Next week is my two year blog anniversary. I put my first blog post up on Jan. 10, 2003.
It’s hard to believe I’ve kept this thing going for two years already. A lot of other bloggers have come and gone during that period and it is still uncertain what is going to happen with blogging in the future. Recent studies have shown a blog explosion during the past year with blog readership rising dramatically. I can’t say that my own blog readership has seen any corresponding growth, but I like to think that my persistence will pay off in the long-run.
Friday, January 07, 2005
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Blogging MIAs
It looks like we’ve lost another one. Alamo City Commando has apparently pulled down his Express-News Watch blog site. Unlike other blogger MIAs, Commando didn’t just stop posting to his site, he deleted it. So as best I can tell it is gone. That is too bad. While I didn’t agree with most of Commando’s views, I thought they were a constructive place to start a dialogue on important issues.
As I’ve said before, I don’t think the media has a left or right bias so much as it has a money bias. Newspapers are businesses and they will tend to favor the views of their readership in an effort to sell the most papers.
But many more people probably share Commando’s views than mine, so it is important for newspapers to address his criticism’s straight-on, correct mistakes, defend their integrity and rebuild their trust with the public.
Commando’s departure from the blogging scene will also put the Alamo City Crossfire site on hiatus. The next debate topic was supposed to be on global warming, but it looks now like that may not happen. I’ll go ahead and keep my link to the site in the event that I can one day attract some other folks to participate in a debate or a dialogue on the major issues of the day.
As I’ve said before, I don’t think the media has a left or right bias so much as it has a money bias. Newspapers are businesses and they will tend to favor the views of their readership in an effort to sell the most papers.
But many more people probably share Commando’s views than mine, so it is important for newspapers to address his criticism’s straight-on, correct mistakes, defend their integrity and rebuild their trust with the public.
Commando’s departure from the blogging scene will also put the Alamo City Crossfire site on hiatus. The next debate topic was supposed to be on global warming, but it looks now like that may not happen. I’ll go ahead and keep my link to the site in the event that I can one day attract some other folks to participate in a debate or a dialogue on the major issues of the day.
Hall of Fame 2005
There is no question that Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg belong in the Hall of Fame. I’m very happy that both were voted in this year. I’m not sure, but I would imagine that the recent enthusiasm for underdog teams like the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox helped boost their chances as Sandberg was a Cub for his entire career and Boggs spent most of his time with the BoSox.
However, just to put things into context I will point out that Boggs and Sandberg both fell far short of posting the career numbers achieved by Pete Rose.
Boggs is celebrated for being one of the few batters in history to surpass the 3,000 hit mark just before retiring after 18 seasons. But even if he had played six more seasons to match the number of years that Rose played, it is unlikely that he would have caught up to Rose’s record 4,256 hits mark. In fact, he would have to have averaged more than 200 hits per season (208 to be precise) during his final six years to have caught Rose. Boggs had just 80 hits during his final season.
There is still one year left for the Baseball Hall of Fame to redeem itself. If Bud Selig would reinstate Rose’s eligibility he could still be voted in to the Hall in 2006 before the matter goes to the Veteran's committee. As I have noted previously, I think that Pete Rose has suffered enough for the heinous crime of gambling on baseball. The fact that none of his gambling activity impacted his playing career should make his induction into the Hall of Fame a simple matter. It’s not like he was pumped up on steroids, afterall.
However, just to put things into context I will point out that Boggs and Sandberg both fell far short of posting the career numbers achieved by Pete Rose.
Boggs is celebrated for being one of the few batters in history to surpass the 3,000 hit mark just before retiring after 18 seasons. But even if he had played six more seasons to match the number of years that Rose played, it is unlikely that he would have caught up to Rose’s record 4,256 hits mark. In fact, he would have to have averaged more than 200 hits per season (208 to be precise) during his final six years to have caught Rose. Boggs had just 80 hits during his final season.
There is still one year left for the Baseball Hall of Fame to redeem itself. If Bud Selig would reinstate Rose’s eligibility he could still be voted in to the Hall in 2006 before the matter goes to the Veteran's committee. As I have noted previously, I think that Pete Rose has suffered enough for the heinous crime of gambling on baseball. The fact that none of his gambling activity impacted his playing career should make his induction into the Hall of Fame a simple matter. It’s not like he was pumped up on steroids, afterall.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Shame, shame
The House Republicans caved on their plan to gut the House Ethics rules in a bid to prop up their corrupt leader Tom DeLay.
Normally, I would say that such a reversal was due to a healthy sense of shame finally asserting itself. But according to the story linked above, it was just another cold, political calculation just like everything else these Republicans do.
A spokesman for DeLay said Democrats will now lose the one talking point that Republicans believed might have been effective against them.
Wamp said the move "took the bullets right out of [Democratic leader] Nancy Pelosi's gun."
Took the bullet out of her gun.... Hmmmmm. I think the bullet was already in their ass, and that is what prompted the sudden reversal. I’m also sure that Pelosi’s smoking gun has more than just one bullet.
Expect to see more caving from this Republican Congress in the near future (i.e. Social Security privatization).
Normally, I would say that such a reversal was due to a healthy sense of shame finally asserting itself. But according to the story linked above, it was just another cold, political calculation just like everything else these Republicans do.
A spokesman for DeLay said Democrats will now lose the one talking point that Republicans believed might have been effective against them.
Wamp said the move "took the bullets right out of [Democratic leader] Nancy Pelosi's gun."
Took the bullet out of her gun.... Hmmmmm. I think the bullet was already in their ass, and that is what prompted the sudden reversal. I’m also sure that Pelosi’s smoking gun has more than just one bullet.
Expect to see more caving from this Republican Congress in the near future (i.e. Social Security privatization).
Monday, January 03, 2005
More about me
I think I just did one of these, but here’s another by request:
Three names you go by:
Mike
Mike W. Thomas (my byline)
Daddie (This one is new, but it’s wonderful to hear)
Three screennames you have:
MWThomas87
(that's it)
Three things you like about yourself:
My political views (I agree with myself on most political issues)
My tastes in books, music and movies
I’m easy to get along with
Three things you dislike about yourself:
Procrastination
Disorganization
Too self-centered
Three parts of your heritage:
Welsh
British
Cherokee (1/16th)
Three things that scare you:
Republicans in positions of power
small spaces (claustrophobia)
tornadoes
Three of your everyday essentials:
newspapers
coffee
having my son run up and give me a hug when I get home from work
Three things you are wearing right now:
slacks
flannel dress shirt (It is January after all)
new socks I got for Christmas
Three of your favorite bands/artists (at the moment):
U2 (although I still haven’t got their new album)
Bing Crosby
Los Lobos
Three of your favorite songs at present:
I’m an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande) by Bing Crosby
Don’t Worry, Baby (Los Lobos)
Don’t Talk About Love by Cole Porter as sung by Danny Kaye
Three things you want to do in the next 12 months:
Throw away junk and get organized
Build a swingset for my son
Write some good stories
Three things you just can't do:
Solve a Rubic’s cube
Read “Finnegan’s Wake” by James Joyce
Explain why Bush deserved a second term as president
Three of your favorite hobbies:
Blogging
Collecting books, music, movies and baseball cards
Reading/Writing
Three things you want to do really badly right now:
Go home and play with my son
Watch some of the movies I got for Christmas
Clean up from the holiday mess
Three careers you're considering:
Keep doing what I’m doing
Editorial writer
Press secretary for President John Kerry (doh!)
Three places you want to go on vacation:
England
Disney World and Epcot
Hawaii
Three things you want to do before you die:
Write a book
Travel more
Watch my great-grandchildren graduate from college
Three names you go by:
Mike
Mike W. Thomas (my byline)
Daddie (This one is new, but it’s wonderful to hear)
Three screennames you have:
MWThomas87
(that's it)
Three things you like about yourself:
My political views (I agree with myself on most political issues)
My tastes in books, music and movies
I’m easy to get along with
Three things you dislike about yourself:
Procrastination
Disorganization
Too self-centered
Three parts of your heritage:
Welsh
British
Cherokee (1/16th)
Three things that scare you:
Republicans in positions of power
small spaces (claustrophobia)
tornadoes
Three of your everyday essentials:
newspapers
coffee
having my son run up and give me a hug when I get home from work
Three things you are wearing right now:
slacks
flannel dress shirt (It is January after all)
new socks I got for Christmas
Three of your favorite bands/artists (at the moment):
U2 (although I still haven’t got their new album)
Bing Crosby
Los Lobos
Three of your favorite songs at present:
I’m an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande) by Bing Crosby
Don’t Worry, Baby (Los Lobos)
Don’t Talk About Love by Cole Porter as sung by Danny Kaye
Three things you want to do in the next 12 months:
Throw away junk and get organized
Build a swingset for my son
Write some good stories
Three things you just can't do:
Solve a Rubic’s cube
Read “Finnegan’s Wake” by James Joyce
Explain why Bush deserved a second term as president
Three of your favorite hobbies:
Blogging
Collecting books, music, movies and baseball cards
Reading/Writing
Three things you want to do really badly right now:
Go home and play with my son
Watch some of the movies I got for Christmas
Clean up from the holiday mess
Three careers you're considering:
Keep doing what I’m doing
Editorial writer
Press secretary for President John Kerry (doh!)
Three places you want to go on vacation:
England
Disney World and Epcot
Hawaii
Three things you want to do before you die:
Write a book
Travel more
Watch my great-grandchildren graduate from college
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