Another Pleasant Valley Sunday...

Several senators want a trade prosecutor.

Concerned about the growing U.S. trade deficit, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow is pushing for the creation of a special trade prosecutor to crack down on unfair practices by global competitors.

The Lansing Democrat introduced legislation Thursday with Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The senators hail from states hit hard by fierce global competition, particularly against textile, steel and auto-related industries.

Let's hope that works out darned good.

How about the Washington Nationals?

The Washington Nationals played their long-awaited home opener on Thursday night, the first regular-season major-league game in the District in 331/2 years. The home team beat Arizona 5-3 before a sellout crowd of 45,596, and a good time was had by all, including President Bush and Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-N.J.), Chris Dodd (D.-Conn.) and John McCain (R.-Ariz.). McCain, ever the political maverick, proudly sported a Diamondbacks cap.

Not bad for a first game.

Evidently, Mitch McConnell had polio. Still, he is against stem cell research.

I think my brother saw these two live.

'Pick-Ups and Hiccups'
Largely improvised, this slick survey of modern relationships showcased the chemistry between stars Jill Benjamin and Seth Meyers and got Meyers his job on "Saturday Night Live."

There is also information on the 2005 Chicago Improv Festival.

A win today gives Tony LaRussa 800 wins as a manager for St. Louis. He is 23 victories short of tying Whitey Herzog. With 2,119 wins, he just needs six more to tie Joe McCarthy for fifth place all-time. Larry Walker made a return to centerfield for the first time since May 8, 1997, when Colorado was playing Pittsburgh.

Does it get any better? The Portland Sea Dogs are off to a 9-0 start. A win today would tie their franchise record of 10 games. That goes back to August 22-31, 2000, when they were affiliated with the Marlins.

Another good move for Evan Bayh.

So a senator willing to make this his cause will, no doubt, be well remembered when it comes time to make donations to presidential campaigns.

Bayh’s announcement merited at least a mention in several national news venues: the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, several wire services and BusinessWeek.

He bested John Kerry in a trade area, Hillary Clinton in headlines and the Bush administration on policy.

Not a bad week’s work.

In other news, Jean-Marie Lawson is stepping down as the President of the Kentucky Democrats. She is relocating from Bowling Green, KY tp Phoenix, AZ. I guess that rules out a rumored run for the treasurer's office in 2007. I could go on and on about this but for fear of something else happening, I just cannot list anything else here.

That's it for me. Until next time...