Birthers, Flat Earthers, and Others who Deny Reality

I tried to ignore this. Like you do the person who sits down next to you on the bus who is carrying on a conversation with people who aren't there. I was trying to be polite. But now polls show that as many as 28% of Republicans believe the President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

Enough is enough. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts.

As much as one can prove anything, President Obama has proven he was born in State of Hawaii, in the good ol' U.S. of A. He is a natural born citizen, get over it. Also for your information:

The Holocaust happened. Hitler did, indeed, murder at least 6 million Jews and millions of other people in concentration camps and death camps.

The Theory of Evolution is a settled issue. Species emerged on the earth through a complex series of adaptations, gradually changing form as some naturally occurring variations gave certain animals advantages over others, a process called Natural Selection. This process has taken billions of years, so...

The earth is several billion years old. Not a few thousand. Pieces of dinosaurs were not put in the stone by a malevolent god in order to trick us. The Earth is a very old rock (and round).

The earth is, as a result of human activity, gradually getting warmer. The changes exceed normal variations. The results have already been significant and will get more pronounced. We need to change our behavior now.

Oil is gradually being depleted. New oil is developing very slowly. These are fossil fuels and like other fossils, they are billions of years old (see above).

So-called socialized medicine in Europe, Canada, Japan and other civilized nations is not a horror show. If you really think it is, I have a challenge for you. Find a politician in a major political party in England, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, etc., who is willing to run for top political office on a platform of tearing down the terrible death trap that is socialized medicine and replacing it with an American style system of for-profit insurance primarily linked to employment. Go ahead, I'll wait here. [crickets]

There is no Easter Bunny, no Tooth Fairy, no Santa Claus.

There was an election in 2008 and you lost. There was no global conspiracy. You lost because, for the last 8 years, your party ran the country into the ground with incompetence and staggering arrogance. Stop grasping at straws and trying to destroy President Obama and this country. Offer honest and thoughtful responses to Democratic proposals. Drop the fear tactics and the extreme rhetoric. Don't tell people health care reform is a plot to murder old people and stop saying the liberals are coming to take people's guns. Have you guys really no self-respect at all?

Try, please try, looking inside yourselves with some honesty, a capacity you have not shown to date, and try to develop policies, programs and ideas that demonstrate leadership. We need that, any democracy needs at least two strong, viable political parties. I fear, I fear greatly, that you are devolving into a violent gang of thugish mentality, incapable of reason, denying facts that don't support your preconceived notions. This will kill your party, and I really don't care about that. But it won't be good for my country, and that is why, right now, I truly and completely hate the Republican Party.

Please, guys, please, turn it around.

Addendum

I had no sooner posted this than I was watching the news (MISTAKE!) and heard Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina (R-OMG) say that health care reform would lead to mandatory euthenasia for the elderly. She forgot, apparently, to say that a key element of the Democratic plan was a special health care sausage, made from kittens and puppies stolen from children. Once again, how do you debate with people who spew such garbage. She's either a congenital idiot or a conscious liar. I really do despair.

Baseball Bucket List

With thanks to ESPN.com's Jim Caple, here's a list of 50 baseball related things to do before you die.

How many of them have you done?

Here are 50 things all baseball fans should do while they still have the chance:
• Spend a week at spring training.
I did this with Becky and her mom, when David was attending U of Arizona (thanks, Dave!!!). Had a great time in the Arizona heat, saw the Padres, Mariners, White Sox, Giants and D'backs.
• Learn to keep score.
I can't remember not knowing how to keep score!
• Learn about Tommy John surgery by throwing out your arm at the stadium speed pitch station.
That doesn't even sound like a little bit of fun. I don't want the embarassment of needing Tommy John surgery from throwing a 30 MPH "fastball."
• Watch "Field of Dreams," "Bull Durham," "A League of Their Own," "The Bad News Bears" (the original) and "The Natural."
Done, done, done and done. I enjoy them all, but particularly "Bull Durham".
• Use a wood bat.
Never used any other kind of bat until I was in my 20's. There's no feeling like the bees you get in your hands when a fastball gets in on your hands swinging a wooden bat.
• Enjoy a beer in the bleachers at Wrigley Field on a sunny summer day.
I wasn't in the bleachers, but I have enjoyed a beer in Wrigley Field. It's a great ballpark.
• Listen to Vin Scully call an entire Dodgers game.
Nope, but a whole game called by Dave Neihaus comes close.
• Read "Ball Four," "The Boys of Summer," "Nine Innings," "The Glory of Their Times" and any (preferably all) of Roger Angell's collections.
Yeah, and I re-read them regularly. I bought the hard cover version of "Ball Four" when it was first published. I rarely spent that much money on a book in those days.
• Go to Japan's Koshien high school tournament (i.e., where Dice K threw his famous no-hitter).
Nope
• Hit a home run.
We're counting sandlot games, I hope. Or softball.
• Coach a Little League team.
Yeah, ask Nathan about that. I'm a lousy coach, but I did it. Please don't ask David about my one-day stint as his coach. I'm still ashamed of the intentional walk.
• Ump a Little League game.
I've done this too. I'm a pretty fair umpire.
• Boo the Yankees in person.
Every chance I get.
• Play Strat-O-Matic, APBA, Dynasty League or a similar computer-simulation game.
Played tons of Strat-O-Matic, kept my own statistics, too.
•Attend a fantasy camp and have more fun than you can imagine feeling old and young at the same time.
Nope, not really on my list.
• Tour the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Yes.
• Oil your glove and stuff it under your mattress for the winter, then play catch the first day of spring with your parent/child.
No, sorry boys, I was lousy about that.
• Get to a game early enough to watch batting practice.
As far as I'm concerned, anything else is getting there late.
• Go to the College World Series.
Not yet, but a good idea, even if it means a week in Omaha.
• Play pepper.
Yes
• Go to a batting cage and see what it's like to hit a 90 mph fastball. Or, more likely, fail to hit a 90 mph fastball.
Nope. I have enough things in my life I can't do.
• Attend a townball game in Minnesota (the smaller the town the better).
Sounds intriguing. I'd never thought of it.
• Visit the "Field of Dreams site in Dyersville, Iowa and the old Durham Athletic Park (where "Bull Durham" takes place).
Nope
• Take your kids to see The Chicken or The Phanatic.
Yes, at the Kingdome when the Mariners played there. We were going to the BALLGAME, it just so happened that the Chicken was there.
• Run around the bases after a big league game.
Nope, can I walk?
• See Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols and Ichiro play in person and chant their names with a stadium packed with fans.
Yes to Ichiro, no to Pujols--but I'd do it--, and see the above about Yankees regarding Jeter. I was also there to chant "EDDDDDGAAAARRRR" and to hear people chant "DAAAAARYYYLL".
• Buy a fitted cap to replace the cheap stadium giveaway you got with the plastic adjustable strap in the back and the Piggly Wiggly logo on the side.
Never with a Piggly Wiggly logo, but many other chintzy caps.
• Sing "Sweet Caroline" at Fenway Park.
Yes. I've never understood the Boston-"Sweet Caroline" connection, but I've done it. I've also shouted "O" in Baltimore during the National Anthem when the lyrics get to "Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave..." I figure since the anthem started in Baltimore, they can play with it if they want.
• Recite "Casey at the Bat" and "Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Yes, to Casey, no to Tinker.
• Read the box scores religiously.
Is there any other faith?
• Join SABR.
No
• Get your favorite player's autograph.
I'm not a big autograph hound, but I have a few.
• Learn to throw a curveball.
OUCH!
• Take a week-long road trip through the minors, the lower the league the better, and make sure to include a team owned by Mike Veeck (that's Veeck, as in "wreck", his dad used to say).
This is the best idea on the whole list! I need to do this. The Northwest League is the perfect venue. You don't get lower than part-season 'A' ball.
• Cheer the Rally Monkey.
No, and why on earth would I?
• Eat at Boog's barbecue pit at Camden Yards, enjoy a Primanti Brothers sandwich at Pittsburgh's ballpark, the fish tacos in San Diego, a Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium and garlic fries while circling the concourse in Seattle.
Yes to Boog's (and it is good BBQ) and to garlic fries, no to San Diego and a Dodger Dog, but willing to try both. You also need an Italian Beef at either Chicago ballpark and Gates' BBQ in KC.
• Attend a game in the Caribbean.
Not yet, but a goal.
• Buy a bleacher ticket and sneak into a box seat.
Oh yeah.
• Passionately argue in a bar over who belongs in the Hall of Fame.
I've had the arguments, but not in bars, unless you count Comiskey Park--there was enough beer flowing to match any tavern I've ever been in. Frank Thomas? Please.
• Collect baseball cards. Get your favorite player's rookie card and store it in a plastic sleeve. Treat all others the way God intended: by clothes-pinning them to the spokes of your bicycle in a pathetic attempt to make an engine noise.
I still have a Griffey card in the sleeve. And, I have to apologize to Terry Francona, his dad's cards (Tito Francona) were my first choice for bicycle spoke fodder. But, hey, that sounded just like a motorcycle!!!
• Rub the Babe's nose in Monument Park.
Nope, never been to Yankee Stadium.
• Camp out in front of the stadium for tickets to see your favorite team in the postseason.
I didn't camp out, but I did get to a Ticketmaster outlet pretty early to get tickets to the Mariners one-game playoff with the Angels in 1995. Technically not post-season, but in some ways better. Let all my kids take the day off school and go to the game. Great game, of course, with Randy Johnson beating Mark Langston, and the classic image of a dejected and defeated Langston sitting on home plate after Luis Sojo's bases-clearing double into the bullpen (and the bullpen ball bag) down the right field line in the Kingdome.
• Try to throw a knuckleball.
Yeah, I've tried it. Pitiful effort.
• Try to catch a knuckleball.
Nope
• Catch a foul ball. And then hand it to the nearest kid.
I've done that. I've caught 2 foul balls in my whole life, and both were in the same game, in the old Kingdome, watching Randy Johnson win his 20th, the first season he won 20. Great seats in the first row directly over the visiting dugout on the first base side. I gave the first ball to Becky, who was with me, and the second to a kid sitting next to us. He looked completely confused.
• Disobey your parents by staying up late to listen to a game with your transistor radio/iPhone tucked under your pillow.
My parents never told me not to, so I can't disobey. When the league expanded in 1962 so that California and Oakland were in the AL, the Boston games would go awfully late on the east coast.
• Go to the All-Star Game.
The 2001 game in Seattle, with Cal Ripken Jr. hitting a home run in his last All-Star appearance.
• Kayak in McCovey Cove (yeah, Barry Bonds is gone, but San Francisco Bay is still there).
Looks like fun.
• Eat a hot-fudge sundae in a mini batting helmet.
If you'll count hot butterscotch or strawberry and not only hot fudge (not a huge fudge fan), and dipping dots, too. In a Boston helmet and a Seattle helmet.
And finally …
• See your team play in the World Series. (Sorry, this might not be applicable to Cubs, Mariners, Rangers and Nationals fans.)
I've had WS tickets, but never got there. The M's lost in the ALCS three times when I had tickets in hand.

Becky, you are so tagged on this one!

My Life as a Star

We had an office retreat last week, and one of the activities was the Rock Band Challenge. As you can see, I was ready for action, channeling some Roy Orbison, some Beach Boys and a little bit of Meat Loaf. I'm sure none of you will be surprised to find out that my team won the challenge competition.

I'm ready to tour!

Ichiro and George Sisler

A few years ago, Ichiro broke the record for most hits in a season, a record previously held by George Sisler, who played for the old Saint Louis Browns. Sisler's daughter and other family members came to Seattle and treated Ichiro very graciously.

This year, with the All-Star Game in St Louis, Ichiro took the opportunity to visit Sisler's grave. He and his wife laid flowers there. He called Sisler "a grand upperclassman of the baseball world," which I think conveys a great deal of respect from the perspective of Japanese culture. A very kind tribute and reflecting the kind of class I've worried is nearly gone from our professional athletes.

Ichiro was also quite excited about meeting President Obama, but my favorite part of his reaction to that is this:

"But I realized after seeing him today that presidents wear jeans, too. So my hope is that our skipper, [Don] Wakamatsu, was watching that and we can wear jeans on our flights, as well."

Memory Lane-Bobby Orr

Mid-Summer may seem an odd time to think about hockey, but I saw this iconic photo of Bobby Orr the other day and I've thought about him several times since then.

I remember watching this game on TV, an overtime contest to settle the 1970 Stanley Cup, Bruins against the St. Louis Blues. I remember seeing Orr score this goal and then fly through the air--he was tripped as he made the shot. Having the photo in black and white is perfect, because we had a B&W TV in those days, too, so this is what I saw. Note in the background that the puck is already back on the ice, and the goaltender is still in mid-reaction. The shot, from very close in and with the wrists only, was blindingly quick.

This game and this goal were the highpoint of the great Bruins years of Orr and Esposito. Ben may not remember this, but the first person he could identify on TV was Bobby Orr. Of course, usually in a Bruins game he was the one with the puck. He was forced to retire from hockey at age 31 due to very bad knees. His last three years he was with the Chicago Black Hawks, but he never cashed any of their checks--he said he couldn't because he wasn't playing.

What I remember, though, are those years with the Bruins. He could handle the puck like no one else. When the B's were short-handed for a penalty, he could, when he got the puck, skate in circles at center ice "ragging the puck" while the opponents flailed at him ineffectually. If one of them over-committed, he could dart into the offensive end with a burst of speed and make a great offensive charge in what should have been a strictly defensive situation. When the Bruins were at even numbers, his offensive rushes were even more frequent. He'd get the puck at the Bruins end of the ice and lead the Bruins charge, even though he was a defenseman. His passing was crisp and incredibly accurate--he was Larry Bird or Magic Johnson on ice. As a defenseman, he set a record for assists in a season, 102 (not for a defenseman, for anybody), and though that's been broken by Gretzky and Lemieux, it is still the record for a defenseman. How iconic is he in Boston? In a vote in the Boston Globe, Orr was named the greatest Boston sports figure ever, over Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Carl Yastrzemski and Bob Cousy.

Hockey has not been the same without him. I count watching Bobby Orr at his peak, along with being able to see Ken Griffey, Jr rise and play at his peak, as the two most fortunate things in my life as a sports fan.

Fourth of July 2009

We had a great celebration at Becky's place on Whidbey Island. I seriously have no idea how many people were there for burgers and dogs in the afternoon, there seemed like hundreds, it was at least 50. Mike just kept on grilling. People brought salads and deserts and we just ate and ate. It was great.

In the evening, when the sun sank, we had a fireworks display that went on for about 2 hours-no exaggeration. Ben is quite the pyro. Mike worked hard at it, but he still needs some style pointers--like don't put your face over the explosives while you're lighting them. Here's a few pics, that don't really do justice to the whole thing.

The only downer was that Zack was not feeling well and Becky was worried (as was I) that his pneumonia was returning. He sounded and acted just like he had when we were at Great Wolf.

70 Years Ago-July 4, 1939

Lou Gehrig says his goodbye to the fans. An iconic moment of class and grace. Hard to imagine any major league player managing this now, not since Cal Ripken Jr. retired.

Palin Resigns

Just to think that this pitiful whining loser was, in the imaginations of some, qualified to be President! She can't handle the media pressure of being Governor of a state the size of Charlotte, NC (population Alaska, 2000 census 686, 293, Charlotte 687,456). She thought, McPathetic thought, she could be a heartbeat away? We really lucked out in sending this clown back to Juneau, and now she can head to Wasilla (or, more likely, she can take her self-pitying act to Faux News).

Every democracy (or democratic-republic) needs at least 2 strong political parties with ideas at their core. Instead, we now have a Republican party made up of Ensign-Sanford-Palin-Vitter-Craig and co., who wander from scandal to scandal. They seem to be led by either a war criminal or a drug addict. The drug addict hopes our country fails. The war criminal is hoping for another terrorist attack (like the one he allowed). One of the party's spokesmen was on Faux the other day hosting a traitor who actually expressed that wish, that Bin Lauden would attack and kill thousands, while the fool (Glenn Beck, for those who didn't see it) nodded his head in approval. The quicker the Republican party folds its little pup tent and slinks into the garbage heap of history where it belongs, the better. Then we can get a real, meaningful opposition that will offer ideas and prod the Democrats to do what needs to be done.

"I have said Sarah Palin's political ambition combined with her intellect is like putting a jet engine on a golf cart; lots of horse power and no steering capabilities. Today she proved it." --Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore