Bailey's Daily!

Oh No! She's at it again....It wasn't enough that on Monday morning mom got up and COMPLETELY cleaned, sterilized, aired out and "de-dogged" our home, NOW she has to get up THIS morning and do a touch up...

I mean, it's not like anyone is coming over for a visit or a DATE (ahem), but, she just has to have the place perfect..you know, IN CASE...(right, wishful thinking!)

Anyhow, it is time for me to go to my hangout when she's in this mood...under the bed! I'll be back when the "feeling" passes and her OCD fit is over. Don't get me wrong..she's the first to admit she is like this, and I guess that has rubbed off on me. I have to have the cleanest condo on the block! (smells good too..)

Talk to you soon..I hear the vacuum revving up!

Good morning all! Just wanted you to know that I found a friend of my mom's website who has now become a full time actor!

She is the coolest lady, and, as you can see from her website is very talented! If you ever run across Anji Wood, make sure you take notice! Check out her website above - she's not only talented but very cute! WOOF!:)

The Red Sox and Braves, two perennially strong teams, will spend this three-game series at Fenway Park trying to snap out of their own funks.

The Red Sox enter this series on the heels of a 2-4 road trip through Seattle and Oakland. The Braves can relate, having lost six of their last nine. A great Friday night pitching matchup will allow both teams to get into a better groove. The Sox send right-hander Wade Miller to the mound in his third start of the season. The Braves counter with Tim Hudson, a man the Sox are plenty familiar with from his days with the A's.

"The Braves are a very good team with tough pitchers," said Sox center fielder Johnny Damon. "Maybe that's what we need, is to face is guys who have the names like Hudson and John Smoltz. If we can hit them, we should be able to hit anyone."

The Braves come into Fenway looking ragged, having just been swept by the Padres, marking the first time manager Bobby Cox has allowed a sweep in the regular season since April 2003. "They go about their business every year by having tremendous pitching," said Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who lives in the Atlanta area during the offseason. "That's the way they've survived over the years, because they have three, four or five horses. So that's not going to get any easier. They have those same horses, new pitchers, but they're still horses."

Sox first baseman Kevin Millar knows all about the Atlanta machine from his years in the National League.
"What they've done is remarkable," said Millar. "It's a testament to Bobby Cox. You haven't heard a bad thing about this guy. Guys play for him. Obviously, their pitching staff has a great plan, down and away. There's no secret. That's what they throw."

Braves star Chipper Jones has always enjoyed his trips to Fenway, where his team has gone 12-3 since the start of Interleague Play. However, Jones knows full well that this Red Sox team is much more improved than the one the Braves went up against when last they played at Fenway. "It will be a fun series," said Jones. "We always have a good time up there. I just wish they weren't as good as they are."

Many of the Braves are looking forward to getting a glimpse of historic Fenway Park. "It's probably the Mecca of baseball stadiums," said Braves catcher Johnny Estrada. "They've got the history, the fans and the support. I'll be able to one day tell my grandchildren that I played at Fenway."

Pitching Matchup:
ATL: RHP Tim Hudson• 4-2, 3.18 ERA in 2005• 0-2, 15.43 ERA vs BOS in 2004
BOS: RHP Wade Miller• 0-0, 4.22 ERA in 2005 - did not play versus ATL in 2004

NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, May 20, 2005

LOS ANGELES - A brother-in-law of Sen. Edward Kennedy testified in federal court Thursday against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's former national finance director, who is accused of lying to regulators about the cost of a lavish Hollywood fundraiser. Raymond Reggie, a prominent political consultant whose sister is married to Kennedy, told jurors that David Rosen said before the gala that event producers were charging $500,000 - $100,000 more than was reported as the overall cost.

Reggie helped solicit contributions for the glitzy August 2000 dinner and concert that attracted celebrities including Cher, Diana Ross and Muhammad Ali. He said Rosen told him afterward that "the last-minute costs crushed him."

Prosecutors say Rosen, panicked over mounting expenses, intentionally caused forms to be filed with the Federal Election Commission that underreported "in-kind" contributions used to pay for the event by about $800,000.

Rosen's attorney Paul Sandler has said the costs were hidden from Rosen by event organizers, and emphasized Thursday that the Clinton campaign didn't benefit from the underreporting.
Sandler attacked Reggie's credibility, noting that he has pleaded guilty to unrelated bank fraud charges in Louisiana and had been charged in 2002 with impersonating a police officer. The latter charges were dismissed.

Rosen has pleaded not guilty to three charges of filing false statements with the government. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, plus fines.

Clinton, a possible 2008 presidential candidate, has not been charged or linked in court to any wrongdoing. Neither Clinton nor former President Clinton are expected to be called to testify.
Prosecutors were expected to rest Friday.

Yes, I am part of that bloody "Dog-o-sphere" journalist wanna be's that sit around in their jammies and slippers while creating opinion and madness in the streets. But not today....

I am sitting around in my slippers and jammies today because I am still stuffed from dinner last night. I went over to my Grandma's last night and she made good old fashioned MEATBALLS! MMMMMMMM....

Isn't going to Grandma's the best? You play all day, get lots of love, lots of food and then SLEEP in the best places. She has this sunroom where I sleep in a big ole comfy chair and the sun comes in and keeps me warm.

Boy were the meatballs good! Of course, I took my doggie Prilosec beforehand, but, just a small price to pay for an Italian grandma who is the best cook in the world! Now, if I can only get mom to start cooking like that - that's what I'm saying! Hey! That's it...get her cooking like Grandma and she MIGHT snag her a man...gotta go....

Have to go have a heart-to-heart with mom. Who knows, before it's all over, I could be giving Dear Abby a run for her money-maybe even Dr. Phil!

Thanks again Grandma-those meatballs have inspired me to greatness today (or maybe that's a little gas??)

I cannot sit by and simply observe anymore. There is enough material here (or lack thereof) to fill 3 seasons of a combination of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Suddenly Susan". (sorry, "Sex and the City" wasn't even a blip on the radar screen).

I love my mom dearly, but she really needs to get with it. So, I thought I would host and post a column keeping you up-to-date on mom's life (such as it is). I think some of you out there will be able to relate, given the atmosphere of the single mom with a pet these days:).

Gotta go.....time to go wee-weeze!

Is it just me, or is the Great American Fire Hydrant just a myth? Just a mirage in the oasis of doggie parks that never materializes into anything more than just a community waterbowl standing in mud?

Yes, I am a little cynical today. I look around me and I see fellow canines rummaging through garbage, wandering aimlessly on the side of the road and, even, if they are having a really bad day, in the kitchen of some Vietnamese-Thai restaurant with a "C" rating.

I digress-whatever happened to the days when dog's were man's best friend, we took leisurely walks after work, before dinner with the family (at a decent hour-not 10pm at night), and, we didn't have a noon-time nanny to come walk us because our masters are too busy?

True, we live to serve our moms and dads, but we yearn for a simpler time when the days didn't start at 5am, the TV was our best play buddy, and, the fire hydrants were still red. A pretty, shiny red with a silver top. It was a sign of simpler times - traditions, gender-roles, and non-weight management kibble because we had backyards to play in - not apartment courtyards and the once-a-week trip to the dog park.

Can we go back? To the white picket fences, dogs and their fire hydrants? Perhaps if we do, this world might be a better place instead of how it's now going to the cats!

By Ian Browne / MLB.com

OAKLAND -- Some 3,000 miles to the East, there was more fodder on the talk shows back home about Edgar Renteria's early struggles with the Red Sox. Renteria's former manager Tony La Russa even chimed in on a mid-day WEEI show, wondering if Boston, with its intense fan and media scrutiny, was a good fit for the veteran shortstop, who is shy by nature.

Renteria, quiet by mouth, let his bat do a lot of talking in leading the Sox to a 7-5 victory over the A's on Tuesday night at McAfee Coliseum. On this night anyway, worries about Renteria were brushed aside. With the Sox down by a run and the bases loaded with one out in the top of the eighth, Renteria took the first pitch he saw from A's reliever Huston Street and roped it to the opposite field for a two-run single that put Boston in front for good. In perhaps a sign Renteria's luck is about to change, he had additional fortune on the play, as the ball rolled past Eric Byrnes, allowing Renteria to scoot all the way to third, and more importantly, permitting a third run to score.

Meanwhile, the doubters aren't high on Renteria's list of things to worry about.

"I think I'm going to be fine," said Renteria. "It's just my personality. I don't care what people say. I just come to do my job and play hard every day. Whatever happens happens. That's why I don't worry what somebody says. I just try and do what I can to beat the other team, that's the kind of player I am." Renteria's resurgence was just part of a spirited win for the Sox, who drew a season high of 11 walks, enabling them to win on a night they had just four hits. The opportunistic aspect of the win was particularly sweet for the Sox in that it came a day after they stranded 13 runners in a 6-4 loss.

"A lot of walks, a lot of good at-bats," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "We didn't knock the cover off the ball, but we made them work, we took our walks, we got baserunners. That's how we're successful."
The A's, holding a 5-3 lead entering that eighth, self-imploded leading up to Renteria's at-bat. A's reliever Juan Cruz began the inning by hitting Jason Varitek, then he walked Bill Mueller and Jay Payton. With one out, Johnny Damon hit an RBI grounder to first to bring the Sox within one and the play wound up worse for the A's with Scott Hatteberg making an error on the play, allowing the Sox to keep the bases loaded for Renteria.
The clutch knock capped a solid night for Renteria, who roped a double off the wall in the first inning and wound up scoring, and also sparked a rally in the fifth by drawing a leadoff walk against Barry Zito and then scoring on a double to left-center by David Ortiz.

Renteria, who was moved to the No. 2 spot in the reshuffled Boston lineup on Saturday, has looked more comfortable at the plate the last few days. "I feel good," Renteria said. "I feel better. It just takes time."
His veteran teammates have been more than happy to give him all the time he needs.

"It's taken him a month or so to get going," said Damon. "We know what kind of player he is. We got him knowing what we were going to get. We're going to get 10-plus home runs, 70-plus RBIs, we're going to get 100 runs scored. We know we're going to get that from Edgar, and great defense, too. It was just a matter of him starting for him to feel at home." Before Renteria delivered the key hit of the game, the contest wasn't all that artistic.

The control problems Zito (career-high seven walks) was having seemed to rub off on Sox starter Matt Clement in the bottom of the fifth, as he walked Mark Kotsay and Jason Kendall to load the bases with one out. Eric Chavez got a run home on a fielder's choice grounder and Hatteberg tied it up with an RBI single to right. The A's nearly went ahead on Hatteberg's hit, but Payton nailed Kendall at the plate.

Clement continued to struggle in the sixth, this time getting into a big jam after retiring the first two batters. Matt Watson and Marco Scutaro got things rolling with consecutive singles. Then the Sox went to Matt Mantei, who couldn't get Clement (5 2/3 innings, six hits, five runs, four walks) out of the inning unscathed. Byrnes connected on an RBI single to give the A's their first lead at 4-3. Kotsay followed with an RBI single to boost the lead to two runs, putting Clement in danger of suffering his first loss of the season.

But the Sox would be back before it was all said and done. The bullpen stepped up in a big way, with Alan Embree giving the Sox 1 2/3 flawless innings for his first win of the season and a recently revitalized Keith Foulke coming on in the ninth for his 10th save of the season.

"To get picked up when you're on the hook, that's nice," said Clement. "Most importantly, we won the game."
And that was made largely possible by the shortstop. "They got Edgar for a reason," said Ortiz. "Everyone knows Edgar is a great player. People just need to be patient with him. The guy works hard and believe me, he's going to be here."

Clinton’s Rubber Stamp
by Sean Rushton

Among the most tiresome claims by Senate Democrats is they are forced to filibuster judicial nominees because Republican party discipline is so strong that even moderates must vote in lockstep for President Bush’s “worst” nominees. (John Bolton, call your office.) In rebuttal, Sen. Orrin Hatch’s office has done a nice breakdown of Democratic voting patterns during the Clinton years. Unsurprisingly, the party voted with their President.

The Senate confirmed 379 Clinton judges that fall in the “Article III” category, that is, judges who have life tenure.
• 307 to the U.S. District Court
• 65 to the U.S. Court of Appeals
• 2 to the U.S. Supreme Court
• 5 to the U.S. Court of International Trade.

The Senate defeated 1 nominee to the U.S. District Court.

334 of the confirmations were by unanimous consent = 33,400 total votes

46 of the confirmations and the one defeat were by roll call vote = 4432 votes (less those not voting)37,832 total votes cast on confirmation of Clinton Article III judicial nominees

A total of 12 NO votes were cast by Democrats
* Rosemary Barkett (11th Circuit, 1994):
* H. Lee Sarokin (3rd Circuit, 1994)
* Bryan (NV), Byrd, Ford (KY), Reid, Sasser (TN), Shelby (AL)

Byrd and Reid also voted for cloture

* Brian Stewart (District Court, Utah, 1999)
*Boxer, Feingold, Johnson, Mikulski, Wellstone 12 no votes out of 37,832 judicial votes = .0317 percent

The Newsweek Riots - A telling Error
by Rich Lowry - author of Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years

How many stories has Newsweek written about the Bush administration allegedly "skewing intelligence" by relying on raw, insufficiently sourced data? How many times has it lamented that these mistakes have hurt the U.S. abroad? Too many to count.

What would be funny if it weren't so tragic is that some of them were authored by reporters Michael Isikoff and John Barry, the very duo that has itself dealt the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan a blow by stretching poorly sourced information into a false report about the deliberate desecration of the Koran by U.S. interrogators.

Isikoff and Barry wrote in the May 9 edition: "Investigators probing interrogation abuses at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay have confirmed some infractions alleged in internal FBI e-mails that surfaced late last year. Among the previously unreported cases, sources tell Newsweek: interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Qur'an down a toilet." They continued that "these findings (are) expected in an upcoming report by the U.S. Southern Command [SouthCom] in Miami." Based on the report, destabilizing and deadly anti-U.S. riots broke out in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The report gave the impression that (1) FBI e-mails from Gitmo mentioned the Koran-flushing incident; (2) the incident had been confirmed; and (3) it was about to appear in a U.S. government report. All of these claims are, according to the Pentagon, false (which is not to say that nothing bad ever happened at Gitmo).

No one is perfect — not even the brilliant Mike Isikoff — but this is a telling error. One government official told Isikoff that he had seen the Koran-desecrating incident in the forthcoming Gitmo report. Newsweek tried to confirm this. But a spokesman for SouthCom refused comment because it is an ongoing investigation. Another Defense official attempted to correct one error unrelated to the Koran desecration, but didn't comment on the rest. With this solid nonconfirmation in hand, Newsweek ran with its explosive single-sourced item.

Once people started dying, Isikoff's original source said he couldn't be sure that he had read about the incident in the SouthCom report. Newsweek editor Mark Whitaker issued a weaselly statement saying that "we regret that we got any part of our story wrong," without detailing what the errors were. Nor did he forthrightly apologize — although Newsweek was part of the press pack demanding that President Bush acknowledge and apologize for his errors during last year's presidential campaign.

It is, of course, unfair to blame the magazine for the deadly work of anti-American fanatics abroad. But it can be blamed for its shoddy original work, for its nonapology, and for the media culture of hostility toward the military that makes its mistake so characteristic. That is not to say that any of its reporters or editors harbors personal animosity toward the military. But they work in an industry that has defined its success since the Vietnam War almost exclusively in terms of exposing U.S. wrongdoing. The media collectively want to believe the worst about the military, and in light of Abu Ghraib, they have panted after every possible prison abuse.

During the fallout from last year's CBS forged-documents flap, shrewd Newsweek political writer Howard Fineman said: "A political party is dying before our eyes — and I don't mean the Democrats. I'm talking about the 'mainstream media.'" He argued that the media had been identified with a crusading liberalism since Watergate and Vietnam, but their power was waning in the new political and information environment: "It's hard to know who, if anyone, in the 'media' has any credibility."

It's only getting harder. Back in November 2003, Newsweek complained in a cover story that Vice President Dick Cheney "bought into shady assumptions" leading into the Iraq war, partly because of his "dire view of the terrorist threat." In its Koran story, Newsweek itself bought into shady assumptions, partly because of the media's dire view of the U.S. military. And so the media party continues its decline.

Boston (22-16) at Oakland (15-23), 10:05 p.m. ET
By Ian Browne / MLB.com

This West Coast swing has been unkind to the Sox thus far, but they can still salvage it with a .500 record by winning the final two games.

That quest begins Tuesday night, when Matt Clement faces Barry Zito in a rematch of last Wednesday's game at Fenway. The Sox won that game, though neither starter factored in the decision of a game that ended on a walk-off homer by Jason Varitek in the bottom of the ninth.
The Sox have lacked that type of magic on this road trip, losing three of the first four games on the journey through Seattle and Oakland. In Monday's series opener against the A's, the Sox tied a season high by stranding 13 runners in a 6-4 loss.

Quotable "We just haven't really hit our stride yet. We're going to be beating up on some people real soon." -- Damon

Quick hits Right fielder Trot Nixon is red-hot, with nine hits in 15 at-bats on the trip. However, with Zito pitching, Nixon will probably be saved for the late innings with Jay Payton getting the start. ... David Ortiz leads the Sox in total bases with 85. ... Kevin Youkilis has made the most of his sporadic playing time, producing a .385 average in 26 at-bats.

On deck • Wednesday: at Oakland, 3:35 p.m. ET• Thursday: Off• Friday: vs. Atlanta, 7:05 p.m. ET

The Red Sox were no strangers to the basepaths of McAfee Coliseum Monday night. Unfortunately, the majority of those runners never crossed home, and a night full of lost opportunities resulted in the Sox suffering a 6-4 loss to the A's in the first of a three-game series.

By Ian Browne / MLB.com

OAKLAND -- The Red Sox were no strangers to the basepaths of McAfee Coliseum Monday night. Unfortunately, the majority of those runners never crossed home, and a night full of lost opportunities resulted in the Sox suffering a 6-4 loss to the A's in the first of a three-game series.

The only thing more common on this night than a stranded Boston runner was a Boston hitter muttering in disgust on his way back to the dugout.

The fact the Sox had more men left on base (13) than hits (12) indicated what kind of frustrating night this was. On the other side of the field, the A's were just relieved to finally get a win, snapping a season-long eight-game losing streak.

"I think we're all just shaking our heads thinking this should not have happened," said Sox center fielder Johnny Damon. "They were bound to get a victory. They plugged away, they did what they had to, got out of some tough jams. You have to tip your hat to those guys."
Despite the plethora of missed opportunities by the Sox, they were still in this one down to the very end.

But the A's rallied against Sox relievers Mike Myers and Mike Timlin in the eighth to snap a 4-4 tie and that proved to the difference. Lefty specialist Myers surrendered singles to left-handed batters Eric Chavez and Erubiel Durazo to open the inning. It wasn't as if Myers didn't make his pitches. The A's just found some holes. In fact, Myers broke Durazo's bat in three pieces, only to have the ball deflect off his hand and his glove, leading to an infield hit.

"Yeah, it's frustrating," said Myers, who took the loss. "It was a fastball in. I thought it was in good enough. I got a broken bat. He hit it to the right spot. It put Timlin in a tough situation."
With runners on second and third and one out, the Sox opted to walk Scott Hatteberg. The move didn't pan out, as rookie Matt Watson struck a two-run single through the second-base hole, into right field.

Bronson Arroyo turned in a decent outing for the Sox (seven innings, six hits, four runs), who fell to 1-3 on the six-game road trip. "Bronson has been solid for us, we couldn't help him on some tough plays out there," said Damon. "He's still pitching like our ace."

Things started well enough for the Sox. A's starter Kirk Saarloos helped spark a Boston rally in the top of the second by walking Kevin Youkilis and hitting Bill Mueller, loading the bases with two outs for Mark Bellhorn. The second baseman delivered, smacking a two-run single up the middle to give the Sox a 2-0 lead. However, coming through with men on base was not a recurring theme for Boston on this night. In the fourth, the Sox loaded the bases with nobody out and didn't score. First Bellhorn struck out, then Damon. Edgar Renteria flew out to center, and the chance was gone.

"Yeah, we definitely did not take advantage of what was out there," Damon said. "We struck out a few too many times with men in scoring position, me included. You have to tip your hat. I felt like I missed those pitches by a good foot and they were right down the middle. He did a good job of getting out of some tough spots, but there's no way we should have come out with a loss."

Arroyo cruised most of the night, but had a rough fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Mark Kotsay roped a three-run triple to center, giving the A's their first lead. Jason Kendall made it 4-2 with a fielder's choice grounder that Renteria, playing shallow, bobbled.
The A's sent nine batters to the plate and Arroyo avoided being removed from the game by retiring Ginter on a flyout to center to end the inning.

"Well, I think he's human," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "He's been so good. He nicked their No. 9 hitter there, right in the middle of the inning, it didn't help. I will say he gathered himself. You know how we feel about trying to put crooked numbers up, it gives you a heck of a chance to win, and then they did that to us and we couldn't overcome it."

Oakland went to the bullpen in the seventh, with right-hander Keiichi Yabu -- originally slated to start on Wednesday -- replacing Saarloos. The Sox gave Yabu a rude greeting, with Bellhorn leading off with a double to right, followed by a walk to Damon and a single by Renteria. David Ortiz took advantage of that opportunity, belting a two-run double off the wall in left-center to tie the game.

That opened up yet another big chance. With runners on second and third and nobody out, the Sox seemed primed to go in front. On most nights, they would have. But once again, they couldn't cash in. Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek struck out and Youkilis grounded to short.
There would be another opportunity for the Sox in the eighth as Mueller led off with a single and Damon drew a one-out walk. Did Francona think about having Bellhorn -- who batted before Damon and struck out -- try to bunt Mueller to second?

"I didn't," Francona said. "Bell had swung the bat pretty good."

Yabu dug down, though, striking out Renteria and getting Ortiz on a grounder to first.
This most annoying of nights for the Sox wouldn't have proper closure without another tantalizing chance, this one against A's closer Octavio Dotel. Trot Nixon smacked a one-out single. And with the Sox down to their last out, they appeared to have a monumental break. Pinch-hitter Kevin Millar hit a tapper to second and reached when Dotel, covering first, somehow didn't touch the bag. But the break wasn't something the Sox could capitalize on, as Mueller lofted a routine flyout to left to end it.

"We got ourselves in good positions," said Francona. "We just couldn't get one big hit at one key time to have a big inning, or to be able to get ourselves a lead. I thought we did a great job to get ourselves in those positions. We just couldn't do anything with it."

'Star Wars' Wields Light Saber at Bush Policy
courtesy of NewsMax's "The Left Coast Report"

If there's one thing Europeans and U.S. film critics can spot a galaxy away, it's hatred of President Bush's policies.

Actually, some are claiming to see traces of Bush animosity in George Lucas' latest flick, "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," where Lucas may have stuck in an anti-U.S. military policy message.

When you think about it, it makes sense that somebody at the Cannes Film Festival would step up and toss the Europeans some red meat since Michael Moore wasn't around this year to dish his documentary dog chow. Apparently, the Cannes audience noticed similarities between Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side coupled with the cinematic rise of a warmongering emperor and President Bush's foreign policy approach.

Newsweek's David Ansen saw a resemblance. He wrote: "It's hard not to feel that Lucas's engagement with this story has a contemporary urgency, as line after pointed line invites us to see a parallel with today's wartime climate. As the Senate cedes power to Palpatine under the guise of intergalactic security, Natalie Portman's Princess Padme exclaims bitterly, 'So this is how liberty dies -- with thunderous applause.'"

Before Anakin (played by Hayden Christensen) transforms into Darth Vader, he declares, "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy." The line is reminiscent of Bush's post-Sept. 11 statement, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."
And Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) explains that "only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes."

While at a Cannes news conference, Lucas said: "I hope this doesn't come true in our country. Maybe the film will waken people to the situation." In case there was any confusion as to where Lucas stands, politically speaking, he made his proclivity clear, saying, "We were just funding Saddam Hussein and giving him weapons of mass destruction. We didn't think of him as an enemy at that time. We were going after Iran and using him as our surrogate, just as we were doing in Vietnam. ... The parallels between what we did in Vietnam and what we're doing in Iraq now are unbelievable."

Lucas added: "You sort of see these recurring themes where a democracy turns itself into a dictatorship, and it always seems to happen kind of in the same way, with the same kinds of issues, and threats from the outside, needing more control. A democratic body, a senate, not being able to function properly because everybody's squabbling, there's corruption."
The Left Coast Report says that while it's true Lucas is a typical Hollywood lib, Europeans hate us so much these days they see anti-Bush messages in "House of Wax."

Fellow Bloggies and Bloggettes, I know I have been "laying down on the job" (literally) these last few days, but, my computer has been down, and, to be honest, I have been a LITTLE preoccupied with, ahem, a little cutie, that has left me a wee worn outIF you know what I mean!

SO! This weekend is dedicated to research and updating, so never fear! Woof, woof, woof! And thank you for your patience!

Manny Ramirez leaves after being hit by pitch in first inning

By Ian Browne / MLB.com
The Red Sox would like to think they earned Monday night's 13-5 romp over the A's. However, Oakland might see it otherwise.

The Sox scored an almost unfathomable nine unearned runs, with three A's errors opening the floodgates in front of 35,000 spectators at Fenway Park. While the night was all about lowlights for the A's (none bigger than Scott Hatteberg's double error in the fourth), there were plenty of highlights for the Sox.

Kevin Millar snapped the longest power drought of his career by clubbing his first homer of the season -- a three-run shot -- in his 112th at-bat. Trot Nixon also had a good night, belting a two-run homer and a two-run double. And while not at his sharpest, veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (six innings, seven hits, three runs, five walks) earned the victory to run his record to 4-1.

The Sox put pressure on Oakland right from the outset, loading the bases with nobody out in the first. But it came at a price, as Manny Ramirez was drilled on the left shoulder, and then the helmet, on a pitch from Danny Haren and had to leave the game. David Ortiz followed by grounding into a 4-6-3 double play that allowed Johnny Damon to score.

The A's took their first lead of the night in the top of the third, with Bobby Kielty striking a two-run double to left. However, it didn't take the Sox to rally back from that 2-1 deficit. They again loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth. It looked as if Haren had gotten just what he needed when Bill Mueller struck a hard grounder at first baseman Hatteberg. But before you could say 3-2-3 double play, Hatteberg booted the ball, allowing a run to score. Things got even worse when Hatteberg attempted damage control. His throw to first -- where Haren was covering -- was errant, allowing a second run to score. Hatteberg was charged with two errors on the play. The gaffe opened the floodgates in an inning which saw the Sox score five unearned runs. Nixon's two-run double, which traveled 420 feet, was the biggest hit of the inning.

Clinging to a 6-3 lead, Millar's three-run blast into the second row of the Monster Seats in the seventh opened up some breathing room. Shortstop Marco Scutaro's error later in that inning gave the Sox the chance to score another four runs, turning the game into a certified blowout.

What a dude! Spot the Springer Spaniel - he was the COOLEST of the cool - here, after witnessing the famous Pretzel Incident that caused lockdown in the West Wing, Spot is showing Master W that you CAN put an object in your mouth and not choke on it!  

W's "Nuclear Option" if Harry Reid gets out of line! YEEHAW! 

White House pets Miss Beasley (L) and Barney (R), out for a run on the South Lawn looking for evidence of WMD. 

Well, I knew I would get your attention on THAT headline, but in all honesty, this is about my colleagues living it up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (and Crawford!)

The Bush family has a new addition to the animal kingdom now....Miss Beazley, their new Scottish Terrier puppy. She has been chasing Barney, the "senior" White House pooch around the South Lawn since she got there, but, I am sure ole Barn will lay down the law soon! (perhaps she needs a good ole fashioned trip to Crawford and an introduction to Ofelia....the Presidential longhorn!

Here are the pets the Bushes have (or had) since taking office in 2001:
Miss Beazley, Scottish Terrier - http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/Beazley.htm
Spot, dog - http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/Spot.htm
Barney, Scottish Terrier - http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/Barney.htm
India, cat - http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/India.htm
Ofelia, Longhorn - http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/ofelia.htm

Now, if I can only get ONE of them to return my calls.....

A lady about 8 months pregnant got on a bus.

She noticed the man opposite her was smiling at her. She immediately moved to another seat.

This time the smile turned into a grin, so she moved again. The man seemed more amused.

When on the fourth move, the man burst out laughing, she complained to the driver and he had the man arrested for public harassment!

The case came up in court. The judge asked the man (about 20 years old) what he had to say for himself.

The man replied, "Well your Honor, it was like this: When the lady got on the bus, I couldn't help but notice her condition. She sat under a sweets sign that said, "The Double Mint Twins are Coming" and I grinned.

Then she moved and sat under a sign that said,"Logan's Liniment will reduce the swelling", and I had to smile.

Then she placed herself under a deodorant sign that said, "William's Big Stick Did the Trick", and I could hardly contain myself.

BUT, your Honor, when she moved the fourth time and sat under a sign that said, "Goodyear Rubber could have prevented this Accident"..... I just lost it."

SOX ONLY 2.5 BACK!!!
By Ian Brown - mlb.com

DETROIT -- The obstacles were there for the Red Sox every day on this seven-day road trip through Texas and Detroit. From injuries and illnesses to various players, to the simultaneous slumps of All-Star mashers Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, this was a journey that could only be successful with plenty of grinding and pitching.

The Sox got the perfect mix of both, and that's why they managed to find their way home with a 5-2 record on the journey. This, after scratching out a tense 2-1 victory over the Tigers on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.

Bronson Arroyo pitched a gem for the Sox, firing a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings and allowing three hits and one run over eight innings. He walked two and struck out eight, throwing 113 pitches in his finest performance of the season.

As good as Arroyo was, it nearly wasn't enough for a win. But with two outs and nobody on in the top of the ninth, Trot Nixon (4-for-5) blooped a single into center. That set up the slumping Ortiz, who bashed a clutch RBI double to right-center off Ugueth Urbina, snapping a 1-1 tie.
"I was just praying to get a hit, man. I haven't got a hit in a long time," said Ortiz. "It's been tough up there, man. My part in the game is hitting. If I don't hit, it's like I'm just stealing money."

Instead, Ortiz was money, putting Arroyo in position for the win and setting up closer Keith Foulke for his seventh save of the season, and third in as many days. When they departed Fenway Park for Texas, the Sox were a perfectly mediocre 11-10. They come back at 16-12, and feeling as if they might have rediscovered themselves.

"I'm very proud of what we did this trip," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "The trip is over now. ... I don't like being banged up, but to me, our dugout was back to being more of our dugout. There wasn't a lot of guys in there, because they're all in the training room. But the enthusiasm, the coming together, sometimes those things help. We were going to find a way to win and we did."

Reason No. 1 was Arroyo, who was dazzling right from the outset, running his record to 4-0 and lowering his ERA to 3.18. His no-hit bid was broken with one out in the top of the seventh when Carlos Guillen lofted a solo homer to right. On that same pitch, Arroyo lost his 1-0 lead. Dmitri Young followed with a single to right, but Arroyo settled down and got the next two hitters.
"Bronson's been pretty awesome all year," said Sox center fielder Johnny Damon. "He could be our No. 1. He's been throwing well. On any other team he's a No. 1. Right now he actually might be ours. He's been pretty incredible lately."

The same could not be said for the man known as Big Papi, who has had trouble finding the stroke that was so prolific the last two seasons. But if you give Ortiz enough chances, he's going to cash in.

"We hit some balls the last couple of days really well and had nothing to show for it," said Francona. "David, it was low enough where it didn't hang up there, and it wasn't high enough where it bounces over. He did what he's supposed to do." Ortiz was set up by the most innocent-looking hit from Nixon, who dropped one just in front of center fielder Nook Logan. For Nixon, it was a sweet return from a two-game suspension.

"I didn't scald the ball the whole time, but I'll take those four hits any time," Nixon said. "The big thing for me is to get on base with the big boys behind me. The gaps are huge here, so you have a chance to score." That was a tough task for both sides all day. Not to be overshadowed by Arroyo was a strong pitching performance by Tigers right-hander Jason Johnson. He induced several weak swings from the Sox, and Kevin Millar, who broke his bat in his first three at-bats, seemed particularly perplexed.

"He just had big time movement on his sinker," said Millar. "Jason Johnson has always had good stuff. He threw a good game, too. We just found a way." In a game where every scoring opportunity was precious, the Sox forged one across in the top of the second. Jason Varitek led off with a double to center. Edgar Renteria tried to bunt him over, but instead caught the pitch on his right index finger and had to be removed from the game. X-rays were negative. No matter though, as Ramon Vazquez came off the bench and ripped a single up the middle for the first run of the game.

For a while, that seemed to be all Arroyo would need. He breezed over the first six innings, as a walk to Marcus Thames in the second was his only blemish during that span. After throwing a perfect game for Triple-A Pawtucket on Aug. 10, 2003, Arroyo had visions of his first Major League no-hitter. And you could hardly blame him when Millar and Jay Payton made back-to-back solid plays on defense in the fifth.

"Oh yeah, it crept in my mind after the sixth inning for sure," said Arroyo. "Any time you can look at the board and see that you've only got to go three more innings, you have an opportunity to maybe face only nine more guys and throw a no-hitter, if anybody says they've been out on the mound and they didn't know that was going on, I think they're lying." But after Guillen ended the fun and the Sox suddenly found themselves in a tie, there was urgency to scratch out the win.

"Big win, big road trip," Millar said. "The way we're swinging the bats right now, to go 5-2, that's big." "We've had a lot of people sick, a lot of people in and out of the lineup, a lot of people battling different things," Varitek said. "But you're going to win more games when you pitch."

By Ian Brown - MLB.com

As long as the Red Sox hold options on Kevin Youkilis, the third baseman knows too well that he could wind up back in the Minor Leagues the next time the team winds up in a roster crunch. But he is hitting like a man who wants to stay, and it was Youkilis who delivered the biggest hit of Wednesday night's 4-3 victory over the Tigers.

With runners on first and second and one out in the eighth, Youkilis lined a 2-2 slider from Kyle Farnsworth into left for a single, scoring Jay Payton and snapping a 3-3 tie. It was the culmination of a solid night for Youkilis, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored a run. This came on a night Youkilis was in the lineup so Bill Mueller could rest up for Thursday afternoon's contest.

"I'm just filling in for guys, that's what I'm doing here," Youkilis said. "We have a set roster, we have great players here. Right now, I'm just filling in and basically just making the best of my opportunity. It feels good. This is great, to get up there and have an opportunity to put us ahead late in the game."

The bullpen made the slight lead stand up, allowing starter Tim Wakefield (seven innings, 10 hits, three earned runs) to run his record to 3-1. Mike Timlin, fresh off two brilliant innings Tuesday night, worked a scoreless eighth, aided by a great play in the hole by Edgar Renteria. With one out, Rondell White, at the very least, looked to have an infield hit. But Renteria went a couple of steps on to the outfield grass and fired a bullet to Kevin Millar, nabbing White by inches and snuffing out a potential rally.

"I know he runs good," Renteria said of White. "I tried my best. When I got the ball, I saw him running and I said, 'I have a chance.' That's why I tried to put a little bit on the ball." Timlin, who played with Renteria in St. Louis for parts of three seasons, has seen it before. "I knew he had a chance to catch it, I didn't know he had a chance to throw him out," Timlin said. "That was deep in the hole, that was a tremendous, tremendous play. I was lucky enough to see that in St. Louis. I know what he can do."

Closer Keith Foulke, perhaps ready to start rolling after a shaky start, came on in the ninth to record his sixth save. But the save of the night likely came on a defensive play in the bottom of the fifth.

White lined a double out of the reach of Manny Ramirez, who made a wrong turn in pursuit of the ball. One run scored on the play to tie it up, but Ramirez gathered himself quickly, made a textbook relay to Renteria, who then fired home to catcher Doug Mirabelli to nail the potential go-ahead run.

Ok, ok, I no longer look like I have spent the last week in a back room of a Jamaican "yah man" weave shop. Plus, I am no longer scratching like a sailor with a weekend pass, BUT, there are some downsides to recovering from an allergy with the aid of medication.

1. Thirst - I can't drink alcohol while I am on this stuff, because if I did, I would look like an old Basset Hound after Thanksgiving weekend - wobbling and teetering and barely able to stand. Then, when I drink all this water, all I want to do is pee; well, you can only IMAGINE the problems that creates when you can't take yourself out every hour! Just don't turn on the faucets or take a shower!!!!!

2. The Charlie Brown Syndrome - I AM SO DEPRESSED! Fellas, you know the drill; romantic kibble, soft night lights from the hallway stairs, chasing each other around the house fighting for the 1 chew bone between the 2 of you (always good to work up a good sweat!), and you've got her already to move in for the kill and guess what???? SNOOPY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING! THE DOCTOR IS NOT IN! Little did I know that the allergy anti-inflammatory medicine was an anti-inflammatory IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD!

OK, so I have another date coming up soon and let's just say that it is one more day of the meds and, scratching or not, I am not taking my chances. This is a critical juncture and I don't want her thinking shrinkage is a way of life for me (yes, I am fixed, but I still like to order the items off the menu even if I can't always partake!)

And, if things don't work out with this little poochie and me, well, back to the Benadryl. You know, that Bassett Hound is looking cuter and cuter......

President Bush: Thank you and good evening. I always look forward to these dinners, where I'm supposed to be funny — intentionally. I'm really looking forward to hearing Cedric the Entertainer. I kind of think of myself that way.

Cedric, did you hear that hilarious line I ad-libbed down in Arkansas? A woman in a town meeting told me she was from DeQueen, and I said, 'That's right next to DeKing.' You gotta' admit that's pretty good, Cedric. That's what you call sophisticated re — par — tay.
Then out in Montana, I told a joke about a cattle guard, which, to be honest, didn't get a very big laugh — actually, none. But Cedric, I think you'll appreciate this, and you can use it if you want to. See, there was this city slicker who was driving around lost and he came across this ol' cowboy. And so the city slicker asked the old guy how to get to the nearest town, and —

First Lady Laura Bush: Not that old joke — not again.
Ladies and gentlemen, I've been attending these dinners for years and just quietly sitting there. Well, I've got a few things I want to say for a change.
This is going to be fun because he really doesn't have a clue about what I'm gonna' to say next.
George always says he's delighted to come to these press dinners. Baloney. He's usually in bed by now.

I'm not kidding.

I said to him the other day, "George, if you really want to end tyranny in the world, you're going to have to stay up later."

I am married to the president of the United States, and here's our typical evening: Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I'm watching Desperate Housewives— with Lynne Cheney. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife. I mean, if those women on that show think they're desperate, they oughta be with George.

One night, after George went to bed, Lynne Cheney, Condi Rice, Karen Hughes and I went to Chippendale's. I wouldn't even mention it except Ruth Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor saw us there. I won't tell you what happened, but Lynne's Secret Service codename is now "Dollar Bill."

But George and I are complete opposites — I'm quiet, he's talkative, I'm introverted, he's extroverted, I can pronounce nuclear — The amazing thing, however, is that George and I were just meant to be. I was the librarian who speant 12 hours a day in the library, yet somehow I met George.

We met, and married, and I became one of the regulars up at Kennebunkport. All the Bushes love Kennebunkport, which is like Crawford, but without the nightlife. People ask me what it's like to be up there with the whole Bush clan. Lemme put it this way: First prize — three-day vacation with the Bush family. Second prize — 10 days.

Speaking of prizes brings me to my mother-in-law. So many mothers today are just not involved in their children's lives — Not a problem with Barbara Bush. People often wonder what my mother-in-law's really like. People think she's a sweet, grandmotherly, Aunt Bea type. She's actually more like, mmm, Don Corleone.

Cedric, am I doing all right?

I saw my in-laws down at the ranch over Easter. We like it down there. George didn't know much about ranches when we bought the place. Andover and Yale don't have a real strong ranching program. But I'm proud of George. He's learned a lot about ranching since that first year when he tried to milk the horse. What's worse, it was a male horse.

Now, of course, he spends his days clearing brush, cutting trails, taking down trees, or, as the girls call it, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. George's answer to any problem at the ranch is to cut it down with a chainsaw — which I think is why he and Cheney and Rumsfeld get along so well.

It's always very interesting to see how the ranch air invigorates people when they come down from Washington. Recently, when Vice President Cheney was down, he got up early one morning, he put on his hiking boots, and he went on a brisk, 20- to 30-foot walk.
But actually, in all seriousness, I do love the ranch, and I love the whole Bush family. I was an only child, and when I married into the extended Bush clan, I got brothers and sisters and wonderful in-laws, all of whom opened their arms to me. And included in the package, I got this guy here.

I think when you marry someone, you unconsciously are looking for something in your spouse to help fulfill something in you, and George did that for me. He brought fun and energy into my life and so many other things. George is a very good listener, he's easy to be around, and on top of it all, he's a loving father whose daughters absolutely adore him.

So in the future, when you see me just quietly sitting up here, I want you to know that I'm happy to be here for a reason — I love, and enjoy being with, the man who usually speaks to you on these occasions.

So George and I thank you for inviting us, thank you for all of the good work that you and the press do, and thank you for your very kind hospitality this evening.

It's the Run for the Roses Folks! Bellamy Road in warmups this week...he's a stud! 

By Seattle Times news services

Here are the morning line odds and post positions for the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby : http://www.derbypost.com/tipsheet.html

Kentucky Derby favorite Bellamy Road, with exercise rider Carlos Correa up, works out along the backstretch at Churchill Downs. Bellamy Road's trainer is Nick Zito, above. Zito has five horses in the field and is looking for his third victory.

Trainer Nick Zito has the favorite for the Kentucky Derby again, this time with Bellamy Road, owned by Yankees boss George Steinbrenner. Bellamy Road was made the 5-2 favorite for Saturday's richest Derby ever, and drew the No. 16 post yesterday.

The No. 16 post has worked well in the last decade, producing three Derby winners — Thunder Gulch in 1995, Charismatic in 1999 and Monarchos in 2001. A full field of 20 3-year-olds was entered for the 1 ¼-mile race, with Afleet Alex the second choice at 9-2. Bandini was the third choice at 6-1. Bellamy Road is one of five Zito horses in the field, equaling the record by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas in 1996. Lukas won that year with Grindstone.

Zito's other horses are High Fly at 8-1, leaving from the No. 11 post; Noble Causeway at 12-1 (No. 4 post); Sun King at 15-1 (No. 3); and Andromeda's Hero at 50-1 (No. 2). Asked how long it took to decide which horse would leave from which gate, Zito said: "Five minutes, a minute for each horse. I wanted Bellamy Road on the outside, and I think we got everything we wanted."

Last year, Zito's The Cliff's Edge was the slight favorite, but Smarty Jones ended up as the top choice.
It's unlikely the favorite's role will change this year, not after Bellamy Road's last two races, a 17 ½-length romp in the Wood Memorial on April 9 and a 15 ¾-length rout in an allowance race a month earlier. Bellamy Road will be ridden by Javier Castellano.

This is the richest Derby, with a purse of $2,399,600. If all 20 start, the winner's share is a record $1,639,600. The last time 20 horses started the Derby was 1984. That year a rule was made to cap the field at 20, and since then the maximum has yet to be reached. Last year 20 were entered but St Averil and Wimbledon were late scratches.

Steinbrenner's Derby record is 0 for 5. His first starter, Steve's Friend, was fifth in 1977. Eternal Prince was 12th in 1985, Diligence (1996) and Concerto (1997) each finished ninth and Blue Burner was 11th in 2002.
Lukas, a four-time Derby winner, and Bob Baffert, a three-time winner, both have 50-1 longshots. Lukas trains Going Wild and Baffert has Sort It Out.

Zito, playing to his Kentucky audience in the selection event in Churchill Downs' Triple Crown Room, compared having a fourth of the field to making college basketball's Final Four. "No matter how you look at it, we've made it," he said. "Now we've just got to see if we can get it done."

In 1998, the track instituted a two-tiered format to determine post positions that is supposed to infuse an element of strategy into the time-honored "luck of the draw." Under this system, a traditional draw is held to determine the order in which entrants' representatives pick their positions in the starting gate.

With the 10th selection, Zito took what might seem to be an unusual post for the front-running Bellamy Road, because conventional wisdom suggests being closer to the rail is the best option for a horse that runs on or near the lead. But Zito said he didn't want to risk the long-striding Bellamy Road getting blocked or bumped as horses fight to secure a good position out of the gate. He said he hopes Bellamy Road will settle behind horses if the pace is too fast, and the best way to do that is from the outside. "I've said all week I wanted to be on the outside with that horse," he said. "He's a big, huge horse. He's like a big cat. ... Sixteen, he's way outside and he'll get a clear run."

The auxiliary gate used to be shunned, but it has come into fashion while serving as a launching pad for five of the past 10 Derby winners. With the first pick, trainer Todd Pletcher picked post 15 for Bandini, marking the first time the No. 1 choice has been used to select the auxiliary gate.

Al Gore may have been lampooned for taking credit in the Internet's development, but organizers of the Webby Awards for online achievements don't find it funny at all. In part to "set the record straight," they will give Gore a lifetime achievement award for three decades of contributions to the Internet, said Tiffany Shlain, the awards' founder and chairwoman.

"It's just one of those instances someone did amazing work for three decades as congressman, senator and vice president and it got spun around into this political mess," Shlain said. Vint Cerf, undisputedly one of the Internet's key inventors, will give Gore the award at a June 6 ceremony in New York.

"He is indeed due some thanks and consideration for his early contributions," Cerf said.
Gore, who boasted in a CNN interview he "took the initiative in creating the Internet," was only 21 when the Internet was born out of a Pentagon project.

But after joining Congress eight years later, he promoted high-speed telecommunications for economic growth and supported funding increases for the then-fledging network, according to the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which presents the annual awards. He popularized the term "information superhighway" as vice president.

Senators Mutt and Jeff...what are Massachusetts and Nevada THINKING????? 

...now you know why they call dogs "Man's Best Friend". (except, of course, for Greyhounds!) 

"I'm proud of George. He's learned a lot about ranching since that first year when he tried to milk the horse. What's worse, it was a male horse." --First Lady Laura Bush

"I swear, Bill Clinton could get action on Mars." --MSNBC's Chris Matthews, on the former President Clinton's personality

(Raleigh) - A bill filed in the N.C. House on Monday, requiring illegal immigrants who meet certain qualifications to be resident tuition status for North Carolina's colleges. Under N.C. House Bill 1183, those who are eligible must meet the following requirements:
*The person must receive a high school diploma from a secondary or high school within North Carolina.
*The person must have attended North Carolina schools for a minimum of four consecutive years immediately prior to high school graduation.

If the person does not have lawful immigration status, then the person shall also file an affidavit with the school in which he or she is enrolled stating that an application to legalize his or her immigration status has been filed or it will be filed as soon as he or she is eligible to do so.

The person satisfies the admission standards for the institution to which the person has applied. Primary sponsors of the bill are Representatives:

Jeff Barnhart (R) and John Sauls (R), Rick Glazier (D), Paul Luebke (D).Also listed on the bill are the following co-sponsors:Reps. Martha Alexander (D), Bernard Allen (D), Becky Carney (D), Bob England (D), Bill Faison (D), Susan Fisher (D), Joe Hackney (D), Mary Harrison (D), Verla Insko (D), Maggie Jeffus (D), Marvin Lucas (D), Marian McLawhorn (D), Henry Michaux (D), Paul Miller (D), Bill Owens (D), Earline Parmon (D), Garland Pierce (D), Deborah Ross (D), Joe Tolson (D), Russell Tucker (D), Doug Vinson (R), William Wainwright (D), Jennifer Weiss (D), Winkie Wilkins (D), Larry Womble (D), Thomas Wright (D).

The North Carolina Republican Party adopted the following position in our platform at the 2004 State Convention. Article VII, Section 12 states: "North Carolina has traditionally provided affordable higher education to its citizens. But taxpayers should not be required to fund higher education for illegal immigrants."The introduction of House Bill 1183 prompted many angry calls and emails to talk radio stations heard across North Carolina. The vocal opposition prompted three legislators to pull support from the bill.

To contact your local elected official in NC, click here:

posted by katie dukeshire  # 3:00 AM 0 comments

DETROIT -- It was one of those seemingly innocuous moves that a manager makes over the course of a 162-game season. Red Sox manager Terry Francona, thinking it would be good to get slugger David Ortiz a night of rest, inserted backup catcher Doug Mirabelli as the designated hitter for Tuesday's game against the Tigers.

The result? Anything but innocuous. Mirabelli crushed a grand slam to left field with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, overturning a 2-1 deficit with one mighty swing.
That was the big hit the Sox needed in a 5-3 victory over the Tigers. It was the third grand slam of Mirabelli's career, and the fourth hit by the Sox this season.

"Dougie is a pretty smart hitter," said Francona. "He really pays attention to what's going on. He got the one pitch that he could do something with and look at what he did. He has that ability. The at-bats will only help him. He's a big part of what we do. It's going to help him, which will end up helping us."

While it certainly would have made great fodder for Francona to play this off as one of those hunches that former Sox manager Joe Morgan was famous for, the truth is that he put a lot of thought into the move, from both a short- and long-term perspective.

Mirabelli was off to a slow start at the plate and needed some more at-bats. This was an ideal situation with the Sox facing a lefty and the fact that Mirabelli is also scheduled to catch Wednesday with Tim Wakefield pitching.

"That was the thought about it from the beginning," Mirabelli said. "Not only was it a good time to get a rest, but I'm going to play [Wednesday] against another lefty. The more at-bats you can see and get under your belt, the more confident you're going to feel at the plate."

Speaking of confidence-builders, John Halama got one of his own in this one. Thrust into the rotation with both Curt Schilling and David Wells on the disabled list, Halama came up large in his first start of 2005, going five innings and allowing four hits and two runs while picking up the win. This performance was a perfect demonstration of why the Sox acquired Halama in December. He can thrive in a variety of roles and has the perfect demeanor to bounce from one role to the other.

"He knows how to pitch," said Francona. "He can add and subtract [speeds], he can locate. He doesn't get flustered. He's a pro. He's been a pro, he'll be a pro. And he'll give you some really good outings."

It is World War III around the house these days! Between the Benadryl I have to take every 6 hours and the eye drops mom puts in my ears twice a day, it is DEFINITELY NOT a dog's life. Day 2 of the Allergy Wars - ggrrroowwllll......

Just got back from the vet and I have allergies!!!!!!!! I have to have drops put in my ears twice a day, and if I don't stop scratching and itching, I will have to take BABY BENADRYL!!!!! When will spring go away?????

Are we panicking yet? Steady everyone, there's no need to send up the white flags now. It's been a brutal last few weeks for the Red Sox, but there's no cause for alarm. At least, not yet.

It appears that the foot injury to David Wells will keep him out of action from 4-8 weeks. Curt Schilling's ankle injury, which occurred in his last start at Tampa Bay, is believed not to be directly related to the place where he had the surgery last November. He may only be out for about 2 weeks. It is more important to have them healthy in August and September, for hopefully October.

The Red Sox have given up a four run lead to Tampa Bay and a five run lead to Baltimore and lost both games. Keith Foulke looked like he was pitching batting practice in giving up those two two-run home runs to the Orioles last Tuesday night.It looks dismal, but my calendar says today is April 29. Trust me on this one: the Red Sox will be fine. After what happened last year (being without Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon for the first two months), they can weather this storm. Every game is important, but they still have 141 games to play.

I've heard the excuses for why the Red Sox haven't played well. World championship hangover. Johnny Damon's been in the media too much. Curt Schilling came back too soon. They shouldn't have let Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe leave. You can believe any or all the excuses being made for the less-than-stellar play. Fortunately the Yankees are playing much worse than the Red Sox now. How long that will continue is anyone's guess. I believe the Yankees have too much talent to be at or near the basement for too much longer. However, I never bought into the hype that they were shoo-ins for the division title (I still think the Sox will win it) or to win 100 games. Their problems, especially in their rotation and bullpen, aren't going to go away any time soon. Can they still make the playoffs? Sure. But I still believe they are on a downward slope, and their glory days are currently in the rearview mirror.

The Orioles are currently in first place, and have been impressive in the first month of the season. They have one of the best balanced lineups in the game, and Brian Roberts has been nothing short of phenomenal. They have a good bullpen, but if their starting pitching can hold up through the summer (and that's a big question), a playoff run isn't out of the question. The Blue Jays are a better team than they were last year, but they are not a playoff contender just yet. I've been impressed with rookie starter Gustavo Chacin, who's won 4 games so far.
He and Roy Halladay can make an impressive 1-2 combo in their rotation. Miguel Batista, who I've always liked, has been very good as a closer, with 6 saves so far. The Jays have been better, even with the loss of Carlos Delgado. I don't see them hanging around the playoff race however.The Devil Rays?

I still think there's hope for the franchise, but they have to find an owner willing to spend money. They have lots of talented young players, but need some veterans (not ones who are just barely hanging on). I have to admit I was impressed with the fact that after being pummeled by the Yankees 19-8 (could be a bad omen for the Yankees; remember last October 16?), they came right back and beat them and Randy Johnson, 6-2, the next night. They just need some better middle caliber players in order to take the next step (not to mention some decent starting pitching).Losing two of three to Tampa Bay is of course, tough to swallow, and in many ways, unacceptable.

This is clearly a tougher division in 2005, and the Yankees and Red Sox finishing in the top two spots is not a guaranteed thing. The injury bug has hit the Red Sox hard, and now for the time being the Sox will have long reliever John Halama and former Devil Ray Jeremi Gonzalez in the rotation until Wade Miller is set to make his Red Sox debut. The news on Miller is very good, as he pitched five shutout innings for Pawtucket on Thursday night. It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox will activate him sooner than expected. I do believe they will have to give him at least another start at AAA before he joins the Sox.The overall play of the Sox has been at times lackluster. Mark Bellhorn looks like a cinch to strike out 200 times, and Edgar Renteria is hitting into double plays at a Jim Rice-like pace. Alan Embree has given up two crucial home runs that have either led to or lost games. And Keith Foulke? He looks totally lost compared to the dominant closer he was for most of 2004. Still, I don't panic in the month of April. The Yankees are currently behind the Red Sox, and the Orioles are holding on to first place. Anyone want to bet that changes before long?

There are of course, many positive signs. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz have both busted out and belted some memorable home runs, and Johnny Damon has hit well since the season started. (He doesn't look distracted to me.)2005 will be a very different season than the Sox world championship season of 2004. Can they win it all again? I believe so. But just stay calm everyone.As they say about baseball, "It's a marathon, not a sprint.

"Before I go, here's a comforting thought. I was watching the local sports news last night, and they talked about the New Jersey Nets losing to Miami and going down 0-3 in their opening round NBA series. (I think you may know where I'm going with this.) Jason Collins of the Nets was asked about being down and possibly coming back from 0-3 in the series."The Red Sox did it. So there is a precedent to it."The sportscaster seemed a little annoyed by that and said, "They're still talking about what Boston did last year."The legacy of October of 2004. It's a beautiful thing. But now back to our regularly scheduled program: the 2005 season, already in progress

Written by John Brian Quinn, Brooklyn Sox fan on the Born Into It.com website

..please visit my friend at his website..he has a cutie pie of a Boston Terrier also!:) Go Sawk!!!!

OK people! time to get back out there and shape up for summer! I am MY trim self (mom feeds me well, but walks me regularly), but I see some of you, and well, along with mom, could stand to shed a few...if you want to log in here for support and questions answered, I can help:)

OK everytone! It's bathing suit time! WOOF!!!

Hi Guys!

it's Bailey, or Bails, or Butthead...depending on how my mom is feeling.....we will BOTH be posting and hosting:)

So, whatever you want to talk about, we're here..politics, sports, world events..we watch it all and talk about it all (even together)..

Have a great Tuesday! WOOF! Go Sox! Beat Detroit!

Bailey