Monday, August 28, 2006
The politics surrounding John L.
One of things that is often discussed, but rarely written about is how the Michigan State football coaching job can be as much about politics as it can be about winning or losing. But Joe Rexrode takes a nice swing at it in yesterday's Lansing State Journal.
He (Smith) was asked Friday if he was referring then to one of two things: unfavorable media coverage or the political climate within MSU's walls. "A little bit of both," he said, before adding: "I don't think the media is much tougher here than anywhere else. I think 90 percent of the media is fair." But he also noticed the string of anonymously sourced assertions put forth this summer by a Detroit newspaper columnist: that MSU administrators have set eight wins as the mark Smith must reach to keep his job (a claim they vehemently deny); that MSU administrators have put feelers out to possible replacements should John L. stumble, including former player Pat Shurmur (no one will admit it); that a "power struggle" took place between the Board of Trustees and Lou Anna Simon over a contract extension for athletic director Ron Mason, who hired Smith. That one got the MSU people all fired up. "Nonsense. Flat-out baloney. I went ballistic when I saw that," said Trustee Dee Cook, R-Greenville. "It was a complete fabrication. Who is giving (the columnist) his information? It's bad information. "I wish I knew, but I know this: Someone out there is definitely trying to manipulate something."
The Lansing State Journal also note that John L. is getting along with Joel Ferguson these days.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Get ready to Sparty
Michigan State kicks off its football season Saturday with the usual melodrama -- coaching security. The Freep backs into justifying the speculation with this:
Beat reporter Shannon Shelton does a very good job with the rest of the story, building a good case for why John L. is in trouble. And that makes the decision to introduce the preseason magazines disappointing. She doesn't need the cover that paragraph provides. She's the authority, and everything she reported is rock solid. And please, no anti-MSU bias rants here. I love my Spartans. And Shelton is right on the money with the speculation.
Spartan students, fans and alumni are all questioning the coach. I think he's a good coach who needed to learn the importance of recruiting Big 10 caliber athletes instead of trying to coach up MAC players. He's going after the right recruits now. And if he succeeds, MSU will be in very good shape. I'm willing to give him two more seasons to see how he does.
Nearly every preseason college football article has Smith as one of the Division I-A coaches most likely to lose his job if he doesn't deliver a winning season. The goodwill that he earned from turning around a turmoil-filled program to an 8-5 record in 2003 gave him a pass the following season, when MSU finished 5-7. But patience evaporated after the Spartans' meltdown in 2005. MSU started the season 4-0 before finishing 5-6.
Beat reporter Shannon Shelton does a very good job with the rest of the story, building a good case for why John L. is in trouble. And that makes the decision to introduce the preseason magazines disappointing. She doesn't need the cover that paragraph provides. She's the authority, and everything she reported is rock solid. And please, no anti-MSU bias rants here. I love my Spartans. And Shelton is right on the money with the speculation.
Spartan students, fans and alumni are all questioning the coach. I think he's a good coach who needed to learn the importance of recruiting Big 10 caliber athletes instead of trying to coach up MAC players. He's going after the right recruits now. And if he succeeds, MSU will be in very good shape. I'm willing to give him two more seasons to see how he does.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Airport security update
Just finished up two days of travel and had a pretty easy time with security.
The trip was a series of three one-way tickets, which made for an interesting experiment. Would I be automatically flagged for extra security, or would I skate through without raising any eyebrows?
Friday
Flight One -- 6 a.m. Jet Blue flight from Boston (Logan) to New York (JFK).
I arrived at Terminal C via Logan Express -- definitely the way to go -- at 4:30 a.m. and checked in at the kiosk. Jet Blue's kiosk is very straightforward and issued boarding pass. I looked down at it and was pleasantly surpised to see that I hadn't been selected for extra screening. (If you're selected for extra screening, you'll see an SSSSS on your boarding pass). I figured I could get toothpaste and shaving cream at my destination, so I was travelling with just a carry-on and a briefcase. And the security checkpoint was a breeze. Stood in line for about five minutes and just had to take the shoes off and the computer out.
The scene beyond the checkpoint was comical. Loads of grown men and women gulping down their coffees because they're not allowed onboard. Just too funny. And to a certain degree, pretty sad. The question that needs to be anwered is if the drinks and liquids sold beyond the security checkpoint pose a security risk to the airplane, then don't they pose a security risk to the airport?
Flight 2 1:49 p.m. ATA flight from New York (LGA) to Chicago (MDW)
Arrived at the airport at 12:50 p.m. and tried to check in at the kiosk, but the ATA machine wouldn't accept my Southwest confirmation code (flight was a code-share) so I had to check in with a ticket agent. And sure enough, my boarding pass had the dreaded SSSSS. I stood in line for about two minutes and went through the extra screening without a problem. The TSA staff was quick and professional, and I made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. But about 10 minutes before boarding started, ATA announced that there would be secondary screening for each passenger before boarding the aircraft. Four TSA officials set up a series of tables at the gate, and each passenger had to open their bag to show that no liquids or gels were being brought aboard the aircraft. Once again, the TSA officials were very efficient and boarding went smoothly. And they gave people who had undergone extra security a break by barely looking in those bags.
Saturday
Flight 3 4:20 p.m. Southwest (MDW) to Providence (PVD)
The kiosk worked for me this time and I landed another clean boarding pass. There was no line at security, but the TSA x-ray screener couldn't identify a convention tchotsky I'd picked up, so I had to undergo additional screening again. Once again, the TSA staff was very quick and I made it to the gate well in advance of my boarding time.
Conclusion
So does checking in online or via a kiosk decreased your chances for being hit for extra screening? I think so. And it's not just based on this last trip. In my experience -- and I fly regularly -- I rarely get extra screening while checking in electronically. And I always get extra screening if I check in with an agent.
The trip was a series of three one-way tickets, which made for an interesting experiment. Would I be automatically flagged for extra security, or would I skate through without raising any eyebrows?
Friday
Flight One -- 6 a.m. Jet Blue flight from Boston (Logan) to New York (JFK).
I arrived at Terminal C via Logan Express -- definitely the way to go -- at 4:30 a.m. and checked in at the kiosk. Jet Blue's kiosk is very straightforward and issued boarding pass. I looked down at it and was pleasantly surpised to see that I hadn't been selected for extra screening. (If you're selected for extra screening, you'll see an SSSSS on your boarding pass). I figured I could get toothpaste and shaving cream at my destination, so I was travelling with just a carry-on and a briefcase. And the security checkpoint was a breeze. Stood in line for about five minutes and just had to take the shoes off and the computer out.
The scene beyond the checkpoint was comical. Loads of grown men and women gulping down their coffees because they're not allowed onboard. Just too funny. And to a certain degree, pretty sad. The question that needs to be anwered is if the drinks and liquids sold beyond the security checkpoint pose a security risk to the airplane, then don't they pose a security risk to the airport?
Flight 2 1:49 p.m. ATA flight from New York (LGA) to Chicago (MDW)
Arrived at the airport at 12:50 p.m. and tried to check in at the kiosk, but the ATA machine wouldn't accept my Southwest confirmation code (flight was a code-share) so I had to check in with a ticket agent. And sure enough, my boarding pass had the dreaded SSSSS. I stood in line for about two minutes and went through the extra screening without a problem. The TSA staff was quick and professional, and I made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. But about 10 minutes before boarding started, ATA announced that there would be secondary screening for each passenger before boarding the aircraft. Four TSA officials set up a series of tables at the gate, and each passenger had to open their bag to show that no liquids or gels were being brought aboard the aircraft. Once again, the TSA officials were very efficient and boarding went smoothly. And they gave people who had undergone extra security a break by barely looking in those bags.
Saturday
Flight 3 4:20 p.m. Southwest (MDW) to Providence (PVD)
The kiosk worked for me this time and I landed another clean boarding pass. There was no line at security, but the TSA x-ray screener couldn't identify a convention tchotsky I'd picked up, so I had to undergo additional screening again. Once again, the TSA staff was very quick and I made it to the gate well in advance of my boarding time.
Conclusion
So does checking in online or via a kiosk decreased your chances for being hit for extra screening? I think so. And it's not just based on this last trip. In my experience -- and I fly regularly -- I rarely get extra screening while checking in electronically. And I always get extra screening if I check in with an agent.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Wading into the Macaca
I don't care if Sen. George Allen is a racist. And I don't care what he meant by using the word macaca to describe S.R. Sidarth at a political rally. It's what he said after singling out Sidarth that has me steamed.
In less than thirty seconds, Allen introduced a very divisive and ugly sentiment into his senate race against Democrat James Webb. He turned the race into an us -- read white Americans -- vs. them -- read colored people -- affair.
It apparently nevered occurred to Allen that Sidarth might be an American. Or that a brown-skinned person could love America as much as a caucasian.
And if you're reading this and still asking what the big deal is, I offer one more thought. Allen is a bully. He took on a young intern to score some cheap political points in a speech. And we should expect and demand better than that from our elected officials.
Let's give a welcome to macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia. (emphasis added)
In less than thirty seconds, Allen introduced a very divisive and ugly sentiment into his senate race against Democrat James Webb. He turned the race into an us -- read white Americans -- vs. them -- read colored people -- affair.
It apparently nevered occurred to Allen that Sidarth might be an American. Or that a brown-skinned person could love America as much as a caucasian.
And if you're reading this and still asking what the big deal is, I offer one more thought. Allen is a bully. He took on a young intern to score some cheap political points in a speech. And we should expect and demand better than that from our elected officials.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
How did they lose that?!
NASA has lost their original tape of the first moon landing. That's right, they've lost it. NASA has been searching for the tape for over a year with no luck. And the kicker from the friendly NASA official who talked to Reuters:
Hautaloma said it is possible the tapes will be unplayable if they are found because they have degraded significantly over the years -- a problem common to magnetic tape and other recordable media.
Let the conspiracy theories roll.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Golfing on steroids
With all the steroids currently in sports, it's quite natural to wonder if the drug has penetrated the world of golf. As the New York Times muses:
Professional golf finds itself in an unusual position on the sports landscape. Players call penalties on themselves, sometimes costing themselves strokes, victories and money. Cheating is seen as the worst possible sin. But as golf courses grow longer in an effort to combat gains achieved through equipment and fitness, some players openly wonder if golf might follow the perilous path of baseball, where home run chases in the late 1990's may have obscured a darker truth.
Golfers are a facing enormous financial and competitive challenges that can drive them to steroids. Short hitters are staring at courses that are being lengthened in an effort negate the power of Tiger Woods and other prodigiouss hitters. A little extra length off the tee for a short hitter could be the difference between being competitive and struggling to keep his tour card . In addition, golf has become big-money game that markets its power players. PGA pro Joe Oglive is convinced this is a recipe for disaster.
Golf, which doesn't have a testing system in place right now, would be wise to invest in one quickly. As we've learned from other sports, it's much better to be ahead of this curve than behind it.
We market the long ball. We market the guys who hit it 300 yards. If that's your message, and people see that beginning at the high school level, I think as a tour it is very naive to think that somebody down the line won't cheat. As it gets more popular and the zeroes continue to grow to the left of the decimal point, I don't think there is any doubt that there will be cheaters. Golf is all about length, and the U.S.G.A., the P.G.A. of America and, to a certain extent, the PGA Tour are perpetuating it by blindly lengthening every golf course. It doesn't seem like they have a whole lot of rhyme or reason.
Golf, which doesn't have a testing system in place right now, would be wise to invest in one quickly. As we've learned from other sports, it's much better to be ahead of this curve than behind it.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Israel/Lebanon winners and losers
WashPost has a nice piece on the early winners and losers in this latest round of fighting in the Mideast.
Winners:
Winners:
- Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah for fighting the war to a standstill.
- Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora who managed to strengthen his nascent government and leadership.
- Israel. Didn't recapture its soldiers. War now being considered a debacle in Israel.
- U.S. Lost credibility in the region by waiting to broker a deal it could have had in the beginning and insulting the region at the same time with patronizing remarks like the "birth pangs" of a new Middle East.
- Lebanon. Millions of refugees and massive destruction to the southern part of the country.
Malkin flies the coop...we think
Looks like Evgeni Malkin meant it when he said he wanted to play in the NHL this year. He's disappeared from Metallurg's training camp in Finland and is nowhere to be found ... yet. His Russian coaches clearly expect him to show up next in a Pittsburgh jersey (never mind the fact that he signed a new contract with Metallurg last week). And Metallurg Director Gennady Velichkin is pissed off about it. "They all like to talk about democracy, the American way and then they shamelessly steal our best players. This is pure sports terrorism," said the bitter Velichkin. And who can blame him. Malkin was the crown jewel of his organization and a budding international superstar. Now there's no Malkin and probably no whiff at anything beyond the standard $200,000 transfer fee. We'll see what Malkin has to say when he resurfaces.
Peace plans need reality check
The good news is a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah will take effect Monday. The bad news is there is no chance for a lasting peace because the politics of the Mideast differ radically from the reality of the Mideast.
The politics of the region have the U.S. and Israel classifying Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations while the rest of the Mideast views them as freedom fighters. But the reality of the situation is decidedly murkier. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are integral parts of the social fabrics of Lebanon and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They are the social institutions that take care of their people because their governments can't or are unable to. Hezbollah provides money for health insurance and food for the hungry. Hamas cleans the streets, fixes the sewers and keeps the community running. They both provide money for education and take care of people who have fallen through the cracks.
In southern Lebanon, allegiance to Hezbollah is much higher that it is towards the government because Hezbollah takes care of them. And Hamas has done much to affect the daily lives of Palestinians, and they are grateful for it.
Given these realities, it is completely understandable that the Palestinians would elect Hamas to power and that Hezbollah would draw strong support from the Shiites of southern Lebanon. To think otherwise is preposterous.
Yet we had peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians that couldn't fathom the concept of Hamas winning free and fair elections. Why? Politics. It was easier to ignore and forget about Hamas' political and social clout than it was to create a political reality that included them. And as a result, we have a stalled peace plan and Israel building fences and trenches. Now, we're on our way to a peace plan that doesn't recognize the Hezbollah's political and social clout -- or the fact that they'll rebuild southern Lebanon faster and more effectively than the government will. So much for Olmert's call for Hezbollah to stop existing "as a state within a state."
The politics of the region have the U.S. and Israel classifying Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations while the rest of the Mideast views them as freedom fighters. But the reality of the situation is decidedly murkier. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are integral parts of the social fabrics of Lebanon and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They are the social institutions that take care of their people because their governments can't or are unable to. Hezbollah provides money for health insurance and food for the hungry. Hamas cleans the streets, fixes the sewers and keeps the community running. They both provide money for education and take care of people who have fallen through the cracks.
In southern Lebanon, allegiance to Hezbollah is much higher that it is towards the government because Hezbollah takes care of them. And Hamas has done much to affect the daily lives of Palestinians, and they are grateful for it.
Given these realities, it is completely understandable that the Palestinians would elect Hamas to power and that Hezbollah would draw strong support from the Shiites of southern Lebanon. To think otherwise is preposterous.
Yet we had peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians that couldn't fathom the concept of Hamas winning free and fair elections. Why? Politics. It was easier to ignore and forget about Hamas' political and social clout than it was to create a political reality that included them. And as a result, we have a stalled peace plan and Israel building fences and trenches. Now, we're on our way to a peace plan that doesn't recognize the Hezbollah's political and social clout -- or the fact that they'll rebuild southern Lebanon faster and more effectively than the government will. So much for Olmert's call for Hezbollah to stop existing "as a state within a state."
Not so Sterling
In the movie Tin Cup, Molly Griswold (Renee Russo) was told repeatedly that her boyfriend, David Simms (Don Johnson), was only nice in the public eye and, in reality, hated dogs, kids and old people. Well, it looks like Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has a bit of Simms in him.
The DOJ is suing the real estate mogul for housing discrimination. They claim that Sterling refused to rent to many tenants in Los Angeles because they were either black or had children. And this isn't the first time Sterling has been sued for housing discrimination. Last year, Sterling settled a case and had to pay $5 million in plaintiff's attorney fees for discriminating against blacks and hispanics. All this coming from a person who makes money by hiring a team of mostly back athletes to play basketball for him. So where's the outrage? Where are the people screaming if they're good enough to play basketball for you, why can't they live in your houses?
This case has barely made a blip on the national sports scene. I stumbled on it when Bomani Jones addressed the issue for ESPN's Page 2. Jones rightly wonders why this isn't big news. Why did the ESPNs, New York Times and L.A. Times of the world jump all over the Maurice Clarett story and not this?
David Stern and many NBA players have missed the boat as well. They should be jumping up and down with outrage and demand that something be done, that someone be held accountable. Housing discrimination is a serious issue. It is an individual or organization behaving in a systematic matter to keep a certain class of people from obtaining housing. That's not acceptable in America, and that most definitely shouldn't be acceptable in the NBA. But nobody is opening their mouths to say so. And that's even worse.
The DOJ is suing the real estate mogul for housing discrimination. They claim that Sterling refused to rent to many tenants in Los Angeles because they were either black or had children. And this isn't the first time Sterling has been sued for housing discrimination. Last year, Sterling settled a case and had to pay $5 million in plaintiff's attorney fees for discriminating against blacks and hispanics. All this coming from a person who makes money by hiring a team of mostly back athletes to play basketball for him. So where's the outrage? Where are the people screaming if they're good enough to play basketball for you, why can't they live in your houses?
This case has barely made a blip on the national sports scene. I stumbled on it when Bomani Jones addressed the issue for ESPN's Page 2. Jones rightly wonders why this isn't big news. Why did the ESPNs, New York Times and L.A. Times of the world jump all over the Maurice Clarett story and not this?
David Stern and many NBA players have missed the boat as well. They should be jumping up and down with outrage and demand that something be done, that someone be held accountable. Housing discrimination is a serious issue. It is an individual or organization behaving in a systematic matter to keep a certain class of people from obtaining housing. That's not acceptable in America, and that most definitely shouldn't be acceptable in the NBA. But nobody is opening their mouths to say so. And that's even worse.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Back to work
This blog's 8 month hiatus is officially over. There I've said it. Now it's time to get back to work in the Punditocracy. Some things have changed quite a bit this year -- the Detroit Tigers (the Tigers!) are first place, Harry Sinden is no longer running the Bruins and Israel has declared war on the Hezbollah. And some things haven't changed a bit -- Bush still doesn't know what his foreign policy is, elections don't guarantee democracy and Michigan State's defense is still a question mark entering fall practice. Sigh. All right, let's take these one at a time -- and one entry at a time. Up first ....
Deeeetroit Baseballllllllllll
Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland deserve full marks for making summer fun again in the 'D.' As USAT's Hal Bodley notes, Dombrowski was widely considered a baseball genius until he landed in Detroit. Then his team's lost 106 games in 2002, 119 in 2003, 90 in 2004 and 91 in 2005 and people wondered what happened his to remarkable touch. Well, here's what happened. He rebuilt the farm system. He developed good young pitchers (Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, etc.) to take advantage of spacious Comerica Park. He's found hitters who can take advantage of the ATM's dimensions rather than complain about lost home runs. And he hired Jim Leyland to run it all. Now all of his efforts have come to fruition, and he can enjoy this great regular season run. That's right, I said regular season season run. Detroit's pitchers are too young to sustain a deep playoff run. They are already resting Verlander, 23, to try and prevent a sore arm and it's only August. Bonderman, also 23, is just getting his first taste of success after being thrown to the wolves during his first three seasons in the bigs. And Joel Zumaya is just 21. It's been a magical season so far, but it looks like the Tigers are about to join the Pistons and the Wings as Detroit teams who have won regular season crowns, but fallen short in the playoffs.
Deeeetroit Baseballllllllllll
Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland deserve full marks for making summer fun again in the 'D.' As USAT's Hal Bodley notes, Dombrowski was widely considered a baseball genius until he landed in Detroit. Then his team's lost 106 games in 2002, 119 in 2003, 90 in 2004 and 91 in 2005 and people wondered what happened his to remarkable touch. Well, here's what happened. He rebuilt the farm system. He developed good young pitchers (Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, etc.) to take advantage of spacious Comerica Park. He's found hitters who can take advantage of the ATM's dimensions rather than complain about lost home runs. And he hired Jim Leyland to run it all. Now all of his efforts have come to fruition, and he can enjoy this great regular season run. That's right, I said regular season season run. Detroit's pitchers are too young to sustain a deep playoff run. They are already resting Verlander, 23, to try and prevent a sore arm and it's only August. Bonderman, also 23, is just getting his first taste of success after being thrown to the wolves during his first three seasons in the bigs. And Joel Zumaya is just 21. It's been a magical season so far, but it looks like the Tigers are about to join the Pistons and the Wings as Detroit teams who have won regular season crowns, but fallen short in the playoffs.
