Edwin McCain, Jack Bauer, Bobby Clarke, and Charlie Manual: The Entertainment is Good, the Sports are Bad

I just picked up the new Edwin McCain record, Lost in America. If you are familiar with Edwin and his mix of rock/blues/soul, and enjoy his outstanding songwriting, this CD will be no different for you. The album features a great mix of tunes, from the whimsical Gramercy Park Hotel to Welcome to Struggleville, which rocks the house. The title track may be the best of the bunch. If you are unfamiliar with Edwin’s music, I could not recommend anyone more highly. The singer’s hits in the past include I’ll Be, Solitude, and I could Not Ask For More, and Lost in America will not disappoint you. You can order direct at http://www.edwin.com/, or of course pick up the whole album or individual songs on itunes. Enjoy.

Edwin McCain certainly serves as a nice diversion from the debacle which is Philadelphia sports. The Flyers completed just a disastrous series against Buffalo, losing the series 4-2 (great call, Ted Price, you were right, I, the homer, was wrong) when they lost a game by 6 goals for the second time in the series. Just brutal. Buffalo was so much quicker and faster than Philadelphia, it was painful and embarrassing to watch. The Sabres scored the first goal in every game of the series and pretty much dictated the pace throughout. Of course, the rumors today are all around how Ken Hitchcock is out as the Flyers coach. Why is it that Bobby Clarke, who has spent gobs and gobs of Comcast shareholder dollars over the year, more than almost any team in the league, can never put a winner on the ice? Why is it that Ed Snider, his boss, somehow lets him get away with it? Why is it that the coach is always the scapegoat? It is time to get rid of Bobby Clarke, and get someone in there who can make decisions. Snider, who also runs the 76ers, is certainly loyal to his General Managers.

Similarly, the Phillies are the same old bunch of underachieving players that they have been for the last few years now. Their offense is woefully underperforming, the starting pitching is inconsistent and flawed, and ultimately, their manager may be the worst in the big leagues. Here is a case where a quick trigger from the GM would be welcome, but, alas, seems nowhere to be found. Please, Pat Gillick, can Jolly Chollie Manual so he has plenty of time to audition for Santa Clause jobs this holiday season. Do not make us watch another 130+ games of maddening baseball completely devoid of managerial strategy. Make it go away Pat. I know you want to win now, and that a mid-season change at the skipper spot is not an ideal way to get to the Fall Classic, but I promise you that Manual will not get you there. He will increase booing levels at your home park, but not attendance. He may increase alcohol consumption, but not win totals. Please, Pat, make it stop.

The Durham, North Carolina DA basically won re-election yesterday. I do not even have an appropriate response here. Was it not enough that the alleged victim cried rape before and no charges were filed, on top of the Black Panthers setting up shop in your town, on top of clear lies and inconsistencies, to cause a desire for change in the town I called home for four years in the late ‘80s? Mike Nifong, despite his crusade that evidently has some public support in a racially divided town (kind of like some people still think OJ did not kill anyone), has zero, I repeat, zero, chance of a conviction, and should drop the case and apologize immediately. He has already destroyed enough lives through his irresponsible and unjustified actions.

I just realized that ‘24’ only has 4 more episodes. This is heartbreaking. This show is so good. I know it might tax Keifer Sutherland’s schedule, but would it be possible to covers two days each year (48 new episodes every 52 weeks) instead of just one? I guarantee that if you gave Jack Bauer three minutes with the alleged rape victim and Mike Nifong, all charges would be dropped and order would be restored in Durham. Couldn’t you see an episode where he destroyed the entire Black Panther organization single-handedly if they refused to go in peace? I am already going through withdrawal, and I still have four episodes left. This must be like a heroin addict whose inventory is almost empty. Painful, just painful.

picture courtesy of www.edwin.com