Hillary Clinton Is Desparate

I saw this headline and was confused:

"Clinton attacks Obama on guns..."

Was Senator Obama not as tough as I had already thought? The esteemed senator from New York has always been a staunch gun control advocate, as has her opponent in the never-ending race for the Democratic nomination. Of course there was Pennsylvania, where Senator Clinton told stories about duck hunting and seemed be a bit more conservative on the gun issue. But that was a mere aberration, she was exaggerating to get a couple more votes, right? All politicians do this. The Clinton campaign apparently is now attacking Obama's stance on gun control. Apparently, the senator from Illinois has been pandering too much on the gun issue and the time has come for the experienced senator to call him on it. Her campaign has been distributing mailers in Indiana to this effect (see story here). The ad also reminds people that Obama called those who are downtrodden in Pennsylvania bitter. I think there are bitter people in Indiana, which will make this brilliant ad quite effective. Or maybe not. Senator Clinton's candidacy jumped the shark right after Super Tuesday I (apparently every time there is primary it is now called Super Tuesday) and continues to grow more and more annoying by the day. It is important to remember that there is no way the senator can win the nomination. She is too far behind in pledged delegates and the popular vote and her lead in the super annoying super delegates has been dwindling since Super Tuesday I (now 17, down from 20 at this time last week, see here). My theory about the viability of her candidacy has seemed to gain an air of credibility with the "experts," as now we hear people wondering if Senator Clinton is softening up Obama for John McCain. An Obama loss means that she will have the opportunity to run in 2012. In other political news that no one should care about, Senator Obama got a huge W in the Guam primary. Why should we care about this? We shouldn't.

It's About Time

The only thing better than a Game 7 is a Game 7 where your team wins. The only thing better than a Game 7 where your team wins is when your team blows out its opponent by 34. I actually felt sorry for the cagey Hawks in the second half as the Mighty C's poured it on the overachievers from Atlanta en route to a second round date with the Cleveland LeBron James'. Throughout the series, the Hawks seemed out of their element when not playing at home and today's game was no exception. Now the second round can actually begin (unless you play in San Antonio, New Orleans, Detroit, and Orlando, where it started yesterday). All match-ups are intriguing. Hopefully the second round has a bit more excitment than round one (except for the heart attack the Hawks nearly caused yors truly). All first round picks made here were correct (teams that advanced, not the number of games it took), so now for the second round:

• Celtics over LeBron James, 4-2: The Cavs win two games because of James and nothing more. It is scary to think of how good this team will be when they find him a sidekick or at least stock the roster with at least one other decent player.
• Detroit over Magic, 4-1: This will be the series that convinces everyone that Detroit is the team to beat in the East. They dominated the magic in yesterday's Game 1. It is hard to see them competing unless Howard can average 22 and 18 as he did in the first round.
• Lakers over Jazz, 4-2: This could be a great series. Kobe versus Deron Williams is Must-see TV, but the Jazz are terrible outside of the state of Utah and the Lakers are good.
• Spurs over Hornets: This is potentially the best series of the entire playoffs outside of Boston versus Los Angeles. The upstart Hornets taking on the veteran Spurs, is the penultimate battle of youth versus experience. I like experience when it has won four titles in the last 10 years, but the Spurs will have to defend David West better than they did in a bad Game 1 loss.

My current projection-Celtics over Lakers

Mission Accomplished??

It was five years ago today that President Bush exclaimed that the mission had been accomplished in Iraq aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. According to the White House website, which houses all of the president's addresses and their related press releases, "President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended" (see here). The White House addressed this paradox yesterday with White House Press Secretary Dana Perino inanely uttering:

"President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific and said 'mission accomplished' for these sailors who are on this ship on their mission. And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year."

Is that English because I do not understand. All signs seem to indicate that combat operations are still ongoing (see my chronicle of this fact here) and have been for five years. The number of U.S. troops that died in Iraq in the month of April was 47, the highest casualty rate in seven months. So much for decreased violence. I will argue that Dana Perino was right in saying that "we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner," but not for the same reason as the press secretary. She is of course talking about the political fallout related to the placing of that utterly moronic sign on a U.S. aircraft carrier while U.S. troops were still fighting and dying in two Middle Eastern countries (Pfc. Jesse A. Givens was killed in Iraq on the same day the president was taking a joyride in an S-3 in front of the cameras). We the people have lost 4,308 of our fellows citizens since this PR stunt. Imagine how many it might be if combat operations had not come to an end.

Diamond Dust: Cardinals, Chipper, and Cliff Edition

The Not-So Crappy Cardinals continue to impress, weathering last week's stretch of bad baseball by winning three out of four and reclaiming a share of first place in the NL Central. Pujols is still the best player on the planet, but the play of Skip Schumaker, Adam Kennedy (yes, the same Kennedy who was good 5 years ago), and Ryan Ludwick at the plate have given this team a lift. The pitching of these Cardinals continues to defy the odds. What should have been one of the worst rotations in the last 25 years, has been lights-out:

• Adam Wainwright--3-1/2.79 ERA
• Kyle Lohse--3-0/2.36 ERA
• Joel Pineiro--2-2/3.75 ERA
• Braden Looper--3-1/4.05 ERA
• Todd Wellemeyer--2-1/4.14 ERA

Currently, the Cardinals rank third in all of baseball with a team ERA of 3.46. Other baseball-related observations not related to the Not-So Crappy Cardinals are:

• Many surprises continue at the top of many divisions. The Orioles continue to torment its fan base by playing well. I am setting the over-under for days before the birds start their collapse and end up in the cellar at 20. The White Sox are still on top and the Tigers are still at the bottom of the AL Central, but the latter is still working on closing the gap. How is Oakland tied for first with the ALs best record? A league best, 3.11 team ERA helps. The Marlins still lead the NL East despite ranking 21st in team ERA, 18th in runs scored, and 29th in team fielding percentage. What does this team do well? Win.
• Chipper Jones is doing his best 1925 Rogers Hornsby. In 1925, Hornsby hit .404 with 39 home runs and 143 RBIs for the Cardinals. Chipper is currently hitting .432 with 8 home runs and 21 RBIs. Can he stay healthy?
• While Cliff Lee has been nothing short of sensational, as chronicled here, Brandon Webb is trying to be the NL version of Cliff Lee, sexy 0.28 ERA not included. In 6 starts, Webb is 6-0 with an ERA of 1.98 (Cliff Lee scoffs at an ERA that high) and 34 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched.
• Hitters to watch not named Chipper--Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Derrick Lee, Rafael Furcal, Manny Ramirez, and Josh Hamilton
• Pitchers to watch not named Cliff and Brandon--Edinson Volquez (who?), Ben Sheets, Tim Lincecum, and Zack Greinke

D Is For Disappointment

If I were Avery Johnson, I would not feel to secure in my position as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. Last night's loss at the hands of Hornets meant that his teams have failed to make it out of the first round in consecutive seasons. No one really expected them to win this year, but is this an excuse for a team that won 67 games a year ago? I say no. This team should be better. Most picked them to contend in the super-loaded Western Conference and this team barely made the playoffs. Chris Paul continued to display why he is a top 3 player in the league (and deserving MVP for this season) with a triple double in last night's win (24/11/15). In his first 5 career playoff games, Paul is averaging 25 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, and 2 steals. The other disappointing team in the Western Conference would have to be the Phoenix Suns, who were a chic pick to win the conference this year and were eliminated in the first round by the Spurs last night. Like Dallas, this team should be better and should not have been in a position where they were playing the Spurs in the first round. This team should spend the entire offseason working on defending the pick and roll, as the combination of Duncan and Parker made these guys look like clowns defensively. Also, free throw shooting was a problem. The Suns did their best Memphis Tigers impersonation, missing 17 free throws. The biggest problem for this team as they move forward is age. Shaq looks and plays much slower. While he can still be effective in small doses, he is nowhere near the force he once was. Grant Hill missed this series, which was costly. Steve Nash looked old and played terribly in this series. He had four 4th quarter turnovers and had only 11 points and 4 assists in the team's most important game of the season. Were the critics right in their assessment of the O'Neil and Kidd acquisitions? Maybe. In other action, Tracy McGrady kept the Rockets' heads above water in blowout fashion and the Pistons finally asserted themselves on the Sixers. Three of four picks correct in yesterday's picks that are sure to wrong playoff close-out edition, as for tonight, the Mighty C's find their way back to the light at home in dominant fashion over the cagey Hawks and the Cavaliers close-out the Wizards.

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."-José Narosky

Since April 9, the news media's continual obsession with all things Clinton and Obama has not waned. The all-important Pennsylvania primary, which is part of the great year long distraction that is the 2008 presidential campaign, finally took place last week. What did it settle? Nothing, Senator Clinton gained a mere 10 delegates. The developments in the Jeremiah Wright saga are captivating the minds of everyone. So much so, that we cannot possibly talk about anything or anybody else. Also, since April 9, 17 Americans have died in the only story, if it were a story, that is more frustrating than the presidential election, the Iraq War. Another bit of news that might shock those who think that Afghanistan is a desert oasis of democracy, two Americans have died in that war during this same period. To date, 4,528 Americans have perished in these wars with no objective and no end in sight. If the media cannot spare a mere moment of the latest thing Jeremiah Wright said to talk about those that die in this senseless war, I will continue to do it here:

1. Spec. William E. Allmon of Ardmore, Oklahoma was 25 years old when he died in an IED attack in Baghdad on April 12.
2. Lance Cpl. Dean D. Opicka of Waukesha, Wisconsin was 29 years old when he was killed in combat in Anbar province on April 14.
3. Cpl. Richard J. Nelson of Racine, Wisconsin was 23 years old when he was killed in combat in Anbar province on April 14.
4. Sgt. Joseph A. Richard, III of Lafayette, Louisiana was 27 years old when he died in an IED attack in Baghdad on April 14.
5. Spec. Arturo Huerta-Cruz of Clearwater, Florida was 23 years old when he died in an IED attack in Tuz on April 14.
6. Cpl. Kyle W. Wilks of Rogers, Arkansas was 24 years old when he died in combat operations in Kandahar province, Afghanistan on April 15.
7. 1st Sgt. Luke J. Mercardante of Athens, Georgia was 35 years old when he died in combat operations in Kandahar province, Afghanistan on April 15.
8. Staff Sgt. Jason L. Brown of Mangolia, Texas was 29 years old when he died after his unit was attacked in Sama Village on April 17.
9. Spec. Benjamin K. Brosh of Colorado Springs, Colorado was 22 years old when he died on April 18 from wounds suffered in an IED attack in Paliwoda.
10. Spec. Lance O. Eaks of Apex, North Carolina was 25 years old when he died in an IED attack in Baghdad on April 18.
11. Petty Officer 1st Class Cherie L. Morton of Bakersfield, California was 40 years old when she died in Iraq on April 20. The cause of her death is currently under investigation.
12. Sgt. Adam J. Kohlhaas of Perryville, Missouri was 26 years old when he died in an IED attack in Bayji on April 21.
13. Spec. Steven J. Christofferson of Cudahy, Wisconsin was 20 years old he died in an IED attack in Bayji on April 21.
14. 1st Lt. Matthew R. Vandergrift of Littleton, Colorado was 28 years old when he died in combat operations in Basra on April 21.
15. Airman Apprentice Adrian Compos of El Paso, Texas was 22 years old when he was found dead in Dubai due to a non-combat related incident on APril 21.
16. Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale of Burkeville, Virginia was 21 years old when he died in combat operation in Anbar province on April 22.
17. Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter of Sag Harbor, New York was only 19 years old when he died in combat operations in Anbar province on April 22.
18. Pvt. Ronald R. Harrison of Morris Plains, New Jersey was 25 years old when he died of a non-combat related injury on April 22.
19. Pfc. John T. Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan was 22 years old when he died in a vehicle incident in Golden Hills on April 23.
    

This Was Not Supposed To Happen...

The scrappy Atlanta Hawks will not go away. Last night, behind 35 by Joe Johnson and 28 by Josh Smith, the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference drew even with the Mighty C's. It is hard to imagine this continues into Wedensday's Game 5, but we all thought there was no way the Warriors could dismantle the 67-win Dallas Mavericks a year ago at this time. In other action, the heartless Denver Nuggets were swept by the Lakers, which could not have surprised anyone who watched five minutes of that series. Why this franchise is bringing back George Karl as head coach is inexplicable. This team has two of the top four scorers in the league and arguably the league's best defensive player and this is the best they can do? Also, in the NBA TV Invitational, the Magic finished off the Raptors in a series watched by seven people. It is not clear why the NBA thinks that people would not want to see these games (only one game was not on NBA TV). Dwight Howard had his third 20-20 game of the series, making him the first player to do that since Wilt Chamberlain. Yes, Wilt Chamberlain. Tonight will be close out night in New Orleans, San Antonio, and Utah with the Pistons finally taking a series lead in Detroit over the surprising Sixers. Hopefully the second round will be a bit more intriguing than the first.

My current projection-Celtics over Lakers

Whoa Baby!!

Meet Cliff Lee. Cliff is the best pitcher in baseball. After a terrible season last year where he only made 20 starts (5-8, 6.29), Cliff is clearly feeling a whole lot better. Granted it is early, but Cliff's numbers are so impressive through his first four starts that they are worth our attention. He is 4-0 with an ERA of 0.28. That is not a typo, it is a 0, not a 1, 2, 3, or 4 (or 8 if you happen to be Eric Gagne) in front of the .28. He has struck out 29 in 31 innings, allowing 1 earned run, while only walking 2 batters and allowing 11 hits. To put this into perspective, the disreputable Eric Gagne has allowed 16 base runners in only 10.2 innings, while Cliff has allowed only 13 in 31 innings. Obviously this cannot last, he will probably go out and pitch terribly on Wednesday against Seattle, but it is worth noting.

What Are You Talking About Madame?

Anyone who watched coverage of the Clinton campaign last night heard the new talking point:

"After last night's decisive victory in Pennsylvania, more people have voted for Hillary than any other candidate, including Sen. Obama."

Really? That doesn't make sense to me. The press release continues:

"Estimates vary slightly, but according to Real Clear Politics, Hillary has received 15,095,663 votes to Sen. Obama's 14,973,720, a margin of more than 120,000 votes. ABC News reported this morning that "Clinton has pulled ahead of Obama" in the popular vote."

So the Clinton campaign is correct, the media is in the bag for Senator Obama. They have been providing us false data all along to make us believe it was over. The release concludes:

"This count includes certified vote totals in Florida and Michigan."

Oh, you mean that state where there was no campaigning in January (when Obama was still relatively unknown) and that other state where Senator Clinton's name was the only one on the ballot? This argument is so dumb I could scream. Why would you include these in your campaign propaganda. Michigan is much easier, 40% voted Uncommitted when the only names appearing on the ballot were Senators Clinton and Gravel and Representative Kucinich. Basically, they are adding over 300,000 votes to the Senators total while giving Senator Obama 0. That definitely helps one's cause when working from behind. As far as Florida goes, one might argue that Senator Clinton would have a marked advantage in an election held in January where the voters were essentially voting on name recognition alone. Remember, back then she was not nearly as annoying as she is today. So basically these numbers are nonsense, a ruse used to make people think her candidacy is alive and well, when it fact it's existence seems to hinge on deception. Thus another black mark on the Clinton candidacy. See this release here. If one was wondering how in-touch the Clinton campaign is with Democratic Party primary voters, see hyper-Clintonian Terry McAuliffe in the video below:

Diamond Dust: The Tigers Have a Pulse and the Crappy Cardinals Rear Their Ugly Head

It is amazing how much easier it is to win when you hit. The Tigers have finally realized this in winning 3 in a row and 7 of their last 10. It is safe to say that two weeks from now the teams that are currently fourth and fifth respectively in the AL Central (Detroit and Cleveland) will probably be at the top, as the White Sox, Royals, and Twins have already started to fade into oblivion. The Not-So Crappy Cardinals are trying their hardest not to morph into the Crappy Cardinals, but losing 6 out of 10 will not help. The team ERA is slowly ticking upward (still 6th in all of baseball at a respectable 3.72). This team's ability to pitch has been its diagnosed issue, thus this trend is concerning. Mark Mulder is making rehab starts and could be back soon. Needless to say I am not holding my breath. Other points of intrigue include:

• Baltimore, Oakland, Chicago White Sox, and Florida continue to play way above their heads.
• The Phillies have the two best players in the league right now--Chase Utley is hitting .368 with 10 HR/21 RBI and Pat Burrell is hitting .351 with 8 HR/23 RBI.
• Brandon Webb and the Diamondbacks are attempting to run away and hide--Despite Johan Santana and Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb reminds us that he is pretty good too (5-0/2.31 ERA/29 K) and the Diamondbacks have found that pop that yours truly said did not exist and are 6 games up in a seemingly very overrated NL West.
• John Smoltz got to 3,000 K's, imagine how many he might had he not had to pitch out the bullpen for three seasons. In mentioning the great NL pitchers above, I failed to mention the guy who tops that impressive list. No one is enjoying a better start to the season than Old Man Smoltz. He is 3-1 with a .79 ERA and has struck out 31 in only 23 IP.

Check out LWAL's Senior Baseball Correspondent's take here.

Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant Are MVP-ish

To date, the first round of the NBA playoffs have been mildly uneventful. With the exception of the Sixers' shocking Game 1 win in Detroit, everything has gone according to the script. The only series where the higher seed is not leading (or tied if you are the Pistons) is the Utah-Houston series, but Tracey McGrady never wins in the playoffs so this should not be surprising. We can begin to formulate answers to the questions we considered here the other day. The Hornets do not appear to have stage fright in their maiden voyage into the playoffs, as they have dominated the veteran-laden Dallas Mavericks in the first two games. The Spurs are not too old, winning the best game of playoffs thus far in double OT in Game 1 and dominating in Game 2 against Phoenix. This current Phoenix team could go down as the best team to never win a title in the annals of NBA history. The Mighty C's are fantastic and have refused to play down to the Hawks level (a good young team, but not playoff caliber by any stretch of the imagination). The Lakers are as good as advertised and the Pistons seem to be about as good as one might expect, Game 1 not withstanding. While the series' have been anti-climatic thus far, there have been countless utterly ridiculous individual performances worth noting, here are the five best to date:

1. Kobe Bryant: 40.5 ppg/5.5 apg/5.2 rpg/50% FG--Had 49 last night and 32 in Game 1 after a very slow start. He is the best basketball player on the planet, no questions asked.
2. Chris Paul: 33.5 ppg/13.5 apg/3.5 spg/64% FG--Proved that his playoff debut was not a fluke (35 points, 10 assist, 4 steals) by playing even better in Game 2 (32 points, 17 assists, 3 steals). He is easily the best point guard in the league and should be the MVP (Kobe will win it).
3. Dwight Howard: 27 ppg/21 rpg/4 bpg/66% FG--A basketball insider close to LWAL asked last night if Howard could get to 100 points/100 rebounds in only 5 games? He could, but I do not know if this series will go that long. Like Paul, a stellar playoff debut for one the league's brightest burgeoning stars.
4. LeBron James: 31 ppg/7.9 rpg/7.2 apg/55% FG--Has been somewhat overlooked this season with the play of Bryant and Paul, but the NBA's scoring champ has been sensational thus far and has made what should have been a tough series seem easy through two games.
5. Tim Duncan: 29 ppg/16 rpg/ 3 bpg/55 % FG--The league's most unselfish player demonstrated his greatness in Game 1 with 40, 15, and 5 and hit a clutch three-pointer that sent the game into overtime.

My current projection: Celtics over Lakers

Still Hoping...

The people in Pennsylvania finally voted yesterday, putting an end to the longest 6 weeks of any one's life who has invested as much time and energy into this never ending process as I have. What does Senator Clinton's 55%-45% victory mean? Little, it would seem. These gains will be negated in two weeks when she loses North Carolina by a similar margin (probably a little more). Indiana also votes that day and that is shaping up to be a close race that has far-reaching implications for the viability of the Clinton candidacy. Her major hurdle at this point (besides the insurmountable delegate lead for Senator Obama) is money. Shortly after claiming victory last night she made a direct plea to the electorate to send money. Have all of her big donors already given the max? The Clinton campaign is hoping that the ultra annoying super delegates will come to her aid in the 11th hour and put her over the top at the convention. Has the time not come for these party elites to throw their collective hat in the ring and get behind someone? I realize that everyone wants to pick the winner and not alienate themselves from a job opportunity in a potential Obama or Clinton White House, but there might be no Obama or Clinton White House at this rate. While these candidates continually go back and forth sniping over nothing, the crazy right (yeah I am talking you Hannity) continues to try and link Senator Obama to the words of every person he has ever known. Personally, I believe this tactic backfires in the end, as an overly aggressive attack campaign on an individual ultimately turns them into a victim in the eyes of those that are less fanatical about their politics (see the end of the Clinton presidency for an example). This has to end at some point, right? I do not mind Senator Clinton staying in the race, but I do mind the tone of her campaign. When she starts coming across as a mouthpiece for the GOP in her attacks, it is a little disconcerting. Thus is political discourse in the 21st century, we can only hope that it improves...

Pennsylvanians speak out:
-For the take of LWAL's Senior Clinton Aficionado (he is really old, John McCain old, senior has nothing to do with the value of his opinions), go here.
-For a Howard Beale-esqe rebuke of the Pennsylvania electorate, go here.
-For a more moderately disappointed take, go here.