More Odds and Sods

Greetings! So little to do, so much time. Wait strike that, reverse it. That's movie reference number one so let's move onward...

NEWS
As I mentioned in a previous posting, the killing of al-Zarqawi has led to 452 raids, 104 insurgents being killed, 759 insurgents being captured, and the discovery of 28 significant arms caches. Such great news that needs to be mentioned more often.

Today, it was announced that seven insurgency groups have contacted the Iraqi government about a ceasefire. More great news!

According to the Associated Press, hundreds of chemical weapons found in Iraq were produced before the 1991 Gulf War and probably are so old they couldn't be used as designed, intelligence officials said Thursday. Leave it to the AP to throw cold water on any good news. Coalition forces have recovered about 500 munitions with mustard or sarin agents. Bottom line: that's 500 less munitions for the world to worry about!

The report in a new book that al-Qaeda called off a planned terrorist attack in 2003 on the New York City subway system I feel is absolute bunk. For an attack to be 45 days from being executed and then called off for an "unknown reason", is just too hard to fathom. The terrorist network has either been unable to pull off an attack or has had planned attacks foiled since 9/11, so if this one was set to go ahead unfettered, there is no way it would be curtailed. I'm not sure what the ulterior motive is for the book's author, but again I don't buy into it.

Seven men were busted in Florida for plotting an attack on the Sears Tower in Chicago, just one of several targets mentioned. Many media outlets reported that it appeared these men probably would not have been able to pull off their heinous act because of their "sloppiness". However, it's best it did not get beyond the planning stages is it not? The biggest concern, I believe, is that Miami seems to be a place to keep an eye on because many of the 9/11 hijackers either came through Miami, lived there for a while, or trained there.

I know that all the "experts" say we are spread thin. But if Kim Jung Mentally Il decides to launch a missile anywhere near our shores, I say we remove him and his family of malcontents from power with as much firepower as possible, same goes for Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. We have all this great technolgy, we should use it and not be pushed around by these twirps. I'm not for blowing everyone up, but maybe we should flex our muscles once in a while.

SPORTS
Thanks for absolutely nothing Larry Brown. Yes, Knicks' management is laughable, but Brown was a crybaby all season long and did not earn a dime of that $10 million salary. Constantly changing the rotation and calling out players in public. Good riddance!

The Miami Heat's six-game win over the Dallas Mavericks was one of the most poorly played NBA Finals I have seen in a long time. However, I'll give the devil his due and say Pat Reilly is a hell of a coach. Definitely the difference in this series.

New York Rangers' forward Jaromir Jagr won the Lester B. Pearson Award as Most Valuable Player as voted on by his peers. No question about this: Rangers don't get near the playoffs without him.

The Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup win in seven games was the best Finals I have seen in a long, long time. I hated to see Edmonton lose, but the better team won. Unfortunately, the television ratings were horrible. It seems that the World Cup got more attention than the NHL. Sad, but true.

You have to wonder about a guy who three days after his team loses game seven demands a trade due to "family considerations". Of course, I am talking about Oilers' defenseman Chris Pronger. Still, I would trade New York Rangers' goalie prospect Al Montoya straight up for the six foot six d-man. Pronger on the blueline for the Blueshirts would make them an instant Cup contender.

Speaking of d-men, the Rangers drafted lifelong Blueshirts' fan and New Jersey resident Bob Sanguinetti with the 21st pick overall this weekend. The defenseman is 6'1", 174 pounds, and put up 68 points with the Owen Sound in the OHL last season. NHL Central Scouting had him ranked at 12 and I am not sure why he slipped down, but from all reports it looks like he will be manning the blueline on Broadway sometime around 2012.

Staples. They are not just those things you use to attach your TPS reports (movie reference number two). No, they are also those consistent things in your life that you may take for granted and not notice them until they are gone. Well, it appears as though a huge staple is about to leave Rangerland as New York Rangers' broadcaster John Davidson is reportedly leaving the booth after 20 years to become president of the St. Louis Blues, following the team's sale to a group led by former MSG boss Dave Checketts. Year after year, game after game, I looked forward to Sam and J.D. coming into my living room. "Hello everyone and welcome to New York Rangers' hockey! I'm Sam Rosen along with my partner John Davidson..." Those words I heard uttered from Rosen's mouth thousands of times. I'll really miss J.D. Very knowledgeable, always provided great analysis. But mostly the camaraderie between the two broadcasters was second to none. It always sounded as if two friends were watching the games, rather than just two guys announcing. The Garden will have a tough time filling Davidson's shoes. St. Louis is a great sports city and gains big-time with J.D.

Incidentally, I have heard Mark Messier's name bandied about as Davidson's replacement. I love Mess, but from what I heard of him on OLN he's not really the most articulate guy around. I say radio man Dave Maloney gets it.

Miscellaneous
The Who opened their world tour at Leeds on Saturday night. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey unveiled a blue plaque at the University prior to the show to commemorate that night in 1970, when what many believe to be the best live album ever was recorded. The Live at Leeds album has been remastered and is now in stores. By chance, I heard the new one played on Q 104.3 and the sound is incredible. I thought I was listening to a current concert and not something from 36 years ago. Legendary New York DJ Carol Miller played the whole thing late one night this week. Incidentally, don't let the voice fool you, Miller is one hot number.

Larry King had Bruce Springsteen and Bono on this week in separate interviews. Two incredible musical geniuses! King is at his best when he does interviews with guys like these and keeps his far left-wing agenda to himself. He actually comes across as knowledgeable. I really admire Bono's work in Africa and although I disagree with Springsteen politically, I admire his passion and conviction for what he truly believes to be right.

From the New York Post...Usama bin Laden's former sex slave is now working as a writer for "Days of Our Lives"...Only In America!!!

Please keep reading...I will be posting chapter one of my novella, "Driving Toward Heaven" on Wednesday. I will be posting my usual stuff during the summer but I will really be focusing on this short story, with one chapter a week being posted through Labor Day. So please check back often and feel free to comment or make suggestions.

Finally, I'm 31-years-old and have just now figured out the meaning of Cyndi Lauper's She-Bop! Go figure.

Cheers!