SF 49'ers team shrink vetoes #1 college quarterback

(NBCBayArea.com, Joe Kukura, 3/27/09): "Matt Stafford is the concensus best quarterback available in the draft. But despite his throwing for 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns last year, the conspicuously quarterback-deficient San Francisco 49ers have declared him unworthy of their first-round pick.

• A team psychologist has found Stafford not-sufficiently willing to discuss his parents' divorce in a draft combine psychological evaluation session, and coach Mike Singletary has decided Stafford lacks the
• mental stability to be a San Francisco 49er....

The incident came to light in a live radio interview Singletary did last week with Ralph Barbieri on KNBR (radio in San Francisco).

• The interview is still online, and it's vintage Singletary. And I mean "vintage Singletary" in a David Letterman sketch kind of way. Coach is in full-scale, volcanic angry preacher mode by the four-minute mark, and the interview continues another full sixteen minutes in that same vein.

"If you're going to look at drafting a guy in the first round," Singletary says in the interview, "and you're going to pay him millions of dollars, and asking him about a divorce about his parents, if that's going to be an issue, then you know what, maybe he doesn't belong here."

• Stafford was, in fact, asked about his parents' divorce in his 49ers combine interview.

• Stafford's account is that he answered the question, explained the psychological adjustments he made as a teenager to cope with the situation, and the Niners' team shrink pursued that Stafford might have
• "unfinished business" in coping with the matter.

Stafford joked to Sports Illustrated, "I felt like, I wonder how much I'm being charged per hour for this?"

• One wonders what criteria indicates that guys who aren't chatty in therapy sessions make poor NFL players. Some of the better players in San Francisco 49er history weren't on an entirely even keel....

If coach Singletary wants players who play "physical with an F", he's better off with guys who are more comfortable knocking into another guy's sternum than telling some two-bit Dr. Freud about his mommy issues. And if the 49ers are employing a team psychologist, that particular shrink might want to schedule a little more time evaluating the head coach."... via Free Republic

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'It really has been a peaceful spring since Alex Rodriguez left for hip surgery.' NY Times

3/30/09: "The Yankees beat the Blue Jays in a tidy 2 hours 27 minutes Monday, and Andy Pettitte looked sharp. He worked six and two thirds innings, allowing a run and five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Pettitte threw 92 pitches and will work again in Saturday’s exhibition at Yankee Stadium....

• It really has been a peaceful spring since Alex Rodriguez left for hip surgery....

The Yankees break camp after two more games...

• Sabathia will...start the Yankee Stadium opener on April 16 against Cleveland, but the way the Indians rotation lines up, it seems unlikely that a certain well-known ex-Yankee — Carl Pavano — will draw that game for the visitors."...NY Times Bats Blog by Tyler Kepner. reuters photo

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Al Gore manor failed to observe lights out

The manorial street number to Al Gore's Tennessee estate last night. photo via DCExaminer. Story from Hot Air via RedState.

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AOL Fanhouse hires former newspaper reporters

Editor & Publisher: "FanHouse, a sports blog under AOL's MediaGlow unit, is apparently beefing up its newspaper-trained staffers, hiring five former daily print scribes and a senior editor as it tries fill some holes created by the ongoing staff cuts. ...

• The new hires, according to (PaidContent.org's David) Kaplan, include Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Greg Couch, former Star-Ledger baseball reporter Dan Graziano and Jeff Fletcher, who previously worked for the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat and the Los Angeles Times. "...PaidContent.org report

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Selig's true feelings slip out in 'selfish and provincial' scolding

(Newsday, Davidoff): "The World Baseball Classic is truly a fun, exciting event. It's a keeper, with room for growth.

• But if the WBC is to reach new heights, then its leadership must elevate the dialogue surrounding it.

• Commissioner Bud Selig, at the "final four" weekend in Los Angeles, scolded major-league general managers who prioritized their

• "selfish, provincial interests" over the WBC.

• Provincial?!

The major-league regular season is "provincial"?!

• Attention, 78,588,804 fans who attended regular-season games last year! No offense, but your interests are provincial!

Ay yi yi. There's no need for such misguided finger-pointing. The MLB regular season is a pretty big deal. You can't blame team officials who are interested in delivering their fan bases a title. Nor can you fault the players who choose, as is very much their right, not to participate in the WBC."...from article, "New Padres Closer Bell no fan of Mets' Peterson," last item in column.

• It was crude of Selig to say, but the point is this is how he thinks and what motivates his actions. The typical globalist honestly believes, "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine," while selling himself as a saintly do-gooder and making $18.5 million in 2009. And gets away with it because no one has the nerve to question him. (sm)

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First fans see Mets' Citifield

Back cover Newsday, 3/30/09

• Neil Best report

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Freezing conditions down Kansas radio tower

• (Anyone connected with the UN will tell you it's due to global warming).

(AP): "A 1,250-foot radio tower north of Winfield has collapsed, possibly due to heavy ice.

• The broadcast tower for KYQQ-FM fell on Saturday at a site near Winfield, which is south of Wichita. No injuries or damage to surrounding structures was reported.

An initial examination by Journal Broadcast Group's engineers showed heavy icing from Saturday's storm as a possibly cause of the collapse. They are investigating whether other factors contributed."...

• The station is now operating from an auxiliary power source. photo from AP via Radio Daily News

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Dontrelle Willis placed on DL with anxiety disorder

Detroit Free Press, Jon Paul Morosi's blog: LAKELAND, Fla. -- "The saga of Dontrelle Willis’ tenure with the Tigers assumed an entirely different hue today, as the left-hander was placed on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder.

• Team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski made no prediction about when Willis will pitch again. But he remains “fairly optimistic” that Willis will return to the majors this year.

Willis said the diagnosis was made through a blood test. The condition, though, is psychiatric in nature. According to the Web site of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, the disorders “develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality and life events.”

• The Tigers sought, and received, clearance from the commissioner’s office to move Willis to the DL for that reason. A spokesman for Major League Baseball confirmed that players have been placed on the disabled list because of anxiety disorders in the past. Zack Greinke, currently a standout right-hander for the Kansas City Royals, missed much of the 2006 season for a similar reason.

Willis said he is not depressed now and has not been depressed in the past."...via Lucianne.com

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Phillies Appreciation Society became original Rotisserie League

(NY Daily News): "It has been almost 29 years since the phenomenon now known as fantasy baseball first came into being on E. 52nd St. at a restaurant called

• La Rotisserie Francaise.

There, a group of New Yorkers calling themselves the "Phillies Appreciation Society" conceived a game that has spawned an entire industry.

At the end of the inaugural season, participants in

• the original Rotisserie League gathered

for a party to "reward" the co-owners of the winning team - Peter Gethers and Glen Waggoner - by dousing the two men in a shower of the chocolaty drink Yoo-Hoo.

• Someone apparently thought it was appropriate to pour a bottle of Yogi Berra's favorite ballpark beverage over the heads of those who shrewdly selected a make-believe team composed of the real-life major leaguers with the best collective season.

Then again, someone apparently thought it was appropriate to select make-believe baseball teams....

• ...the original Rotisserie League draft...took place on
• April 13, 1980, at the palatial apartment of legendary book editor Cork Smith near Park Ave. and 93rd St....

Fantasy baseball exploded in concert with the popularization of the abstracts compiled by stats guru Bill James and, especially, the rise of the Internet. Now, of course, Web sites such as Yahoo!, ESPN and CBS Sportsline and others offer league management and statistical analysis, tips and realtime scoring (some information and services are free, some come with modest fees) and fantasy leagues exist for all kinds of sports"...'How Fantasy Became Reality, Rotisserie's Rise' Vinton

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Another 'Green' idea does more harm than good

The Green shake-down cartel got dishwashing detergent banned in Washington state where the program is being phased in starting with Spokane County. You must understand--

• filth is not bad to the Al Gore group. Death isn't even that bad.

The point is to be diverted from the real problems of the world and hand over your life's work and that of your parents, shut up and get out of the way. In an increasingly passive culture, many are willing to do that. Hence, the shake-down continues.

• Dishwasher detergents now allowed in Spokane County
• do not clean the dishes.

(AP): "Many people were shocked to find that products like Seventh Generation, Ecover and Trader Joe's left their dishes

• encrusted with food, smeared with grease and too gross to use without rewashing them by hand.

The culprit was hard water, which is mineral-rich and resistant to soap.

As a result, there has been a quiet rush of Spokane-area shoppers heading east on Interstate 90 into Idaho in search of old-school suds.

• Real estate agent Patti Marcotte of Spokane stocks up on detergent at a Costco in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and doesn't care who knows it.

• "Yes, I am a smuggler," she said. "I'm taking my chances because dirty dishes I cannot live with."

(In truth, the ban applies to the sale of phosphate detergent — not its use or possession — so Marcotte is not in any legal trouble.)

• Marcotte said she tried every green brand in her dishwasher and found none would remove grease and pieces of food. Everybody she knows buys dishwasher detergent in Idaho, she said."...AP story, "Spokane Residents Smuggle Suds Over Green Brands," via Lucianne.com

(Similar to the ethanol racket, this Green idea did more harm than good).

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John Brattain compared to Doug Pappas

Neil deMause on John Brattain: "In many ways, he was the worthy successor to the late Doug Pappas, as both a writer and an analyst; now he's gone at 43, just one year older than Doug was when he left us five years ago."

• I noted this as I believe Doug Pappas was the only human being who could put a dent in the Bud Selig crime family and the moat around it called the BBWAA. No one else has the guts or the independence. I only knew a little about John Brattain but hearing him compared to Doug Pappas and knowing what died with him makes Mr. Brattain's loss more pointed.

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Nevada radio station promotes Tea Party protest

Reno Gazette-Journal: "Local radio station, 99.1 FM Talk KKFT, will make thousands of tea bags available to listeners, while encouraging them to mail them to their representatives in Washington, D.C., in a Tea Party protest."

• KKFT 99.1fm talk "is airing messages twice an hour telling listeners how and where to get the tea bags.

“Republicans are disappointing, Democrats are dangerous” is a part of the message, the station said in a press release Friday.

• The tea bags will be handed out Saturday, March 28, in front of the legislative building in Carson City.

The station also plans a larger tea party to coincide with the Carson City Tax Day Tea Party on April 15." via Radio Daily News

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Harmonious duo in Texas Rangers radio booth

(Dallas Morning News): "The honeymoon continues in the Rangers radio booth. Seven exhibition games into their marriage, Eric Nadel and Dave Barnett are still madly in like.

• Then again, who would have expected otherwise?

I can't remember two giddier broadcasters than Nadel and Barnett when their pairing was first announced back in January.

• Maybe Michaels and Madden were when Monday Night Football was still an ABC thing. But that's about it.

In the parlance of sports talk radio, Nadel and Barnett are

• long-time admirers, first-time partners.

"It's been really, really easy," said Nadel, about to embark on his 31st season in a Rangers broadcast booth. ..."We know each other's styles so well."

• That's because Barnett has been on the scene almost as long as Nadel.

• He joined KRLD-AM (1080) as a part-timer back in 1978 while he was still a student at North Texas. When Mark Holtz jumped from the Mavericks to work alongside Nadel on Rangers radio back in 1981, Barnett slipped into Holtz's courtside Mavericks seat....

• Barnett has worked baseball for ESPN. More and more of his recent baseball work has been on radio....

"The nice thing is I feel completely at ease with my knowledge of the team because I have followed the Rangers all along," Barnett said. "I am as prepared as I could possibly be to step in. I've got my rhythm going with Eric."...

• Barnett, of course, is replacing Victor Rojas, who left Nadel's side after five seasons

• for cable's fledgling MLB Network."...via Radio Daily News

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FCC enlists government workers to tackle urgent problem of switching home tvs from analog

MultiChannel News, "FCC Launches Americorp DTV Effort-49 Markets Deemed to be AT-RISK" (horrors):

• 3/27/09: "The Federal Communications Commission is teaming with AmeriCorp's National Civilian Community Corps for
• DTV outreach.

The FCC and NTIA have identified 49 DTV at-risk markets that data suggest are the

• least prepared for the switch from analog, including the FCC's own hometown of Washington, D.C. (number 49 on the list).

• The FCC, which has asked for $65 million from the stimulus package's DTV money for outreach and other

• DTV transition-related expenses,

said Friday that it had signed an interagency agreement that will send AmeriCorps volunteers (ages 18 to 24) into the homes of target populations -- minorities, elderly, the disabled -- to help them connect antennas and converter boxes,

• or help them apply for the $40 government coupons to buy the boxes."

(The 'volunteers' are supported in part by US taxpayers. A bill just passed to expand AmeriCorps at a cost to taxpayers of $5.7 billion over 5 years).

• (MultiChannel, continuing): "They will also help with community events and at walk-in help centers, starting with Denver (#15) as a test market.

Training begins next week in advance of a mid-April transition for some stations there, including two major network affiliates, according to the FCC.

• Denver is also home to one of the five NCCC (residential) campuses.

The others are Sacramento, Calif.; Perry Point, Md.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and Vinton, Iowa.

• FCC staffers will train and coordinate the teams of NCCC members -- eight to 12 in each community."

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Bank of America renews with Yankees for one year

MLB.com: "The Yankees and Bank of America have agreed on a one-year extension of their current sponsorship deal after talks about a long-term deal were halted in February, The Associated Press reported Friday.

• Bank of America spokesman Joe Goode told The AP that "while we couldn't proceed with a long-term partnership, we have extended our current sponsorship agreement with the Yankees for one more year."

The Yankees...have yet to make public comment on the extension. Bank of America and the Yankees having a relationship going back to 1994.

• Before breaking off long-term talks in February, the sides had discussed a new 20-year agreement that would have covered signage at the new Yankee Stadium, special events and tickets"...

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Randy Levine's resume includes a job with Bud Selig

• Toward the end of a NY Times article about Randy Levine's voice in the Yankee organization, mention is made of a 1996 labor agreement Levine worked on while
• 'between jobs at City Hall:'

NY Times, Richard Sandomir: "the 1996 (MLB) labor agreement ...was negotiated by (Randy) Levine for the owners while he

• was between jobs at City Hall."...

Levine was hired by Selig and baseball owners to work out a new agreement with the players union. He was described as the voice of Bud Selig at a point in his 1996 'between jobs' event,

• although owners were divided on his plan to the point where one faction tried to remove him from the job:

(NY Times, 11/3/96, by Murray Chass): "In the attack on (Randy) Levine, in a Chicago paper, unnamed owners called for his dismissal, saying the only reason he would not be fired was

• that his mother-in-law is a friend of Selig's wife."

From NY Times by Murray Chass, 11/3/96, "Labor Deal in Jeopardy as Selig Stays Silent."

• (David Peterson, 4/97): "More revealing still was New York Times Baseball writer Murray Chass, In Chass's November 3 story about some of the internecine struggles then taking place among the 30 ownership groups that comprise the Baseball cartel, he fingered a mysteriously

unnamed Chicago-area sportswriter for helping Reinsdorf plant what Chass called an "attack on [Randy] Levine" in one of the Chicago newspapers.

• "In the attack on Levine, in a Chicago paper, unnamed owners called for his dismissal, saying the only reason he would not be fired was that his mother-in-law is a friend of Selig's wife," was how Chass described the smear campaign coming from within the owners' ranks.

"Reinsdorf's hand appeared to be so evident in that attack," Chass continued, "that during a conference call of Major League Baseball's executive council [on Oct. 30], other owners criticized Reinsdorf, a council member, for it." ("A Silent Selig Speaks Volumes About His Take on the Talks," Nov. 3.)

• Just three days before, in his "On Baseball" column., (Jerome) Holtzman had quoted an unnamed owner who averred that "Randy's mother-in-law [who's from Milwaukee] is one of Sue Selig's best friends. [Sue is Selig's wife]. What Randy has done is horrendous. Bud is bleeding and very hurt, but there isn't much he can do."

Pretty good smear. In his effort to help Reinsdorf smear Levine, Holtzman went so far as to charge Levine with assisting Donald Fehr in Fehr's effort to smear the owners by "putting a monkey on the owners' back: clearly, they are the ogres," said Holtzman, mocking Fehr and Levine. ("Owners doubt that Levine is the real deal," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 30.)"

• By David Peterson, from "Chicago Ink April 1997," ink.uchicago.edu/page_olga_made/archives/april97/holtz.html, "A Stenographer to Power: Jerome Holtzman"

• (posted on this blog 5/25/08)

P.S. From David Peterson's piece linked above, a slice of life in April 1997:

• "The verdict is in, sports fans. Throw out Holtzman's defensive nonsense about the "New York press" having sided with the Players Association

• because of its neo-Marxist sympathies.

Just as the New York Times and Donald Fehr have fingered Jerry Reinsdorf the self-seeking, manipulative, power-crazy man that he is, so the Times's Murray Chass fingered Jerome Holtzman what he is. A stenographer to power."

• Reference, NY Times article, "As Team President, Randy Levine is the real voice of the Yankees," 3/27/09 by Richard Sandomir

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Derek Jeter, Leading Man

Back cover, Newsday, Friday, 3/27/09

• I guess the Yankees still consider him an everyday player.

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Yankee bullpen may bring rude awakening--Caron, NESN

"The bullpen, as always, hinges on the middle relievers' ability to bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera.

• Truth is, it's the third-best bullpen in the division.

I'll take Justin Masterson/Ramon Ramirez/Manny Delcarmen/Takashi Saito or Grant Balfour/J.P. Howell/Dan Wheeler as a set-up core over Brian Bruney/Edwar Ramirez/Jose Veras/Damaso Marte any day." from NESN.com, Tom Caron, "Yankees Could be in for Rude Awakening"

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Talk Radio, Limbaugh ratings surge coincide with White House attacks

• Radio ratings are in for 2/5/09-3/4/09 and show
• huge gains for talk radio.

"A combination of several powerful forces has resulted in explosive talk radio ratings growth, with indications of much more to come in the months ahead. Primary factor driving the upward move? You guessed it: Rush Limbaugh....

With Limbaugh at the top of his game, with a more deeply loyal audience than ever, the numbers were already expected to be strong. The beginning of the Obamist Era, combined with a direct White House campaign targeting the talk titan, however, provided rocket fuel for El Rushbo's ratings."

Specific city/metro ratings via Radio Equalizer: show Limbaugh #1 in New York, #1 in Los Angeles, #1 in Chicago, #4 in Dallas/Ft. Worth, #1 in Houston, #2 in Washington, DC:

• Newsbusters from Radio Equalizer: "In New York City, WABC has experienced huge gains during Rush's noon- 3pm timeslot: from 4.6 to 6.7 overall (12 and older) share, good for first place overall in the nation's largest market. Rush's Big Apple listenership is now estimated at 693,000.

• In the second-largest market, Los Angeles, KFI-AM has surged into the number one position (all listeners 12 and older) from 9am to noon, with 618,000 listeners, a 4.6 to 6.0 audience share increase over three months and an even bigger males 35-64 (4.6 to 6.3) move, to take first place there as well.

• Chicago, saw another huge move, with Rush affiliate WLS also taking first place during his timeslot (12 and older), from 5.2 share to 6.9 and a total local listenership of 396,700 in the third-largest market.

• In Dallas - Fort Worth, 4.8 to 6.4 men 35-64 and fourth overall (12+), 3.5 to 4.5. Cumulative audience: 250,000.

• Houston's results were truly blockbuster: 6.0 to 9.8 overall, ranking number one with a bullet and audience of 382,300. Men 35-64: number one again, from 8.6 to 12.2 over three months. Adults 25-54: first place, 4.6 to 8.7. Women 25-54: 3.7 to 8.3 again good for a top ranking.

• DC's WMAL also saw Rush-related growth: 4.1 to 6.7, good for third overall and an audience of 155,300. Men 35-64: number one with a staggering 6.4 to 13.4 move." via Lucianne.com

Radio Equalizer notes most of these stations (additionally including Atlanta and Detroit) experienced increases across all dayparts.

• Radio Daily News Arbitron ratings: March 25 New York Los Angeles Chicago San Francisco Dallas-Fort Worth Houston Philadelphia Nassau Riverside San Jose Middlesex

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Mets: Letting Oliver Perez pitch in WBC was mistake--Newsday

"The Mets admitted yesterday that letting Oliver Perez pitch for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic was a mistake. The costly blunder became painfully evident after the $36-million lefthander failed to make it out of the fourth inning in the Mets' 10-6 loss to the Tigers at Tradition Field.

• Rather than serve up the usual list of excuses -- still time before Opening Day, work in progress, ... manager Jerry Manuel and pitching coach Dan Warthen made it sound as if they have their finger on the panic button with Perez.

The Mets already knew that Perez needs constant supervision. But sending him away to spend nearly three weeks beyond the team's reach turned out to be more damaging than anyone imagined. Perez allowed five hits and six runs yesterday in 32/3 innings -- with six walks. ...the Mets have precious little time to get Perez up to speed before his scheduled turn April 9 in Cincinnati....

• Perez threw in only two games in 19 days.

In his second start on March 15, Perez gave up three home runs and threw 85 pitches in 42/3 innings. His arm was out of shape when he returned. Warthen said that

• the Mets placed a couple of calls to Mexico's pitching coach, Teddy Higuera, to check on Perez's progress

• but never heard back....

Manuel, who had been a big proponent of the WBC,

• was concerned enough about Perez that even he questioned the decision to send him. The manager never envisioned Perez coming back in such a sorry state that he couldn't recover in time for his first regular-season assignment.

"That never entered my thoughts," Manuel said. "Maybe it should have. But it didn't. I always thought the competition was the best thing for baseball. To be involved in that I thought was a good thing."... Perez didn't offer much in the way of an explanation, other than to say if he keeps working, "everything will be OK." That's wishful thinking. Warthen suggested that

• Perez had put on weight during his absence and "needs to start pushing himself a little more.""..."WBC Blamed After Mets' Perez Rocked by Tigers," David Lennon

'Globalism' is nothing more than jargon for international crooks aiming to make money off other peoples' efforts in a toxic brew: the efforts are stolen, the perpetrators make themselves out to be saints, and they accuse any who hold a logical opposing view as 'selfish' and 'provincial.' It doesn't work in reality. Never has, never will. sm

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Detroit Tigers minor league team offers 4800 calorie burger

AP: "Well, at least the salsa is low-cal. The West Michigan Whitecaps, a minor-league baseball team, will be offering up major league cholesterol, carbohydrates and calories in an enormous hamburger being added to the menu this year at the Fifth Third Ballpark.

• The 1.8-kilogram, US$20 burger features

• five beef patties, five slices of cheese, nearly a cup of chili and liberal doses of salsa and corn chips,

• all on an 20-centimetre sesame-seed bun....

The Grand Rapids Press reports that anyone who eats the entire 4,800-calorie behemoth in one sitting will receive a special T-shirt. Saner fans can divide it up with a pizza cutter and share.

• The Midwest League team is a single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers." via Lucianne.com

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'Radio Men Paint Pictures for Fans'

"They're the radio voices of Lee County's two Major League Baseball teams, men whose combined service will hit 50 seasons this year.

• Joe Castiglione and John Gordon are broadcast pros whose voices are known across large regions of America, one in New England and the other in the upper Midwest.

Each has witnessed his team win two World Series. Each resides in a gated community near Daniels Parkway. Each joined his team in the 1980s.Castiglione is about to begin his 27th season with the Boston Red Sox. Gordon will soon begin his 23rd season with the Minnesota Twins....

• Castiglione also picked up the baseball bug as a boy. In his book, "Broadcast Rites and Sites, I Saw It on the Radio with the Boston Red Sox," Castiglione wrote about his baseball origins."Dad taught me to read the baseball box scores before my ABCs," Castiglione wrote. "He also hit the best pop-up fungoes. He really created a monster.""...From News-press.com via Radio Daily News

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MLB Network announces first 8 Thursday night games

Per Neil Best Watchdog:

• April 9 7:00 p.m. Brewers @ Giants Matt Vasgersian & Joe Magrane

• April 16 1:00 p.m. Indians @ Yankees Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds & Jim Kaat

• April 16 8:00 p.m. Blue Jays @ Twins Victor Rojas & Dan Plesac

• April 23 8:00 p.m. Dodgers @ Astros Matt Vasgersian & Joe Magrane

• April 30 7:00 p.m. Red Sox @ Rays Victor Rojas & Joe Magrane

• May 7 7:00 p.m. Phillies @ Mets Bob Costas & Al Leiter

• May 14 8:00 p.m. Orioles @ Royals TBD

• May 21 8:00 p.m. Cubs @ Cardinals TBD

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Climate change scam massive payday for lawyers and 2300+ lobbyists--follow the money

• The livelihoods of thousands of lawyers and lobbyists are invested in advancement of the global warming scam. Hence the daily flood of hysterical articles from complicit media.

NY Times: "Climate lobbyists are flooding Capitol Hill...

• Offset opportunities gain a growing following

Supporters of carbon offsets, or projects that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through things such as

• methane digesters at dairy farms," (for animal emissions)

(NY Times): "are watching action in the House Agriculture Committee closely, according to one lobbyist. Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) announced this month that he was soliciting the opinions of more than 400 agricultural, environmental, scientific and educational groups on "the different options being considered in Congress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

• The carbon capture sector also has a growing set of actors looking outside big energy bills for a little help. Clean Energy Systems, a seller of power-plant turbine systems, is pressing for grants for small companies after the stimulus bill emphasized large projects.

Funding tends to go for big demonstration projects that aim to grab a half-million tons of C02, squeezing out promising players that might hold a breakthrough if they could get support for small tests, said

• Jason Larrabbee, a company lobbyist....

Even for those focused on cap-and-trade legislation, the types of advocates get more diverse by the day. A recent report from the Center for Public Integrity found that the number of

• climate lobbyists tripled in the past five years to at least
• 2,340 individuals.

Waiting for the 'litigation stage'

Big corporations like Shell Oil Co. have mentioned global warming on Senate documents in the past few months, but much of the surge came from

• new players like investment banks, retailers and agribusiness.

There also has been a jump in lobbying from companies touting products with a claimed climate benefit.

• ImageTree, for example, doled out several thousand dollars in 2008 to promote its software that helps measure the amount of carbon in forests.

Then there are the immigrants from the other side of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Australian National University, for example, lists

• climate change as a major focus in 2009 official lobbying documents.

BlueNext, a French company active in the European carbon market, just hired Washington, D.C.-based

• Natsource to lobby on climate change in "domestic and international agreements."

With Congress revving up to consider a mandate for utilities to produce renewable electricity, there's going to be a fight about how much companies

• can count "renewable energy certificates" from outside projects to meet the requirement,

• said one tax expert.

Similarly, many are predicting a jockeying match over the role of offsets in a cap-and-trade system, with

• everyone from the turfgrass industry to farm operations wanting their clean-energy projects
• to count towards emission reductions.

The real lobbying squabble on global warming may come after any cap-and-trade bill gets passed, though, according to Kyle Simpson, a policy director at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.

• "Once we're actually trading carbon, everything moves into the litigation stage," he said.

• "That's going to be a madhouse. Everyone will be arguing over whether a ton of carbon is really a ton.""

"Climate Lobbyists Look Beyond Cap and Trade," by Christa Marshall, NY Times, 3/24/09 via Free Republic

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Welcome back, Derek

Derek Jeter running with Brett Gardner and Mark Teixeira before spring training game v Boston, 3/24/09. ap photo

• I'm amazed Jeter didn't arrive in a wheelchair, helped onto the bench where some say he should permanently remain. Since the Captain is, according to media reports, enfeebled, broken down and a liability, perhaps he should allow Bud Selig to extract his pounds of flesh elsewhere in future. sm

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Eric Collins to Dodgers tv

"Eric Collins will handle play-by-play of more than 30 Dodgers road telecasts for the coming season. These will be the telecasts that Vin Scully does not call, which are when the Dodgers play east of Colorado.

• Collins has worked for ESPN, including some College World Series telecasts, along with NBC Olympic Baseball, among other assignments.... Collins will be joined by Steve Lyons as analyst.

The position opened because of the decision for Charley Steiner

• to remain on the radio starting this season rather than moving to TV

• when Scully is not with the team."...Dave Kohl's Radio Recordings via Radio Daily News

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Local ESPN radio outlet now accessible via cellphone

ESPN radio's Washington DC affiliate WTEM "put their signal on cell phone"... via a company called AudioNow. "When WTEM VP/Operations Dennis Glasgow “wanted more ways to access our programming at a low cost on any device” he contacted the Reston, Virginia company and got a service that is free with no smart phones or data plans required.

• Listeners can now hear WTEM on their cell phone.…

Mel Phillips visited their website…"Here’s their pitch: “You broadcast and we’ll connect your stream to the caller. You don’t have to manage the technology, carrier relationships or customer service. Simply let your listeners know your station is now available on AudioNow and post the link to our site on your home page.”

• AudioNow charges “qualified broadcasters on a performance indexed price system based on your most recent Arbitron rating. Other factors include your format and whether your listeners will access your broadcasts through a local or toll free exchange."...

AudioNow only works “with recognized and well funded (established) radio stations that have ownership of their content and have qualified to be part of the Audionow network."... via Radio Daily News

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Jerry Manuel's boss Tony Bernazard big fan of WBC; Brad Lidge cites its harm to him--Bill Madden

• The WBC is a bunch of advertising slogans whose reality is banned by Selig's Banana Republic 'gag rule:'

(Bill Madden): "It is Selig's contention...the WBC is a vehicle to "grow the game globally." But since when did baseball need to grow in popularity in Latin America or Japan? No, like everything else baseball does, this is all about money. Merchandizing money. So how many caps and T-shirts does baseball have to sell in China, Italy and the Netherlands to make this mission worth its while?

• At the same time, Selig is turning a blind eye to the fact that the WBC is compromising the integrity of the real season. When Jerry Manuel opened spring training camp, the Mets' manager talked about putting an emphasis on instilling in his players all the elements and intricacies of playing baseball the right way - elements he obviously felt have been absent with this group the past couple of years. But what was the point with most of his regulars gone all spring?

Then Manuel watched with consternation as his new closer, Francisco Rodriguez,

• who hasn't had a single regular-season save of more than three outs in two years,

• was brought in twice in a row with two outs in the eighth to get a save in the WBC.

"I never knew he could do that," Manuel said with more than a hint of sarcasm.

• I'm sure Manuel would like to say a whole lot more, especially after learning that Wright, his best player, thought he had broken a toe fouling a ball off it but played in severe pain anyway for the full nine innings Wednesday in a meaningless U.S. loss to Venezuela.

But Manuel knows his bosses, particularly VP of player development

• Tony Bernazard, who was among the first proponents of the WBC concept when he was an exec in the Players' Association,

are those supporting it the most....

• Phillies closer Brad Lidge, one of a great majority of elite major leaguers who chose to put their teams and the real season over participating in the WBC,

• was more emphatic.

Citing the shoulder injury suffered by Lindstrom, Lidge, who pitched for the U.S. team in the 2006 WBC, said:

• "The timing of (the WBC) is really bad. Like Lindstrom, there's no reason he should be throwing 98 miles per hour right now. He should be throwing 91-92 and trying to find his command."

Lidge added that to compensate for a lack of arm strength in the 2006 WBC,

• he altered his mechanics, which manifested itself in the regular season

• when his ERA ballooned from 2.29 in '05 to 5.28.

On the other hand, you have Orioles manager Dave Trembley watching helplessly as his ace starter Jeremy Guthrie is going stagnant in the WBC because of a lack of work. Guthrie has pitched only nine innings all spring, 32/3 of them in WBC competition in which he was raked for 14 hits and 10 runs.

• On Thursday, the O's begged for Guthrie to come back to camp rather than stay with the U.S. team....

• "We want him pitching for us in a regular rotation," Trembley pleaded, "but I don't know how."...

Selig and the rest of the MLB poobahs have tried to sell this WBC as a "true" World Series, even though so many of the game's best players aren't in it and these international rules make a mockery of the real season that has been forced to take a backseat....

• The WBC may have seemed like a noble idea to Selig & Co., but there's
• no good time to play it and,

• as I'm sure Manuel, Francona, Leyland and Trembley among other managers would all attest -

• if they were allowed to -

it has served to undermine the season that really matters." from NY Daily News column, "World Baseball Classic Turning into a Real Pain for some Major League Teams" 3/22/09

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Washington Post corrections procedures lax, Ombud

Metro pages have worst record.

• "As of the beginning of last week, The Post had a backlog of hundreds of correction requests, a few dating to 2004. In many cases, readers never heard whether The Post had rejected their request, or why. For them, it was like
• sending a correction request into a black hole.

The newspaper's process for handling correction requests has not worked properly. In some instances,

• reporters were never even notified that readers had requested corrections to their stories.

There is little statistical analysis to spot trends in errors or to detect reporters (or editors) with high correction rates. As the saying goes, what gets measured gets fixed.

• Accountability is lacking.

• Reporters and editors can neglect correction requests with little real consequence.

• Correction rates are not typically raised in performance evaluations....

The Post's top editors are aware of the problem. Since being named one of The Post's two managing editors in mid-January, Raju Narisetti has focused on what he acknowledges is a serious problem.

• "Some of the requests -- whether meriting a correction or not -- have simply fallen through the cracks between reporters and editors and the system we use to track such requests," he says. "And we don't have a system for pushing for closure."

Mistakes are inevitable in daily journalism, and The Post runs plenty of corrections -- roughly

• 960 in 2008. Most appear in a box on Page A2,

but some parts of the paper -- the obituary and editorial pages, for instance -- carry their own corrections....The system has broken down most frequently with The Post's sprawling Metro desk, which covers Maryland, Virginia, the District and obituaries....

• The Post must also figure out how to handle corrections online.

Currently, policies at washingtonpost.com mainly address corrections for print stories that appear on the Web site."...by Andrew Alexander, Ombudsman, "A Corrections Process in Need of Correcting" via Poynter.org/Romenesko

• What a surprise. sm

Related memo posted on Romenesko

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Seek to label 'climate deniers' mentally disordered

"A London employment tribunal has ruled that Tim Nicholson...was wrongly dismissed as a property firm’s “head of sustainability” because of

• his fervent commitment to “climate change”.

• Mr Nicholson had fallen out with his colleagues over his attempts to reduce the company’s “carbon footprint”.

The tribunal chairman David Neath found the company guilty of discriminating against Mr Nicholson under the 2006

• Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations, because

• his faith in global warming was a “philosophical belief”.

Recalling how “eco-psychologists’’ at the University of the West of England are pressing for

• “climate denial” to be classified as a form of
• “mental disorder”,

one doubts whether the same legal protection would be given to those

• who fail to share Mr Nicholson’s “philosophical belief”."

From UK Telegraph, "The 'Global Warming Three' are on Thin Ice," 3/22/09, by Christopher Booker. via Lucianne.com

• They say look to Europe to find what's coming next in the US. (sm)

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BlogTalkRadio explained

• Fantasy Focus is part of BlogTalkRadio's lineup.

"BlogTalkRadio, the site where anyone can set up a podcast or radio talkshow over the web using phone calls, is playing in the enterprise space. The site, which has over 1000 live broadcasts per day, has been launching content partnerships with major publishers and media organizations over the past few months. PBS, Women's Day Magazine and others are using BlogTalkRadio's tools to create podcasts and shows, as well as syndicate content across the web.

For example, PBS's Worldfocus TV newscast is syndicated on the BlogTalkRadio.

The site is also creating branded private networks for major corporations like Wal-Mart, Harper Collins, and Sun Microsystems where the companies can create, syndicate and publish their own shows and podcasts. Even the government is trying to take part in this social media movement; the Pentagon has a web radio show on BlogTalkRadio.

• And the site has been able to monetize the partnerships by charging companies licensing and sponsorship fees for the branded channels. The companies can put their own ads in their shows, which can include banner, pre-roll audio/video or host spoken ads.

The companies are also charged a fee if that they want live events streamed to their BlogTalkRadio channel or any website. The radio platform is also rolling out a set of premium services for both consumers and businesses so that hosts can use the advanced switch board, and upload other non-BlogTalkRadio produced mp3's....

The site simply allows individuals and companies to use a phone to conduct a live broadcast via the web. Participants dial a phone number, enter the broadcast and then the entire conversation is streamed on air live through the BlogTalkRadio Web site.

• The site also archives all radio shows as podcasts, so they can easily be uploaded to iTunes and then shared on other blogs, sites etc"....via Radio Daily News from the Washington Post

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When charity begins with someone else

The Players Association filed a grievance against the Dodgers' charity requirement for all future players. The apparent impetus was Manny Ramirez' recent signing in that he had to fill in an amount to the Dodgers' own foundation.

• I wondered if Boras and Manny knew about this and why the player can't choose his own charity.

MLB's Rob Manfred from the AP article: ""We're at a loss to understand how the MLBPA could possibly take the position that making a charitable donation does not provide a benefit to the player."" (AP story, 'Union Files Grievance over Dodgers Contribution,' on SportingNews.com

• Clue to why Frank McCourt thinks charity means you giving to him:

Frank McCourt's recent political contributions from CampaignMoney.com:

Name & Location	Employer/Occupation	Dollar Amount	Date	Primary/ General	Contibuted To
McCourt, Frank LOS ANGELES, CA 90067	Los Angeles Dodgers/Owner	$2,300	10/31/2008	G	BECERRA FOR CONGRESS - Democrat
McCourt, Frank BOSTON, MA 02210	Los Angeles Dodgers/Chairman of the	$5,000	07/15/2008	P	OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
MCCOURT, FRANK LOS ANGELES, CA 90067	LOS ANGELES DODGERS/OWNER	$2,300	04/04/2008	G	FRIENDS OF BARBARA BOXER - Democrat
MCCOURT, FRANK LOS ANGELES, CA 90067	LOS ANGELES DODGERS/OWNER	$2,300	04/04/2008	P	FRIENDS OF BARBARA BOXER - Democrat
McCourt, Frank LOS ANGELES, CA 90012	Los Angeles Dodgers/Owner	$25,000	08/31/2007	P	DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE - Democrat
MCCOURT, FRANK H LOS ANGELES, CA 90024	LOS ANGELES DODGERS/OWNER	$1,150	03/31/2007	P	LAUTENBERG FOR SENATE - Democrat
Mccourt, Frank LOS ANGELES, CA 90024		$2,300	03/31/2007	P	HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT - Democrat

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Jim Leyland wants his players back from the WBC

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) -- "Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland is ready for the World Baseball Classic to be over -- he needs his starters back....

• The Tigers have been playing without Armando Galarraga, Carlos Guillen, Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez, who are playing for Venezuela in the WBC. Curtis Granderson is with the United States team. Both teams advanced to the semifinals.

"It's a no-win situation," Leyland said.

• "Some guys just want their players back and that's how I feel also. I want our guys to spend some time together before opening day."

Leyland said he is watching the WBC with great interest but wants his entire squad to have a chance to work together before breaking camp. He would like to see Cabrera, who played third base last year, get some work at first base.

• He's not happy that Guillen has been serving mostly as designated hitter in the WBC,
• when he will be the left fielder after playing first base last season.

Leyland also wants to see Galarraga at least once in a Tigers uniform before opening day. Galarraga was Detroit's most effective pitcher last season and Leyland said he was a little concerned over Gallaraga's pitch count at the WBC. He threw 71 pitches in his last start for Venezuela.

• "We are not where we want to be right now," Leyland said. "We just don't have our players."...

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Al Gore continues to bar press from his global warming lectures

• Al Gore knows his propaganda won't stand up under scrutiny:

Memo to Romenesko: "The official Gore word is here.

• "Special Notice: Photography, recording, webcasting and any other reproduction of Vice President Al Gore's speaking appearance is strictly prohibited. VP Gore's keynote address is
• closed to the press."...

As PCMag.com’s mobile phone expert, I'm attending the CTIA Wireless mobile phone industry trade show, where Al Gore is giving a keynote speech in front of 4,000 people. He's barred "press coverage" of the speech, which means people with press passes won’t be allowed in -- though it's been unclear how this applies to the many other people at the show who will have blog-capable smart phones. ...

• CTIA are a generally press-friendly group and say this was all Gore's doing.

• Gore has apparently been trying to block the press from events for years, and failing. I've got some links in my blog. I blogged the story here:" via Poynter.org/Romenesko

From my post 4/14/08: Gore usually does not allow traditional media into lectures he gives on the subject (global warming). There are many trying to make money in the carbon offsets business, Al Gore included.

• From a recent Al Gore seminar, Newsbusters.com 4/11/08, lists company names he promoted:

• "Amyris (biofuels), Altra (biofuels), Bloom Energy (solid oxide fuel cells), Mascoma (cellulosic biofuels), GreatPoint Energy (catalytic gasification), Miasole (solar cells), Ausra (utility scale solar panels), GEM (battery operated cars), Smart (electric cars), and AltaRock Energy (geothermal power)."

His Altra biofuels is at or near bankruptcy, the

• ethanol industry has been such a tragic mistake it's seeking....
• a taxpayer bailout.

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Jim Kaat joins MLB Network

Neil Best Watchdog notes Jim Kaat will join MLB Network as an analyst for select Thursday games of the week.

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Teixeira not a useful idiot, risks full force of media scorn

NY Times: "As much fun as the United States players have had (in the World Baseball Classic),

• Teixeira is just fine with his decision (not to leave his new employer and fans who are paying him $180 million and for whom he's irreplaceable, to travel with a WBC team).

• “Baseball’s fun; whether it’s your team or the W.B.C.,

• you’re going to have fun,” he said."...

Teixeira doesn't give in to the "fun" idea of robbing his team of his presence and possibly jeopardizing part of his $180 million salary. But hush, Selig, like other wealthy dictators, has stifled free speech on certain issues, such as the WBC. Which is all painless if one is a useful idiot. Article, NY Times, 3/19/09, "Yankees' Teixeira Likes the View from his Corner 'Office'" (Fortunately, Teixeira isn't the only player with this kind of courage).

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Darling of wealthy Manhattan elites

Fidel Castro addressing Cuban National team. File photo by AFP

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Gallup: Americans say economy takes precedence over environment, first in 25 years

PRINCETON, NJ -- "For the first time in Gallup's 25-year history of asking Americans about the trade-off between environmental protection and economic growth,

• a majority of Americans say economic growth should be given the priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent."...

Gallup.com via Lucianne.com ('Climate' propagandists now grab the digitalis...) sm

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