Bonus Quote of the Day

"Jewiness per square inch"
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 31, 2006

Dr. Alan Greenspan has a 59 JPSI.

Quote of the Day

"Here's why we're all unified tonight. All for one purpose: to celebrate a legend. Why?"
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 31, 2006

Late Night Open Thread

May Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Ph.D., enjoy his retirement. May he, at all costs, avoid any uncomfortable meetings with Sen. Jim Bunning.

A student writes in KOACH's latest newsletter about her feelings towards JFJ. At some point, you have to ask yourself without trying to offend the non-Jews, how many vegetarians do you know eat meat? Back to the subject, the writer brings up valid points. How could one call themself a Jew and accept a certain someone as their, well, you know...

Some Jewish humor if you care to read it...

The UN Security Council supports reporting the UN. This is good and I commend the five countries that did that.

A few Jews were nominated for Oscars.

Mrs. King was remembered by Jewish leaders.

King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., "continued her husband’s legacy of strengthening black-Jewish relations," said Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.

She "fought for the civil rights of Jews, and she supported issues and concerns of the Jewish community," particularly the State of Israel. Schneier said Leah Rabin, widow of the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, told him that the most comforting letter she got after her husband’s assassination was from King.

Kudos to Merril Lynch for pulling out of a discussion in London.

Nick Clooney had no comment on George Clooney's Oscar nominations. Will George be thanking Jack Abramoff?

Bayh TV Alert

For those that don't watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, you can
catch the Senator on The Charlie Rose Show at the same time on PBS.

Coretta Scott King

May Coretta Scott King rest in peace.

Bayh Statement on Passing of Coretta Scott King
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Evan Bayh today released the following statement regarding the passing of civil rights leader Coretta Scott King:
"This morning, America learned that it has lost a true hero, in the passing of civil rights leader Coretta Scott King. Through times of danger and tremendous loss, including the assassination of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King worked to keep the dream of equality alive and strong for generations of Americans. Millions of people from around the world – men and women, black and white – have been inspired by her stoic fight for justice and peace. I join all Americans in keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers."

I have sent in a request to the KDP for a statement. I also have sent in a request to Congressman Chandler's office for a statement.

As of 4:22 PM, I have an update from Rep. Ben Chandler's office. He did not release a statement but is a sponsor of of resolution to honor her memory.

As of 5:10, it looks like Gov. Fletcher has ordered flags to be at half-staff in Mrs. King's memory.

Flags are to be lowered until the eve of the day of her funeral.

"After the tragic death of her husband, Coretta picked up the banner of equality and continued to carry forth Dr. King’s legacy and, in so doing, created a legacy of her own. America, indeed the world, is a better place because of her commitment to justice, peace and democracy. The King family is in our thoughts and prayers. She will be truly missed."

Yet Jerry Lundergan has yet to issue a statement? Something is not right here. Even Howard Dean issued a statement.

Interview with Former State Chair Steve Gold

Daniel Solzman: First, thank you for joining the Kentucky Democrat for an interview today. How are things going in Western Kentucky?

Steve Gold: Thanks for having me, Daniel. It was great to meet you at the YD event in Northern Kentucky a while back. I love reading your blog. Please keep up the good work.

Things are going quite well for me and my family. Parts of the Henderson area are still not completely over the devastating tornado that struck the area a while back. I want to thank all of the folks who called and e-mailed checking on my family and me. We were fine, though some extended family lost their homes entirely. I would urge everyone to have a weather radio and a disaster plan just in case something like this hits your area.

DS: You are a former party chairman, do you think the state party is heading in the right direction in order to take back the state senate and keep control of the house?

SG: I want to stress the fact I was merely an Interim Party Chair and my primary job was to convene a nominating committee to find a permanent chair. It was one of the most interesting experiences and biggest honors I've ever had in my life. I only the position for a little over two months (from shortly after the 2003 general election to the end of January, 2004), but it was when things sure were a mess. The coffers had been raided for the coordinated campaign, there was serious debt, no fundraising, no clear elected leader for the first time in 32 years, and the huge issue of a special election in the 6th Congressional District! I couldn't imagine doing it long-term under those circumstances, especially from Henderson. I have a great deal of respect for anyone willing to do it without pay long-term. Regardless of what people may think of them personally, both Bill Garmer and Jerry Lundergan are owed a debt of gratitude for stepping forward and providing a service to the Party in a time of great need.

Now, to your question.

I'm very concerned about the future of the party, both locally, state, and nationally. Until we, as Democrats, can both A.) articulate a solid, concise message that resonates with the general public and B.) become comfortable talking about the role of faith in our lives when the issue comes up, we will continue floundering about hoping for Republicans to keep screwing up, as they have shown a clear propensity to do.

We have allowed ourselves to be considered the anti-faith party by many. This ground has been ceded at the national level and has affected party success in Kentucky. Frankly, I think we should not write-off the legions of moderate and liberal people of faith in America. Many of them are uncomfortable with the policies of the Republican leadership, but the national Democratic Party seems to either not know how to speak to them without pandering or is all too happy to write them off as a lost cause.

But please understand clearly, I'm not advocating constant sermonizing or using faith as an electoral tool, by any means. If you're not religious, certainly don't try to be; if you are, you sure shouldn't act like you aren't. We must, though, be honest with voters and ourselves that our beliefs, both religious and otherwise, shape who we are and inform our views on political issues. I am merely stating that many Democrats are people of faith, but our candidates seem to run away from faith and values issues or get a "deer in headlights" look when these issues come up.

We need to broaden the conversation when it comes to faith. There are lots more "values" out there for people of faith than what the right would have you believe. I'm a Christian and I believe in a Holy Bible that has about thousands of verses dedicated to the poor and vulnerable - fighting poverty and making sure others have adequate health care are moral values to me. Being good stewards of our environment, the ethics of war, treatment of children and elderly members of society, fair labor laws - these are all issues that are rooted in our core value system for many of us.

By candidates of faith speaking about these issues in such terms to people with similar feelings, we take the conversation away from the focus on one or two narrow issues to an overall world view that resonates with people much more than the mean-spirited, "greed is good" dogma espoused by the right.

DS: What about the image of the national party?

SG: Of course, much of what I've just said has to begin at the national level by not ceding this territory and identifying the right speakers, like Sen. Barack Obama, who are comfortable talking in such terms and putting them out there talking to other people of faith.

I've been speaking particularly about reaching people of faith because that has been on my mind a lot lately, but I think Democrats also need to work on how they speak to the electorate as a whole. Just recall the Presidential debates, George Bush had a theme/mantra each time - "compassionate conservative" and "I'm doing the hard work of the Presidency". Al Gore and John Kerry had wonderfully developed, mature and nuanced stances. Unfortuntely, it took them ten minutes of setup and qualifying just to get to their main points, which nobody really remebers except it had something to do with Social Security "lockboxes".

We need someone who can "call 'em like they see 'em" and speak in plain english. In general, people vote for the candidate more often than they vote for their 100 page policy paper. If they trust that the person is honest and competent, they have faith that the candidate will do the right thing. Again, I'm not saying to dumb-down campaigns or to do away with the policy papers, but don't be so quick to recite boring policy wonk material to people that aren't policy wonks. Do that stuff on C-SPAN, not "Good Morning, America".

DS: With all the mess going on in Frankfort, is it safe to say that Ernie is one-and-done?

SG: Sadly, not necessarily, but he should be. Right now, I'd put the odds at him winning his party's nomination at even money, at best. If he does, he's probably 6:5 (54.5%) to win re-election. If he doesn't get the nomination, the GOP is probably 3:2 (60%) to keep the mansion. Of course, this is all speculation and there are lots of things Democrats can do to move the odds into their favor - 1.) stop all in-fighting, 2.) focus on winning legislative races this year with a strong message, 3.) have an aggressive communications team articulating a real vision in the current legislative session, 4.) revitalize the county organizations, 5.) recruit good candidates for every House and Senate seat and support them with organization and money, and 6.) field a credible slate of candidates top to bottom in '07.

All of that is much easier said than done, I know. But if we don't get working on those things now, we won't win and probably don't deserve to. I hope people like you, your readers and myself can begin doing that work now to make those odds turn in our favor over the next few months.

DS: Have you heard anything about Governor Julian Carroll's plan for 2007? If so, do you endorse it?

SG: Honestly, I only know what I've seen in the papers and heard anecdotally, so I don't think I can say much on that topic. I would say that if we don't win in '06, plans for '07 are pretty much moot.

DS: Is it too early to start focusing on 2007? Should we be focusing on midterm elections first?

SG: Of course, everyone wants to look ahead to the state-wide constitutional office races, but I think doing so is premature for everyone except the potential candidates and their families. It is all pie-in-in-the-sky specualtion now and armchair quarterbacking isn't that productive. The successes and failures in the legislative session, continued proof out of the Republican leadership that it is out of control and the Democratic response (or lack thereof), and state and national events will render any definite plans anyone makes a house built upon quicksand. Sure, I'll admit it is fun to speculate about the "horse race" aspects of it on occasion, we just need to remain focused on the tasks at hand.

DS: I know 2008 is a few years away but are any potential candidates that you see having a good chance to reach the White House?

SG: Like you, I like Evan Bayh's solid record, but I've been a little concerned about some of his performances on the Sunday political shows the last couple of times I've seen him. He'd make a heck of a VP choice, though.

I've always liked the way Joe Biden comes across, but he seems to be trying to get headlines and momentum for the primaries by saying outrageous things.

On the Republican side, a McCain-Rice ticket would be formidable.

DS: Jon Stewart or Bill O'Reilly?

SG: No question about it - Jon Stewart all the way. "America - The Book" was one of the best gifts I received last year.

DS: How's the political consulting going? Any friendly rivalry with Emmons and Co.?

SG: It's going great! Our company, Winner's Circle, has been blessed with quite a few candidates this cycle and that is keeping us very busy.

There's no real rivalry with Emmons & Co. as the services we provide are somewhat different and I've always gotten along really well with Dale and Jamie. Since my partner and I are both practicing attorneys with families, we don't usually "run" a particular campaign as the day-to-day manager. We are general consultants with a focus on teaching people how to run their own campaign covering issues such as media relations, organization, fundraising, message development, internet strategies and "old-fashioned politickin'," as I call it. This allows smaller campaigns (judicial races, county-wide races, etc.) who wouldn't usually be able to have any professional help to get on-on-one "coaching" and training from us with lots of follow-up.

We are basically doing what we were doing before we formed an official company. We meet with people and their families, get them ready, train them and their "inner circle" to run a well-organized, modern campaign and then keep in touch regarding message, ad design issues, etc., as things progress. Eventually, our quite lovely and very understanding spouses got a little tired of us going all over the place doing this for free, but they have been placated a little bit by the fact we charge a small fee now.

DS: What three issues in your opinion should be priorities especially for the candidates that the party fields for Congress? What about for the state legislators?

SG: Something has to be done about health care at both the state and national level, but it has to start at the top. We have shoved off the responsibility of subsidizing health care for American workers on employers for far too long and it is no longer sustainable. Just look at GM and Ford. They are having major problems competing because they are having to add a lot of cost to the price of a vehicle for health care. Before you say that I'm just another Democrat spouting the pro-labor line, I don't see this is just a worker's issue. I also see it as a business development issue. I think the time is right for a good plan to take this burden off the nation's employers. If we come up with a workable plan, I think we will be amazed at the business support that it receives.

Health care coverage issues are also causing many individuals to go under. I've represented lots of folks in bankruptcies that are good, hard working people who had an illness in their family and did not have insurance. These are the people filing for bankruptcy protection, not the small percentage of slackers and scammers that the credit card lobby would have you think. The recent changes to the bankruptcy code only treated the symptom of more filings, rather than the root causes - poverty, a broken health care system, and out of control lending. It is also a shameful example of the current "coin-operated" Republican Congress at work - selling out the people in favor of a big business that should be forced to reform its own predatory lending practices.

Another national issue that needs to be addressed are the multitude of problems with the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit that just went into effect. Legislators on each side rushed to pass something with that title that what came out was a budget-busting behemoth of a plan that, so far, hasn't turned out to be all that helpful to the seniors I've spoken to about it.

DS: Any updates on the search for a vice-chair?

SG: I'm not on that committee, but I know there are some great names that have been floated. I can tell you it is a very hard position to fill. Two years ago, I was the one making the calls to all of the people the nominating committee came up with (both men and women at that time) to get a sense of their level of interest. Some of the names are the ones people are floating now and there wasn't as much willingness from those high-profile folks.

I think we are best when we have someone that may not be well known, but has a track record of solid service to the party.

If I had a magic wand and could name the Vice-Chair, I'd pick Jennifer Moore, my law school classmate and superstar of the Woodward/ Stephenson case.

DS: What do you think our chances are of taking at least 4 CD's in the fall?

sg: Very long odds, there. I sure like how you think, though. A lot depends on what happens nationally, but I'd say realistically that two is likely and three is a distinct possibility. The more people that catch "Bush Fatigue" and get fed up with the culture of greed and deceit pervading the current administration, the more likely some of the less well-heeled candidates will benefit. What we need is for the DCCC to learn that Kentucky is winnable and to really target some of these jokers for defeat.

DS: Do you think that the state party should start outreaching to bloggers?

SG: Yes and no. Yes, the party needs to reach out. In fact, it needs to reach out to a lot more people in general. The problem is how to do it. Blogs, especially the comments sections, often have inflamatory comments, anonymous unfounded personal attacks, and sometimes espouse policies that downright scare mainstream parties' bases. Hey, that's why they're fun to read! But, it's also why the National Enquirer or the Weekly World News are not preferred media outlets of most parties. Official party statements on blogs may lend credence to the comments and could be used by others to unfairly tie the party to the comments. (i.e., imagine the field day FOX News would have reporting that Howard Dean issued a statement to a blog where someone in an anonymous comment said all German shepherd puppies should be beaten as retibution for the Holocaust or something else as asinine as that.)

Frankly, I also don't see what bloggers would get out of it. The "blogosphere," for lack of a better word, seems to operate best when it is outside of official structures and not constrained by what the party may or may not want published. I think there can be some synergies between the two and they can work hand in hand, but maintaining some semblance of independence and autonomy is a key element if they are to maintain any credibility as a "watchdog."

DS: I know you have a hectic schedule so my final question is: will you announce live on this blog that you're a candidate for office in 2007?

SG: You flatter me, Daniel! In fact, I've probably blown any chances of elective office by much of the tough talk for Democrats that I've said in this interview. Hmmm ... "Tough Talk for Dems" sounds like a self-help group or pubilc service announcement!

Seriously, you are right that I've had a great deal of encouragement from friends all around the state, but I think it's entirely too early to make any final decisions one way or another. I guess I'm not definitely ruling anything out, but I really enjoy helping other people get elected - it's a lot more fun and less stressful. Like I've been saying for months, if Democrats don't win in '06, it won't matter who they put up in '07.

DS: Thanks again for joining the Kentucky Democrat for this interview and keep fighting the good fight.

Other news this morning

I'll have an interview posted right after this post.

Just in from IMDB:

US presidential drama Commander In Chief has been temporarily pulled from the ABC TV schedule because network executives are unhappy with the show's low ratings. The drama has received critical acclaim and Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis, who plays president Mackenzie Allen, won a Golden Globe for her performance earlier this month - but that isn't making the show a hit. Network executives say the series will return later this spring, insisting it's not unusual to take a show off the air and try another new show in its time slot.

Scrubs in the meantime? Or catchup on 7th Heaven during that time?

Mark Warner and George Allen joined teams to work for Virginia colleges.

Congrats to Gov. Tim Kaine on being named DLC Dem of the Week. He'll give the party's response tonight.

Coretta Scott King has died at the age of 78. May she rest in peace. We are losing a lot of civil rights pioneers.

The tri-state area is a battleground.

At 10:25, Sen. Obama will discuss the SOTU with Brian Williams on NBC.

And the Oscar nominations go to...

I'll link to this again when it is March 5th...and that's going to be a busy weekend with the Ford Dinnner and then Senior Day. I'm not going to italicize all the titles but I will bold all my predictions.

And the nominees are:
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Philip Seymour Hoffman - CAPOTE
Terrence Howard - HUSTLE & FLOW
Heath Ledger - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Joaquin Phoenix - WALK THE LINE
David Strathairn - GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
George Clooney - SYRIANA
Matt Dillon - CRASH
Paul Giamatti - CINDERELLA MAN
Jake Gyllenhaal - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
William Hurt - A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Judi Dench - MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
Felicity Huffman - TRANSAMERICA
Keira Knightley - PRIDE & PREJUDICE
Charlize Theron - NORTH COUNTRY
Reese Witherspoon - WALK THE LINE

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams - JUNEBUG
Catherine Keener - CAPOTE
Frances McDormand - NORTH COUNTRY
Rachel Weisz - THE CONSTANT GARDENER
Michelle Williams - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE
WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
PRIDE & PREJUDICE

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
BATMAN BEGINS
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
THE NEW WORLD

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTSPRIDE & PREJUDICE
WALK THE LINE

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
MUNICH

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
DARWIN'S NIGHTMARE
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
MURDERBALL
STREET FIGHT

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
THE DEATH OF KEVIN CARTER: CASUALTY OF THE BANG BANG CLUB
G-D SLEEPS IN RWANDA
THE MUSHROOM CLUB
A NOTE OF TRIUMPH: THE GOLDEN AGE OF NORMAN CORWIN

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
CINDERELLA MAN
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
CRASH
MUNICH
WALK THE LINE

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
DON'T TELL
JOYEUX NOèL
PARADISE NOW
SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS
TSOTSI

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
CINDERELLA MAN
STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES
(ORIGINAL SCORE)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
MUNICH
PRIDE & PREJUDICE

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES
(ORIGINAL SONG)
"In the Deep" - CRASH
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - HUSTLE & FLOW
"Travelin' Thru" - TRANSAMERICA

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
MUNICH

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
BADGERED
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION
THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO
9
ONE MAN BAND

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
AUSREISSER (THE RUNAWAY)
CASHBACK
THE LAST FARM
OUR TIME IS UP
SIX SHOOTER

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WAR OF THE WORLDS


ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WALK THE LINE
WAR OF THE WORLDS

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
WAR OF THE WORLDS

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
MUNICH

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
MATCH POINT
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
SYRIANA

Late Night Open Thread

Okay, so this is mainly to recap news that I have yet to update on.

I think this is a review of Second City's latest review.

Oprah Winfrey's feeling pretty duped from what I've seen. What about Dr. Phil? I couldn't resists that. How powerful is Oprah anyway?!?

Demetri Martin, a comedian, is making the rounds on the late night shows in some sort of capacity. He has a show called "These are Jokes."

Gerda Weissmann Klein addressed the United Nations. You can watch that here.

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh announced he would vote against Judge Alito, and yes, he would support a filibuster as well.

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh said today that he could not support the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito and would back an effort to block a final vote.

"There is too much ambiguity and vagueness in his record in the important areas of presidential authority, individual and civil rights and whether he will serve as an all-important check to ensure the balance our Founders intended," Bayh said today.
The effort to block a final vote was being led by Massachusetts Sens. John Kerry and Ted Kennedy.

While Bayh called Alito’s judicial career "more than respectable," he said his biography was not enough to go on when considering a lifetime appointment.

"The burden of proof lies with the nominee to show that he or she will be an impartial jurist and will not bring an ideological agenda to the court," Bayh said. "Meeting this burden is more onerous since the president implied that he intended to nominate individuals acceptable to his most extreme supporters."

Bayh also called the confirmation process a "partisan Kabuki theater" in which the nominee says as little as possible to avoid saying anything controversial.

If my party gets it's way in the Senate, then seniors will get the prescription drugs that they need.

UMass's The Daily Collegian profiles an alumnus of their own, Rob Corddry.

The DSCC will unveil a new medicare advertisement tomorrow.

Quote of the Day

"I didn't have to talk during that, did I?"
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 30, 2006

Website Redesign Update

I was just sent this email by Barry Welsh's campaign and I'd wait til later but I have a night class. Here goes:

Hi! I'm the Kentucky Democrat and I am with the Barry Welsh for Congress Campaign. We are proud to announce that our new website www.barrywelsh.org is making it's World Premier this evening. We ask you to visit the website, and take a look around. Barry will be blogging live, beginning at 7 p.m. on the site. We invite you to join the conversation. We are also proud of the Pledge to the People of the 6th District. A media blitz in underway in the district to announce this important document.

Barry's campaign is intent on telling the truth about how Congressman Mike Pence has voted, where his financing comes from, and his out-of-touch, right-wing extremism. More importantly it is about ideas that will improve life in Indiana's 6th District. Visit www.barrywelsh.org to see the complete text of Barry's Pledge to the People of the 6th District.

Tomorrow night is the State of the Union Address. No matter what President Bush says about it, we know the reality of the State of the Union. We live it, and breath it, and now have to fight for it, because it is under threat.

Our U.S. House of Representatives HAS NOT BEEN in session since December and is still out of session as of this writing. The Senate has been back. Why has the House not been doing the people's business? The answer is: Corruption and Cronyism. The Republican leadership has kept the House closed, first in hopes that former Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, would beat the indictments against him, and then in a struggle to name a new Majority Leader. But the truth is: Tom Delay is going to have to face trial, and the Republican leadership is putting party politics above the interest of the people, as they always do.

Join the Barry Welsh for Congress campaign in putting PEOPLE BEFORE PROFITS and visit the brand new website at www.barrywelsh.org. While you are there, drop a contribution into the grassroots fund. Every dollar is important and every contribution appreciated. We also look forward to reading your comments and ideas.

Visit www.barrywelsh.org and be amazed at the animation, analysis, and attitude.

Welsh for Congress Committee www.barrywelsh.org: Taking the CON out of
Congress

KY-3: Yarmuth IS IN

We will have a primary between Col. Andrew Horne and John Yarmuth. It has been in a while since we've had a primary but it will be a spirited campaign, I'm sure. There is actually a third candidate, Burrel Farnsley, I think, but I don't know if that person has a legitimate chance.

According to the Bluegrass Report, Yarmuth is definitely in.

Just got off the phone with LEO founder and former publisher John Yarmuth (D) and he decided that he's in and filing his candidacy papers tomorrow to take on Rep. Anne Northup (R)! Folks, we got ourselves another race.

I am in the process of trying to arrange another blog interview, this one with John Yarmuth.

Many people have asked me who I support. I'm waiting til tomorrow's filing deadline to officially make an endorsement.

I do have a statement from Dan Borsch:

After taking a hard look at the race, I am not going to run this time. I am going to dedicate my energies to helping elect John and to strengthening the Democratic Party. I am quite confident that John is the best candidate and that he will finally hold Northup accountable for her votes in Washington. Thank you very much for your support of my campaign, it means a great deal that you were willing to support me. Hopefully someday soon you will have an opportunity to start another Draft Dan site!!!

Thanks!!!

For what it's worth, rather than decide tomorrow, I'll give you my endorsement right now: John Yarmuth!

For Immediate Release: "Lazy Tuesday"

"Lazy Tuesday," the Southeastern response to "Lazy Sunday" is officially in pre-production. Lyrics are being worked on and should be finished by the end of the week. Shooting is expected to start very soon and editing very soon thereafter.

The Southeast, especially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, will be represented very well in this response to "Lazy Sunday."

Having produced a short photo tribute to Busch Stadium, The Night Show with Daniel Solzman will once again present this digital short. All I need is an editor and a camera person and this thing is a go. Music will be recorded though it may not be as professional as I would like. Shooting will be as professional as it can get.

A group in the midwest has produced the Midwestern response, "Lazy River."

This will be a very low-budget budget project. If you would like to support this project, please consider making a donation. You may even get a DVD out of this. That's not a promise. At least not yet.

Interview with Late Night's Brian Stack

I had the chance to participate in a Q & A with Late Night with Conan O'Brien's Brian P. Stack, an alumnus of The Second City.

Daniel Solzman: What advice can you offer to the aspiring comedian/comedy writer? For example, is there anything that would prepare me for Second City?

Brian P. Stack: I'm hesitant to give any specific advice since circumstances and opportunities change so often and in such unpredictable ways, but based on my own experience, if you're interested in working at a place like Second City, the best advice I could give is to do get up and do improv or sketch stuff whenever you can with the kind of people you really love working with.

I would also strongly consider taking some acting classes. I had no formal acting training when I started at Second City (just improv performance experience) and ended up learning a lot of basic acting things the hard way later on--things I really should've been familiar with already.

Also, I would worry less about Second City (or anything else) as your ultimate goal and just treat the work you're doing as an end in itself. I know that's a lot easier said than done (and I was always very obsessed with working at Second City myself someday), but almost all the people I know who worked at Second City were out doing work they loved when they got hired by Second City. They were having a good time with people they got along with, it showed in their work, and Second City noticed them as a result.

I think that what Patton Oswalt said about finding a community of stand-ups that were all on the same wavelength as him is exactly how I feel about improv and sketch stuff. I've never done stand-up in my life, but I related to everything he said about that.

DS: Will the studio move to CA or stay in NYC when Conan takes over Tonight?
BPS: I don't know for sure where the new show wll be done, but I tend to think it may very well move out to LA since that's where The Tonight Show has been done for so long now. I really have no idea what the final decision will be, though.

DS: How does writing for Late Night differ from writing for Second City?
BPS: Well, at Second City, we developed our sketches mostly through improvisation. We would improvise scenes every night after the regular show, and when something seemed to work well, it would be brought back on other nights, new things would be tried, and the improvised scenes would eventually be honed into some kind of set, written sketches. Some sketches we did there were never actually set into final script form, though. For example, I did one scene in Second City ETC with my wife, Miriam, and Neil Flynn in which they played a crazy old couple. Every night, they said completely new crazy things to me just to try and crack me up. One night, Miriam improvised a song on the organ with the words, "I've got the whole wor-rld in my pants!" Without missing a beat, Neil turned to me and said, "That's not far from true." One night, in another scene, he looked out into the "yard" and said, "That badger's still out on the lawn. It's high time HE stopped running our lives!" God, that guy always killed me and he still does. I just wish we saw him more often.

At Late Night, there is certainly an "improvisational" quality to the writing, partly because there are several former improvisers on staff, but mainly because we collaborate with each other a lot and bounce ideas off each other, almost like we're improvising a scene with each other. The way ideas get heightened and expanded sometimes reminds me a lot of working back at Second City.

DS: What did you think of Steve Carell last night? Is that really his last appearance?
BPS: I thought he was hilarious as always. I've been in complete awe of him since I first saw him onstage in Chicago about 15 years ago. And I very much doubt that it was his last appearance here. Conan just made that joke because Steve was pretending to be hurt and angry after Conan punched him.

DS: Any idea who will take over LN when Conan goes to Tonight?
BPS: I have absolutely no idea, sorry.

DS: When will the State of the Union monologue be? Tuesday or Wednesday?
BPS: I think it'll be Wednesday, but sorry, I'm not totally sure.

DS: Thanks again, Brian. So if it is on Wednesday, that's good. It means I can watch it thanks to the way I scheduled my classes this semester.
BPS: I hope this year's "State of the Show" is worthy of your schedule-juggling. I also wish I knew when the hell we were doing it.

DS: What did you think of "Lazy Sunday?"
BPS: I thought it was very funny and very original.

DS: Have you seen the West Coast response from Mark Feuerstein called "Lazy Monday?"
BPS: No, I haven't. I hadn't even heard of that, actually.

DS: Is there any specific book that you would recommend for comedy writing?
BPS: I wish I knew if there were any really good books out there on that subject. There may very well be, but I'm sorry, I really don't know.

Based on my own experience, the best training for comedy writing is watching a lot of comedy (seeing what works, what doesn't, seeing stuff you love yourself that doesn't really "work" with an audience, finding out what makes you laugh and the kind of stuff you'd actually like to write yourself) and, of course, through actually writing. As with performing (and I've heard this from countless stand-ups, musicians, improvisers, and sketch performers), there's simply no substitute for getting up (or sitting down) and actually doing the work. Training can be very helpful, of course, but you learn so much more by actually doing it. As Levon Helm said in "The Last Waltz," "You get up there, get your ass kicked, go wait 'til it heals up, and go back. Eventually, you'll fall right in love with it." He was talking about performing in New York City, but I think what he said applies to performing or writing in general.

DS: What about the format of writing for TV?
BPS: There are a lot of books out there about "How to Write a Sit-Com Spec Script" or whatever, but TV shows tend to vary a lot in terms of the kinds of submissions they ask for from writers. Sit-coms, I believe, usually ask for a sample spec script. I've heard (but I'm not sure about this) that it's best to wite a spec script for a show other than the one you're actually submitting to. For example, if you were submitting to Scrubs, you might write a My Name Is Earl script or vice versa. I'm fairly certain that shows like SNL or MADTV usally ask for a packet of sketches you've written, or in the case of Weekend Update writers, a packet of sample "news" jokes. Our show typically asked for 12 to 15 ideas for the show in short paragraph form. I don't know exactly what The Daily Show,Colbert Report and other shows ask for.

One thing to keep in mind, I think, is not to second guess yourself too much when you're writing ideas. Don't worry so much about other people will like, or what any one specific person or group of people is going to like. I would write the kinds of things you'd like to see yourself if you were watching. You can never please everybody (and comedy is obviously such a subjective thing) so you might as well write what you think is funny yourself. Some people might not go for it, but you probably wouldn't be happy working for them anyway. Some of the funniest writers I know have had miserable experiences around people who just didn't "get" their stuff or had a completely different opinion of what's actually funny.

Good luck!

Basketball: Week 13 Rankings

ESPN's poll has UK recieving 4 votes. The AP poll for Week 13 has not been updated yet.

We'll find out soon enough if the Lady Cats made it in the Top 25.

Other news this afternoon...

Honest Reporting is the Israeli site similar to Media Matters. HR commended the AP and Reuters for getting the facts right this time. They note that the Guardian took a different approach.

I might have an interview posted today or tomorrow with a writer from Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Hamas wants foreign aid to not be affected by their win? I'm sorry but America doesn't give aid to terrorists.

The Bush administration has called for aid to the Palestinian Authority to be halted until Hamas revokes its charter calling for Israel’s destruction and renounces violence.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is visiting Israel, said the European Union should follow suit.

I commend the President and the German Chancellor. I believe that the EU shouldn't give aid either.

Like I just said, we don't deal with terrorists or terrorist governments. I choose no deal. We aren't pulling out so deal with it.

Kudos to filmmaker Steven Spielberg with regards to Munich.

Speaking as part of a roundtable in the latest Newsweek magazine, Spielberg said criticism leveled at him and screenwriter Tony Kushner over the depiction of Israel’s hunt for the Palestinian masterminds of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre is unfair. Some American Jews, he said, "have grown very angry at me for allowing the Palestinians simply to have dialogue and for allowing Tony Kushner to be the author of that dialogue. Munich never once attacks Israel, and barely criticizes Israel’s policy of counterviolence against violence," he said. "It’s the most questioning story I’ve ever had the honor to tell. For that, we were accused of the sin of moral equivocation. Which, of course, we didn’t intend — and we’re not guilty of."

The controversy, Spielberg added, "made me feel a little more aware of the dogma, and the Luddite position people take any time the Middle East is up for discussion."

I never saw any criticism of Israel when I saw Munich at the start of the year.

KY-4: Ken Lucas for Congress

I'm sure a website will be setup soon or unveiled this week but retired Congresman Ken Lucas made it official this morning. He will be a candidate for the 2006 election.

Lucas, 72, a conservative Democrat who often aligned himself with Republicans, said he was lured back to politics by the bruising partisanship and "widespread public corruption" in Congress. Lucas tried to link Davis to both in announcing his candidacy for the 4th District, which has been a traditional Republican stronghold.

"I'm disappointed that Geoff Davis has done nothing to separate himself from many of the figures involved in those scandals," Lucas said in a statement.

He added that Davis has voted in lockstep with the GOP House leadership "at the expense of bipartisan cooperation and good will."

Lucas said he can work across party lines, noting his support for President Bush's efforts on homeland security and the economy, including tax cuts. Bush easily carried the 4th District in 2000 and 2004. In 2000, Lucas distanced himself from Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore.

Lucas, a longtime financial adviser and former judge-executive in Boone County in the populous Cincinnati suburbs, entered the race when supporters dropped off his filing papers at the secretary of state's office at the Capitol.

Lucas' return to politics sets up a rematch with Davis.

I give Ken Lucas the edge on this one and he recieves The Kentucky Democrat's endorsement for this year's election.

Fastblog returns

Better this than to have 90 new emails await me.

Mike Piazza signs a $2 million deal with the San Diego Padres. As old as he is, he should have went to the AL because of how long he has been a catcher. He really should DH.

I hope the Dems don't bash me on this but Condi is right. Terrorist governments will never get United States aid.

Aish.com has a new 90 second movie called The Jar of Life.

Mark is stirring up things as usual. Just read what Chairman Lundergan said about that press release.

Lundergan said the search for a woman to be vice chairman is ongoing and probably won't be resolved at the next executive committee meeting, Feb. 27.

It has been slow because the position doesn't pay and it requires lots of time and travel, he said.

"Women are mainly mothers and have their own careers, so it's kind of hard to find someone who would be effective," Lundergan said. "They just can't drop their careers for something they won't be reimbursed for."

But he wouldn't address Nickolas' other charges.

"I have no comment on Mark Nickolas," he said. "I don't recognize him as part of the Democratic party. He's not one of us."

Not a surprise but actress Natalie Portman is ranked in the top 10 of AskMen.com's dream girlfriends. I wish someone had told me about this poll earlier because I would have voted for her. Jessica Alba was chosen by readers as the number one choice.

The window is closing for filing. That deadline is TOMORROW, JANUARY 31, 2006

Ugh...

After three days of searching, I CANNOT find my College Democrats of America button.

This cannot be good...

Looks like this will be a three dollar expense that I wasn't looking to make but I'm left with no choice.

Covering the bases...

I'm listening to the post game right now but I thought I'd catch readers up on other news.

First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with the ABC family as co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured in Iraq today. That's one of the downsides of being embedded with the troops. You never know what will happen over there.

When it comes to lobbying reforms, mutual support will be needed.

Some headlines from the late night shows.

South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson's decision to vote in favor of confirmation for Judge Samuel Alito has riled the Democratic base in South Dakota.

Johnson’s political army takes differing attitudes on his Alito vote.

It was either the safe way out, further cushioning himself from a tough re-election battle in 2008, or it was doing what he believed was the right thing.

Johnson explained his support this way: "... I must conclude that Judge Alito possesses a high level of legal skill, is a man of solid personal integrity, and that his views fall within the mainstream of contemporary conservative jurisprudential thinking. At the conclusion of Senate floor debate, I will oppose any effort to filibuster his nomination, and I will vote to confirm Judge Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court."

Jennifer Duffy, Senate analyst with the Cook Political Report, says Johnson is smart – he understands the implications and risks that come with being a Democratic senator from South Dakota in this political environment.

"It’s hard to think of a reason for him not to vote for Alito. He is qualified. He did well in the hearings, and a vote against him simply looks partisan," Duffy said.

Everything Johnson does is viewed through 2008 model glasses now.

"Every vote he makes is relevant. This is a high-stakes vote. Every vote plays into the re-election," she said.

Lexington native Austin Kearns is staying put and will not be traded.

Twenty-three days remaining until the St. Louis Cardinals report to Jupiter, Florida for spring training.

Sheray Thomas was the radio player of the game while Patrick Sparks was the CBS Chevrolet player of the game. Sheray Thomas or Randolph Morris would have been my choices even though Patrick Sparks made some key assists.

The Jackson Sun has a nice article on Carl Perkins the muscian as opposed to Carl Perkins the Kentucky Congressman.

It's Saturday. The filing deadline is on Tuesday. No one seems to know if Ken Lucas will run for office. Kathy Groob thinks that he may run.

"We're all just on pins and needles and anxiously awaiting the official word," said Kenton County Democratic Chairwoman Kathy Groob. "We're still very hopeful and believe strongly that he (Lucas) is the right person and this is the right time for him to return to public office. We need him now more than ever."

Groob said she's received e-mails and letters encouraging Lucas to run and has forwarded those to Lucas.

Why didn't anyone inform me of this meeting? Rahm Emanuel, a member of Congress who chairs the DCCC, was spotted at Chez Nora meeting with Alice Sparks, Kathy Groob, and Milly Diehl. My cousin used to live in Rahm's congressional district.

In sports news, the St. Louis Billikens, in their past 21 games, have alternated their wins and losses.

At times, they've won against the odds. At times, they've stunk up the joint. Most of the time, they've seemingly done whatever it has taken to keep this oddity alive.

"It doesn't have a life of its own," coach Brad Soderberg said after the Billikens' 42-point second half produced a 64-54 victory over Fordham. "You guys can write about it. But it's been weird."

It's the longest streak of its kind in NCAA sports, and longer than any in major league baseball or the NFL, although the school is unsure about the NBA. The 1974 Philadelphia Phillies and 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers each alternated wins and losses for 16 games, and the 1994 Indianapolis Colts did it for 12 games.

Saint Louis, then, stands alone in its consistent inconsistency. The school is 10-9 overall, 4-3 in the Atlantic-10 and without one shred of momentum, positive or negative, heading into Wednesday's game at Rhode Island.

"It's the craziest thing I've ever been around," coach Brad Soderberg said. "I've never been on a team, coach or player, where this has happened. I just hope we can take the positives to Rhode Island and see if we can play good basketball again."

This is definitely a record even if it is a weird one.

Kentucky vs. Arkansas

The University of Kentucky Wildcats play host to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks in Rupp Arena. The Cats are 13-6 with a 3-2 SEC record. Arkansas is 14-5 and they bring a 3-3 SEC record with them to Lexington, KY. The Cats lead the series 19-7 and are 8-2 at Rupp Arena.

My best guess is that Tubby Smith will once again start Central City native Patrick Sparks at point guard. Currently, there is a three-way tie for 2nd in the SEC East between the Cats, Florida and Vanderbilt (as of when I checked the standings). Both Patrick Sparks and Ravi Moss are shooting close to 50% in conference play from beyond the arc. Moss has had a 3 pointer in seven straight games now. Tubby is 11-9 against the Razorbacks and is 9-3 since coming to UK. This will be the 297th game for Tubby Smith from the Wildcat's bench. Patrick Sparks has started in 100 straight games and today's game will move him to 101 straight games. Over the past four seasons, the Cats are 100-21. They will move still be in third after tomorrow's game since Duke won yesterday. The Cats have played 594 consecutive games with at least 1 three-pointer.

CBS airs the game on TV at 1 PM while the Big Blue Sports Network will take care of coverage on the radio with pregame coverage starting at 11:30. It's 11:30 AM and that means it is time for the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Tip-Off Show with Dave Baker and Oscar Combs.

It's going to be key to keep Randolph Morris out of foul trouble. Oscar says we need to win by 15-20 points, and not in the final two minutes. Morris has to get some rebounds. One caller doesn't think we have chemistry and doesn't like the way that Tubby substitutes. He must be in the LOD. Oscar thinks that a loss will hurt NCAA chances and Oscar ripped the caller on team chemistry. Dave and Oscar laugh off rumors about Bobby Perry going pro and the Cats joining the Conference USA. In alumni news, Chuck Hayes' contract with the Houston Rockets has been extended for the rest of the season.

Tom Leach now speaks to Tubby Smith. They are talking about last Thursday's historic win over Tennessee. We are playing harder and smarter. It looks like we may be having a match-up problem with the size of their players. This will be a challenging game given the height of the Arkansas team. The Cats have to play with confidence. It looks like Sparks is defintely playing at the point again. Tom Leach believes Arkansas is a lot like the Kansas team we played against pre-Morris. The Runts-esque lineup will not work given the height disadvantage. Morris has to stay out of foul trouble as we need the height. Since Randolph has come back, he has played very great offensively. But once he gets in foul trouble, the Cats get screwed.

Mike Pratt's State Farm Insurance Keys to the Game:
-Trips downcourt without a foul for Morris.
-Attack a shot-blocking team
-Get Crawford to draw the fouls.
-Bring an A game defensively.

That ends the pregame show. Tom Leach and Mike Pratt are now taking over. The Wildcats have won 5 straight now against Arkansas. The Cats cannot afford to lose from here on out. After today, only ten games remain before the SEC Tournament. The sounds of "Bittersweet Symphony" and "Right Here, Right Now" can only mean one thing, it's time to meet the starting lineups.

CBS Commentators: Kevin Harlan, Clark Kellogg
Big Blue Sports Network: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker, Oscar Combs

Starters:
Kentucky
F - Bobby Perry
C - Randolph Morris
G - Joe Crawford
G - Rajon Rondo
G - Patrick Sparks

Arkansas
F - Darian Townes
C - Steven Hill
G - Dontell Jefferson
G - Jonathon Modica
G - Ronnie Brewer

First Half Score Reports
Ark controls the tip. Perry rebound. Morris misses 2. Ark turnover. Morris rebound. Perry loses it. Cats ball. Morris for 2! Rondo steals but gets his layup blocked. UK turnover. That makes 2. Crawford misses 3. Rondo steals and gets fouled.
15:18 (TV Timeout) UK 2, Arkansas 5
The Cats have gotten off to a weak start but have kept Arkansas scoring low. Morris throws it away. Sparks to the bench. Ramel Bradley in. Crawford picks up a foul. Moss in for Joe. Moss with a bad shot. Thomas in for Perry. Bad turnover. Down 9-2. Tubby calls time and it's much needed.
13:11 (UK Timeout) UK 2, Arkansas 9
Woo in for Morris. Pathetic. Moss for 2! Moss misses 3. Bradley rebound and Ark fouls over the back.
11:41 (TV Timeout) UK 4, Arkansas 13
The Cats need a big run now and need to play smart defense and offense. Sparks back. Bradley misses 3. Woo is blocked. Sparks misses a layup and Moss is blocked out of bounds. This is just like UNC, Indiana, and Kansas. Perry for Thomas. Morris for Woo. Morris for 2! 18-6 Ark. Perry rebound. Perry and 2. If they can't make the outside shots, go inside. Perry misses the first one. Makes the second. Sparks misses 3 and another turnover. PATHETIC. We are shooting below 30% and 0-6 from beyond the arc. Sparks and Moss are out. Bradley for 3 and the streak continues. Bradley misses 3. Rondo rebound.
7:11 (TV timeout) UK 10, Arkansas 26
Looks like the Unpredictables showed up today. We're down 16 points. I have faith we will comeback and win but we don't have the height and therefore we have matchup problems. 25% from the field compared to 53%. Cats turnover on a charge. Joe rebound. Perry misses 3. Rondo for 2! He has to shoot and get inside. Perry rebound. Bradley for 3! Rondo assist.
5:09 (Ark Timeout) UK 15, Arkansas 28
Steal! Oops, it went out of bounds. Goaltending. Moss in, Morris out.
4:26 (UK Timeout) UK 15, Arkansas 30
The Cats are starting to make somewhat of a run in the past few minutes. Bradley misses 3. Foul on Rondo.
3:57 (TV Timeout) UK 15, Arkansas 30
The Cats are 2/11 from beyond the arc. Not good the least bit. Morris with 2. Sparks and Thomas back in. Arkansas walks. Rondo misses. Rondo loses it and gets fouled. Morris with the jumper. Travel! 33-19 Ark. The crowd is in the game now. Bradley in for Rondo. Morris is fouled before the shot. Misses. Cats ball. Thomas for 2! 6-0 run. Morris rebound!! Morris misses 2. Sparks to Morris for 2.
HALFTIME
UK 23, Arkansas 35

Arkansas is 13-1 when leading at the half but the Cats should be able to mount a comeback after the run they went on in the last 5 minutes of the game. At this rate, I'm sure that New Hampshire State Rep. Peter Sullivan must be happy. The Wildcats were 39% in the first half. In the paint, they were outscored 16-12. Morris has to get the ball in the second half. Morris did not foul at all in the first half. The Cats have to defend the perimeter.

Second Half Score Reports
Two turnovers so far. Morris goes to the line. Sparks in. Cats turnover but Rondo steals it back. Rondo misses 3. Rondo passes to Perry and he scores 2. Sparks for 2. 40-27. Sparks rebound. Morris misses 2. Rondo steals. Sparks to Moss for 3. 40-30. Fans on their feet. Charge on Jefferson. That's his 3rd. Crawford in. Morris out. Thomas in. Rondo steals. Sparks to Crawford for 3.
15:59 (Arkansas Timeout) UK 33, Arkansas 40
After struggling the first two minutes of the second half, the Cats have started a run and are down by 7. Ashley Judd in the house! The Cats have had 8 points off turnovers and that's where UK has played better. Joe misses 3. Patrick steals and shoots 3. 42-36 Ark! 15:06 remaining
15:06 (TV Timeout) UK 36, Arkansas 42
Mike Sutton is at the game. He's wheelchair-bound but he looks good. Cats rebound. Cats lose it to Arkansas. Rondo gets fouled on a drive. Down 8. Perry to Rondo for 2. Thomas for 3 on a pass from Sparks. Down 5. Thomas picks up a foul. Sparks lays it up. Down 6. Steal! Thomas for 2! Down 4. Thomas rebounds Sparks' missed 3. 51-47 Ark.
10:11 (TV Timeout) UK 47, Arkansas 51
UK is on a 24-12 run. They've hit 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. UK leads 59% to 42% in the second half from the field. Moss and 2. Hill has his 4th. Makes 1 of 2. UK gets the ball as Arkansas deflected out of bounds. Bradley missed 3. Lots of passing on that possession. Perry fouls on the other end. Less than 10 remaining and it's 55-48. Cats rebound. Perry makes 3! That's 7 3's in this game. 55-51. Thomas picks up his 2nd foul. Moss for 2. Down 4. Cats block and rebound. Morris back in for the Cats.
7:46 (TV Timeout) UK 53, Arkansas 57
We're heading down to the wire here. Everytime the Cats inch closer, the Razorbacks hit 3 more. The Cats MUST defend the perimeter. Morris rebound. Rondo for 2. Down 2! Fans on feet. Jefferson picks up his 4th foul! The Cats can tie this thing up! 57-55 Arkansas. Morris ties it up and the fans, including Ashley are going crazy! 57-57. Morris picks up his second foul with 6:32 remaining in the game. The tie didn't last too long but the Cats are still playing. Down 2 again. Off of Arkansas, Cats maintain possession. 32-19 run for the Cats. Sparks misses 3, Morris rebounds for 2 and gets extra shot with the foul. The Cats will take the lead with this shot. 59-59. Modica picks up his first as UK takes the lead. Cats rebound. Sparks for 2.
5:16 (Arkansas Timeout) UK 62, Arkansas 59
The Cats have played back into contention. Up by 3 with a bit over 5 minutes remaining. Sparks' assists have helped. Morris picks up his 3rd foul. He's been playing one of his best games so far this season. The lead shrinks to 2. Perry misses 3 but the Cats lose possession but, wait a minute, Ravi Moss draws the charge! Cats ball! 4:24 remaining! Morris gets blocked but Sparks gets it back with 3 seconds on the on the shotclock and calls time out.
3:52 (UK Timeout) UK 62, Arkansas 60
Hopefully, the Cats know how much is left on the clock. Pass to Morris for the dunk and 2 more. What a pass!
3:37 (TV Timeout) UK 64, Arkansas 60
Both teams in the bonus and both have 2 timeouts remaining. The Cats have been down from 16 points and are now up by 4. The Cats have outrebounded Arkansas. Airball. Moss rebound. Rondo for 2 more. Great control of the clock on that drive. UK ball. 2:37 remaining. Rondo shoots, misses, gets his rebound, and gets 2 more. Morris blocks the shot. 2:16 remaining in the game. 68-61 UK.
2:16 (Arkansas Timeout) UK 68, Arkansas 61
Sparks was forced to call a timeout.
2:09 (UK Timeout) UK 68, Arkansas 61
Two minutes remaining. Rondo drives and gets 2 more.
1:35 (Arkansas Timeout) UK 70, Arkansas 64
The Cats need to control the clock for the next 95 seconds and victory will be ours. The Cats have 1 timeout left while the Razorbacks have none. The Cats, down as many as 18, are now up by 6. Sparks misses 2. Rondo fell and picks up the foul. 1:06 remaining in the game. 70-66 UK. The Cats must maintain as much of the clock as possible and hit everything that they shoot.
1:02 (UK Timeout) UK 70, Arkansas 66
No time outs remaining and UK is one foul away from double bonus. If you are UK, you do not foul. Morris has 17 points and 7 rebounds. Rondo to Morris and 2! Morris heads to the line with exactly 1 minute remaining. The Arkansas Razorbacks must have been confused and thought it was one and one. They took the rebound and ran. Morris makes 1 of 2. Cats rbeound on the other end and they get fouled. 71-66 with 53.6 remaining in the game. The Cats have scored over 40 points this half. Morris, at the line, adds 1 more point and misses the other. Moss rebounds on the other end and gets fouled. He'll head to the line. 74-66 remaining. Brewer gets fouled on the other end. Morris has four fouls. 74-68 with 38.1 remaining in the game. Perry gets fouled by Modica. The Cats are only up by 6 and 36.2 remain in the game. He makes 1 of 2 from the line. The long pass from Sparks to Rondo and he dunks it. 77-70. 77-73 with 17.5 remaining in the game. The Cats miss both. Moss picks up the dropped ball. With 8.7 rmaining, it's 77-73 and Moss goes to the line for 2. Ravi makes the first of two free throws. Brewer makes a 3 but the Cats win it 78-76!
END OF REGULATION
KENTUCKY 78, Arkansas 76

I was right. It was the Unpredictables that showed up today. Down 18 in the first half, they came back to win it!

Website Redesign

Nope, not here. But Barry Welsh, Indiana's 6th congressional district candidate, will unveil the re-design of his campaign website come Monday evening. Be sure to check it out...

This looks to be big...really big!

Homecoming ends with two victories

The girls won 66-64 against Bellarmine. The guys also won their game. If you were wondering, I was neutral during the men's game.

With this rhetoric, I don't believe that Acting Israeli PM Ehud Olmert should not be elected as the next PM of Israel.

"We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies, we want to be able to live in an entirely different environment of relations with our enemies."

-- Ehud Olmert, June 9, 2005, speech to Israel Policy Forum in New York.

Apparently, there is a rivalry between The Windy City and the Big Apple. Why am I not surprised? I hate the Cubs and the Yankees but both teams have some good comedy venues. Chicago has improv. New York has stand-up.

What is a schnoodle? Apparently, it is a mixed dog breed. Who owns one? Natalie Portman.

Natalie Portman once brought her schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle) named Noodles onto the set of a television talk show.

Note to Fletcher: Brett Hall cost you the Jewish vote

You know, I take the Anti-Defamation League very seriously. When the ADL asks for a public apology, you give a public apology. Now to Governor Fletcher, I have some harsh words for you. Fire your communications director Brett Hall. He just cost you any vote from the Jews that you want in 2007. Because the way I read his comments, he calls it "ridiculous" to apologize when the ADL asks for an apology. The ADL is one of the biggest Jewish organizations in America. In simpler terms: Fletcher is screwed.

Based on this Herald Leader article, it is safely assumed that Fletcher does not care about diversity. Not the least bit. Not even at all.

The Anti-Defamation League yesterday said Gov. Ernie Fletcher does not understand the "acceptable boundaries of personal faith and public office" and urged him to publicly apologize for a governor's prayer breakfast Tuesday that lacked non-Christian voices.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it plans to investigate to make sure the state didn't illegally favor a single religious viewpoint, in part by allowing organizers to use the state-owned Frankfort Convention Center free of charge.

A former general secretary of the National Council of Churches, the nation's largest ecumenical body, said "G-d hears all prayers" and encouraged the governor to reach out to people of all faiths.

As criticism mounted from state and national religious leaders, the Fletcher administration vowed to be more inclusive and defended the governor's record on interfaith relations, saying he has worked to build relations with the state's Jewish leaders.

Non-Christians will have a voice at next year's breakfast and will be encouraged to help organize the event, Fletcher spokesman Brett Hall said. "We'd love to have them. This will be an even better event because of it," he said.

But he dismissed the ADL's calls for a public apology, labeling it "ridiculous." He also said he would "relish" closer scrutiny from civil libertarians.

"We invite their inquiry. We are blessed by their inquiry," he said. "This isn't Berkeley, California. This is hometown America. The ACLU has no credibility in this matter at all."

You know, maybe now would be a good time for the Democrats to issue a response. They might even want to get State Treasurer Jonathan Miller or State Representative Kathy Stein to do this as both are fellow members of the tribe.

Uh, how is this hometown America when you don't invite the other religions? I'm sorry but I would consider Brett Hall labeling the ADL call as being "ridiculous" as bull****. Brett Hall is very unwise to say those comments. He probably just cost himself his job. This may be Kentucky but I take the ADL very seriously.

It will be interesting to see how other Jewish organizations reply to this.

Another Saturday Night...

SNL is a rerun so don't expect any new reviews from me this weekend. The next new show will be next weekend when Steve Martin hosts. Tonight's episode is the Dane Cook episode. I might watch the cold opening but that all depends on my early wakeup tomorrow due to the University of Kentucky Wildcats game. I'll be up in time for the pre-game show with Dave Baker and Oscar Combs.

On Saturday, February 11, 2006, Virginia Democrats will welcome Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell as their keynote speaker for the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. The event will take place at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

This is a PDF but explains everything that you need to know about that terrorist organization that just got elected Thursday.

The WaPo confirms what the Hotline wrote yesterday with regards to Sen. Bayh.

Friends alumnus Matthew Perry, best known as Chandler Bing, is returning to the televsion. Will he suffer the same fate as Lisa Kudrow's television show. Will Friends alumni have the same curse that the stars of Seinfeld have with post-Seinfeld sitcoms. Jennifer Aniston is the only star to have a successful post-Friends career in my opinion.

The former co-star of the long-running Friends is returning to NBC to star in a still untitled series from West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin about the behind-the-scenes life at a Saturday Night Live-type sketch-comedy show.

The series will also star Steven Weber (Wings) and comedian D.L. Hughley.[...]

In the new series, the trade papers reported, he’ll portray a former writer for the show who is hired to fill in when the producer quits.

Perry becomes the third Friends star to get his own series. Matt LeBlanc took his character into the spinoff, Joey, which has floundered, and Lisa Kudrow’s starred in HBO’s The Comeback, which drew mixed reviews.

Two days after Warner Brothers said that there will be no reunion, Kathleen Turner says that she was approached for a Friends reunion. I'll believe it when I see it.

Six people have made the short list for the next general manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

The West Wing will go out in style.

Broadway performer Kristin Chenoweth, who plays a presidential aide, recalled the response she received recently while singing at the Kennedy Center.

"I was at a table with former Sen. Tom Daschle and Sandra Day O'Connor. After realizing I wasn't going to tell them who would win the election, both said they had never seen a movie or TV show that was more true-to-life about life in Washington."

Whitford chimed in: "Alan Greenspan - you know, with that face that's just not trained to express anything - once said to me he was really upset when our Fed chairman died and nobody cared. It wasn't even the 'A' story line."

I have no problem with Democrats aiming to the center or Virginia Governor Tim Kaine recieving the honor of giving the Democratic response to the State of the Union.

Evan Bayh has not made his decision public yet with regards to how he will vote on the nomination of Judge Sam Alito. My guess is that he will vote no.

"Senator Bayh will consider the answers to the questions in the meeting and the answers Judge Alito gave during his confirmation hearing before making a decision on the nominee," spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said, adding they discussed Alito's "judicial philosophy on a number of issues, including the parameters of executive power."

Supreme Court votes are considered crucial for senators with potential presidential aspirations, such as Bayh, because hot-button issues the court deals with, such as abortion, are very important to many party activists.

Bayh, D-Ind., voted against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts last year because, he said, he wasn't able to learn about Roberts' beliefs.

It is now official. Emily Hughes, sister of 2002 Olympic Gold medalist Sarah Hughes, will not be Turin/Torino-bound. The U.S. Olympic Committee issued the announcement concerning Michelle Kwan yesterday.

Following a monitoring session Friday at the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, Calif., U.S. Figure Skating announced that five-time World and nine-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan is competitively fit to compete in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games and has confirmed her nomination to the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team. A five person monitoring committee evaluated Kwan as she performed her free skate and short program back-to-back at 11 a.m. The committee determined Kwan’s performances proved her competitive fitness is more than adequate for participation in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

I hope Emily tries again in 2010.

Come Saturday, February 4, 2006, at the Lexington History Museum, the Fayette Democrats will host It's Your Party: A Tribute to Fayette County Democrats' Legacy & Future.

Breaking: Steve Carell sequel to be named The 41 Year-Old Whore

Steve Carell announced on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, presumedly a joke, that an idea for the sequel to The 40 Year-Old Virgin may be named The 41-Year-Old Whore. Who knows if it goes anywhere beyond those comments? Certainly not me. Evan Almighty begins production in March or April of this year.

Conan declared the show to be the last episode with Steve Carell appearing on it. Presumedly, that was a joke, too.

For Immediate Release

Contrary to popular opinion on campus, I am staying completely neutral when NKU takes on Bellarmine tomorrow night at 7:30 PM.

It didn't take long to decide this decision. As soon as I heard last year that Scott Davenport was taking the position of head coach at Bellarmine University, I knew that would put me in a position. Do I root for the university that I go to? Or do I root for the school that my friend's father coaches at?

Therefore, even if I wear any NKU apparell tomorrow, I will be neutral during the game. It's the fairest option that I see. If it makes me unpopular among my fellow students, so be it. Life's not fair like that. You win some and you lose some.

Facebook and Athletes

Mitch Barnhart has warned UK Athletes with regards to photos on facebook.

Barnhart had been planning the meeting for a couple of weeks, said UK Athletics spokesman Scott Stricklin. UK has about 500 student-athletes, counting scholarship athletes and walk-ons, he said.

"This was not spur-of-the-moment," Stricklin said.

"He wanted to make sure they knew what was expected of them and that they understood what their responsibilities were as far as wearing the Blue and White," he said. "As much as there may have been problems, he wanted to make sure there weren't any problems, to make sure they know people are watching.

"He wanted to make sure he had their attention."

Facebook is a social network Web site that allows students, faculty and staff of colleges across the nation to post profiles and pictures, link themselves to "friends" and join social groups. Earlier this school year, The Kernel reported how UK's administration has been using incriminating Facebook photos to convict students of alcohol-related violations (see the Dec. 9 issue).

"(Barnhart) had some things he shared with them to make sure they knew how he felt about it," Stricklin said. "He keeps pretty good tabs on what's going on, both good and bad."

Softball junior Brooke Marnitz said Barnhart's message carried a serious tone.

"He didn't give any specifics other than he can take away your financial aid or suspend you indefinitely," Marnitz said. "No matter what the coaches say, he said it's under his discretion.[...]

"He's just trying to protect the athletes, the school and the department," she said.

Student-athletes should respond to this warning, Marnitz said.

"I hope people take him seriously," she said. "I hope they open their eyes."

Gymnastics senior Staci O'Keefe said Barnhart told the student-athletes he doesn't want to ban their use of such Internet sites as Facebook.com.

"He just doesn't want anything portrayed that shouldn't be," O'Keefe said. "He told us to look at what's on the Internet, and if it's not representing UK well, then it shouldn't be out there."

O'Keefe said she doesn't think many people are having to make major changes.

"It's not like people are erasing everything," she said. "I'm not changing anything."

It's good that Mitch Barnhart doesn't want to ban Facebook from athletes at UK.

At NKU, it is up to the coach's discretion. One good thing about Facebook is that it is a great way to keep in touch with friends. The Athletics program may not see it that way.

"Right now my position from a department standpoint is not to restrict (Facebook) usage," Meier said.

Though the policy will not necessarily restrict student usage, Meier said that coaches would have the ability to decide if their team members will be allowed to participate in the online student network.

"Some coaches have indicated that they don't want their athletes on it," she said.

I can understand photos but to not be alloowed to join and stay in touch with friends. In my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives.

One more post and I'll see you tomorrow night.

Pre-Shabbas Open Thread

It will be so nice to relax tomorrow as the Wildcats play on Sunday rather than on Shabbas.

Robert Klein will have a show in Danbury, CT. This article goes in-depth on his career in comedy. He's one of the few that can do both improv comedy and stand-up comedy.

The United Nations remembered the Holocaust today. Maybe they will actually stop being so anti-Israel in what they do. What they should do is immediately denounce the new Palestinian government because terrorists were elected.

"We sound an alarm, a call to arms and a wake-up call to the world, a world in which a member state of this organization denies the Holocaust while it prepares the next one," Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, told a General Assembly hall packed with Holocaust survivors, Jewish and Israeli officials and other members of the Jewish community.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan addressed The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust by video conference. "There can be no reversing the unique tragedy of the Holocaust. It must be remembered with shame and horror as long as human memory continues," Annan said.

True, there can be no reversing of the events but we have the power to prevent it in other countries. What is being done with Darfur?

This is some good news. When you elect terrorists to leadership, you lose any potential funding you would have otherwise receievd. JTA reports:

"We will face practical problems of how you deal with people that call for the destruction of Israel," Yossi Bachar, director of Israel’s Finance Ministry, told Ha’aretz on Friday. "If they want to continue to work with us, they will have to find a solution, otherwise I can’t see how they would get the money." Israel returns to the Palestinian Authority tax money, social security payments and some customs duties garnered from Palestinians.

James Wolfensohn, envoy to the region for the diplomatic "Quartet" managing the peace process, predicted a cutoff from Western nations. Hamas is set to take power by next week.

It doesn't look like Hamas will be changing their ways anytime soon at all.

Israel is working with Jordan and Egypt and the two countries will monitor what develops.

Israel’s acting prime minister spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to emphasize that his government would be unable to have contact with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas, according to statements issued by Olmert’s office. Olmert told both leaders that Hamas must disarm and revoke its calls for the destruction of Israel.

Abdullah told Olmert that the Palestinians must show responsibility and decide the path they’ll take. Mubarak said he’ll discuss the results of the P.A. elections with the Palestinian leadership next week. Both leaders agreed to speak again with Olmert in order to monitor developments.

I agree with President Bush with regards to the fact that as long as Hamas is in power, the Palestinians will recieve no foreign aid.

"The United States does not support political parties that want to destroy our ally Israel, and that people must renounce that part of their platform," Bush said Thursday, after it became clear that Hamas had trounced P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party in legislative elections.

Bush already was garnering an international consensus on the issue; his secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, spent much of Thursday consulting with U.S. allies, and it apparently paid off. By the end of the day, European leaders were echoing Bush’s statement.

"We can only do business with people who renounce terrorism," a spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, and the sentiment was echoed by Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister. European officials predicted unanimity on the topic when the European Union’s 25 foreign ministers meet Monday.

Bush cautioned that the dust had yet to settle: Abbas, a relative moderate favored by the United States and Israel, remains as P.A. president, and Hamas — which appeared surprised by its victory — has yet to announce its plans for governance.

"We’d like him to stay in power," Bush said of Abbas.

This was sent to me via email from BangitOut.com:

Top Ten Good Things to come out of the Hamas Election Victory:
10. 95% of winning candidates will probably blow themselves up by end of first term
9. Government officials now easily recognizable from their FBI Most Wanted Terrorist Mugshots
8. Finally a government to compete with Iran for prize of Most Psychotic Government
7. Allows AP to title pics of kids dressed in Suicide-Bomber costumes with the line "Kids dress up as favorite Government officials"
6. Palestinian C-Span channel will probably have parental advisory for graphic violence
5. May encourage Al Quaeda sleeper cell members to abandon terrorist plots in favor of seeking cushy government desk jobs
4. Any political filibuster in the new Pali-gov. would now probably be deemed as "fighting the war on terror"
3. Now calling the Palestinian government a "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is just wrong
2. Finally allows for Hammas version of the TV show West Wing, which promises to be just like the show 24, just from the terrorists' perspective
1. Makes answering the question "Do the Palestinian people support terrorism?" a no brainer

The next State Central Executive Meeting will be on February 27 in Frankfort, KY.

Check this out!

Mark Feuerstein, formerly of Good Morning, Miami, with the help of Adam Stein and Sam Friedlander have come up with the west coast response to "Lazy Sunday." They call it "Lazy Monday."

Go to Narnia Rap Battle to watch it. It's a very good video. I gave it 5 stars on YouTube.com.

I am actually in pre-production right now for several comedy shorts this semester that will get posted on YouTube.com. Not a matter of if, but when. First up, my own rap in response to "Lazy Sunday." I'm still working on the lyrics. It would be hard to shoot in Rupp Arena so that rules out the Wildcats basketball rap.

See the Hotline?

This was in the Hotline today:

Sen. Evan Bayh ended '05 with a whopping $9.5M in his Senate campaign account, according to reports Bayh will file with the FEC.

Campaign account money can be directly transferred into a presidential exploratory account; only a fraction of a Leadership PAC's cash is fungible.

In typical '08 hopeful fashion, Bayh is using his campaign account to accumulate a bankroll for a potential presidential race and is using his PAC to earn chits with Dems across the country.

Bayh's PAC contributed the maximum to NH Gov. John Lynch and NJ Gov. Jon Corzine. It gave $15k to the DSCC, 10K to the NH Dem party, money to the Blackhawk Co. Dem Party in IA and $25K to home-state Dems in Indiana's house. Sens. Bill Nelson and Robert Byrd recieved donations, as did candidates Harold Ford (TN) and Claire McCaskill (MO). House candidate Dave Loebsack recieved $1K from the PAC as did several others. Bayh also contributed to several IA legislative campaigns.

For the year, the Senate account took in more than 3M -- including more than $1.7M in the final quarter. The PAC, which has more than $800K on hand, raised more than $1.5M for the year.

Bayh's chief fundraiser is Nancy Jacobson. His senior advisers include Anita Dunn and Dan Pfeiffer, along with pollster Paul Maslin and ex-Gore CoS Ron Klain.

This is great news for the Senator.

A few things

If you do support a filibuster, please sign Senator Kerry's petition. I'm still a moderate Democrat, and I signed it. I have no hard feelings after doing so either. It felt great.

Monday's event in Louisville with Senator Kennedy and Senator McConnell has been rescheduled to due the event of a filibuster.

Political Cortex has more. It's not 41 the counts. It's Bill Frist having to get those 60 affirmative votes to end cloture.

Guess who is heading to Northwest Indiana? Howard Dean. Some are saying that this is a sign that Sen. Bayh is a major contender come 2008.

The Kentucky Kernal has their review of the game last night. It was a historical one for the woman's program in my opinion.

Rob Corddry offers some advice.

"Bring a poncho, because if you're sitting in the first few rows it gets messy. And two, if you come with a small child please sit where I can't see you because then I can't sleep at night -- it gets a little blue."

Responsible parenting is about to become a prime consideration in Corddry's life. He and his wife Sandra -- a speech pathologist who appeared on the fake news show last week in a segment about his obsession with threesomes -- are expecting a baby July 8, which means his college tour days are numbered.

"I really want to exploit these colleges before June because then my time is up. You know I have to steal as much hard-earned tuition money as possible. I need to buy a Bugaboo stroller, apparently."

I've seen John Mabry playing when he was going through the Cardinals organization so it's interesting to read how he took a deal the Cubs of all teams.

Players come and go, but "May-berry" and Albert Pujols were the only Cardinals who took their mail from a St. Louis post office year 'round. Born in Delaware and educated in Maryland and Pennsylvania, Mabry along with his family embraced the Midwest after he first reached St. Louis in 1994. He has since played for the Seattle Mariners (twice), Oakland A's, San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies. His preference was to finish his career where it began.

Contacted by four teams, Mabry phoned general manager Walt Jocketty to divine the Cardinals' interest. The Cubs were waiting for an answer on their $1.075 million bid. After several attempts, Mabry finally reached Jocketty, telling him, "Listen, I want to stay in St. Louis. It's my first choice. All you have to do is say it's guaranteed at a number."

Said Jocketty: "We can't do this. As a friend, I would take another deal."

And Mabry did, accepting a significant bump from last season's $725,000 base salary.

"Would it have been a good thing (to remain a Cardinal)? Absolutely," he said. "I have four small kids. But this is also great. I'm still playing. No. 2, they're still relatively close. My family plays a big part in my decision. There's also playing time and the chance to win. But the fact they can get there until school gets out is a big thing. I'm looking forward to it."

Mabry, 35, and his wife, Ann, have four children under 6 years old. The highlight of Mabry's 2005 season wasn't his ninth-inning home run that capped a seven-run, ninth-inning rally at Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds. It was learning that his son, J.T., had stayed awake long enough to hear the moment on the radio.

Mabry has made his West County residence his home year 'round since 1998, coincidentally the year he signed as a free agent with the Mariners.

Reasons for playing elsewhere may change, he says, but Mabry's reasons for living here haven't.

"When I was here (as a rookie) in '95, we absolutely stunk. We lost 100 games, but we still almost drew 2 million," recalled Mabry, employing a bit of fuzzy math to describe the strike-abbreviated 62-81 campaign that left the Cardinals in fourth place and Jocketty to fire manager Joe Torre at the behest of itchy-to-sell Anheuser-Busch. "They come out to genuinely support the home team. Even when we stunk, they showed up 25,000 a night. They're enduring it with you. They still support the individual players.

Imagine Bart Peterson running for Governor of Indiana come 2008. The GOP is already talking about this and they are afraid for the same reasons that they are afraid with Evan Bayh or Mark Warner. Moderates can win.

Late Night Open Thread

Anyone have financial information for the Wendell Ford Appreciation Dinner in March. I want to go but I need to know about the finances. If anyone knows something, please get in touch.

Bonus Quote of the Day

"I'm kind of a big George Clooney fan...he helped me get elected."
--Rep. Geoff Davis on Syriana, January 26, 2006

Since I'm pretty sure that Davis's people read the blog, I'd like to announce that I'm a fan of George Clooney, too, but he didn't help me get elected to anything. I was tempted not to post this but I am anyway.

The Filibuster

Thank G-d for John Kerry and the fight for the filibuster against Judge Samuel Alito. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough support to keep it going.

The filibuster's supporters -- including Sens. John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts -- acknowledged that the bid is likely to fail and that Alito is virtually certain to be confirmed Tuesday. But they said extended debate may draw more Americans' attention to Alito's conservative stands on abortion, civil rights, presidential powers and other matters.

"Judge Alito will take America backward, especially when it comes to civil rights and discrimination laws," Kerry said in a statement issued by his office. He added: "It's our right and our responsibility to oppose him vigorously and to fight against this radical upending of the Supreme Court."

Kennedy said that Alito, 55, "does not share the values of equality and justice that make this country strong," adding: "He does not deserve a place on the highest court of the land."

While it is unlikely that there will be enough support for a filibuster, Sen. John Kerry should be commended for his work today.

Quote of the Day

"On the plus side, they have returned all money given to them by Jack Abramoff."
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 26, 2006

Lady Cats vs. Pat Summitt's Tennessee Volunteers

13,689 on hand in Rupp Arena.

10:57 remaining and it's 48-44 Cats.
1:12 remaining and it's 62 all. Ormerod got a foul on a block. Sarah Elliott almost fouled out but the foul went to Carly Ormerod instead

32.6 remaining: 7 seconds between game and shot clock. 1 point game. Jenny Pfeiffer is blocked with 14.8 seconds remaining and she'll go to the line. Tied at 63 all. Now 64-63 UK. 14.8 seconds to go. GO CATS! UT SHOT NO GOOD! 2.9 AND IT'S CATS BALL!! CATS TO THE LINE! 65-63! 66-63! UK WINS! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!

$5,000 FINE IF THE FANS STORM THE COURT! I DON'T CARE WHO PAYS IT BUT RUPP ARENA WILL BE STORMED ON THE COURT BY THE FANS!

An interesting afternoon

This afternoon was definitely an interesting one. There's nothing like a Republican Congressman wanting to shake your hand because you're a prominent blogger within an hour or so of saying that there is no accountability in the blogosphere. I'm not spinning Congressman Geoff Davis' remarks because there are some blogs I stopped reading because they are no longer credible. I'm working on a piece about the Congressman but it won't be published until I get some more questions answered. I'm not going to spin things either way when that is published even if I am biased in favor of Democrats. But my readers will be priviledged enough to see this evening's quote of the day. Surprisingly enough, there was no press at the event. In fact, the Kentucky Post article was how I found out.

I'm watching the Lady Cats take in the Tennessee Volunteers. Apparently, Pat Summitt was almost hired as the Lady Cats Head Coach. The game is on the Fox Sports Network. The Cats knocked off Florida already this season and they are currently leading (4:04 remaining in the first half) a strong Tenessee team.

Now on to other news of the day. Judge Alito is likely to be confirmed.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay asks your thoughts on the Olympics.

I haven't had this confirmed and I can't remember who mentioned it today but they heard a rumor from sources in DC saying that John McCain and Hillary Clinton might leave their respective parties and run as independents, possibly on the same ticket.

Sorry, Dan but I've endorsed Eliot Spitzer already.

The Politicker has learned that Tom Suozzi's been talking to political consultant Dan Gerstein, a longtime advisor to Joe Lieberman with a reputation like his old boss's for crossing some of the traditional Democratic interest groups, notably the teachers' unions, and who is not a favorite of the people he likes to call the Democrats' "angry activist base."

"He’s given us some advice, but we don’t have a campaign at this time," Suozzi aide Kim Devlin said when asked if Gerstein was on the campaign.

The connection makes some sense. Suozzi, along with Shelly Silver (an odd couple), was one of the early, prominent supporters of Senator's 2004 presidential bid.

"Senator Lieberman is a big fan of Tom Suozzi’s and through my exposure to Tom under Sen. Lieberman I became a big fan as well," Gerstein says. "I’m interested in helping him advance his reform agenda in New York in any way I can."

New Hampshire State Representative Peter Sullivan has unveiled his reform plan for lobbyists and Congress.

Joe Lieberman to vote AGAINST Alito

It's official. Senator Joe Lieberman will vote against Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court.

-- Connecticut Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman will vote against confirming Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, a senior Lieberman aide said Thursday.

Aide Rob Sawicki said Lieberman would have no further comment until he takes the floor of the Senate, where the confirmation debate continued Thursday.

Lieberman, whose vocal pro-war support for President Bush has rankled fellow Democrats, joins Connecticut's other senator, Democrat Christopher Dodd, who said Tuesday that he will vote against Alito because his judicial philosophy is "outside the mainstream."

Lieberman also said that Katrina's devastation was predicted over and over.

Democratic Senators voting in favor of Alito included Tim Johnson, Robert Byrd, and Ben Nelson.

Ohio State Senator Eric Fingerhut, a gubernatorial candidate, sent the following press release out the other day after Gov. Taft delivered the State of the State.

I just returned from Governor Taft's State of the State address, which was delivered in the chamber of the Ohio House of Representatives in Columbus. I am struck by the gap between the governor's overall theme, with which I largely agree, and his programs, which don't come close to meeting the urgent situation we face as a state.

Taft's theme was straightforward and correct: Ohio is facing the challenge of creating and attracting good jobs in an increasingly competitive global economy. The problem comes in addressing solutions. In this, his eighth and final speech, we once again see proposals that fall far short of what is needed to meet this competition.

I will obviously give Taft's proposals a fair hearing, and support them when I can. I have always tried to do this, and I hope the legislature will do the same for me next year. I have promised to consider good ideas, wherever they come from. That's what I have done in the Ohio Senate, and that's what I will do as governor!

Some areas that Fingerhut believes Taft failed to address:
1. Create the best business climate in the world to create and grow businesses that create jobs for Ohio.
2. Train the workforce of the future.
3. Bring down health care costs for businesses and workers.
4. Protect and build up our communities.
5. The cost of corruption.

Jon Stewart was interviewed by SoccerAmerica.com. Apparently, he will expand The Late Show to 90 minutes when David Letterman retires.

Do you think your soccer background would give you the edge over the competition to take over for David Letterman when he quits The Late Show?
JS: Yeah, I'm going to do a 90-minute show. Then if the show's still not good we're going to go into two overtimes, and then a joke-out. One joke after another until one team wins.

Hey, whatever happened to The Rembrandts?

Jill Hennessy, an actress on Crossing Jordan, only has time for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart when it comes to watching TV.

Read Ehud Olmert's speech at the Herzliya Conference from this past Tuesday.

Zeev Jabotinsky defined the importance of a Jewish majority in his insightful and sharp way: “The term ‘Jewish country’ is certainly clear: it means a Jewish majority. With this, Zionism began, and it is the basis of its existence, in that it will continue to operate until its realization, or it will be ruined”.

The existence of a Jewish majority in the State of Israel cannot coexist with the continued control over the Palestinian population in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza strip. We firmly stand by the historic right of the Jewish people to the entire Land of Israel. Every hill in Samaria and every valley in Judea is part of our historic homeland. We do not forget this, not even for one moment. However, the choice between the desire to allow every Jew to live anywhere in the Land of Israel to the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish country obligates relinquishing parts of the Land of Israel. This is not a relinquishing of the Zionist idea, rather the essential realization of the Zionist goal – ensuring the existence of a Jewish and democratic state in the Land of Israel.

In order to ensure the existence of a Jewish national home, we will not be able to continue ruling over the territories in which the majority of the Palestinian population lives. We must create a clear boundary as soon as possible, one which will reflect the demographic reality on the ground. Israel will maintain the security zones, the Jewish settlement blocs, and those places which have supreme national importance to the Jewish people, headed by a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty. There can be no Jewish state without the capital of Jerusalem at its center.

This is the path Prime Minister Sharon announced several years ago. We – who were his partners in its shaping – mobilized with him in order to establish a new public movement, which will realize our path in the coming years, and which will propel Israel forward.

The existence of two nations, one Jewish and one Palestinian, is the complete solution to all the aspirations and national problems of each of the peoples, including the issue of refugees who will be absorbed solely in the Palestinian state. We will not allow the entry of Palestinian refugees into the State of Israel. This is our clear stance, which is backed by the unequivocal American position expressed in George Bush’s letter of April 2004.

The only way to achieve this is the full implementation of the Road Map, and of the American President’s vision of June 2004.

Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia has made a statement against divestment. This is good news.

Yesterday, gubernatorial candidate Eric Fingerhut said the following about Ted Strickland's selection of a runningmate:

"Lee Fisher is a good friend, who has served with great distinction in public office. I wish him the best in this campaign. However, this campaign is about the future, not the past. And it's about which candidate --- Eric Fingerhut or Ted Strickland --- has the ability, knowledge and plan to move Ohio forward and create the good jobs that all Ohioans need today and in the future. I know I'm that candidate and I look forward to this contest."

The rise and fall of Woody Allen...

Will the International Holocaust Day help in the fight against anti-Semitism? I honestly don't know. Acting Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has hope.

Israel’s acting prime minister chaired a special Cabinet session at Yad Vashem on Thursday before the U.N.-declared global memorial day.

"From this year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be marked annually in most countries around the world. This is the result of an Israeli initiative that was approved by a great majority of the United Nations General Assembly," Olmert told fellow ministers. "I hope that this step will lead to the awareness of the Holocaust being instilled in many publics around the world, which for years tried to evade the need to deal with the Holocaust in all its aspects. I also hope that this step will lead to a reduction in anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, which in recent years, to my regret, we have witnessed with concern."

International Holocaust Day is tomorrow.

Norm Coleman is concerned about legislation dealing with lobbyist reform proposals.

Speaking at a hearing Wednesday of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Republican Norm Coleman said the American Israel Public Affairs Committee provides a service by sending lawmakers to Israel to meet its leaders.

"That would be prohibited if we take the approach that’s been articulated here," Coleman said. "So I don’t think that helps us be better senators." Several congressional leaders and outside groups have proposed lobbying reforms that would curtail all private travel by members of Congress.

Other suggested reforms would allow non-profit groups to take legislators on trips.

Former Michigan Gov. John Engler, a Republican who now is president of the National Association of Manufacturers, praised AIPAC’s engagement.

"They’re far better than anybody else that could lobby on that issue when they have an opportunity," Engler told the committee. "They don’t lobby, but they are powerfully persuasive on a point of view."

Paul Mecurio writes some hilarious captions for Golf Digest about Tiger Woods' latest trip to New York.

Important Poll

NH Insider

Please go here and vote for Peter Sullivan in this poll. He is running in NH-1 for Congress.

Thank you for your time.

For the record

As you know, I was strongly against the selection of Jerry Lundergan as chairman back in January 2005. But unlike Mark at the Bluegrass Report, I gave him a second chance. Now, I was not at the State of the Party speech last night and wish that I was. Anyway, I've met the Chairman and he came off as a nice person. Now, I don't know what all is going on behind the doors but I have met a lot of people that work there.

I'm not a fan of Democrats speaking ill of other Democrats and I never plan to too. It goes back to the Golden rule: if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it...or is it treat others the way you wish to be treated.

In 2004, when the DNC was voting on a new chair, Kos posted the contact info for ALL the DNC members, something I thought was wrong and uncalled for since it included phone numbers. Of course, all the Dean supporters called the DNC members trying to get them to vote for Dean. Some DNC members were so pissed, if I recall, that they changed their phone numbers because of all this.

It seems that when I logged on to the Bluegrass Report this morning, it looked like Mark pulled a Kos. Here's a question: how many of those addresses are private addresses? Or why did Mark post them to where they can get more spam than they already have? I'm not referring to party members emailing but actual spammers which is why I've had to change the HTML on this blog already with regards to the "Contact Me" on top.

I think I've said my two cents but I would never go around posting someone's contact information because of privacy reasons.

Back to this paper...

Oh, and Geoff Davis is heading to NKU today at 4 PM to unveil a new political fellowship.

Enough ranting about that...

Moving on to other, hopefully better, news...

Danielle Panabaker, last seen in Yours, Mine and Ours and Sky High, will next been seen in Solstice, which will be one of the few films she's made that I will not see. I don't watch horror movies.

Congressman Ben Chandler will continue to fight for higher education.

With the U.S. Senate's approval of a series of bills to cut funding for federal student loans, students and parents are facing possible increase in interest rates. The measure may raise federal interest rates from 7.9 percent to 8.5 percent and cut $14 billion in funding for student financial aid programs.

Congress voted on the budget plan on Dec. 21. Vice president Dick Cheney cast the final vote in favor of the measure.

Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., was the state's only representative to oppose the measure. In a statement, he vowed to continue the fight for higher education funds.

"Cuts to programs that help students attend college are truly unconscionable," he said. "Ensuring that the people of Kentucky receive a quality education must be a priority of our state."

Thank you, Congressman Chandler.

All you IMAX movie-goers, there is another film headed to IMAX: Natalie Portman's V for Vendetta. The film is coming this March.

Second City Tour Co. is heading to the University of Iowa.

Yes, Jewish shtick still has kick. You may want to give that a read. Second City may be doing a late spring run of Sheldon Patinkin's Jewsical! A Second City Musical somewhere in Chicago.

"Since we announced we were doing this, we've got a ton of calls from Jewish groups," said Kelly Leonard, the head of Second City Theatricals, one of the company's outreach programs. The hope is to do a late spring run in Chicago, possibly at the Black Orchid nightclub, then tour the country.

"Jews in general have a great sense of humor," reported Joyce Sloane. "Irony lives," added Bernie Sahlins.

Both Jewish, they were in on the start of The Second City. But it was younger humorist Aaron Freeman who had the last laugh.

When he converted to Judaism in 1994, he said he went through most of the process on a Sunday and a Monday. But on the Friday before, two full days before he had even entered the religion, he got a fundraising call from the Jewish United Fund.

"Jews understand why that is funny," Freeman said. "It's like the JUF gets faxes from G-d."

Uh, Glory Road has some inaccuracies not relating to Kentucky. Eastern New Mexico University, then Eastern New Mexico State College. If this is an inaccuracy, I'm rethinking my choices for Best Picture next year because of all the controversy.

Tonight, make sure to watch the Lady Kats tonight!

My Worst Fears Came True

Headlines across the world are saying Hamas Sweeps Palestinian Elections. Do the citizens know what they just did? They just elected a TERRORIST government!! This means that Syria, Iran and the Palestinians now have terrorist governments. This can not be good. Most, if not all, of them want Israel out of the Middle East. I can't wait to see what Jon Stewart says about this but with Hamas in power, there can be no peace talks at all. Israel does not negotiate with terrorists and neither do these United States of America. I'm in disbelief just like the rest of the world.

The Islamic militant Hamas group swept to victory over the long-dominant Fatah party on Thursday in Palestinian parliamentary polls, a political earthquake that could bury any hope for reviving peace talks with Israel soon.

The shock outcome, acknowledged by Fatah ahead of official results, does not automatically unseat President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate elected last year after Yasser Arafat's death. But he has said he might resign if unable to pursue a peace policy.

"Today we woke up and the sky was a different color. We have entered a new era," Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said after Hamas announced it had won more than 70 seats in the 132-member parliament in Wednesday's election.[...]

With peace negotiations stalled since 2000 and Israel and Hamas bitter enemies, Israeli interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could opt for more unilateral moves, following last year's Gaza pullout, to shape borders on land Palestinians want for a state.

Olmert, who took over from Ariel Sharon after the 77-year-old leader's January 4 stroke, suggested as much in a speech this week in which he repeated peace talks could not resume unless the Palestinian Authority disarmed militants.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington's view of Hamas as a terrorist group was unchanged after the poll. Hamas has carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings in Israel since a Palestinian uprising began more than five years ago.

"As we have said, you cannot have one foot in politics and the other in terror," Rice said in broadcast remarks from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Rice telephoned Abbas to voice continued U.S. support, an Abbas spokesman said. Earlier, Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie of Fatah and his cabinet quit in the face of the Hamas victory. Abbas asked him to stay on in a caretaker capacity.

The United States is the main sponsor of a long-stalled "road map" peace plan that charts mutual steps toward the creation of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.[...]

Leaders of the European Union, the biggest aid donor to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, said Hamas must renounce violence and recognize Israel or risk international isolation.

Under Palestinian law, the biggest party in the 132-member parliament can veto the president's choice of a prime minister, effectively enabling Hamas to shape the next cabinet.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev declined comment amid reports that Olmert had told cabinet ministers not to speak out before top-level consultations on the Hamas win.[...]

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Wednesday he would not deal with Hamas unless it accepted Israel's existence.

I'm glad George won't deal with them. Knowing what I do about them already, if they don't accept Israel's existence, we could have a world war on our hands very sooner than we'd like.

Quote of the Day

"He and I will discuss the craft of acting. I, of course, the fourth male lead in Death to Smoochie."
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 25, 2006

On another note, apparently, just referring to Bush draws a laugh these days...

January 31st Filing Deadline looms...

Judge James Keller is a candidate against Alice Forgy Kerr for the State Senate.

I'm not too positive yet but Joshua C. Hall has delcared his intentions to run for Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District against longtime Congressman Hal Rogers. Here is the comment he left at Mark's site.

I am going to run against Hal Rogers in the 2005 election come wednesday. I am a democrat from Floyd county I am a school teacher and a school bus driver. I don't see alot Hal has done for the people of eastern Ky he has been in office for 25 years and it is the same now as it was then. You may say no one can beat Hal, I say if you will suport me then we can win, we will win.

Posted by: joshua clinis hall | Monday, January 16, 2006 at 12:23 AM

I have updated the rumor mill with declared candidates to this point.

Merger will affect local affiliates

The merger of the WB and UPN into the new CW has a major effect on local stations.

"I'd love it if we got to be the new joint network," said WDRB/WFTE general manager Bill Lamb, acknowledging that he didn't know which Louisville station would be the eventual CW network affiliate.

"It's a new game, and I always relish the challenge and think we have a lot to bring to the table," said Carol LaFever, CEO of Cascade Broadcasting, which owns WBKI. She thinks the eventual CW affiliate in Louisville will emerge with a much greater value than either of the current affiliates.[...]

"WHAS11 News @ 10 p.m. on the WB" will remain on WBKI regardless of the merger, since the newscast contract is between the two local stations and not the national network. WFTE's Lamb said he wouldn't broadcast the WHAS news in any case, because it would compete with sister station WDRB's "News @ 10."

Both WB and UPN executives and local station owners were stunned by yesterday's surprise announcement.

Lamb said he talked with a UPN executive who told him he first saw it on CNN. LaFever said she was awakened at 6 a.m. by someone who'd just heard. In an industry that leaks everything, the months of top-level negotiations never seeped out.

The 16 stations operated by the Tribune Company and the 12 UPN outlets owned by CBS would form the core CW affiliate group. Warner Bros. and CBS will each own 50 percent of the new network. The rest of the CW network stations will be chosen in negotiations conducted in the cities, like Louisville, where both UPN and WB stations operate.

Both the President and Vice President have pledged to protect Israel in the event that Iran attacks the Promised Land.

"I’m concerned" when the president of Iran "announces his desire to see that Israel gets destroyed," Bush said Monday in a speech on terrorism at Kansas State University. "Israel’s our ally. We’re committed to the safety of Israel, and it’s a commitment we will keep." It was just the latest reassurance from U.S. officials in the wake of a recent war of words between Israel and Iran over the prospects of an Iranian nuclear bomb.

Earlier, Cheney said on CNBC: "Obviously, we would support our friends in Israel under those circumstances were they attacked."

Guri Weinberg feels some closure as he played his late father, Moshe Weinberg in the movie, Munich, about the 1972 terrorist attack.

"All my life I heard stories about Dad, but it was just words. In acting it out, everything suddenly became real," Guri Weinberg told the Israeli Ynet Web site Tuesday in an interview from Los Angeles.

In Munich, Weinberg depicts his father, Moshe, a weightlifter who was the first of 11 athletes killed as he tried to fend off Palestinian hostage-takers at the Olympic Village. "For many years I was angry with him, thinking to myself that had he not put up a struggle, maybe I would still have a dad," Weinberg said. "When we made the film, I understood for the first time that he had to do what he did, and that he didn’t have any chance of getting out of there alive." According to Weinberg, Arab actors who played the terrorists voiced outrage at the Munich attack.

The Jewish community is saddened at the loss of philantropist Andrea Bronfman. May she rest in peace.

Both Eric Fingerhut and Ted Strickland are running even in the latest Zogby poll against potential Republican opponents. When I say Finger, you say Hut! Yes, I do support former Congressman and current State Senator Eric Fingerhut for Governor of Ohio.

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has asked State Senator David Paterson to be his running mate as Spitzer runs for Governor. Spitzer has my support as well.

Not that I'll be watching but FOX now has a new show on Saturday nights after MAD TV: Talk Show with Spike Feresten. No air date has been announced at this point.

I commend Senator Bayh on the latest legislation that he will introduce. I'm a cell phone user. I don't want someone accessing my records without my permission. It's a violation of privacy.

.S. Senator Evan Bayh today co-sponsored a bipartisan bill, introduced by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), which will help protect private cell phone records by making it a crime to purchase cell phone records without the owner's consent. Currently, anyone with a cell phone number and approximately $100 can easily obtain private cell phone records from the Internet.

"Right now, all you need to get someone's personal call log is their cell phone number and about $100," Senator Bayh said. "This legislation will help stop the illegal buying and selling of private cell phone records."

The legislation that Bayh co-sponsored would upgrade the stealing and selling of telephone records to a criminal offense, clearing the way for criminal action against online companies who sell such information. Recent news reports have revealed that numerous online companies are fraudulently acquiring cell phone records and selling them at affordable prices to anyone willing to pay for them.

"Hoosiers have demonstrated their overwhelming support for telephone privacy with the state's Do-Not-Call Law, and they deserve protections on their personal cell phone logs as well," Senator Bayh said.

Paul McCartney has 6 months to appeal a decision by the Rother District Council to tear down a log cabin on his estate.

Fastblogging

Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles, will lead up a Katrina Benefit.

Former Eagles guitarist-singer-songwriter Don Felder will bring a group of musical pals — including Stephen Stills, Alice Cooper and members of Green Day and No Doubt — for a Feb. 1 concert at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts to benefit Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Comic Cheech Marin will host a bill that also includes actor Dennis Quaid, comedian D.L. Hughley, producer-composer David Foster, Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw, Green Day drummer Tré Cool and No Doubt drummer Adrian Young.

Turfway hires a lobbyist.

Late Night Open Thread

Tomorrow is the Norse Festival from 12-4 PM. I have class from 9:00-11:50 AM. Therefore, I don't know when I will be blogging tomorrow. This is an open thread.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
State of the Party speech will be delievered by Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan tomorrow around 6 PM. I'd be interested in a recap of this event as I have a night class. I'd also like I transcript if that is possible.

Also, I've gotten a few more interviews lined up.

Bonus Quote of the Day

"Let's all begin tonight with a question: Have you driven a Ford lately?"
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 24, 2006

Quote of the Day

"But the real question on everybody's mind is: can we stil stitch their flag on our backbacks to get through Europe?"
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 24, 2006

KY-48 race no longer unopposed

Amy Shir has filed for the Democratic nomination. Dr. Bob DeWeese is the GOP incumbent.

Personally, I'm glad to hear that he finally has opposition.

Kentucky vs. Auburn

The University of Kentucky Wildcats head down to Alabama to take on the Auburn University Tigers. The Cats are 12-6 with an even 2-2 SEC record while the Tigers are 8-7 with a 0-4 SEC record. UK leads the series 79-17. The Wildcats have won 20 of the last 21 games against the Tigers. Tubby Smith is 10-2 against the Tigers and has a 9-1 record while coaching the Cats.

In SEC play, both Patrick Sparks and Ravi Moss are .500 or above when shooting from beyond the arc. Both rank in the top five for best three-point percentage in conference play. If Tubby Smith is smart, he'll continue to play Sparks at the point guard position. Tonight will mark the 100th game that Central City native Patrick Sparks has started. Under the current lineup, the Cats are 2-0. The Cats have continued their streak of consecutive games with a three pointer. They currently have 593 games in a row.

ESPN airs the game on TV while the Big Blue Sports Network will take care of coverage on the radio with pregame coverage starting at 5:30. Dave Baker believes the Cats can take care of business if with guard the perimeter. Dave has no email access tonight.

Dave Baker was over in Frankfort today. After they did what they did with legislation, everyone was talking about the jump shots. What's up with the game time recipes? One caller said that Sparks has his confidence back. Dave wants Tubby to hire him and Oscar to be communication specialists. Dave has been very impressed with Joe Crawford and Oscar thinks he is the example of why the NCAA needs to institute the freshman rule. I definitely think that the Cats have improved since the return of Randolph Morris.

Tom Leach is now talking to Coach Tubby Smith about Auburn. The Cats have gotten better and Tubby says that matchups could be a problem. The Cats should make up for that in the inside. Morris is not much of a passer but it will be worked on. Chuck Hayes did score a double-double with the Houston Rockets. Tubby belives Chuck is deserving of what he did and he didn't coach anyone harder than Chuck. Seniors have been a leader on and off the courts. Ravi Moss has a lot of pride in the program and has been one of the top three-point shooters. Keys to the game: defense and rebound. We have to guard them since they don't go small. Play smart, no gambling. Dave and Oscar have left the building. The crowd is far less than capacity. The building is half full right now (5:56 PM)

ESPN Commentators: Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes, and Heather Cox:
Big Blue Sports Network: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker, Oscar Combs

Starters:
Kentucky
F - Bobby Perry
F - Joe Crawford
C - Randolph Morris
G - Rajon Rondo
G - Patrick Sparks

Auburn
F - Korvotney Barber
F - Joey Cameron
G - Ronny LeMelle
G - Frank Tolbert
G - Quantez Robertson

First Half Score Reports
AU takes the tip. Rondo lost the rebound. Charge. Good job, Bobby Perry. Sparks at the point. Crawford misses 3. AU Turnover. Morris for 2! AU Turnover. Morris loses it to a steal. Bad defense. Perry for 2 on the Morris miss. Cats turnover. Come on Cats! Perry fouls. Auburn fouls on their own side of the court so we'll have a TV timeout.
15:53 (TV Timeout) UK 4, AU 4
Perry for 2! Airball. Crawford fouls on the shot. Cats rebound the free throw. Morris and 2. Makes 1 of 2. Barber has two quick ones. AU Turnover. Sparks for 3! AU Turnover. Rondo for 2! Bad possession for the Cats. Charge on AU. UK has been drawing the charges and forcing AU turnovers. That's at least 7 right now for AU. Perry for 3! The Cats are on fire. Rondo misses 3, Cats rebound. Moss in for someone.
11:48 (TV Timeout) UK 15, AU 10
Bradley in. Woo in. Thomas in and gets called for a blocking foul. Rondo still in. Cats turnover. Bradley steal. Moss for 3! AU Turnover. Ravi misses 2. AU has 5 field goals and 9 TO. Jump ball. UK ball. Sparks back in. Rondo out. Woo and 2. 9:36 remaining. Makes 1 of 2. Morris in for Woo. 19-11 UK. Morris picks up a foul. Wake up, defense. Sparks to Morris for 2. Auburn getting hot. Morris answers with 2. Bradley rebound. Bradley for 2 and 1!
7:42 (TV Timeout) UK 25, AU 18
Morris and Perry with 7. Sparks with 4 assists. Bradley makes the shot. AU has 10 TO. AU T0. Morris misses. Starters back in. Morris picks up his second. Crawford for 3! Cats rebound. Crawford with 3 more. Sims in for Perry. Thomas in. Sims fouls. Cats fell asleep on defense. Sparks misses 2. Rindo rebound. Thomas for 3, misses, Sims rebounds and goes for 2 and gets fouled. Free throw after this break.
3:42 (TV Timeout) UK 34, AU 24
Misses the shot. Rondo misses. AU getting on a run here.
2:46 (UK Timeout) UK 34, AU 28
Moss misses 3. Moss, Perry, Bradley, Rondo, Crawford in for the Cats. Cats rebound. Bradley double dribbled. Sparks in for Bradley. Rondo rebound. Crawford adds up for 3 more. Charge and that's another AU TO. Sparks for 2 with a jumper.
42.2. (AU Timeout) UK 39, AU 28
Lebo wanted a time out. Sparks fouls. Tubby sends Bradley in for Sparks and you can see the eyes right now on TV. The coat just came off in the time out. Cats rebound.
HALFTIME UK 39, AU 28

Looking great for this to be a nice evening. The Cats just need to hold on to the lead that they have.

Second Half Score Reports
It's time to start the second half. The Tigers have possession at the start. The Cats lead 54%-50%. Morris picks up his 3rd foul. He'll sit for a long time. AU TO. Perry miss, Crawford rebounds and gets fouled for 2 and makes both. Another turnover for AU. Sparks misses 3 and Perry keeps it alive. Crawford is perfect with 3 more. Perry fouls underneath. That's his 2nd. AU misses both shots and the rebound went out of bounds. Thomas gets charged with another blocking foul. Crawford misses 3. Rondo misses 3 - That's not your shot!! Rondo rebound. Sparks misses 3. Woo rebound. Thomas for 2. Woo saves but AU steals and hits a 3. 46-37 UK. Push on the baseline.
15:02 (TV Timeout) UK 46, AU 37
Bradley got fouled. He'll shoot 2. Makes 1 of 2. UK steals the in-bounds pass only to lose it. Foul on the other end. AU TO on a travel. Bradley walked. Sims' shot rejected. 47-40 UK. Rondo and 2. Makes both. Crawford in for Rondo. AU TO on the shot. Sparks misses 3. 49-43 UK. AU on fire.
12:41 (UK Timeout) UK 49, AU 43
Tubby wants a quick time-out. Let's hope our defense wakes up. Morris's third foul definitely did not help. He'll come back in after this timeout or the next. Morris still out. Perry misses 3 and AU airballs. UK ball. Morris coming in now. Moss in. AU fouls on what I thought was a charge. TV Timeout.
11:40 (TV Timeout) UK 49, AU 43
Over the back on Auburn. Crawford makes both. Defense fell asleep there. Morris for 2 and he lossed it. Crawford shoots 2 and he gets fouled. Back to the line for Joe. He missed. Moss rebounds and gets fouled. Moss makes both. 55-45 UK. Crawford rebound. Morris loses it but it's off of AU so Cats get it back. Rondo blocked by AU. Jump ball. UK ball. AU fouls Morris. Morris makes 1 of 2. No rebounds for Morris yet. Darn it! Morris gets his 4th so Perry comes back in at the 9:07 mark. Cats can't defend the 3. 56-48 UK. Rondo for 2. These are Tubby's Runts right now. Barber gets his 4th after going over the back on the rebound so the Cats are heading back to the line.
7:45 (TV Timeout) UK 58, AU 48
Moss at the line. Makes both of them. Perry rebound. Rondo palmed the ball. Rondo rebound. Rondo lays it up for 2. Rondo rebound. Rondo for 2 and 1. Crawford rebounds Rondo's missed shot. Rondo misses. UK steals and Rondo gets 2 more. 66-48 UK. Crawford rebound. Sparks loses the ball on a bad pass. Foul on the shot. Morris on the bench. Under four on the AU defelections.
3:57 (TV Timeout) UK 66, AU 50
Crawford to the line for 2. Makes both of them. Rondo loses it out of bounds. No reason for fouls from here on out. Sparks fouls. 3:19 remaining.
3:10 (UK Timeout) UK 68, AU 54
UK has 2 time-out's left and Auburn has 4. This game should be over by 9 PM.
2:58 (UK Timeout) UK 68, AU 54
Sparks got trapped and G-d willing, this game will be over by 9 PM. I'd like to watch Commander-in-Chief tonight. Foul on the in-bounds pass. Crawford makes 2 more for 22 points. He's having a great game.
2:38 (AU Timeout) UK 70, AU 54
This game is clearly over.
2:25 (AU Timeout) UK 70, AU 56
Clearly over...why call a time-out? Crawford hits another free throw and misses the other. Ravi misses 3.
1:20 (AU Timeout) UK 71 , AU 58
Not a big lead but a comfortable one. Rondo misses a lay-up. Less than a minute. Perry fouls. Sparks misses a free throw.
END OF REGULATION
Kentucky 71, Auburn 62

After losing the first two conference games, the Cats move on to 3-2 in the conference and 13-6 overall. Auburn moves to 8-8 overall and still looking for a conference win as they move to 0-5 in the conference. Next up is Arkansas on Saturday.

WB and UPN to end in the fall

CBS and Time Warner are ending the WB and UPN networks this year and will start a joint network this fall. I don't know what this means for shows like Everwood, Everybody Hates Chris, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, What I Like About You, Reba, Twins, Related, etc. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this action.

CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. said Tuesday they will close their respective UPN and WB networks, and jointly launch a new channel in fall 2006.

The new CW network will be a 50-50 joint venture of the two companies.

The companies expect the station to reach 95 percent of the country.

Tribune Co. said its 16 UPN broadcast stations signed 10-year affiliate agreements with the new network. Similarly, CBS said its 12 UPN stations signed 10-year affiliate deals.

The two station groups reach 48 percent of the country. The companies expect the remainder of the affiliates to come from a combination of WB and UPN stations.

The CW will use The WB’s current scheduling model, which consists of Monday through Friday nights from 8-10 p.m. ET; Sundays from 7-10 p.m. ET; Sunday from 5-7 p.m. ET outside of primetime. It will also include a Monday through Friday afternoon block from 3-5 p.m. ET and a 5-hour Saturday morning animation block.

Currently, the WB serves as the JP Sports affiliate in Northern Kentucky.

Koufax Awards

I've been nominated for wider recognition.

When votes are open, please vote for this blog

Roberto Clemente Controversy?

Should Roberto Clemente's jersey #21 be retired like Jackie Robinson's #42? Sharon Robinson, the daughter of the late baseball player, is not too happy with this idea.

The Hispanics Across America advocacy group wants Clemente's number set aside the way the late Robinson's No. 42 was nine years ago. But Sharon Robinson said that honor should remain for her father only.

"To my understanding, the purpose of retiring my father's number is that what he did changed all of baseball, not only for African-Americans but also for Latinos, so I think that purpose has been met," Robinson told the newspaper at a birthday celebration for her father in Times Square. "When you start retiring numbers across the board, for all different groups, you're kind of diluting the original purpose."

In September, Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson made similar comments, saying baseball should find another way to honor Clemente.

I have to say that I agree with the Robinson family on this one. What Jackie Robinson did was break a barrier. With no offense to the late Roberto Clemente, he set the standard for the number of hits one must have to get into the Hall of Fame with 3,000. The MLB should find another way. The Pirates have a statue for him outside of PNC Park. I know because I have a picture of it or with it.

While nothing is official, it's looking like St. Louis University may be host of the CDA convention. Washington University was set to host it but that fell through due to unknown political pressures.

Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor may have made her last vote on the Supreme Court this week as we should know soon as to whether Judge Alito will be filibustered or not.

Maryland Congressman Ben Cardin, a Senate candidate, would vote against Samuel Alito if he were in the Senate.

Matthew Leach answers your questions about the St. Louis Cardinals.

UK's student government is in the news again...as usual.

Iowa Democrats have endorsed Senator Bayh's IN Education incentive, a big plan from when he was Indiana Governor. This plays well in Iowa, I hope. Maybe Chris or Drew could share their opinions? Before I forget, belated birthday wishes to Drew (Thank facebook!).

Bayh has praised Wisconsin and Iowa for their legislation similar to the 21st Century Scholars program that was initiated in Indiana.

The hiring scandal is worse than we thought. One witness said she used the RNC website to screen applicants.

Seven of the school board members are up for appointment. Looks like education will go back 50 years if Fletcher appoints who he wants.

For those of you wondering about Pat Crowley's blog, there's been so many "vile posts" that they are "we’re blocking posts for awhile until we decide how to handle posts." Fair enough. I can understand personal attacks on politicians and their families.

Dogblogging: When the Cute One Attacks

Words of advice: Don't wake a dog that is sleeping. He doesn't like it and I'm sure you wouldn't either.

Late Night Open Thread

How's this to celebrate about before going to bed? This is easily the highest I have seen on a day since Ron linked to it about the same time last year. And all I gotta do is thank the many fans of SNL...and Chuck Norris.

Virus Warning!

New Virus to come out. This is serious so be careful what you open.

The worm, which is spread through e-mail, uses a dated technique to entice users by promising pornography, says Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant, at Sophos. Nyxem lacks the sophistication of recent Trojan horse-style viruses that are more targeted and less prevalent in order to evade detection, Cluley says.

Nonetheless, users appear to still be clicking, and the worm was accounting for about 35 percent of virus traffic as of Monday morning, he says.

"It's a bit of a throwback to an old trick," Cluley says.

The worm harvests e-mail addresses and then sends itself out again. The e-mail subject line may contain text that says "Miss Lebanon 2006" or "School girl fantasies gone bad," according to Sophos.

Higher Education Rally in Frankfort

I've recieved word that the Kentucky Higher Education rally in Frankfort will be on March 8, 2006 from 12:45 PM to 2 PM in Frankfort, KY. It would have been nicer had it not been during spring break but I will do everything in my power to get there.

Confirmed speakers include State Treasurer Jonathan Miller and Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

Assuming I get there, it should be a great day.

The Unpredictables

That's my choice of a nickname for the 2005-06 Kentucky Wildcats basketball team.

Click here to send the Herald-Leader what you feel the team should be nicknamed.

One Year Later: Remembering Johnny Carson

It was just one year ago that we lost comic legend Johnny Carson, the host of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Some posts that you may want to re-read include:
Rest in Peace, Johnny
Tribute to Johnny
Johnny's Final Monologue
More Entertainment and Political News
Classic Humor
Before there was Jon Stewart...
NBC Doesn't Own Johnny
Dave remembers Johnny
Conan's tribute to Johnny
Johnny's Final Monologue (well, through Dave)
Bill Zehme's exclusive with Johnny Carson
Good Morning
Other news...

Johnny will always be remembered.

Monday Monday

At this rate, if I keep blogging reviews of SNL and transcribing lyrics for the digital shorts that appear on SNL, then I'll be supersizing the hits that the blog recieves. As of 12:51 PM today, hits show 444 unique visitors today and 571 page views. All-time page views have broken 110,000 as of sometime yesterday. I credit most of the latest jump to "Lazy Sunday," Rupp's Runts reunion, Glory Road being released, and the latest digital short, "Young Chuck Norris."

Bill Aylor is retiring as County Clerk of Kenton County and he has endorsed Aline Summe for the 2006 election.

The Kentucky General Assembly will consider numerous bills dealing with military veterans.

Right now there are more than 30 proposals before the 2006 General Assembly related to veterans or current military members and their families. That's not counting resolutions to honor various Kentucky residents for their service, including those killed in Iraq. And more could be introduced.

Rep. Mike Weaver, D-Elizabethtown, is co-sponsoring the veterans' mathematical preference plan. It would allow veterans the possibility of scoring above the otherwise high score of 100.

It would also require state job applications to highlight whether a candidate has military experience. State hiring officials would then be required to offer those candidates an interview.

"If they get the interview, I think they'll sell themselves because of what they bring with them," said Weaver, chairman of the House Seniors, Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee.

Another bill Weaver has offered would keep people from protesting at funerals or burial ceremonies inside 300 feet. Violators would be subject to a misdemeanor, Weaver said.

Former University of Kentucky Student Government President Alan Aja writes an editorial on UK and racism.

The Columbia Chronicle at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois, pays tribute to the late comedian Jim Zulevic, an alumnus of the Second City.

The Cleveland Indians are close to trading Coco Crisp to the Boston Red Sox for Andy Marte and Guillermo Mota. I have not checked to see if the deal has gone down yet. Okay, I just checked and the deal has been finalized.

I'm not surprised but Delaware Senator Joe Biden has said that he is on track for a run for president in two years.

He also has developed what might well be his campaign theme: a "quintessential middle-class guy" standing up for the increasingly beleaguered American middle class.

But Biden also realizes that his biggest obstacle to getting the Democratic nomination, and the White House, might not be Hillary Clinton but his own loquaciousness.[...]

Biden told me last week that he achieved the 2005 objectives he set for himself to confirm he is doing the right thing in running, but he does not expect to make any formal announcements until late 2007 or even early 2008.

Why so late? That's what hurt former Florida Governor-turned-Senator Bob Graham.

State Treasurer Jonathan Miller gives us an update on the Military Families' Bill of Rights.

It appears that Gov. Tim Kaine will re-appoint a lot of Mark Warner's executives.

James Taylor will recieve a superstar tribute as he is named as the 2006 MusiCares Person of the Year. The tribute will take place on February 6, 2006.

Paul Simon, India.Arie, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Carole King, Alison Krauss, Taj Mahal and Randy Newman are also slated to perform at the event, which will be held two days prior to the Grammy Awards.

John Mellencamp is featured in the new promo for NCAA Basketball for CBS Sports.

Shaul Mofaz has warned Iran.

Mofaz, who was born in Iran, said: "You, who are leading your country with an ideology of hatred, terror, and anti-Semitism, had better take a look at history and see what became of tyrants like you who tried to annihilate the Jewish people. They only brought disaster upon their own people." Though he stopped short of threatening military action, the defense minister said Israel "will not reconcile itself" to Iran getting the bomb.

Sabato likes Bayh and Warner

Seems like Larry Sabato is predicting an Evan Bayh/Mark Warner ticket or vice-versa. I've been saying it all along.

This was in Jim Carroll's weekly notes from Washington today:

The all-Hoosier ticket
Looking ahead to the Democrats' 2008 prospects for gaining the White House, political analyst Larry Sabato sees one ticket that "could be well-nigh unbeatable."

That would be former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, who was born in Indianapolis, and Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.

Warner-Bayh or Bayh-Warner could take Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana and Ohio away from the GOP, said Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, in his latest Crystal Ball newsletter.

"The total of 49 electoral votes from these four Red states would be nearly impossible for the GOP to make up," Sabato wrote.

Then he added, "Republicans need not worry: The Virginia-Indiana pairing makes so much political sense that the Democrats will never actually do it."

Warner and Bayh both are considering bids for the presidential race.

Thoughts?

NBC renews My Name is Earl and The Office

NBC has renewed both My Name is Earl and The Office for another season.

It was not surprising that NBC also announced that this is the last season of The West Wing. A retrospective will air on May 14th at 7 PM followed by the series finale at 8 PM.

That same week, Will and Grace also ends it's run on May 18th with a retrospective at 8 and the finale at 9 PM. They did a similar thing for Friends in 2004. One of my biggest regrets is not watching Friends as I probably should of. I've enjoyed the reruns I've seen and I watched the series finale as well as the retrospective then.

After the Olympics, NBC will make other changes. Law and Order moves from the 10 PM slot to the 9 PM slot. Deal or No Deal will return on February 27 and run the rest of the week til March 3rd. The Office season finale will air on March 30, 2006. After that, Teachers will air in that slot.

A Slow Sunday

After this, it's brunch and then doing all homework due this week.

For Wildcat fans, we had the perfect day last night as Kentucky won, Duke lost, UConn beat Louisville, and Tennessee dropped Florida. It doesn't get much better than that. All Kentucky needed to do was move Central City native Patrick Sparks from the #2 guard to the point guard.

The NL Central may actually be a race this year. My pick is the Cards finishing first.

Yep, the Dudes made another digital short as was mentioned early this morning in my usual SNL recap. This was Young Chuck Norris.

Senator Bayh is caught in Clinton's shadows. I just hope it's for good things and not the bad. After reading the article, it's not Bill's shadow but Hillary's.

I have always supported the University of Kentucky Wildcats no matter who the coach is or how bad our performance is. Lay off the criticism of Tubby Smith. We're winning and we'll rebound in time to get another conference title. Not just that but I would never switch allegiance to Duke or Louisville.

Senator Obama has opened up a new chapter.

Doug Brogar's Young Chuck Norris Lyrics Transcript

This spot is reserved for the Doug Brogar's Young Chuck Norris transcript from the SNL Digital short that appeared on the show hosted by Peter Sarsgaard. This sketch featured Jason Sudeikis, Andy Samberg (as Chuck Norris), Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, Jorma Taccone, and Bill Hader.

I've got video now and it's been uploaded to YouTube.com.

Jason Sudeikis did all the singing during this digital short. Here are the lyrics or transcript of "Young Chuck Norris."

Spoken:
Legend has it he walks among us even now
A dreamer alone in a world between dreams and reality
Was he always a fighter, was he always a hero
What do we make of the young Chuck Norris

Sung:
Norris used his hands and his feet
And he kicked and he punched with his hands and his feet
And he kicked and he punched with mr. Bruce Lee
On master of kara-ta-ta-tee
And he kicks and he spins some more
Back to Vietnam to settle the score
Don't forget Walker, Texas Ranger
When he kicked and he punched his way from danger

But hey let's turn back time to younger days
Before all of the fame and mind games
His deeds were no less strengthened
A man among other men
The legend of young Chuck Norris yeah

Young Norris used his hands and his feet
And he kicked and he punched with his hands and his feet
He also ran and he jumped in the air
He was younger so he didn't even care
Way before his Hollywood fame
He slapped and punched and he saw the famed name and he was known as Master Chuck
His last name was Norris and his first name was Chuck

Round house kick (Chuck Norris)
Death hold grip (Chuck Norris)
Mustache lip (Chuck Norris)
Tender kiss (Chuck Norris)

Fathers let your daughters know
Dreams may come and dreams may go
But a man like Norris never dies
He lives forever in the children's eyes

Young Chuck Norris this is my tribute to thee
Live on great warrior into eternity

Peter Sarsgaard hosts Saturday Night Live

I've seen some of the promos this week and I don't like that "Carol" may be on this weekend. Not SNL related but you can view Rajon Rondo winning the game against South Carolina or Patrick Sparks hitting a clutch 3 late in the game.

Cold Opening: Looks a Anderson Cooper (Seth Meyers) sketch. He talks about Ray Nagin's comments. Nagin is played by Finesse Mitchell. Nagin says that when he said chocolate, he meant delicious. Jesse Jackson joins in. Darrell Hammond plays Jackson. Hillary Clinton (Amy Poehler) explains her plantation remarks by saying she was speaking to an African-American audience. Live from New York, it's...Seth Meyers.

Monologue: Peter Sarsgaard mentions how he plays dark characters. He scared Fred Armisen in a clip. He questions Amy as to where she lives. He hung out with Kenan Thompson too.

Commercial: Bill Hader promotes toupees for infants.

Target: Another Target sketch. Kristen plays the cashier. Amy plays a customer. Peter plays the manager on his break as a Kristen runs off. Kenan wants to exhange a gift. Kristen is not authorized and Peter won't help. Chris Parnell is the next customer. Whatever it is, she runs off.

Holiday Inn Pirate Convention: Will Forte welcomes guests to the convention. Andy Samberg does the roll call. Bill Hader, Horatio Sanz, Chris Parnell, Jason Sudeikis, Peter Sarsgaard, and Fred Armisen are also in it. Peter Sarsgaard plays himself. Arrr. A musical number with Andy Samberg and everyone else in the sketch.

"Carol" Art Gallery Opening: Jason and Amy are a couple. Oh, gosh. No. Not that sketch. They give us another Carol sketch. Bill Hader is a waiter. I didn't like that sketch at all.

Digital short: Doug Brogar's Young Chuck Norris. Jason Sudeikis is the singer. It was hard to tell at first but it was Andy Samberg who played a young Chuck Norris. Amy was in there and so was Fred. This wasn't the same as "Lazy Sunday" but it was interesting. Jorma Taccone was featured in this short. It won't be too long before this sketch makes it's way around the internet or should I say the internets.

Cat Fancy Magazine: Peter is behind a desk and plays Chuck. Seth is Jack. This deals with plagarism or a story that never existed. Jack gets fired. This was a spoof of "Shattered Glass"

Musical guest The Strokes sing.

Weekend Update: New OBL audio tape. Ray Nagin and the Chocolate City. Google and the subpoenas. Democrats attack Bush on wiretapping. Al Gore and John Kerry talk about the law being broken. Al and John argue over whether John lost. Hillary Clinton and the plantation. The space proble landed in Utah. Fathers for Justice wanted to kidnap Tony Blair's son. An internet project in Ohio in a word I don't want people searching my blog for. Julia Roberts in "Three Days of Rain." A 101-year-old man married a 68-year-old woman. "Bloviate with Bill." Drew Barrymore cameos when they said she arrived with two Golden Globes of her own. Drew calls Tina by Amy. Tina apologizes. Fan jailed in the Cleveland-Steelers game. International cockfighting Derby and the bird flu. Legal prostitution in Britain. Paris Hilton opens a club in Vegas.

Gays in Space: A recurring sketch. Looks like Forte in the intro. Kenan, Fred, Chris, Peter, and Bill in this sketch. Rachel, Tina, and some other female in the sketch as well. Finesse and Jason in the sketch, too. Seth joins in.

Fairmount Suites Inn: This sketch takes place in St. Louis and features Rachel and Peter. Peter can't seem to find the remote. They are both cracking up. The clock went from 9:21 PM to 1:13 AM, give or take. I couldn't stop laughing during this one. He finds a remote.

NSA Wiretapping: Rachel and Amy are in this one. Their phone call is being wiretapped. Jason and Peter are the NSA people listening in. After the NSA guy gets up, they mention words that I wouldn't mention on here.

Once again, The Strokes.

Peter Sarsgaard's SARS Guard: Peter speaks about bird flu. Two years ago, the disease was SARS. He developed the Sarsgaard SARS guard. You can get 5 for $1. It is 60% effective. It's been difficult to sell them.

Next show on February 4, 2006: Steve Martin with Prince.

Next week is a rerun of Dane Cook and James Blunt.

Can we get the trifecta?

Kentucky beat USC. Georgetown beat Duke. Now, let's root for the UConn Huskies over Louisville!

Apparently, the citizens of New York want a special election in 2008. They back Hillary in 2006 and 2008.

The State of the Kentucky Democratic Party will be delivered on January 25, 2006. I will not be there but I didn't even know such thing existed. All Kentucky Democrats are invited.

Rupp's Runts aren't done yet. They will be working hard for cancer research.

Joe Lieberman will be on Face the Nation tomorrow.

Rupp's Runts had a Cinderella story of their own. Heck, they weren't even ranked in the preseason. In 1964-65, the Cats were 15-10.

The Runts did it with panache, the tales of fast breaks run without the ball ever touching the floor are still told today.

For those Kentucky fans with gray in their hair and lines of experience upon their foreheads, the back story of this season is as fresh as yesterday's headlines.

How the seniors, passing whiz Larry Conley and defensive ace Kron sacrificed their own offense and fed the ball to the team's juniors, helping Dampier and Riley become All-Americans.

How a little-known sophomore, burly 6-5 Jaracz, stepped in at center and battled bigger foes to a standstill.

"I always thought the thing that made that team special was the great sacrifice of the seniors to get the ball to the shooters," says Joe B. Hall, a UK assistant in 1966. "Conley and Kron subordinated their games for the good of the team. That doesn't always happen."

After those years flirting with mediocrity, Rupp loved the little team that had taken him back to the spotlight.

"Adolph loved winning," Kron said. "And I think he was so proud of putting together a team that played so well together."

Mostly, Rupp wanted another national title, wanted to be the first coach to reach five NCAA crowns.

Which, as basketball fans and movie patrons know all too well, was not to be.
Reams have been written about the social significance of Texas Western and its all-black starting five besting the signature college basketball program that represented what was then, in a sports context, still a segregated Old South.

But strictly from the UK perspective, there is an enduring twist.

Said Conley: "Ours was a very compelling Cinderella story. A small team that no one thought anything of before the season that reaches the national title game.

"But we get there and all of a sudden there's a total role reversal. And we're the heavy, thrust into the role that Kentucky teams always play."

What were the odds that a UK team that was beloved by its fans because it was such an unforeseen success would wind up in the ultimate game opposite a school whose rags-to-riches story was even more compelling and profound?

Kentucky vs. South Carolina

The University of Kentucky Wildcats take on the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. During halftime, the Wildcats will honor the 40th anniversary of Rupp's Runts and welcome back the ENTIRE 1965-66 team including Miami Heat's coach and team President, Pat Riley. Speaking of Rupp's Runts, take a look at Jeffrey McMurray's AP article about Kentucky reaction to Glory Road.

Kentucky comes into the game with an 11-6 record. South Carolina enters with a 10-7 record. UK is 1-2 in conference play while USC is 1-3. Kentucky leads the series 35-6. At home, the Cats are 18-1 against the Gamecocks. A loss today would set a first with Kentucky already having lost the first two games of conference play at home.

JP Sports will air the game on television while the Big Blue Sports Network will cover it on the radio with pregame coverage beginning at 11:30 AM. If you are not covered by JP Sports, then you can check out Yahoo's college broadcast listings as the UK game is a featured game this week and it's free for viewers.

After the game against Georgia, I hope Patrick Sparks is moved to the point because we did so much better with that lineup! Under the new lineup, the Cats are 1-0. After Saturday, Patrick Sparks will have 99 consecutive starts. Currently, he has 98 and is ranked 9th. Rekalin Sims is expected to play but with limited time as he has had back problems as of late. The Wildcats have hit a 3 in every game dating back to 1988. They currently have 592 consecutive games with a three. UNLV has 617 while Vandy has 614.

As Oscar said, when shots start falling, we start winning. Looks like people will have their autograph requests turned down. Unfortunately, Pat Riley will not be there today after a loss at home. It's saddening since he was supposed to be here but oh, well. Looks like Dave and Oscar are split between Louisville and UConn tonight. Chuck Hayes had a double-double against the Chicago Bulls last night.

Another promo for Adolph Rupp: Myth, Legend and Fact, a documentary put together by WKYT's own Dick Gabriel.

Tom Leach now speaking to Tubby Smith. Practices were lively. Spirits were up. Tubby's been under the weather but his spirits are up too. The slow starts have been due to what's happening on the defensive end.

Mike Pratt's State Farm Insurance Keys of the Game:
- Offensive end must continue to build upon the trust and feed Randolph Morris, or feed the open guy
- Eliminate or make turnovers very manageable.
- USC is an excellent defensive team and good at rebounding. Stop the dribble penetration.
- USC had not closed people out until they played Vandy.

That ends the pregame coverages. Dave Baker now turns it over to Tom Leach and Mike Pratt. JP Sports coverage now begins as well. "Bittersweet Symphony" and "Right Here, Right Now" can only mean one thing: starting lineups.

JP keys: Guard rails and Morris the Cat.

JP Sports Commentators: Tom Hammond and Larry Conley
Big Blue Sports Network: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker, and Oscar Combs

Starters:
Kentucky:
F - Sheray Thomas
F - Randolph Morris
G - Rajon Rondo
G - Patrick Sparks
G - Joe Crawford

South Carolina
F - Brandon Wallace
F - Tarence Kinsey
C - Antoine Tisby
G - Tre Kelley
G - Dwayne Day

First Half Score Reports:
UK controls tip to Rondo who passes to Morris for 2. Crawford gets an early foul. Crawford loses the layup. Morris fouls on the other end. Down 8-2. Sparks for 2! Cats rebound. Crawford for 3 after we got it back. Travel on USC after Rondo nearly steals it. Morris for 2 and 1! 10-7 Cats. Thomas to Sparks for 3! Sparks for 3 more! He's got confidence and found his shot. Subs to come in soon. Rondo airballs the 3. Four subs coming in. Rondo misses a 3, Crawford rebounds for 2. 5 subs coming in now. Morris for 2 and 1!
13:05 (TV Timeout) UK 20, USC 20
Patrick has found his shot but it looks like after Morris hits the free throw that we will see a new lineup. 67% in the first half so far. Woo, Sims, Moss, Perry, and Bradley in. Moss steals. Bradley misses. Sims picks up the foul. USC hitting everything from outside. Sims for 2 after a few rebounds. Cats rebound. Perry misses 3. Woo picks up the foul.
10:40 (TV Timeout) UK 23, USC 23
Sparks back in for Perry. Morris in for Woo. Morris for 2. Cats rebound. Sims misses 3. Bradley answers with a 3. Sparks to Morris for 2. 30-26 Cats. Fans on the feet. Sparks misses. Morris picks up the foul on the rebound and he'll sit.
7:14 (TV Timeout) UK 30, USC 28
4 3's for the Cats. Woo aside, all starters are in. Turnover on the bad rebound. 30-30. Cats steal. Rondo passes to Sparks and turnover on miscommunication. 5:56 to go. Charge! Cats ball. Rondo spins for 2. Woo picks up a foul. Perry in for Woo. Rondo rebound. Crawford misses 3.
3:35 (TV Timeout) UK 32, USC 30
Turnover right as the shot clock was ending. Perry for 3. Cats fumble the rebound. Dave Odom questions whether Perry's shot was a 3. The call was correct. Cats not blocking the shots. Thomas for 2. Sparks, Bradley, Moss, Perry, Thomas in for the Cats. Bradley lost it. 37-36 Cats. Thomas throws a bad pass.
55.3 (UK Timeout) UK 37 , USC 38
Tubby calls a timeout to setup the final minute of the first half. 56% field goals, 46% from outside. Foul on USC. Sparks for 3! USC Turnover. 19.2 left. 40-38 UK.
HALFTIME

We take a lead into the locker room. We're 9-1 when that happens. Now, will the honoring of the 1965-66 team be televised? My guess is that it will as Larry Conley is a part of the broadcasting team. They are showing the team on the court being honored to a standing ovation. Sparks and Morris are in double digits. Sparks is 4/5 having made all 3 point attempts. Moss and Woo are the only players not to have any points in the first half. They showed the starting lineup being introduced but not the reserves. Either way, they should commended as we celebrate the 40th anniversary. Pat Riley may not be there but rest assured, he is there in spirit. North Dakota State is beating Wisconsin in Madison by 16 in the second half. What's up with that? Larry Conley felt fine about Glory Road. He recommends it but he hated being on the losing end. Both teams shotting over 50%. UK leads 20-10 in the paint.

Second Half Score Reports
USC controls at the beginning of the half. Starters in for the Cats. Jump ball and Cats get it. Thomas blocked by Wallace. Cats ball with a 5 second call. Sparks to Rondo for the alley oop! Rondo blocks and it's a jump ball. UK is playing some great defense. USC gets the ball back. Rondo for 2. Thomas for long 3 and miss. USC Turnover. 44-43 Cats. Crawford and Perry in. Crawford for 2. Perry for 3 and miss. Morris rebound and couldn't get it off. Rondo fouls.
15:37 (TV Timeout) UK 46, USC 45
UK needs to go on a spurt. UK not blocking the 3's. Rondo blocked. Morris over the back. That's his 3rd foul. Woo in for Morris. Sparks to Woo and miss. USC on a 10-0 run. Down 53-46. Sparks miss. Cats rebound. Crawford for 2 and miss. Down 10. USC on fire.
13:06 (UK Timeout) UK 46, USC 56
The Cats are playing an athletics USC team that is not missing a thing right now. They are not playing good defense right now. The last time we lost 3 straight at Rupp was 1926-27. USC intercepted the pass. USC fouls. Rondo back in for Sparks. Moss in and he makes 3. Cats rebound. USC fouls again. Morris in for Woo. Perry for the jumper with 2. Within 7. Fans on the feet. Perry or Morris fouled on that one.
11:29 (TV Timeout) UK 51, USC 60
Morris has his 4th. Thomas and Perry at forward. Moss hits the layup and the foul. Moss, Bradley, and Rondo as guards. North Dakota State has knocked off Wisconsin 62-55. Kinsey misses for USC. Cats rebound. Perry for 3. 61-56 USC. 10 to go in the half. Fans on the feet. Perry rebounds. Moss for 3 and no good.
9:29 (USC Timeout) UK 56, USC 61
Four guard lineup. Sparks in. Perry the tallest man on the floor. USC airball. Shot clock violation. Cats ball. Sparks to Crawford for 2. 3 point game. Great defense forces a USC timeout rather than turning it over.
8:24 (USC Timeout) UK 58, USC 61
Pitt lost to St. John's. Duke down 42-28 at the half. Bradley fouls USC. Missed the first half of 2. Cats down 4. Crawford for 2. Down 2. Turnover on USC.
7:40 (TV Timeout) UK 60, USC 62
Cats on a 14-4 run over the last 4 minutes. Perry for 3! Cats lead! Crawford picks up a foul. Rondo rebound. Bradley for 3. USC answers on the other end. Rondo draws the foul. 66-65 Cats. 5:58 remaining. Turnover and Cats lose lead. Rondo miss. Perry for 2. 68-67. Turnover on UK on the rebound. 5:01 to go. Moss in for Crawford. Foul on the floor so Rondo's basket does not count. Morris for Perry. Morris misses. Rondo rebound.
3:51 (TV Timeout) UK 68, USC 69
This will go down to the wire. This has been a close game. Sparks for 3, miss. Wallace taps it in but Crawford will be credited. 70-69. Lost ball. Bradley gets charged with a blocking foul. Looked like a charge to me. 73-70 USC. Morris on the bench. Sparks in the bench. Perry, Moss, Rondo, Bradley, Crawford in for the Cats. Perry misses 3. Down 4 with just over 2 to play. Bradley for 2!
1:43 (UK Timeout) UK 72, USC 74
I feel good about the Cats. Just under 2 to play. They should pull it off. Charge! UK ball! 1:25 to play. Crawford for 2 and 1! 74-74 before the free throw. Missed the free throw. 1 minute remaining. Kinsey is fouled with 39.1 remaining. The foul is on Sparks. Shooting 2. Made the first. Morris returns for Moss. Made the second. Sparks for the long 3!!! 77-76. 31.1 remaining. That was NBA length. 27-28 feet. That was at the end of the K. Fans are on their feet.
31.1 (UK Timeout) UK 77, USC 76
Pressure. Looked like a walk but Morris gets his 5th foul. Morris leaves with 12 points. 9.9 remaining. He walked. He definitely traveled. Thomas in for Morris. Tisby bat the line. Tie game at 77-77. 78-77 USC.
9.9: (USC Timeout) UK 77, USC 78
The Cats just need to go straight for the basket. A dunk, lay-up or jumper will do. Don't go for the 3. UK 55%, USC 52%. Fans on their feet. Each has 1 TO left. Rondo for 3! That's not his shot but he made it. 80-78! Two big 3's by Sparks and Rondo!!! 1.2 remaining! RAJON RONDO! I don't believe what I just saw.
1.4 (USC Timeout) UK 80, USC 78
How bout #4?!? Rondo, Gerald Fitch and Kyle Macy!
1.4 (UK Timeout) UK 80, USC 78
END OF REGULATION
KENTUCKY 80, SOUTH CAROLINA 78

Duke is trailing Georgetown. Wisconsin lost. Pitt lost. Despite the 15-0 run, UK came back and won this game. Perry and Moss got the comeback started. But Patrick Sparks and Rajon Rondo! The UGA game was a confidence booster with the Cats. They are now 2-2 in conference play and 12-6 on the season.

Of everyone that played, Woo did not score. Crawford had 15 points. Sparks had 14. Perry had 13. Morris had 12. UK shot 50% from behind the arc. The Cats shot 55.9% in field goal percentage. Rondo was named the player of the game.

Some great news for Cats fans: It appears that Duke will lose.

Postgame show with Coach Tubby Smith: "You think we practice standing around? You think we practice boxing out?"

Rupp's Runts to Reunite

It should be noted that Pat Riley is not going to sign autographs tomorrow. The game is on JP Sports so hopefully they show the ceremony. The WHOLE team is scheduled to be there, not just the starters.

The 1965-1966 Starters:
G - Louie Dampier
G - Tommy Kron
C - Thad Jaracz
F - Pat Riley
F - Larry Conley

The Reserves:
G - Bob Tallent
G - Steve Clevenger
G - Jim LeMaster (Preston's father!)
C - Larry Lentz
C - Cliff Berger
C/F - Brad Bounds
F - Tommy Porter
F - Gene Stewart
F - Bob Windsor
F - Gary Gamble

The voicemail Larry Conley left for Pat Riley earlier this week went something like this: "This time everybody's got to be at the reunion. This is the first time -- and probably the last -- that we'll all be together."

Riley, coach of the Miami Heat, has a game tonight, but he has told friends that he'll be there tomorrow when Rupp's Runts and the rest of the 1965-66 University of Kentucky basketball team gather for a reunion before, during and after the current Wildcats' game against South Carolina.

Players from the '66 team will be available for autographs from 10:30 a.m. to noon tomorrow at the UK basketball museum. They'll also be honored at halftime of the 1 p.m. game.

"I wish I could anticipate some of the stories and lies that will be told," said Conley, who was a 6-foot-3 senior forward on that team. "It's going to be great to get everyone together so we can tell all of the families, all of the wives and children, just how good we were because they never got to see us play."

The Runts went 27-2 and advanced to the NCAA final before losing the now-storied game against Texas Western, 72-65.

From the time that game ended on March 19 nearly 40 years ago, those Wildcats never have been back together. UK held a 25-year anniversary, but some of the players couldn't make it. This time they're all expected to be there.

"I just can't wait to visit with all of my old teammates and catch up with so many people," Conley said. "That's what's really most important."

So it is Friday...

I listened to some Wilson Pickett last night in tribute to him. He was a great singer like many people of that era.

It's been 12 years but Steve Martin will host again. Prince will be the musical guest. I really hope that Dan Aykroyd cameos in this.

Does it finally come to this? Blues legend B. B. King is planning a farewell tour.

They a razing a famous studio in Nashville where Elvis Presley recorded "Heartbreak Hotel." The studio was owned by RCA.

Eric Fingerhut is an official candidate for Governor in Ohio and I ask that ALL my Ohio readers vote for him.

Neil Young: Greatest Hits is now officially a gold album.

"Red Scare" is now performing in Denver. Check it out.

Here's the transcript from last night's Larry King Live:
KING: Let's get some legislative response to this with two outstanding members of the United States Senate. They are Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, he's in Columbia. He serves on Senate Armed Services. And, in Washington, Senator Evan Bayh, Indiana Democrat, he serves on Select Armed Services and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Senator Graham, what do you make of all this?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Well, I guess he's trying to send messages to different groups, I guess Zarqawi and those guys probably encouraged he's still alive.

But the thing that strikes me most about the tape is that we're often accused, I think rightfully so, in not understanding the root cause of terrorism or our enemy. I don't think he understands us very well. To suggest a truce to the American people just shows how disconnected he is from who we are and what our purpose is.

KING: Senator Bayh, in essence is he, we asked the panel this, is he winning this war?

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA, ARMED SERVICES, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES: No, Larry, I don't think he is. He's obviously still very dangerous. He's killed people in the last year in Madrid and London. Obviously he killed thousands here.

But, as one of your guests previously indicated, their ability to carry out spectacular large-scale attacks has been significantly degraded. So, they were chased out of their safe haven in Afghanistan.

He is in all likelihood hiding in a cave someplace in the remote areas of Pakistan. He's capable of causing death and violence, obviously scaring many people in our country but I don't think that ultimately he is winning.

KING: How seriously do you take this threat, Senator Graham? GRAHAM: Well, I think you have to take everything that he says and does seriously but he has been diminished in terms of his leadership abilities but I could tell you this for sure, Larry, if we got up tomorrow and the paper read that bin Laden captured or killed, it would make us feel better but it really is not going to change the fundamental dynamic we're dealing with because Zarqawi is a bigger problem than bin Laden right now.

KING: Do you agree, Senator Bayh?

BAYH: I do. Osama bin Laden is no longer exerting operational control over al Qaeda. There are now many al Qaedas around the world carrying out these attacks but he remains an inspirational figure. He needs to be removed for that reason and also, Larry, for the basic reason of simple justice.

This man needs to be brought to justice to prove that no one can do, perpetrate the kind of crimes he has perpetrated and get away with it, so he's not exerting control but it's still important that we get him.

KING: Senator Graham, if perception is reality, he still is perceived as the world terrorist is he not?

GRAHAM: Absolutely. When you mention terrorism what's the first person that comes to mind, bin Laden. He represents that segment of humanity that really needs to be dealt with. He represents the worst in who we are in terms of religion and tolerance.

And, Evan's right, if it takes forever we need to put all the resources available to our country to bring him to justice to show the world that people like him can be brought to justice. But he represents the worst in humanity and I'm optimistic that people in the Muslim and Arab world over time will reject what he preaches.

KING: Is the failure to get him, Senator Bayh, a failure?

BAYH: Well, obviously we would like to have gotten him long before now but he is in a very remote part of the world. I just got back from the border area in Afghanistan and then went to Pakistan and it is mountainous. It is remote. The tribes there are harboring him.

So, of course it's a disappointment we haven't gotten him but I believe that eventually, Larry, he will be brought to justice and we also need to continue to deal with the roots of this problem, which is giving across that part of the world these alienated young people a positive alternative to radical jihad and suicidal terror. That in the long run is what will allow us to defeat Osama bin Laden.

KING: Does it disturb you, Senator Graham that apparently he still remains one of the more popular figures worldwide?

GRAHAM: Beyond belief. His popularity in Pakistan, for instance, is amazingly strong. I guess he represents resistance more than he represents a lack of humanity and maybe one day we can turn the tide because bin Laden's world is a very terrible world for women. It's a terrible world for people who want to embrace God on different terms. It's not the way to go for the Muslim or the Arab world. It really does bother me that so many people throughout the world could see him as a positive figure when, in fact, he has nothing to offer but the worst of humanity and maybe one day, as Evan said, we can change that. I hope so.

KING: Why do you think, Senator Bayh that he is so popular?

BAYH: Larry, it can only be a failure to understand what the man truly represents and who he truly is. I mean look at Iraq. He's sponsoring killing of Muslim versus Muslim. He's trying to start a religious war within his own religion. He kills women, children, innocent civilians without remorse.

How could anyone who looks at this record possibly find him to be an inspirational figure? I think the answer lies in the fact that there are these young people across the Islamic world who have no economic future, no political participation.

They've been instilled with a radical interpretation of their own religion and they have gone to him out of in some ways desperation and hopelessness. And that's why it's when we stand for freedom, economic, political and religious that we give them a positive alternative to bin Laden-ism.

KING: You remain optimistic, Senator Graham?

GRAHAM: I do in the sense that 11 million people turned out to vote in Iraq with signs on the walls saying "If you vote, you die" yet the Iraqi people are joining the army. They're becoming judges. They're becoming lawyers. They're wanting to be policemen. They're fighting Zarqawi. They're taking the terrorists on head on.

So, I'm optimistic that the people in Iraq show that it's possible to go a better way and I hope the people in the region will reject the Iranian president's call to break the world apart. So, I'm optimistic that good people in that part of the world are going to overcome evil. We just need to be more supportive and somehow better connect.

KING: And you, Senator Bayh, are you optimistic as is Senator Graham?

BAYH: Larry, I'm optimistic but I also think it's important that we be realistic. This problem that has given rise to bin Laden, and Lindsey mentions the president of Iran who is a scary individual and that is a whole other problem we need to deal with seriously as they seek nuclear weapons, I am optimistic but this is going to take some time to deal with.

We've got to be strong. We've got to be persistent and we've got to gather the world with us because we stand for the forces of freedom and a better future. Someone like bin Laden wants to take us back to the dark ages. The president of Iran envisions an apocalypse. That can't be the future of America or the rest of the world and we need to be in this for the long haul.

KING: Thank you both very much, Senators Lindsey Graham and Evan Bayh, two outstanding members of the United States Senate.

Late Night Open Thread

Not sure if it's a sign of bordom or not but between me and my cousin, the blog has 2,003 posts including this one.

Theo's back. Back again. Theo's back. Tell a friend.

In light of Jaywalking tonight, what was the last book you read?

Quote of the Day

"They really use 'eh?'"
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 19, 2006

Breaking: Wilson Pickett dead at 64

The AP just reported that musician Wilson Pickett has died at the age of 64.

Veteran soul singer Wilson Pickett has died.

His agent says he suffered a heart attack at a hospital near his home in Virginia. He was 64.

He was known as "Wicked Pickett" for his unique singing style as well as his intensity both on and off the stage. And he is considered one who helped shape modern rhythm and blues.

Pickett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

Two of his hits, "Mustang Sally" and "In the Midnight Hour" were included in a Rolling Stone list of the greatest 500 songs of all time.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and fans. May he rest in peace.

Bayh Update

Scratch the MSNBC appearance, but he will be on Larry King Live this evening.

The weekend is here

I have a request. Can somebody, I don't care who it is, email me the PDF of the game notes for UK tomorrow. They usually go up the day before the games but the situation has not been resolved yet from what I can see. I can still not access UKAthletics.com.

The National Review takes a look at Mark Warner who may be running in 2008. I have to say that in reading Warner's quotes, I agree that we should not fight how we got into Iraq but how we get out of it.

Time to write some comedy sketches and work on some homework so I don't get stuck doing that all day on Sunday!

Bayh to make MSNBC appearance

Tune in to Chris Matthews at 5 PM. We hear that Evan Bayh will be on around 5:10 PM.

In other news, Evan is leading the charge against Iran.

Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana said on Thursday he will introduce a resolution in the U.S. Senate on Friday calling for countries to stop exporting gasoline to Iran as punishment for Iran moving forward with its nuclear program. "To forestall the need for nuclear force, we need tough action now, including economic sanctions, cultural sanctions, cutting off their supply of gasoline, (arms) sales, those kind of things, to convince the radical leaders of Iran that nuclear weapons are something they just cannot have," Bayh said on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" morning program.

The weekend comes again

For many, that's tomorrow. As for me, it comes at 2:55 PM. My only problem is that I scheduled a 9 AM class on MW. Every other day of the week is fine.

The state house backs veterans. Does the state Senate?

"We want to honor those many veterans who survive their time in service and return to Kentucky looking for employment,” Rep. Mike Weaver, D-Elizabethtown, said in a prepared statement. “These veterans have their leadership skills, their decision-making skills, and the care they have shown their fellow soldiers," Weaver said. The legislation adopts recommendations of a special task force headed by the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs.

Gordo gives his take on how Walt Jocketty has done this off-season with regards to the moves made.

Sarah Silverman is a very talented stand-up comedian. However, I'm not a fan of the comparison that one reviewer made.

Compared to other standup comics, she’s Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and Keira Knightley rolled into one.

Sarah is unafraid to touch any subject. However, she is a SNL alumnus but was fired after a controversial episode.

They watch The Daily Show at Eckerd College.

In Wildcat basketball news, Chuck Hayes has been signed a ten-day contract with the Houston Rockets.

Evan Bayh is not happy with Delphi.

The Delphi plan calls for giving 10 percent of the company's stock to the executives, a common practice.

And not a necessarily popular practice, at least not with Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who counts many Delphi workers among his constituents.

"Circumstances like that of your company and decency require that the highly paid not seek to enrich themselves on the backs of middle-class working families," Bayh wrote in a letter to Delphi's management this month. "In that spirit, I urge you to take the current incentive plan for Delphi's executives off the table."

Bill Ritter, a candidate for Governor in Colorado, has named Barbara O'Brien as his running mate.

Joe Lieberman met with supporters to chat and talk about the issues. He even led a minyan to daven Mincha and Ma'ariv so that he can say Kaddish for his late mother.

Greg Stumbo is upset with the budget cuts and said that it is soft on crime.

Denver Butler has decided against running for another term in the state House.

I was quoted about the grading policy changes in The Community Press.

I had a feeling it was going to pass," said Daniel Solzman, a junior public relations major from Louisville. "I'm extremely disappointed."

Solzman and about five of his classmates were at the meeting in protest. Most held signs that pictured a plus and minus sign and had slogans such as "It doesn't add up."

Bayh was on Fox and Friends the other day. Here's a transcript:

Steve: Good morning to you, Senator.

Bayh: Good morning to you, Steve.

Steve: Well, we are delighted to have you join us today because we are going to break a little news here. You tomorrow are going to introduce a resolution on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Bayh: That’s right. I just came back from the region and it’s increasingly clear that Iran presents a real menace, not only to the national security interests of the United States, but to the rest of the civilized world as well. As you know, they are the foremost sponsor of terrorism in the world, they’ve called for the destruction of Israel, their president has asked its citizens to imagine a world without the United States and now they are seeking nuclear weapons. That is an outcome we just cannot allow to happen, Steve. So to forestall the need for the use of military force, we need tough action now, including economic sanctions, cultural sanctions, cutting off their supply of gasoline, arms sales, those kind of things to convince the radical leaders of Iran that nuclear weapons are something, they just simply cannot have.

Steve: So, you are talking about travel ban, ban on selling refined gasoline, keeping them out of the WTO, just to name a couple of things.

Bayh: Yeah, a variety of things. Interestingly enough, Iran is a major exporter of oil, but they don’t have the refining capacity to create their own gasoline. They have to import about 40 percent of the gasoline they receive, so getting a worldwide agreement to ban the export of gasoline to Iran could have a major impact on their thinking.

Steve: Poor planning on their part apparently. They forgot to build the refinery. I know you feel that Iran cannot be trusted, do you feel that there is a possibility that the military threat - they know there is a military threat - but do you worry that something might actually come to blows over there?

Bayh: Well, let’s hope not. And to keep that from happening, we need strong action today on a host of other fronts. You know, we’ve been letting this slide for a number of years now. The window for action here, Steve, may be as little as a few months. So we need a sense of urgency here so that we don’t have to use military force, if it comes to that, there are some sensitive areas of their program that we might target, but frankly, that would delay their development, not forestall it entirely. So, we need to summon the world, including the Russians, the Chinese, and others, to convince them that a nuclear-armed Iran is in no one’s best interests.

Steve: Senator Evan Bayh, we thank you very much for joining us on this Thursday.

Bayh: Good to be with you.

Rob Corddry is heading to Fairbanks.

Oh crap. My thoughts and prayers are with the latest victims hit by suicide bombers. No one is sure which group was behind the attacks but ten Israelis were wounded.

The only fatality was the bomber, according to police, although one of the wounded was reported to be in serious condition.

The blast occurred Thursday afternoon near the old central bus station, which was crowded with shoppers and travelers.

TV Guide hears that Bryce Dallas Howard will be cast as Gwen Stacy in in Spiderman 3. Also, Jason Ritter, son of the late John Ritter, has been cast in a CBS comedy pilot, The Class.

Late Night Open Thread

For those interested as to whether or not I will liveblog the State of the Union, I have opted not to watch it this year. Instead, I will either watch a DVD or I will tune into ESPN2 or the Fox Sports Network for college basketball.

On ESPN2, as a part of Super Tuesday, Florida vs. Mississippi is on at 8 PM. ESPN will air Illinois vs. Wisconsin that evening.

I'm off to bed. Have a good night.

Quote of the Day

"Listening to everyone's phone calls and old people have to get on planes shoeless...Ironically, the president's nickname for Scott McClellan: Usefool Tool."
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 18, 2006

Open Thread

One more week of Tuesday games...

I hate when I miss episodes of Commander in Chief but they always say that life's never fair.

Next week's game is at 7 PM so I think it will be over in time for Commander in Chief.

John Yarmuth's farewell?

John Yarmuth wrote in his column today that it may be goodbye for now until after the filing deadline has passed. Yarmuth is considering a run for Congress.

Northup for the 3rd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is not a tough decision, not the least ramification of which would be leaving this space.

Suffice to say that a seat in Congress is not a lifelong ambition. Nothing in my professional career has been as satisfying as addressing the issues of the day (and some eternal issues as well) with an audience of intellectually curious readers.

Over the past few months, however, I realized that I have, in a sense, been in an ivory tower. I have written these columns and pontificated on television, but I have never tested my ideas "on the street." The prospect of doing so began to appeal to me.

More important, I continue to be concerned that the current occupant of the seat has never been held to account for the votes she cast, the special interests that support her, and the national agenda that she has religiously pushed. Clearly, I strongly disagree with that agenda, which favors corporations over people, money over the environment and the wealthiest over the most needy. When it looked as though there would be no legitimate challenger to Rep. Northup, I started to give the race some serious attention.[...]

Over the past four weeks I have been talking to people across the social, economic and political spectrum in Louisville. I have been gratified and even humbled by the response. For example, I have met with labor union leaders who have told me that they would be proud for me to carry their banner in the campaign. For an East End ivy-leaguer, their confidence in me means more than I can say.[...]

This process has been a difficult one, not only for me but also for the leadership of LEO. Ultimately, they concluded that I should address the question of my candidacy, even though we realize that it will be perceived by some as favoritism should I proceed with the race. (I am sure any other candidate’s response will be welcome.) They also have decided — and I agree with their decision — that this is the last column I should write until the filing deadline has passed. So until then, or maybe for longer, I will say goodbye.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens and I wish John Yarmuth the best of luck in his decision.

Forgive the delay

My apologies for the delay! When the College Dems have meetings, expect postings to be late on Wednesdays. Again, my sincere apologies. Onto the news!

Sasha Cohen will be on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

In education news, education may be getting the shaft in this year's Fletcher budget. The Kentucky Kernal is reporting that UK may have to increase tuition for the fourth straight year.

Lexington-area senators and representatives expressed general disappointment with what Fletcher proposed for UK.

"In a perfect world, you'd want to give everybody everything they asked for," said Republican Rep. Stan Lee. "But I'm very happy the additional amount of money is put in postsecondary education."

Democratic Rep. Kathy Stein said UK deserved better.

"I'm very disappointed that the governor doesn't realize the need to turn UK into a top-20 university by 2020," Stein said. "Dr. Todd's business plan was very reasonable."

Democratic Sen. Ernesto Scorsone anticipates a "big push" in both houses of the state legislature to get more money to UK and all of postsecondary education.

"If we can't get a better budget, it's going to be very disheartening," Scorsone said. "We just have to do better."

If UK is getting only 87% of what they want, I'd be concerned as to how much NKU will get.

The site where Robert Johnson recorded has been confirmed.

Paul Mecurio's status is rising.

Mazel Tov again to Jon Stewart.

On Saturday, Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, will receive the NSCAA's honorary all-American award. Stewart is a former soccer player at William and Mary.

Lexington youth should check out the Lexington Youth Speak Out at the University of Kentucky student center tomorrow from 5:30 to 8 PM.

The Lexington Youth Speak Out is a city-wide forum in which high school and college-aged youth have the opportunity to voice and discuss their opinions and concerns about community issues with six panelists. Panelists include: Teresa Isacc, mayor of Lexington; Ernesto Scorsone, Kentucky state senator; Jonathan Miller, Kentucky state treasurer; Dia Davidson, news anchor at WLEX-18 in Lexington; Anthany Beatty, Lexington chief of police; Lee T. Todd Jr., president of the University of Kentucky.

Kentucky vs. Georgia

Tonight, the University of Kentucky Wildcats take on the University of Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia. The Wildcats come into tonight's game with a depressing 10-6 record. Georgia comes in with a 11-5 record. In conference play, the Cats have lossed both while the Bulldogs have a 1-2 record. The Wildcats currently dominate the series with a 104-21 record.

After starting the season shooting 42% from behind the arc, the Cats are shooting a depressing 24% over the past eight games. Sparks has started 96 consecutive games now. As bad of a slump as Sparks has been in lately, I don't think he should start at all. Maybe he'll play better since Georgia Bulldogs Coach Dennis Felton recruited him. We shall certainly see. Despite the slump, the Cats have managed to continue their streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer with 591 to date.

ESPN will air the game at 9 PM. The Big Blue Sports Network will air the game on the radio with pre-game coverage beginning at 7:30 PM. The Cats are have not won a single game this season when playing on ESPN.

Dave was in Oxford over the weekend covering Mississippi State and Ole Miss which explains why we heard Dick Gabriel on Saturday.

When is the last time we've lost 4 in a row? Dave and Oscar think it was the Eddie Sutton era (not Pitino). Oscar believes that we are very close to setting a new home court record for losses.

Next year will definitely be a rebuilding year. What will happen to recruiting if we are NIT-bound? Oscar has not given up on the Cats season yet. For what it's worth, I still support Tubby Smith.

BREAKING: Pat Riley will not be in the autograph session on Saturday as he is being flown up that morning.

Dave is now talking about the Dick Gabriel DVD. Rumor has it that it will air on KET again in March.

Tom Leach is now speaking with Tubby Smith. The big concerns are offense and defense. The Cats have to be patient and fight the pressure. Tubby has said that they practiced the fundamentals and worked on executing plays. "They're not playing together at all, there's no cohesiveness." Bobby Perry is good to go. Rekalin Sims is doubtful to be playing. When Leach spoke this morning, there was talk of starting Ramel Bradley over Patrick Sparks. If Sparks lost his starting spot, then his streak has ended at 96 games.

Tom Leach just confirmed that Sparks will start, not Ramel Bradley. The tip will be at 9:08 PM.

Mike Pratt's State Farm Keys of the Game:
-I missed all them.

Radio Commentators: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker, Oscar Combs
ESPN Commentators: Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes, Heather Cox

Starters
Kentucky:
F - Sheray Thomas
C - Randolph Morris
G - Rajon Rondo
G - Joe Crawford
G - Patrick Sparks

Georgia
F - Terrance Woodbury
C - Dave Bliss
G - Levi Stukes
G - Sundiata Gaines
G - Channing Toney

First Half Score Reports:
Georgia controls the tip. Morris loses it but the Cats get it back. Rondo to Morris for the alley oop. Down 6-2. Sparks to the line. Missed both free throws. Cats rebound. Morris with two more. Rondo with the long jumper and misses it. Cats get it back on UGA throwing it out of bounds. UGA steals and gives it back by dribbling on the base line. Rondo on the baseline. Crawford with the rebound. Thomas for 2. Rondo fouls. Crawford rebounds the failed alley oop. Foul and we have a TV timeout. Woo came in for Morris already.
15:47 (TV Timeout) UK 6, UGA 8
Perry is in. Bradley is in. Moss is in. Perry's shot blocked. Perry loses possession again. Tubby is not pleased and calls timeout.
14:57 (UK Timeout) UK 6, UGA 12
Morris is in for Perry. Georgia gets the foul. Rondo misses but Bradley rebounds. Sparks coming back in soon. Georgia is shooting great from the outside. Over and back. UGA ball. Down 18-8. Patrick gets fouled playing offense. Bradley on the drive, makes the basket, and draws the foul. Misses, gets the rebound, and gets the 3. 18-13. Woo fouls. Thomas is in and rebunds. Bradley on the drive, misses, and UK turns it over. Cats rebound and Moss hits the 3. Bradley with 2 more and it's 18-18. Cats on a 10-0 run. Thomas fouls and UGA will shoot 2.
10:16 (TV Timeout) UK 18, UGA 18
Sparks running the point. Cats miss the 3. Perry back in. Sparks misses the 3 and there was a foul on the rebound. Stukes drew his 3rd personal foul - this is big for UK. Perry at the line. Makes both. Cats lost it on a pass. Moss draws the foul on that drive. Looks like Dr. Andrew Weiner, a sports psychologist, was brought in to help the Cats and spent a whole three hours with the team. Crawford is fouled on the rebound. Already in the bonus. Misses and Perry rebounds. Turnover on a double dribble. 8-2 Cats in terms of turnovers. 21-20 UGA. Perry rebounds. Rondo came in sometime. Morris missed. Cats ball.
7:02 (TV Timeout) UK 20, UGA 21
Sparks still running the point. Morris loses it. Bradley with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Rondo for 2. Cats not blocking great. Rondo for 2. Steal! Rondo fouled before the shot. Misses and Morris rebounds for 2 more. 26-26. Moss back in. Sparks on the bench. Bradley in. Bradley misses the shot. Turnover
3:55 (TV Timeout) UK 26, UGA 29
Morris misses but Cats rebound. Long jumper for Morris and he has 8. Illegal screen. Cats ball. 29-28 UGA. Bradley misses it, saved back to the Cats, and knocked out of bounds of Thomas. Just over 2. Bradley steals and UGA intentionally fouls by grabbing Ramel's jersey. Bradley makes bith and it's 30-29. The Cats get the ball back. Foul away from the ball on Morris. UGA ball. Bradley picks up the foul. 1:30 to go in the half. 30-30. Woo is in. Thomas for 2 but he's fouled on and will head to the line for 2. Makes 2. Cats rebound. Moss for 3 after Woo almost lost it. Felton wants a TO for the last shot of the half.
21.3 (UGA Timeout) UK 35, UGA 30
Thomas picks up another foul. 2.9 left in the half. UGA makes 2.
HALFTIME

It's not a big lead but at least we have the lead at the half for a change. Cats lead in turnovers with 11 to UGA's 7. Bradley has done great so far. He has 11 points and ESPN.com actually shows him with 4 or 7 rebounds. Either way, the Cats are looking great. We've continued our streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer. I'm hopeful that we can hold on to the lead. If we can hold Stukes and get him fouled out, we should win. Cats led 52%-29% in shooting. Led 16-4 points in the paint.

Second Half Score Reports
The starters are back in. Turnover. Rondo with an airball. That's not your shot, Rajon. UGA ball. Sparks rebound. Charge on Morris. That would have been 4 on Stukes. Sparks is doing good offensively but no points yet. 36-35 UGA. Crawford miss but UGA threw it out of bounds. Sparks for 3! 38-36 UK. Someone fell asleep. Morris for 2! Cats rebound and Sparks with the jumper!
15:29 (TV Timeout) UK 42, UGA 38
Sparks must have his confidence back with two shots in a row. The Cats are 4-10 from behind the arc today. Cats ball. Perry in. Morris with 2. He has 12. Sparks rebound. No points on that one. Morris rebound but that may have been over-the-back. Cats ball. Sparks missed but the shot wasn't bad. Sparks rebound. Pass to Rondo for 2. Felton wants a TO.
12:51 (UGA Timeout) UK 46, UGA 38
The Cats are on an 11-2 run. Morris fouls Mercer on the dunk. Could be a 3 point play. Moss in. No good from Perry.
11:57 (TV Timeout) UK 46, UGA 41
Rondo with the steal and the dunk for 2! Perry with the foul inside. Rondo rebound. Rondo to Perry for 2. Cats ball as UGA throws it out. Sparks in. Bradley in. Moss loses the rebound. Turnover. Under 10. Perry loses and UGA is down by 4 but they may be calling it for hanging on the rim. Sparks at the line for the free throws. Makes 2 more. 52-46 UK. Cats ball. Bradley for 2. Morris in for Perry. Sparks to Bradley to Sparks for 2 more! Thomas on the floor. Maybe a a foul. 10 point lead. UGA ball. Moss fouls and then Bradley gets called for a technical. Tubby is not happy. UGA makes both. 56-48 UK. Rondo fouls when he tried to steal the pass. Looks like we are in the bonus. Cats rebound on the missed free throw. Moss misses and he gets the rebound and is fouled from behind. 7:39 to go.
7:39 (TV Timeout) UK 56, UGA 48
Rondo for 2. He has 10. Three in double digits. Moss fouls on the pass. Under 7 to go. 58-50. Crawford in. Rondo for 2. Cats ball on the turnover. Just over 6 to go. Gaines drew the foul. Sparks fouled. Cats ball. Thomas loses it but we got it back. Crawford airball. Rondo steals and loses it. Thomas loses it.
4:55(UK Timeout) UK 60, UGA 50
Morris for 2! Cats rebound. Sparks lost it out of bounds. Rondo steals but it goes out of bounds
3:45 (TV Timeout) UK 62, UGA 50
Rondo reound. UK shooting 54%. Patrick for 3! That's 12 points.
2:45 (UGA Timeout) UK 65, UGA 52
The UK Bench was up and standing after that 3! I don't know what Dr. Anthony Weiner did with the Cats but I think he motivated them enough for a victory. Crawford for 2! His first for the night. The movie they saw was Glory Road. Cats rebound. Patrick gets fouled. Tubby is soaken wet from sweat. Sparks to Crawford for the oop. Stukes with the airball. 1:16 remaining. These Cats are back. 69-52. Sparks picks up the foul. UGA makes 1 of 2. Tubby sends Shag, Preston, Jared, Stockton, and Williams in for the final minutes.
END OF REGULATION
KENTUCKY 69, GEORGIA 54

That's the end of that slump.

Turin Olympics or Torino Olympics?

This article from the AP confirms why I had been confused. It is the Torino Olympics if you use the Italian name of the city. If you use the English translation, it is the Turin Olympics. NBC is using Torino. The AP and newspapers are sticking to Turin. The rest of America is most likely confused.

Turin or Torino? It's the Olympic version of "You say tomato, I say tomahto."

The city in northern Italy that’s hosting the Winter Olympics next month is "Torino" to the locals and NBC. For most of us non-Italians, it's always been Turin.

"I believe readers are seeing it on television with the NBC logo, it says 'Torino,' the Olympic Games," Ron Fritz, sports editor at The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., said Tuesday. "And then they see it in the paper, 'Turin,' and they’re thinking we got it wrong."[...]

"Turin is the English translation of the Italian word Torino," said Clara Orban, a professor of Italian at DePaul University. "Standard practice in the United States is if a city name has been translated differently, go with the English translation."

That's what The Associated Press is doing. Its policy — and it was around long before Turin was awarded the Olympic Games — is to use the English version of foreign cities. It's Rome, not Roma. Munich, not Muenchen. Moscow instead of Mockba or Moskva.

And Florence isn’t going to be called by its Italian name, Firenze. At least not without an accompanying map so people would know what city that is.

"We use Turin in accordance with our long-standing style to use English names on English-language wires," said Terry Taylor, AP sports editor. "It's the Shroud of Turin, for instance, not the Shroud of Torino. And when the World Cup comes to Germany this summer, we will write that games will be played in Munich, not Muenchen.

"Of course, in the interest of accuracy, we will not Anglicize the name in full references to the Olympic organizing committee, which uses Torino, and we will not change Torino to Turin in quotations."

The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and many other news organizations follow similar policies. Travel writers at the Times, for example, have been calling cities by their English names for years.[...]

The official name of the games is "Torino 2006," and the International Olympic Committee refers to the city by its Italian name. When the games were awarded in June 1999, then-IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch announced, "The hosts of the 2006 Games will be Torino."

After NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol took a trip to Turin, he decided the network would go with Torino, too. NBC has the U.S. broadcast rights to the games.

"Dick was hearing the way the locals were saying Torino, and how it’s so magnificently Italian how it rolls off the tongue," said Mike McCarley, vice president of communications and marketing for NBC Sports.

"He decided on that trip that we would call it Torino."

And with as many as 200 million people tuning in to watch the games, that means there’ll be a lot of Americans speaking at least one word of Italian for a few weeks.

USA Today also went with Torino because that is the official name, said Monte Lorell, the paper’s managing editor for sports.

"We had to decide what is the least confusing to our readers. You could say the Torino Olympics in Turin, but that just leads to confusion," Lorell said. "We decided to just make it uniform all the way throughout.

"I feel a little bit better that NBC is using Torino," Lorell said, "because that’s what readers will be seeing on TV."

So, Turin or Torino.

Either way, the Winter Olympics will simply call the city home next month.

"I think," Jolly said, "people will be able to figure it out."

Until they do, confusion is sure to be the rule.

"I had this woman call me up," said David Ledford, executive editor at The News Journal in Wilmington, Del. "She said, 'Don't you even know how to spell it? It’s in huge type on the front page. On the front page!' I didn’t get a chance to say anything, she hung up on me."

I hope this clarifies any confusion. When refering to the games in the future, I'll probably use Torino.

Pre-game update

Apparently, the team is that bad to where Mark criticizes the two people that gave Kentucky votes in the AP poll.

Martin O'Malley's gubernatorial campaign has raised close to $4.2 million dollars.

Albert Brooks, a Jewish actor-director-comedian, is Looking for Comedy in a Muslim world.

Unless news breaks, I'll be back in time for the pre-game show at 7:30 PM.

A quick edit after reading the UK notes in the Herald-Leader. If we can't win tonight, then let's hope that Rupp's Runts provide some motivation on Saturday when they reunite at Rupp Arena!

Kentucky has had few teams which got more out of less through chemistry and collective effort. Five operating as one was the slingshot this David used to slay Goliaths.

Ironically, the Runts offered a diverse number of ideas to explain the cohesion. Yet it seemed to mysteriously descend on the team like a blessing from the basketball gods.

"If I could explain that to you, I'd be the greatest sports consultant in history," Larry Conley said. "No one knows what brings teams together."

Adolph Rupp melded a team of varying personalities. Louie Dampier and Thad Jaracz were reserved. Pat Riley a court jester. Tommy Kron and Conley were seniors intent on, as Conley put it, going out "with a bang."

Conley noted a 15-10 record the season before as a contributing factor.

"I didn't want to go out of there with a bad record," Conley said. "That was the last thing we wanted. Kron and I dug in our heels. Nothing verbal. It was just understood."

Other theories suggested by the Runts included:
• Necessity.
As the nickname suggested, the Runts could not physically overpower opponents.
"I think we had to do that," Kron said. "If we didn't play together, if we didn't block out, we'd get beat."

• Conditioning.
That was the first year then-assistant Joe B. Hall introduced a conditioning program.
"We got in really good shape," Kron said. "That really made a difference."

• Humility.
"A lot of it was we were happy to be there," Jaracz said. "It was an honor to play for Kentucky and an honor to play for Adolph. You wanted to do the right thing and you wanted to be successful."

• Rupp's system.
"He had a set plan," Dampier said of Rupp. "A lot of ball movement. He just worked on fundamentals. We always ran drills with a ball in our hands."

Kron noted a consistent approach: man-to-man defense, fast-break offense. "We did things we had to do to be successful," he said. "We didn't vary it."

• Rupp's insistence.
Rupp tolerated no deviance from the system.

"Everything you did had to be so precise," said Bob Tallent, a reserve on the team. "He watched everything like a hawk. He knew if you crossed your fingers incorrectly. You had to do everything correctly or you wouldn't be around long."

Tallent recalled a drill the players ran for 10 minutes. Only four mistakes were permitted. "That's in probably a thousand passes," he said. "If we made five mistakes, we had to do it all over."

• Oh yes, talent.

"They recruited great players," said Tallent, who later became a college coach. "That always helps."

It didn't take the Runts long to realize they were on to something special.

"At Thanksgiving, I thought, 'You know what? I think we're going to be pretty good,'" Conley said. "That was a team that fell into roles rather quickly. All of a sudden you look around and say, 'This is my role.'"

A team unranked at the start of the season became No. 1.

"We had the right people at the right place, and the right people off the bench," Dampier said. "It just snowballed."

Conley defined what Dampier meant by right people.

"You have to make sure you have unselfish people," he said. "All we wanted to do was win. That's uppermost."

Recovering from the Globes...

In the meantime, you can relive George Clooney thanking Jack Abramoff here.

Herb Brock has an interesting article on Glory Road in the Danville Advocate-Messenger. It's well worth the read.

In a press release sent out to supporters, I've learned that New Hampshire State Rep. Peter Sullivan has filed "revolving door" legislation.

Sullivan is the sponsor of HB 1481, which will impose a one year cooling off period before elected and appointed state officials could engage in lobbying activities.

"In recent weeks, the depths of a culture of corruption in Washington has been laid bare" said Sullivan. "The actions of people such as Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff show what happens when there is no serious attempt to rein in the influence of special interest lobbyists."

"HB 1481 is a crucial first step in ensuring that Beltway-style corruption doesn't take root in New Hampshire. By locking the revolving door between public service and private gain, we can make sure that the public interest never takes a back seat to well-heeled special interests."

The Henderson Gleaner remembers Rupp's Runts and compares that team with the current team playing for the Wildcats.

Scott Rolen is ready to get back to work.

Is Natalie Portman bound for greatness after that comparison?

Natalie Portman — With her close-cropped pixie cut and 1950s vintage Chanel couture gown, Natalie was a refreshingly modern incarnation of Audrey Hepburn in the Sabrina era.

In Kentucky, we don't speak about the confirmation hearings at dinner, we speak about college basketball. Because in this great commonwealth, it's a way of life!

Austin Kearns is concerned for the Cats as well.

With a month to go before the start of spring training, the outfielder's beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats generally are gearing up for their latest NCAA tournament run and everyone in Lexington is looking forward to March.

That hasn't been the case this year, as UK has dropped three in a row to fall from the Top 25 and is still looking for its first Southeastern Conference win. It's a bona fide crisis in the Bluegrass State, and let's just say Kearns' thoughts Monday were focused far more intently on the Wildcats' game at Georgia tonight than they were on his new contract with the Reds.

Kearns avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $1.85 million deal that nearly doubles his 2005 salary of $930,000. But enough about that.

"I'm just waiting for these 'Cats to hopefully turn it around," Kearns said, "or heads are going to be rolling around here."

UK's struggles have Kearns anticipating spring training a little more than usual. Of course, there's one other key factor at work there too. When the Reds dealt Sean Casey to Pittsburgh last month, they cleared up the longstanding outfield logjam and ensured regular playing time for both Kearns and Wily Mo Pena, who signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal Sunday.

Heads are already rolling here, Austin.

Bonus Quote of the Day: Steve Carell's Golden Globe Speech

"Wow, I, uh, I really did not expect this so I didn't write anything. However, my wife did and handed me something. Um, I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for this great honor. I would also like to thank my wife, Nancy, for her constant support and for being so beautiful tonight. That's true. Thanks also to Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant for creating such a wonderful, ground breaking piece of television and to Greg Daniels for his talent, courage, and sheer audacity. This is good, thank you. Uh, also to my wife, for giving me two wonderful children as painful as her labor might have been. Thanks also to an excellent cast, crew, and writing staff all of whom I am indebted to. If were not for you, I would not be here right now. I don't know about that. Steve Sower, Michelle Bowen, Matt Labog, Holly Berell...Nancy, my precious wife, who put her career on hold in support of mine and who sometimes wishes that I would let her know when I am going to be home late so she can schedule her life which is no less important than mine. To my parents for not making me go to law school. And finally to the love of my life, my wife Nancy. Thank you very much. This is a very great honor."
--Steve Carell, accepting the award for Best Actor in a television comedy, January 16, 2006

I thought people would appreciate this transcript.

Quote of the Day: George Clooney thanks Jack Abramoff

"I thought Paul Giamatti would win. It's early, I haven't had a drink yet. I want to thank Jack Abramoff, you know, just because. I’m the first one out, lets get this thing rolling. I don’t know why. Who would name their kid Jack with the last words ‘off’ at the end of your last name? No wonder that guy is screwed up. Alright I just got bleeped."
--George Clooney, native of Maysville, Kentucky, Acceptance Speech at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards, January 16, 2006

2006 (63rd Annual) Golden Globe Winners

Let me just say that I really don't have a particular favorite in the category of Best Actor in a television series (musical or comedy) since they are comedy all-stars.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE: George Clooney, Syriana "I thought Paul Giamatti would win. It's early, I haven't had a drink yet. I want to thank Jack Abramoff, you know, just because. I’m the first one out, lets get this thing rolling. I don’t know why. Who would name their kid Jack with the last words ‘off’ at the end of your last name? No wonder that guy is screwed up. Alright I just got bleeped."
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE: Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Paul Newman, Empire Falls
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA: Geena Davis, Commander-in-Chief
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA: Hugh Laurie, House
MISS GOLDEN GLOBE: Dakota Johnson
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Empire Falls
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Steve Carell, The Office Partial transcript: "Wow. I really did not expect this so I didn't write anything. But my wife did and handed me something...I'd like to thank my wife, Nancy, for her love and support...Ricky Gervais...this is good, thank you. Also to my wife for giving me two wonderful children...cast, I don't know about that. Nancy, my precious wife, who put her career onhold in support of mine and sometimes wishes I would let her know when I'm going to be home late so she can schedule her life, which is no less important than mine....to my parents for not making me go to law school...finally to my wife, Nancy."
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds (Dedicated to the late John Spencer)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Elvis
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: S. Epatha Merkerson, Lackawanna Blues
BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE: Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain (This should have gone to Munich, Match Point or Good Night and Good Luck!)
BEST TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Desperate Housewives
BEST FOREIGN FILM: Paradise Now
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE: John Williams, Memoirs of a Geisha
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE: "A Love that will never grow old," Brokeback Mountain (The Producers should have won for this category!)
CECIL DeMILLE AWARD: Anthony Hopkins
BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain (Munich or Good Night and Good Luck are better-directed movies if you ask me)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE -MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line (No surprise here! Walk the Line was a great movie!) "Who would ever have thought that I would win in the comedy or musical category? Not expected...John and June for sharing their life with all of us..."
BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Walk the Line
BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA: Lost
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA: Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA: Brokeback Mountain

Jeff Nelson signs with St. Louis

Jeff Nelson, a veteran reliever, has signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. If he makes the Cardinals out of spring training, he'll be guaranteed an $800,000 salary.

My Golden Globe Predictions

My predictions for this year's Golden Globe Awards:
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA: Good Night, and Good Luck
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA: Gwyneth Paltrow, Proof
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA: Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man
BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Walk the Line
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE -MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Promise
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE: Scarlett Johansson
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE: George Clooney, Syriana
BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE: Steven Spielberg, Munich
BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE: Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, Munich
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE: John Williams, Memoirs of a Geisha
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE: "There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway," The Producers
BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA: Commander-in-Chief
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA: Geena Davis, Commander-in-Chief
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA: Kiefer Sutherland, 24
BEST TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Curb Your Enthusiasm
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Steve Carell, The Office
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Empire Falls
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Mira Sorvino, Human Trafficking
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Ed Harris, Empire Falls
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: Donald Sutherland, Commander-in-Chief

Kentucky Cheerleaders win another title

The University of Kentucky cheerleaders have won their 15th cheerleading title.

The University of Kentucky cheerleaders continued its dominance at the Universal Cheer Association National Championships by winning their record 15th title, the third in a row, Sunday at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

The team earned an automatic bid to the finals of the competition by tying for first in the South Regional based on a tape submitted to the UCA last fall.[...]

Kentucky has cleaned up at the cheerleading competition, winning championships in 1985, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

At least we know that Cats are doing good in cheerleading AND woman's basketball!

Remembering Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Instead of reposting my post from last year, I'll just post the link for it.

Natalie Portman to host SNL

It's a rumor at this point but that's what NataliePortman.com is saying. The episode that she is rumored to host air live on March 4. Speaking of Natalie, she will be a presenter this evening at the Golden Globes. You can watch that on NBC.

Keep former UK assistant and current Tennessee Tech Coach Mike Sutton in your thoughts and prayers.

Last April, Sutton was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare inflammatory disorder that causes paralysis. He was left bedridden and on a ventilator. He spent more than seven months in three hospitals before being released Nov. 18.

Sutton, 49, has returned to coaching in a limited capacity. He is confined to a wheelchair. Assistant Steve Payne has taken over many of the day-to-day operations but insists that the Golden Eagles (11-5, 6-2 Ohio Valley) remain Sutton's program. Sutton attends practices and home games and two weeks ago made his second road trip of the season as Tech lost at Eastern Kentucky.

When Sutton appeared on the McBrayer Arena floor he was applauded warmly. Fans remember him as an assistant at the University of Kentucky under Tubby Smith before he took over Tech in 2002. He has been inundated with cards, letters and phone calls from well-wishers.

"It's amazing," he said. "I told someone earlier that the most important thing in life is people. I am very blessed. A lot of people have cared a great deal and have expressed their concern through prayers and letters and calls. I just can't thank everyone enough."[...]

"He spoke to the team," UK coach Tubby Smith said "He looked better. He is much more vocal...I saw a lot of good signs for a guy who had been on a ventilator for six months. Thank G-d he has come a long ways from where he was only able to blink his eyes."

There is still hope out there that Emily Hughes will be at the Turin games.

Sometime between now and Jan. 27, a five-person, USFSA-appointed committee will watch her perform both her short and long programs.

If she is deemed unfit for Olympic competition, alternate Emily Hughes will join 2006 national champion Sasha Cohen and Saturday night's runner-up, Kimmie Meissner, on the U.S. team.

Here's a partial transcript from Senator Bayh speaking with Wolf Blitzer.

Comedy shows in Canada are no longer allowed to show clips of government debates.

How to save the Oscars? I don't know but if they can get Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell as presenters, they might be able to save the show.

First, they let Matt Morris go. Now, it's being said that the 2006 season may be the last for Jim Edmonds as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I'm 35 now," the Gold Glove center fielder said at the Cardinals' 10th annual Winter Warm-Up at the Millennium Hotel. "If you're an athlete and you're running around every day, it's getting to the end of your career."

The Cardinals hold an option for Edmonds on the 2007 season. Edmonds, who will turn 36 on June 27, batted .263 with 37 doubles, 29 home runs and 89 RBIs in 142 games last year. It was his lowest average since 1999, when he hit .250 in 55 games with the Anaheim Angels.

"If they don't pick (the option) up, I don't know how many opportunities there are going to be for me to play," Edmonds said. "I'm going to approach it like this season will be one of the last ones I have. Hopefully, they'll allow me to come back. But if they don't, I have to be ready for Plan B."

Edmonds spends his off-seasons near Los Angeles and said he wasn't familiar with the Cardinals' personnel changes.

"I haven't really heard too much of what's going on," he said. "I came back here a couple of weeks ago and people said, 'What do you think about your new teammates?' I said, 'Which ones?' I didn't know who we signed or anything.

"When you're in California, it's like you're on an island of movie stars and other stuff. It's not much into sports. If you're not in L.A. watching Kings hockey or the Lakers or something, you don't get a lot of news."

Edmonds will be flanked by newcomer Juan Encarnacion in right and a most likely a platoon in left involving Larry Bigbie, John Rodriguez and So Taguchi. Encarnacion replaces the retired Larry Walker; the other three would replace Reggie Sanders, who signed a free-agent contract with Kansas City.

"I'm happy (for) one thing: I won't have to worry about running into Reggie anymore," said Edmonds, whose collision with Sanders in July sent Sanders to the disabled list with a broken leg.

Jack Santo has started the Ground Floor Theatre in Cleveland.

The Cincy Post has an article on the late Coach Rupp and race relations.

Colts Update#2

I don't believe what I just saw. Colts picked up a fumble with a bit over a minute left. The Colts have it within 30 yards or so from the end zone. Thirty one seconds to play and Vanderjact will probably come in for the field goal to put the game in overtime.

Do you believe in miracles?!?

UPDATE: Vanderjact missed the field goal but there was a flag on the play for an automatic first down. The Colts need to intercept it for a touch down.

Colts Update

Indianapolis Colts are down 21-18 to the Steelers with just over 4 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Let's go Colts!

Lady Cats Beat Georgia Tech 66-62

They improve to a 13-3 record.

At least Coach DeMoss is doing a great job with the woman's basketball program. If they can beat Tennesee on January 26, they are bound to go to the NCAA.

They beat Florida once this season.

In NFL action today, the Indianapolis Colts are currently down 14-3. Not looking to good for the Colts right now.

Long Day Ahead

You can add JP Sports and SEC Sports to the list with UK Athletics. This is the list of sites that I cannot access while on campus but I have no problems getting on at home. I posted the other day that NKU believes UK blocks the connection. In light of research done today, I believe it to be the other way around since both websites deal with UK Athletics in someway. No other athletics websites have been blocked. It makes no sense at all to block sites dealing with the University of Kentucky. None of these are porn sites so why are they blocked by the IT at NKU? In the mean time, I have to depend on friends or family to send me the game notes and other information that I am looking for.

Jason Marquis would not mind arbitration.

Howard Dean will bring in Carl D. Chidlow to take over the fundraising post which has stayed vacant since Lindsay Lewis stepped down.

Due to no having no organizer, the Louisville Democratic Party Meetup group has been shut down. I wonder if this will affect any grassroots campaigning this year.

U.S. Figure Skating Championships: Emily Hughes passed over

I caught some of the Figure Skating Championships this weekend. I couldn't help but notice Sarah Hughes' sister, Emily.

The US Olympic Figure Skating team will consist of Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meissner, and Michelle Kwan. Kwan was voted in as a medical bye because of an injury. BS! Emily Hughes finished in third and she should have had the third slot of the team that is going to Turin for the games.

The men's team that is heading over consists of Johnny Weir, Evan Lysacek and Matt Savoie.

Scarlett Johansson hosts Saturday Night Live

Should be an interesting show. I wonder if they will do another rap similar to "Lazy Sunday."

Cold Opening: "Pat Robertson and the 700 Gang." Looks like a Robert Smigel cartoon and it seems interesting for a cold open.

Monologue: Amy Poehler wears the same dress as her. I hear a song coming up. "It's wonderful being a star."

Commercial: Another rerun of the "Taco Town" commercial.

MTV4 - Deep House Dish: Kenan plays DJ Dynasty Handbag and Rachel Dratch plays some person named Tiara Zee. Amy plays a singer who sings "Incident." Scarlett plays a singer named Donna Smalls English who sings "Doncha Wish." Chris Parnell is DJ Intro. Where's Andy Samberg?

Food Network Smorgasbord: Seth Meyers and Scarlett. I hope I got the title right. It is a Scandinavian name. Looks like Bill Hader is sleeping. Fish? Oy, this looks sickening. I'm not sure if that was Will Forte or Samberg.

Intelligevision - Darwin: Two Smigel cartoons? Looks like their going against the religious right tonight. Darwin's wife is a monkey? Celi-Bots? Darwin's IQ is worse than Bush's.

Mike and Toni's Chandelier Galaxy: Rachel Dratch and Fred Armisen in a sketch about chandeliers (sp?). Scarlett is also promoting them.

Channel 23 - Duluth Live: Amy Poehler and Jaon Sudeikis play the hosts. Scarlett and Forte sing the theme song. Seems like the show has a whole music theme today. "Fly High, Duluth." Looks like a bunch of the cast is in the background (Bill Hader, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Finesse Mitchell, Fred Armisen on drums, Andy Samberg?). I couldn't make out the other girl in the sketch. I assume it's Tina but I don't know. It could be Kristen. Forte must be thirsty. I like how Jason and Amy get bored.

Musical guest.

Weekend Update: Alito hearings. Parnell as Alito and Rachel as his wife. Apparently, Biden makes everyone fall alseep or age. Iran jokes coming right up. Pat Robertson. Tony Blair smacked his children? Brad and Jolie are pregnant. Harry Belafonte on Bush. Shaggy Hair Corner with Andy Samberg. Worst Dressed list. Phantom of the Opera (7468) record performances. Another "Tina Fey is a lesbian" joke. Starbucks.

Super Sweet 16: Scarlett plays Crystal, who just turned 16. Chris and Rachel are the parents. Amy plays her best friend, Sabrina. Sounds very expensive. I think that was Kristen Wiig at the end.

Once in a Lifetime Jewelers: This one has Jason and Scarlett. Finesse pops in as the security guard. Kansas City, eh? Jason's from Kansas so he must have written this sketch or made sure that Kansas was mentioned. The ring costs him $5708. Expensive.

Somewhere off the Kuril-Kamkatcha Trench (sp?): Scarlett, Seth, and Horatio. A fight at the bottom of the sea in a submarine. Samberg pops up as an intern. The oceanographers went missing and are presumed to have drowned.

Musical Guest.

Mr. Willoughby: Tina, Scarlett and Rachel. Tina is in a sketch for a change. Another song. It's based on a half-finished Jane Austen work. With four minutes to go, I don't think that there will be any digital shorts despite the two promos this past Thursday for tonight's episode.

Next week: Peter Saarsgard with The Strokes.

Still Depressed...

No, I'm not one of the mass Kentucky fans calling for Tubby Smith to be fired but something has got to happen. Patrick Sparks has lost confidence in his shot. Rajon Rondo needs to look at the shot clock instead of waisting precious seconds.

I'll be watching the U.S. Olympic trials for figure skating in the meantime.

Tim McGraw, son of the late Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw, may have an eye on the political arena. The good news is that it would be as a Democrat, and not a Republican.

Country singer Tim McGraw says he wants to run for office someday in his adopted home state of Tennessee - perhaps for governor or U.S. senator - and he's getting encouragement from a fellow Democrat, former President Clinton.

"I think he's got it," Clinton says of McGraw in an Esquire magazine story that hits newsstands Monday. "The Democrats need candidates whom people can relate to in a personal way, people who understand their lives and their concerns and share their values. And I think that's something Tim can do without even pretending."

Evan Bayh believes that the United States must act immediately against Iran.

Gartner, cast, and crew evacuated in 2004 due to the threat of Hurricane Ivan.

Ryan Stiles never tires of performing improv comedy.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Anthony Reyes is ready to compete with Sydney Ponson..

Ouch. Emily Hughes just had a major fall during the Figure Skating championships. Hopefully, she will not lose too many points from that.

Depressing

Just finished listening to 4:52 worth of UK Basketball coverage.

I'm calling the season right now as being finished with three consecutive losses.

Rajon Rondo will not even get drafted this summer in my opinion. He is a great guard but the team isn't winning.

Sparks is on a slump.

Kentucky vs. Alabama

That time of week again. Let's hope today has a better result than this past Tuesday and last Saturday. I'll be tuning in to the pregame show like I did on Tuesday.

Kentucky enters the game with a 10-5 record. The Alabama Crimson Tide come in with a 9-6 record. Happy Birthday to Shagari Alleyne who turns 22 today. Kentucky is the favorite by 7 1/2 points and leads the series 94-33.

In other Kentucky news, the Miami Heat have guaranteed former Wildcat star Gerald Fitch a contract for this season.

I spoke with Kentucky play-by-play man Tom Leach with regards to Tom Boyd's firing and the line-up shake up. Leach thinks that "time will tell on how the changes impact the season." I certainly hope something gets done. Give me a few more games and we'll see if I join the legion of fans that call for Tubby to get canned.

Alabama's key player, Chuck Davis, is out for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL. This is big for the Wildcats who have not played so well. If we take advantage of this, we may be able to win.

Randolph Morris and Ravi Moss are expected to start for he Wildcats. If Moss is replacing Patrick Sparks as many fans are expecting, Sparks' streak of 96 consecutive starts will come to an end. Sparks scored 26 points the last time we played Alabama with 7 three-pointers.

Bobby Perry turned his ankle on Thursday. Joe Crawford missed practice with tendinitis in his knee.

Sparks needs to get on a roll today or else he will be screwed for the rest of the season. Moss and Morris should play better than they did on Tuesday against Vanderbilt. Tubby needs to recruit some first-tier players. We have to box out and DEFEND if we want to win. We need clean shots. If we shoot under 50%, we'll probably lose.

Radio Announcers: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dick Gabriel, Oscar Combs
CBS Commentators: Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery

Starting Lineup:
Kentucky
F - Sheray Thomas
F - Randolph Morris
C - Lukasz Orbzut
G - Rajon Rondo
G - Patrick Sparks

Alabama
F - Evan Broc
F - Richard Hendrix
C - Jermareo Davidson
G - Ronald Steele
G - Brandon Hollinger

Breakdown:
-Confidence-building
-Get everyone on the same page
-Trust
-Moving the ball

Mike Pratt's Keys to the game
-Inside play
-Confidence and a good shooting game
-Cheap baskets
-Get Morris running the floor

CBS Analysis:
-What's the point?
-Blue Book Value

Getting started soon. "Bittersweet Symphony" followed by "Right Here, Right Now."

First Half Score Reports
Bama controls the tip but Morris quickly defends the basket and the Cats get the ball. Sparks still slumping. Jump ball gives it to Bama. Sparks throws it away as Rondo moves away from the pass. Morris steals it, loses his shoe, and lays it in for 2 plus a foul. Morris makes the shot. Bama's inbound pass gets turned over. Thomas misses from outside. Sparks misses another 3 and Woo follows up with some points off the rebound. Tied at 5. Morris blocks again.
15:41 (TV Timeout) UK 5, Alabama 5
No subs for the Cats. Foul away from the shot. Alright! Sparks makes the 3. Morris rebound. Sparks to Morris and the foul! 2 shots. Makes both. 10-7 Cats. Charge! Hendrix has 2 quick fouls. Sparks misses again. Rondo misses the 3. Rebound on the other end. Thomas picks up the foul on a rebound. Bradley and Moss are in for the Cats. Sparks and Rondo go to the bench. Alleyne comes in for Morris. Crawford is in. Jump ball. Foul. 11-10 Bama lead.
11:58 (TV Timeout) UK 10, Alabama 11
Thomas is the only starter still in. Moss picks up the foul. Moss missed the three. Jump ball to Bama. 14-10 Bama. Morris coming back in for Alleyne. Rondo comes in for Thomas. Morris makes the lay-up. Charge! Broc has 3 fouls. Hendrix now has three fouls. Mark Gottfried cannot be happy at all. Morris at the line and makes both shots. Cats steal and Morris dunks. The Cats are back!
8:45 (Alabama Timeout) UK 16, Alabama 14
Morris rebounds. Morris misses and Rondo scores off the rebound. 8-0 run for the Cats. Four guards and Morris. Crawford with the jumper. 10-0 run. 20-14 Cats. Foul on Ramel Bradley.
6:35 (TV Timeout) UK 20, Alabama 14
Sparks back in. Crawford out. Morris rebound. Turnover on a bad throw. Charge. Crawford in. Rondo out. Crawford for 2 and a collision. He'll shoot 2. Makes both. 22-16 Cats. Crawford misses 3. Bradley saves it. Crawford takes it to the rim. Ravi knocks it out of bounds and there is a time out on the floor.
3:32 (TV Timeout) UK 24, Alabama 18
The Cats are playing much better than they did on Tuesday and last Saturday. We have to keep it up through the next 23:32 minutes. Sparks fouls and UK is not even at the bonus yet. Scratch that. Sparks picks up a quick foul and that takes it to the bonus one and one. Bradley knocks that one in. Foul and Rondo picks that one up. Foul on the rebound and Crawford goes to the line for two. Good bounce on the first one. Makes the second. 28-21 lead for the Cats. Morris with the short jumper. Rondo rebounds. Bradley underneath and it's 32-23! Crawford steps on baseline.
5.5 (UK Timeout) UK 32, Alabama 29
Tubby wants to set up for the final seconds. No shot off.
HALFTIME

Kentucky played better than the past two games. Kentucky is shooting 42.3% from the field. Bama is shooting 40%. From behind the arc, UK is only shooting 14.3% while Bama is shooting 44.4%. If UK cannot make shots from behind the arc, then they have to go to the post. Morris has 13 points and 5 rebounds. The Cats need more confidence from behind the arc.

Second Half Score Reports
Bradley missed the 3. UK struggles in the opening of the 2nd half. Rondo for 2 or 3, misses, and Woo saves it. Morris loses it and again. Foul under the basket. 33-32 Bama after the shots. Bama 10-0 run. Bradley goes in for 2. Woo picks up the foul. Thomas comes in for Woo. Cats throw it away. Thomas picks up a foul. Cats rebound. Bradley missed 3, Cats rebound, and Crawford makes the 3. 37-36 UK. Morris makes the short jumper. Morris gets called for a foul and we have a time out on the floor.
14:45 (TV Timeout) UK 39, Alabama 38
We're seeing several lead changes so far. UK needs to go on a run. Morris has 3 fouls and is now on the bench. Woo and Sparks are in. Rondo sits. Charge. Woo for two! Woo picks up the foul. Two quick fouls from Woo and that's his third. Morris comes back in. UK has six team fouls in the 2nd half. Crawford misses the three. Travel on Bama! Bradley for 3! Cats rebound. Bradley for 2 and the foul. He'll go to the line. Davidson now has 3 fouls.
11:49 (TV Timeout) UK 44, Alabama 40
UK is perfect from the free throw line. Thomas picks up a foul on the alley oop. One and one from here on out. Morris rebounds the second attempt and scores on the other end. Morris with another short jumper. He has 19. Bradley misses the 3 and Moss rebounds. Turnover and Bama answers with a three. Thomas misses. Moss makes a 3!
8:58 (Alabama Timeout) UK 53, Alabama 48
UK steals it. Bradley misses the 3. Block by Morris but it went in. That was a foul or goaltending. Fould was on Bradley.
7:41 (TV Timeout) UK 53, Alabama 50
Thirty-one rebounds. Still shooting at 42% but have been 50% for the most part in the 2nd half. Rondo back and the Cats lose it. Sparks fouls and 1. That's his 3rd. Rondo loses the pass from Morris. Crawford misses the lay-up. Cats falling apart.
6:03 (UK Timeout) UK 53, Alabama 58
Moss can't hit the 3 and no one boxes out for the Cats. Charge! Brock has four fouls now. Cats lose it again. Bama on a 12-0 run. Rondo scores 3! Bradley gets fouled in route to the goal.
3:30 (TV Timeout) UK 56, Alabama 63
With a bit over three minutes, the Cats are down by 7. Bradley hits 3! Down by 4. Less than 3 remaining. Davidson throws it away! Moss makes 3! Down 1. Rupp errupts as the fans are on their feet!
2:10 (Alabama Timeout) UK 62, Alabama 63
The Cats have made 3 straight 3's. Bama is shooting 71% in the 2nd half. UK shooting 46%. Randolph Morris on the bench. Charge! Cats get the ball back. Morris comes in for Thomas. Less than 2 remaining. Moss misses 3. Cats rebound. Rondo to the basket for two and 1! 64-63 UK. Thomas for Morris. Rondo misses. One minute remaining. Davidson heads to the line with foul. Morris for Thomas. UK down 2. Bama throws it out of bounds on the pass.
51.5 (UK Timeout) UK 64, Alabama 66
Kentucky cannot make any mistakes. UK is 44% of the field. UK has made 6/14 from behind the arc currently. Kentucky gets the ball as Bama tried to steal it but went out of bounds.
32.2 (UK Timeout) UK 64, Alabama 66
Two points. Kentucky has the ball and the shot clock is down to 6. Rondo is an idiot! How could anyone not know that the clock wasn't reset? Jump ball but Bama gets it.
23.2 (Alabama Timeout) UK 64, Alabama 66.
We cannot afford any fouls. Both teams have 1 timeouts remaining. The Cats have 10 team fouls. Crawford fouls Steele with 19.7 seconds left. Steele misses the first attempt. UK needs to rebound the second attempt but the second attempt is good. Bama is up by 3. Bradley for the tie and missed it. 9.1 seconds remaining and the Cats are going to drop their third in a row. Foul. Missed the first shot. Makes the second. Two possession game.
9.1 (Alabama Timeout) UK 64, Alabama 68
Unbelieveable. For the first time since December 1999, UK has lost 3 straight games.
END OF REGULATION

UK 64, Alabama 68

This is pathetic. Kentucky basketball does not lose. Next up is Georgia on Tuesday at 9 PM on ESPN.

Open Thread

Up early tomorrow to tune in to the pregame show...

GO CATS!

Afternoon

Did you see Glory Road yet? What were your thoughts on it?

Want to watch the Figure Skating championships? Then check the TV listings? I don't usually watch skating but I always watch the events leading up the the Olympics.

Will Emily Hughes follow in her sister's footsteps? I don't know. It's been said that she's the underdog.

The contenders for the three Olympic berths in women's figure skating to be determined at the national championships (in order of perceived chances):

Michelle Kwan, 25: Nine-time U.S. champion, she is skipping the nationals with a strained groin muscle but could be voted onto the Olympic team via injury petition.
Sasha Cohen, 21: Two-time world championships runner-up, heavy favorite to win.
Alissa Czisny, 18: Most surprising and consistent American skater this season.
Kimmie Meissner, 16: The sport's newest jumping sensation.
Emily Hughes, 16: Breakthrough season in 2004-05 with bronze at world juniors.
Beatrisa Liang, 17: National-class veteran of four years.

Amy Shir will be running against Bob DeWeese for the 48th State House district. I'm glad about this because I live in DeWeese's district and he's always unopposed.

Congressman Tom Lantos believes that the US and EU should sanction Iran if the UN will not.

Bill Haley may no longer be alive but that doesn't stop the Comets from playing 60-80 shows a year.

And, 51 years after Bill Haley and The Comets became a hot ticket with the catchy tune, five of the original Comets continue to tour, wailing to "Rock Around the Clock," "Shake, Rattle and Roll," "See You Later Alligator" and other hits from the 1950s.

Yes, they are up there as many accumulated years as the Supreme Court justices.

Yet, Frank Beecher, 84, Dick Richards, 82, Johnny Grande, 75, Marshall Lytle, 72 and John Ambrose, 71, are still having a ball.[...]

The Comets were the first rock band to hit the charts in 1953 with "Crazy Man Crazy," which pre-dates Elvis Presley's first recording for Sun in 1954. Presley, in fact, was on a The Comets' TV show in Cleveland in '55.[...]

In 1980, Lennon said he remembered his first inspiriaton "happened to me when I heard rock 'n' roll in the fifties. I had no idea about doing music as a way of life until rock 'n' roll hit me. It was 'Rock Around the Clock.' I loved it. That was when I knew I wanted to go into pop music."

Four years later, McCartney said that the first time 'I really felt a tingle up my spine was when I saw Bill Haley and The Comets on the telly. Then I went to see them live. I knew there was something going on here."

Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills & Nash said last year that he still has a ticket stub from a Bill Haley and The Comets show in 1957.

"Over the years I've lost houses, I've lost wives. But I've not lost that ticket stub," Nash said.

Peter Sullivan, in a press release, has criticized Jeb Bradley's endorsement of Roy Blunt.

State Rep. Peter Sullivan today criticized Congressman Jeb Bradley for his endorsement of Rep. Roy Blunt for House Majority Leader.

"There's an old song by the Who that says 'meet the new boss, same as the old boss'. I can't think of any more appropriate line to describe Jeb Bradley's endorsement of Roy Blunt for House Majority Leader", said Sullivan.

"Roy Blunt is a full-fledged part of the problem in Washington. This is a man who was called one of the most corrupt members of Congress by a non-partisan watchdog group, a man who has abused his position as a public servant to line the pockets of his girlfriend and his son, a man who is a protege of the indicted and disgraced Tom DeLay.

"If Jeb Bradley sees Roy Blunt as a responsible leader, he has lost touch with New Hampshire values."

On this eve...

Glory Road opens nationwide today. Several Kentucky fans remain critical of how Coach Adolph Rupp and the basketball program are portrayed in the movie. I thought Pat Riley did a good job on consulting with regards to the image of Coach Rupp and the University of Kentucky. Just remember, if UK had lost to Duke that year, it would have been them and not us. See the film and tell me what you think. True, some things were fabricated like the flags behind the Kentucky bench. There's no doubt that what happened on that night in March 1966 affected how college programs recruited. Courier-Journal review. Tommy Kron enjoyed the movie.

Former University of Kentucky basketball player Tommy Kron, one of "Rupp's Runts," scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Wildcats against Texas Western in the 1966 NCAA Championship. He saw "Glory Road" at a recent Louisville sneak preview and gave this critique:

"I enjoyed it very much. I thought it was great, very entertaining. The basketball scenes were very accurate. I thought they portrayed Coach Rupp in a little harsh light several times. . . And some things weren't true. But it wasn't horrible, and I don't think his family will be too upset."

Here's an article in today's Kentucky Kernal.

"I think this may be a case of revisionist history, where somebody said 15 years later Coach Rupp said something, and he didn't say it," said Scott Stricklin, UK sports information director.

"I don't think - honestly, in my heart - that Coach Rupp was a racist," Larry Conley, a guard on the 1966 team known as "Rupp's Runts," told The Kernel for its story on Rupp and "Glory Road" in March 2005. "I just don't think that.

"And as long as I live and have conversations with people about him, I don't mind standing up and stating my position."

Rupp's name, and thus his controversial legacy, are synonymous with UK. But Stricklin argued that UK has been progressive in that area, also.

"The SEC's first black football player wore a Kentucky uniform," Stricklin said, referring to Nat Northington, who integrated the SEC in 1967 when he suited up for the Cats against Ole Miss. Another black player, Greg Page, was also recruited in 1966 by football coach Charlie Bradshaw, but died after suffering a neck injury during a practice. The campus apartments neighboring Commonwealth Stadium on Alumni Drive are named for Page.

"Back in the '50s, when the schools that won the SEC (basketball) Tournament got a bid to the NCAA Tournament, and they wouldn't go because they didn't want to play against black players, Kentucky was the school that took their place," Stricklin said.

Reviews of the movie do not state that it carries connotations of racial prejudice either by Rupp or UK.

"I hope folks keep in mind that it's a movie," said UK spokesman Jay Blanton. "In a lot of ways, UK was a leader in integration in the South in the 1960s."

Blanton noted the challenges UK faced, but also said that those challenges weren't different from a lot of other Southern schools.

"We've had challenges, but we've had a lot of successes, too," he said. "We currently have the highest graduation rate among African-Americans in the state.

Here's an op-ed that also was in today's Kentucky Kernal.
A Republican member of Congress has proposed a lifetime ban for Congress members with regards to lobbying after their term expires. Currently, they are not allowed to lobby for a year.

Evan Bayh has called on Delphi to reconsider their pay package.

My thoughts and prayers go out to keyboardist Billy Preston. Preston is unable to speak after suffering from a serious infection. He suffers from chronic kidney failure.

The St. Louis Cardinals will unofficially kick off the 2006 season when the Winter Warm-Up takes place at the Millenium Hotel in downtown St. Louis.

Center fielder Jim Edmonds, third baseman Scott Rolen, shortstop David Eckstein, catcher Yadier Molina and starting pitchers Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis also are expected to appear during the three-day event, which begins Saturday morning. Festivities conclude Monday night with the Baseball Writers Association of America's annual dinner. Pujols, Carpenter and NL Rookie of the Year and Lafayette High alum Ryan Howard will be presented their awards at the dinner.

Sold out for several weeks, the writers dinner also will honor the all-Busch Stadium team while recognizing Bruce Sutter for Tuesday's election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retired reliever Cal Eldred will be awarded the third recipient of the Darryl Kile Award, which is given annually by team members to the player who best exemplifies qualities embodied by the Cardinal hurler who died in June 2002.

Lisa Rose of the New Jersey Star Ledger has compared the late Coach Rupp to the guy that ran Germany in the 1930's. I have to take issue with her review because Coach Rupp was no racist. Rupp's hands were tied by the university.

In sports history, Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp remains a controversial figure. His record of 876 wins is coupled with the troubling statistic that only one black athlete played for him in his 42-year career.

The movie doesn't outright state that he was a racist but it plants plenty of hints. Rupp (Jon Voight) is presented as an athletic despot whose players are vaguely Aryan drones. He advertises his eminence with WWII-style propaganda posters. All that's missing is a Hitler mustache.

While we have the Fuhrer on one side of the court, our hero coach has all the menace of a tranquilized poodle. Lucas is a poor casting choice for the tough team leader. He was bullied by Reese Witherspoon in "Sweet Home Alabama," so it's tough to accept him as imposing taskmaster.

Sasha Cohen is also guaranteed to have a trip to Torino, Italy, after winning the short program at last night's U.S. Figure Skating championships. The other two finishing in the top three were Emily Hughes (sister of Sarah Hughes), and Beatrisa Liang.

Jessamine County Sheriff Joe Walker is running against Tom Buford. Walker is a Democrat. Buford has served as a state Senator for four terms now. Walker may have an edge if all Democrats vote for the Democrat as we outnumber the GOP in the district 38,000 to 32,000. This race will be close.

I have recieved the game notes for tomorrow's Kentucky-Alabama and will start previewing the game this afternoon.