Dante Culpepper A Raider?

News of Dante Culpepper signing a one-year deal with the Raiders leaves me feeling funny. Funny because we probably could've used him, or someone like him, when Randy Moss was around. Oh well, we'll take Dante and hope that he's healthy enough to move around in the pocket a bit. His size does give us someone in the pocket who can actually stand up in the pocket. Dante is known for brushing off would-be tacklers like swatting away flies. He's a big quarterback and we can use that size. Welcome to the Oakland Raiders Dante!

Barry Slams No. 754 in wild Friday Night Win!

In a night where expectations were higher than high for Barry Bonds, the SF Giants slugger crushed Home Run No. 754 over the 404ft. placard near center field bleachers. It was only the first inning in what would turn out to be a wild home run derby of a night. Durham, Feliz and Molina would all receive ovations for their out-of-the-park hits, but it was definitely Bonds home run, the first of four for the San Francisco Giants, that sent us fans at AT&T park into a wild history being made mode. The Giants would go on to beat the Florida Marlins 12-10 in a game that featured six home runs on twenty-nine hits.

Funny how as a fan experiencing what would be history in the making, you tend to stop everything for a brief moment just to take in the moment and record it on your memory bank. The sounds of the cheering crowd mixed in with the public address announcer's confirming call, the flashing jumbotron HD screen showing HR754 before playing a clip of Michael Jordan congratulating Barry Bonds, the touch of the fans who though complete strangers seconds before are now giving you high-fives and gleeful smiles, the smell of the evening fog mixed in with hot dog farts and early game cha cha bowls, a kid (girl of course) sitting in front of me takes the time to look up from her reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book to cheer Barry around the bases. Priceless!

It truly was a night of historic baseball game images that I'll savor for some time. Sure, home runs 755 and 756 will be climatic in their representation of baseball glory, but witnessing No. 754 is like getting to the front of the line after a long wait and knowing that You Are NEXT. How often in life are we on the brink of achievement and want to just savor the accomplishment of arrival? The long journey will come to an end when Barry hits 755, but last night's 754 allowed us all to arrive with him at that monumental precipice called HR King of The Hill. As we peeked over the edge of that hill we saw the greatness that has been Barry Bonds all these years as well as the greatness of the game of baseball. We viewed those who came before him, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron & Willie Mays, as well as those who are coming after. Viewing the game of baseball was one heck of a sight to see at AT&T Park in San Francisco last night.

I'll probably sneak down to the game tonight to hopefully see Barry hit HR No. 755. But the memory of watching No.754 will remain for me the moment of achievement. Barry will tie baseball's career HR record with his NEXT one, and he'll break the record with the one after, but as of last night he's on deck and the fat lady is humming.

A Giant Loss

Last night everything was setup for a heroic SF Giants Victory Classic. They'd erased a 4-0 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings against the Atlanta Braves. The atmosphere of AT&T Park was bustling with Barry Ball excitement. Bonds is on 753 and only needs two to tie and three to surpass Hank Aaron on the career home run list. Commissioner Bud Selig was at the game surprisingly. He'd said earlier in the season that he probably wouldn't make it for Barry's shot to be heard around the world.

Pitcher Tim Hudson (Former A's) had kept the Giants hitting into groundouts and double plays throughout the first six and two-third innings or so, while Matt Morris pitched well for the Giants despite four scores by the Braves.

Forget trying to recap the game though, let me get to the exciting finish. With more than half the house leaving or gone in the bottom of the ninth, the Giants rallied. After watching the game outside the park in the knothole, I spied the back entrance gate wide open, probably in anticipation of a no run ninth for the Giants and another loss.

I walked right in uncontested, found a great viewing spot in the bleachers and watched the Giants bats and pitching come to life. The Giants were the Giants of yesteryear in those four extra innings. They did everything with the exception of scoring a run. Even Barry, looking like the young Pirate that he was years ago, came up with a sliding catch that most thought he couldn't get to.

Give credit to Randy Messenger for stepping in and pitching like a true closer. He kept the Braves hitless and gave the Giants plenty of opportunities to win the game. Not to blame the umpire for the loss, but there were some odd calls in those extra innings. Unfortunately, it wasn't Sanchez's night as he gave up the winning runs. I still can't understand why Bochy left him in after seeing he didn't have his good stuff. By the time Vinny Chulk came in to relieve in the 13th, the Braves damage was done.

The Giants did rally one more time in the bottom of the 13th. but in the end, with the crowd still on their feet, with children asleep in their parent's arms, the clock struck twelve and the Giant Lewis was called out looking at a Tyler Yates fast ball with the bases loaded. Who the heck is this Tyler Yates anyway? He's a Beast of a pitcher.

Hats off the the Atlanta Braves for winning a competitive game 7-5. With two more games left in this four game series, the Giants best shot at winning one may have been last nights close one. The Braves seem to have everything the Giants didn't last night. But we've still got the one thing that no team in MLB has, that's Barry Bonds. And though Bonds didn't deliver last night, the anticipation and excitement of watching him come up to the plate is priceless. It's Historic!

President For A Day...........Or More

News out of Washington D.C. today makes life just a bit uneasy and precarious for us citizens of these here United States. Why? Well, Former Vice-President Dick Cheney is acting President as I write this blog. Sure George Bush Jr. hasn't lived up to his daddy's standard as President, but at least he's "stayed the course" of bringing democracy to the Middle East.

With President Dick Cheney in charge, that course could take a few unexpected turns within the time it takes to have a colonoscopy. That's the procedure GW is having that has him invoking Section 3 of the 25th Amendment to voluntarily transfer his powers and duties to the Vice President.

This might be the one time in the history of George Bush Jr's reign that all Americans of all political parties, should come together and pray for this land of milk and honey. Because if you think this country's foreign and domestic policies have soured over the years, you ain't seen nothing yet.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Saturday transferred his presidential power temporarily to Vice President Dick Cheney just before undergoing a routine colonoscopy.

President Bush temporarily transferred power to Vice President Dick Cheney Saturday, the White House says.

The procedure has already begun and is expected to take about 2½ hours, the White House said.

"This morning at 7:16 a.m., letters from President Bush were faxed to the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate," the White House said in a statement.

"These letters informed them of his decision to invoke Section 3 of the 25th Amendment to voluntarily transfer his powers and duties to the Vice President. This transmission transfers his duties, therefore the Vice President is now serving as Acting President."

The White House said the transfer will end when the president sends a second message to the congressional leaders, telling them he is resuming his powers.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Friday that the procedure, during which a doctor looks for any signs of cancer, was to be carried out at Camp David, Maryland, and the president would be placed under anesthesia.

Bush's last colonoscopy was in June 2002, and no abnormalities were found, Snow said.

The president's doctor had recommended a repeat procedure in about five years.

Run Forrest Run!

Us Father's do the darndest things when it comes to leading our sons toward manhood. But what Luis Miguel Gomez did was unthinkable. He led his 10-year-old son into the streets of Pamplona, Spain, during the annual running of the Bulls celebration. Does that constitute losing his part-time parental visitation rights? A judge thought so after his ex-wife found out and notified the family courts. Seems Luis will now be at the mercy of the ex-wife when it comes to seeing his son anytime in the near future. But for a father and son who've already been separated enough through the legal custody system, this incident will surely bond them together forever. They'll both have a story to pass on to family and friends for years to come. What a price for a lifelong story though. Thank God the kid's okay. Sure he'll have a few nightmares of being trampled by a bruising bull, but such is the price of hanging out with the dad who just wants to spend quality time with his son and help steer him toward manhood. Hey Luis, next time just take him to a restaurant that serves bulls balls, that'll be one for the ages, and a whole lot safer.

Dog Gone Wild!

According to the AKC, the perfect boxer's appearance should be:

..a medium-sized, square-built dog of good substance with short back, strong limbs, and short, tight-fitting coat. His well-developed muscles are clean, hard, and appear smooth under taut skin. His movements denote energy. The gait is firm yet elastic, the stride free and ground-covering, the carriage proud. Developed to serve as guard, working, and companion dog, he combines strength and agility with elegance and style. His expression is alert and his temperament steadfast and tractable.

Sooooooo, why was I and my partner unexpectedly attacked by this so-called "great family dog?"

Lucky for me, I froze like a mummy as the Boxer came charging from twenty-five feet or so away. I nor his owner had any warning of his instantaneous and unprovoked agression. Even after the attack the owner and those present that know the Boxer couldn't explain why he decided to bolt towards me full speed, come to a halt at my feet, then bolt the opposite direction and chomp down on my partner's ankle like it was a tasty snack. I can still hear those infamous yet all familiar words; "I don't know what got into him, he's never done that before."

Prior to my searching the web for Boxer Breed innuendo, my running theory was that some type of scent triggered a bad reaction in the dog, possibly a scent from another dog or a cat on me or my partner. We ruled out the other theory of my darker skin color triggering the reaction, since he came to an abrupt halt at my feet, sniffed my ankle area, then ran back the way he came to lunge at and bite down on my partner's ankle. Color was only considered after realizing that I was the only person of color in the building.

We all found it odd that the Boxer's initial charge took him right past his eventual victim, my partner. Think about it, why would an attacking dog pass up a nearer chunkier target (sorry partner), charge at a darker thinner plate of meat (that be me), stop just as he's ready to take a hearty taste, sniff around then go back for the chunky light meat and take a bite? If it were a human I'd understand. Greed. But this is a Boxer, an intelligent and proud companion of a dog. And no I do not suffer from athlete's feet or any smelly foot condition.

Upon researching this Brachycephalic breed of canine I found out something that the owner's must be ignorant of; Boxer's are very territorial guard dogs. It's strongly advised that a Boxer's owner "INTRODUCE" him to any person(s) entering their territory. Guess my partner and I we're just lambs being led to the slaughter. The Boxer didn't know we were there to work on the phone system, he probably figured it was a test of his guard dog skillz. He definitely passed the test.

It didn't help that a smaller chihuhuahua was cheerleading on the sidelines while the Boxer was tearing into his prey. After the attack an old German Shepherd strolled out of an office as if to see what the commotion was that woke him up from his late afternoon nap. I don't think he had the strength to even bark. Looked like Rin Tin Tin had come out of retirement only to find that he didn't have it in him anymore.

I did comment, after seeing my partner was okay, that Dog owner's are always giving that infamous line; "He's never done that before." I told them all that's why I became a damn cat lover. You'll never see a cat charge out from under a desk, bearing down on you with dark beedy eyes looking to rip you to shreds with his large incisors. Even if a cat did loose it like that, so what, he's a damn cat, grab his tail and sling him out the third floor window for chrissakes.

So with the end of yet another day of learning about life, I leave you with these canine rules of wisdom. Anytime you enter a room where there's a dog that you've never met, immediately turn to the owner and ask if you can be introduced to "The Boxer." And if the owner says wait a second while I go get the muzzle and leash, don't stand there like you've never heard of Cujo, find the nearest exit and immediately leave the premises.

Who's On First?

I loved this Bud Abbott and Lou Costello routine before I even loved Baseball.

Click to see: Who's On First?