It Will Come Out Eventually

I'm a freebie virgin.  It's true. I get no gifts, free products or demos when I write this blog. Nothing. Although I'm certainly open to it.  I must be one of the few not on that gravy train because according to the New York Times,

The F.T.C. said that beginning on Dec. 1, bloggers who review products must disclose any connection with advertisers, including, in most cases, the receipt of free products and whether or not they were paid in any way by advertisers, as occurs frequently.

Frequently?  What am I missing? And what's the value of the freebies? Has Apple been sitting on my free iPhone? Has Audi held out on the S5? I'll be glad to offer musings on what it's like to live on the beach in the Hamptons. Really. And I don't need one of the bigger cottages either. Anything on the water will do.

It's possible they've been trying to reach me all along. So maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss the telemarketers who - whoops - ignore the fact that I'm on the Do Not Call list. I should have accepted the call from "Your Credit Card Company".  It's possible my credit card company merely wanted me to accept an all-expenses vacation. Or a new jacuzzi. They've been known to be generous from time to time, after all. Just ask Chris Dodd.

Call me back. I'll be home all morning.

AIG and Manny

Could there be a better sponsor for Manny?

The Most Trusted Man in ...

No, no Bill, it wasn't Monica. Believe me.

I'm Coming Teddy

I'm looking out my door right now at this shady establishment, about a shank 8-iron away and I'm about to walk across the street and kick some Alcor ass.

No Contest

Given recent events, the IOC made the easy choice:

This...

not this...

Replacement Refs: Not a Big Change

When has the NBA not used the equivalent of replacement refs? Certainly not in my lifetime. Officiating has been broken ever since the day the league decided to scrap the rule book and and let the games become Vince McMahon-like entertainment exhibitions.

There was a time when referees were independent and acted like it. Now, they are too aware of the game clock, which players are involved in a play and how the call will be perceived by the fans, teams, owners and league officials. And they too often want to be part of the drama of the game. This game to game inconsistency and uncertainty gave room for rogue refs like Tim Donaghy (pictured) to operate.

This may be an opportunity for the league to re-invigorate the referees profession.

Or, get rid of refs altogether. Think about it. It may be possible to bring back the integrity of the game by letting the players call their own fouls - "street rules". Let the players call fouls and work things out on the court. Players know what is or is not allowed in the context of a game. Let courtside - not on-court - officials decide the really hard fouls or when replay is needed to be used.

One thing street rules will prevent ... it will stop the flop. What player would dare flop if his peers are calling the game. Regardless, unless we have a return to the basics of Dr. Naismith's' game, it doesn't matter a lick who's blowing the whistle.

Lousiana with Foliage

Rampant corruption in Connecticut has gotten the attention of media across the nation, most recently the Boston Globe. 

My concern, though, is that the headlines also provide cover for numerous small acts that will never see the light of day, but which are costly and erode trust.

We've Been Down This Road Before

A summary of today's headlines:

• Threat of nuclear war. (NYTimes)
  
• Unsuccessful military presence halfway around the globe (CBS News)
  
• Violent domestic protests (Yahoo)
  
• Bank struggles and restructuring (Bloomberg)
  
• Washington is the worst team in the majors (Yahoo)
  
  
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it - George Santayana

Double Dipping

@Walt Handelsman, Newsday

Double dipping by public employees has become endemic. Tens of thousands of educators (higher ed and k12), military veterans, police and fire officers as well as municipal, state and federal bureaucrats practice the fine "art" of receiving compensation from multiple public sources simultaneously. It results in rising taxes, bloated payrolls and long-term debt

In Connecticut, lower tax revenues caused the Governor to consider ways to cut state payrolls. The incentive for employees to leave public service (heaven forbid anyone gets fired) was to offer them early retirement. This followed on the heels of a previous negotiation with public unions to lower the rate of their pay increases in return for a no-layoff guarantee. Nice situation, if you can get it.

Bud Selig's Vision of Baseball

This is what 3-22 looks like

The Yankees and Red Sox are meeting this weekend in an epic meaningless series in the Bronx in front of a sold-out (except for the lower bowl) crowd.

In the meantime, in a galaxy far, far away the Pirates are doing their best to catch the Phillies. Not this year's Phillies. The all-time losingest Phillies.

The Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (not so fast, whitey)

These clever guys appeared outside a Center City Philadelphia hotel this weekend. Their pitch? "It's whitey's fault".

Their message seems a little dated. Nice hair, though.

What's with NL pitchers in Boston?

John Smoltz and Brad Penny were (relative) bargain signings this year for the Sox. Penny was the better of the two, and while he was never great, he chewed up a lot of innings. In that regard, he fulfilled his end of the bargain.

On the other hand, the pitching-smart Braves had given up on Smoltz, and the Red Sox should have paid closer attention to why.

But now the two pitchers have gone back to the National League. And while Smoltz had a one-game revival for the always-smarter-than-you Tony LaRussa, he may be now reverting to form. Penny on the other hand has had back-to-back solid starts for the Giants. Is this a National League v American League thing, or just an anomaly? The Red Sox have had little luck importing National League pitchers.

A Great American

Ted Kennedy is being buried from the Mission Church in Roxbury (Mission Hill). My Aunt Kay used to go to pray for the boys at the Mission Church when they were sick. She used to drive over, go to Mass and then come back with holy water, which she sprinkled on them. I guess her faith paid off.

And Kennedy's mother, Rose Kennedy, grew up around the corner (as they say in Dorchester) on Ashmont Hill from where we lived on Regan Road. It was a mile away and but in reality a world away in terms of the neighborhood.

This may be why Jim Rice had to wait so long for the HOF

For those who were around when Jim Rice was in his prime, his words to Little Leaguers last week are not surprising. When he spoke - which wasn't often - he said what was on his mind. And he wasn't always pleasant in either the substance or the delivery. Many people attribute the 15-year delay to his deserved entry to the Hall of Fame to his outspoken, blunt and sometimes under-thought-out comments.

So you'd think he would have learned. But apparently not. His inspirational speech to Little Leaguers in Williamsport was a bit short on humbleness and inclusiveness.

I understand why he might go after Manny ["We didn't have the baggy uniforms. We didn't have the dreadlocks," Rice said.]. But Jeter? ["You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez),  you see (Derek) Jeter ... Guys that I played against and with, these guys you're talking about cannot compare," Rice said].

He better hope they don't take a re-count in Cooperstown.

Brett Farve is Tempting Fate

Brett. Say it ain't so.  You must know that quarterbacks never die, they just get hurt. Ask Drew Bledsoe or Tom Brady or Tim Tebow. You have a chance to get out before you suffer a permanent injury.

I hope your "Obamacare" is paid in full before some blitzing linebacker has you on your knees. Like YA Tittle.