And it seems like this round of the PR battle goes to the players. Mike Ditka-who’s been out front on this issue was joined by Giant legend Harry Carson, Dolphin great Mercury Morris and the widow of Johnny Unitas as witnesses.

Only one effective witness for the league and its players union came forward. A pending law suit disuaded representation from the player’s union.

Says, Chairwoman Linda Sanchez:

“Only 284 former players out of nearly 10,000 currently receive long-term disability benefits,” Sanchez said. “That translates to less than 3% of retired players, a very small number for any industry, much less one as physically demanding as professional football. The fundamental question then becomes whether this disability process is fair for retired employees of the NFL. The evidence suggests that the vast majority of former players needing benefits do not receive them.”

This is the initial PR battle that the league and union cannot win, and they know it. The question from them is how long they will keep up the fight? They know they are going to have to come up with better and more accessible benefits for their ex-players. There will have to be a fight between the union and the league at some point that’s seperate from the suit that former players have with the union. The union exists to protect the current players pie and has taken some steps in the past to care for former players. But its going to take more and both the league and union are ultimately going to have to give.

Not alot of papers have covered yesterdays appearance before a highly partisan house subcommitee by former EPA Director Christine Todd Whitman. Democrats on the committee and the pre-assembled gallery sought to score political points against Whitman, the Bush Administration and mostly Mayor Rudy Gulliani on air quaility management issues in the aftermath of the attack.

It was nice to see a republican actually hit back at a bunch of dem bullies for a change. Nicole Gelinas takes down the the monday morning quarterbacking done  by Jerald Nadler and his hand picked cheerleaders who hooted endlessly at Whitman yesterday.

One day a blade of grass….the next day a horse’s ass.

This anecdote brought to you from the timeless wisdom of the late Tom McKenna.

Rich Lowry, writing in NR’s The Corner offers this link from Small Wars Journal that offers a clear description of current military operations in Iraq. Among other things, Dave Kilcullen writes this:

These operations are qualitatively different from what we have done before. Our concept is to knock over several insurgent safe havens simultaneously, in order to prevent terrorists relocating their infrastructure from one to another, and to create an operational synergy between what we’re doing in Baghdad and what’s happening outside. Unlike on previous occasions, we don’t plan to leave these areas once they’re secured. These ops will run over months, and the key activity is to stand up viable local security forces in partnership with Iraqi Army and Police, as well as political and economic programs, to permanently secure them. The really decisive activity will be police work, registration of the population and counterintelligence in these areas, to comb out the insurgent sleeper cells and political cells that have “gone quiet” as we moved in, but which will try to survive through the op and emerge later. This will take operational patience, and it will be intelligence-led, and Iraqi government-led. It will probably not make the news (the really important stuff rarely does) but it will be the truly decisive action.

….will go on all month. Simlarities to Barry Zito’s summer of 2006 come to mind. Both lefthanded, the same age in in their walk years. Both are work horses although Buerhrle walks more guys and gives up more hits than does Zito. Only Omar Minaya and Bill Beane know if anything ever got close. I doubt it as we see what Scott Boras got for his clent in San Francisco. Doubtless, Buehrle is looking for someone to pony up the same. The powers that be in Queens have already said no to such a contract.

Still the poker game is fascinating to watch. The always useful MLB Trade Rumors reports the recent Buehrle to Boston story was a White Sox plant, probably to get Brain Cashman involved. As the piece points out, we may  hear something that stirs a Braves-Mets bidding war.  

Isn’t it easy to see Brain Cashman, Omar Minya, Theo Epstein, John Scherholtz, Kenny Williams and Billy Beane sitting at a no-limit poker game?

All have shown that they will commit their chips. Will any of them here in this game or will they just wait for another flop?

Will someone rent Buehrle and spend prospects? Will someone sign Buehrle now to the $15 million per price tag? Will Kenny Williams just take the best offer at the deadline for him and Jermaine Dye? I doubt this as it would deny him the sandwich picks in the draft which have proven to become bonifide ML talent of late. See David Wright.

Still, Kenny Williams public protestations of change on the south side of Chicago signal a few things. One of course, is that the manager is on the hot seat. Another is that its starts columnists into beginning public speculation about the availablity of players he wants to move.

Even poker players like those mentioned above read the newspaper.

You can’t. And don’t try until we know more.

My son, Rob, called me last night and wanted to talk about it. Like alot of teenage boys, Rob follows the comings and goings of the professional wrestling. When he’s around, I admit to enjoying watching it on TV with him.

I always am concerned how young people deal with tragedy when it gets close to them. We can’t protect them from it. All we can do is provide counsel and set an example. Lots of parents around the country are having to do that right now.

Crippled as they were, I really felt the Cardinals were outplaying the Mets last night when it was 1-1. The Mets only run came  off the bat of its young outfielder Carlos Gomez who wasn’t expected to be needed maybe at all this season but plays as if he, well, belongs.  But  when Tony LaRussa’s artful   8th inning fell short and Pedro Feliciano got the final out on a comebacker the tide swung. BIlly Wagner then pitched two scoreless and Aaron Heilman threw an inning of what looked to be unhittable pitches in the eleventh.

Then the quiet veteran, Shawn Green took his time at bat in the home half. With the swing he took on the ball that fell just foul, he served noticed to knowing observers that he was going for a homerun. Alot of hitter won’t attempt a similar swing in the same time at bat, but Green did.

The homerun that Green went for was quite a feat against a veteran reliever like Russ Springer who clearly read Green’s intentions. The pitch was a little down and Green supplied the power.

I’m still stunned at time just how good these guys are who play major league baseball. Shawn Green’s walkoff last night was a remarkable feat. Going for a homerun and getting it to end a game at home: priceless.

While on the subject of priceless, the Mets demonstarted last night with subtleties how important the game was. Wagner’s presence in the dugout after his two inning stint was over is one. Closer’s-certainly of Wagner’s status-usually vacate afterwards to get ice, but Wagner leaned on the dugout rail. 

It was the Cardinals first game back after their Game Seven win last fall and it planted the seed of it being a big game. Mike Maroth was making his first Cardinal start after his acquisition from the Tigers and pitched like John Todor, circa 1985. How fitting it was to have another Cardinal lefthander whom frustrates Mets hitters.

Nonetheless the evening had a big game feel about it. And the Mets wanted a big game win. Needed one in fact. And then got it.  

After a weekend of WordPress drama.