Month: November 2011

Gingrich is latest anybody-but-Romney candidate

Posted by dcrim – November 30, 2011

Embattled presidential candidate Herman Cain is claiming a “groundswell of positive support” from backers even as allegations of a 13-year extra-marital affair raises questions about his campaign’s viability, which apparently means he plans to stay in the GOP race for now.

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times somewhat sarcastically opines that maybe Newt Gingrich is the ideal man to fix Washington’s dysfunction because he is the one who made it dysfunctional. “He broke it so he should own it,” Dowd writes. Click here for the column.

Meanwhile, columnist Roger Simon, writes that this has been The Year of Living Dangerously in politics. And he blames the media.

The media have driven it. Faced with an incumbent president running a careful and as yet uninspiring campaign, and a Republican field as dynamic as wet laundry drying on the line, the press has felt obliged to step up and fill the void.

Click here for the column.

Finally, Politico offers this political cheat sheet.

Doing ‘The Stomp’ will likely cost Suh

Posted by dcrim – November 25, 2011

Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was the biggest turkey on Thanksgiving Day. He was ejected from the Lions’ 27-15 loss to the unbeaten Green Bay Packers after he stomped on an opposing offensive lineman, although he denies that was his intent (despite video evidence, see above). ESPN blogger Kevin Seifert says Suh’s rationale is delusional.

Maybe Suh had early dinner plans. The NFL will probably give Suh a couple of weeks to cool off. Of course, what do you expect from a player from Nebraska? (Lawrence Phillips, anyone?)

 

Story of Dave Duncan’s wife truly inspirational

Posted by dcrim – November 24, 2011

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides this inspirational story on Thanksgiving.

Goold writes that St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan took a leave of absence from the Cardinals in late August to be with his wife as she recovered from surgery and sought treatment for an aggressive, malignant brain tumor. Jeanine Duncan was diagnosed with glioblastoma, and she has spent the past three months fighting it. With her for every step has been her boys — husband Dave and their two sons, Shelley and former Cardinal outfielder Chris.

Click here for the story. And be thankful.

Will Penn State prompt change in college culture?

Posted by dcrim – November 23, 2011

The Christian Science Monitor, in an editorial, notes that the NCAA will “examine” Penn State’s loss of control over its sports program following the sex and coverup scandal. But it says the NCAA needs a robust solution to break the culture of sports dominance in colleges.

The newspaper concludes:

Individuals who have been charged will be held responsible in a court of law. But Penn State and the NCAA need to break a culture that serves an institution first instead of the values its stands for.

Click here for the editorial.

Making a sad story even sadder, the New York Times reports Victim 1, according to friends and others, was taunted by classmates after it became widely known this month that he had testified against Sandusky as part of a case that ultimately caused Joe Paterno, the longtime football coach at Penn State, to lose his job. Click here for the story.

Politico and The Daily Beast offer analysis of the CNN GOP presidential debate.

The Kennedy assassination, 48 years later

Posted by dcrim – November 22, 2011

Today is the 48th anniversary of that awful day in Dallas. Below is the initial television report from Walter Cronkite. James  Piereson, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the author of “Camelot and the Cultural Revolution: How the Assassination of John F. Kennedy Shattered American Liberalism,” takes issue with a recent book on the JFK assassination.

These were the myths, illusions, and outright fabrications in which the Kennedy assassination came to be encrusted. Despite all evidence to the contrary, they are still widely believed. In fact, the Kennedy legend, incorporating the myths about his assassination, is closely intertwined with the history of modern liberalism: JFK has come to represent a liberal ideal and his assassination the threat posed to it by the forces of the far right.

Click here for the story.

A look at baseball’s ‘perfect knight’ on his 91st birthday

Posted by dcrim – November 21, 2011

Happy birthday to Stan “The Man” Musial, who turns 91 today. A new book published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch chronicles the life and career of Musial, the Cardinals Hall of Fame outfielder, and Quincy native Rick Hummel — a Hall of Famer himself — talks about Musial and the new book in this video clip.

Musial was a great Cardinals All-star player and a great sportsman who made St. Louis his home. Hummel and former teammate Red Schoendienst share their memories of “The Man” in this video clip.

On the Pujols contract, the ‘New Newt” and Pinkel’s DWI

Posted by dcrim – November 17, 2011

Question of the day: Will members of the Quincy School Board ever learn how to play nice? Or are we going to have to put some of them in time out?

ESPN host Colin Cowherd says the Marlins’ nine-year contract offer to Albert Pujols is terrible, and that the Cardinals would be smart to not pay the iconic first baseman that much money. Click here for the video clip from his syndicated radio show.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in a virtual tie with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in recent polling of GOP presidential candidates, just months after his candidacy was thought to be dead. Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times likens Gingrich’s revival to that of Richard Nixon in 1968. In the end, however, McManus concludes Gingrich is no Nixon. Click here for the column.

Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated Wednesday night in Columbia. A poster on Facebook urged that Pinkel be given a pass on this one because, with Missouri moving to the SEC next year, the coach is going to be drinking a lot. Ouch!

Sandusky: ‘I shouldn’t have showered with those kids’

Posted by dcrim – November 15, 2011

This disgusting and revolting story doesn’t get any better. Former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky admitted to showering and horsing around with young boys, but said he is not a pedophile, in an exclusive interview with Bob Costas broadcast Monday night on NBC’s Rock Center. Click here to view the interview.

What’s a little insider trading among colleagues?

Posted by dcrim – November 14, 2011

Just when you thought insider trading was illegal …

Steve Kroft reported Sunday night on “60 Minutes” that members of Congress and their aides have regular access to powerful political intelligence, and many have made well-timed stock market trades in the very industries they regulate. For now, Kroft said, the practice is perfectly legal, but some say it’s time for the law to change.

As the Washington Post noted, the story exposed, among others, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for participating in a lucrative initial public offering from Visa in 2008 that was not available to the general public, just as a troublesome piece of legislation that would have hurt credit card companies began making its way through the House (the bill never made it to the floor). And it showed how during the 2008 financial crisis, Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) — then-ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee — aggressively bought stock options based on apocalyptic briefings he had received the day before from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson.

The report was based on a new book by Peter Schweizer that will hit stores on Tuesday. It’s called “Throw Them All Out: How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism That Would Send the Rest of Us to Prison.” (Kinda long, but you get the point.)

Click here for the “60 Minutes” report.

Was Matheny the smart way for the Cardinals to go?

Posted by dcrim – November 14, 2011

The Cardinals reportedly will make it official later this morning that Mike Matheny will be their new manager, replacing Tony La Russa. Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers these 10 thoughts on the hire.

Good move or bad move? Your thoughts are welcome.

Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins (new name, new stadium, new manager, higher payroll) reportedly have made an offer to free agent first baseman Albert Pujuols. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com takes a look at where Pujols and Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder may end up this winter, and the twist and turns their contract negotiations may take in this analysis.

Where will Pujols end up?