June Potpourri

Lets dive into a few things that have been in the news lately...

Iranian Elections: I think that this may really be a huge deal for the Iranian people. However, I don't think that America should necessarily get swept up in it. Our problem is that we are a country of know-it-alls and with Iran banning Westerner and their news, it leaves the US news agencies, if you can still call some of them that, wondering what is going on.

According to several sources it doesn't seem to matter for several reasons; 1) The supreme ruler makes all domestic and foreign policies; and 2) They are still going to want weaponized plutonium. That is what both candidates agree on, so in the long run we are still going to be trying to talk them out of it.

Also, under NO circumstance should the United States get involved in what is going on in Iran. Let them protest and march, let them have their revolution. We didn't ask the international community for help in the still contested Minnesota senate election did we? We didn't seek Iran's advice when Gore beat out Bush, did we? This is an internal matter and should be handled as such. If we interfere now, we only prove to the Arab world that we feel that we have the right to, and are, the police of the world.

KOREA: History Channel ran this great program that has since repeated occasionally about the Mayan 2012 Doomsday. Well, North Korea is threatening a massive retaliation if the US interferes with their boats. That is what the US Navy is getting ready to do. They have their sailors armed and ready to hold North Korean boats, without boarding them. So, I would venture to say that a nuclear war is not too far off. Even Russia and China are trying to get North Korea to ease its stance against the world.

The main problem with North Korea's nuclear holocaust threat is that they so far haven't shown the technology to reach the Continental United States. Russia has already said that they would shoot down any rocket headed their way but could not say whether they have the technology to detect rockets headed in any other way. North Korea wouldn't be so ignorant to launch one at China, so that only leaves Japan, which would just be cruel irony, South Korea, which is a distinct possibility, and Alaska or Hawai'i. Now, Alaska may be out of the picture for a North Korean target, and may actually find protection from the Kremlin, but Hawai'i is a whole nother story. Again, as cruel irony, an attack by a foreign country on Hawai'i would surely ignite a World War.

Even if North Korea was able to get help from rouge nations, such as Iran, I don't see any other countries really backing them in support. China and Russia, for all their actual attempts would try to stay neutral since they don't want to be seen taking orders from the US, but can not condone nuclear holocaust. The Colombians not only don't have the weaponry, but they don't necessarily have the man power. They would need to unite a lot of the South and Central American countries to get an army capable of warranting an attack. The key would also be Cuba. Fidel Castro, as the last of the guerrilla's, I don't think would want to risk an attack from or on his country 90 miles from the United States.

The main problem would come from the Arab League. They have the tendency to stick together thick and thin and will cause an issue on a global scale. I think between the Arab League, and Columbia, the United States and it's allies find themselves in an issue when it comes to fuel. If Iran comes to the aid of North Korea, out of the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality, the United States and it's allies will see national gas prices sky rocket to unbelievable heights that will cause chaos in their own streets. And with the time frame that this may happen, the world doesn't need that pressure right now.

Barack Obama vs. FOX News: This really has turned into a juvenile fight. Yes, we all know that NBC and their affiliates are Obama's personal television channel, we get it. But the back and forth between Obama and Fox News needs to stop. Obama mentioned on an interview with MSNBC how there is a whole channel that seems dedicated to only reporting negative news on him and his administration. Sorry, but it just sound's like you can't take the heat. There is no need to mention directly or indirectly any of this. Let it go, there are always going to be people or organizations trying to bring you down, it comes with the office.

We all knew it was So-Sa! Occasionally we like to chime in with Sports news. However, this really should not have been news to anyone. Look at not just his body, but his body of work. And he has no one to blame but himself. As a former sports writer, I already wrote an article on this a decade ago, this doesn't need to be this big of news.

Opening Day

Let us put aside petty differences to follow a summer tradition, ney, ritual. A right of passage passed down from father to son, from generation to generation, Opening Day of the baseball season. It's the time to dust off the old glove, drop an unhealthy amount of money (during a recession, and even more unhealthy if your planning on going to the New Yankee Stadium) and watch your favorite players take the field with the hopes and dreams that a World Series Championship is just months away from coming to your team.

Sure, the players are roided up. And, as Houston Astro Lance Berkman has said, not all of the players are on steroids, but there is a cloud of suspicion over the league. Instead of pointing out great players, and reminiscing about times when they saw Micky Mantle, Nolan Ryan, Tony Gwynn, Joe DiMaggio, so forth and so on, father's now tell their sons that they shouldn't necessarily put too much faith into their favorite player because you just never know if they will end up on another steroid list.

And sure the Yankees built a new stadium and dropped over $400 million on 4 new players. Sure, tickets that went for around $60 at old Yankee Stadium now go for almost triple that. Sure, it even has a Martini bar in case James Bond stops in to watch the Yanks take on the Red Sox. At least it's not Citi Field, the new home to cross town rivals, the New York Mets. While CitiBank was asking the government and receiving bailout money, they continued their promise to the people of Queens, by continuing to throw millions into their new stadium. And what did the US government, who holds a healthy percentage of CitiBank do? The government that fired AIG's CEO, and has held the auto industry hostage? They let CitiBank keep on building.

Meanwhile, Major League Baseball didn't allow money man, and maniac owner Mark Cuban to buy the Cubs from the failing Tribune Company, thanks to the good ol' boy back room politics of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and Chicago White Sox and Bulls owner, good friend, and Cuban hater Jerry Reinsdorf. In the end, however, the eventual buyer of the historic, lovable losers franchise (not to mention the Friendly Confines, Wrigley Field) went to a man who meet his wife in the bleachers of that very stadium, watching that very team, so it could have been worse, it could have been the conglomerate that controls Big Brown and I Want Revenge's stables. Wonderful business men cut from the same cloth as the Steinbrenners.

Oh, yeah, and there were some games played too. A day before the other 30 teams got to start, the Atlanta Braves ruined the banner waving celebration of division rivals, and World Series Champ, Philadelphia Phillies. The Phils probably thought they were going to roll over the Bravos but it was not to be, as once again, Bobby Cox shows why he will always remain the head coach in Atlanta as his young kids started pounding the ball early on against Brett Myers.

Monday saw the "rest" of the league Spring into action. Most notably CC Sabathia and the previously mentioned millionaire Yankees saw their team fall to the Orioles. And what may turn out to be the greatest thing for fans in Baltimore, scorned as they are, every time the Yanks come into town, they now get to boo hometown boy Mark Texiera. Tex, who was a free agent this off season choose the Yankees over the O's, saying that he's always been a Yankees fan. And in true Hilary Clinton fashion (born a Cubs fan, ran for congress in NY and said she was a life long Yankees fan) ESPN's bio-blast reported that the Annapolis born, Mr. Maryland High School baseball star, was in fact, an Orioles fan. But, money has a funny way of changing your allegiances, right Johnny Damon?

The Cubbies held on to a lead, as the cardiac Cubs look to end a [editors note: this will not be spoken out loud until the season is over] with a win over Roy Oswalt and the Astros. And, as quoted in the movie Major League: "You can always tell how the season will go by the first batter". And with that, Alfanso Soriano blasted the second pitch he saw over the left field fence.

Other games happened. Both early Cy Young hopefuls Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians got rocked last night. Hanley Rameriez hit a grand slam. And several games got called due to weather. With the entire season in front of us, let's let out the true Summer war cry, in the words of the great Ernie Banks, aka Mr. Cub, "Lets play two".