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September 30, 2006
What can we do?
As I sit here in a windowless office in Evanston, Illinois,
I am filled with frustation and a desire to to something to change the
course of our country. We have an administration and Congress that is more
interested in keeping their jobs than performing them. We have
catch-phrases such as "Mission Accomplished", "Stay the Course", "Cut and
Run" thrown at us, as though the complex issues facing us can be so simply
summarized. It's also insulting to the American people that the President
and his cronies don't seem to think we can understand the truth. Either
that's the case or the administration itself doesn't understand the
consequences of their actions.
In response to the blatantly obvious statement that the
war in Iraq is aiding in the recruitment of terrorists, the President said
that we don't make terrorists by fighting terrorists. Yes, that might be
true. If we can arrest or kill the leaders of terrorists organizations we
can weaken their resolve and abilities to operate. But, if in doing so we
injury and kill civilians, we haven't accomplished anything. The use of the
term "collateral damage" is simply a euphemism invented to disguise the
truth. Whenever you hear the term, you should think about what it really
means. The death of a mother. A father. A son. A daughter. They are not
collateral. They are people. People who had hopes and dreams. People
unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of a war, a war they didn't
want. A war we didn't have to fight.
Imagine yourself in that situation. Imagine waking up to an explosion and a
thickening cloud of dust. Imagine running through your now demolished home
and finding your parents bloodied, unconscious and dying. What would you
do? How would you accept the explanation that your parents were collateral
damage? That they were innocent victims, we're terribly sorry but that's
what happens in war. What would you do? Would you just accept that apology?
Or would you want to avenge your parents' deaths? Sure, there may have been
some bad guys in the neighborhood, but those bad guys wouldn't have been
there if the good guys hadn't invaded.
Imagine that a "Coalition of Willing" European, Asian, African, and
American nations decided that a regime change was needed in the United
States and accomplished this through military force. What would you do?
Would you sit idle, accepting the propoganda of the invading force? Or
would you fight back? What if the invasion led to the deaths of your loved
ones? Could you accept their loss as simpliy collateral damage? I know for
sure that I certainly could not.
I surely haven't disguised my disgust for our current President, but if our
nation were invaded I certainly would do whatever I could to fend off the
occupiers and fight for him. What do you think is going on in Iraq?
So, what can we do? On November 7, 2006 we have a chance to bring about a
major change in our nation's leadership. We need to vote out everyone who
voted "Yea" on the recent detainee legislation and vote out everyone who voted
"Yea" on renewing the Patriot Act. Let's vote for people who will be more
thoughtful and understand that the sacrifice of civil liberties for
security means victory for the terrorists.
September 25, 2006
Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terrorism Threat
| WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 — A stark
assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found
that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new
generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has
grown since the Sept. 11 attacks. |
Well, like, duh.
Read the full New York Times story
September 22, 2006
Journalists aren't always heroes
Recently San Francisco Chronicle journalists Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance
Williams were sentenced to 18 months in prison for refusing to reveal the
source a grand jury leak involving the Balco case. They and people such as
Wright Thompson at ESPN have gotten on a high horse
proclaiming first amendment protections and attempting to portray
journalists as crusaders for truth. While that may be true in many cases,
Fainaru-Wada and Williams certainly were motivated by more than pursuit of
the truth. Just check out their book deal from the whole scenario.
I certainly believe in first amendment rights, but I also believe in
innocent until proven guilty. The reason for secrecy of grand juries is to
protect the accused from having their names soiled in the public arena.
When journalists get inside information from a grand jury and decide to run
with it they are violating the rights of the accused. Why did they choose
to write and publish about this story? Because they knew it would be big,
get their names in lights, and make them a lot of money. In some cases I
would likely choose to side with the journalists, but not in this case.
I wonder how Thompson, Fainaur-Wada, or Williams might feel if a grand jury
were held to decide if there was enough evidence to try them for some
terrible crime, such as rape. What if another journalist obtains inside
information about the grand jury and publishes a story about it. Their
names have now been sullied and employment opportunities diminished, even
if the grand jury decides not to indict.
I certainly believe in a free press, but those responsible for our press
must look at the consequences of their actions. If Barry Bonds is indeed
guilty of lying to the grand jury or of using steroids, that will
eventually come to light. Until then, there is no need to drag his name
through the mud. I wrote a blurb about this when the book, Game of Shadows,
first came out condenming Bonds. If I had known the source of the
information I probably would have remained silent on the issue. If these
journalists were truly interested in making the world a better place, then
why are the reporting on steroid use in baseball? There are certainly more
meaningful things to report on, such as the atrocities being committed by
the Bush administration. Journalists are an important part of our
democracy, but that does not put them above the law, even if they feel that
law is unfair or flawed. If they feel that way, then report on that and try
to get it changed. That's the way a journalist with integrity would go
about it.
September 20, 2006
Football Update Six
K-League
September 16, 2006 Jeju 0 - 0 Pohang
Pohang, playing on my birthday, managed a positive results by getting a
point in the road at Jeju. Pohang now has 8 points from a 2-1-2 record and
are in sixth place in the league table. Their next match is Saturday at
home against Seongnam, the team that won the first stage.
English Premier League
September 16, 2006 Watford 0 - 0 Aston Villa
In another match played on my birthday, Aston Villa won a point by playing
to a scoreless draw at Watford. However, reports indicate they should have
easily won the match. No Villa players were shown cards. After five games,
Aston Villa stands in fifth place with 9 points on a 2-0-3 record and a +3
goal differential. Their next game is today in a Carling Cup match at
Scunthorpe. The next league match is Saturday at home versus Charlton.
Bundesliga
September 16, 2006 Werder Bremen 2 - 3 Stuttgart
Stuttgart also played on my birthday, defeating Werder Bremen 2-3 on the
road. Roberto Hilbert scored 2 goals, one for Werder Bremen (4') and one for
Stuttgart (38'). Pavel Pardo tied the score at 2 in the 58th minute and
Mario Gomez gave Stuttgart the winning goal in the 87th minute. Yellow
cards were shown to Daniel Bierofka (40'), Antonio da Silva (82'), and
Marco Streller (84'). The win leaves Stuttgart in 11th place with a 2-2-0
record, six points, and a -3 goal differential. Their next match is at
home against Eintracht Frankfurt.
La Liga
September 17, 2006 Racing Santander 0 - 3 Barcelona
Barcelona once again easily outmatched an opponent, this time Racing
Santander. Samuel Eto'o scored the first goal in the 18th minute, his 3rd
in league play. Ludovic scored his first of the year in the 84th minute,
and Ronaldihno scored his second of the year on a penalty kick in the 90th
minute. Once again, Barcelona did have a player booked, making it three
games. Barcelona is tied for first in the league table with a 3-0-0 record, 9
points, and a +7 goal differential. Their next match is Sunday at home
against Valencia.
Serie A
September 17, 2006 Udinese 2 - 0 Torino
Torino's first road match of the year ended in a disappointing loss to
Udinese. Diego De Ascentis was shown a yellow card in the 49th minute. The
result leaves Torino in tie for eleventh place with 1 point from a 0-1-1
record. Their next match is today at home against Siena.
September 19, 2006
Modern Day Statesmen: Not Extinct After All?
Several Republicans have refused to rubber-stamp a proposal by Bush's White House to allow the CIA to
continue alternative interrogation techniques. Their names: John Warner (R-VA), John McCain (R-AZ),
and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Their questioning of the White House may have led to changes in the wording
of the proposal, but let's hope they don't compromise on this issue.
Essentially, Bush wants to continue defying the Geneva Conventions as well as perpetuate human rights
violations. He claims that if Congress doesn't pass the White House legislation then he would stop the
CIA interrogation program. However, he also claims this program has helped thwart terrorists attacks.
So, Bush is playing politics with human lives. If he doesn't get his way, he's willing to pull the plug on a program he says is
necessary to save American lives. If he does get his way, he's willing to keep torturing human beings in the name of our
national security. Let's hope he doesn't get his way, because his proposal will not help save American
lives, but actually put us and our
soldiers in greater peril. He has already guaranteed that our country will never be safe in my
lifetime by creating terrorist breeding grounds in Iraq and Lebanon (by not insisting that Israel
stop killing innocent civilians).
Mr. Warner, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Graham can do a great service to our country by continuing their stand
against Bush. Are they Statesmen? We will find out soon.
September 15, 2006
Football Update Five
K-League
September 9, 2006 Pohang 2 - 1 Chunnam
Pohang beat Chunnam, a side that had dominated the Steelers recently. The
win leaves Pohang in fourth place with a 2-1-1 record, 7 points and a 0
goal differential. Their next match is September 16 at Peju, a club Pohang
beat at home at their last meeting.
La Liga
September 9, 2006 Barcelona 3 - 0 Osasuna
Barcelona easily outmatched Osasuna, with Samuel Eto'o scoring in the second
minute and 25 minutes later added another goal. Leo Messi added the final
goal in the 37th minute. After that, the game action slowed although
Barcelona did twice come close to adding a fourth goal in the second half.
No Barcelona players were booked in the match. Barcelona is now in second
place in the league table with 6 points (2-0-0) and a +4 goal differential.
The next league game is Sunday at Racing Santander.
September 12, 2006 Barcelona 5 - 0 Levski Sofia
Barcelona began their Champions League crown defense in fine fashion, with
Andres Iniesta (7'), Ludovic Guily (39'), Carles Puyol (49'), Samuel Eto'o
(58'), and Ronaldinho (90') all scoring goals. And for the second
consecutive match, no Barcelona players were booked. However, with such a
demanding lead I do wonder why stars Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho were still
on the pitch risking injury with another match coming up in five days.
English Premier League
September 10, 2006 West Ham 1 - 1 Aston Villa
Things once again started out very well for Villa, as Liam Ridgewell scored
in the 4th minute. However, in the 8th minute of the second period West Ham
scored the equaliser to close the scoring for the match. Yellow cards were
shown to Gareth Barry and Gavin McCann. Villa now stands in fifth place
with a 2-0-2 record and 8 points. Their next league match is Saturday, September
16 at Watford.
Serie A
September 10, 2006 Torino 1 - 1 Parma
After all the controversy and delays, the Italian Serie A finally began
their season on September 9, with Torino's first game coming the next day. All the scoring occurred in the second half, with Parma striking first in
the 55th minute. Things were looking bleak for the home team until Roberto
Stellone scored in the 89th minute. Yellow cards were shown to the hero
Roberto Stellone earlier in the match and Simone Barone in the 90th minute.
Torino now stands in two way tie for ninth place with 1 point from a 0-0-1
record. Their next match is at Udinese on September 17th.
September 12, 2006
The Quiet End of an Era
In 1991, the Atlanta Braves had an unforgettable season, at least for a kid
who became a teenager during the final September stretch of that year. I
had always cheered for the Braves, no matter how bad they were. To be
honest, I didn't fully grasp just how bad they had been. In 1990, they had the
worst record in all of baseball at 65-97, so very few people held hope for
a World Series appearance, let alone championship, for the 1991 campaign.
But several things happened in 1990 that allowed for the string of titles the
Braves accumulated over the next fifteen years. They signed
Terry Pendleton in the offseason. Chipper Jones was the first player
drafted in 1990. Bobby Cox returned to the dugout as manager. And a pitcher by the name of Steve Avery made his first
major league appearance. Let's take a look at some of the highlights as
remembered by a fan.
1991 April started as so many previous seasons had: a sub .500 8-10
record. However, this was followed by an excellent May that saw them go
17-9, but by the All-Star Break they were 9 games out of first and a game
under .500. Then something happened. A torrid second half saw them go 55-28
and battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for the Western Division Title
(that's right, the Braves
used to be in the Western Division, back when there were only two per
league). The race that wasn't decided until the next to last day of the season.
During that stretch the Braves completed the first combined no-hitter when
Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers, and Alejandro Pena all held the San Diego
Padres hitless.
On October 5,
John Smoltz, the only player present for all 14 division titles, pitched a
complete game, winning 5-2. The out that clinched the first division title came when Andujar Cedeno lifted a
fly ball to right
that landed in the glove of David Justice.
My favorite player at the time,
Ron Gant, hit a homerun in that game. Of all the titles, 1991 was probably
the most exciting. Tom Glavine won the Cy Young, Terry Pendleton won the NL
MVP and batting title, and Bobby Cox was manager of the year. Steve Avery gave an MVP performance in the Braves 7
game series triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the NL Pennant. In
the best World Series I've ever seen, the Minnesota Twins won game 7, the
best World Series game I've ever seen, 1-0 in
ten innings. The loss did nothing to tarnish the remarkable season the
Braves had that year.
1992 If 1991 was the most exciting division title won, then 1992 was the most
exciting pennant won. Despite starting the season at 20-27, in last place
and 7 games out, they still found a way to win, foreshadowing the
years to come. They went 78-37 the rest of the season, pulling away to win the
division by 8 games. For me, the most exciting moment in Braves history
would occur in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Pirates. In that home game,
the Braves were down 2-0 going into the bottom of the 9th. Terry Pendleton
doubled to start the inning, followed by an error that allowed David Justice
to reach first and Pendleton to go to third. After Sid Bream walked, Ron
Gant lined a sacrifice fly to left allowing Pendleton to score.
Damon Berryhill walked, then Brian Hunter popped out to the short for the
second out. I remember
watching this game with my Dad. My mom had already gone to bed and I was
sitting on the couch. I think I held my breath for Francisco Cabrera's entire at bat.
After running the count to 2 balls, 1 strike, he lined the fourth pitch
to left field, where it fell in front of a charging Barry Bonds. Justice
easily scored, but as to whether Bream could score from second on two bad
knees brought about the penultimate moment in the division title run.
Watching him round third, I jumped up, urging him, willing him to beat
Bonds' throw to the plate. The ball arrived before Bream did, but the throw
was slightly off target, up the first baseline, allowing Bream just enough time
and space to slide under the tag. And of course in all the excitement and
commotion, I managed to wake my Mom, who was happy to see that they had won
the game. While the season ended with a 4 games to 2 loss in the World
Series to the Blue Jays, nothing can diminish the memory of that Game 7.
1993 The 1993 division race with the San Francisco Giants (who
signed Barry Bonds in the offseason from the Pirates) was nearly as exciting
as the unexpected 1991 race with the Dodgers. It was the first year for
Greg Maddux as a Brave, and he continued his Cy Young winning ways. The Braves started the season
respectably and had a 50-39 first half record. However, this placed
them 9 games behind the Giants and 10 back on July 22. But
July 20 will always be memorable as that was the first game in a Braves
uniform for Fred McGriff and his swing with its sweeping over the head follow-through.
A pregame fire in the press box added to the excitement.
McGriff hit a homerun in his first game, leading the Braves back from a 5-0
deficit. McGriff's arrival coincided with an incredible 54-19 second half
that allowed the Braves to overtake the Giants, clinching the division with
Tom Glavine's 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. The Giants won 103 games
that season, but the Braves won 104 in the last real division race in major
league baseball. Now, teams have the wild card to fall back on, but in 1993
the Braves and Giants had to play with everything they had. Every single
game in August, September, and October had a play-off atmosphere. It may
be because of that the season ended with a loss to the Phillies in the
NLCS, but nothing can ever replace the excitement and confidence I felt
after they swept the Giants in San Francisco that August, trimming the
Giants lead from to 7.5 to 4.5 games.
1994 The first season in the newly aligned Eastern Divison, The Braves started off well, but the Expos eventually caught
them, leaving the Braves 6 games out before the strike ended the season.
However, as in 1993, I believe the Braves would have put together
another run that would have allowed them to win the division. Kent Mercker
threw a no-hitter against the Dodgers in a season highlight. Greg Maddux
won his second Cy Young with the Braves and third overall after posting a
phenomenal 1.56 ERA with 10 complete games and 202.0 innings pitched, all
league leading totals. But the 1994 strike did leave a sour taste in my
mouth, as it did a lot of other fans.
1995 The year of the World Series championship was when the Braves
began a run of dominance rarely seen and maintained. However, that
dominance did not begin until after another slow start, 23-20 and 5 games
back in third place. They would finish the shortened season at 90-54,
winning the division
by 21 games. The postseason posed little challenge to the Braves, as they
dispatched the Rockies 3-1 in the division series, swept the Reds 4-0 in
the NLCS, but did need six games to defeat Cleveland. The World Series win
was fun and exciting, but after the strike something seemed to be missing.
Greg Maddux once again dominated the league, winning his fourth Cy Young
award. A fellow by the name of Chipper Jones also had an outstanding rookie
season, winning Rookie of the Year honors. A trademark of the 1995 team
was last at bat wins, accumulating 25 victories coming in that manner.
1996 Expectations were high, and anything short of a second World
Series title would seem like a failure. Perhaps that was too much
expectation to put on a team in a city that had just won its first World
Series, but the Braves seemed capable of living up to it. They won the
division by 8 games, John Smoltz won 24 games and the Cy Young, and Andruw
Jones made his debut in August, hitting his first homer in his second
game. The playoffs were more challenging after sweeping the Dodgers in the
division series. They had to overcome a 3-1 deficit to the St. Louis
Cardinals to make it to the World Series. In taking the final three games
of the NLCS, the Braves outscored the Cardinals 32-1. The Braves then
dominated the first two games of the World Series against the Yankees,
winning 12-1 and 4-0, respectively. In Game 1, Andruw Jones homered in his
first two World Series at bats, becoming the second player to do so (Gene
Tenace, 1972). However, after those first two games they just couldn't get
it going again, losing the next four. Of the four World Series losses during
the division title run, this was probably the most disappointing.
1997 The Braves won 101 games and the division by 9 over the Florida
Marlins, winner of the wild card and eventually the World Series. The
Braves had no problems getting past the Astros, sweeping them in the
division series, but the NLCS against the Marlins proved different. In a
controversial Game 5, umpire Eric Gregg seemed to have two different strike
zones, giving Livan Hernandez a much wider zone than Greg Maddux. Overall
the 1997 season was typical of the late 90's teams: dominate in the regular
season, but unable to get a good roll of the dice in the crap shoot that is
now the Major League playoff system.
1998 Yet another dominate season in which two teams joined the
league (Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL and Arizona Diamondbacks as an
expansion team). The Braves won 106 games,
overshadowed by the Yankess 114. The division was won by a
healthy 18 game margin, never in doubt. They swept the Cubs in the division
series before a disappointing 6 game loss to the Padres in the NLCS. I
remember driving down Atlanta Highway near the Alps Road intersection in
Athens, GA when I heard the that Tony Baustita had just made an error in
Game 6. In fact, the entire series was filled with errors for the Braves,
who committed 8 in the six games. Tom
Glavine won the Cy Young award again and Andres Galarragga, the "Big Cat", who will always
be a fan favorite, played his first season with the team. Ozzie Guillen,
who quickly charmed the Atlanta fans (including myself), signed with the
Braves in May.
1999 The 1999 season was characterized by overcoming adversity.
Andres Galarragga was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and Kerry
Ligtenberg was lost to a ligament tear in the elbow of his throwing arm.
Pitchers Odalis Perez and Rudy Seanez were lost in the summer, as wall as
fan favorite Javy Lopez. Despite all this, Chipper Jones led the team to
103 wins in a season in which he won the MVP award. Although the Braves won
the division with a healthy 6.5 game margin, the race with the Mets was
closer than the final results show. Chipper Jones would simply not let
the Braves lose to the Mets. In games against the Mets, it seemed as though
Chipper was always getting a key hit. My most vivid memory of the 1999 season came
in Game 3 of the division series with the Astros. After splitting the first
two in Atlanta, the pivotal game three was played in Houston. In the bottom
of the tenth inning, the score was tied 3-3 when the Astros managed to load
the bases with nobody out. In such circumstances, it is almost a forgone
conclusion that somebody will score and the game will be over.
After a ground out, the play that very well may have won the
series for the Braves occurred. With the Braves playing the infield in,
Tony Eusebio slapped a pitch up the middle that shortstop Walt Weiss
somehow, someway, managed to grab and throw home. After the final out was recorded via
a strikeout, the Astros seemed to play flat, never able to overcome the
disappointment of being unable to score the winning run. The Mets tried
to make the NLCS interesting, winning 2 after the Braves took a 3-0 lead.
Game 5 ended on Robin Ventura's "grand slam single" in the bottom of the
fifteenth, one of the best games I've seen even if the Braves did lose.
Game 6 was just as exciting, once again going into extra innings. It looked
like the Mets were going to force a game 7 after scoring in the top of the
tenth, but the Braves battled back with a run of their own. The bottom of
the 11th brought about more drama. Gerald Williams doubled, then Bret Boone
bunted him to third, followed by intential walks to Chipper Jones and Brian
Jordan. The drama ended on a rather anti-climatic ball four to Andruw
Jones from Kenny Rogers, forcing Gerald Willims home with the winning run. A four game loss to the
Yankees was disappointing, but given the drama of the 1999 season as a
whole, it goes down as one of my favorites.
2000 Once again the Mets chased the Braves in a tight division race,
but the Braves managed to clinch the division with five games left in the
season, meaning the final margin of 1 game makes the race look tighter than
it truly was. It was another season of overcoming injury, as John Smoltz
went down in spring training with a torn ligament. However, solid play from
Chipper Jones, Rookie of the Year Rafael Furcal, Andruw Jones, Greg Maddux,
and Tom Glavine as well as the return of Andres Galarraga allowed the
division title run to continue. All seemed to be going well for the Braves
until a disappointing final game loss to the Rockies. The Braves went into
the top of the ninth with a 5-3 lead, but gave up 7 unearned runs to end
the season with a loss. The loss seemed to carry over to the division
series, where the Braves were swept by the Cardinals.
2001 Another tough season of injuries and a battle for the Division
title with the Phillies and Mets made for greater appreciation of the
Braves tenth consecutive division title. The 88 wins was the fewest they
had during the division title run. John Smoltz was hampered by arm
problems again, but returned in late July as a reliever, recording his
first save on August 17. He recorded 10 saves in 11 chances, a predictor of
his dominance as a closer for the next two seasons. Rafael Furcal went down
for the season with an injury in July. His loss exacerbated an already
anemic offense, with the only real production coming from Chipper Jones.
This division title was won by the pitching, and served as an example that
the Braves always seemed to find a way to win. Despite their shortcomings,
they swept the Astros in the division series before losing in five games to
the eventual World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2001 I was
supposed to attend a Braves game for my birthday, but the September 11
attacks postponed the game I was going to see. The game I was originally
going to see would have had very important playoff implications, but by the
time the make-up game was played the Braves had already clinched the
division the previous game. It was still fun, though, as they beat the Marlins 7-3
on Oct. 6 with a lineup of rookies and backups, none of whom have played
for the Braves this year.
2002 The 2002 team had hopes for being one of the strongest
offensively in several years after the arrival of Gary Sheffield and Vinny
Castilla, but the 2002 team actually scored fewer runs than the 2001 squad.
Chipper Jones moved to left field to make room for Castilla at third.
The pitching in 2002 was even better than 2001, allowing the Braves to win
the division by 19 games, win 101 games, and clinch on September 9, the earliest they've
done. John Smoltz saved 55 games, then a National League record, and the
rest of the bullpen allowed the Braves to shorten games in 2002. The Braves
flirted with a sub-3 team ERA for most of the season finishing at 3.13. However,
it wasn't quite enough as the Braves lost to the Giants 3 games to 2 in the
division series.
2003 The 2003 season was the first in which I was unable to watch
most of the games after moving to Indiana for grad school. I simply didn't
have the time I once had, but I still followed them closely.
The biggest surprise in the offseason had been the trade of
Kevin Millwood to the Phillies for Johnny Estrada, a move I questioned at
the time. They also obtained Russ Ortiz in a trade with the Giants. The
Braves once again won 101 games, winning the division by 10 over the
Marlins. 2003 was also the first year that Tom Glavine played for the Mets,
and a highlight of the season was watching the Chicago Cubs shell Glavine
in his Mets debut on opening day. I had gone over to the student union with
a labmate to watch the game. Unfortunately, those same Cubs would defeat
the Braves 3-2 in the division series, ending another splendid season in
which some thought the division run might be over after losing aces
Millwood and Glavine.
2004 Pitching once again dominated for the Braves in 2004, winners
of 96 games and a surprisingly healthy 10 game margin in the division title race over Phillies.
The Braves had allowed fan favorite Javy Lopez sign with the Orioles as a
free agent. Gary Sheffield left for the Yankees. Greg Maddux left for the
Cubs. The loss of Vinny
Castilla to the Rockies allowed Chipper Jones to begin making the
transition back to third base, where he played most of the season. J.D.
Drew played his only season with the Braves, providing much needed offense.
Johnny Estrada proved that the trading away Kevin Millwood had not been
such a bad deal after all, providing All-Star caliber play. Several young
players, such as Charles Thomas and Nick Green, provided the spark the
Braves needed after struggling the first part of the season. The season
once again ended with a 3-2 loss in the division series, this time to the
Astros.
2005 The year that was supposed to be the end of the run, even with
John Smoltz returning to the rotation and the addition of Tim Hudson. However,
once again the Braves proved too strong. The "Baby Braves" used 18
different rookies and a breakout season from Andruw Jones to win 90 games
and their 14th consecutive division title. The Braves clinched the division
with four games left, and only a four game losing streak coupled with the
Phillies four game winning streak allowed the Phillies to make the final
margin two games. But, for the second year in a row the Braves lost to
the Astros in the division series, this time 3-1. However, the outstanding
play of the rookies gave hope that the Braves might just be able to
continue winning division titles.
2006 On a rainy September night, when most Braves' fans had likely already
gone to sleep after the Braves were rained out
completely,
the Mets officially ended the streak of
division titles with a win over the Marlins. The Mets have not clinched the division yet, but they have
eliminated the Braves from contention. The 2006 team was unable to overcome
unreliable pitching, especially from the bullpen, as well as injuries. The
offense seemed unstoppable at times, scoring 10+ runs in five straight
games, then again in three straight. Overall, their play hasn't been too
bad, but a terrible 6-21 June with a 10 game losing streak ended any real hope
of a fifteenth straight division title. While the wild card is still in
view, realistically the Braves will miss the playoffs for the first time
since 1991. Would I trade the streak of division titles for a few more
World Series titles? Absolutely not. Every year the Braves started the
season knowing they had a very good chance of winning the World Series.
Each and every season was memorable in it's own way, and there's no way I
would want to sacrifice those memories for a few more World Series titles.
The Braves have been a model of consistency unmatched in professional
sports. What a fun ride it as been. Here's to next season and the
beginning of another run of dominance.
References
Baseball
Reference
ESPN MLB Historical Standings
atlantabraves.com : History : Braves Timeline,
1987-Present
Wikipedia, "National League Championship Series"
September 06, 2006
Football Update Four
K-League
August 30, 2006 Seoul 3 - 1 Pohang
It does not appear to have been a good day for the Steelers. Still can't
find much information about the actual match, but Pohang now stands in 9th
place with 4 points from a 1-1-1 record and -1 goal differential. Their
next match is September 9th at home against Chunnam, a team Pohang has not
beaten in over two years. Chunnam enjoys a 5-1-4 record against Pohang
since 2003. Let's hope the Steelers can begin reversing some history on
Saturday.
September 04, 2006
Never keep more than $20 cash in your possession
The courts have given the government the right to take money from people simply
because they were in possession of large sum of cash. In a story a few weeks
old, Emiliano Gomez Gonzolez had $124,700 taken from his
possession. Gonzolez had been driving a rented car on I80 when a
Nebraska state trooper, Chris Bigsby, pulled him over for a speeding violation. The
trooper found that Gonzolez's name was not on the rental contract,
and so began questioning him. Gonzolez did not speak much English. The
trooper searched the car and found $124,700 cash in a cooler, which he
confiscated. A drug sniffing dog barked at the rental car and cash,
apparently all the evidence they needed to establish a drug crime and keep
the seized money.
That's right, the police can take your money just because a trained dog
barks at it. Never mind that the currency you have in your possession
may have been in shady circumstances before reaching your innocent hands.
Never mind the tens or hundreds of people that may rent a car over the
course of a year. If you are unlucky enough to get barked at, you can have
your money seized.
No problem, though, right? Surely the courts will straighten everything out
since that's what their job is. On August 18, our judicial system failed us
again. The Eighth
Circuit Court dimissed Gonzolez's explanation of the situation. In
overturning a lower court ruling that had found no evidence of drug
activity the court stated (U.S. Court of Appeals Case No. 05-3295) "...we respectfully disagree and reach a
different conclusion. We believe that the evidence as a whole demonstrates
by a preponderance of evidence that there was a substantial connection
between the currency and a drug trafficking offense. Possession of a
large sum of money is "strong evidence" of a connection to a drug
activity... " (bold added for emphasis to a preposterous statement).
So, just because you are carrying a large sum of money it can be taken away
from you because it constitutes "strong evidence" of connection to drug
activity. Never mind if you've never been charged with or found guilty of a
drug crime, never mind that no actual drugs, drug paraphernailia, or other
evidence was recovered, just the fact that you are carrying money is enough to have it
taken from you. At least not all of the judges have lost their minds as
Judge Donald Lay offered a strong dissent.
So much for "innocent until proven guilty". The government has discovered a
way to take money from innocent individuals based on purely illogical
reasoning, that since many drug dealers carry large sums of cash then
everyone carrying a large sum of cash is a drug dealer. This case is just
one more example of the decline of American freedom in the 21st century.
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