Odds And Sods:Fewer Sods, Greater Odds

Well, I have to say good riddance to September! Although I have gotten many visitors to this blog, I was unable to post as much as I wanted to, for a variety of different reasons. But the month of October promises to be a good one with so many things to post about. Not only are the Mets and Yankees in the MLB playoffs, but the NHL season starts on Wednesday, also we get closer to the very important mid-term elections, and finally at the end of this month The Who release their new CD Endless Wire, which I am eagerly anticipating.

So where to start...

NEWS
I find it to be quite transparent when I hear politicians bashing Venazualen President Hugo Chavez for bashing President Bush. Anyone who is in this country is protected under the Bill of Rights to be able to say what they want, within reason. I don't agree with what Chavez said, but the Democrats have been saying the same stuff that Chavez said about George W. for the last five years. I also find it interesting that these are the same people who are so worried about protecting the rights of terrorists, but are upset about what Hugo had to say. Well, let's set something straight. Those who spoke out about President Chavez saw a political opportunity. Most citizens were appalled that this man came to the United Nations and put down our President. So the Dems correctly believed that they could not possibly side with Chavez so they instead, for once, defended George W.

But we all can see through this, I think. The Dems are poised to at least gain control of the House of Representatives so they know they can't say anything to screw things up.

Why is it that every time former President Bill Clinton squints his eyes and wags his finger he can't help himself and tells a lie?

Once again a man we once supported is now our enemy. At one time Gulbuddin Hekmatyr, a powerful warlord and the former Prime Minister of Afghanistan, received funding from the United States. This was in the 1980s when the Afghans and foreign fighters ousted the Soviet Union's troops. Then it was realized that he was our enemy as he sided with the Taliban. Now it is believed he is sheltering Usama bin Laden somewhere between the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Amazing! So many people we have supported over the course of time have ended up being our enemy. We even fired and missed a Hellfire missile at him back in 2002. Now we are hunting him and our number one sworn enemy: UBL.

UBL and Hekmatyr have been rivals in the past, but now intelligence reports say that they are working together. That is something to remember. Quite often people say that so and so couldn't possibly work together because at one point they hated each other. But things change. The U.S. supported Iraq when they were fighting Iran in the 1980s. So I ask you why can't it be that al-Qaeda and Iran can work together, even though they represent different sects of Islam. Same goes for Iraq and al-Qaeda.

I am so tired of seeing this John Mark Carr character on television. One thing, doesn't he resemble the psychotic killer in the movie Seven. Eery, very eery.

SPORTS
Congratulations to the Mets and their fans for winning the NL East Division Title. However, I am also saddened to hear that Pedro Martinez will not be available for the playoffs. I hate seeing guys get injured, especially at such a critical time in the year. I would imagine that any Mets' fan telling the truth would tell you that it is a huge loss. Still I hope the Metropolitans rally and do not lie down in the wake of adversity. That is the mark of a champion!

Ditto goes for the Yankees! Another AL East Division Title, but bad news accompanies this team. Plagued by injuries most of the year, now on the eve of the playoffs, Randy Johnson is thought to miss at least one start if not the entire playoffs with a herniated disc in his back. Johnson has been inconsistent for the Bombers but it still is a big loss for the Yankees. Hopefully, they will rally around one another. I believe they will but will it be enough. Time will tell...

Can the New York Giants just shut up and play?

Does Chad Pennington have moxie or what?

Of all the teams that would have difficulty with the salary cap, you would most likely never think it would be the New Jersey Devils.

Good to see goalie Mike Dunham back in the New York area. He signed as a backup for the Islanders.

Evgeni Malkin is skating with the team and his return to the Pittsburgh Penguins appears to be imminent.

In an absolutely brutal match last week on ECW, Rob Van Dam defeated Hardcore Holly. Also, Big Show crushed The Sandman to retain his ECW title. It doesn't seem apparent that anyone will defeat the Big Show in the near future.

BOOKS
Believe it or not, I am still reading Blood and Gold by Anne Rice. Don't know why it has taken me so long to read this book. It's pretty good, but it just hasn't moved very quickly. I am also looking forward to Rice's paperback release of Out Of Egypt:Christ The Lord in late October or early November.

An excellent book that I would highly recommend is Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile. This book should be made into a movie. If you want to learn about the birth of al-Qaeda, this is one to read. It details the role of the United States in helping the Afghans to ouster the Soviets.

It took a few weeks to set in, but I have to say that The Bonfire of The Vanities was an outstanding read. A long book but looking back it was quite enjoyable.

MUSIC
I stayed up very late one night to watch David Letterman because The Who were on. They did one song, a new one, which was pretty good. I have seen some pretty good reviews about their upcoming CD. I hope it is good for the simple reason that I hate to see some of these old rockers put out stuff that is not as good as when they were in their prime.

I gotta say that I never quite got Janis Joplin, but on the other hand I think Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane/Starship has one of the most powerful voices I have heard. I don't like to put down musicians, so I am not saying anything bad about Joplin, I am just saying that I never warmed up to her.

So what is it these days with people calling each other "the devil?" Well, most recently a preacher called rapper Jay Z the devil and referenced a song of his that if you play it backwards sounds "satanic."

FRIVOLITY
Just when you thought it was safe to put away your pocket protectors...Revenge Of The Nerds (2007) has just begun filming. Yep, Hollywood can't come up with new material so they go back to something old. By the way, I saw the first one and the sequel. But did not know until recently that there was a third and fourth edition of the trials and tribulations of the Tri Lams.

Finally, for a place that was supposed to be deserted the folks on Gilligan's Island sure had a lot of visitors!

Cheers!