Bitey the Shark |
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Not all who wander are lost...
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Friday, February 21, 2003
ANOTHER U.N. RESOLUTION... The Bush Administration has been arguing for weeks that there is no need for an additional Security Council resolution to authorize a police action in Iraq. "We don't need another resolution!" "Iraq is in material breach!" "Enforce 1441 or risk becoming irrelevent!" I happen to agree. But then behind the scenes, everyone says the U.S. and British are crafting the wording for another resolution. Take a stand! Either you do, or you don't think another resolution is needed! If its put up or shut up time, don't fuss around with a redundant resolution. It's like assuring everybody that there is absolutely no chance it is going to rain, then grabbing an umbrella and your slicker on your way out the door. HOMEWARD BOUND... I'm getting on a bird this afternoon and heading home to San Diego for a nice little week-long vacation. Forecast calls for temps in the low-70's. Boy, I can smell the ocean air and taste the Maragritas already! TALKIN' TURKEY... A few random thoughts that have flown around in my mind since this whole Turkey hullabaloo got started last week... Who submitted this proposal to the U.N. anyway? I know most Americans haven't looked at a map of Turkey throughout this whole thing, but the border Turkey shares with Iraq is only about 150 miles long. Lobbing this political football into NATO for the French and Germans to pounce on was a tactical error. Seems to me it would have been easier to just do the deal ourselves. Or... don't we pretty much control northern Iraq? We already have troops on the ground, so why not just defend Turkey from those positions in northern Iraq? The original spin on this was that we needed to defend Turkey. Then why has the main talking point become the military's concern over not being able to use Turkish bases to attack Iraq. You can argue the need for Turkish positions to defend Turkey, or to attack Iraq. But you can't start out along the peaceful route with all the defensive talk, then switch to lamenting the potential loss of offensive launch pads. But then again, since no one seems to be questioning this switch, I guess you can... Is anyone else a bit unsettled by the fact that we are so publicly and shamelessly buying an ally here? Rather than buy Turkish bases, wouldn't it be rather simple to just set up our own air bases in northern Iraq the moment the invasion begins? It didn't take long to seize the airfield in Kandahar back in October 2001. Why not just do the same here and cut Turkey out of the equation entirely? Right now, they have all the bargaining power. Float this idea and watch that $30 billion price tag plummet. Wednesday, February 19, 2003
SNOWY SUNDAY... As everyone knows, the DC area got battered with snow over President's weekend. This being my first real snow storm, I saw it as more of a fun experience than dreary distraction. The bars were full of revelers, which is always fun, but, on top of that, I got a chance to see the new movie Old School. This is the flick with Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, and most importantly, Will Ferrell from SNL. The previews made it seem to me that Ferrell was the main character. However, Luke Wilson is supposed to be the main man. Sorry Charley. This movie doesn't move except when Will Ferrell is on the screen. He delivers pain in your stomach kind of laughter. Just the sight of Ferrell's character Frank guarantees a scene will be memorable. The one-liners and jokes are too many to recount, so put it this way... Ferrell does for this movie what Jim Belushi did for Animal House. Sure there were some other funny guys in Animal House, but only one character puts a smile on your face every time you think of him (even 20 years later!). To put any movie character in the same category as Bluto is quite a statement, but "Frank the Tank" is up to the task. TYSON TATTOO... Sure the tattoo os lame and everything, but the funniest part about the latest chapter in the Mike Tyson saga is that this fight only made news when talk came up that it wouldn't happen. This thing wasn't even on the sports world's radar screen until it was "called off". Heck, when I saw the first fight referring to Tyson and Etienne, I thought he was fighting somebody in France. See for yourself... go to the ESPN mainpage right now... there is no mention of Tyson. Remember when Tyson was the show? You knew his fight schedule weeks or months in advance and marked the day on your calendar. The mighty have fallen. For his sake, hope he lands somewhere softly. Friday, February 14, 2003
ERICKSON AND THE NINERS... A questionable hire??? Only time will tell. But the most amusing comment I've heard about the situation was offered by one of the talking heads on SportCenter. He wondered aloud if Erickson would be able to handle the antics of Terrell Owens. Handle the antics? Christ, Erickson will probably encourage them. Win or lose, one thing Erickson has never cared about is the conduct of his players. The taunting and personal fouls of his Miami Hurricanes is well documented. We all remember the embarrassing way they handled themselves throughout Erickson's tenure, most notably in that infamous 1991 Cotton Bowl. On top of that, I was at the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago when Oregon State put the wood to Notre Dame. The Beavers' players were so off the handle, Oregon State fans (who had traveled over 1000 miles to see their team) were even booing them. What is so disturbing about Erickson's teams isn't just that they act like idiots. It's that they act like that when they are winning! Personal fouls and trash-talking are never a good thing. But some of it is more understandable when a team is getting pummeled and frustration overcomes concentration and poise. That Fiesta Bowl was over by halftime. When a team that is winning by four touchdowns acts like they are losing by four touchdowns, that's a reflection of the discipline instilled by the coaching staff. That's a reflection of, better yet, an indictment of Dennis Erickson. Dennis Erickson and Terrell Owens are going to get along just fine. SADDAM MUST BE EVIL IF HE RESTRICTS THE MOVEMENT OF U.S. JOURNALISTS IN IRAQ... But wait... doh!!! When Saddam kicks U.S. journalists out of Iraq, it's big news. Funny how I haven't heard a thing about this on U.S. airwaves? TODAY'S HEADLINES... International Herald Tribune.com.... Blix: Inspectors have not found any weapons of mass destruction BBC.com... Arms report deepens UN split LeMonde.com... Blix: No Weapons of Mass Destruction Seen CNN.com..... U.S.: Iraq still defiant That's right... CNN isn't praying for this police action to happen. COMMUTING WITH STINGERS... My daily commute takes me right by the Pentagon, Jefferson Memorial and the Capitol building. Certainly you have heard how Humvees with surface-to-air missiles have been deployed throughout Washington. That's all well and good because I suppose it gives some people the feeling that they are safer, but I have to wonder... With all the billions of dollars we have spent on national security and intelligence, military people "in the know" still think that it might come down to some 21-year-old sergeant blasting a 747 out of the sky? Is anyone else unsettled by this? AND THEY SAY BASEBALL OWNERS AND PLAYERS ARE OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE FANS... This is ridiculous. Are you kidding me? Thousands of 18-year-old's are getting ready to die a senseless death in the Middle East and The Boss and Jeter want to waste my time with this bickering? Worst of all... this whole craziness started with the deaths of thousand of citizens of their city!!! Gosh I wish they would have gone through with that strike last season and killed Major League Baseball as we know it? Wednesday, February 12, 2003
YOUTH IN THE WORLD... Sometimes the sports world catches up with the outside world. Other times, it doesn't. Good to see the commentary at the end of this article in The Washington Post, and this article in the International Herald Tribune work its way into the sports pages and do a little, just a little, to put things in perspective. OLD THINKING VS. NEW WORLD... An interesting piece by Graham Fuller of the International Herald Tribune... Remember a few years back when it became chic in America to refer to the United States as a "salad bowl" instead of a "melting pot". The thinking was that diverse cultures and immigrants should be allowed to maintain their individuality while still being a cohesive part of a larger community. This piece makes me think that the EU way of doing things might be closer to achieving the "salad bowl" goal than the U.S. approach. Individual nations maintain their own sovereign governments, but still dedicate themselves to a greater common union. Tuesday, February 11, 2003
BIN LADEN TAPE... TheAgitator.com says it is awfully suspicious that this new "bin Laden partnership with Iraq" information is coming out now, just when Bush & Co. need it most. I agree whole-heartedly and am equally suspicious. If Powell had the info and didn't use it at the U.N. last week, that's pathetic. But perhaps even more damning, might be the notion that he didn't know about it until now? Al-Jazeera knew about the existence of this tape and the U.S. intelligence community didn't? What does that say about our intelligence gathering capability? Come to think of it... haven't the last handful of bin Laden "messages" come to light via Al-Jazeera? What would our intelligence community do without the help of Al-Jazeera? I'd like to think that maybe Al-Jazeera is rife with CIA plants, but I doubt it. With this kind of reliance on media to do the real investigating, maybe we should send Geraldo Rivera to Baghdad to search for the weapons of mass destruction. Could he couldn't do any worse than the CIA, NSA and U.N.? COLIN POWELL CAN'T SEE RIGHT THROUGH THIS??? Cross-over alert!!! Cross-over alert!!! Every now and then, I like to take things from one aspect of life and apply them to the other... cross them over. NBA coach/commentator Hubie Brown has this annoying/loveable habit of "getting into the minds" of NBA people; players and management alike. These diatribes usually begin with something like, "Say I'm Michael Jordan, and I want to turn the Wizards around... " Without further ado, this article brings about BiteyTheShark's first cross-over blog... "Say I'm Osama bin Laden... right about now I'm thinking one of two things... One... For months those evil Americans have been doing everything in their power to "seriously inconvenience" me. Unbelievably, all the might of Earth's only superpower has succeeded in forcing me to live in a cave! Not the normal cave I grew so comfortable living in during the Soviet occupation, but a cave nonetheless. Now they are looking to turn their attention away from me and rain hot lead down on Saddam Hussein and Iraq, remarkably, they seem to be lacking any real good reason. Maybe if I give them a reason, all those precious resources they have been spending trying to find me will be re-directed to Baghdad? Allah knows how effective those resources have been in hindering me. I know what I'll do. I'll float a rumor that I am a partner of Saddam. That will give them the "reason" thay need to bomb Saddam. Then, they will surely leave me alone." Or... "I might be thinking in a different direction. I'm pissed off. I'm the big evil guy on the block, not that wimp Hussein! Why have Bush and his cronies forgotten about me? I'm the one that killed thousands of Americans! Now they won't even mention my name any more. Are they mad because I have been playing hide-and-seek and won't come out to play? I have to gravy-train on Saddam Hussein's media bubble just to get my name in the paper? I can't believe I actually have to say I'm associated with him in order to preserve my street-cred? I gotta represent." ALL-STAR GAME... Apparently, Sunday's NBA All-Star game actually provided a fair amount of entertainment for some people. I didn't see one second of it, but nothing that could have transpired during the game can help me get over the fact that Mariah Carey sang at halftime. Mariah Freakin Carey! And did you see the outfit? Holy Moses! C'mon Papa Smurf... you're sport is conquering the globe, and you couldn't do anything better than Mariah Carey? If I were Stephon Marbury, I'd have been cracking up on the bench too. Props to MJ for at least being able to keep a somewhat straight face. NBA action... it's faaaaannnnnntastic! JACK DIAMOND... One of the unfortunate things about living in DC, is the fact that everyone feels they are an expert on politics and world affairs. This usually isn't too much of a problem, because most people don't have a platform from which to plunge their opinion into the current affairs debate. Then you have FM radio DJ's... In speaking with Sam Donaldson this morning, 107.3 morning host Jack Diamond brought up the NATO move by France, Belgium and Germany yesterday to block NATO plans to send defensive weaponry to Turkey. Diamond actually said something to the effect of..."That pretty much means that France and Germany support the terrorists." Huh? Check me if I'm wrong, but aside from a belief that all diplomatic options should be exhausted before we start dropping bombs, the main reason given by French and German officials for their opposition to a U.S. police action in Iraq, is that they believe it will detract resources and distract attention away from the war on terror. They see arming Turkey as just another step in Bush's blind march to attacking Baghdad. Delay that arming.... delay the police action. Afterall, aren't we still waiting for the Administration to prove a link between Iraq and al Qaeda? Don't try to sell me that whole "there are al Qaeda operatives living in Baghdad, so Iraq must be supporting them" crap. STOP and think. Many of the 19 hijackers were living in the United States before September 11th. Christ... most of them were here legally! Does that mean that we supported them? Any comment on that Jack? Stick to Sugar Ray and Sheryl Crow. Monday, February 10, 2003
MORE FOOTY... ESPN’s Marc Connolly wrote this preview of the USA - Argentina game and it took me right back to that majestic summer of soccer and the day the Germans knocked the Yanks out of the World Cup Finals. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=257173&cc=5739 Many pundits lament what might have happened had Oliver Kahn not saved Landon Donovan’s first half shot, or if the ref had called that hand ball on the goal line. Surely, had those events gone the other way, the complexion of the game would have changed, but the moment I will always remember most is the miss few people talk about. When Tony Sanneh pushed his far post header just wide of the net during the Americans last gasp push at the end of the game, I knew the Yanks were done. 99 times out of 100, Sanneh buries that cross in the back of the net. Kahn was left frozen on his line praying the Bundesliga pro would somehow misfire. The significance of Sanneh’s miss was painful and swift. That was the shot that would have won it for the Yanks. Sure the game would have still been tied and extra time would have ensued, but if Sanneh puts it home, Arena & Co. march on to the semis. If Donovan’s shot slides by Kahn, or if the U.S. converts the penalty on the goal line handball, the Germans would have still had time to recover and notch another goal. Sanneh’s chance was different. If Sanneh scores a late stunner, the U.S. might easily have grabbed a Golden Goal in the first few minutes against a shocked German squad. From there, it’s on to a heated rematch with South Korea. The overall gravity of the Germany game didn’t hit me until after it was over. In 1994, when the USA advanced to the Round of 16 and got thumped by Brazil, the Yanks were “just happy to be there”. Though the score was 1-0, anyone who knows anything about soccer knows we were way out of our league. As I drove to work after the Germany loss, it occurred to me that “just happy to be there” didn’t apply to the American World Cup exit eight years later. We might not have been superior to the Germans, but on that day, we played the better game. The unfortunate thing is that in fours years time, should the U.S. advance to the Finals in Germany, the press will see anything short of the quarterfinals as a failure. The uninformed know nothing of the pitfalls that can strike a World Cup soccer squad. Some are of their own doing (see: Ireland 2002, USA 1998). Others are beyond their own control. For instance, what if the USA is placed in a Group of Death in 2006 and never gets out of pool play. Read that last sentence again. USA… Group of Death… Who would have thought that the former would EVER be labeled a member of the latter? The bottom line is that the moons aligned in 2002 for the USA. I’ve played soccer all my life and if one thing is true about the beautiful game, it’s that the most talented team doesn’t always win. Being on both sides of this equation has taught me that when you are the underdog, and the soccer gods put you in a position to seize that chalice of victory, the smallest of errors can snatch it away. Even an error as small as a far post header pushed 12 inches wide. Friday, February 07, 2003
REAL FOOTBALL... Yes, I will be at the Cap Lounge at high noon on Saturday with a Guinness in my hand to watch USA vs. Argentina. Thank you for asking... Thursday, February 06, 2003
DUKE - UNC... Now I didn't go to school on Tobacco Road, nor did I even attend a school from a major conference, but I have always held a special place in my heart for college hoops rivalries. Louisville - Kentucky... UCLA - Arizona... even Kansas - Missouri always get me pumped up. Of course none of those compare to Duke - North Carolina. Even though the Heels have slipped a bit recently, the clashes between these two Titans are always appointment television for me. Numerous alumni as friends and a memorable visit to Chapel Hill have led me to sort of adopt Carolina as my East Coast college hoops squad. With that in mind, watching last night's Blue Devil victory was both exciting and disturbing. My friends (disgruntled Tar Heel alumni) predicted a big Duke win just out of their waffling spite for Matt Doherty. I, on the other hand, was calling for a memorable Tar Heel upset. For the first half, I was looking good. Then the second half started. Three things that bothered me immensely about the Heels second half performance. One, am I the only person who knows that Duke ALWAYS comes out on a run to start the second half? Football coaches always talk about "making adjustments in the locker room at half-time". For some reason, hoops coaches never harp on this fact as much. Little Satan (Coach K) might not promote making adjustments (even if he did... how would we know since Johnny D gives the half-time interviews), but he sure does practice it. Result last night.... half-time UNC lead erased by 16:00 mark of the second half. Is this some kind of given in the college hoops universe?? Are opposing coaches powerless to stop it??? The two other things that irked me had more to do with the coaching and play of the Tar Heels. I'm not Dean Smith, nor Bobby Knight, nor Ernie Kent, but something tells me that four Carolina players standing around on offense while one guy dribbles the ball isn't going to get you very far in a conference like the ACC. Can you imagine if Ray Felton wasn't so quick with his penetration at the point? How would the Heels ever score? How horrible did Carolina look when Duke switched up to a match-up zone in the second half? I literally saw two Tar Heels run into each other on their first offensive possession against the zone! They were blatantly guessing where they were supposed to be on the floor against that defense. And guessing poorly I might add! I actually happen to like Coach Doherty and I think he will end up being a great coach for the Heels. But last night, Carolina didn't lose because of the absence of Rashad McCants, they lost because of easily preventable coaching lapses. Lapses that wasted superb efforts by the likes of Felton and Jawad Williams. SOUNDS LIKE A LOGICAL CONCLUSION FOR THE "EVIL-DOERS" TO COME TO... As this article by CNN's Mike Chinoy outlines, it stands to reason that pandering to North Korea only motivates rogue states to desperately seek nuclear weapons... http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/02/03/nkorea.lessons/index.html Wednesday, February 05, 2003
IF ONLY IT WERE IN SOUTH BEACH.... Anywhere else but Palm Springs, and I might want to drive under this thing... http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/02/05/offbeat.naked.bridge.ap/index.html ON THE LACK OF A SMOKING GUN... Secretary of State Colin Powell is about to begin his speech before the U.N. Secutiry Council in an effort to persuade the member nations that a U.S. military assault on Iraq is justified. For a few weeks now, people have been throwing around the term "smoking gun" and lamented the Bush Administration's lack of one. At the State of the Union speech, some got the impression that the Powell performance Bush was hyping would deliver the aforementioned "smoking gun". Then in the past week, Powell himself seems to have backtracked a bit and said that there would be no "smoking gun", but the previously undisclosed intelligence he would present would be convincing. This troubles me. Most reasonable people would agree that the intelligence gathering ability of our nation is questionable at best. Afterall, if itt were so good and reliable, wouldn't the attacks have been prevented? Wouldn't we have apprehended Osama what'shisname? This article by the Washington Post's Joby Wright drives this point home... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35360-2003Jan23.html In short, I'm not too comfortable with the entire notion that anyone should have to be "convinced" that military action is neccessary. Nor am I comfortable that an all too untrustworthy entity such as the U.S. intelligence community is the only one doling out the "evidence". The bombing and brutal slaughter of human life is tragic no matter who the victims or the craziness of their leader. I just think that if such action is prudent, it should be so obvious and apparent that it needs no explaining. There should be a "smoking gun". Tuesday, February 04, 2003
WELL DUH.... Much has been made in recent days about LeBron James, the high school phenom hoopster, being declared ineligible by the Ohio State High School Athletic Association. Although I'm a sports guy, I really don't have any sympathy for the guy. What I do find appalling are the commentators that have come out and said he should be able to play since he gave back the gifted jerseys in question. As if the only material things he as garnered from his fame were the jerseys??? Tom Friend of ESPN.com wrote and excellent column here, that I couldn't agree with more... http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/misc/1503375.html What I wish the whole LeBron controversy would really expose is the shady people and companies involved in the treatment of big time high school and college athletes. Let's stop pretending these guys aren't getting paid on the down low. Cars, clothes, jewelry, cash... Do Nike, adidas and Reeebok really make so much more money off of Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant and other "high school" guys, than they do off of Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal and other college guys? Why the rush to corupt and influence high schoolers? Show me the margins fellas? |