Equally hysterical... Sir Archibald Mapsalot

Needs no preamble...

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Fabulous.

GroundHog Deja ClusterF#$%

For those of us who enjoyed giving President George W. Bush a hard time, it's been an interesting time to "re-ass-ess" and eat some humble pie. In other words, this is must see tv. 

Of course, I might remind all, we could've elected - not a card-carrying but a card-playing Republican, if it weren't for a slight 365-to-173 Electoral College, Class of '08 advantage.

Anyway, I give you... the Return of the Daily Show:

Keeping your distance?

I find it very interesting that current advisers of one Willard "Mitt" Romney keep their man, the keeper of binders full of women, far, far away from previous Republican icons such as former Presidents George "41" Bush, candidate Bob Dole, George W. Bush, candidate and current Arizona Senator John McCain, 2012 party candidates Newt Gingrich, Texas Governor Rick Perry, magnate Herman Cain,  US Rep. Ron Paul, former veep Dick Cheney or, god forbid, former veep candidate Sarah Palin.

Hmm, wonder why?  

Embarrassed by the past? Looking toward the future?

Never in a million years would I ever think Veep Joe Biden would be compared to a Musk Ox running across the Tundra?

Here is the esteemed 2008 GOP veep candidate and she is downright hysterical:

Votes on the Sports Pages ...

With an assist from former NBA, former White House and current PR guru Kevin Sullivan, I pass along an interesting post from Politico which discusses the pros and cons of political candidates wading into the world of sports.  It is a slippery slope if not done correctly and properly as sports fans tend to check the facts and figures just as closely as the politicians check the daily polling figures.  It certainly backfired on Martha Coakley when she tried to joke about Curt Shilling.  Read On:




Politicians strike out on sports

By Erika Lovley
January 18, 2010

Massachusetts Senate candidate Martha Coakley is taking heat for dismissing longtime Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling as just another "Yankees fan," but she’s hardly the first politician to swing for the fences and miss.

Politicians from New England have had a particularly bad run of it.

The late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) once referred to homerun champions Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire as “Sammy Sooser” and “Mike McGwire.”

As he ran for president in 2007, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was mocked by bloggers after failing to recognize Red Sox anthem “Dirty Water” at one of his campaign events in Iowa. The Standells song is played at every home game and also appears in the Red Sox-themed film “Fever Pitch.”

“Oh that’s what that song is. Gotcha. I was wondering, ‘What is that song?’” Romney said.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has a list of Red Sox flubs. While campaigning in Massachusetts during the 2004 presidential election, Kerry referred to Red Sox star Manny Ramirez as “Manny Ortez.” He quickly corrected himself but still butchered Sox hitter David Ortiz’s name as “Ortez” in the process.

Several days later, Kerry was booed at Fenway Park when he threw the opening pitch into the dirt.
Kerry also once reportedly named baseball legend Eddie Yost as his favorite Red Sox player — despite the fact that Yost had never played for the Red Sox.

Of course, Kerry’s most famous sports gaffe was made away from home. Just two months before the 2008 election, he referred to the Green Bay Packers’ home stadium, Lambeau Field, as “Lambert Field.”

"I got some advice for him," then-President George W. Bush said a few days later. "If someone offers you a cheesehead, don't say you want some wine, just put it on your head and take a seat at Lambeau Field."

Then-Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) fumbled repeatedly during a hearing on steroids use in 2008 — referring to the Black Sox as the “Blackhawks,” calling Major League Baseball all-star Rafael Palmeiro “Rafael Palmeri” and crediting him with having hit his 300th hit when he’d actually hit a record 3,000.

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd’s early presidential campaign decided to raise money by holding a drawing for tickets to Game Six of the American League Championship Series in October 2007. Entrants had to make a minimum contribution of $20.04. The only problem: The campaign never checked to see if it was against MLB rules. It was, which forced the campaign to offer up refunds.

A few sports errors have happened outside the New England delegation.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said during an interview that while being interrogated as a prisoner of war, he gave his Vietnamese captors the names of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line rather than those of his squadron-mates. But McCain got in hot water with Pittsburgh fans after it became clear that the names of the players McCain gave hadn’t all joined the Steelers until years after McCain’s 1967 capture. To top it off, McCain had written previously in his book, “Faith of My Fathers,” that he’d given his captors the names of the Green Bay Packers defensive line.

The flubs can rev up the opposition and make for great cable fodder. “It’s not about the Boston Red Sox, but it is about being part of a community and understanding them when you go to Washington,” MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said of Coakley’s Schilling stumble Monday.

But rarely, if ever, has a politician lost a race just for bobbling the ball, says Dan Kennedy, an assistant journalism professor and sports and politics enthusiast at Northeastern University.

“People who are on the other side love to say they're bothered, but I don’t think anyone cares," he said. "I don’t think you can point to an instance where a sports gaffe cost anyone an election. And certainly if Coakley loses, Curt Schilling will be reason No. 458.”

***


See TL's viewpoint and a one-pager on a very effective strategy for the savvy political candidate who can honestly claim sports as a passion, whether it be a soccer "mom" or "dad," or a candidate who knows the sports world inside-out.

Obama Reaching Out for Counsel...

From The New York Times....

Interesting viewpoint on a new theory and mechanism for change:

Obama Reaches Out for McCain’s Counsel

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

WASHINGTON — Not long after Senator John McCain returned last month from an official trip to Iraq and Pakistan, he received a phone call from President-elect Barack Obama.

As contenders for the presidency, the two had hammered each other for much of 2008 over their conflicting approaches to foreign policy, especially in Iraq. (He’d lose a war! He’d stay a hundred years!) Now, however, Mr. Obama said he wanted Mr. McCain’s advice, people in each camp briefed on the conversation said. What did he see on the trip? What did he learn?

It was just one step in a post-election courtship that historians say has few modern parallels, beginning with a private meeting in Mr. Obama’s transition office in Chicago just two weeks after the vote. On Monday night, Mr. McCain will be the guest of honor at a black-tie dinner celebrating Mr. Obama’s inauguration.

Over the last three months, Mr. Obama has quietly consulted Mr. McCain about many of the new administration’s potential nominees to top national security jobs and about other issues — in one case relaying back a contender’s answers to questions Mr. McCain had suggested.

Mr. McCain, meanwhile, has told colleagues “that many of these appointments he would have made himself,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and a close McCain friend.

Fred I. Greenstein, emeritus professor of politics at Princeton, said: “I don’t think there is a precedent for this. Sometimes there is bad blood, sometimes there is so-so blood, but rarely is there good blood.”

It is “trademark Obama,” Professor Greenstein said, noting that Mr. Obama’s impulse to win over even ideological opposites appeared to date at least to his friendships with conservatives on The Harvard Law Review when he was president.

For Mr. Obama, cooperation with his defeated opponent could also provide a useful ally in the Senate, where Mr. McCain has parlayed his national popularity and go-his-own-way reputation into a role as a pivotal dealmaker over the last eight years. But on the subject of Iraq, in particular, their collaboration could also raise questions among Mr. Obama’s liberal supporters, many of whom demonized Mr. McCain as a dangerous warmonger because of his staunch opposition to a pullout.

Mr. Obama arrived for their Chicago meeting on Nov. 16 with several well-researched proposals to collaborate on involving some of Mr. McCain’s favorite causes, including a commission to cut “corporate welfare,” curbing waste in military procurement and an overhaul of immigration rules.

“The corporate welfare commission and military acquisition reform are two things the president-elect wants to do very soon,” Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama’s chief of staff and a participant in the meeting, said in an interview. The new administration is already preparing to introduce legislation echoing a previous McCain bill on the commission idea, Mr. Emanuel said, adding, “We have been very respectful and solicitous of his ideas.”

Mr. Emanuel said he did not remember any discussion of Iraq. “Barack has been clear that he is going to stick to his responsible reduction in forces, and he hasn’t changed from that,” he said.

But Mr. Graham, who accompanied Mr. McCain to the meeting, said Mr. Obama took a notably different tone toward Iraq than he had during the campaign, emphasizing the common ground in their views.

“He said that he understands that we had differences but he wanted to let us know that he also understands that we have got to be responsible in how we leave Iraq,” Mr. Graham recalled. “What the Obama-Biden administration has talked about is not losing the gains we have achieved. ”

He added, “Obama does not want to be the guy who lost Iraq when it is close to being won.”

Ramble On ...

As noted on the Fourth of July, I will not be making daily posts for about a month or so, say from July 4th to August 10th. I will post items and updates and any breaking news on life, family, moving, you name it. In the meantime, my Ramble On column will continue once a week through September.


Ramble On: Cuban's view on the Olympics "using" the NBA and its Players...

Mark Cuban is on record and is repeatedly posting on his blog that the Olympics "Use" the NBA and its players - free of charge - as the players and the Games are a giant TV show orchestrated by GE. (NBC Sports and NBC Universal).

He is half-right.

Here is another viewpoint, posted to Cuban on Blog Maverick:

Hey smart guy? Care to re-think your premise?

NBA Uses Olympics to Tap China's `Amazing' Potential

On BLOOMBERG.COM, Wing-Gar Cheng writes "the National Basketball Association, the most-watched sports league in China, is opening its first stores in Beijing and using the Olympics to boost popularity in its biggest overseas market. Two merchandise stores in downtown Beijing, smaller-scale versions of the league's flagship in New York, will open this month and are the first of 500 to 1,000 planned in China, NBA China Chief Executive Officer Tim Chen said. Sales of NBA goods at the 50,000 current licensed outlets may rise 40 percent this year, buoyed by the Aug. 8-24 Olympics, he said."

PS: The NBA also works with a lot of the international TV stations that air the Olympics. Cuban, with his very limited and domestic viewpoint, overlooks the fact that the NBA is also in the global TV business.

***

Ramble On: Mocking the Mock Drafts...

A blog for sports media analysis took a look at the results of all the basketball pundits as they tried to predict the outcome of the NBA Draft in their various mock draft columns. here are the blogger's results with a "High 5" to Ian Thomsen and a big ? to Hollinger and Chad Ford:

WINNERS

Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen claimed the overall top spot after ranking 4th in the correct pick portion of the analysis and topping the pick difference analysis. Closely trailing Mr. Thomsen were Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, Sam Smith of Sporting News, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press. The Orlando Sentinel’s Tim Povtak, MyNBADraft.com’s Todd Robinson, InsideHoops.com, the Chicago Sun-Times’ John Jackson and the Boston Herald’s David Moore rounded out the top 10. Although he performed well overall, Mr. Feigen deserves some criticism here for completely forgetting (I assume) about Eric Gordon. Not only did he not have Gordon going in the Top 10, as almost every other mock draft did, he completely left him out of the first round.

Mr. Thomsen’s win was fueled by his dominance in the Second 10 picks of the draft. He was the only sportswriter to correctly guess more than two of the Second 10 picks – Robin Lopez to the Suns at #15, Marreese Speights to the 76ers at #16 and JJ Hickson to the Cavaliers – and his picks in the Second 10 averaged only 3.1 draft slots away from where they were actually drafted. No other prognosticator had an average less than 5.0 during the Second 10. Additionally, Mr. Thomsen’s overall average pick difference for the 1st round was 3.667, the only average under 4.0. Finally, Mr. Thomsen finished in the top seven of every single category, with only Mr. Bonnell joining him as a Top 10 finisher in every category. Dominant indeed.

LOSERS

On one hand, I hate to highlight the people who did not perform particularly well on the mock draft, but that is exactly why it is important that someone do this analysis. At some point, we as readers have to trust our sources of information, and it only makes sense that we analyze them to find out who among them is consistently full of it. Much to my own personal surprise, two of my favorite NBA writers – Chad Ford and John Hollinger – were woefully bad on their mock drafts.

It’s not a huge surprise that Mr. Hollinger was off but I had always presumed that Mr. Ford would be at or near the top in an objective analysis such as this considering the amount of coverage he gives the NBA Draft. Mr. Ford was especially dreadful in the Second 10, in which he did not pick a single player correctly and he averaged a second-worst 8.2 draft slots away per player. In addition to picking two players in the Second 10 who were not drafted until the 2nd Round – Mario Chalmers and DeAndre Jordan – he slotted both Kosta Koufos and Donte Greene towards the top of the Second 10.

***

"Paging Mr. Sal Monella ... Please call your office, Mr. Sal Monella."

Can you believe this? The quote of the year: "Tomatoes aren't off the hook". You can't make this stuff up:

By Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer | July 1, 2008

WASHINGTON --Adding to tomato confusion, the government is about to start testing numerous other types of fresh produce in the hunt for the source of the nation's record salmonella outbreak -- even as it insists tomatoes remain the leading suspect.

Investigators are mum on exactly what other vegetables are getting tracked.

Items commonly served with fresh tomatoes is the only hint Food and Drug Administration food safety chief Dr. David Acheson would give, calling it "irresponsible" to point a finger until he has more evidence that some other food really deserves the extra scrutiny.

"Tomatoes aren't off the hook," he stressed. "It's just that there is clearly a need to think beyond tomatoes."

Still, Acheson widened FDA's probe on Tuesday, activating an emergency network of food laboratories around the country in anticipation of lots of additional samples to test.

The reason is that the outbreak continues, with 869 people now confirmed having taken ill. Most troublesome, at least 179 of them fell ill in June, the latest on June 20. That is more than two months after the first salmonella illnesses appeared, meaning the outbreak is continuing weeks longer than food-poisoning specialists had expected -- and suggesting the culprit is still on the market.

Over the weekend, disease detectives with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began interviewing people sickened in June to find out what they ate and to compare their diets with those of healthy relatives and neighbors. Officials wouldn't reveal early findings, except to say they supported the investigation's new move.

Among the possibilities FDA is exploring is whether tomatoes and other produce are sharing a common packing or shipping site where both might become contaminated, or whether multiple foods might be tainted while being grown on adjoining farms or with common water sources.

Pressure is increasing on the FDA to solve the case, with the tomato industry suffering millions of dollars in losses and pushing for Congress to investigate how the agency handled the outbreak.

But Acheson said Tuesday that there's a growing misconception in the public that if tomatoes really were to blame, the outbreak would only have lasted six weeks.

That's just not true, he said, pointing to farms that rotate harvests so as to keep producing tomatoes for months.

Tomatoes first became a suspect because of what are called "case-control" studies rapidly conducted in New Mexico and Texas, the outbreak's center, CDC food-poisoning specialist Dr. Robert Tauxe said.

Those kinds of studies compare the sick to people who are otherwise similar -- in income, lifestyle, where they live -- but healthy. In those initial studies, about 80 percent of the ill reported eating certain types of fresh tomatoes, far more than the healthy group did, Tauxe said. Statistically, the association was too strong to think it a coincidence.

Some food-poisoning experts say the CDC missed a key step in not taking those studies a step further and trying to trace why some of the healthy ate tomatoes without harm.

For now, the FDA continues to urge consumers nationwide to avoid raw red plum, red Roma or red round tomatoes unless they were grown in specific states or countries that the agency has cleared of suspicion. Check the FDA's Web site -- http://www.fda.gov -- for an updated list. Also safe are grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached.

That advice is coming under fire too because tomatoes are sent through multiple repacking and distribution sites around the country, even to Mexico and back, regardless of where they're grown. But Acheson said the advice would be fine-tuned only if new science emerges.

Even Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt expressed frustration Tuesday that the case isn't solved.

Blame it on the Jalapeno?

This on the news wires as of July 5th:

Jalapeno peppers are a new focus of the investigation into the salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people in at least 40 states, according to media reports.
Government health investigators had initially focused on some types of fresh tomatoes, which have been removed from menus across the country, but are turning toward jalapenos as sicknesses continue. Salsa ingredients cilantro and Serrano peppers are also under scrutiny, according to reports.

"Recently, many clusters of illnesses have been identified in Texas and other states among persons who ate at restaurants," according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statement. "These clusters have led us to broaden the investigation to be sure that it encompasses food items that are commonly consumed with tomatoes."

As of Friday evening, 943 persons infected with salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, according to CDC. Illnesses are believed to have begun in early April.
CNN reported that the U.S. investigation is focusing on imports from Mexico, and that starting Monday inspectors will stop shipments of produce for common Mexican cuisine ingredients. So far Texas is by far the leader in reported illnesses, with 356 reports of ill people as of late Friday. New Mexico has 98 reported illnesses, while Illinois has 93.

Government investigators have been looking for the source of the salmonella outbreak for weeks -- a frustrating experience that highlights the need for more resources dedicated to improved food-safety science. Last month, the FDA's food-safety plan came under intense criticism from the Government Accountability Office, which voiced concerns about its direction and resources.

***

A note from the Asbury Park Press - another sad day on E Street...

Boardwalk fortune teller Madam Marie dies

It was one line from a Bruce Springsteen song that made the boardwalk fortune teller world famous. And now, "Madam Marie" has passed away.

Marie Castello, who had told fortunes since the 1930s and became famous for her presence and predictions on the Asbury Park boardwalk, died Friday, her great-granddaughter, Sally Castello said.

The psychic reader and advisor was 93. She became known worldwide from Bruce Springsteen's homage to her in his music.

"Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie,'' Springsteen sang in his 1973 song, "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)'' "for tellin' fortunes better than they do."

"That was just the Boss,'' said Asbury Park Deputy Mayor Jim Bruno. "She was never arrested. But Springsteen turned her into an icon.''

Madam Marie bragged that she had told the fortunes of everyone from Judy Garland to Springsteen himself. Legend has it that she told Springsteen he was going to be a success. Springsteen later joked that she told all the musicians that.

And Springsteen never forgot Madam Marie.

"He always comes by to say hello," she told Press columnist Bill Handleman in May. "He knows where he came from."

Word of Castello's death spread along the Asbury Park boardwalk over the weekend. The American flag flying over the Convention Hall-Paramount Theatre complex was lowered to half staff in her honor, and it remained that way today.

"Of course, Madam Marie is our longest running tenant here on the boardwalk. ... She's an Asbury Park tradition,'' said Gary Mottola, president of investments for developer Madison Marquette, the lead partner in a joint venture with Asbury Partners to restore or rebuild the boardwalk's entertainment buildings. "We felt that honoring her by lowering the Convention Hall flag to half staff is the right thing to do.''

Marie Castello closed down her regular operations on the boardwalk in the mid-1990s after a dropoff in business. She continued telling fortunes in Ocean Township.



***

Did they Blink in July?


McCain Orders Shake-Up of His Campaign
By ADAM NAGOURNEY of the NYT

WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign has gone through its second shake-up in a year as Mr. McCain, responding to Republican concerns that his candidacy was faltering, put Steve Schmidt in charge of day-to-day operations and abandoned an effort to have the campaign run by 11 regional managers, the senator’s aides said Wednesday.

Mr. Schmidt is a veteran of President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign and he worked closely with Karl Rove, who was Mr. Bush’s political adviser. His installation at Mr. McCain’s headquarters sharply diminished the responsibilities of Rick Davis, who has been Mr. McCain’s campaign manager since the last shake-up nearly a year ago.

Mr. McCain’s advisers said that Mr. Davis would continue to hold the position of campaign manager, but that Mr. Schmidt had taken over every major operation where Mr. McCain has shown signs of struggling: communications, scheduling and basic political strategy.

The shift was approved by Mr. McCain after several aides, including Mr. Schmidt, warned him about 10 days ago that he was in danger of losing the presidential election unless he revamped his campaign operation, according to two officials close to the campaign.


-30-

McCain Trying to Avoid a "Side-by-Side" standing debate?

McCain Trying to Avoid a "Side-by-Side" standing debate?

Did you see this news item on Wednesday? It came about 12 hours after McCain supporters cringed as the Republican nominee PAINFULLY crept through a stump speech that was aired on CNN live. It was ... well, PAINFUL.

McCain's supporters were actually OLDER than him. One CNN pundit mentioned it, stating, "John McCain wasn't the oldest person in the room."

McCain and Republican strategists then tuned in for Senator Obama's speech at St. Paul, Minnesota and realized the HUGE issue in front of them come debate time.

See the AP story on the proposed debate format (which could be good for 2-or-3 public town hall-type debates, but I would negotiate at least three "side-by-side" - Kennedy vs. Nixon type debates for all the world to see.

***

BATON ROUGE, La. - John McCain challenged Barack Obama to join him in 10 town hall meetings with voters before the Democratic National Convention in August. An Obama adviser was receptive to the idea and said the campaign would discuss it.

McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, sent his rival a letter outlining the offer on Wednesday, the day after Obama clinched the Democratic nomination. McCain suggested the first town hall be held June 12 in New York.

"We need to now sit down and work out a way that we can have these town hall meetings and have a great debate," McCain told reporters Wednesday in Baton Rouge.

He credits the more intimate town hall format with his victory in the New Hampshire primary that launched his climb to the GOP nomination. McCain said the style would tell voters more than the typical formal, televised debates.

"I don't think we need any big media-run production, no process question from reporters, no spin rooms," McCain said. "Just two Americans running for office in the greatest nation on earth, responding to the questions of the people whose trust we must earn."

Ramble On ... McKillop Wins Clair Bee Honor and Mullin Snubbed (Again) ...

Davidson's Bob McKillop has won the Coach Clair Bee Award, his first national coaching honor.

The award honors the Division I men's basketball coach who has made the most significant positive contribution to his sport in the preceding year. The awards ceremony will take place Monday, April 7, in San Antonio.

McKillop, 57, led Davidson (29-7) to the school's first Elite Eight appearance since 1969. Davidson had a 25-game winning streak and defeated three ranked opponents in the NCAA tournament.

The nine-member selection committee for the award included Dean Smith, Bobby Knight, Billy Packer and Dick Vitale. Other finalists for the award were Mark Few (Gonzaga), Trent Johnson (Stanford), Ernie Kent (Oregon) and Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State).

***

That said, I can't believe that Chris Mullin has been snubbed (AGAIN) for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. I learned that Mully was not in San Antonio, a clear indication that he will not be at a press conference the Hall of Fame stages in the NCAA city to announce the incoming Hall of Fame class.

Mullin is the second best college basketball player in the history of NYC, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor). Abdul-Jabbar chose to attend college at UCLA, of course. Mullin chose to stay local and attended St. John's. There has never been a better NYC college player. In addition, Mullin earned two Olympic gold medals and had an All-Star level NBA career. He is HEAD and SHOULDERS better than dozens of other players who have been inducted on their college basketball merits, never mind the rest.

It is a shame. And, I am officially 'pissed off.'

***

Bob Delaney made a guest appearance on the Jim Rome radio show and sales on hte Amazon web site jumped up nearly 600 spots on the best seller listing. Here is a URL for the site which requires a subscription to listen in to streaming audio feeds:

http://www.jimrome.com/home/audio_archive_list/00/bobdelaney.html

***

This from MediaBistro:

Craigslist Revenue Up From $55M to $81M in '08

Newspapers, consider your lunch eaten, and your ass kicked by the big bad online bully for dessert: Online classifieds hub Craigslist will enjoy an estimated $81 million in revenue this year, up from an estimated $55 million in 2007, according to a report released this morning by interactive classified advertising consulting firm Classified Intelligence LLC.

Let's see the latest figures on how online impresario Craig Newmark is putting the rest of the media world to shame, according to Classy Intel:

Estimated revenue in 2003: $7 million
Estimated revenue in 2008: $81 million
New classified ads each month: More than 30 million
Full-time employees working out of one Victorian-style house in San Francisco: 25

***

I liked the two hires announced on Wednesday when the NY Knicks introduced Donny Walsh to the media and Indiana U. announced that Tom Crean will be the head coach at Bloomington. Crean will have to sweep up the mess left by Kelvin Sampson. ESPN reported that Sampson will attempt to work in the NBA, as an assistant coach, I imagine.

***

There was talk of the United States Olympic Committee folding up shop in Colorado Springs and relocating offices. The inside track was to relocate to Chicago to bond with the Chicago 2016 organizing committee in hopes to land the summer games in the year I will turn 57! Yikes.

Anyhow, the USOC is staying put in Colorado Springs. Here is a blurb on the topic:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (AFP) - The US Olympic Committee (USOC) headquarters will remain in Colorado Springs after a review of pitches from several rival cities, USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth announced Monday.

The 53 million-dollar deal from Colorado Springs, the USOC's home since 1978, will provide for training center upgrades and new administrative headquarters buildings for the USOC as well as national sport governing bodies.

"There has long been a special relationship between the USOC and Colorado Springs and we're pleased to announce this relationship will continue," said Ueberroth.

***

Ft. Worth Star-Telegram basketball columnist Jan Hubbard had some interesting thoughts on the NBA's post season awards program for MVP and the likes of Rookie of the Year, etc.

Read on:

Admittedly, I’ve taken a long-winded way to get to today’s point, which is that the NBA should have a serious discussion about revamping the awards system.

Individual awards have traditionally been based on performances for the regular season. For the most part, it’s worked fine.

But consider this point: Why should individual awards be based on the regular season with team awards based on the postseason? Isn’t this supposed to be a team sport? Championships are decided in the playoffs. Shouldn’t the playoffs be considered when determining who has performed the best for that season?

The Warriors’ upset over Dallas last season was a key turning point in NBA history. It was the first time an eighth seed had beaten a top seed in a seven-game first round series.

But it also showed the weakness of the award system. This is not to pick on Dirk Nowitzki because he is a great basketball player and had a great season in 2006-07. It is a privilege to watch him play basketball on a regular basis.

But when he accepted his award last year, his team was out of the playoffs.

Then consider LeBron James. He led an immensely undertalented team to the NBA Finals almost through his own sheer will. Is there any doubt that when looking at the whole season that James should have been MVP? I will bet even Dirk agrees.

I would have no problem with award voting ending after the first three rounds of the playoffs. There is an MVP of the Finals, so that award is sufficient.

But I also would be willing to have voting after the Finals. The NBA could then notify winners, and perhaps bring them to New York for awards presentations in conjunction with the college draft. There was a time in the ‘80s when the NBA would bring the MVP to the league meetings, which are no longer held, and present the trophy.

The regular season would obviously still be important. The All-NBA teams, defensive player of the year, most improved player, etc., would still be largely based on regular-season performances. And the regular season certainly would have an influence on the MVP award.

When the NBA recounts its award history, it presents winners as the top players in individual categories for the entire season. That is inaccurate because there is no listing that awards are “For Regular Season Only.”

The time has come for a change. The NBA should gather not only top historians -- coaches and executives -- but also players like Kevin Garnett who have studied NBA history. And perhaps a panel of media could be assembled -- not only people who have been around for 20-30 years covering the league, but the younger generation of 20- and 30-somethings who could add a fresh perspective.

(A sidenote: Please, no internet fan voting designed to attract a sponsors to add additional revenue to the league. I understand that has also become a tradition, but let’s keep this one semi-pure.)

The NBA should solicit opinions and make a common-sense decision. Let the individual awards reflect the best player for the entire season, not a specific part of it. Keeping an antiquated system for no other reason than tradition no longer makes sense.

***

I remember the 1988 NBA League Meetings which were planned for Scottsdale, Arizona but moved to Whittier and Industry City, California when Arizona refused to adopt the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday into law.

The NBA pulled the plug on AZ and made a statement to the state's tourism board and politicians.

The DNC had this to say about Senator John McCain's mea culpa to critics who blamed him in part for Arizona's opposition to the King holiday bill:

The Democratic National Committee, however, was not sold by McCain's apology.

"It's frankly disingenuous for John McCain to try and reinvent himself for the general election by distorting his record of opposing a holiday honoring Dr. King. John McCain should be honest about his full record of opposing the federal holiday, opposing a state holiday four years later, using divisive language to defend himself, and voting to cut off funding for the commission working to promote the King holiday as recently as 1994," spokeswoman Karen Finney said in a statement.

***

Hmm? Let me think? PR firm has one agenda but Hillary has another. What is a PR-guy to do? See this from Friday's WSJ?

Amid resignation calls from labor leaders, Sen. Hillary Clinton's chief strategist Mark Penn apologized Friday for meeting with the Colombian ambassador this week to discuss a trade agreement that Sen. Clinton opposes.

"The meeting was an error in judgment that will not be repeated and I am sorry for it. The senator's well known opposition to this trade deal is clear and was not discussed," he said in a statement released by Sen. Clinton's presidential campaign.

In a statement first provided to The Wall Street Journal, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa — whose union has endorsed rival Sen. Barack Obama — said the account calls into question Sen. Clinton's own credibility on the trade pact.

"How can we trust that a President Hillary Clinton would stand strong against this trade deal when her top adviser is being paid by Colombia to promote it?" Mr. Hoffa said. "To support this so-called 'free trade agreement' is anathema to the labor movement and to anyone who supports working people, social justice or the environment." (See the statement.1)

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Mr. Penn met in his capacity as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller, a public relations and lobbying firm that is contracted to promote passage of the bilateral free-trade agreement that President Bush is expected to send to Capitol Hill next week despite opposition from Democrats and labor unions. Sen. Clinton and rival Sen. Obama oppose the deal.

***

My TV Production question of the day? Why did CBS Sports keep the Final Four Show in the studio? It was strange to see Greg Gumbel, Clark Kellogg, Seth Davis and Billy D in the studio setting, rather than the obligatory courtside perch at the Alamodome. Sam Ryan and the great Lesley Visser were at courtside, and that's a good thing.

CBS dedicated a huge chunk of the Final Four Show to a group called Hoops for Hope. Check it out: http://www.hoopsofhope.org

- 30 -

Des Moines Register ...

Des Moines Register editorial board members took the first plunge in the primaries by providing the Hillary Clinton and John McCain campains with a solid shots of momentum by virtue of the paper's official endorsement. The editorial spoke of Clinton's 'readiness' while it questioned Barack Obama's 'experience.'

The Boston Globe also backed McCain but its editors chose Obama for their support in near-by New Hampshire.

I solidly remain in the John Edwards camp.

I am very interested to see if the endorsements breathe new life into Senator McCain's campaign. Originally, I thought McCain would breeze to the republican nomination, only to see the likes of Rudy Guliani and O-Mitt Romney jump to the frontrunner spots on the other side.