Tanished

When I think of baseball, many names come to mind - Reggie Jackson and he 3 home runs in game six of the '77 World Series; Rollie Fingers and his performance in the 1982 split season as a relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers; John Smoltz and his ability to move from his role as a starter to one of the best relief pitchers in baseball history and back again as a successful starter; and lest we forget the unfortgettable Harry Doyle (Major League).





I am sure you did not miss the fact that I did not name Barry Bonds. It is without a doubt that Barry Bonds has been a formidable player throughout his career. and up until the past few years his accomplishments have been without question. Fans, players and coaches alike may question his attitude, but his true abilities and accomplishments were without blemsih.





That is until the Steroid debacle arrived on the scene.



Bonds has had accusations levied against him of steroid use and I will admit that so far there is no evidence to suggest otherwise; that is, if you ignore the fact that a Federal Grand Jury hearing evidence that he (Bonds) had previously lied under oath about steroids.



No matter what the truth is, Bonds' reputation is now tarnished and when he breaks Hanks record, there will always be an asterick next to his name.



It could have all been avoided if he had just discussed the matter in detail several years ago. Admitting after the fact is never as good as coming clean (if he did use steroids) in the beginning.

The ONLY reason John McCain is losing ground

The media has been talking up the tailspin that presidential hopeful, Senator John McCain finds himself in these days, with the talking heads placing the blame at McCains support of the Iraq war.

The truth is the war has nothing to do with it at all. Although over 70% of Americans currently want the U.S. to withdraw its forces from Iraq, those Republicans who vote in the primaries have generally supported the war from the start. Of those, 68% still support the President and his war policies and believe that the U.S. can still win.

Those are the voters that John McCain needs in order to win, but he lost them decisively when he teamed up with Senator Edward Kennedy to create an amnesty bill for illegal aliens. Conservatives by and large are law and order individuals, they believe in the right to bear arms, they believe that most law enforcement officials are honest and hard working, they believe in the death penalty, and they believe that if you want to live and work in the United States, you need to enter the country through proper channels and do so legally. What they do not believe in is rewarding illegal behaviour.

John McCain may very well believe that the bill was the right thing to do, but as for winning this election, it was the worst mistake he could have made.

Politics is TAME

There has been this argument for several years now that politics has become too mean spirited and devisive; well it certainly is better than it used to be.

Take the state of Kentucky as a perfect example. Before any officeholder can be officially seated, from the Governor to the constables of the commonwealth, they must renounce DUELING!

For those uninformed among us, dueling is where two individuals each with a loaded pistol, stand back to back and walk off a number of paces (steps), and then upon reaching the beforehand agreed to number, turn and fire. Whichever one is left standing is the winner.

The oath is still used to this very day.....makes one wonder what would happen in Illinois if Hot Rod and Maddog Mike really wanted to fight it out?

Where is personal Responsiblity today?

Josh Hancock, a 29 year old St. Louis Cardinals picher, was killed in a vehicle accident in April. At the time of the accident, the police reported that he was not only speeding, not wearing a seat belt, and was talking on his cell phone; but he was also intoxicated.

Hancock was killed when he slammed his vehicle into a second vehicle being assisted by a tow truck along side of the road.

Apparently his father does not think that any of those were Joshs' fault. He father has filed a lawsuit agains the tow-truck driver, the driver being assisted by the towing company, and the manager of the restaurant where Hancock had been drinking.

If you drink and drive, you must accept the consequences of your actions and although Josh may have paid the ultimate price for his actions, those of his father reflect society's belief that its always someone elses fault. Personal responsibility lies with all of us; well that is unless your last name happens to be Hancock.

I can only hope that the courts do the right thing and throw this case in the circular file where it belongs.