Here's a piece of news for the day: The US Senate has decided not to go with the extension for the Patriot Act.
The Senate on Friday blocked reauthorization of the broad antiterrorism bill known as the USA Patriot Act, pushing Congress into a game of brinksmanship with President Bush, who has said the nation will be left vulnerable to attack if the measure is not quickly renewed.There's even more juicy stuff in all of this. You'd think that the lawmakers in this country would sit up and take notice of this decision. In the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, they're not going to let go of those freedoms without a bit of a fight.
With many Democrats and some Republicans saying the bill does not go far enough in protecting civil liberties, the Republican leadership fell short of the 60 votes required to break a filibuster. Now the future of the law, which greatly expanded the government's surveillance and investigative powers in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, is in doubt.
The debate, a passionate fight about the balance between national security and personal privacy, became a touchstone for repercussions after the disclosure on Thursday night that Mr. Bush had secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for terrorist activity.
Stay tuned.
Waiting For Nomar
It was supposed to happen late in the week and it didn't. Nomar is still pondering his options between playing for the Yanks, Dodgers, Indians or Astros. In the mean time, he visited the Dodgers to check them out.
"Both were great meetings," Colletti said, "at least from my perspective."
The New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros also have courted Garciaparra, a five-time All-Star beset the last two seasons by wrist, Achilles and groin injuries. By Friday night, none of those organizations had been notified that Garciaparra was off the market.
Once among the elite shortstops in the game, Garciaparra, 32, played more games at third base than shortstop with the Chicago Cubs last season and has told the Dodgers he would be willing to play first base or left field.
The Dodgers signed shortstop Rafael Furcal and third baseman Bill Mueller in the last two weeks, and have been looking to upgrade over Hee-Seop Choi at first base and a variety of candidates in left.Among the four teams vying for his services, one would think that the Dodgers who signed Bill Mueller last week have filled their 3B needs without Nomar. In other words, he's got just as little space on the Dodgers as he does with the Yanks, and of course the Dodgers don't play a DH.
Cesar Izturis, the Dodger shortstop for much of the last four seasons, had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is not expected to return until June or July. When he signed Furcal, Colletti suggested Izturis, when healthy, would play second base and Jeff Kent would move to first base.
It is unclear what a Garciaparra signing would do to that plan, though it is unlikely the Dodgers would ask Garciaparra to learn two new positions in a three-month span, and likely they would prefer not to have him test his Achilles' tendon and groin in left field every night.
Walk-off HBP put me onto this magnificent recording by Ry Cooder called Chavez Ravine.
Since reading the liner notes and learning the story of how a vibrant Mexican community was wiped out and sold down the river in order to build Dodger Stadium, I kind of lost my sentimental regard for the Dodgers. I don't even know if it's fair blaming the Dodgers for stuff the ownership of 50 years ago carried out; but it's repellent stuff and I for one don't really want to like the Dodgers any more - and this is the club that broke the race barrier and even broke Hideo Nomo into the MLB.
Well Mr. Garciaparra, you might want to check out the Ry Cooder album before you sign with the Dodgers to play at Chavez Ravine.
Oh yes, of course there's also the fact that Yankee pinstripes would you suit you very well Mr. G.
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