Hindsight Being 20-20

In retrospect, I am happy.
Freddy Garcia went to the Mets, in part because he felt that the Yankees would end up signing Andy Pettitte, and that he would not be a serious contender for a spot in the rotation. He was right, and the Yankees DID sign Andy P. I'd rather have Pettitte, both because I believe that he will have a far stronger performance in 2009, but also because he is a True Yankee. I am happy. Go Yankees!

Rabbie

Tonight is the annual Robert Burns Supper in Virginia Beach. I had hoped to go last year, but did not. This year, dating a Scotswoman is the additional impetus I required: Nikki and I are going to attend. Cocktails at six; dinner and festivities at seven. There will be recitings of Burnsian poetry and the obligatory haggis, along with many fine fellows in kilts [not I, this go-round - all of my Highland wear is far too informal.] I'll be in a tuxedo, and my bow tie is a subtle Black Watch pattern. Mr. McManus, and all members of the Four Twa, past and present, that's for you.

Illinois Moment of Silence Ruled Unconstitutional

Here's an interesting story filed by the AP [all credits to AP and Mike Robinson for this story], which I have attached below.

I'll let you, the reader, decide for yourself what is right and what is not.

Seems to me that there oughta be MORE silence in schools, not less.....

By MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer Mike Robinson, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 22, 5:10 am ET
CHICAGO – A federal judge has ruled that a state law requiring a moment of silence in public schools across Illinois is unconstitutional, saying it crosses the line separating church and state.
"The statute is a subtle effort to force students at impressionable ages to contemplate religion," U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman said in his ruling Wednesday.
The ruling came in a lawsuit designed to bar schools from enforcing the Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. It was filed by talk show host Rob Sherman, an outspoken atheist, and his daughter, Dawn, a high school student.
Gettleman's ruling was not a surprise. He had already ruled in favor of Sherman in two previous decisions.
As passed by the Illinois General Assembly, the law allows students to reflect on the day's activities rather than pray if that is their choice and defenders have said it therefore doesn't force religion on anyone.
But Gettleman backed critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union, who say the law is a thinly disguised effort to bring religion into the schools.
The "teacher is required to instruct her pupils, especially in the lower grades, about prayer and its meaning as well as the limitations on their 'reflection,'" Gettleman ruled.
"The plain language of the statute, therefore, suggests and intent to force the introduction of the concept of prayer into the schools," he said.
It remained unclear if Gettleman's decision would end the dispute or merely signal a fresh battle in a federal appeals court.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Chicago, the chief sponsor of the legislation, said she hoped Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan would appeal.
"I strongly feel and I still believe that children should have a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day," she said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., where she celebrated the inauguration of President Obama.
Madigan spokeswoman Robin Ziegler said the attorney general was reviewing Gettleman's decision and would have no immediate further comment.
Adam Schwartz, senior staff counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the organization was pleased with the decision "to strike down a statewide law that coerced children to pray as part of an organized activity in our public schools."
Last year, a federal court threw out a challenge to a 2003 Texas law that allows children to "reflect, pray, meditate or engage in any other silent activities" for one minute at the beginning of each school day.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn upheld the constitutionality of that law, concluding that "the primary effect of the statute is to institute a moment of silence, not to advance or inhibit religion."

Another, Sadder, Goodbye

Far sadder is our goodbye to Todd Drew, who recently passed away following cancer surgery. Todd was active in doing good things with the ACLU, and was a lifetime Yankees fan, and he could write. Boy, could he ever write. I read Todd's writings occasionally at Bronx Banter and on his own website, Yankees for Justice, and I urge you to check them out. Insightful, poignant, memorable. I interacted with Todd some time ago on a now-discontinued message board [kudos and a fond farewell, "Wolf in Pinstripes"], and found him to be a good source of Yankee lore, and a pleasant person to converse with. In my book, Todd Drew was a standup guy, and he'll be sorely missed; his words live on.... read them and enjoy, and in them, Todd lives on in our memories. May the Lord bless you and keep you, my friend. Go Yankees!

So Long and Farewell

Coach Chucky is history.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just fired Coach Jon Gruden, along with General Manager Bruce Allen. Raheem Morris will take the helm, ending any speculation about Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan or [gulp!] Tony Dungy. That's according to Yahoo! Sports, by the way, so if someone else get's tabbed, take it up with Fred Goodall.

I was all set to rage against Morris' hiring, but I am not going to. Here's why: He took over as Defensive Coordinator after Monte Kiffin left to join his son, Lane, at the University of Tennessee. Morris had been Tampa's Defensive Backs Coach..... anybody else remember a coach who played at DB and began his coaching career with the corners and safeties? I'm hoping Raheem Morris will have the same success that Tony Dungy enjoyed, and I will certainly cheer for the Bucs next season. Hey, I lived through the bad old days.

Raheem Morris - good luck, my friend, and Go Bucs!
Jon Gruden - best wishes to you, and thank you for our one Super Bowl win.
Tony Dungy - thank you for changing this franchise around. God bless you and your family.

Wasabi Mayonnaise

Sadly, dear Nikki is not feeling well after today's liposuction, and is nodding off as we speak. [And, she wants no dinner.] So, we'll get together another time, perhaps tomorrow. Nonetheless, a quick note: I made burgers the other day, really simple ones, and I wanted to share the concept with ya :) Note there's no amounts listed; use your discretion.

I used Angus ground beef. My apartments do not allow grilling, so I seared mine in the pan. Used black pepper and some paprika, a little onion powder and garlic powder as well. I like burgers medium rare to medium, cook yours however ya like. I had some sourdough bread which I hacked into thick chunks. Spead one with regular mayonnaise, the other with wasabi mayonnaise which you can sometimes find in the Oriental Food section of yer local grocery store. In the pan, I had slices of mozzerella cheese melt atop the burger patties.

Fusion burgers, tasty and messy. I liked 'em a lot, and I shared with Hiro and Kathy over at Daruma of Japan :-) Hoping to hear the review shortly.

That's all for now.
Happy Wednesday, y'all.
Chuck sends

Hello and Welcome

Hello, and Welcome!
That's right, I have now linked this blog to my Facebook page, and this is the first blog post since I did so [hint: Facebook friends, feel free to comment on this blog. Get's kinda lonely at times ;-)]

Been a little busy, both with work and with new sweetie. We have twenty people at sea right now, so those who are in the hangar are really turning and burning. I did vehicle maintenance yesterday [everyone from that shop is deployed]; today I helped build missile screens as the truck we were shipping them on showed up [several days early!]

Nikki keeps me busy as well - we have gotten into kayaking [which is a great way to exercise, by the way] and we hike and run together sometimes. It's cold and rainy tonight, so we are going out to dinner. Tomorrow, she is going to have liposuction, so I am going to cook dinner for her and the Triplets. That's right.... triplets! Identical, svelte, cute and fifteen. Oh, and very sweet lil' girls, too! Steak Sandwiches and Tater Tots, maybe some quick Spanish Rice as well [hoping they will pay attention and learn some cooking tips ;-)]

What else is new? Go Gators! I already posted on that, but still feels good. Yankees #1! Great offseason for the Bombers, and I have many posts on that. A quick hello to all; if I haven't written for a while, I will :-) Thanks for joining me.

Best wishes for a happy new year,
Chuck

Win One For The..... Timbow?

24-14.
This, my friends, was the finest season in Florida Gator history. Sure, we've won the national title before, even won the title AND the Heisman trophy in the same season, and once even won the title, sandwiched by two basketball championships. All well and good - Go Gators!

This year, we lost one game by one point. I'm not going to say we SHOULD have won that game... only that we COULD have won it. Mississippi played well enough to win, and they did. We played well enough to lose by one, which we did, but we COULD have won it, and we DID win all of our other games.

After this loss, to Ole Miss, at home, when Tim Tebow was stopped on 4th and short, one of the grandest moments in college football lore occurred. It's new, but give it the test of time: After the loss, Tebow faced the microphone and apologized, and promised that no one would work harder or be more focused, or drive their team to the degree that he would. He was right. In a hundred years, this will equal "Win One For The Gipper." Wait and see.

This year, we almost took home the Heisman Trophy, and probably should have. This year, the statisticians ruled, and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma took home the trophy. Sam had a gaudy year, and led the Sooners to the national title game. In terms of leadership, he led his team to exactly the same title-game result that he himself accrued: mediocrity. Sam had a mediocre game, and the Sooners only scored 14 points. Tim Tebow did not have an especially gaudy year, statistically speaking [not like last year, when he threw for more than 20 touchdowns, and scored more than 20 himself, which no one in history had ever come close to doing]. This year was all about leadership. Tim took the team on his shoulders and refused to accept any other outcome than victory and a national championship. Because of that, because of that historic moment, because of the results, Tim Tebow should have won the Heisman Trophy. Again.

[Sooners fans know this: I cheered your team on when Jack Mildren was at QB and rejoiced when your team went undefeated, besting those hated Nebraskans. I respect Bobby Stoops and thank him in large measure for our first championship. I think Sam Bradford is a fine person and quarterback, and I wish him continued success, at OU and later on, in the NFL. I just feel that the Tebow legend this season was perhaps the greatest in history and will be remembered as such. Superman wears Tim Tebow underwear.]

Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones, erstwhile Centerfielder for the Dodgers [and before that, Atlanta] is said to be available. At the behest of his agent, Scott Boras, his deal has been restructured so that his 2009 salary is approximately $5 million. More than likely, L.A. is going to release him prior to Spring Training [surely no team is foolish enough to trade for him?]

Now, the Yanks have two kids in CF: Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera. The burning question, then, is do the Yanks want to take a flyer on Jones? True, he is only 32 and two years away from a 41-dinger season [2006, that is]. Pete Abraham postulates that a minor-league deal is an option.

I say thee, nay! No way, no how, and here's my reasoning.... Andruw is an old 32. Never a workout fanatic, his body has gone to the dogs [even when he WAS having good seasons, one could see the pudge]. He's had problems with lax discipline before ["gentlemen's clubs" and such come to mind], he's lost his speed, and his bat speed should be measured with a sundial. He had a terrible off-season in Winter Ball. In a nutshell: stick a fork in it - he's done.