Link: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/8812035

Praise be! In a world of dull, bland journalism, Gregg Easterbrook stands out.
I look forward to his attempt to measure whether the newest New York Jets kicker can kick any better than his (fired) predecessor. Write this down - my guess is No.
Kickers and punters are the butt-end scapegoats in many NFL teams. Miss a couple of field goals, or boom your punts too far or too short, and you are soon banished from the roster. A couple of seasons ago, in what turned out to be Tom Coughlin's last season as their head coach, the Jacksonville Jaguars went through 3 or 4 kickers/punters in the season - every time I turned on NFL Sunday Ticket another soon-to-be-fired one was on the field. Talk about whimsical musical chairs...
Most of the time a kicker or punter is on a short-term deal (not that long-term deals mean anything in the NFL today - ask Toby Gowin how he did on his long-term Cowboys contract from a couple of seasons ago). They are usually paid on or close to minimum salary, with the threat of the big hook hanging over their heads almost constantly during the season, and the threat of the axe hanging above their head in the post-season (ask Doug Brien).
Kudos to the Chargers for not scapegoating Nate Kaeding after his miss in the playoffs last season. Usually what is happening in those situations is that the coach/offensive co-ordinator suffers a loss of nerve, becomes conservative and, instead of trying for a TD, they send on the field goal unit. However, sometimes they don't even bother to get the best field position. One of Doug Brien's misses for the Jets in the playoffs came after the Jets had Chad Pennington kneel on third down, which actually lost the Jets yardage. WTF? Talk about a waste of a play. Hand the ball off to your straight-ahead running back, get the QB to run himself, throw a quick out, anything, but don't send yourself backwards....
Much is made of how good a clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri is for the New England Patriots (and he is an excellent pressure-situation kicker). However, you almost never see the Patriots putting themselves into marginal situations when they send on their field goal unit. They put themselves into a makeable yardage zone, they expect to get a field goal, they're not crossing their fingers, and they usually get the three points.

Link: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_09/007023.php

...and weep.

Link: http://www.raisingkaine.com/blog/?p=798#comments

...In which a Bush Admin person gives a speech which proves once again that BushCo have no bloody clue about how to fight any external enemy or issue.

...point them to this Kos diary, written by a meteorologist. You can also point out that the offical NWS bulletins clearly prove that Michael Chertoff and the DHS knew about the levee breaches well before they said they did. You can also read a prescient National Geographic article about the threat to Louisiana from a hurricane.

The saga of ButtonGate II continues to evolve. For the neophytes, here is the story so far:

1. Jenson Button had an option contract with Williams for 2005. BAR also held a contract with Button for 2005.
2. In August 2004, Button signed a contract with Williams for 2006 and beyond. The contract stated that Button would be claimed by Williams unless he had scored 75% or more of the points of the drivers championship leader by the end of August 2005.
At the time Button claimed to not know that Honda were buying a stake in the BAR team and intended to be a strategic long-term engine and expertise partner with BAR. Button was apparently worried that Honda would terminate supplying engines to BAR, leaving him driving for a team without a "works" engine deal.
3. The Contract Recognition Board ruled in September 2004 that the BAR contract was valid for 2005.
4. BAR have had a poor 2005, relative to 2005. Button has scored a fraction of the points necessary for BAR to retain him under the terms of the Williams contract. Williams have therefore made clear their expectation that Button will drive for them in 2006.
5. Button has refused, pleaded etc. with Williams that he really wants to drive for BAR in 2006. He met with Williams in mid-August and told them that he did not want to drive for them in 2006. He has claimed that the contract was contingent on Williams having a partnership with a manufacturer such as BMW, and with the imminent termination of the BMW partnership, he should not have to drive for Williams. Williams are insistent that he will honor his contract.
6. BAR want to keep Button and have apparently already offered to buy his contract from Williams. At this time, they appear to have offered insufficient money to interest Williams, who are believed to be negotiating sponsorship deals contingent on Button driving for them in 2006 and beyond.

The latest developments are:

- Williams have lodged Button's 2006 contract with the Contract Recognition Board. This suggests that they expect that the CRB will need to meet to rule on the validity of Button's 2006 contract, and they are preparing for that eventuality.
- BAR have signed Rubens Barrichello to a multi-year deal. This gives them an alternative for 2006 and beyond if they lose Button.
- BAR have hinted strongly that they will not pay more than $20m to buy back Button from Williams. Nick Fry of BAR has made comments that that sum of money is more than Newcastle United just paid for Michael Owen, a top-flight goalscorer.

It looks like Jenson Button has (either on his own or in collaboration with his management) succeeded in digging himself into a monumental hole. Either he has been badly advised, or he is inept at self-management.
To be fair to Button, many great drivers have resorted to dramatic measures to put themselves in the best possible position to win. Alain Prost left McLaren after 1 season in 1980 to join Renault, using a contractual loophole. That allowed him to start winning races in 1981. Ayrton Senna triggered a buyout clause in his contract with Toleman to move to Lotus in 1985, which allowed him to start winning races. He then proceeded to use his #1 driver status to veto the arrival of Derek Warwick at Lotus for 1986, because he was convinced that Lotus could not run two equal cars. (History shows that he was almost certainly right). Michael Schumacher swiftly left Jordan after 1 race in 1991 to sign a long-term contract with Benetton.
The difference, however, is that in the examples outlined above, the drivers in question were able to use amibguous or exploitable contract language to escape from what they perceived to be less favourable driving situations.
Jenson is smart enough to have noticed that great drivers in F1 always start winning relatively quickly - Prost, Senna and Schumacher all won races in their second seasons. He, however, has been in F1 for 5 seasons and has yet to win a race. He has also had to watch newer arrivals such as Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen win races while has not.
Not surprisingly, Button does not want to find himself regarded as a driver who never fulfilled his potential. However, what he appears to lack is the adroitness of the previously-mentioned drivers. As a result, Button has dug himself into a contractual hole, but has no legal escape route. If he does not want to drive for Williams, he faces the prospect of sitting out at least the 2006 season, which will probably terminally impact his F1 career.
Begging and pleading to Frank Williams is more likely to result in a variation on the Cockney response of "you're breaking my 'eart" than it is to result in his release from the Williams contract. Right now, Williams needs Button desperately to get themselves onto a sound commercial footing following the imminent departure of BMW.
(Side Note for Button to consider: In 1984, Derek Warwick, then driving for Renault, was offered a drive with Williams in 1985. At the time, Williams was struggling with the new and unreliable Honda turbo engine. Warwick turned down the offer, electing to stay with Renault, who became uncompetitive in 1985 thanks to a bad car. The drive at Williams instead went to Nigel Mansell, who won 2 races in 1985, and we know the rest of the story...Mansell went on to become a world champion, Warwick retired without winning a race).
This saga will run and run. I expect that the CRB will rule at the end of September that the Williams contract is valid. BAR will then need to decide how much money they are prepared to pay for Button. Rumours are that up to $90m may be required to change Frank Williams' mind. I doubt if Honda are prepared to pay that much for Button right now.
Jenson Button strikes me as very gifted inside the cockpit, but a neophyte outside the cockpit. He needs to find himself a mentor outside of his family and management company who can sense-check his future decisions.

Well, the inevitable finally occurred...after 20+ years of playing in the NFL, the Jerry Rice gas tank finally hit the E marker.
I have mixed feelings about his decision to retire now. Part of me feels that he should have retired 3 seasons ago, rather than bounce around other teams, trying to hang onto a fading career. We all know about the "one more fight" syndrome that boxers suffer from (step forward the latest example, Evander Holyfield). Lance Armstrong showed everybody how to leave at the top, and walk away with no regrets.
OTOH Rice must really love the game - he always trained hard and consistently, even in his final seasons, and he is still the only NFL player to have returned in the same regular season from a torn ACL, which was a testament to his fundamental level of fitness and determination. He genuinely loved to play the game, and who are we to deny him that right if a team is willing to have him on their roster?
Ultimately, the Denver Broncos made the decision easy for Rice, by offering him a roster role that would have required him to be inactive for some games. That sent a signal to Rice that his time in the sun really was over. At that point I think elemental pride kicked in. Mike Shanahan, in a stylish, respectful way, nudged Jerry Rice into retirement.

Link: http://www.fightingbob.com/article.cfm?articleID=422

An insightful article into how people reacted to 9/11 and now Katrina...

Link: http://mirefresco.blogspot.com/

Long live the Global War On Hurricanes (GWOH)!

Link: http://progprog.blogspot.com/2005/09/olbermann-limbaugh-sharpton-and-gop.html

In which Al Sharpton provides a compelling, pointed indictment of the whole "culture of life", contrasting it with the cavalier disregard for daily life issues shown by theocrats and other authoritarians.

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9135728/

Well, it appears that Dr. Bennett may have been guilty of rather more than simply being un-subtle when talking to overweight patients...