Chaney
Nice to see someone actually take responsibility for their actions.

Bush
The most powerful man in the world:

"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous," Bush told a news conference after talks with European Union leaders.


"Having said that, all options are on the table," he added, drawing laughter at a clear reference to military action.

#5 Starter
I guess another big issue for the Cubs is who will be the #5 starter. This is due to the idea that we have no left-handers besides Remlinger so Rusch might have to go to the pen. Mitre might make a bid for that #5 bid. I would love to see what he has, it's a similar situation to DuBois in LF - nothing left to prove in AAA, he's cheap, and why not give him a shot since the other 4 spots are so damned good? But I think this will all be for naught - Will Ohman will step up and become essential out of the pen from the left side. After a year off from surgery and some time rehabbing - he's ready to go. I think he will impress and thus Rusch will go to start. Mitre? Who knows, but it sucks we don't get to see what he can do. Maybe he'll be un the pen in long relief of down in AAA just in case someone in the rotation gets hurt (or blows).

Latino Contracts in MLB
A paragraph from a SunTimes article on Aramis Ramirez and his desire for a long-term contract:

Ramirez refused to be specific about his financial desires when position players joined pitchers and catchers for the first full spring-training workout Tuesday. But he recently was quoted by a Dominican Republic news outlet as saying "an agreement for four years that pays between $10 million and $13 million per season would be adequate.''

This is a great example of something that most Americans never take into consideration when they view Latino player's salary demands. Americans have a conception of "greedy baseball superstars" and don't differentiate between Latinos and American players. While it's obvious that yes that sort of comparing does happen with American players ("X player is similar to me and he makes X dollars, so I want more but not less than X") but Latinos answer to whole country - even a whole culture. Once they enter into the MLB world, they have cracked a huge cultural barrier and have been accepted into an elite group (MLB) constituting the greatest baseball players in the world. This is a huge step - this acceptance into elite status of an American group. The jump from elite Latino to elite American is a HUGE deal for Latino people - so those that make the move represent Latinos as a people.

When contract issues come up, not only do they have to deal with the comparison contracting that their American counterparts deal with, but they answer to their local media too (see the Aramis excerpt) - and through that institution they deal with Latinos in general. To get a higher contract means pride to Latinos, "Look at Aramis [or whoever], he makes X million more than Z player [let's say Rolen], and that makes him better than the American." Which really goes to serve the battle the innate inferiority complex that Latinos have when compared to Americans.

Spring Training
To me, the big issue in Spring Training for the Cubs is who will start in LF. Baker has said that Hollandsworth will get the nod but that there is competition. Basically it's down to him and Dubois, the rookie - whom I think should get it. Baker has a reputation for not giving young players starting jobs easily, so that's a problem. Hopefully he'll keep an open mind and decide based on Spring Training.

Even so, it's clear to me DuBois should get the nod. He's youn, cheap (on an expensive team), and has nothing left to prove at AAA. Also, Hollandsworth hasn't started consistently since his rookie year or something crazy like that. He injures easily and is clearly a great bench player - not a starter.

The fact that this is even up for discussion (and maybe Hairston is in on this too) makes you realize how manager's preferences (if not dislike for youngm unproven players) can have a tremendous impact not only on the team but on common sense.

Noise Pollution
I never really thought of how loud and annoying the world has become until I got a cellphone. trying to listen to a voicemail while walking on the sidewalks or anywhere else is impossible. The volume on my phone is always jacked to the max, but it's pathetic that there is always something making a noise, somewhere, to get in the way from letting me hear the sounds of my phone pressed tightly to me ear. It's ridiculous and it makes you think of how polluted the world really is with sound. Forget about the cellphone, it's just annoying that you can't find a quite spot anymore. Music, trucks, cars, people yelling at each other, even that constant humming that seems to come from some hidden machine that does something (we don't know what) infinitely. No one knows where the switch is or who turned it on, but the beast of noise is everywhere and seems inescapable. OK now I"m now I'm being dramatic. But seriously - something is afoot.

BC
Well, they lost to Villanova last night - too bad. Looks like we'll definitely drop from #3 next week. Still, we'll take the Big East, I'm confident.

BC is #3
Well well well, after beating Syracuse Boston College has moved up to #3 in the rankings. They are now the third best team in the country. Wow.

Yankees - Red Sox
I like how the Red Sox are bullying the Yankees and the season hasn't even started, plus they are the champs. First someone said ARod wasn't a Yankee the way Jeter is. Then Schilling that he just didn't like ARod. Then Mantei gets into it talking about Randy Johnson:

``It's going to be a tough fit for Randy,'' Mantei said Saturday. ``He doesn't like the media. He doesn't like fans. He doesn't like anybody. So he's going to have a hard time. But, personally, I was a good friends with Randy so I love him to death and I wish him all the best except when he plays against us.''

He doesn't like anybody, that's great, I think of that clip where he hits a bird with a fastball and it esplodes...he doesn't like anybody.

BC Eagles
We beat number 9 ranked Syracuse in one of the most anticipated games in BC's history. It was a great game for BC, they just won the whole game. They never faltered or misplayed, it wasn't super jazzy, but they just showed what they can do out there. The thing that struck me as weird is that the fans charged the floor afterwards. We are ranked higher than Syracuse and so I agree with Boeheim's comments:

``I thought they were ranked sixth in the country,'' he said sarcastically. ``Maybe they just think we're better than we are.''

It kind of goes to show you how we aren't used to being so good at basketball. Hockey, yes, but not basketball. We'll learn though, it just takes practice.