Ferrablog

My American League rotisserie team, the Ferra Fowls (fair or foul, get it?) are now set. We play a 4x4 AL-only, down to 9 teams this season.

Here's the 23-man roster (* denotes player I protected):

C-Varitek-17*, LeCroy-4. 1B-Broussard-9*. 2B-B.Boone-28*. SS-Crosby-5*. 3B-Koskie-12. CI-Konerko-11. MI-Lugo-9*. OF-M.Ramirez-38, Kielty-5*, L.Nix-9*, Lofton-13, J.Guillen-5. DH-Lawton-1. P-Hudson-21*, Moyer-14*, Ainsworth-5*, DuBose-5*, Washburn-6, Bradford-2, Leskanic-5*, A.Lopez-10*, Rhodes-20.

My first take is solid, if unspectacular. Good power, could use some more speed. Pitching-wise, I'm taking a gamble on Ainsworth and DuBose, pitching in the tough AL East. And Arthur Rhodes needs to prove he can close - at least I also got Bradford, who would likely be next in line. In the reserve draft, highlights were a rehabbing Aaron Boone (possible late-season and next-season help), blue-chip prospects Jeremy Reed and Alexis Rios, possible near-future Twins closer Jesse Crain, possible near-future Jays closer Justin Speier, and a guy I really like (yet another young Oriole pitcher), Erik Bedard. Play ball! National League draft tomorrow.

The Lightning dropped the season finale tonight, 2-1 to the Thrashers in a meaningless affair. Martin St. Louis notched goal #38 and will be the scoring champ. Most importantly, nobody was injured. Thanks to Montreal's win tonight over Buffalo, the matchup I dreaded (and perhaps the Lightning themselves dread, to some extent) has come to pass: Lightning vs Islanders. The Isles took 3 of the 4 regular season matchups this year, including a pair of wins last month. Bring on the playoffs!

Not going to be doing much blogging the rest of the weekend, as my American League (tonight) and National League (Sunday) rotisserie baseball drafts are this weekend, and when I'm not drafting, I'll be prepping.

Already behind the 8-ball in the American League as enfant terrible Milton Bradley, whom I was ready to keep at a cheap $12, has finally worn out his welcome and will be traded by Cleveland prior to Sunday. The problem is, of course, that I have no idea where, and since our AL does not allow us to use NL players, I have to throw him back and lose him since he could easily end up in the NL. Bad luck with Cleveland all around, as I had their closer, Bob Wickman, set to keep at $6, only to see Wickman re-injure himself and be out for at least half the year. Oh well, karmic retribution for winning the league last year I guess.

A fair-sized section of the punditocracy has been touting John McCain as a possible veep for Kerry in some sort of "national unity" ticket. McCain has repeatedly denied any interest, and of course the fact that he's a Republican, and the wrong side of the abortion issue and other key Democratic issues still make him a very unlikely fit.

But you just have to wonder where he's been going with recent comments like these he made, as reported by the Boston Herald:

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain yesterday unleashed an attack on his own party, saying the GOP is ``astray'' on key issues and criticizing President Bush on the war in Iraq.

``I believe my party has gone astray,'' McCain said, criticizing GOP stands on environmental and minority issues.

``I think the Democratic Party is a fine party, and I have no problems with it, in their views and their philosophy,'' he said. ``But I also feel the Republican Party can be brought back to the principles I articulated before.''

The maverick senator made the remarks at a legislative seminar hosted by U.S. Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Lowell) as he again ruled out running on a ticket with Democrat John F. Kerry.

The Arizona Republican took on President Bush for failing to prepare Americans for a long involvement in Iraq, saying, ``You can't fly in on an aircraft carrier and declare victory and have the deaths continue. You can't do that.''

McCain said the U.S. should seek more U.N. involvement in Iraq. ``Many people in this room question, legitimately, whether we should have gone in or not,'' he said, adding that that debate ``will be part of this presidential campaign.''

A nice counterweight to Zell Miller. In fact, Zell Miller's a nobody compared to McCain.

The Lightning clinched the #1 spot in the East, and home ice advantage through the conference finals, with a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers tonight combined with a 3-3 Boston tie with Washington. This, of course, sets up the matchup I dreaded, the Lightning against the Islanders. The Isles only need 2 points by winning or 2 dropped points by Buffalo to nail down the #8 spot. Meanwhile, Detroit clinched the President's Trophy, by beating St. Louis 3-2 tonight, so the Lightning will content themselves with being the top seed in the East.

In tonight's Lightning game, the most encouraging thing aside from the win itself was the return of Martin St. Louis to the scoresheet with two goals. And not only did he score, he nailed the game winner from a tight angle with about two minutes left. His other goal came earlier in the third period, a shorthanded breakaway after stealing a Lyle Odelein pass. The shorthanded goal was St. Louis' 8th of the season, tops in the league, and he virtually wrapped up the scoring crown tonight.

For a long time tonight, it looked like things might go the opposite way - Florida led 2-1 after two periods, and Boston had an early lead on Washington. Next up is a home game against Atlanta Saturday night, and with nothing at stake, I'd imagine Tortorella will rest some of his key players, especially St. Louis.

NOTE: Interestingly enough, the headline on the game recap linked above says "East leaders still trail Detroit", but makes no mention of the President's Trophy race.

Nice piece by Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Trib here:

All evidence to the contrary, Russell is smart, having graduated from USC with a history degree in 3 1/2 years before being the second overall pick in the 1997 NFL draft. Bucs GM Bruce Allen is smart, too. And funny. Here's Bruce on Tuesday:

``Bill Clinton did worse things than Darrell Russell, and he won Florida twice.''

Russell once faced 25 felony sexual assault charges, including eight for rape by use of drugs.

Good one, Bruce!

When the Bucs sign Clinton, I'll be all over them. First they signed Russell, who at the very least has a penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He hasn't messed up once or twice. Keep counting. This ain't exactly Willie Wonka.

While in Oakland, Russell made two Pro Bowls, failed one drug test, missed another (which counts as a fail), was suspended for four games, failed a third test. Russell admitted the third test showed the drug Ecstasy in his system but claimed it was from a drink that was spiked without his knowledge. The NFL suspended him for a year in January 2002 and made it indefinite, no easy feat, after more bad news.

Russell admitted filming two friends, both convicted felons, having sex with a woman. Russell and friends said the sex was consensual. The woman said different, claiming Russell spiked her drink with a ``date-rape'' drug. Police arrested Russell and friends. All 25 felony charges against the three men eventually were dropped. Prosecutors decided they didn't have enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman had been sexually assaulted or that Russell had drugged her.

Meanwhile, while the case was going on, while still under NFL suspension, Russell was pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving and speeding after leaving a legal Nevada brothel called the Moonlite Bunny Ranch. After posting bail, Russell reportedly returned to said Moonlite Bunny Ranch. Is it too late to bring Sapp back?

The proof is here.

Thanks to Dan from RMAS, on this first day of April, for pointing out how unfairly we've criticized our fine President.

Bush/Cheney 04 all the way!

The Republican need to harp on Clinton knows no bounds, and has even infected the sports world. My favorite NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, recently hired Bruce Allen as General Manager. The main reason Allen was hired was that he worked with head coach Jon Gruden in Oakland, and would be more of a rubber stamp than previous GM Rich McKay. One thing McKay held important in adding a player was the player's character. Gruden, on the other hand, with the Raider mentality, is more than willing to take a chance on a questionable citizen.

It all came to a head yesterday when the Bucs signed defensive tackle Darrell Russell. How bad a citizen has Russell been?

Quoth the St. Pete Times:

He was suspended for four games in 2001 for failing to comply with the NFL's drug policy. While serving that penalty, Russell tested positive for another banned substance and received a one-year suspension that later was made indefinite.

During that time, he was charged as an accomplice in the drugging of a woman and with videotaping a sexual assault by two of his friends. The 25 felony counts against Russell and two other men were dropped for lack of evidence.

Russell was reinstated and spent the second half of last season with the Redskins but was deactivated for the final game after missing a team meeting.

But is he as bad as Bill Clinton? Not according to Bruce Allen:

"Bill Clinton did a lot worse things than Darrell Russell. I know he did. He did worse things. But he won Florida twice and was our president."

Bruce Allen, in case you were wondering, is the brother of Virginia Senator George Allen, and their father was legendary NFL coach George Allen Sr. Bruce should check with his brother before stating political facts: Clinton did carry Florida in 1996, but didn't in 1992. Nevertheless, it's his position that Clinton was worse than a drug-abuser who drugged women and videotaped their rapes. You can't even escape the Republican slime machine on the sports pages nowadays.

There's been quite a bit of rumbling over the upcoming Bob Woodward book "Plan of Attack", and how it's going to be critical of the Bush administration and Iraq, a 180-degree turn from the hagiographic "Bush at War" (even though quotes from "Bush at War" have bolstered Clarke's credibility).

A little piece from TNR's Campaign Journal on this.

As the piece mentions, the book is due out April 18, and Bob will get the 60 Minutes treatment as well.

For it to have the desired comedic effect, however, you'll have to have seen the brilliantly funny Mike Judge film, Office Space.

The bad news is that the Lightning still can't beat Ottawa. The good news is that they still managed a point tonight, and shaved their magic number for taking the top spot in the Eastern conference to 3. The Lightning fell 5-4 in overtime tonight, in a wild, wild tilt. The game featured two of the top scoring teams in the league, but for about all but the final three minutes it was a gritty, hard-hitting affair tied at 2. Then, all hell broke lose. Dave Andreychuk extended his 20-goal streak to 13 years when Vinny Lecavalier's point shot went off his chest on a power play, and the Lightning looked good up 3-2 with 3:12 left. But Ottawa responded with two quick goals, and Khabibulin was pulled. With the extra attacker on, Lecavalier and Brad Richards set up Andreychuk for the equalizer with 28 seconds left.

In the overtime, Dan Boyle (who scored earlier) nearly won it, hitting the post on a break. But with one minute to go in OT, Chris Phillips blasted a 20-footer past Habby after a Darryl Sydor giveaway. It was Sydor's first game back after missing three with a mysterious upper body injury, and he looked shaky all game tonight. The Lightning could very well face Ottawa in the second round of the playoffs (if they get by the Islanders, another team that's had their number), so they're likely going to have to figure out how to beat this team.

In the Marty St. Louis watch, he did pick up an assist tonight to up his point total to 90, but he still doesn't look to be the same player. He had a great chance tonight when Prusek was caught out of position and left half the net open, but St. Louis shot the puck right at the Ottawa netminder. If the Lightning can wrap up the #1 spot by beating Florida on Thursday, they definitely need to give him the night off against Atlanta on Saturday. I suppose if his scoring title is in jeopardy, he may play after all, but I still say he looks gassed.

So the closest thing we had to a prophet of 9/11, Richard Clarke, is now being smeared by the right because he's going to make a lot of money off the sales of Against All Enemies. Bill Frist, as part of his perjury innuendo on the Senate Floor, accused Clarke of profiting from 9/11 and challenged him to donate the profits to charity. The Drudge Report, as reliable an indicator of the right-wing zeitgeist as one will find, was out in full force yesterday detailing how Clarke's cut of the sales could hit seven figures. And, as the indispensable Daily Howler reports, that's all the bobbleheads at Fox and Friends (as well as Don Imus) could talk about.

But this outburst of feigned shock at someone actually making money begs several questions:

* Where was the outrage when Bob Woodward profited from 9/11 when he wrote Bush at War, a largely sympathetic portrait? Should he have donated the proceeds to charity?

* Where was the outrage when Showtime aired "DC 9/11: Time of Crisis", a veritable propaganda piece for the Bush Administration? Shouldn't they have donated their profits as well?

* What about the fact that Bush's fundraisers offered photos of him making phone calls on 9/11 as an enticement to solicit donations?

I could go on and on with examples, but the point is made. Of course, while they say Clarke should donate the profits to charity, they'll have no problem giving our newest millionaire a healthy tax cut on all those book profits.

That's what I wanted to do when I read that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays gave General Manager Chuck "Yessir" LaMar yet another two-year contract extension.

The Rays have been MLB's worst team since their inception in 1998, and the only constant from Day One through the present, aside from owner Vince Naimoli, has been LaMar. And it's not just been a matter of things not working out. LaMar has made one bonehead decision after another, and in my book, he'll never live down setting the franchise back several pegs before the team ever took the field, when he traded Bobby Abreu to the Phillies for a washed-up (and never really that good in the first place) Kevin Stocker, and in the 1997 expansion draft took athlete Mike Kelly over actual hitter Dmitri Young (who hit 25 HR last year for a sorry team in Comerica Park while Kelly never amounted to anything). It stayed bad after that, with LaMar taking drug abuser Josh Hamilton over World Series hero Josh Beckett in the 1999 draft, and more moves that escape me at the moment (or perhaps have been repressed in my memory). He also hired Cam Bonifay as an assistant, the moron that lavished ridiculous contracts on the likes of Derek "Operation Shutdown" Bell and Pat Meares while with the Pirates.

LaMar has always been one of the old guard, obsessed with "tools", an obsession in this age of Moneyball that small-market teams with few resources can really afford. Plate discipline is not taught in the system, and even the few Rays prospects that have emerged as decent hitters (Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford) still swing at everything, a characteristic that doesn't bode well for long-term success.

The only theory I can plausibly come up with for the repeated extensions to LaMar's contract is that he must have pictures of Naimoli, or has Jedi-like control over his mind. Otherwise, I have to ask, where's the accountability, Vince?

One of the popular anti-Kerry talking points from the Republicans these days is that Kerry would treat terrorism as a "law enforcement matter", rather than a military matter. This is untrue, of course, and any effective counterterrorism approach would require both a law enforcement and military component.

In any event, the next time this charge is leveled against Kerry, keep in mind the following quote from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, from the other night on the PBS NewsHour, after being asked if he felt any responsibility for not preventing 9/11:

Well, I hate to separate myself as secretary of defense. The Department of Defense, of course, is oriented to external threats. This was a domestic airplane that was operated by people who were in the United States against a United States target, which makes it a law enforcement, historically a law enforcement issue. The Department of Defense's task is one that deals with external threats coming into the United States, and that's what the department is organized, trained and equipped to do.

So 9/11 was a law enforcement matter, not a military one. They can't even keep their own spin straight over there.

...then why was there no military response to the Cole attack of October 2000? Yes, it happened while Clinton was in office, but understandably Clinton did not want to stick his successor (coming into office within a few months) with a "hot war", having been stuck himself in the same fashion when Bush 41 bequeathed him the action in Somalia (and we all know how well that turned out). I can understand that they did nothing in the first couple of months (transition and all that), but they did nothing to respond to the Cole in the months and months thereafter. If they hadn't done anything by 9/11 (nearly eight months after taking office), they weren't ever going to do something about the Cole, even though in addition to the Cole, we had the African embassy bombings, Khobar Towers and the thwarted Millennium attacks to Al Qaeda's credit.

I guess the key problem for them was that they couldn't tie the Cole bombing to Iraq. As I've said elsewhere, I think the current complaint that the War In Iraq is distracting them from the real War on Terrorism has it backwards when it comes to their perspective; it was 9/11 and the War on Terror that distracted them from their War on Iraq, which was in the planning stages well before 9/11.

Someone commenting on Matt Yglesias' blog had this:

White House, early 2001:

Bush: Saddam
Clarke: bin Laden

Bush: Saddam
Clarke: bin Laden

****9/11****

Bush: Saddam
Clarke: bin Laden!!

Bush: OK, bin Laden

Brief Interlude as we bomb Afghanistan.

Bush: Now Saddam.
Clarke: !!!!!!!

Just watched Condi Rice on 60 Minutes, and man, she was weak. The best she could do was offer up blandishments about how they did view the threat of Al Qaeda pre-9/11 as "urgent" (even though she was read off a list of folks that didn't think so, including Bush himself as told to Bob Woodward). I've heard and read many, many, more compelling (if ultimately off the mark) arguments defending the Bush administration pre-9/11 and disputing Clarke. Speaking of Clarke, he was unflappable on Meet The Press this morning. Russert tried grilling him, but Clarke had the combination of 1) being right, 2) being prepared factually, and 3) being able to articulate his position. He even had a prop - after Russert brought up his letter of resignation that praised Bush, Clarke pulled out a handwritten note from Bush that said:

Dear Dick, you will be missed. You served our nation with distinction and honor. You have left a positive mark on our government.

Clarke added, "This is not the normal typewritten letter that everybody gets. This is the president's handwriting. He thinks I served with distinction and honor. The rest of his staff is out there trying to destroy my professional life, trying to destroy my reputation, because I had the temerity to suggest that a policy issue should be discussed. "

Here's the full transcript.

I know it's a serious issue, but this CNN headline for the story is kind of silly.