BASEBALL DIARY:
Tigers 9, Indians 8: quite a comeback victory for Detroit, although stranding 18 runners on base and having your ace Justin Verlander give up a bunch of runs make you scratch your head. But the Tigers hung in; their bullpen did a creditable job, rookie second baseman Scott Sizemore had 3 hits, and Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez continue to produce, so all those are positives. So is a 5-1 start...
Rangers 9, Mariners 2: well, the Rangers' first homestand of the year wasn't quite what they wanted; only a 3-3 record, but they did win 2 of 3 over the weekend. Scott Feldman pitched well yesterday; and really, Ranger pitching has been pretty solid overall. That's the good news. But who will close? And will this team hit like it can? Vlad Guerrero is hitting .500 so far this year, so that's an encouraging sign...
POLITICS/LEGISLATION UPDATE DEPT:
How long will it be until young people realize what the new health insurance bill does?:
"Under the health care overhaul, young adults who buy their own insurance will carry a heavier burden of the medical costs of older Americans — a shift expected to raise insurance premiums for young people when the plan takes full effect. Beginning in 2014, most Americans will be required to buy insurance or pay a tax penalty. That’s when premiums for young adults seeking coverage on the individual market would likely climb by 17 percent on average, or roughly $42 a month, according to an analysis of the plan conducted for The Associated Press."
The new law caps how much insurance companies can charge in premiums for older, less healthy Americans. The difference will have to be made up somehow.
Media Bias update:
A McClatchy headline from the other day:
"Unified By Hatred Of Obama, GOP Still Searches For Challenger"
Did reporters or headline writers ever characterize Democrats, from 2000 through 2008, as "unified by hatred of Bush"?
They should have. But you know they didn't.
Meanwhile, lots of good news for Republicans in the latest 2010 polls: in Pennsylvania, Toomey still leads Specter by 7. In Florida, staunch conservative Marco Rubio leads moderate Charlie Crist in the GOP Senate primary by a staggering 29 points.
Republicans appear to have a great shot at a pickup in the Senate in New Hampshire.
Republicans just need to remember--polls mean nothing if you don't get out and work.
Desperation time in Nevada:
Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid meanwhile, behind in most polls--indeed, signifcantly behind--in his bid for 2010 re-election, is so desperate that he's come up with a strategy for winning with less than 50% of the vote:
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been hammered for months from the left and right, with prognosticators in both parties predicting that Nevada voters will send him packing come November. But Reid, his reelection team and some Senate Democratic insiders are eyeing a bank shot to victory — one that involves enough voters picking third-party candidates or even “none of the above” to let Reid win reelection with less than 50 percent of the vote."
Do Reid and his handlers really believe that a significant number of Nevadans, who clearly don't like him, will take actions that will allow him to win? Hah.
Bacon love:
Apparently America's love for bacon is so far overcoming the scoldings of America's PC food police:
"Bacon is once more our true, national food crush, spanning all ages, all cultures and all meals. It binds us in its aromatic allure — and maybe in its outlaw luster. Like a freedom fighter emerging from an underground bunker, the smoky strips of crispy bliss somehow survived the rise and reign of the cholesterol cops. It’s primal. It’s sublime. It’s bacon. And it’s bigger than ever, baby. How do we know? We give you the KFC Double Down, two slabs of fried chicken and melted cheese all squeezed around a sacred centerpiece — two pieces of bacon. The breadless sandwich that some are calling “angina on a plate” debuts at KFC restaurants on Monday. If customers order the Original Recipe variety, their Double Down will pack 540 calories, 32 grams of fat and 1,380 milligrams of sodium, according to KFC."
And hey, as a good conservative/libertarian, I say that if you want to eat bacon, go for it. That's what liberty is all about. Though I have to add: I've tried turkey bacon, marketed by Oscar Mayer, and you know what? It's not bad--good on sandwiches, got lots of that bacon flavor, but without all the grease. Try it. But try it because you might like it, not because the food scolds tell you to.
