dogfighting is a distraction from stopping that war.

He is correct. If the United States Attorney's office in Virginia was not spending time prosecuting Vick, they would be spending their time ending the Iraq War.

Tim McCarver

During game 2 fo the World Series, Tim McCarver said that Boston closer Jonathon Papelbon had "a devil may care attitude - totally serious."

I do not believe that is possible.

It's me.

Things You Did Not Know About the Colorado Rockies (The Baseball Team, Not the Mountains)

They have two guys on the roster that backed up Manning brothers as college quarterbacks. Todd Helton backed up Peyton at Tennessee. Rookie Seth Smith backed up Eli at Ole Miss.

The Rockies mascot, Dinger, is universally reviled. Dinger is a purple triceratops in a belly shirt. The belly shirt is inexplicable, but he is a triceratops because a dinosaur bone was found during excavation of Coors Field.

Manager Clint Hurdle has a young daughter with birth defects. Ergo, winning and losing baseball games is kept in perspective.

The Rockies’ color scheme includes purple as a reference to the song “America the Beautiful.” The song refers to “purple mountain majesties.”

Coors Field is located in the LoDo section of Denver. LoDo stands for Lower Downtown. It is “lower” downtown because it is close to the Platte River. For those that are not familiar with rivers, they exist because water flows downhill.

The Platte River is little more than a glorified creek. But since water is scarce out here, they call it a “river.”

Hurdle was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a rookie for the Kansas City Royals. The headline called him a “phenom.”

The Rockies and Red Sox came close to a deal sending Helton to Boston in exchange for Mike Lowell, among other considerations. The deal fell through because the Sox would not give up a prospect. One of the guys the Rox wanted was Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury will start in center field tonight for the Sox.

During their current hot streak, the Rockies have almost exclusively worn their black jerseys.

Since Coors Field opened, Coors has merged with both Molson and Miller.

Local television play by play announcer Drew Goodman always mispronounces David Ortiz’ nickname. Goodman always pronounces it like “Pappy” and not “Poppy.” He’s not being disrespectful, he’s just being ignorant.

Coors Field has a brewery within its walls. They do not make Coors, Coors Light or any Coors product. They make “Blue Moon” products, which they sell in the park and distribute regionally. Yes, Blue Moon is owned by Coors (and Molson and Miller, I guess).

Bad Idea? You Want a Bad Idea?

Mile High Sports Magazine's Red Schaefley lists his "Top Five Bad Sports Related Ideas" today.

One of them is the Permanent Seat License.

Red wrote

Looking for another way to get into the wallet of their customers, some sports franchises have implemented this additional charge to the price of admission. Fans not only have to pay for the tickets, but they get another bill simply for having the right to purchase the ducats.

It's called the "free market", Red.

Ain't no one forced to buy a PSL. Compare the PSL to the common practice of raising taxes to build a stadium. When that happens, we are all forced to chip in so billionaires can have a building.

I know a bad idea when I hear one. The PSL ain't it.

The Bandwagon

Colin Cowherd, among other national sports radio yackers, says Denver fans of the Rockies are merely bandwagon hoppers and are not serious baseball fans.

Cowherd reasons that since Coors Field was not sold out in July, Rockies' fans are not any good.

What a complete non sequitur.

In July, the Rockies were below .500. Why should their games be sold out? They should not be.

The only reason to go to a Rockies game in July was to enjoy the Rocky Mountain air and enjoy a cold beer.

If a below average major league team team sells out games, why is that a good commentary on the fans?

They are paying to see a loser.

Bad television shows get canceled. Bad stage shows close. Bad bands don't sell music.

Are you not a true television fan if you choose not to watch "The Surreal Life" on VH1? Are you not a true Broadway fan if you choose not to attend "Taboo?" Are you not a true music fan if you don't buy William Hung's album?

No.

But somehow bad baseball teams are supposed to sell out?

That is ridiculous.

The Rockies started playing great. They started winning. Fans started buying tickets. Coors Field sold out.

You want to criticize fans, criticize them when they do not sell out playoff games. Pittsburgh did not sell out when the Pirates had Barry Bonds and played the Braves where in the playoffs. The Arizona Diamondbacks did not sell out their playoff games against the Rockies this year.

Criticize that.

I Can Add Two More

Bill Simmons asks "Hey, do you think Jhonny Peralta and Dwyane Wade ever thought about starting a 'Birth Certificate Bloopers' support group?"

Antawn Jamison and Heywood Jeffires could also be charter members.

The Nobel Peace Prize

Al Gore is now a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

He deserves it at least as much as Yasser Arafat did in 1994.

All the Backbone of a Mollusk

Excerpts from the New York Times:

Two months after insisting that they would roll back broad eavesdropping powers won by the Bush administration, Democrats in Congress appear ready to make concessions that could extend some crucial powers given to the National Security Agency.

. . .

Although willing to oppose the White House on the Iraq war, they remain nervous that they will be called soft on terrorism if they insist on strict curbs on gathering intelligence.

. . .

Some Congressional officials and others monitoring the debate said the final result might not be much different from the result in August, despite the Democrats’ insistence that they would not let stand the extension of the powers.

“Many members continue to fear that if they don’t support whatever the president asks for, they’ll be perceived as soft on terrorism,” said William Banks, a professor who specializes in terrorism and national security . . ..

The perception that the Democrats are protecting our liberties is incorrect. It is akin to the perception that the Republicans are protecting our pocketbooks.

Take this test. Then join the Libertarian Party.

Stand up for your liberties. Stand up for your pocketbook.

Reject the status quo.

Damn, I'm Old

I turned 41 in September. (Late September, mind you.)

Nevertheless, I am 41. And yes, I am a grandfather.

Damn. I'm old.

I did not really feel it until today.

Until today, I had been doing very well. I've been watching my carbs, exercising a little bit, and I lost just over 2o pounds. I felt good.

I even started officiating high school football games for a little more exercise. After my first game, my left knee swelled up like a pumpkin. Why did it do that?

About 10 years ago (or was it 15?), I sheared off the top of my left tibia playing beer league softball.

The orthopedic surgeon had to insert three pins to put it back together. At the time, back in the '90's (or was it the '80's?), he said I would have some arthritis in the knee because of the trauma.

He was correct.

I learned that after my first game as an official. I limped around like Grady from "Sanford & Son" for days.

So, for my next game, I bought a compression brace for the bad knee. You know , the one with the pins in it. And all the arthritis.

I figured the brace would help keep the swelling down. It did.

Several hours after the game, my left knee still felt great.

Unfortunately, my right knee, my good knee, the one without any pins or hardware of any kind, feels like crap.

Have you ever seen a piling on a pier on the Outerbanks of North Carolina? One with about 127 years of barnacles built up over rotted wood? I think those pilings eroded away about the time Blackbeard was lighting firecrackers in his beard. The only thing holding up all those fishermen and tourists walking the pier is dead barnacles upon dead barnacles, shaped like a piling.

Anyway, those pilings, the ones on the Outerbanks comprised of nothing but barnacles, don't have any place to bend. They are a lot like my right knee. My good one. The one without any hardware inserted into the bone. In my knee, where tendon and sinew used to exist, apparently I have barnacles.

That is what it feels like.

At least my bad knee, the left one, feels better.

Good thing I have not taken that brace off the left knee yet. The bad one.

I might have to turn it into a pegleg. And tie firecrackers into my beard.

Damn, I'm old.

Aarrggh.