Tuesday, January 07, 2003

George Bush - Man of Vision I'm sure this picture is soon to be all over the Internet, but for those of you who see it here first, enjoy! Thanks Don. 4:12:26 PM    Emphasize This! [] Ad Age Adage If you're ever looking for a completely different view of the world, where things generally considered evil and wrong are trumpeted as positive goods, be sure to check out Advertising Age, the trade rag for the pimp industry. In an article in the January 6 issue surveying the landscape for 2003, there's this lovely prediction (quoted verbatim): With the prospects for the record business continuing to spiral southerly, don't be surprised to see more brand tie-ins. And while neither Bruce Springsteen nor Neil Young have backed off their vows to never soil themselves with brand associations, look for increasing numbers of artists to become less and less precious about "artistic integrity" and more focused on survival. Because, after all, that's what makes them artists, right? There's something deeply diseased at work here... 2:03:04 PM    Emphasize This! [] Eat the Poor The Seattle Post-Intelligencer printed a fascinating op-ed piece yesterday from a guest writer named Dale McCracken. "Low-income people benefit from taxes the least and get blamed the most. Our programs are the last to get increased and the first to get cut. America seems to have it in for the poor; it just cannot get over the fact of the existence of poverty, miserable or otherwise..."  It's rough, but makes some good points. Read the rest. 9:11:44 AM    Emphasize This! [] Peggy Noonan Asks Why Liberals Prefer Complex Leaders I don't like her answers, but she's asking an interesting question. Check it out. 8:36:36 AM    Emphasize This! [] Bruce Sutter Belongs in Baseball's Hall of Fame The Baseball Writers of America select the players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003 today. Leading the class is the great hitter Eddie Murray, likely a shoe-in for being only the third player in baseball history to finish his career with over 3,000 hits and 500 home runs (the other two are Willie Mays and Henry Aaron). Also on the ballot are several candidates who eventually deserve admission, including catcher Gary Carter and pitcher Bert Blyleven. But I'm pulling for one guy who has been consistently overlooked and is overdue for recognition - Cubs and Cardinals relief ace Bruce Sutter. Let's look at the record. Sutter was the dominant relief pitcher in the National League from 1976-1986, leading the league in saves 7 out of those 10 years. In 1982, he became the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award while leading the St. Louis Cardinals to victory in the World Series. In 1984, he lead the majors with 45 saves - a record at the time - and posted an earned run average (ERA) of 1.54. He finished in the top 10 of the MVP balloting six times in eight years. He invented a pitch - the deadly split-fingered fastball - now highly popular and effective around the league. He was the first closer to achieve superstar status in the history of Major League Baseball. If someone like Sutter, who defined and dominated his era at his position, can't breach the wall of Cooperstown because people look at relievers as "one-inning pitchers," then there's no hope for an entire class of players whose contributions are eseential to the way the modern game is played. Lee Smith, the all-time saves leader, and Rich "Goose" Gossage, whose long career and several sterling seasons give him a formidable statistical profile, are also on the ballot. They too should eventually be in the Hall, but put Sutter in first. He deserves it. 7:57:53 AM    Emphasize This! [] Corporate Doublespeak Hazardous to Investors? As someone who works in the stylized meters of the corporate court, I was amused to read this piece suggesting that the bland euphemisms that populate company press releases, annual reports and other pieces of communication are not only violent toward the language, but also potentially actionable as fraudulent and misleading. I look forward to dispensing with the tired formulation "X is leaving to pursue other opportunities" for the meatier "X was terminated for poor judgment and lack of performance." 7:34:48 AM    Emphasize This! []

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