Game On! Can SF Repeat?

Can Aubrey Huff and his band of misfits recapture their October magic or, will a re-loaded Philadelphia Phillies team dominate? Will the Red Sox or Yankees find their way back to World Series glory? These are just a few questions to think about as pitchers and catchers find their way in to spring training this week. This season could be one of the more competitive seasons in recent memory.

It just feels like there are more teams in the majors this year that could win it all. The early favorites are Boston and Philly but San Francisco will undoubtedly be a force to recon with. New York and Texas are sure to give Boston a run for their money. Those are just the top tier teams, there are a number of other teams that could easily make a run into October much like the Giants did a season ago. Lets take a look at the teams that could make history.

First and foremost is Colorado. The Rockies have always had a great offense now that offense is better than ever with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez leading the charge. Colorado's pitching has always been a liability that has changed recently. Lead by Usbaldo Jimenez the Rockies are a viable force to be dealt with in the national league. How far they go might depend on how well San Francisco and Atlanta play.

The next team I'm looking to surprise some of the pundits is the Oakland Athletics. This young team put together a pretty nice season last year. They were never really a contender but they gained experience for their young pitching staff. Probably another year and the A's could make a run for the playoffs.

These are just a few teams I think could make some noise lets hear what you think!

http://www.mlb.com/

Spending Problem?

Presidant Obama released his budget for the next three years. The President cut over 9 billion dollars but that may not be enough to satisfy the house. The budget cuts more than 200 government programs while investing in schools and transportation (53 billion dollar high speed rail perhaps). However the plan will not help education immedietly with there being severe budget cuts and layoffs in many states. But its not the investments that have people worried.

Obama's budget is a step in the right direction but by no means should be accepted by the American people. If there is going to be a real change in the way we run our country we are going to have to be more proactive in making real sustanible cuts. I would love to hear your thought on the budget. Get the whole story by going to the Washington Post.

Washington Post

Is the NFL Really the No Fun League?

With a new NFL collective bargaining agreement no where in sight how will a work stoppage affect the league. In 1993 Major League Baseball set a new record for attendance. Fan interest was through the roof and then in the summer of 1994 with Matt Williams chasing the single season home run record the players went on strike. That season there was no World Series and then the following season when play resumed there were few fans that cared to watch the game. Baseball is not the only sport to suffer from a work stoppage in recent history.

The NBA and NHL have both had work stoppages that changed the game for the negative. Ever since the NHL lost a whole season a few years ago it has not been relevant. The NBA after the 1998-1999 strike the game was downright boring. It basically took ESPN to resurrect the sport by showing games on their station. There is a perception that the NFL is immune to such backlash. That no matter what happens in the that America will watch.

The NFL should not assume that they have that they will still have a ton of interest if there is no season this year.  I think that the American people wont be as willing to watch a bunch of millionaire cry babies especially when times are so tough. Most Americans are taking pay cuts across the board and the players don't seem to be giving any concessions to the owners. All I can say is get the cba taken care of so we don't have to see if the NFL can continue to rule American sports.

The NFL's View of the Players

Obama: Man or Mouse

Its almost been two years and I think President Obama finally has a chance to be a true leader. He may not be the savior President but, Obama does have an opportunity to unite America. It seems to me that he has let go of his hard left agenda and started to move more to the center. Obviously the President has felt the pressure to move to the center after the elections in November.

The President saw the democrats lose the house and had many Senators sent packing by the electorate. It will be quite the fight in the next few months with the republicans having more of a leg to stand on while debating policy. We will also see if the President is capable of bringing the two parties together while juggling a tense situation in the Middle East. Now is the time for President Obama to be the leader that the free world needs.

The next few months will be very important. There are many outcomes to the situation in Egypt. As Secretary Gates said, "The situation is very fluid." This is true and it seems that the White House is feeling things out by being very careful what they say. This seems to be a different approach from the Bush administration. In some ways this is good but on the other hand its frustrating not knowing how our President really feels about the situation. President Obama could take this opportunity to make a firm declaration to the world that America accepts a free Egypt but it is against any form of radical Islamic government.

It seems that Obama doesn't want to step on anybodies toes when making a statement. One of many examples of this is when Fox News' Bill O' Reilly asked the President if he thought the Muslim Brotherhood was a threat to the United States? Mr. Obama's answer was "they are only one faction in Egypt." A weak answer to a simple question. The American people deserve to know the truth from their leader. If the Muslim Brotherhood were to gain control of Egypt what would that mean for America and her allies i.e. Israel? This crisis is a huge opportunity for the President to step up and lead. It will be very interesting to see if Obama will stand for freedom or be pushed around.

Wild Winter

Well winter has come and gone and I have been hibernating. No posts since November so much to get caught up on. Health Care has passed next we have cap and trade, jobs bills etc. When does it stop I think instead of watching all this stuff maybe I will play golf. Oh wait Im in Oregon and the sun hasnt been out four three months I guess Im stuck watching the circus in Washington. At least its entertaining! Keep it right here for insight on all the wild going ons on the beltway. Also I might have to review the new Tom Cruise movie. I cant wait to rip that one apart. Anyway welcome me back to the blogosphere and I hope to write more often.

A Very Interesting Week Ahead!

Well the House passed the new bill on healthcare reform this week we will see if it gets through the Senate. I am interested in seeing all that it contains and just what we are putting into law. I cant wait it should be quite the circus keep it right here for reports all week long. Be sure to tell me what you think and feel about the Bill.

Beck Care What the Talk Show Host Proposes For America.

You might know of the many Glenn Beck theories today Glenn brought his new plan to cure healthcare in front of the American people. He has taken a long time to get to it but this is what Beck proposes his sunshine and loli-pop health care plan.

He proposes a free market system that allows competition and the best plan would end up the winner. Rick Gornto the architect of the Galviston Plan of the 1980's. In the plan people could opt out of social security was on the show and he brought some facts about the Galveston Plan vs. Social Security and the numbers for the Galveston plan were all higher. Ths Galveston Plan also gave people control of their account while that is not available in Social Security.

This is Becks way of showing why he thinks a similar healthcare opt-out would help the system. He compares this idea to the Massechusetts Romeycare which has bankrupt the state and casued a reduction in service. Beck says that we should try the two plans in two different states for a few years and check the pros and cons of each. If this could be done objectively and if we could keep special interest to a minimum this might be the way to proceed cautiously.

We have had a long time to screw up the medical system and I dont feel that we can fix the crisis overnight. My biggest concern for a free market system is how people who are poor going to get healthcare there has to be a way to provide for all. When it comes to health all individuals have the right to be healthy no matter their monitary situation. With a government plan we need to make it tough for people to abuse the system what that answer is no one has told us but I would love to hear some ideas from other people out there.