A DOWNTOWN HISTORIC ATTITUDE LESSON IN QUINCY

As everybody in the basin knows, a very nice, historic building in downtown was destroyed by fire this week. A truly sad thing, there is no denying it.

Next door, on the other side of the firewall is a relatively new niche restaurant called "My Koog". Even though it is right across the street from my workplace, I have never patronized it or even been in it. (Sorry, creature of habit). Neither had I met the guy who runs it. But I think him for providing an example that I will take into the new year.

His business is watered and wet. He can't open until demolition of the next door building is done. Yet he just talks positively about reopening on that spot and all the work he's going to do to get things up and running. I mean this guy makes Norman Vincent Peale look like a whiner!

Guaranteed, that guy reopens, I will find something I like to eat there and become a regular customer. He set an example about handling adversity. I could probably never live up to his great mental approach but I will remember it and try.

When you open up, Buddy, I want to meet you and thank you for the best holdiday gift anybody could have given....a reminder of how a real man acts in a tough spot. I'll be there with cash and carryout orders for the office.

SPECIAL REPORT: ROLLIN', ROLLIN'....STILL ROLAND, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

Whatever you might think of Rod Blagojevich, this is a solid move.

The Senate will have no choice but to seat Roland, a man who is kind of everybody's third choice.

My only question is "What the Hell kept you, Gov.?"

As I watch the chaos unfold, I am reminded of the Dr. Hook song "Roland the Roady" (Loved Gertrude the Groupy).

HOLIDAY RETAIL: WHAT IF IT'S ALL A CROCK?

If we think back to recent years past, there are always reports that Black Friday is down and the season is shorter and the spending is not going to save retail store and they're going to have to put more stuff on sale sooner and cheaper and pretty much the sky is falling. Then, we get the after-holidays report and spending was up two percent.

Now, I realize the wallpaper for this year has been a little different. There is credit and housing crunch and unemployment is up. On the other hand, the government has been putting money into circulation like your stereotypical drunken sailor.

What if it's all a lie or miscalculation again this time? What if fewer people spent about the same gross money at holiday time? How could we rely on media reports for anything financial if they have misinformed us on this one? What does that all say about the division of wealth in this country?

I'm not saying that will happen but I am saying we've heard this holiday song before and the last stanza has been pretty much the same every time. As they say in the NFL "Won't know till I see film."

LOCAL STORIES OF THE YEAR: IT'S ALL CONNECTED

I didn't have a lot of time to read the paper this weekend but I think I've got this right.

First O'Brien stalks a young female golfer into the state of Minnesota, crossing several state lines in the process.

So embarrassed by this disreputable behavior was the President of O'Brien's employer that he just up and quit after 54 years.

It's all connected, Kirk. It's all connected.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED IN A DISCUSSION OF "THE GREATEST RIGHT HAND HITTER OF ALL TIME"

As baseball discussions often will a discussion on the above topic veered off into the following subject "Is Manny Ramirez a better candidate for 'GRHHAT' than Albert Pujols?"

Holy Josh Gibson! Can it be?

What You think?

FELIX THE NAVIGATOR, EVERYBODY!

Got me one of them Rosetta Stone Thingies: That's how you say "Merry Christmas" in Cuba!

Next Week I'm working on "Good Afternoon"--That's like "Bwana's Turdies."

Damn, I'll be Habla'ing in no time!

LOST IN THE CHICAGO BLAGO FEDERAL OVERHEAR: THE GOV'S OFFICES AS "STUCKEY'S"

Let's skip for a minute the concept of whether anything criminal happened.

The guy said he's "Stuck" as Governor. He didn't get drafted. He ran for the job, twice (three times if you count a hot primary in 02).

I put it up to that Pepperdine education. Whatever a Pepperdine Law grad gets, he considers himself entitled to more. I used to think democrats were immune from the Pepperdine virus. Of course, I used to think Blago was a democrat. I was younger then.

MY PERSONAL LOCK-IN AND RANDOM FOOTBALL MUSINGS

Do not call me on the evening of December 23rd. Do not expect me and to moderate comments on the evening of December 23rd. Do not expect me to do anything vaguely festive on the night of December 23rd. Expect me to be an undisclosed location in front of a large screen watching what I expect to be the best bowl game of the season: Boise State against TCU.

These are two teams screwed by their conference affiliations. The only good news about that travesty is that, had either one gone to a B (C) S Bowl, we would have missed this rematch. Boise State scores almost at will and the TCU seldom lets anybody score. Both teams have excellent team speed and are playing at a warm weather site. I have no connection to either team but I'm not missing this one. I suspect it will be the best game of the entire bowl season. Yes, Tookie, much better than the sacrifice of Utah to the Saban cultists.

While I am on the subject of football in general, has anybody else noticed that the professional game is becoming less size-specialized? The big, slow guys used to subbed for by fast, skinny guys as necessary. Now, it seems the teams rising to the top are the ones who have superior foot speed throughout lineups, position by position and their guys play most every down. Not so much anymore do you see big, fat defensive tackles who will only play running downs and big, clunky tight ends and H backs whose only job is to root people out of the way for speedy tailbacks. Suddenly everybody in the NFL who has any success has speed at every position. What a concept!

Finally, noticed the estimable Sammy Baugh died last week. This guy led the NFL in passing, punting and interceptions IN THE SAME YEAR! We don't have much film on him but he was a special athlete and an ordinary sized guy. And, no, Mizzou J School Guy, the comparisons to Chase Daniel are not yet ripe. Both Texans and both small. Check back with me in about 12 years.

WHO DOES THIS? SORT OF A BASIN "CRAIGSLIST" QUESTION

I own about 5000 songs. About 2000 of them are on CD. No problem there. I have a relative who can rip them from CD to MP3.

My problem is I have to get the other 3000 or so from casette tape to CD. I can take it from there.

Who does this?

I can buy a machine that does it for about $130.00. Then I'd just have to turn around and sell the machine on EBay. I'd rather pay to have it done.

Anybody know who does this?

rule5draft@gmail.com if you don't want to post it here. The help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

DREW PETERSON IS MARRYING AGAIN.....

.....and the happy couple is registered at:

Crate and Barrel (55 Gallon Drum Department)

Duct Tape Unlimited (Ask for "Larry" in "Extra Strength" Department)

Clorox Outlet Stores (Pour-Spout Department)

Bed, Bath and Afterlife

Bolingbrook-McCauley Funeral Chapel and Crematorium


You have to draw the line somewhere....no gun shops.

OVERDUE WELCOME TO QCEXAMINER AND "FREEDOM OF SPEECH"

QCExaminer is a valued colleague in the blogosphere. Her allergy to Phil Hare is carried out in an amusing and clever fashion. For some reason I always have trouble linking "wordpress" bloggers. It's nothing the Googs do to make it harder. I guess I just choke on new words.

Any, welcome QCE and keep 'em coming. Sorry it took so long. I also owe you some emails. Will try to do better.

There have been some loose comments on other blogs about "Freedom of Speech" and moderation of comments on this blog and others. For you non-scholars, "Freedom of Speech" is a concept that limits what the Government can do to you for expressing your thoughts. UMRBlog is not the government. Still, I've never whacked a post simply because it disagreed with my personally-held views. The usual whacks are personal attacks or anon's self-sourcing breaking news. I've been averaging about one a month but I've hit four so far this Month.

If you come to my house and wipe your ass on the curtains, you're going to be excused and not welcome back, even if it was an act of expression. In here we just excuse you before fabric actually makes contact with anus.

Take a look at The Inside Dope Blog. I can't express a comment moderation any better than TID or more clearly than he does. I just don't want to take up the space in the template.

Anyhow, welcome QCE and you, over there, step away from that curtain.

OPEN DOOR POLICIES IN MANAGEMENT: A STATEMENT

When the Chief Executive of an organization maintains what he describes as an "Open Door Policy" (Always while patting himself firmly on the back) it says two things about him:

1. He's a poor time manager--usually because he fails to value his own creative and productive time; and

2. He has no clue he's cutting the legs out from under his Department Heads and Middle Managers by inviting the inmates to drop by and run the asylum with him.

Beware Mr. Open Door Policy New Age Manager--he'll destabilize your work force faster than the Ebola Virus.

ROLAND ON A ROLL: BET HE'S WRONG

I heard Roland Martin say on TV today that you could take it to the bank: Blago's gonna resign Monday. I'm not saying Roland's sources (probably Obama worshippers and Jackson hangers-on) are not telling him that. I think he's reporting truly what he's hearing but I don't think he's critically analyzing his sources. Nobody really close to the Governor is telling him that. That's because there's nobody left (Outside of maybe Patti) really close to the Governor.

Moreover, at some point, you have to pose the "Reasonable Lawyer" test. It goes like this: Is there a lawyer alive who wouldn't dump him as a client if he resigned or offered to resign before the lawyer could use the office for a plea-bargaining chip? Hint: Not one, anywhere.

So no matter how breathless David Gregory and Wolf Blitzer get over another Spitzerian photo op, it is highly unlikely to happen and even less likely to happen until the Governor figures out who his real lawyer is.

GEORGE BORK: EVER HAVE ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN....

.......someone's on your mind for no particular reason, someone you maybe shared some time and space with and you haven't thought about in years? I'm having one today. I used to play sports against and spend a little time with sort of ordinary looking guy named George Bork.

George's showcase talent was basketball but he really didn't burn to play basketball. What floated his boat was throwing a football. So, I heard he turned down a scholarship to play basketball at Michigan to walk on to play football at Northern Illinois University. There might even have been a Junior College in there someplace. I don't remember. George loved all throws, the soft toss to the back corner, the zip to the post, the low buttonhook. They had a couple of cute screens that he could throw as well as anybody who ever played the game.

By the time he got to be a junior, NIU just kind of abandoned running the ball, went into a short punt formation and George threw the ball. They had good receivers and sort of a screwy but effective pass protection scheme. Anyhow, George broke about every passing record ever assembled at NIU.

He went to the Canadian football league for a while but he caught a couple of bad breaks. First, his team was a little short on money and, second, CFL coaches were gradually changing the league, with its three downs, to one where the fast black guys played quarterback and the bigger maybe slower white guys were the pass catchers. George preferred his passing standing still. Nobody was going to mistake him for Condredge Holloway or Michael Vick.

Just in time, somebody started something called the Continental Football League and George played for the Chicago Owls. Had some success but the league ran out of money in fourteen point two seconds.

Googled him and see where he's been a golf coach in the Chicago area for a long time. That's cool. He's a good example of one following one's passion--he went where he would have a chance to play football because that was what he loved. Passed on a chance to play Big Ten Basketball and go to Fichigan for free. That's a lotta resolve for an 18 year old.

And, no, I have absolutely no idea why he popped into my haid today.

CONSTITUIONAL RIGHTS YOU DON'T HAVE HERE AND PEEK AT THE BASIN'S SCHEDULE

Had some email and commentary screech lately, so here are the rules:

1. You do not have a constitutional right to have your comments appear on my blog;

2. You do not have a statutory right to have your comments appear on my blog;

3. You do not have an express warranty that I will print your comments;

4. You do not have an implied warranty from me that I will print your comments.

Now, a courtesy look in my scheduling clue box.

I usually prepare new posts in the wee hours of the night/a.m. and review comments then. I usually take a quick look for comments between 0700-0830. If I'm in town and not in court/depositions, I'll look again when I read my surface mail, usually around 11-1:30 midday. Then I may not look again until the wee hours, when I compose a new post.

Anyway, if you comment in the a.m. or early afternoon and don't see your comments till the next day, don't go all "Grassy Knoll" on me.

Finally, when you're anon, which is no problem, you are truly anon here. I' use no counter and no sourcing software. You can be as mysterious as you wanna be.

"MY NAME IS EASTERN EUROPEAN BUT MY STORY IS AMERICAN"

Damn! I hope not.

WHAT'D HARRIS DO?

I've read the charge/affidavit. I'd rather be Harris' Defense Lawyer than Blago's.

Looks to me like the evidence to date is just Harris thinking out loud about ways the Governor might benefit from a series of circumstances. Unless Harris did something to make those things happen, he's not guilty of any crime. Thinking, generally speaking, is not a crime. Talking about "what ifs", generally speaking, is not a crime.

And, No, I don't know Harris. I'm just looking at the affidavit.

RULE ONE OF SEEKING FUTURE EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY: DO NOT CALL THE PREZ-ELECT A MO-FO

This is an actual paragraph from the Gov't's affidavit in support of its complaint. Sorry for the adult language but the adult is your Governor.


"c. ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another
consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it
up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put “[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give fucking [Senate Candidate 1] a fucking Senate seat and I don’t get anything.” (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois). ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he needs to find a way to take the “financial stress” off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards. According to ROD BLAGOJEVICH, “the immediate challenge [is] how do we take some of the financial pressure off of our family.” Later in the phone call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that absent getting something back, ROD BLAGOJEVICH will not pick Senate Candidate 1. HARRIS
re-stated ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s thoughts that they should ask the President-elect for
something for ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s financial security as well as maintain his political
viability. HARRIS said they could work out a three-way deal with SEIU and the Presidentelect
where SEIU could help the President-elect with ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s appointment
of Senate Candidate 1 to the vacant Senate seat, ROD BLAGOJEVICH would obtain a
position as the National Director of the Change to Win campaign, and SEIU would get
something favorable from the President-elect in the future."

Can't you just see the Petition for Executive Clemency?:

"Repectfully submitted to the Mo-Fo-in-Chief

Rod R. Blagojevich, BOP #55555555, Petitioner"

ALL THIS TIME I'VE BEEN OPPOSING THE "BCS", I THOUGHT IT STOOD FOR BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES...

.....When, come to find out, it stands for "Blagojevich Cash for Senate seat"

Who knew?

DEN OF THIEVES: POST 1942 HALL OF FAME VETERANS COMMITTEE

Henry Aaron--Comatose--probably "no"

Sparky Anderson --Wanted to change pitchers but Morgan counseled him --probably "no"

Ernie Banks --Wanted to play two ballots -- Yes

Johnny Bench --Friend of Morgan's-- probably "no"

Wade Boggs--Tastes Like Chicken--probably "no"

George Brett --Gentleman--Yes

Lou Brock --Cub thing --Probably Yes

Jim Bunning--Gas Bag --No

Rod Carew --What does he care, he was great--Yes

Steve Carlton--Morgan's surrogate--Probably No

Gary Carter --Doesn't want anybody else in--No

Orlando Cepeda--He's been to prison, nothing to fear from Santo--Yes

Bobby Doerr --Great hitter had all the range of a manhole cover on defense--proably "no"

Dennis Eckersly--Understands Cub History--Yes

Bob Feller--So good he doesn't understand mortals--probably no.

Rollie Fingers--Good guy, likes golf--Yes

Carlton Fisk--Lives in Chicago--Yes

Whitey Ford--Leo Durocher said he's met nine jerks in his life and Ford was two of them--No.

Bob Gibson --Peer Respect--Yes

Goose Gossage --Wrong League--probably no.

Tony Gwynn--Doesn't vote for anybody who hits under .320 lifetime--no

Monte Irvin--Comatose,--Probably Yes.

Reggie Jackson--very liberal voter--Yes

Fergie Jenkins --no question--yes

Al Kaline--Hard Call--probably yes

George Kell--no business in the hall himself, probably figures enough 3B already--no

Harmon Killebrew --decent, fair minded guy--yes

Ralph Kiner --Met Connection--No

Sandy Koufax --decent, no agenda, LaSorda influence--Yes

Lasorda--publicly supported Ronnie--Yes

Lee McPhail--Still getting even for his son--No.

Juan Marichal--Peer--Yes

Willie Mays --Want to do the opposite of Cepeda but NL guy--probably yes

Mazeroski --Surely he, above all people, would appreciate Santo's defense--Yes

McCovey--Still mad about Richardson catching that smash--but Probably yes

Molitor --Not a Morgan fan--probably yes

Morgan--forced by ESPN to vote yes, had his surrogates vote "no"

Eddie Murray--Not a baseball fan--No

Stan Musial--Prostate Cancer concentrates the mind wonderfully--yes

Phil Niekro--hard one--Yes

Jim Palmer--All Star experience together--Probably Yes

Tony Perez--Morgan votes again--Hell No.

Gaylord Perry--appreciates a competitor--Yes

Cal Ripken--trying set the record for number of no's consecutive--No

Robin Roberts--Springfield Illinois boy--Yes

Brooks Robinson--Lower Batting average than Ronnie, Embarassing--No

Frank Robinson --Straight Shooter, not Morgan/Schmidt disciple--Yes

Nolan Ryan--Met connection--No

Ryne Sandberg--You Kidding?--Yes

Michael Jack--It's all about me--No

Red Schoendienst--A lucid interval--Yes

Tom Seaver--understands Chicago baseball, overcomes Met thing--Yes

Ozzie Smith--White Guy--No

Duke Snider--peer--yes

Bruce Sutter--NL Central--yes

Don Sutton--Lucky to be in himself, LaSorda influence--Yes

Earl Weaver--Smoke Break--Yes

Dick Williams--Admired Ronnie--Yes

Dave Winfield--just barely a peer--Probably yes

Robin Yount--Out of touch--Probably No

Yaz--Never Saw Ronnie Play--No

I've gotta be wrong about three or four of these guys because the numbers don't add up but it still wasn't baseball's proudest day.

THE MIKE SCHMIDT GROUPIES HAVE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL ROADBLOCK: SANTO SCREWED AGAIN

Somehow the Michael Jack Schmidt wing of the Hall of Fame, led by pussbucket Joe Morgan, has worked its magic again. The Schmidt-lovers, convinced the admission of the preeminent NL third baseman from another decade will diminish the legend of Michael Jack, have once again prevailed in Keeping the best 3B of the late 60's-early 70's out of the Hall of Fame once again.

It doesn't help that Santo sometimes behaved in a bit of an unprofessional manner in home games during the '69 season. There are Hall of fame voters, national league veterans and writers who will never forgive him for that.

But, when you put his work in context (Take a look for example at the 1968 NL LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE--for God's Sake they shrunk the mound after that because the pitchers were so dominant!) he was clearly the cream of his peerage crop.

A friend of mine says Kenny Boyer should get in there too and his stats are borderline comparable. Difference was Boyer was such a pitiful fielder that the Cards had to dispatch him to the outfield.

Even Tommy Lasorda couldn't stop the Michael Jack movement this time. I'm sure they'll continue to block this well deserved award, even when it would be posthumous.

Save the postage and don't send me Hall of Fame Foundation 501(c)(3) solicitation this year.

THE WAGES OF SHIN(SEKI.....THAT IS)

Wow! What a ride for this decent and talented man. Tell the truth to Congress, Lose your job, have the thing play out just the way you said it would, get a cabinet level appointment, and inherit a job that cannot be successfully accomplished because the weenie congress, both parties, talk about how swell veterans and are and how much we're gonna help them....then don't fund crap for them.

Two Secretaries ago, we had a guy (A Repub, by the way) who honestly cared to serve veterans and really, really tried but, because of the funding, his well-intentioned efforts really just caused class warfare among Veterans' groups and vintages.

Eric Shinseki is an American patriot in the best sense of that word. He deserves to be recognized for his bravery and clarity but being appointed to head the department that may be the blackest hole in the U.S. Gov't may not be the greatest reward a grateful country could have bestowed upon him.

Mr. Secretary, congratulations......but you're screwed again.

SUNDAY BONUS COVERAGE: TIDE FINALLY HAS A BAD WEEKEND

No, silly, not that they lost the game.......at the end of the day, Florida's Defensive Backs were just faster and better than 'Bama's.

For you Big 12 fans, unfamiliar with the term, those are the guys who stand behind the big uglies and actually stop passes from being completed. They mostly come from Florida, Texas and California and don't much care for Big 12 winters.

No, the real screw came on Sunday night. Boys, you get to play Utah. If you lose, your season was a fluke. If you win, so what? You don't move up.

What would Texas vs. Bama been worth in an elimination game, or even a "Plus One" play-up?

WHAT IF THEY'RE ALL WRONG?

There is no real difference between the parties on the issue of financial bailouts in general. When they all puked up $700M for Hank Paulson to decide winners and losers, that ship sailed.

What if this is exactly the wrong way to fix an economy/credit market? What if it stifles the creativity of the free market? What if there is not enough money/credit left to do a bona fide public works project? What if this change in Gov't welfare policy causes mid-level folks to fail to retrain, when they might have done so, had they known their industry was going to shrink? What if this slows down the free market settling on true market prices for residential real estate?

If they're wrong, actual harm will have been done with money that could have done so much good.

I don't know that answer but this whole caper doesn't feel right to me--and I'm not even talking about the Automaker thing.

NATURAL BIRTH ABORTION

Is the only appropriate term that comes to mind for both the logic of and motive behind the Suit to prevent Obama from being sworn in.

Born of American Citizen on American Soil--How hard is this one?

Would we be having this conversation if the Father was a white guy from Canada?

TOOKIE, PUT THE GUN DOWN: IT'S ALL A TERRIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING

The title's just to cover up boring bloggerpainfultechspeak. If you dial up your friendly Basin with just the wrong version of Firefox and add-ons, you'll see the links are gone.

They're not really gone. It's some kind of compatibility issue, about which I can do nothing except go back to IE (boring).

Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I have whacked nobody. If U/G makes a comeback, I will gladly link him. Heck, nobody's even on probation.

the bloggerspeak root canal is now over.

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE WEEK

If a night club is so scary that you need a gun for your safety while attending it, why would you want to go there in the first place?

If Deepak had died before Jesus, would Jesus be writing a book about Deepak's life?