Friday, June 15, 2007

Odds & Sods


Welcome to the T.G.I.F. version of Odds & Sods, even though I hate when people say "T.G.I.F." It's pretty lame if you ask me; the saying not this post! So is this photo of "The Brown Lady" a hoax? Do you believe in ghosts? For more on this photo go here...but either way, please keep reading.

NEWS
The world watches as an already volatile Middle East becomes even more so. First, insurgents once again bombed the Askariya shrine in Samarra, Iraq, a revered Shiite Mosque whose golden dome was destroyed by Al-Qaeda in February 2006. Now, Hamas has ripped things apart in Gaza forcing the Fatah government to be dissolved. Big problems, obviously. The mosque bombing in Iraq raises fears of more sectarian violence, reminiscent of what took place after the dome's destruction in 2006. So who exactly is behind this latest bombing? Al-Qaeda? Possibly. How about an Iranian-backed group? Shiites killing Shiites? Sounds strange, but certainly Iran benefits by fueling a civil war. Why? Anything that continues to bog down America and leave us even more impotent in dealing with Iran's desire for nukes.

No question that Iran is backing Hamas also, although they too are largely made up of Sunnis. But Iran benefits because we support Fatah and Prime Minister Abbas. I even saw a clip of some purported Hamas members celebrating with American-made weapons.

SPORTS
The good news is that the NBA Finals are over. The bad news is that many folks didn't even know they started.

How ironic that Mike Keenan is named the Head Coach of the Calgary Flames 13 years after guiding the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. I don't know why Brent Sutter doesn't want to coach in the NHL, but he would have been my choice. However, Mike Keenan may be the guy to lead Calgary to the top of the heap in the NHL. This also means that Tony Amonte's career is over in Calgary, similar to the way it ended in New York. I don't know what Keenan has against him, but Amonte admitted it took two years for him to psychologically recover from playing 72 games under "Iron" Mike in 1993-1994.

Believe it or not, I'm actually already hearing Joe Torre's name being bandied about as "Manager of the Year." Funny, the guy was the "worst manager ever" only a few weeks ago.

Anyone looking to play fullback for the New York Giants? Jim Finn is out for the year after shoulder surgery.

Jessie Armstead has retired from the NFL. Most remember the linebacker as a NY Giant, who in nine seasons with the team, went to five pro bowls and was a key member of the squad that went to Super Bowl XXXV.

ENTERTAINMENT
As I have previously mentioned, VH1 Classic will air a special on the Monterey Festival tomorrow night at 9. Here's a clip of The Who performing "My Generation." I love this one!

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