sweetheart-mine

i agree, they are. i've seen only slight evidence that some in the media are afraid to joke about him. if that grows, and then obama starts to think "he is not a mortal man and that he shall not be mocked," then that would definitely be something to worry about. i haven't seen that in him yet, at least no more than in the other touchy politicians that have been involved in these election campaigns since they began. all of them have been too touchy, in my opinion. for example, i thought it was pretty stupid for obama to let go the adviser who called clinton "a monster." there were o

i haven't seen the n.y.times blip, but before reading that part of your post i assumed the l.a.times blank page itself was the joke! you can make jokes about obama. anyone can make jokes about obama. if some newspaper editor or owner is too gutless to make jokes about him, or someone is afraid it would be political suicide, isn't that their problem? i don't see how that would translate into his not deserving someone's vote. i can think of other reasons, but that one's not making any sense to me.

ohhh! the "Rebuilding America's Defenses" document didn't mention the sox getting some of that oil, but hey, i bet they'll take it.

she's a great example. and she would have liked message boards but would have been careful about where she posted because of her delicate sensibility. imagine her magnificent contributions. a magazine a few months ago had some author list his favorite five books of all time and tell why. "The Complete Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson" was on his list, and his reason? "Proof that leaving the house is overrated." loved it, cut it out, and put it on my wall.

i knew i liked you for more than one reason!

skyflynn, we don't know each other, but i have to tell you how great it was to read such an honest post by another introvert. i enjoy -- no, have to have -- a good deal of solitude. when it starts to seem reclusive, i wonder if something is wrong with it (or me) and this general worry about it hovers over a good many days. but there is no black and white here -- people dot the whole continuum at different points with their leanings, and if you or i or anyone leans toward the solitary, there's no judgment to be made. we just do. i'm pretty sure i know what you mean about the fatigue a

oops. well, yes, but you have to leave the canadian part out of it.

wow. if i could cook and clean and be unmarried, i'd answer it.

another great thing about baseball is that it isn't important, by itself. you can care to your heart's content (and i do that), but it really doesn't matter. yet there's no better mental relief than to settle in at the end of a day, having dealt with real-world problems, and watch the graceful and intricate game of baseball and root for your team, whichever team it is. (but for four nights a week we take a break and watch stewart and colbert, check what's happening in the game during commercials, and then return. ahhhhhhhh.) to me baseball really is a beautiful, graceful game on the

my know-it-all friend finally got back to me, ellen. i'd forgotten that she has about the worst case of arachnophobia i've ever seen. in her reply, she didn't even want to type the word "spiders." she typed "ahems" instead. she is tough in regular life, though. anyway, she takes no chances, throws chemical caution to the winds, and uses a special spider-blaster version of Raid. you probably figured this out by now, but i promised i'd pass along her reply, so here you are.

well, here's one example and no doubt there are more: did you know who b.j. ryan was in 2004-2005 when he closed for baltimore? he was definitely well known. and he was terrifying.

in one recent year (i think 2003?), the sox tried having no regular closer due to advice and statistics from bill james. it didn't go too well. the bullpen was not reliable in later innings, and i think this has been true both in earlier years and in later years, a notable exception being okajima last year. the sox bullpen, much of the time, makes a lot of fans very nervous, for good reason. but i agree that the closer is under-used.

i think people are hiding their real reason for disliking anything and everything that papelbon said in new york: his grammar needs a major overhaul. but that don't make the guy mean what he in fact didn't say and ain't and when you can't hear his tone and all that, you know what i'm sayin? of course he has a screw loose, in general. and of course he'd like to close, duh. he also paid plenty plenty plenty of respect to rivera. talk about mountains out of molehills. talk about lack of humor. geez! let me out of here! never mind, i see the door.

this sounds like rather theatric, lame over-seriousness about a baseball parade in which numerous ballplayers showed themselves off. and apparently papelbon's own lightheartedness passed you by. too bad.

ack. and ick.

not one but TWO good deeds! you're the sort of person i'd love to have in my neighborhood (but i figured that out before . . . you just keep on keeping it up).

oh those poor yankees fans. the more they hate papelbon, the more insecure you know they feel. maybe they should take a page out of rivera's book and show some likable character for a change, like he did at fenway park during the rings ceremony or season opener in 2005 (darn it, what and when was that occasion!). he has a truly great attitude. i've loved the guy ever since. and papelbon? first year, he came off only as this wicked good Serious Closer, which certainly was good enough. but after that? wow, a personality was hiding under the deadly stare! the guy has more intere

no, no hate youkilis. he doesn't have much humor, that's the problem, and we're used to humor with the sox. nevertheless, he works really hard and is an excellent player.

i like it. it expresses why i'm to the left of liberals/democrats. sure miss hearing the music, though.

and it's a good one. you're not too literal, i had tunnel vision for a minute there.

gong, you are right and you win!

or calvin schiraldi. it wasn't a stellar night for him, either. some closers in a tight game do it all the time, no?

if anyone ever plays really well in an all-star game, i consider it at least half fluke. probably 3/4.

yah, i even felt embarrassed for them, and as a red sox fan i've never experienced that feeling before. how idiotic was that, chanting for your own league-team to screw up.

it really was. i was yawning in the eighth inning, and then glued with eyes wide open to the rest of it. it was great to see francona give leyland a big bear hug at the end. you don't see that too often . . . er, ever. i felt really sorry for uggla.