Happy Halloween!

Democracy in Action

Just when you thought that the coming presidential election couldn't get any closer... some bozo has to bring up the concept of "electoral shedding."

John McCain for President, anyone?

Cross-Examination

Anybody ever looked at a picture of Penelope Cruz?
I mean actually looked at her... not just a quick glance.
Yes, she's beautiful. But look closer... The girl has some serious eye problems. She's not cross-eyed... instead she's looking in two opposite directions at all times.

I noticed it once on a magazine cover, and now I can't stop noticing it. It's kind of like a train wreck... I want to look away... but I just can't.

And now, you won't be able to, either.

Informal Election Poll

Saturday morning, I drove past a group of kids standing on the corner of Weems Road and Veteran's Parkway. They were hopping up and down, shouting, and holding up signs that said "Honk if you're for Bush!"

Nobody honked.

Saturday mid-afternoon, I drove past a group of kids outside the Democratic party headquarters on Macon road. They, too, were hopping up and down, shouting, and holding signs... the only difference being that their signs said "Honk if you're for Kerry!"

Three people honked.

So, based on my phenomenally un-scientific research, we can deduce either:
a) John Kerry will win Tuesday's elections....
b) Likely voters tend to sleep late....
or
c) Bush supporters find horn-honking to be tacky.

Sadly, my informal research probably isn't any less accurate than the pre-election polls are. Consider this... pollsters don't call people on wireless phones. Sure, only about 3% of the population has given up on land-line phones altogether... but in an election that's expected to be one of the closest in US history, 3% is a pretty big chunk of the electorate.

Bound in Leather

Three years ago this week, I moved from my seven-year home of Kirksville, Missouri to Columbus, Georgia. My first day on the air here was October 17th, 2001. At the time, I was positive that I'd never even be here for the two years that my employment contract specified... that some up-and-coming station would recognize my stellar talents and snatch me up for their sports staff.

That was three years ago. Now, with no job offers, no job interviews, heck... no nibbles in the last six months, I'm wondering if I'm cut out for this business.

I know I'm not perfect. But I used to think that being fairly talented, a hard worker, and not too hideous to look at was enough. Now I don't know what to think. Maybe I'm just too much of a pessimist. Or maybe I suck at my job and nobody's bothered to tell me.

I checked tonight, the traditional gift for a three-year anniversary is Leather. Makes sense, since I'm apparently a bit of a masochist.

How 'Bout Them Red Sox???

What a great game. Not only because the Yankees lost, but also because of the great game for former KC Royals player Johnny Damon. This has been a great postseason for "the ones that got away." Not only Damon with a grand slam and a two-run homer for the Red Sox historic win, but also Carlos Beltran tying a postseason record for home runs with the Astros.

And then tomorrow, another game seven, between Houston and St. Louis. Of course, I'll be rooting for the Cards tomorrow night. Jim Edmonds hit an 11th inning home run to force game seven in that series.

A side note: I still remember the day, about five years ago, when the Cardinals acquired Edmonds from the Anaheim Angels. I was pretty excited about the deal. Our co-worker, Roberto, was not. "He's poison in the clubhouse!" Beto exclaimed, adding that Edmonds would spell doom for the Redbirds. Usually, Beto's right on target with his observations. Thankfully, not this time.

Back to the Red Sox, though. I can't decide which I like better... the 1995-2003 cute, clean-shaven, all-American Johnny Damon or the scary, 2004 Cro-Magnon-style Johnny Damon. They both have their odd appeal.

Thankfully, I have the whole World Series to ponder that question.

Plane Crash Update

Thankfully, it looks like nobody we know was on Corporate Airlines Flight 5966. It appears that most of the passengers were out-of-towners headed to a medical conference at KCOM. And though I know many people who could potentially be on their way to that conference, ABC news is reporting that the doctors on the flight were from Florida, Ohio and Utah, and most of the KCOM grads that I know are on the west coast.

Still, every time I see a report on the news about the crash, I freeze in place and stare at the tv like a deer in headlights. It's kind of strange seeing people I know from Kirksville on the national news, issuing statements and searching the wreckage.

I'm A Believer

Wow. Last week, my old college pal Mike wrote on his blog: "Anybody who doesn't believe that this is going to be the greatest post-season series of at least the last 25 years doesn't know baseball. This, my friends, is insane."

He, a non-native New Yorker with a passionate dislike of the Yankees, was talking about the Yankees/Red Sox matchup in the American League Championship Series.

At the time, I was pretty unimpressed. For those of you who haven't been watching, I'll explain.

The Evil Empire (New York) won the first two games, outlasting a Sox rally in each matchup. Then the Yankees crushed the BoSox in game three by a 19-to-8 margin. The game was the longest nine-inning game in postseason history. The Yankees led the best-of-seven series 3-0. Things looked pretty bleak for those poor Red Sox.

Then things got a little weird. Facing elimination, and another year without the World Series, The Red Sox didn't want to give up. Screw the Curse of the Bambino, they said. And in 12 innings, they beat the Yankees. Monday, it took 14 innings and Boston did it again.

A little trivia for you. No Major League Baseball team has ever won a seven-game playoff series after being down three games to none. In fact, no team has ever even forced a seventh game after being down three games to none.

That all changed about half an hour ago. The Red Sox held off a Yankees rally in New York to win game six of the American League Championship. Boston has forced Game Seven. It's all tied up now, three games apiece. The Red Sox now are just one win away from their first trip to the World Series since 1986(They haven't won a World Series since 1918).

So, if you get a chance Tuesday night, watch the Red Sox play the Yankees, in what will be a historic game. The game is on Fox at 8:00. If the Yankees win, they'll make their 40th (yes, that's right, I said 40th) trip to the World Series... and crush the hearts of nearly everyone in Beantown.

Oh, but if the Red Sox win...

Actually, I'm not quite sure what'll happen if the Red Sox win. I think it might a sign of the Apocolypse.

Oh, and root for the Cardinals, while you're at it. They need all the help they can get right now.

Breaking News

Cory and I are a little freaked out right now. As most of you know, I spent seven years of my life in Kirksville, Missouri. Cory was born and raised there, living in the 'Ville for about twenty years.

Tonight, a commuter plane crashed in the woods outside the Kirksville Municipal Airport.

Kirksville is a small town. It's population is about 15,000, but it honestly seems more like 1500. I feel like I know everyone there. And if I don't know someone, chances are that either Cory or his mom does know that person.

Eight people are confirmed dead in Tuesday night's crash. Five others are missing. It's not looking good.

Update:

We just got a phone call from Kirksville. Danette, an old friend of ours, had planned to take the flight, and at the last minute, she and her four-year-old daughter decided to drive the three hours from St. Louis to Kirksville instead.

As she was driving into town, she saw the emergency lights, and called the TV station (where she used to work) to ask what happened.

Another thought: This is Homecoming week in Kirksville. That means a busy week at the airport. Yeesh.

Oops...

2:45 p.m. -- Went to apartment office. Chatted with receptionist for approximately five minutes.
3:00p.m. -- Went to mall. Purchased items in two stores, browsed in about a dozen stores. Interacted with approcimately 10 people.
4:15 p.m.-- Went to Eyeglass World. Talked with four store employees, sat and had glasses fitted for about fifteen minutes.
4:30 p.m.-- Went to Target. Interacted with one employee, nearly bumped into a dozen shoppers.
5:15 p.m.-- Noticed pants were unzipped. Apparently, I'd been walking around all day with my fly down. Classy, eh?

Another Sign:

I never thought I'd say this, but...
Way to go, Wal-Mart!

Today's Sign of the Apocolypse

Some ingenious hollywood-type is planning to make a movie version of "The A-Team."

Work-Induced Stress

Usually, my work-related stress stems from my job itself. Right now, though, I'm a little stressed out because the boss-man wants a meeting with me. Fortunately, it doesn't seem phenomenally urgent (he sent me an email on Monday suggesting a meeting on Thursday), so it can't be anything too horrible. But it can't be anything too good, either, since otherwise he probably would have just grabbed me as I was walking down the hall.

Ugh.

I Feel Old

And I guess it's no wonder. First, it was my haircut (though people keep telling me that it actually makes me look younger). Then, tonight, I took the "Real Age" test and discovered that I'm really 42.7 years old.

The website gave me a plan of action to follow to make myself younger. First, I apparently need more friends. Seriously. Apparently, my anti-social behavior makes me more stressed out. Also (surprise, surprise), I need to exercise more, eat better, drive a larger car, and floss every day.

Am I the only old fart out there? Take the test, and let me know how you score.

The Verdict is In

I live in a strange world... where complete strangers feel free to comment about my hair. We got three phone calls tonight at the station from people who liked my new hairstyle. One of them called while I was still out on the set doing the sportscast, one called shortly afterwards, and one called while I was at dinner.

So I only got to talk to one of them. Apparently, when I showed up on air, her daughter yelled, "Come look at the TV, the Sportslady got her hair cut!" So she called as soon as she found the number to the station. The funny thing is, she said that she liked the new color, too. Except I haven't changed the color. It's exactly the same.

Three complimentary phone calls from complete strangers, and I still hate it. Sigh.

Hair-Raising Situation

I hate that I'm such a shallow person that my personal appearance can dictate my moods.

A few weeks ago, the station brought in an image consultant to meet with us. As I suspected, she told me that my cute flippy hairdo was too trendy, and that it was time for a change.

People have asked me, "Did the station force you to change your hairstyle?"

The answer is no. The station didn't tell us to do whatever she told us to do, but the way I see it, they probably wouldn't have shelled out the big bucks to bring her in if they expected us to ingore her advice.

Not to mention the fact that nobody's exactly been beating down my door offering me a job... maybe a change in appearance could help.

Here's the problem. I hate my new hairstyle. Matt did a great job cutting it, and it has lots of body. In fact, it looks a lot like the hairstyle I had three years ago when I moved here. I got rid of the style because it's boring and makes me look old. I hate having the tv newslady helmet-head.

So, I've been depressed ever since getting it cut.

Before and After photos are forthcoming.

Girlie Men Edge Cornfed

In the narrowest game in franchise history, the Girlie Men Express squeaked past the Kirksville Cornfed 197.1-194.9 in week four of the Frozen Tundra Fantasy Football league.

Player of the game Johnnie Morton was the difference-maker for the Express, clinching the victory in the fourth quarter on Monday night, with five receptions for 64 yards. The Girlie Men had trailed the Cornfed by 12.2 points before Morton entered the game.

The Girlie Men were led by running back Brian Westbrook, who posted a combined 178 yards. Backup quarterback David Carr, acquired just days before the game, also performed admirably, with 228 yards through the air and a touchdown pass. Regular Girlie Men signal-caller Steve McNair was sidelined with a bruised sternum.

"Now we have some difficult decisions to make," said Girlie Men General Manager/Coach "The Sportslady." "We have three quarterbacks on our roster, all capable of leading this team to victory. Unfortunately, we really only have room for two quarterbacks. We'll monitor their progress over the next few days and try to determine what to do from there."

The Cornfed drops to 1-3 on the season, despite a solid performance from quarterback Peyton Manning. The Girlie Men improve to 3-1.

Next week, the Girlie Men express faces its toughest challenge of the 2004 season, the undefeated Waukesha Blackazzez. Waukesha is led by quarterback Brett Favre and running back Thomas Jones. Jones, however, will be unavailable to play this weekend. Westbrook, the Girlie Men's leading rusher, will also miss the game.

Introducing Evidence into the Debate

We're getting a little more political than usual today at the Sportslady site. So Dick's never met John, huh? Now granted, they still may never have met on the Senate floor... but it's pretty hard to say that they'd never met at all. Oh, and thanks to Vernam for the photo.

Master De-Baters

Back in a previous life, I was a rhetorician. I have a masters' degree in Communication, was the director and coach of a nationally ranked speech and debate program, and was even the assistant editor of a communication journal. I even spent a summer studying the "politeness stragegies" used in the 1992 vice-presidential debates.

So you can understand why I find this year's debates so interesting. However, as I said, that was in a previous life. I look back at some of the papers and articles I wrote as a "scholar," and I feel like the title character in "Flowers for Algernon." I vaguely remember being a smart person at one time, but much of what I wrote doesn't make much sense to me now.

So, in the simplistic, sports-like terms that I tend to use now, I ask you: Was tonight's VP debate a smackdown or what? Seriously, I thought maybe they'd just start arm-wrestling at some point. Bitchy, Bitchy, Bitchy stuff.

I loved it. Who won? Who cares? That's good TV.

Fun for the Whole Family

If you like presidential debates... and I know you do.
And if you like playing BINGO... and really, who doesn't?

Then you'll love "Presidential Debate Bingo!"