Giants Value Climbs Inspite of Losses

Yesterday, Matier & Ross report that the playoffs have been quite a boon the San Francisco Giants and that due to post season revenues the Giants hope to posts profits in the range of $7 to $10 million. Without these additional sales they were looking at a loss of between $4 million to $5 million. Apparently, the teams value had been estimated to have increased by $12 million. It seemed that this estimate was made before the post season revenues were considered.

I just do not understand how teams' value can continue to rise despite continued losses. I think there is a great deal of creativity in MLB accounting and these teams keep threatening to move because they can not make money. They are such liars.

Unsafe Killing

It was reported that the State of Arizona bought some lethal injection drugs from a foreign source due to a shortage of the product from U.S. manufacturers. However, a federal judge stayed the execution over concerns that the drug might be “unsafe.”

In the spirit of George Carlin, “HUH?” This drug is supposed to be unsafe. It is designed to kill people. Sometimes I wonder about the level of public discourse.

Beasts of the East Out: ESPN Disappears.

Last Saturday I got off work in time to see the last few innings of the Giants-Phillies NLCS game before I was to leave for a late movie date. I saw the end of the game and some of the post contest hoopla. I was not able to see any highlights and since I missed the first part of the game I was looking forward to viewing them. I got home from the movie late and tuned in the Eastern SPorts Network (ESPN) and since this game had to be top sports story of the day, I figured excerpts would be shown again and again on the network. But, no! All I saw was college football footage. I got up the next day and low and behold all I saw was their NFL pre game show. No NLCS highlights to be found. If the Yankees and Phillies had won their respective championship series then ESPN would have been breaking into their football show with baseball highlights. Maybe if Brett Favre had somehow been the winning pitcher they may have mentioned it. They seem to be fascinated with this guy. The San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers completed magnificent series championships over their eastern rivals and show fans in the east that they are not entitled to the World Series. ESPN did not recognize this and became irrelevant.

Riots in France

There are riots in France over the attempts by the government to raise the retirement age to 62 from 60. Protesters accuse President Nicolas Sarkozy of trying to adopt an American style system. Vive le France, I say. Why would they want an American system that keeps pushing the retirement age later and later and along the way discards many of its older workers before they may reap the benefits of a lifetime of work? It would behoove American workers to emulate their French counterparts as they take to the streets. The wealthy top one percent are leading this country to Hell. I think they should have the snot taxed out of them to bring us back from that destination.

Eugenics of the Small Penis

Occasionally I hear that white males are responsible for all the world's problems and that they take an aggressive and selfish view towards other peoples and resources. I shall now advance my thesis on the Eugenics of the Small Penis. It has been shown that human life started in Africa. Given the generally accepted hierarchy of penis size, specifically Africans with the largest, followed by Caucasians and then Asians, the question becomes, “Why has large penis size been bred out of white and Asian males?”
Students of psychology note that many men with aggressive personalities are compensating for their lack of penis size. This causes me to think that for some reason Asian and white women over the eons accept a smaller penis, because the man with the aggressive personality provides them with advantage other than sexual satisfaction. In other words they would rather have someone putting more meat on the table instead of between their legs. Apparently African women have not made this compromise.
Why, then, are not Asian men guilty of destroying the planet? I think Asian men with small penises are probably as offensive as anyone. Geography plays against them as the Pacific is too large for them to make effective use of it for plunder. They do make a pretty good effort at assailing their own continent. I imagine Genghis Kahn is not packing much on his conquests. On the other hand the countries of Northern Europe are in good position to exploit the Atlantic for raiding starting with the Vikings. Danes are known for being big men with small penises and their forebears show history what compensation is. The Vikings rape their way through Europe spreading their genetic deficiencies and domineering mentality. The other European countries that become maritime powers simply refine and perfect Viking techniques and use the Atlantic as their highway to spoil.
It is hard to argue that white men have not been tough on the world, but I have shown that their women bear some of the blame by trading sexual satisfaction for wealth and prestige.

Beane Joins Boob Wolff Whine Fest

In yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle Susan Slusser interviews Oakland Athletics General Manager, Billy Beane. Beane calls the Oakland Coliseum “dilapidated” and says at least one potential free agent hopeful characterizes the field in poor condition starting in August. To which whiny bitches is he talking? Ball players certainly seem spoiled these days, worrying about cosmetic issues. Are the poor things the subject of teasing by other teams? A few days previous Clay Wood, A's grounds keeper, says in an interview that the field looks bad, but does not play shoddy. And dilapidated? The place does not look as though it is falling apart ala Candlestick Park, which at one point has chunks of concrete falling. Billy Beane joins the Lew “Boob” Wolff whine fest and this is part of the recent lobbying efforts to denigrate the coliseum and advance the San Jose option. It is false.

Athletics & Giants: A Cold Case

I was watching a late night re run of Cold Case. The victim was a disc jockey in 1958 who believed in rock and roll. He refused to accept payola, but pressure was put upon him to take bribes to play certain songs on the air. In one scene in which the record company representative was exerting his influence, the DJ told the guy that people like him take something that is true and good and turn it into tinsel (N.B. The ex-wife actually did it). In recent posts I have complained about marketing types for the Athletics and Giants who have taken something that is true and good (I know there are scandals in baseball) and ruined it. My specific complaint was either mindless or jinxing noise out of the stadium loudspeakers. Nice to see some art form comment on this also.

Who Sold Short? Part 2

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reported that last May's almost 1000 point drop in the Dow Jones average and other indices was caused by a computer program that spawned a large sell order late in the day at a time when the markets were stressed. The SEC said that various factors were responsible for the crash. When I saw that this program executed at a time of market stress I had to think that there may have been manipulations of the markets (See Carpe HUNC of May 9, 2010). There was no mention of short selling on that day and and who may have profited from such a crash. I have smelled a rat and the stench grew. The SEC must start effectively policing these scoundrels and not white wash the whole affair.

San Franciso Giants Jinx Themselves

In today's San Francisco Chronicle, Henry Schulman described the scene at last night's San Francisco Giants game versus the San Diego Padres. He said that before the game a Comcast promotion was broadcast in the stadium which loudly proclaimed, “'Will this be the night the Giants pop the Champagne corks?'” This was opposed to all baseball etiquette and certainly jinxed the team last night. I assume that whoever was in charge of the intra stadium broadcast was some sort of marketing type who tried to drum up phony enthusiasm. Over one hundred years of baseball tradition dictated against this. It sent a message to the fans and maybe even the players that the Giants were entitled to the Western Division Pennant. The Giants were facing a team with which they have had trouble all season. Instilled over confidence was a poor choice. I complained about the noise level at an Oakland Athletics game recently. This was just mindless, irritating blare. In this case, there was also really terrible content. Whoever devised that announcement and the Giants official that approved it should be hanged from the highest yardarm.

Protests Over European Debt Crisis

The Associated Press reports there are protests by workers in European countries bucking against austerity measures dealing with the debt crisis. Protesters feel that bankers and their reckless spending cause the dilemma which undermines many social benefits. Good for them. I wish American workers would get a little of this motivation. Banks and other large financial institutions exacerbate problems here and threaten the lame benefits that Americans enjoy. I suspect that this is one of the reasons behind the global financial melt down. The wealthy one percent want to take every last cent that anyone else posses. They do this by higher taxes, lack of health care and unemployment benefits and increasing public debt. Of course, the governments borrow from these one per centers and the working public then transfers its net worth to the wealthy by means of taxes to pay interest on the debt. It is a real racket and I am happy someone is standing up to it.

Mind Control in Texas

There are reports of a gunman shooting up the University of Texas at Austin before taking his own life. A witness says that it does not appear as though he wants to kill anyone. I always wonder when I see a story like this if the gunman is not a mind control job or Manchurian Candidate. A person who suffers from multiple personalities and is suicidal is an ideal “Candidate.” One creates such an individual by subjecting him to torture and/or sexual abuse until he disassociates and makes the extra personalities whom the controller may manipulate. Suicidal people are ideal for the position. I do not know if this person is under mind control but we have to consider the possibility. To what purpose? Usually it is to induce fear into the public mind and make passing repressive measures easier. So, be careful when these stories appear and be watchful of legislation that curtails liberty in their wake.

Boob Wolff Whines Again

Oakland Athletics owner Lew “Boob” Wolff is making the rounds of the local media pitching his idea for a San Jose stadium and philosophizing on the A's need for a couple of hitters, which everyone thinks they need. In his comments to the San Francisco Chronicle he makes it clear that he does not want to spend the money and would prefer to develop home grown talent. In the last ten years the team has not done very well in this department. They produce “patient” hitters that get on base, but also leave too many runners in scoring position. During his interview on Comcast's broadcast of tonight's game he says he wants the new stadium and fan base to generate the revenue to acquire these sluggers. This is at once an insult to the current fan base and admission that he will do little to improve the team over the off season. With three losing seasons under his belt and a fourth likely and with his constant whining about the Coliseum it is he that alienates and destroys the fan base. I am beginning to believe the conspiracy theorists who posit that he is doing this intentionally and waiting for his new ball park before he hatches the moves to make this team a contender. Am I being too emotional? Hell, yes! I am a fan and that is short for fanatic. The A's cultivate an emotional relationship with us and now Boob Wolff wants to take this away. And going off to San Jose may as well be leaving for the moon. Some dismiss this as a purely business action. Well I hate businessmen and guys like Wolff make me want to become a Commie.

Coliseum Cacophony

Today was Dallas Braden bobblehead day at the Oakland Coliseum. I decided to attend, but arrived too late to glean one. That was OK, I should have left earlier as over 21,000 fans showed up. I sat in the cheap seats, plaza reserved as they are called. It was a poor view of the game, but what did I want for $9.00? The game itself was a dismal, dull affair. The normally capable Athletics' pitchers were terrible and gave up sixteen runs. The A's made it a game by scoring nine runs in the late innings, but it seemed like a game that would not end. In the last inning there were so many pitching changes, walks and errors that I thought it would never reach cessation. Anyway, that was acceptable because it was a baseball game. What was so irritating was the constant din from the loudspeaker system. Between innings and with the Athletics batting it seemed as though there was either a constant drum beat or the twentieth playing of “Zorba the Greek.” I felt my anxiety level increase with each rendition. This was a dull game and no amount of amplified noise was going to generate excitement. Only the game itself can achieve this. It would have been nice to sit in peace for a couple of hours and have made the most of this wearisome event.

Right Wing Muslim Activism

In today's San Francisco Chronicle there is an Associated Press story detailing efforts of Muslim organizations to foster religious tolerance. Nihad Awad, head of the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR), calls on Muslims to open their mosques to other faith groups as well as urging visits to others' houses of worship. In May author John Loftus joins WFMU-FM/WFMU.org personality Dave Emory to discuss Muslim efforts to infiltrate American society. Below is a link to the written description of this interview.



http://spitfirelist.com/for-the-record/ftr-706-interview-with-john-loftus-the-obama-administration-as-the-last-victim-of-world-war-ii/


According to this depiction, “...CAIR (The Coun­cil on American-Islamic Rela­tions), a Mus­lim Broth­er­hood front orga­ni­za­tion in Amer­ica. Con­cep­tu­al­ized as sort of a NAACP for Mus­lims, CAIR is actu­ally ded­i­cated to the sub­ju­ga­tion of Amer­i­can con­sti­tu­tional and demo­c­ra­tic val­ues to Sharia–Islamic law. It would not be inac­cu­rate to describe it as a front orga­ni­za­tion for ter­ror­ists. CAIR was an unin­dicted co-conspirator in the recently-concluded Holy Land Foun­da­tion trial.” The Muslim Brotherhood is a right wing organization founded by an ally of Adolf Hitler. As I ask in an earlier post, who is financing these groups as well as the building of the Ground Zero Mosque?

Hawaii Five-O Premier

The initial episode of the new “Hawaii Five-O” is in the books. There are familiar things like the names and McGarrett standing on the same porch during the introduction. One of the characters is now a girl and we get to see her in various stages of undress, at least as much as network TV allows. In one scene the bad guy tells her to take off her dress so that he may check for a wire. She stands in her underwear while he inspects her. This is not even hot! We do get some more of the back story of McGarrett and Danno and some of the others. I did like this, because in the old series they just show up for work and we do not know much about their real life. The traditional, “Book 'em, Danno,” scene is weak and just lacks the intensity we expect. Finally, the best part of the show is the theme music. This is cut to a few seconds, presumably to fit in more commercials, so they even deprive me of my cool tunes. Other than the opening sequence showing McGarrett as a Navy SEAL capturing a terrorist, this show is kind of uninteresting and does not take some of the best parts of the original series. I am not certain I will watch it again.

Office Romances

Reports say that office romances show declines in recent years. It is interesting to learn that some companies encourage their workers in these couplings. Apparently these employees are more engaged and show more loyalty. I see can some potentially disturbing problems with this. If these companies are encouraging married people, then they are placing families at risk. This is not only the support system for the children of the marriage, but also for the worker himself. If they destroy this sustenance then the only thing he has in his life is his company. I think this is the case frighteningly too often as it is and now the corporate scumbags want to make it policy. If they are not encouraging married people, then they can only be targeting their single, YOUNG workers. If one goes into any bank or retail business all one sees are people under thirty. This is not hopeful for society or for those of us in our later years who still need to work. Nor is it good for the youngsters who may need a job thirty or forty years from now.

Singletary's Rant

San Francisco 49er's coach Mike Singletary's reaction to a Yahoo report in which an anonymous source is critical of offensive coordinator, Jimmy Raye, is reminiscent of Mark McGwire's response to Congressional questioning regarding his use of steroids. On last night's KPIX news Singletary goes on a rant about how he wants to move on and not talk about these issues. Singletary is angry that someone on the team is leaking information and that it is not true anyway. The source claims that Raye has trouble calling plays and communicating the plays that he does call. Since McGwire comes to mind I have to consider that Singletary has ulterior motives in his rant. I think that Singletary may be the source of the leak or it is at his direction. This way he puts the blame for the team's problems on Raye and deflects it from himself. Maybe his job is on the line and he is trying to shape public opinion ahead of what 49er management might decide. This is only football and the consequences to our society are minimal, but this is how politics and the economy work. Washington leaks are a time honored method of altering and forming public opinion. The sports fan who pays attention to nothing else should take note. This may be an example of how your lives are being run by those in power.

Corporate Space

Today's San Francisco Chronicle reports that Boeing's effort to enter the space tourism business, “...could bolster the Obama administration's efforts to transform NASA into an agency that focuses less on building rockets and more on nurturing a commercial space industry.” This is absolutely Bushesque. Another attempt to put the crown jewels in the hands of the corporate scumbags. Space is still dangerous and travel there remains research. I think the profit motive will lead to nothing but tragedy and the loss of our edge and prestige in this crucial arena.

Medicare Frauds vs. Honest Providers

Recently, I watched as a TV news magazine show (I think it was CBS' 60 Minutes) described widespread fraud of the Medicare system. They focused on criminals who would set up a phony medical supply businesses and bill Medicare for supplies like wheel chairs and other equipment which were never purchased or sold to beneficiaries. All these crooks needed was the name, address, birthday and social security numbers of members of the public in order to make these charges. Medicare claimed that it was under an obligation to pay within thirty days and did not have enough staff to investigate more than a small fraction of claims. Most of these so called businesses closed after receiving payments and were never heard from again. One gangster they interviewed, who had stolen about $20 million, had been caught and was serving a substantial prison sentence. It sounded like he was the exception and not the rule.

Today, one of my medical providers told me that Medicare was at least three months behind on its payments to him. In addition, he did not talk to actual Medicare personnel, but to people from a third party contracted by Medicare to handle providers. This was another legacy of Bush era attempts to put more money into the hands of investors, as government functions were contracted out. This has placed another level of organization into the billing process and allowed additional businessmen the opportunity to steal from the tax payer.

The juxtaposition of these two situations shows me that Medicare is more interested in paying criminals than in paying honest medical providers. I urge everyone to contact their elected representatives and make it clear that this is not acceptable.

Berkeley's Mountain Lion

There were reports of a memorial for a mountain lion killed by Berkeley police on August 31. Some in Berkeley objected to the police action and thought that the animal should be tranquilized and then relocated. The Berkeley Police should not be faulted for their actions. They were not equipped with sedative and delivery systems. Even if they were and the lion was darted, these drugs will not take immediate effect and the beast could run off, hide, sleep it off and remain a threat. According to the Spike Network show, Manswers, the deer by far has caused more human deaths in the United States than any other animal. This lion, however, was a predator by nature and could not have been allowed to remain in the neighborhood. These cats have lost the fear of humans which must change.

I do not want the police to have to second guess themselves in a future encounter. I think those who object to the outcome might feel different if a lion is about to scarf their Vegan rear ends. Some say this is only in Berkeley. I say get some common sense.

MacBeth's Digs

Recently, I attended a performance of the California Shakespeare Theater's production of MacBeth. I enjoyed the play as much as I usually enjoy Shakespeare as it was an interesting study of human nature and ambition run amuck. As in many a Shakespeare productions some of the sets and costumes were modernized and when MacBeth called for his armor, they brought out Kevlar. There was some gun play, but the climatic sword fight remained. I endured this and imagined that they were really Scots from hundreds of years ago. What I did not understand was the set. It appeared like an old, abandoned, Victorian building with broken windows and a sink and mirror that looked totally nasty. Hardly a residence deemed fit for a legitimate baron and illegitimate king. Before the play started I was left to contemplate MacBeth usurping the King of the Crack House.

Financing the New York Mosque

Many leaders of Muslim organizations in the United States think that opposing the mosque near the World Trade Center site is immoral and indicative of religious intolerance. Is there religious intolerance in the USA? The answer is yes from the beginning. These leaders are not going to change that, but they seem to want to exacerbate the issue by building their church near ground zero. Many Americans, although wrongly, lay the blame for the September 11 attacks on all followers of Muhammad. I think it is time for the Muslim leaders to shows some sensitivity, for the sake of their own followers, and back off. This building will not advance toleration of any religion, just inflame emotions.

Also, I would like to know more about the individuals and organizations who are behind the building of this mosque. This involves Manhattan property and I do not think it is financed by one hundred dollar donations, but by people of considerable wealth and I want to know what they intend to accomplish.

Red Carpet: Blah

Upon reviewing Yahoo's slide show of the Emmy Red Carpet scene, I have to say it leaves a great deal to be desired. I want to see women almost popping out of their tops. I mean massive cleavage. There is none of this last Sunday. This is a place to flash female flesh. It must be an ho-asis. I am disappointed.

Suicide at San Quentin?

Today there is an article in the San Francisco Chronicle on page C2 detailing a suicide at San Quentin State Prison. After describing this incident the article mentions that this is the second suicide there in less than a week. Previously an inmate, “...was found hanging in his cell Aug. 23 with his throat cut.” Huh? It sound as if this guy had some help taking his own life. It appears as though the Chronicle is regurgitating San Quentin press releases and not asking pertinent questions.

Andre Dawson: One in a Billion

During his induction speech at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Andre Dawson says, “I am proof that any young person who can hear my voice right now can be standing here as I am.” I understand that he wants to be encouraging and inspirational to youth, but this statement is absurd in the extreme. About one out of two million men have the right physical and mental assets necessary to play major league baseball. There are about two hundred hall of famers out of around one hundred fifty thousand major leaguers throughout history. The chance of some random boy standing in Dawson's place are about one out of one and one half billion. He has a better chance of winning the lottery several times. Although I am certain Andre Dawson's work ethic contributes greatly to his success, he would not achieve it save for genetics.

War in Korea

The United States and South Korea are engaging in naval and air exercises in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula. I worry that this is a provocation against North Korea. While I have no love for North Korea, I have concerns that we are being led to war with a nuclear armed adversary.

The media and government portray the recent sinking of the South Korean warship as a torpedo attack by the North, which always denies it. I think that the ship's sinking could be at the hands of either the South Koreans or the United States. This gives a pretext for war and these war games are the next step. This may not be the policy of the Obama administration, either, but the machinations of the Military Industrial Complex that sees war on the Korean peninsula to its advantage. I grant you that this is speculation, but I think these news reports need viewing though this prism.

Sons of Anarchy-Organized

The FX series, Sons of Anarchy, is in re-runs now. This series depicts a motor cycle club that runs a small town that allows it to conduct its criminal as well as legitimate businesses. I do not know of any biker groups that actually own cities, but it occurs to me that this show is an allegory. The burg represents the United States and the bikers are the white collar gangsters that actually operate the economy. The name of the club would indicate that this group is into chaos. Nothing is further from the truth. They are a force of law and order in this municipality. The Sons of Anarchy need order and stability in order to generate profits. This is reminiscent of the Nazis whose name implies socialism when they are really a party of big business. The show's efforts will probably lost on the vast majority of Americans. We see the criminal activity of businessmen, as in the recent economic collapse, and we pretend that these things just do not happen. After all, this is not South America. It is encouraging to see artists present the issue, even if their efforts may be for naught.

FDR, Grilled Millionaires and the Coup Plot

This week PBS presents an American Experience episode on President Franklin Roosevelt. The program shows FDR addressing students from the University of North Carolina about what they are hearing in the media about him. Rather sarcastically he characterizes the view of the wealthy and their minions in the press, “..that I breakfasted every morning on a dish of grilled millionaire.” In many ways FDR saves those fools from themselves. This county probably goes Commie if he does not act.

The program does not detail the coup plot by aristocrats and businessmen to install a fascist military dictatorship, ala Mussolini, in 1933. We not are taught this in school, either. This is disturbing, because it helps to understand the lengths to which those of privilege will go in order to maintain their positions. This is not the stuff of conspiracy theory. The records of the McCormack-Dickstein Committee of Congress document this. PBS does a disservice to the public by not educating it to these important events.

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Braden's Role

I have concern about Oakland Athletics' pitcher Dallas Braden since his perfect game on May 9. Since then he does not win a game and his performance is less than average. Over this period his earned run average is 4.75. This is only slightly worse than his lifetime ERA of 4.52. Yahoo Sports supplies Situational Statistics for pitchers and Braden's are eye opening. With the bases empty his ERA is 2.13, which is excellent. With runners on it soars to 6.89 and from here it gets worse. With Runners in Scoring Position (RISP) it is 9.87 and with RISP and two outs it is an abysmal 23.32. Yahoo also breaks down a pitcher's performance according to the number of pitches thrown. He starts out poorly with an 8.18 ERA for pitches one through fifteen. He settles down though pitch sixty and then starts yielding runs again. His ERA through sixty pitches is 3.57, which is OK, but not great.

I think Dallas Braden can be an effective pitcher for the A's, but Manager Bob Geren must understand the role he is able to fill. He has the makings of a fifth starter, not to be pitch more than five innings or so. He is occasionally brilliant, most notably his perfect game. Overall, he does not show enough for consideration as a top three stud. This is the story of his career so far, one great game and then mediocrity. It is up to Geren to adjust his thinking about Braden and his role as a starter for the Oakland Athletics.

Perfection Denied

It is disappointing to see umpire Jim Joyce's blown call deprive Detroit Tigers' pitcher, Armando Galaraga, of a perfect game. It is also disappointing to hear the media cries for remedy. A perfect game must be that. Perfection is a demand everywhere on the field, including the officials. One may loose a perfect game due to a fielding error or a great play not made as well as a bad call. Luck has a substantial role. The worst suggestion I hear is that Commissioner Bud “Bud Lite” Selig should over rule the call by Joyce and manufacture perfection. This is a horrible idea and denigrates the twenty instances of faultlessness in baseball history.

I hear the hue and cry amongst some of the media for expanded instant replay. I may be old school, but I think mistakes are part of the game and over the course of 162 games they tend to even out. The exception today is that the Yankees and Red Sox get too many calls which they should not. Oakland Athletics post game radio buffoon, Chris Townsend, advocates for instant replay because of horrible officiating. Townsend goes further, suggesting a computerized system be used to call balls and strikes. Once again, blown calls even out and MLB still has the ability to adjust the system to benefit “special” teams.

No one likes blown calls, but instant replay would also eliminate many eminently entertaining moments. One is the blown call at first base in the 1985 World Series between the Cardinals and Royals by Don Denkinger. The Cardinals loose their cool and surrender a late Game 6 lead and then loose Game 7. Since I am a fan of neither team, this is completely entertaining and a good lesson in consequences of not maintaining one's composure. In the case of yesterday's game, instant replay would deprive us of the display of class by Galaraga, Joyce and eventually Tigers' manager, Jim Leyland.

Andrew Bailey = Houston Street?

Last year I would have said Bailey = Eckersley, who is the gold standard by which all A's closers are judged. Street is more like the aluminum standard. Last year Bailey was Eck-like in the way he just got batters out and let few runners get on base. After his rookie of the year performance, he seems to be a little off. He has two blown saves and lately his saves have approached Streetian, i.e. he comes in with a multiple run lead and gets a one run save or gets out of the inning, but puts the issue in doubt by allowing base runners. Maybe it is a sophomore slump and I hope he gets back to Eckersley like pitching.

Volcker Receives Honor from Stanford

Former Federal Reserve Chief, Paul Volcker, received an honor from the Stanford's Institute for Economic Policy Research last Tuesday for his efforts to stamp out inflation in the 1980's. He chided Americans for their consumption and lack of investment that creates good jobs. Frankly, Volcker has no one to blame but himself. The Fed's actions under his reign put the economy into a tailspin from which it has not recovered. The good jobs kept leaving since then to be replaced by poorly paying service jobs at the low end and financial services jobs at the high end. Volcker blamed those who took the latter jobs for the current mess. Although inflation was tough, it was the banks who were really under its yoke. Where there was about twelve percent inflation, many homeowners had six percent loans. While their wages probably did not keep up with inflation, the home payments became less and less of a monthly burden. The banks saw this as paying negative interest and this was the reason Volcker was tasked to stamp out inflation and destroy many small businesses and put many out of their homes through the loss of jobs.

Paul Volcker is an adviser to the Obama administration and along with Timothy Geithner, former head of the New York Fed, we now have a bunch of foxes patrolling the hen house.

Coco County: Beware the Falahat.

Recently commercials for Elle Falahat, who is running for District Attorney for Contra Costa County, show on cable TV. Mark Klass appears and supports Falahat as a member of the prosecution team of Richard Allen Davis, murderer of his daughter, Polly. I still have questions about this prosecution, although Davis is where he belongs on Death Row. I suspect that others should be there with him and the prosecution settles for the traditional, “Lone nut gunman.” In his 1995 book, WHO KILLED POLLY?, Frank Spiering reports that on the night of Polly's kidnapping there is another man talking to Davis on her back porch. Davis confesses to the crime and does not implicate anyone else. Some question why he takes the rap by himself. This may have been a prison gang operation where no snitching rules apply and if the prosecution decides that one person is taking the rap and offers no deal to Davis, he admits to another crime, conspiracy, by volunteering this information.

Spiering also discusses a possible motive for this and other kidnappings of young girls. Some are made sex slaves and sent to Saudi Arabia, where young, white virgins are in demand. In 2008 Liam Neeson makes a film, TAKEN, which tells the story of a former intelligence operative whose daughter and friend are the victims of such a kidnapping. Neeson's character finds the friend dead of an overdose. It happens that she is not a virgin and the kidnappers can not sell her. The daughter maintains her virtue and is sold to a wealthy Saudi. As in many movies, Neeson arrives in the nick of time to kill the rich Saudi and rescue his daughter after shooting up Paris. A thoroughly entertaining film. I suspect that Polly may be cast as the friend, not a virgin and not of use to the kidnappers.

The Forces of Darkness use the Polly Klass murder and conviction of Richard Allen Davis as a manipulation to help pass the, “Three Strikes Law.” Contra Costa County voters must carefully think about Elle Falahat and the depths to which she sinks in order to satisfy her ambition.

And the DH?

Late in yesterday's 7-6 win over Texas, Oakland Athletics Manager Bob Geren made an interesting move. He pinch hit for his left fielder and then pinch ran for designated hitter, Eric Chavez. When the team took the field in the bottom of the inning, Gabe Gross, who had pinch run for Chavez, entered in left field. This terminated the A's use of the DH for the remainder of the game. This was an interesting fine point to the game and I was looking forward to San Francisco Chronicle writer Susan Slusser's analysis of the situation and Geren's thinking. She barely mentioned the move and the strategy remained a mystery to me. Once again, I was disappointed by the efforts of the local media.

Gangs in Oakland?

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was in Oakland yesterday and toured a youth center. Holder said that it was important to be smart in the fight against crime and referred to an injunction in North Oakland against gang activity. Holder here acknowledged gang activity in Oakland. The local media have rarely mentioned any gangs by name. They told us about shootings and muggings and a variety of other crimes. We have not heard of the exact gang connections. Were there any prison gang connections? It looked as though there was no affiliation if the media were to be believed.

The History Channel presents the series GANGLAND, which shows many cities and the gangs extant. It is difficult to believe that organized crime does not operate in Oakland and the rest of the East Bay. The media must be more diligent and forth coming in their investigations and reporting.

Howard Stern vs. Amanda Peet

This week Howard Stern criticizes Amanda Peet for her lack of enthusiasm while promoting her new film on David Letterman's show. Howard feels that a producer takes an enormous financial risk and deserves better than what Amanda gives. Although, this may be true, not everyone is as comfortable with sales and promotion as is Howard, who says that he would sell gas to the Nazis if that is his business. I have not seen the movie nor any reviews, but it could be that this is not a good movie and Amanda Peet knows it. She takes an artistic risk by accepting the role. Maybe the film does not turn out as well as she thinks and she may be reticent to show too much enthusiasm, because she wants to maintain some level of credibility and integrity. I am not certain Howard understands this.

Who Sold Short?

That is the question regarding last week's precipitous, half hour loss in value of Dow Jones Index stocks. The media do not ask and it appears as though authorities are not considering it. There is evidence, in the past, of stock manipulations relating to events like the assassination of President Kennedy and the September 11th attacks. The securities of United and American Airlines sell short leading up to the assault on the twin towers. This gets some media attention, but not much follow up. There is also evidence of price manipulation of agricultural commodities on the day of JFK's death. The subsequent short selling nets hundreds of millions for unknown gangsters. It is obvious that some with wealth and power have advance knowledge of these events and profit. Authorities must investigate situations such as last week's and bring those responsible to justice.

Times Square Bomber

Some question the motivation of Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square Bomber. Today we learn that his home is in foreclosure. I guess that puts him in the same boat with millions of other Americans. I have to wonder if this is not part of his motive. An American citizen goes “Postal” over his financial situation. In any case, if he goes over the edge due to financial considerations or is a committed jihadist, I do not understand why he attacks the American people, because then ASS MUST BE KICKED. Would not it be better if these kooks attack the leadership? I do not mean members of the congressional and executive branches, they are just pawns. Why not attack the Corporate Scumbags who are behind all this misery. I do not mean kill them. That would be letting them off easy. They suffer more if they lose their ill gotten gains. With an MBA and BS in Computer Science, Mr. Shahzad certainly has the knowledge to do this and potentially become a hero ala John Dillinger. Instead, he departs from his expertise and endangers innocent people with the only outcome being dealing more misery around the world.

Lew Wolf Sucks

Yes, he does! In today's San Francisco Chronicle, John Shea's front page article details the Oakland Athletics attendance woes. Shea cites several reasons. First, is the team's managing general partner's public disparagement of its stadium. Second, there are those silly tarps on the third deck which limit attendance. In addition, A's President, Mike Crowley, says the economy and the A's recent performance do take their toll. Some suspect the team is sabotaging attendance in order to facilitate its move from Oakland. Lew Wolf whines that this is“...A bunch of crap.” Well, Boob Wolf, if you are not deliberately planning this, then you are incompetent, because your marketing approach is abysmal. I think the later is more of a condemnation than the former.

The tarping of the third deck is particularly galling. Some of the seats are pretty good and a reasonable price. The lack of these seats keeps me from some games. With the A's doing well a few years ago, I am certain they loose at least 200,000 in attendance due to the tarps. They can sell 50,000 against the Yankees, Red Sox and Giants and probably additional sales against the Angels with the former capacity.

Either Lew “Boob” Wolf is a grand conspirator or a lousy businessman. You decide.

Oakland Athletics and Injuries

The Oakland Athletics have been plagued with injuries for the past several years. I have had an intuitive sense that this is the case. It seems as though they have more players suffering injury than in the past. I have not been able to find historical data yet, but I was able to peruse the MLB.com injury (not disabled ) list for May 3. The A's lead all of baseball for players on this list. They have 11 on the list and the average for all teams is 4.2, with a standard deviation of 2.38. This puts Oakland at almost 3 standard deviations from the mean. I am trying to learn how to use my spreadsheet, so this is why I derived these figures.

Why are the Athletics so oft injured? Several reasons come to mind. They have signed some older players for cheap because they are returning from injury, too much head first sliding and poor conditioning. The older players I can see as they may be worth a shot. Coco Crisp is out with a broken finger from sliding. I think players would do better to slide the old fashioned way and minimize the threat to their hands, although Rickey Henderson knew how to slide this way and was not hurt too often. Sometimes, I see these fools trying a headfirst slide into home with the catcher blocking the plate. They are an injury waiting to happen. Conditioning is the main culprit. In the old days, players got and stayed in condition by throwing and running. Today, the emphasis is on other activities, like weight lifting and riding the stationary bike. I suspect they are still using as yet unknown steroids. A high school coach told our team not to lift weights because it makes one too tight. Maybe some weight lifting is OK, but I think the Athletics need to get back to the old school and keep their team healthy.