Labor Day Update

Between the Olympics (I think I was one of the few people who did not like the opening ceremony; too much 'people are cogs in a totalitarian-regime here in China' imagery for me), our great vacation to the Outer Banks, the Democratic National Convention, and working to stop new off shore drilling, my blogging has suffered.

Here is a quick, all purpose dump:

• I was impressed and moved by Obama's acceptance speech on Thursday, especially the second half.   Great to see him challenge McCain and lay out what he was for.  And to pull off a great speech in front of 80,000 plus folks in a football stadium was impressive.  
• Equally impressive was a speech that stole the show from many compelling speeches in Denver.  I will always love Ted Kennedy (in my first election, the 1980 Democratic primary in North Carolina, my parents and I were the three Kennedy voters in our precinct; our hometown paper printed the results precinct by precinct, and in ours it was Carter 61 - or something - Kennedy 3) and was impressed by his turn at the podium.  But I was even more impressed by Hillary.  She was funny - the Bush-McCain twin line is pure gold - and pitch perfect.  Rhetorically, I really liked the 'are you in this election for me, or for the mother without health insurance or the returning veterans who need our help' turn of phrase.   Very impressive. Sign me up for 2016, when Hillary will be a young 68 (and Ariadne will be eligible to vote)!
• Odd that some, namely Dana Millbank of the Washington Post, critiqued Obama standing in front of Greek columns.  Gee, I wonder what they're supposed to represent?  What makes the critique from Millbank even odder is that he lives in DC, the most Greek-looking city in America this side of Astoria (or Tarpon Springs).
• Check out my Facebook page - or YouTube - for a great Greek-American music video in support of Obama. It may be the only prObama video that features a bouzouki and an anti-McCain rap in Greek.
• One last Hellenic Obama hook.  I've also posted a video of Obama discussing issues of interest to the Greek American community.  One interesting item is that Obama - along with Greek American Olympia Snowe and my man Bob Menendez - is a cosponsor of a Senate resolution calling on the State Department to not use the name Macedonia for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.  FYROM is used by the UN and it more proper, especially when you consider that Yugoslav Macedonia is an invention of Tito to keep that region part of Yugoslavia when it rightfully should be split between Albania and Bulgaria (the modern 'Macedonian' language is a dialect of Bulgarian, and for centuries those folks considered themselves Bulgarian).  
• I agree with those who say the Palin pick is one born of desperation. They needed some buzz and succeeded in stealing some of the energy from the Democratic convention.  Over time, I don't think she will wear well with swings and undecided voters.  It hurts McCain in two ways - one is it undercuts his 'experience gap' but also undercuts his main theme: this is a dangerous world and we need someone like McCain at the helm.   How can anyone justify having someone like Palin - who two years ago was mayor of a town of 6,000 people - a heartbeat away from the presidency when we are in a dangerous world and the president is 72?  Ruth Marcus' column in The Post tills the same ground here.
• Palin, as a hard-right Pat Buchanan-style Republican, does help solidify the base.  On Alaska issues she, in contrast to McCain, actively supports drilling in the Arctic but did work with us on trying to get ExxonMobil to pay damages owed after the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  We even did a press conference with her in DC.  She and I spoke together and were on the same dais, and after the press conference I sought her out for a thank you and a handshake.   I don't think Palin wanted to be seen with me, but we did exchange pleasantries.
• Finally, my two favorite signs from the convention were: Obama and the Tampa Bay Rays: Two Underdogs Who Will Win in All in 2008, next to a Chuck Todd for Prez poster.

Baseball Update

• Break up the Nats.  They've won five in a row thanks in part to the return of injured players like Zimmerman and Dukes.  There is a glimmer of life for DC baseball in a core of young players like Flores, Lannan, Balester, Snell, Bonifacio, Guzman, Zimmeran, Dukes and Milledge.  Except for Guzman, all those guys are under 25 so who knows.  It would great for this team to acquire a middle of the order first baseman or outfielder in the off season.
• That said, Bowden continues to make odd moves.  After signing Guzman to an extension they've traded for two more shortstops, and they're traded pitching to get these utility utility players. Which one is it, get down on the floor or freeze?
• We went to two of the wins over the Dodgers.  The highlight had to be watching Guzman hit for the cycle two nights after watching Zimmerman win a game with his glove.  Despite the atrocious team it's still fun to go to the ballpark.
• Another highlight was watching Manny Ramirez.  He went 5 for 10 in the two games we attended with a home run.  He looks effortless hitting. Great balance and such a quick bat.  It was as if he was taking batting practice.  When you look at him or CC Sabathia, who is leading the Brewers into the playoffs, it makes you wonder, is going from the AL to the NL like going from the majors to AAA?  It seems as if every AL player who has been traded to the NL starts to dominate as soon as they switch leagues.  That doesn't seem to happen in the other direction.  Griffey is doing okay with the ChiSox, but Randy Johnson struggled in New York but has been successful in the two years back in the NL.
• Speaking of the ChiSox and Obama, I saw an interesting Obama interview with ESPN's Stuart 'Holding Us Back' Scott. One, Obama defeated Scott in a one-on-one basketball game.  Two, Scott asked him who he would root for if the Cubs played the White Sox in the Series.  Without any hesitation he said the Sox. So instead of pandering about how great it would be for the city of Chicago BLAH BLAH BLAH coming together BLAH BLAH BLAH he stayed true to this favorite team, and dissed the Cubs while he was at it.  For the record, I'd root for the Cubs due to Ernie Banks and Jerry Reinsdorf.  Three, when asked which sports figure would have made a good Vice Presidential pick, his first response was Walter Peyton (note to Obama, Sweetness would have been a good pick but alas he is dead) but his second response was Jordan.

Olympic Wrap Up

• Not too much to say about Olympic basketball.   The U.S. played great the entire tournament and deserved to win.  The final against Spain was a great game to watch.  I've really come to respect Kobe Bryant this year, and he took over down the stretch against Espana.  On the world stage he showed who the best hoopster on the planet was.  No way the U.S. wins the gold without him.
• In addition to Bryant, LaBron James was equally phenomenal in Beijing.  It's easy to take him for granted since he's been surrounded by so much hype since he was a junior in high school, but he will become the next Jordan.  Remember, it took Jordan a few years to dominate the NBA and we are on the verge of watching James do the same.   Nothing that guy can do, or will do in the near future, will surprise me - including eventually winning three or four NBA championships.  
• Actually, one thing that would surprise me is if James signs with Olympiacos for $50 million when his Cavs contract expires.  Another thing that impresses me about James is his head and smarts.  Leaving the NBA would not be smart, at least until he wins a few championships.
• Greece did not make the medal round, losing to Argentina in the quarter-finals.  They had a shot, but Vasilis Spanoulis missed a three-pointer with four seconds left that would have given the Hellenes a one-point win.   They played well in the tournament, but in the end it was too much Manu Ginobili, who made a number of Manu-esque plays on both ends of the floor for the win.
• In general it was a very disappointing Olympics for the motherland.  Four years after winning a record high of 17 medals, Ellas slumped to 4 medals in Beijing.  They were even mocked by Jacques Rogge for leading the games in doping disqualifications, with 12.  Almost 10 Greek weightlifters were disqualified, but so was Fani Halkia, the defending 400-meters women's hurdles gold medalist.  Halkia's win in Athens was one of the best moments for Greece in 2004, so to see her DQed was especially disappointing.
• Also disappointing - seeing a totalitarian capitalist state stage the Olympics four years after Athens. For my money, the Olympics should stay in Athens forever.  The games are so big and expensive that only rich countries can afford them, so it's not like you're disenfranchising developing world cities like Johannesburg or Mumbai, cities that better things to do with their money than help Coca-Cola sell more soda.

That's enough now.   Have a good weekend.