Gordon: My Back Pages

Oh Well

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:07:00 +0000

Snubbed again ...
Johnny Depp named the Sexiest Man Alive.
Just wait 'til next year!

That's Amore

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:09:00 +0000

One more that didn't make the cut with my 11/1 column:

My high school crush? Italian.

Overall, I'm encouraged by the outpouring of support I'm now getting from the silent majority -- including many Italian-Americans -- since I set the record straight.

Carry on.

Hells Bells

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Any questions? We'll start with the right side of the aisle, once permission is granted from the lobbyist puppeteers ...

Healthcare system wastes up to $800 billion a year

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Maggie Fox, Health And Science Editor Mon Oct 26, 10:53 am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. healthcare system is just as wasteful as President Barack Obama says it is, and proposed reforms could be paid for by fixing some of the most obvious inefficiencies, preventing mistakes and fighting fraud, according to a Thomson Reuters report released on Monday.

The U.S. healthcare system wastes between $505 billion and $850 billion every year, the report from Robert Kelley, vice president of healthcare analytics at Thomson Reuters, found.

"America's healthcare system is indeed hemorrhaging billions of dollars, and the opportunities to slow the fiscal bleeding are substantial," the report reads.

"The bad news is that an estimated $700 billion is wasted annually. That's one-third of the nation's healthcare bill," Kelley said in a statement.

"The good news is that by attacking waste we can reduce healthcare costs without adversely affecting the quality of care or access to care."

One example -- a paper-based system that discourages sharing of medical records accounts for 6 percent of annual overspending.

"It is waste when caregivers duplicate tests because results recorded in a patient's record with one provider are not available to another or when medical staff provides inappropriate treatment because relevant history of previous treatment cannot be accessed," the report reads.

Some other findings in the report from Thomson Reuters, the parent company of Reuters:

* Unnecessary care such as the overuse of antibiotics and lab tests to protect against malpractice exposure makes up 37 percent of healthcare waste or $200 to $300 billion a year.

* Fraud makes up 22 percent of healthcare waste, or up to $200 billion a year in fraudulent Medicare claims, kickbacks for referrals for unnecessary services and other scams.

* Administrative inefficiency and redundant paperwork account for 18 percent of healthcare waste.

* Medical mistakes account for $50 billion to $100 billion in unnecessary spending each year, or 11 percent of the total.

* Preventable conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes cost $30 billion to $50 billion a year.

"The average U.S. hospital spends one-quarter of its budget on billing and administration, nearly twice the average in Canada," reads the report, citing dozens of other research papers.

"American physicians spend nearly eight hours per week on paperwork and employ 1.66 clerical workers per doctor, far more than in Canada," it says, quoting a 2003 New England Journal of Medicine paper by Harvard University researcher Dr. Steffie Woolhandler.

Yet primary care doctors are lacking, forcing wasteful use of emergency rooms, for instance, the report reads.

All this could help explain why Americans spend more per capita and the highest percentage of GDP on healthcare than any other OECD country, yet has an unhealthier population with more diabetes, obesity and heart disease and higher rates of neonatal deaths than other developed nations.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said on Sunday that Senate Democratic leaders are close to securing enough votes to pass legislation to start reform of the country's $2.5 trillion healthcare system.

Fun, Fun, Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:50:00 +0000

In line with this past week's column, how about this for falling for a hoax?:

Limbaugh falls for Obama thesis hoax - but is in no Rush to apologize

BY Michael Saul
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

And still no apology.

Even when conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh runs with a fabricated story, he doesn't apologize for the error.

Limbaugh, who seizes on every opportunity to blast (Barack) Obama, ended up with egg on his face when he read an Internet satire piece that claimed President Obama dissed the Constitution in his college thesis at Columbia University.

A transcript of his Friday broadcast remains Sunday at the top of Limbaugh's web page under the headline, "Obama's Disdain for Constitution: We Know He Thinks It, Don't We? When we discover a hoax, we correct it immediately."

But apologize? You betcha there's none.

Limbaugh sounded off Friday on a supposed report that Time magazine reporter Joe Klein had unearthed Obama's college thesis, titled "Aristocracy Reborn," in which he sounded off on the nation's Founding Fathers and the Constitution and the distribution of wealth.

The only problem - the report was pure fiction.

The original post with the fabricated details about Obama's college thesis was written as a satire on a humor blog.
An obscure blogger, Michael Leeden, mistakenly picked it BYup, reporting the satirical post as fact, and then Limbaugh ran with it on his national radio show Friday.

Leeden has since apologized.

Limbaugh? Not so much.

In fact, he says, why the President never said what the hoax claimed, "we know he thinks it."

"So here is who we have as our president of the United States: an anti-constitutionalist man who finds it an obstacle and is finding ways around it on purpose, unconstitutionally," Limbaugh said on his show.

"Much of what he's doing is unconstitutional, and I'm waiting for the lawsuits to be filed by some of these people at some point," Limbaugh added. "How is that hope and change working out for ya, folks?"

Later in the same program, when Limbaugh learned the report was a hoax, he corrected the record, alerting listeners that the quotes from the thesis had been fabricated. But he insisted the fabricated thesis was still in line with what the president thinks.

"So I shout from the mountaintops: 'It was satire!'" Limbaugh said on the program. "But we know he (Obama) thinks it. Good comedy, to be comedy, must contain an element of truth, and we know how he feels about distribution of wealth."

Limbaugh said he has license to go with the fabrication because other members of the media have done this to him.
"So, I can say, "I don't care if these quotes are made up," he said. "I know Obama thinks it.

"You know why I know Obama thinks it? Because I've heard him say it."

The fabricated thesis pokes fun at the president's position on economic freedom.

"The so-called Founders did not allow for economic freedom," the satire on Obama's thesis says.

"While political freedom is supposedly a cornerstone of the document, the distribution of wealth is not even mentioned. While many believed that the new Constitution gave them liberty, it instead fitted them with the shackles of hypocrisy."

In a post Friday, Time's Joe Klein says the report is false.

"A report is circulating among the wingnuts that I had a peek at Barack Obama's senior thesis. It is completely false," he wrote. "I've never seen Obama's thesis. I have no idea where this report comes from--but I can assure you that it's complete nonsense."

Find Your Way Back

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:57:00 +0000

Maybe good wins in the end after all ...

AP Poll: Health care overhaul has a pulse

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and TREVOR TOMPSON, Associated Press Writers Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar And Trevor Tompson, Associated Press Writers 1 hr 22 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The fever has broken. The patient is out of intensive care. But if you're President Barack Obama, you can't stop pacing the waiting room. Health care overhaul is still in guarded condition.

The latest Associated Press-GfK poll has found that opposition to Obama's health care remake dropped dramatically in just a matter of weeks. Still, Americans remain divided over complex legislation that Democrats are advancing in Congress.

The public is split 40-40 on supporting or opposing the health care legislation, the poll found. An even split is welcome news for Democrats, a sharp improvement from September, when 49 percent of Americans said they opposed the congressional proposals and just 34 percent supported them.

Anger about health care boiled over during August. Lawmakers returning home for town hall meetings faced outcries that the government was trying to take over the system, ushering in higher costs, lower quality — even rationing and euthanasia.

"It's very significant that there's an upturn in support for the plans because after August there was a sense that the whole effort was beginning to decline and would not come back in terms of public support," said Robert Blendon, a Harvard professor who tracks public opinion on health care.

"Even with this," added Blendon, "the country is still divided over whether or not moving ahead is the right thing to do."

Behind the shift seems to be a growing determination among Democrats that going forward would be better. Meanwhile, political independents don't appear as alarmed about the congressional proposals as they were just a few weeks ago. Still, opponents remain more passionate in their convictions than do supporters.

In a significant change, opposition among older Americans dropped 16 percentage points. Seniors have been concerned that Congress would stick them with the bill by cutting Medicare to pay for covering the uninsured. Among the most reliable voters, they were much more wary of the changes than the public as a whole. The gap has narrowed.

The poll found that 68 percent of Democrats support the congressional plans, up from 57 percent in early September. Opposition among independents plunged from 51 percent to 36 percent. However, only 29 percent of independents currently support the plans in Congress.

Among seniors, opposition fell from 59 percent in September to 43 percent now. Almost four in 10, 38 percent, now support it, compared with 31 percent in September.

It Don't Come Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:13:00 +0000

I'm not sure if the Phillies will get past the Colorado Rockies, who happened to be entering the playoffs on a hot streak, in the first round. But I do know this: It will go the full five games. On what do I base this prognostication? Because Game 5 would be next Tuesday (Oct. 13), in Philadelphia, which happens to be the same night four of us are going to the Bruce Springsteen concert. Even if the Phils play in the afternoon, it's going to be chaos down there.

Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:31:00 +0000

I couldn't let today -- Sept. 23, 2009 -- pass without wishing my main man, Bruce Springsteen, a happy birthday.
It was 60 years ago that he was "Born In The U.S.A."
May all of us be just a little more like you, Bruce. The world would be a better place.

Sad Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:36:00 +0000

This had to be a tough week for the Republican Media Blitzkrieg — no matter what spin cycle they tried to use.

First, their loathed biracial liberal president, Barack Obama, sends "subliminal socialist messages" to America's schoolchildren. Ouch. Then, he dares to hit one out of the park when addressing Congress on health care. Some moronic congressman from South Carolina further embarrasses the right by spontaneously combusting and yelling out a brilliant "you lie" (this, from the party that fed us the "weapons of mass destruction" folly). As a result, his November opponent has gained traction. Sweet ... another seat for the good guys.

Meanwhile, Sonia Sotomayor — a Hispanic female — takes her place on the U.S. Supreme Court, where we can only hope she proves she is wiser than white males.

The cherry on top? Sept. 11 comes and Obama vows to hunt down al-Qaida. What's the world coming to? Nothing to grab on to — at all.

The world, or at least our corner of it, has clearly turned — to the left.

Nothing you can do about it, except watch the Faux News Network and keep on kidding yourselves at those laughable Tea Parties that make Star Trek conventions look like where the hip crowd hangs out.

Live And Let Die

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Do we really need minute-by-minute updates on the condition of the Lockerbie bomber?

He shouldn't have been let out of prison and allowed to return to a heroe's welcome, but he was -- under some "mercy" policy in Scotland Iisn't it still part of the U.K.?) -- because was terminally ill.

He will die, and let us all hope it is painful.

Let us know when it happens, so we can rejoice.

Other than that, leave it alone. No updates on his worsening condition; no coverage of his funeral.

Poison Arrow

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:08:00 +0000

Nice Job, FOX News! Rush Limbaugh! Deceive the people. Very patriotic -- not!

Read the following in disgust, but may a light bulb turn on above your head at least half the way through ...

FACT CHECK: Health overhaul myths taking root

FACT CHECK: Poll finds health overhaul myths gaining traction, fabled 'death panels' included

By Calvin Woodward, Associated Press Writer
On Wednesday August 19, 2009, 9:29 pm EDT

President Barack Obama's lack of a detailed plan for overhauling health care is letting critics fill in the blanks in the public's mind. In reality, Washington is not working on "death panels" or nationalization of health care.

To be sure, presenting Congress and the country with the nuts and bolts of a revamped system of health insurance is no guarantee of success for a president -- just ask Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Their famous flop was demonized, too. After all, the devil does lurk in details.

It can also lurk in generalities, it seems.

Obama is promoting his changes in something of a vacuum, laying out principles, goals and broad avenues, some of which he's open to amending. As lawmakers sweat the nitty gritty, he's doing a lot of listening, and he's getting an earful.

A new NBC News poll suggests some of the myths and partial truths about the plans under consideration are taking hold.

Most respondents said the effort is likely to lead to a "government takeover of the health care system" and to public insurance for illegal immigrants. Half said it will probably result in taxpayers paying for abortions and nearly that many expected the government will end up with the power to decide when treatment should stop for old people.

A look at each of those points:

THE POLL: 45 percent said it's likely the government will decide when to stop care for the elderly; 50 percent said it's not likely.

THE FACTS: Nothing being debated in Washington would give the government such authority. Critics have twisted a provision in a House bill that would direct Medicare to pay for counseling sessions about end-of-life care, living wills, hospices and the like if a patient wants such consultations with a doctor. They have said, incorrectly, that the elderly would be required to have these sessions.

House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said such counseling "may start us down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia."

The bill would prohibit coverage of counseling that presents suicide or assisted suicide as an option.

Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who has been a proponent of coverage for end-of-life counseling under Medicare, said such sessions are a voluntary benefit, strictly between doctor and patient, and it was "nuts" to think death panels are looming or euthanasia is part of the equation.

But as fellow conservatives stepped up criticism of the provision, he backed away from his defense of it.

THE POLL: 55 percent expect the overhaul will give coverage to illegal immigrants; 34 percent don't.

THE FACTS: The proposals being negotiated do not provide coverage for illegal immigrants.

THE POLL: 54 percent said the overhaul will lead to a government takeover of health care; 39 percent disagree.

THE FACTS: Obama is not proposing a single-payer system in which the government covers everyone, like in Canada or some European countries. He says that direction is not right for the U.S. The proposals being negotiated do not go there.

At issue is a proposed "exchange" or "marketplace" in which a new government plan would be one option for people who aren't covered at work or whose job coverage is too expensive. The exchange would offer some private plans as well as the public one, all of them required to offer certain basic benefits.

That's a long way from a government takeover. But when Obama tells people they can just continue with the plans they have now if they are happy with them, that can't be taken at face value, either. Tax provisions could end up making it cheaper for some employers to pay a fee to end their health coverage, nudging some patients into a public plan with different doctors and benefits. Over time, critics fear, the public plan could squeeze private insurers out of business because they would not be able to compete with the federal government.

It's unclear now whether Obama is committed to the public option. He described it recently as "just one sliver" of health reform, suggesting it was expendable if lawmakers could agree on another way to expand affordable coverage. Now the White House is emphasizing his strong support for it.

THE POLL: 50 percent expect taxpayer dollars will be used to pay for abortions; 37 percent don't.

THE FACTS: The House version of legislation would allow coverage for abortion in the public plan. But the procedure would be paid for with dollars from beneficiary premiums, not from federal funds. Likewise, private plans in the new insurance exchange could opt to cover abortion, but no federal subsidies would be used to pay for the procedure.

Opponents say the prohibition on federal money for the procedure is merely a bookkeeping trick and what matters is that Washington would allow abortion to be covered under government-subsidized insurance.

Obama has stated that the U.S. should continue its tradition of "not financing abortions as part of government-funded health care." Current laws prohibiting public financing of abortion would stay on the books.

Yet abortion guidelines are not yet clear for the government-supervised insurance exchange. There is strong sentiment in Congress on both sides of the issue.

The poll of 805 people was taken Aug. 15-17 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

When Love and Hate Collide

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Over the years since I became a fan (circa 1970), the number of warriors on an active NFL roster have ranged from 40 to the current requirement of 53. Additionally, assorted others were stashed on the "taxi squad," which is now known as the "practice squad." More players are housed different lists: injured reserve, physically unable to perform, a note from their mother, etc.

In a given year, there could be as many as 60 Eagles getting paid.

As a hopelessly devoted fan, do you have to love them all — either as people or players — to still love the team?

Throw in other employees — prominent faces of the organization — and list grows.

It's going to be hard to cheer for Michael Vick this year just because he is now an Eagle. A midnight green jersey doesn't wash away all sins. What he did to countless dogs was beyond reprehensible. In a perfect world, he would have been placed behind bars for 20 years and not 20 months, making him too old to play football upon release. I would have had no gripes with the league banning him for life.

But the world isn't perfect. He is out of jail and not banned by the NFL. He was free to earn a living and, in this altered reality, the Eagles — my beloved Eagles — took the plunge before another team, maybe even the rival Washington Redskins, did.

If and when Donovan McNabb begins a game in one of his patented 2-for-9 modes, where he is throwing bounce passes and wasting timeouts — and smiling about it — will I be clamoring for Vick to come off the bench and ignite them as much as the next Iggles diehard?

I can sit here now, perched upon my high horse, and say no. But I become another person on game day and I can't vouch for him.

I do know this: I have loathed many others drawing paychecks from the Eagles before and have never wavered in my overall support of the team.

Submitted for your approval of this outlook, which is that you can harbor disdain for certain players/employees and still cheer for team, is the following list of a few such individuals:

- Thomas Hamner/Damon Moore: Irony of ironies, both of these guys — Eagles in the Andy Reid era of holiness — were shown the exit door after being mean to dogs. I already disliked Hamner because the Eagles drafted the tailback out of Minnesota instead of Utah's Mike Anderson, the former Marine who had a solid career in Denver (while Hamner never carried the ball once in a regular season game). After his second arrest for beating his dogs, the Eagles cut their losses and severed ties to the underachiever. Moore was a better player. A starting safety, he made the game-saving tackle that procured Reid's first division title here. But his image was already tainted by then, as he had been caught trying to abandon his dog in a park a week or two earlier. Even though he recorded an interception in a playoff game, a win at Chicago, he was gone at year's end. I remember that game well. There was a snowstorm in Philly and I took a train to my dad's house to watch the Birds punch their ticket to their first trip to the NFC title game under Reid's guidance. I already disliked Moore for what he had to his dog, but I was still floating on air after the win. When the season was over following a heartbreaking loss to the St. Louis Rams, Moore was no longer an Eagle. They never said it was because of his transgression, but ...

- Ray Rhodes: This guy was the first coach owner Jeffrey Lurie hired after enduring holdover Rich Kotite (not on this list, as I don't pick on those with special needs) for a year. After making the playoffs the first two years — mostly with Kotite's players — Rhodes' Eagles slowly devolved into the most disorganized teams in green I remember. My anger and resentment deepened because the media, local and national, treated the situation with kid gloves because Rhodes was one of the league's few black coaches at the time. I distinctly remember a game when the Eagles had a plethora of laughable penalties — for things like too many men on the field and illegal formations — and the national announcers felt compelled to preface their critique with remarks like: "As good of a coach as Ray Rhodes is, he needs to cut down on this stuff." Black, white, yellow or green — he was in over his head. To be blunt, his skin color may have even bought him an extra year or two. The only way to rid ourselves of Rhodes was to lose games. But I still wanted them to win. In his final year, 1998, the Eagles were 3-13 and Koy Detmer was the quarteraback for the final few games. I still didn't miss a snap the entire season.

- Greg Lewis/Bobby Hoying: I group these guys together even though they were never teammates (Hoying was Rhodes' miscast "quarterback of the future" and Lewis seemingly had nude pictures of Reid, or maybe even team president Joe Banner, to continue earning a roster spot before being mercifully being traded away this offseason). They share one commonality. They each cost a Jewish player a job. Hoying — with farm-boy looks and Ohio State pedigree — created a sense that he was a more viable option than Jay Fiedler, an undrafted guy with "Dumbo" ears and ... uh ... a prominent nose, who hailed from that football juggernaut known as Dartmouth of the vaunted Ivy League. After Hoying got a bunch of snaps in a preseason scrimmage, Fiedler — knowing he was the better player — angrily asked for his release and his wish was granted. And Fiedler got the final laugh, both on the Eagles and Hoying, having a serviceable career as a starting QB in Miami while Hoying was eventually released by the Eagles — and one or two other teams — and probably now works at a car wash somewhere. Lewis picked the right team when he went undrafted out of Illinois, as the Reid regime has a fetish for undrafted guys making the final cut. After some early promise — that included a diving touchdown catch in the Super Bowl — Lewis hit a ceiling and it became clear that he was never going to get any better than below average. Two seasons ago, sensing his job was in jeopardy, he whispered to the coaches that he could return punts. Jeremy Bloom was cut in deference to Lewis (the nude pics, remember?) and disaster ensued. In the season opener, Lewis fumbled a punt that led to a touchdown and muffed another (Bloom, although doing anything out of the ordinary, had not dropped a punt the whole preseason). By game's end, with the scored tied at 10-10, the Eagles desperately turned to J.R. Reed. Reed, who had no experience catching punts, also fumbled and the Packers won the game. The Eagles finished 8-8, one win from the same playoff dance the Packers were attending. Lewis went from a player I didn't really like much to one I despised. The ineptitude continued when he dropped a pass that might have shifted momentum early in last season's NFC title game. And still, while detesting Lewis, I cheered for the Eagles and was heartbroken after the eventual loss to an inferior Arizona team.

- Ron Howard: This one is personal. Howard was the team's former PR executive, who dealt directly with the media back when being an Eagles' beat writer was my life's dream. Dating back to my old job, a co-worker requested a pass to game to do a story on a local product playing for the Colts. Howard bluntly told him that no passes were given to weekly papers. Once I moved on to The Times Herald, the tune was slightly different — but the arrogance remained. I was assigned to write a story on a local kid playing for the New England Patriots, who were in town for a preseason game. A chance to just feign being a beat writer for a night was beyond exciting. Howard reluctantly agreed to a game-day pass but said he wouldn't have a seat for me in the press box (meaning I'd have to wander around like a nomad or sit in the cafeteria with a bunch of free loaders from television stations who weren't even on the clock). When I went to the game, all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, half the seats in the press box were empty. Oh, and among those occupied were for the Philadelphia Sun, a weekly paper. The writer from the Sun came late — with a date, who sat on press row — and he didn't seem to be writing anything. But that's OK. I made the most of the experience, taking the Veterans Stadium elevator down to the field at the end of the game in time to watch Fiedler seal a win. I interviewed some Eagles players for a side bar on the rookies and located the local kid for the Patriots outside the team's bus. I put aside my bitterness for how I was treated and continued being a loyal, dues-paying fan who was willingly extorted into a personal seat license at Lincoln Financial Field. As for Howard, he and the team suffered a PR nightmare 1998 when his wife, Karen, struck and killed someone changing a flat tire on I-76 after a game. It was an unfortunate accident, and anyone who hasn't come precariously close to striking someone on the side of the road has led a charmed life. However, Mrs. Howard stopped briefly and then drove off and tried to get her car's damaged fixed and its exterior washed — while getting her nails and hair done — in the ensuing days. If I were mean-spirited, I could have fantasized about telling Ron Howard he could have a pass to visit his wife in jail, but not a seat. But you all know me better than that, right?

- James Lofton: It should be hard to build up much animosity toward a guy who only played nine games as an Eagle back in 1993, but Lofton — one of the great wide receivers of the 1980s with other teams— raised my ire to a point that we still have a posse out on the streets looking for him. He came to the Eagles at the tail end of his career, and with more than 700 NFL catches to his name. In nine games here, he seemingly had about 700 drops — including a few that cost us games. Hey, James, go deteriorate on someone's dime and time, not ours. I could see a guy's speed going, but the hands? Just shows a lack of concentration, of not caring anymore. And yet, despite despising Lofton and what he represented, I still rooted for the Eagles.

- Dave Spadaro: Let me preface by saying that we're talking about a genuinely nice guy. When I was at my old job, Dave freelanced for The Times Herald and we covered some high school football games together. At the time, I remember him saying he had left his job at the newspaper in West Chester for a start-up venture called Eagles Digest, which was a weekly publication for us fans. In the intervening years, Eagles Digest morphed into PhiladelphiaEagles.com and Spadaro has been elevated to the post of the franchise's minister of propaganda. His complete lack of objectivity and constant spin control — even if he is an employee of the team — has led me to fantasize about starting up an opposing site called EaglesSkeptic.com (or something like that). I don't know how much Dave gets paid, but I hope it was worth the price of his soul. And still, in spite of my disgust whenever I go the site in search of information, I'm still behind the Eagles all the way.

- Reggie White: It's easy to hate guys once they fly from the nest (Keith Jackson, anyone?), but my disdain for this sacred crow was burgeoning well before he followed God's advice — and the highest bidder — and went to Green Bay. White was propagated as the best to ever play defensive end; a superstar who was supposed to dominate when it counted most. Instead, in big games, he consistently pulled disappearing acts that would have made Harry Houdini blush. Against better offensive tackles, and in spite of the myths, he was generally handled without double teams. I heard through good sources that former defensive coordinator Bud Carson couldn't stand White because he took plays off to concerve the energy to get his sacks on obvious passing downs. In his final season here, the Eagles started off 7-2 and White filed a lawsuit against the team to set the stage for his pending free agency. They finished 7-9. You don't forgive, you don't forget. I'm not going to ease up my stance just because he died young. Maybe his Lord works in mysterious ways after all. And yet, during my about-face on White — an amazing player I liked during his first two to three years here — I remained a faithful and loyal fan.

- Andy Reid: This is my team, as it was the team of my father and my grandfather. Same holds true for all loyal fans. Players come and go. So do owners and, most certainly, coaches. Someone please explain this to Coach Reid, who thinks he was named to the run the CIA when he took the job here in 1999. We have a right to know. The job of the media is to be that conduit to the fanbase. Being a devotee and a journalist, it hurts twice as much to watch Reid in all his pomposity. You don't have to dime out your players. There is right way and a wrong way to do things, and no one sane is asking you to create disharmony by ripping players in public. But be upfront and give us the explanations we deserve when our hearts have been ripped out of our chests. While no one can knock Reid's success, it's looking like the final curtain looms. As with the far less competent Rhodes, losing will hasten change. And yet, I will root for wins. Not because of Reid, but because of the team he is coaching. It is who I am. One coach, player or employee is not going to change that.

Only Time Will Tell

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:42:00 +0000

His name was Randall.

Of all the pets I've loved before, none will take his place.

For those of you unfamiliar with this well-told tale, I adopted this black lab mix off death row at the Philadelphia SPCA with a mere 10 minutes to spare in December of 1990.

His life in the six months before the arriving at the shelter was on the mean streets. He came into their care with bruises that had yet to fully heal when I took him home.

He lived always ready to defend himself, or those of us in his pack, but willing to show the unconditional love that made him -- like many dogs -- special.

If he had not been gathered up and brought into the shelter by ambulance, a likely fate would have been as a bait dog for those who somehow justify their existence by raising fighting dogs.

For all I know, that may have already been the case and he had escaped.

Regardless, he didn't have to worry about all that anymore. Until he passed away at the age of 16 1/2 (really, really old for a dog), he was treated like the prince he was.

Naming him Randall was a natural. Randall Cunningham, in 1990, was in the midst of his best season with my beloved Eagles.

It was the start of a tradition of naming pets, canine or feline, after Eagles' quarterbacks.

I never thought there would ever be a bitter irony in that.

Now, as I find myself faced with a moral dilemma, the irony is so sick and twisted that I'm locked in moral wresling match.

The Eagles -- in whom I've invested time, money, emotion and devotion -- have signed disgraced quarterback Michael Vick, whose name was once synonymous with overpaid superstar and is now better known as the athlete who recklessly oversaw a deadly dog-fighting ring from his pocket pager and cell phone and, from time to time, in person.

That tricky term "moral dilemma" is one I've used before, but now I realize it was with the reckless disregard of a preteen skateboarder zigging and zagging through crosstown traffic at rush hour.

I don't know if I have truly been met with one.

Last summer, with the not-so-subtle urging of hospital personnel unimpressed with the fine print in my father's insurance policy, we were faced with the decision of keeping him alive for a while with no quality of life or opting for "comfort care."

Fortunately, my father was lucid enough to make his decision.

But that was more of a head-versus-heart scenario anyway.

When our long-held moral stances are put to the test, the game changes.

Decisions that are out of our hands leave us with toughest choices.

It was just the other day, while catching up with someone from high school on Facebook, I joked that my personal Holy Trinity -- not counting family, of course -- consisted of Bruce Springsteen, "The Sopranos" and the Eagles.

But what if Bruce Springsteen suddenly donned a Hitler mustache, a swastika and starting goose-stepping around the stage?

What if it was revealed that the makers of "The Sopranos" were mocking us with their scripts?

And what if the Eagles -- so desperate to bring hard-core, long-suffering fans like myself that elusive Super Bowl crown -- signed a person whose inhuman and illegal treatment of animals made him less than human in my eyes?

I have a deep love for animals that began well before Randall's adoption during the first week I was "on my own" in the world.

My wife and I have already begun sharing that with our 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Sofia, taking her to zoos and reserves whenever possible. She sleeps with a growing collection of stuffed animals.

She will surely carry the torch for us, as she already has a special bond with our two cats -- Donovan (as in McNabb) and Ty (as in Detmer).

Randall died before she was born, but his spirit lives in a house that remains open to four-legged creatures with tails.

It's also a house where our schedule from September to Super Bowl Sunday revolves around the Eagles.

But what kind of example will I be setting as a diehard Eagles' fan yelling to put Vick in the game to ignite the offense?

If I could give you an answer now, I'd only be lying.

I get pretty emotional once my game face is on.

It's all or nothing at all.

I had a dog like that, too.

His name was Randall.

Of all the pets I've loved before, none will take his place.

Spinning Wheel

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:40:00 +0000

I began this week vowing to eat healthier.

But I'm already sick to my stomach -- and it's only Monday.

The spin doctors are out in full force.

CNN is overwrought with ads from special interest groups spewing mountains of misinformation about the health care bill that awaits our elected misleaders once they return from the type of month-long summer vacation they have over in France (the No. 1 place in the world for wine, love and health care).

I'm sure these ads, like termites to rotting wood, are all over the radio airwaves (a great way to scare our seniors) and other all-news channels and network television.

Meanwhile, one of the most sickening propaganda sites on the Internet -- PhiladelphiaEagles.com -- has declared Sunday night's Flight Night a "success."

Oh really?

During this split-squad scrimmage -- under the lights at Lincoln Financial Field (primarily for losers who believe they lost out by not going to Blue-White games because they didn't go to Penn State) -- the Eagles lost their pro-bowl caliber middle linebacker Stewart Bradley for the season with a knee injury.

There go my hopes for the Super Bowl I long to see just once before I die.

And the song goes on ...

"What goes up must come down
Spinnin' wheel got to go 'round
Talkin' 'bout your troubles it's a cryin' sin
Ride a painted pony let the spinnin' wheel spin

You got no money and you got no home
Spinnin' wheel all alone
Talkin' 'bout your troubles and you never learn
Ride a painted pony let the spinnin' wheel turn

Did you find the directing sign on the
Straight and narrow highway
Would you mind a reflecting sign
Just let it shine within your mind
And show you the colors that are real

Someone is waiting just for you
Spinnin' wheel, spinnin' true

The Boys Of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:02:00 +0000

As you may or may not have read in the 7/19/09 print edition of The Times Herald, the definitive all-time All-Jewish Baseball Team has been named.

Let all other incomplete efforts to do the same -- die a quick, albeit painful, death on the Internet.

Since that time, we have learned that we will be playing our home games in the town of boychick-friendly Great Neck, Long Island.

We have also put in a request to play no home games until the weather warms up in mid-May. Oy!

Here is player/manager Lou Boudreau's projected starting lineup for opening day, which we are fearing will be against the All-German team led by Mike Schmidt and Lou Gehrig at the corners. I encourage any naysayers to visit baseballreference.com for stats.

1) Buddy Myer, 2b

- Ian Kinsler, currently of the Texas Rangers, will split time here and bat first as well. Even though it is rumored that Myer made a deathbed confession that he wasn't really Jewish, the fact that he brawled over alleged anti-Semitic remarks says otherwise. His 17 years in the bigs, an all-time best for Jewish players, earns him the opening day nod. Also, reports that former New York Yankee Joe Gordon was a Jew who kept his heritage hush-hush could not be confirmed beyond a first source, so he is not on the team. If someone out there could prove otherwise, we'd love to add him to a mix that is not exactly awash in middle infielders.

2) Shawn Green, RF

- Seems like an odd place in the batting order for a guy who has 49-homer season on his résumé, but because we're not going to be running a lot, we like the idea of a guy pulling the ball to the right side batting second to avoid double plays.

3) Lou Boudreau, SS

- This team would be hurting, big-time, without Boudreau's confirmed Jewish bloodlines. The All-French squad has officially sued for his rights, but our team's lawyers are all over it. The frogs better leap on another shortstop.

4) Hank Greenberg, DH

- One of the best RBI men in baseball history and a two-time AL MVP. Not much more needs to be said.

5) Al Rosen, 3B

- In case they pitch around Greenberg, we have his protégé -- the 1953 AL MVP -- up next.

6) Kevin Youkilis, 1B

- A current standout with the Red Sox. We are able to get him into the lineup because Greenberg, who was never too great with the glove, can be the designated hitter.

7) Sid Gordon, CF

- Not quite a Cooperstown-level guy, but had a real solid career in the era following World War II.

8) Ryan Bruan, LF

- Another current standout whose full baseball story has yet to be written.

9) Harry Danning, C

- Like Gordon, Danning was a solid all-star level player. He gets the opening day nod over Mike Lieberthal, but they will alternate behind the dish while Brad Ausmus -- a three-time Gold Glove winner -- serves as a late-inning defensive replacement. Instead of sending the weak-hitting Moe Berg to the minors, we will put his intellect to use assisting Boudreau by trying to steal signals as a bench coach. Should be a snap against the All-Polish team, huh?

Starting Pitcher) Sandy Koufax

- Who else but the most dominant lefty of all-time? He'll be followed in the rotation by three 20-game winners: Erskine Mayer, Ken Holtzman, Steve Stone and a 19-game winner in Joe Horlen.

The Bench: We have Mike "Super Jew" Epstein (1B), 1906 batting champ George Stone (OF) and Former Phillie Morrie Arnovich (OF) to pinch hit. Don't forget Kinsler, Lieberthal and Ausmus.

The Bullpen: Jason Marquis, in the midst of his best season, is a long reliever and emergency starter. Dave Roberts, who led the National League in ERA in 1971, will serve in the same capacity. We also have turn-of-the-century ace Barney Pelty to eat up some innings. Our lefty-righty combo in the back end of the bullpen is Scott Radinsky and Larry Sherry, who had 20 saves in the pre-closer era.

Our Triple-A affiliate will play its home games in Hollywood, Fla., where big crowds are expected in games played immediately following early-bird special dinners.

Manager Bob Melvin, who will also serve as the third catcher, just received a 25-man roster -- mostly of journeyman types who had a season or two in the sun -- with which to work.

We are going heavy with 11 pitchers, as it will have to be done by committee. Saul Rogovin (best year 1951, with a 12-8 record and 2.78 ERA) is joined by Mike LaCoss (1987, 13-10, 3.68), Barry Latman (1961, 13-5, 4.02), Ross Baumgarten (1979, 13-8, 3.54), Jose Bautista (1993, 10-3, 2.82, Bo Belinsky (1964, 9-8, 2.86) and Harry Feldman (1945, 12-13, 3.27). Current Texas Ranger Scott Feldman, who entered the all-star break at 8-2, is also on a staff that is rounded out by relievers Scott Schoeneweis (2008, 2-6, 3.34), Al Levine (2001, 8-10, 2.38) and John Grabow (2008, 6-3, 2.84). Schoeneweis, who recently suffered the sudden loss of his wife, and Grabow are both still active in the majors.

There are still plenty of catchers to choose from, but we are only going with two (both confirmed converts to Judaism) -- Steve Yeager (1977, .256, 16 HR, 55 RBI) and Jeff Newman (1979, .231, 22 HR, 71 RBI). Newman gets the nod over the likes of longtime major league backup Joe Ginsberg and Norm Sherry, Larry's brother, because he can play some other positions. As you are about to read, that may prove vital.

At first base/designated hitter, we are OK with Ron Blomberg (1973, .329, 12 HR, 57 RBI) and Phil Weintraub (1944, .316, 13 HR, 77 RBI). A case could also be made for Lou Limmer played with the Philadelphia A's and hit a whopping .231 with 14 homers and 32 RBI in their final season in the City of Brotherly Love. For now, we'll let Mr. Limmer go down to our AA team in Owings Mills, Md.

The rest of the infield is a major problem. Andy Cohen (1928, .274, 9 HR, 59 RBI) can play second and some shortstop. We have Jim Levey (1932, .280, 4 HR, 63 RBI) at shortstop. Out of necessity, Jimmie Reese (not his birth name) will have to be our extra middle infielder. He hit .265 with all of 2 home runs and 26 RBI in 1932.

The biggest concern is third base, as we actually took a long look at non-roster invitee Gavin Fingleson, who hit .369 for a team in Taiwan in 2001 and has played for his native Australia in the Olympics, but we have decided to let Elliott Maddox -- an African American who converted to Judaism -- man the hot corner. Maddox was primarily an outfielder in his major league career but did play 114 games one season at third. He also had one real good year for the New York Yankees in 1974, batting .303 and getting some votes for MVP.

This leaves us room for five outfielders. Easy choices are Art Shamsky (1969, .300, 14 HR, 47 RBI), active player Gabe Kapler (2000, .302, 14 HR, 66 RBI) and Benny Kauff, who was called the "Ty Cobb of the Federal League" -- a splinter circuit he twice led in batting. Back in the real league, Kauff hit .308 with 5 HR and 68 RBI in 1917. He was also a nifty base-stealer and Melvin plans to bat him leadoff. The last two spots were more difficult, although kicking Ruben Amaro Jr. (1992, .219, 7 HR, 34 HR) to the front office helped. We ended up keeping Cal Abrams (1953, .286, 15 HR, 43 RBI) and Goody Rosen (1945, .325, 12 HR, 75 RBI). Rosen is unique in that he is from Canada. A current hot prospect, Adam Stern, also hails from the Great White North.

Optioned to AA were Richie Scheinblum (1972, .300, 8 HR, 66 RBI), Guy Zinn (1912, .262, 7 HR, 34 RBI), Dick Sharon (1973, .242, 7 HR, 16 RBI) and utility man David Newhan (2004, .311, 8 HR, 54 RBI) and current Chicago Cub Sam Fuld. Another current major leaguer to watch is pitcher Craig Breslow.

And yes, speaking young guys currently in the minors, almost no roster in this organizaton is secure for posterity. If there is another Sandy Koufax or Hank Greenberg out there, the changes -- and demotions -- will be made.

Any other questions? Concerns? Comments?

You know where to stick them.

Riders On The Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:28:00 +0000

ARE WE SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME WATCHING IRAN AND NOT THE COUNTRY THAT REALLY HAS ITS FINGER ON THE TRIGGER OF WORLD WAR III?:

The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea – A North Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit weapons cruised through waters off Shanghai on Tuesday en route to Myanmar, a news report said, as regional military officials and a U.S. destroyer kept a close eye on the vessel.

Washington's top military commander in South Korea, meanwhile, warned that the communist regime is bolstering its guerrilla warfare capacity.

Gen. Walter Sharp, who commands the 28,500 U.S. troops positioned in South Korea, said the North could employ roadside bombs and other guerrilla tactics if fighting breaks out again on the Korean peninsula. The two Koreas technically remain at war because their three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953.

North Korea is believed to have begun boosting its urban, nighttime and special operation capabilities in the wake of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, South Korea's Defense Ministry said. After the U.S. invasion of Iraq, North Korea claimed it would be the next target.

With 1.2 million troops, North Korea's army is one of the world's largest. Some 180,000 are special operation forces.

Last Wednesday, a North Korean-flagged vessel left the port of Nampo and was being trailed by a U.S. destroyer, a U.S. official said. It the first ship being monitored under the U.N. sanctions imposed earlier this month following North Korea's defiant underground nuclear test in May. The new resolution seeks to strengthen efforts to stop North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile programs and selling its technology.

The Kang Nam, accused of transporting illicit goods in the past, is believed to be carrying banned small arms to Myanmar, a South Korean intelligence official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.

However, analysts say a high-seas interception — a move North Korea has said it would consider an act of war — is unlikely.

The resolution calls on U.N. member states to inspect North Korean vessels if they have "reasonable grounds" to believe that its cargo contains banned weapons or materials. But it must first get the consent of the nation whose flag the ship is flying — in this case, North Korea's.

The North, however, is unlikely to allow any inspection of its cargo, said Hong Hyun-ik, an analyst at the Sejong Institute think tank outside Seoul.

If Pyongyang refuses, authorities must direct the vessel to a port. U.N. members have been ordered not to provided suspected ships with services such as fuel.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China will "strictly observe" and implement the resolution. He urged other nations to also heed the U.N. guidelines.

"Under the current circumstances, we call upon all parties to refrain from acts that might escalate the tension," he said Tuesday.

Singapore, the world's busiest port and a top refueling center, said officials would "act appropriately" if asked to confront a North Korean ship believed to be carrying banned cargo.

"Singapore takes seriously the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials," a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman said Tuesday on condition of anonymity according to ministry policy. "If the allegation is true, Singapore will act appropriately."

The South Korean broadcaster YTN said the ship was traveling in waters 200 nautical miles (230 miles; 370 kilometers) southeast of Shanghai at a speed of about 10 knots (11.5 miles per hour; 18.5 kilometers per hour).

The Kang Nam is expected to dock at Myanmar's Thilawa port, some 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Yangon, in the next few days, according to the Irrawaddy, an online magazine operated by independent exiled journalists from Myanmar, citing an unidentified port official.

North Korea is believed to have sold guns, artillery and other small weapons to Myanmar, said Kim Jin-moo, an analyst at Seoul's state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

An American destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, is relatively close to the North Korean vessel but had no orders to intercept it, a senior military official told The Associated Press last week on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and North Korea's neighbors were discussing how to deal with the increasingly defiant country amid signs it may be preparing a long-range missile test.

Ambassador Kathleen Stephens said the U.S. "remains willing and eager to engage North Korea" through diplomacy. But she said Washington and its allies have begun outlining defensive measures should the North continue with provocative acts.

"We're committed to do what is necessary to protect" the American people and their allies, she said at a Seoul forum also attended by ambassadors from China, Japan and Russia.

The vice defense ministers of Japan and South Korea also met Tuesday in Seoul, nuclear envoys from South Korea and Russia were slated to hold talks Wednesday in Moscow and a U.S. defense official was in the region for talks this week in Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo.

Everybody Plays The Fool

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:40:00 +0000

It is said that it takes one to know one.

That is good news for me, but not good enough at this moment.

It is of only small comfort that I am not at the level of a carnival huckster working a booth at the recent fair – sponsored by firefighters – in the Eagleville section of Lower Providence Township.

All we have to show for our brief time there Saturday afternoon are three stuffed animals, which are probably worth a combined $15, and a few whirls for Sofia on a rickety carousel — that dripped oil on the kid in front of us — for $100.

When you go to a carnival, you expect to run into “carnies.” Encountering this nomadic tribe is part of the romanticism — kind of like a few weekends back at the Native American pow-wow at Temple University’s Ambler campus, where we were up close and personal with real live “indigenous peoples of the Americas.”

But I never before experienced the type of borderline panhandling from the gap-toothed and unwashed crowd from a company called Reithoffer Shows working the booths Saturday.

Like hookers at Frankford and Kensington avenues in Philadelphia, they called out to us as we passed.

“Hey, Dad, win the little girl a prize,” was a common sales pitch.

If you looked away, you were a snob.

“Come on, where are going?” they would shout.

If you looked back at them, you got reeled in.

Even as we passed the snack stand and peeked in to see what the “food” looked like, I was practically accosted by the guy there asking me what he could get me.

I suppose the rain during the first few days of the “fair” really put these guys behind in their projected sales “nuts,” which I guess is no different for any peddler — from a Saab salesman to an insurance hound to someone trying to get you pop a balloon with darts or a throw a basketball in a net that was about 18-feet high, and probably not even wide enough to hold the ball.

I was rooked into both activities — the basketball toss (I hit the rim and it still didn’t go in) that Lebron James probably couldn’t get on 100 tries and the balloon-pop (you can get a toy, no problem, but at a prohibitive cost) — and learned the hard way that carnivals are not what they used to be (a chance to pick up the type of girl you would meet at a carnival).

The biggest con job came when I thought I’d be clever and cut to the chase. I offered the guy at the balloon-popping concession $10, straight-up, for the stuffed wolf that reminded Sofia of our former dog, Sandy (don’t worry, she’s not dead, just with a family who doesn’t mind having their furniture chewed).

A minute later, after some fast double-talk, he had me playing the game for $10 and winning a ... smaller animal. I eventually got the wolf, but it wasn’t until walking away that I realized it took $30 (he never gave back the original $10 and took another $20 from me to keep “playing up”).

I suppose a fool and his money — i.e. the father of a daddy’s girl — are easily parted, but should a family be subjected to such a series of swindles during what was intended to be a happy little outing?

And should a local fire department be sponsoring an event that left us with such a sour taste in our mouths that my wife said it may be the last time we ever go to a carnival?

Those Were The Days

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:55:00 +0000

And ... Duh?

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US drivers who own a car made overseas are more likely to be satisfied with their purchase than domestic car owners, a poll showed on Tuesday.

Seventy-seven percent of poll respondents who own a foreign car said they were happy with it versus 69 percent of American car owners.

Owners of US-made cars were also less likely than those who own imported vehicles to think the manufacturer of their car will still be in business in three to five years.

Almost nine in 10 -- 87 percent -- of foreign car owners who responded to the poll by Harris Interactive said they thought the company that makes the vehicle they drive will still be in business in three to five years, while among owners of US cars, only 70 percent thought so, the poll showed.

Harris Interactive surveyed 2,401 US adults between April 13-21 for the poll and made the results public on the eve of a bankruptcy court hearing for Chrysler, one of the big three American car dealers together with General Motors and Ford.

Watching The Detectives

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:43:00 +0000

I always love reports like the one you are about to read. Who pays these people to stumble upon the obvious in their studies? Outside of Hollywood overpaying for bad movie scripts, these studies have to be the biggest waste to time and money we have to offer.

Roughly 25 percent of us text-message while driving? Duh? That's just about the correct amount of self-centered dingbats we have in America.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) – A quarter of American cell phone users admit to texting while driving, despite bans in seven U.S. states and several serious accidents recently, according to a report on cell phone use released on Wednesday.

The report also found that some of the worst driving-while-texting, or DWT, offenders live in states where the practice is already banned or where legislation is pending.

Drivers in Tennessee were the most prolific texters, with 42 percent of those questioned admitting to the habit. A ban on using a cell phone to text while driving goes into effect in Tennessee in July.

Yet 83 percent of the 5,000 people surveyed across the United States said they thought DWT should be illegal. The survey was carried out on behalf of mobile voice technology company Vlingo.

Text messaging has been blamed for a number of recent high profile accidents, including a train crash in the Los Angeles area last September in which 25 people were killed, and a Boston trolley crash this month in which almost 50 people were injured.

In both cases, the drivers were found to have been sending and receiving text messages seconds before the crashes.

"Texting is such an integral component of our daily lives, and the cautionary tales about DWT danger have not stemmed the tide," said Dave Grannan, CEO of Vlingo.

Californication

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Wow! I'm sooooo relieved that "The Donald" has proclaimed that Carrie Prejean could keep her crown as Miss California (even though his holier-than-thou priss-pot posed for naughty pictures as a waif).

On the top of that, Mr. Trump -- who would be one the first people I'd slap in the face (for charity, course) -- defended her answer on gay marriage during the recent Miss U.S.A. pageant that he bankrolls each year.

Yes, my fellow citizens, the world is now safe for Democracy.

I knew there was a reason I was losing sleep lately, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Now, I know.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:17:00 +0000

One can't help but cringe that our former president went around holding hands and sucking up to the leaders of this bass-akward "kingdom." Read for yourself:

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia may ban marriage for girls below 18, a government minister said after a case of an eight-year old girl marrying a man more than 40 years her senior drew international criticism and embarrassed the kingdom.

"Among the options that are available and excluding the issue of puberty, is to ban marriage for (people) under 18," Justice Minister Mohammed al-Eissa told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

He was responding to a question about his ministry's plan to deal with the marriage of young girls.

"A girl below 18 is often not fit to take the family responsibility especially if she quickly gives birth (after marriage)," he said.

Saudi Arabia is a patriarchal society that applies an ascetic form of Sunni Islam which bans unrelated men and women from mixing and gives fathers the right to wed their sons and daughters to whomever they deem fit.

Many Saudi clerics, including the kingdom's chief cleric Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh, endorse the practice of marrying underage girls, arguing that in doing so they avoid spinsterhood or the temptation of engaging in relationships outside the wedlock.

A 50-year old man in the small Saudi town of Onaiza agreed this week to divorce his eight year-old bride.

Financial considerations could prompt some Saudi families to wed their underage daughters to much older men.

Hold On (I'm Coming)

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:01:00 +0000

Specter says he's switching from GOP to Dems (see below for G2's spin):

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent David Espo, Ap Special Correspondent 1 min ago

WASHINGTON – Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania disclosed plans Tuesday to switch parties, a move intended to boost his chances of winning re-election next year that also will push Democrats within one seat of a 60-vote filibuster-resistant majority.

"I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans," Specter said in a statement posted on a Web site devoted to Pennsylvania politics and confirmed by his office. Several Senate officials said a formal announcement was expected later in the day or Wednesday.

President Barack Obama called Specter almost immediately after he was informed of the decision to say the Democratic Party was "thrilled to have you," according to a White House official.

Specter, 79 and in his fifth term, is one of a handful of Republican moderates remaining in Congress in a party now dominated by conservatives. Several officials said secret talks that preceded his decision reached into the White House, involving both Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden, a longtime colleague in the Senate. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell as well as Democratic leaders in Congress also were involved, added the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details.

With Specter, Democrats would have 59 Senate seats. Democrat Al Franken is ahead in a marathon recount in Minnesota, and if he ultimately wins his race against Republican Norm Coleman, he would become the party's 60th vote. That is the number needed to overcome a filibuster.

Specter faced an extraordinarily difficult re-election challenge in his home state in 2010, having first to confront a challenge from his right in the Republican primary before pivoting to a general

Specter has long been one of the most durable politicians of either party in Pennsylvania. In recent years, he has battled Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system, but maintains a busy schedule that includes daily games of squash.

As one of the most senior Republicans in the Senate, Specter held powerful positions on the Judiciary and Appropriations committees. It was not clear how Democrats would calculate his seniority in assigning committee perches.

Specter has long been an independent Republican, and he proved it most recently when he became one of only three members of the GOP in Congress to vote for Obama's economic stimulus legislation.

A senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because no announcement has yet been made, said at 10:25 a.m. EDT Tuesday President Barack Obama was handed a note while in the Oval Office during his daily economic briefing. The note said: "Specter is announcing he is changing parties." At 10:32, Obama reached Specter by phone and told him "you have my full support" and that the Democratic Party is "thrilled to have you."

G2's take:

I'm reminded of "The Godfather." Although it is known that Calo set up Santino (Sonny) to be killed, Michael lets Carlo think he's going to have prominent role in the family's Las Vegas operation. Michael also agrees to be the godfather for Carlo and Connie son's. After the ceremony, he tells Carlo to go right back to his house. He meets him there and lays it on the line.

"You're still going to have to answer for Santino, Carlo," Michael calmy says.

Tearfully, and under the false impression that his life will be spared, Carlo admits what Michael already knew. He had helped Barzini set up Santino to be killed.

Then, Carlo meets his end.

So,Arlen Specter wants to be a Democrat?

You still have to answer for the single-bullet theory, Arlen.

If you can't -- or won't -- do it, I guess your political career is as dead as Carlo when he kicked the windshield while Fat Clemenza strangled him from the backseat.

If you admit the error of your ways and ask forgiveness ... welcome aboard.

I Will Remember You

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:33:00 +0000

I could not let today -- April 21, 2009 -- pass without noting that it is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

As someone who -- in another time and place -- would have carted away, whether or not I was religious or not, this day always had personal meaning.

But it seems to have more impact this year and I need not pay a therapist to unearth the reason.

It is because of Sofia and how much my wife and I love her with every ounce of our beings.

I can't even wrap my arms around the concept of the helplessness of trying to protect a child who someone else deems unworthy to exist.

I think of a lot of people on this day, but I'm mostly thinking of the parents -- parents who watched their children die in front of their eyess, parents who tried to survive for the sake of their children and died in fear of what would become of them, parents who sent their children to live in hiding with others without knowing what the ominous future would bring.

The goodbyes had to be the most painful in history of humankind.

And it's something to which every parent could relate, regardless of who and what you are.

If you are reading this right now, please take a moment to remember. Take a moment to hold your children -- and your parents -- a little closer.

Shalom.

Working On A Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:42:00 +0000

Let the countdown begin. The NFL Draft is this coming weekend (April 25-26) and any real man worth the weight of his bowling ball will, at the very least, be monitoring the non-action.

More specific, let us narrow our focus to the only team that matters -- the Eagles.

If some rookie steps up in the middle of season and starts making plays, don't come to me and say: "Where did this guy come from?" You should already know. That's why you're here. Let's call it Eagles' Draft 101 (the second part of the course will be my post-draft postmortem).

After trading away one their two first-round picks (No. 28 overall) -- as well as an expendable fourth and a sixth next year -- to Buffalo for All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters, the Birds have already had a successful draft.

Instead of moving up to the first third of Round One to get a question mark at left tackle, which would have fit Andy Reid's MO as much as a third trip to the buffet table or poor clock management at the end of a half, they got a proven tackle with the 28th pick.

And who looks like a genius now for making that trade out of the first round last year with Carolina to pick up the extra first?

And all the outcry about Brian Dawkins and the other veterans they let leave via free agency? That money under the cap was used to lock up Peters in a lucrative six-year deal.

And the best part is that the Eagles are still sitting as pretty as a Playboy bunny at H2's ranch as this weekend approaches. They still have 10 picks and not a whole lot of glaring needs.

The view from my binoculars here in Gordonville is that the needs are these: A running back who can spell Brian Westbrook while also being able to create some of the same headaches for defensive coordinators; A tight end to pair with Brent Celek; And, in my mind, an upgrade at center (with the other NFC East teams bolstering the interior of their defensive lines this offseason).

Anything else would be strictly for depth.

Some would say the Eagles still need a safety after losing Dawkins, but don't forget they signed Shawn Jones and Rashad Baker in free agency to join Quintin Mikell and Quintin Demps (who can play the game, in spite of his nightmarish outing in the NFC championship). Many national draft "experts" have the Eagles going for a safety in the earlier rounds, but I wouldn't be surprised if they wait until later -- or not at all.

As for other defensive postions, they may add a tackle and/or rush end and maybe a linebacker. And this is a deep draft for corners, so they may surprise us earlier than expected.

Offensively, you may see a receiver at some point. Ditto for another running back to add depth beyond whatever blue-chipper they grab in the early rounds. And the Eagles never leave a draft without a lineman or two, even though they have enough on their roster for two teams already. Quarterback? Andy Reid once said that any year a team has extra picks, they should take a quarterback -- if only to groom into an asset to be traded away.

That said, let's look at this three ways. The first is the fantasy. It's how I would do it. Keep in mind that I have many fantasy football titles on my resume and the reason was my drafting prowess. The second is the harsh thud of reality. It is what the Eagles will probably do, knowing their all-too-predictable proclivities. The third is, well, a mixture of the two views. A way it could, conceivably, fall into place.

Little trades are a likely possibility, as the Eagles are known to pull stunts like trading a fifth for a fourth the following year. Following the Peters move, I think it is less likely the Eagles move up but possible they move down a few spots in the first round. However, it would be all conjecture on top of all the guesswork we are already dealing with here. Therefore, for the sake of this drill, no trades.

Ready? Let's roll:

My Way - The Fantasy

First Round (No. 21 overall): LeSean McCoy, RB, Pitt
- Comment: Sorry, folks. The perfect fit, Knowshon Moreno of Georgia, will be off the board and Chris "Beanie" Wells of Ohio State is not the Eagles' type of back. The explosive McCoy may be a slight reach, but trading back 6-8 spots would be risky because he is an ideal fit in Arizona and they could jump ahead if we jump back too far.
Second Round (No. 53):Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri
- Comment: Some would say this is another slight reach, but Cofffman (90 catches, 10 TDs last year) has the bloodlines (his father was a solid NFL tight end). Needs work as a blocker, but will put in the effort to learn. Great character guy, which will be a nice departure from L.J. Smith.
Third Round (No. 85): Eric Wood, C, Louisville
- Comment: I didn't want to do this. There were more exciting and inviting players on the board (Jackson State corner Domonique Jackson could be a steal). I love the top two centers in this draft -- Alex Mack of California and Max Unger of Oregon -- and one or the other could be there if the Eagles trade out of 21 and add a pick in the middle of the second round. That scenario aside, Wood is a four-year starter and adds competition at a spot that can't just be gift-wrapped for the very pedestrian and limited Jamaal Jackson because of a lack of other viable options.
Fifth Round (No. 141): McKenna"Bear" Pascoe, TE, Fresno State
- Comment: While considered to be around the 10th best tight end available, he is higher the list of two-way tight ends (once you removed the glorified wide receivers from the list). Had 85 catches over the last two seasons and uses his size (6-5, 257) well as a blocker. Earned his nickname because of his playing style. Happy? And now, with three tight ends (Celek, Coffman and "Bear"), we can wave a collective goodbye to Matt Schobel once and for all. Four's a crowd, dude!
Fifth Round (No. 153): Ian Johnson, RB, Boise State
- Comment: Yes, this is the guy who proposed to his girlfriend after the amazing 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. He's also the same guy who returned as a Heisman Trophy candidate and didn't improve much, although injuries were the main culprit. In a West Coast attack, Johnson's receiving skills are enough to put the pitiful Lorenzo Booker out of work.
Fifth Round (No. 157): Terrance Knighton, DT, Temple
- Comment: This guy was playing dominating football at the end of the season (I watch my alma mater whenever possible, so this is a sleeper from the pages of my own personal scouting reports.). Plus, if someone is going put Dan Klecko out of a job as the fourth defensive tackle, it may as well be another Temple guy, right?
Fifth Round (No. 159): Kaluka Maiva, OLB, USC
- Comment: The forgotten guy among the Trojans' linebackers (three will go in the first two rounds, if not all the first). Maiva is undersized (6-0, 232) but has an oversized heart and some athleticism to at least kick it old school on special teams.
Sixth Round (No. 194): Deon Butler, WR, Penn State
- Comment: Although teammate Derek Williams will get draft higher, probably in the early third round, let us not forget that Butler actually led PSU with 47 catches for 810 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. He also has return ability, should Desean Jackson get dinged. His size -- 5-9, 173 -- is the only reason for the drop on draft boards. He runs a 4.47 40 and makes plays. So here is your receiver, fans. Sorry if it wasn't someone more exotic.
Sixth Round (No. 195): Anthony Scirrotto, SS, Penn State
- Comment: I hate Penn State, really. But business is business. Can help on special teams and maybe develop into a third safety in time. A lot like former Eagle and Penn Stater Mike Zordich. Can you live with that as a deep reserve? Note to annoying Nittany Lions' fans who over-value their guys: This is where they are rated, sorry.
Seventh Round (No. 230): Ryan Mouton, Athlete, Hawaii
- Comment: Runs a 4.4 in the 40 but doesn't really have a position, although he would probably get a first look at corner. Hey, you can't teach speed. This flyer is worth a flier.

Note that I doubled up on several of the need positions. Not the way Andy will do it ...

Reid's Way - The Reality

First Round (No. 21 overall): Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
- Comment: Some say he won't be there, but he will. And I think Reid goes for the jugular by taking the top-rated guy at a need position. Can't really argue except ... what about running back? We'll hear the spin about how Westbrook is back at full strength and how Lorenzo Booker will be better in his second year in the system. Scary, but we've heard it all before, have we not?
Second Round (No. 53): Paul Kruger, DE, Utah
- Comment: Another great value pick, or so they will spin it about this overaged rookie (he's 24) who is also slender (6-5, 265) but athletic and hard-working and considered to be more of a Top 40 pick. Oh ... and he's also a Mormon. Gotta keep that quota up, Andy.
Third Round (No. 85): Pat White, multi-purpose, West Virginia
- Comment: "We couldn't believe he was still on the board. We had him as a Day 1 pick," GM Tom Heckert will proclaim. Sure, don't all guys without a true position get drafted in the first two rounds? White has flaws as a quarterback and is too small (6-0, 190) to play there anyway. There are more polished wide receivers and making him a running back would be a project. But the Eagles will tell us they got three for the price of one. The fans will eat up like a Pat's Cheese Steak, too.
Fifth Round (No. 141): Austin Collie, WR, BYU
- Comment: The same spin as with White and Kruger, as Collie led the nation in receiving yards (1,538 on 105 catches!) while hauling in 15 touchdowns last season in a gimmick offense. He's been called by a scouts a "slower version of Kevin Curtis." On the plus side, maybe he'll be able to stay on his feet and actually catch the ball when it counts most (ouch, a shot at Kevin Curtis!). Or maybe, as with almost all young receivers, he'll ride the bench here for 13 years while learning the complex scheme. In the meanwhile, another Mormon to give part of his salary to the church is in the fold. Good times.
Fifth Round (No. 153): Scott McKillop, ILB, Pitt
- Comment: A good player and good value here, but ... a middle linebacker when you already have Stewart Bradley and Joe Mays? Does anyone at NovaCare know that you can only 53 guys on the active roster?
Fifth Round (No. 157): Seth Olson, OG, Iowa
- Comment: The needless run on offensive lineman who will hard-pressed to make the team begins by reaching for a tough-but-limited athlete.
Fifth Round (No. 159): Sammie Hill, DT, Stillman College
- Comment: The Eagles love taking a small-school project each year to look clever. This guy is humungous (6-4, 330) but had all of 7.5 sacks against virtual midgets. Good night, good luck ... but a good mini-camp storyline for the beat writers.
Sixth Round (No. 194): Brett Helms, C, LSU
- Comment: An undersized center? In 2009? Albert Haynesworth is salivating already. So is Jamaal Jackson. Job is safe, baby.
Sixth Round (No. 195): Stephen McGee, QB, Texas A&M
- Comment: An option college quarterback with a lot of grit will become Andy's practice squad science project, even with better QBs still on the board. Grrrrr!
Seventh Round (No. 230): Phil Trautwein, OT, Florida
- Comment: A South Jersey kid who was one of Florida's team captains. That's the good news. The bad news ... too slow-footed and soft for the next level. But what's another offensive lineman to cut?

The above will look like a good draft, value-wise, but will have flaws revealed as the years pass. What else is new, huh?

But there is another way it could go and I wouldn't surprised -- or terribly displeased -- so keep these names in mind ...

First Round (No. 21 overall): Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
-Comment: A DeSean Jackson type, Harvin could also line up in the backfield -- as he did at Florida -- as a third-down back. Has a major tude but great upside.
Second Round (No. 53): Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
- Comment: Has a lot of potential but his Day 1 status is based a lot on pre-draft workouts and not production. I'd rather see Victor Abiamiri get a shot to start this year.
Third Round (No. 85): Jeremiah Johnson, RB, Oregon
- Comment: His name has been paired with the Eagles a lot because he fits the system. Smallish (5-9, 200), he is more quick than fast but has been highly productive as a runner and catches the ball smoothly. Stock drops slightly because of a torn ACL in 2007, but he could be a nice pick (kind of like another third-round running back from Villanova a few years back).
Fifth Round (No. 141): Austin Collie, WR, BYU
- Comment: Come on ... you know it's gonna happen! His older brother, Zac, was a training camp body two years ago after playing at BYU. Their dad, Scott, and Andy Reid were college teammates at ... BYU.
Fifth Round (No. 153): Tony Fiametta, FB, Syracuse
- Comment: Yes, the Eagles signed Leonard Weaver. But it was only a one-year deal. Although the versatile Fiammetta is the top-ranked fullback among an average group, he may slip this far. The Eagles can sell the fact that he can play a little tight end and/or H-back -- as can Weaver (a college tight end).
Fifth Round (No. 157): John Phillips, TE, Virginia
- Comment: Don't worry, here's a true tight end four picks later. They'll forget they ever uttered the nonsense about how they will use Fiametta when they already have Weaver. Phillips has good size (6-6, 251) and does everything decently -- except get deep. Scouts believe that if he can add 10-15 pounds, he could be as much of a force blocking as Pettigrew down the road. Whatever. I still like my guy, the "Bear," better.
Fifth Round (No. 159): Roy Miller, DT, Texas
- Comment: An effort player who has the fortitude to make it as a backup.
Sixth Round (No. 194): Brandon Underwood, DB, Cincinnati
- Comment: A defensive back is likely at some point, and this guy can play safety and corner.
Sixth Round (No. 195): Mike Reilly, QB, Central Washington
- Comment: If Donovan McNabb stays past this year, Kevin Kolb goes. Plain and simple. Another guy has to be groomed. Reilly, though at a lower level, put up sick numbers (3,706 yards, 37 touchdowns) last year and throughout his career. Scouts say he would have to play in a West Coast offense to make it because his arm strength is lacking. Reminds some of Jeff Garcia.
Seventh Round (No. 230): Pat McAfee, K-P, West Virginia
- Comment: A kicking specialist? Yeah, why not? It's the seventh round. And the Eagles really don't have a lot of open roster spots. His best bet would be to challenge this inconsistent Sav Rocca, and it could be a dead heat right out of the gate. His presence, even as a kickoff guy, could make David Akers kick it up (get it, kick it up?) a notch, too.

Not as good as my draft, but doesn't leave as many holes as Reid's likely scenario.

And if you read this far, give yourself a hand. I hope this helps create clarity come this weekend.

Hollywood Nights

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:14:00 +0000

As promised in my April 5 column deriding blowhard Bill O'Reilly for boycotting Sean Penn films on spec, I'm am pleased to re-release an updated list of my Top 10 films of all-time.

First a note: Lists like these are an important mental exercise to sort stuff out. It's easy to say you like so many movies that it's impossible to cull a list together. I'll give you part of that. I like so many movies that a list of, say, my Top 75 -- in order -- would be impossible.

But a Top 10 should be virtually etched in stone. These aren't the movies you like. They are the ones you love. The ones that shaped who you are.

If, for some strange reason, you have not seen at least half of the following films -- or do not have at least one on your list -- I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse:

1) The Godfather -- Guess I kind of gave it away, huh? No real mystery. Best of the best. When they made it, they threw away the mold. Hard to believe that many great actors were together under one roof. Then again, some -- like Al Pacino and James Caan -- were relative unknowns at the time.

2) Rocky -- "Rocky" is all Philadelphia and Philadelphia is all "Rocky." The litany of sequels, save the half-decent last one, were all Hollyweird. Enough said. As bad as the sequels were, they cannot sully the classic original.

3) The Godfather II -- Welcome to the exception to the rule that sequels usually fall short. Some respected critics have gone so far as to say that this was better than No. 1. Not quite, but very close. Get it up for Bobby D.!

4) JFK -- Don't start with this "historically inaccurate" baloney. I'm as well-read on the JFK turkey shoot as almost anyone and a lot of nails were hit dead on the head by Oliver Stone. Plus, whoever said other "history" movies were 100 percent accurate? Show me one and I'll show you the pin number to my secret bank account in Lichtenstein. Bottom line, this was film-making at its best. For those of you who are easily bored, my advice would be to fast-forward whenever you see Sissy Spacek. It'll cut out about 20 minutes and the plot won't be affected.

5) The Shawshank Redemption -- Like a fine wine, it keeps getting better with age. The true test of a great film is being able to watch it over and over and still enjoy it. Overlooked for Best Picture in favor of the inferior "Forrest Gump," studies have shown that this is rightfully ranked higher on most lists of viewers and critics -- including this one.

6) Serpico -- Al Pacino is the best (although Sean Penn is about to take the baton ... sorry Mr. O'Reilly) and this was Al Pacino at his best. With a lesser actor in the lead role, it could have been a just a half-decent movie and not a G2 all-timer.

7) Annie Hall -- Note to my female fans: If you want to know what it would have been like to date me, check out Woody Allen's character, Alvy Singer, in this one and stop eating your hearts out. Woody has had many classics, but this remains his departure effort.

8) Scarface -- This Pacino film was so perfect through the first two-thirds of it that I'll overlook the borderline silly final third of the script and keep it on the luminous list.

9) Schindler's List -- Just as "The Godfather" is the ultimate mob movie, this was the supreme "Holocaust" film. All that keeps it out of the Top Five is that is hard to sit through, although one time per year is suggested just to remind you that we are all humans in the human race.

10) Driving Miss Daisy -- Someone explain to me how Morgan Freeman did not win an Academy Awofard for Best Supporting actor? Nonetheless, Best Picture honors were on the money. Just pro that big budgets don't guarantee anything. It's all in the writing, directing and acting. Special kudos to Dan Akroyd, who reportedly deferred his salary until after the movie was made. He believed in the project that much. It's enough to restore your faith in humanity -- and maybe even forgive misguided blowhards on the Fox News Network.

Just missing the cut ... Dead Man Walking (not worth boycotting, trust me), The Pope of Greenwich Village (a glimpse into the unfulfilled potential of Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts), A Bronx Tale (almost too good to be true), Crimes and Misdemeanors (my wife's favorite movie, it's Woody Allen's second best), Braveheart (bumped from previous list, but not because of any Mel Gibson boycott ... further research shows the history is so inaccurate that Oliver Stone would be embarrassed), Glory (best war movie), Platoon (second best war movie), Marty (Ernest Borgnine's best), 12 Angry Men (give me great writing and 12 great actors and keep your special effects), Dog Day Afternoon (another Pacino classic), Matewan (the best from the best independent filmmaker, John Sayles), Hoosiers (best sports movie, followed by Miracle and Rudy), Tender Mercies (Robert Duvall's best effort). Goodfellas (note all the extras who ended up on The Sopranos), Mr. Saturday Night (see what I did there?), Carlito's Way (Sean Penn AND Al Pacino).

If I missed your favorite flicks, don't fret. I've seen thousands -- though none of this year's apparent standouts -- and hundreds are considered classics in Gordonville. You can't name them all and none should be boycotted.

Dream Weaver

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Glantz) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:08:00 +0000

We interrupt the pending end of the world (at least as we know it), for the following important message: The Eagles have taken the plunge and gotten themselves a legit fullback. Not a converted linebacker (Josh Parry). Not a guy with no versatility (Thomas Tapeh). Not a tweener tailback (Tony Hunt). Not a converted defensive tackle (Dan Klecko).

I applaud thee, personnel peeps, for seeing thine light and signing the best all-around fullback on the market in Leonard Weaver (Heath Evans is a better blocker but does little else). A tight end in college, he a natural blocker and receiver. The Seattle Seawards, who play an almost identical system as the Eagles, learned in the last year or two that he can also be an effective runner -- particularly in those pesky short-yardage scenarios.

The Eagles have been shrugging off positions like fullback, center, return specialist and linebacker and are learning -- spot by spot -- that a true Super Bowl team can't afford any exploitable weak spots.

I'm still concerned about center, as Jamaal Jackson is a stop-gap type of player and the teams in their division have loaded up on interior defensive lineman who'll eat a rent-a-center for lunch and dessert.

As usual, I'm fearful they think they can get by with Jackson -- a converted tackle who was undrafted out of Delaware State -- but there are some centers (Alex Mack, Max Unger) I like in the draft (the Eagles have a dozen picks). At the least, I'd like to see competition for Jackson from last year's fourth-round pick Mike McGlynn and/or Nick Cole.

For now, I'll try not to let it keep up nights. We have a fullback -- a real fullback (like the ones I watched on th NFL Network this weekend during a replay of the 1993 NFC Title Game between the Dallas Cowboys, with Darryl Johnston at fullback, at the San Francisco 49ers, with Tom Rathman).

Wake me up, I must be dreaming.