The Nub

ÿþ<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=unicode"> <meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12"> <meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 12"> </head> <body> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><big><br> February 2009 Archive</big><br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(Posted 2/28/09)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><b style="">Team <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Paterson</st1:place></st1:city> Needs a Mega-Rally to Survive<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>There are a lot of innings left to play, but the scoreboard in the NY gubernatorial game does not show encouraging numbers for skipper David Paterson.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>He&#8217;s down 57-19 on the question of whether fans want him back when his contract runs out.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Those stats, picked up in a recent poll sampling, can only get better.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>But the rally may not be sustained enough to save David from being pushed aside by team management.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Just as Jerry Manuel was available and ready when the Mets faltered late last spring, so the Dems have Andrew Cuomo on deck and willing to bat for David, if the AG gets the call.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>That call will almost certainly come if Team Paterson continues to struggle, making a cliffhanger of what a year ago looked to be a likely Dem statewide sweep.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Cuomo, who in 2002 made an unpopular run at another black candidate, Carl McCall, will need broad African-American support this time.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>But with elective jobs, including U.S. Senate, statewide government offices and legislative seats on the line - and the latest poll showing Paterson in disfavor even with many blacks - such support may be eager to express itself.<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Paterson</st1:place></st1:city> said some time ago that Cuomo assured him he had no intention of seeking the governorship next year.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>But that&#8217;s hearsay.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Albany Times-Union&#8217;s Fred Lebrun has this take on Andrew&#8217;s laid-back stance during David&#8217;s bad stretch: <i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;<span style="color: black;">It would be a grave mistake for Andrew to appear to want the job at all, particularly because a fellow Democrat, the first black governor in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>, is laboring to keep it. While it is widely accepted that Andrew Cuomo has successfully reconstructed his image the old-fashioned way, by working the room statewide, and through the legendary Cuomo work ethic at his state job, the last thing he wants to do is remind the voters of how baldly ambitious and opportunistic he once was.&#8221;</span><o:p></o:p><br> <span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>-<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>-<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>-</span></i><br> Non-lawyers may not know how to evaluate the strength of perjury charges against Barry Bonds, given that other implicated former players - Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire either denied use of steroids or were unwilling to respond to questions on the subject put to them by Congressional investigators.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>But prominent NYC litigator Victor Kovner says Bonds is getting a bad deal. <i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;Going ahead with the prosecution case, </span></i>he told us, &#8220;<i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">would be clearly inappropriate at this time, or worse.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span></span></i>Why?<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Because, according to Kovner, <span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>&#8220;<i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">It is fair to infer that the government resents Bonds&#8217; refusal to provide the expected apology or public contrition.<span style="">&nbsp; </span></span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;">They may not like that, but it provides no basis for prosecution where so many admitted superstars have gone unprosecuted.&#8221;</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></i>On YES the other day, Michael Kay noted that Phil Hughes, who was penciled in as number 3 in 2008, would be sixth in the Yankees&#8217; rotation this year.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>&#8220;He&#8217;ll be protection should one of the top starters get injured,&#8221; Kay said.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The team&#8217;s pitching riches and<span style="">&nbsp; </span>superstar first baseman Mark Teixeira are its showcase items as spring training starts.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The Mets have a more complicated promotional task.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Offering less talent than the Yanks, their emphasis in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:state> is on manager Jerry Manuel, and the impact he is supposedly making.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>&#8220;You can feel the difference,&#8221; said SNY&#8217;s Gary Cohen.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>&#8220;Last year, it was all about the collapse in 2007.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Although there was another collapse in 2008, Jerry has them focusing on what&#8217;s ahead.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span>When Kevin Burkhardt interviewed John Maine, he practically forced the pitcher to follow that script:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>&#8220;What about the new spirit this year, compared to last?&#8221; <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:state> reluctantly went along.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Implicit in his tone, however, was that the hype had already gotten old.<span style="">&nbsp; </span><span style="">&nbsp;</span><span style="">&nbsp;</span><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="">&nbsp;</span>- o -<br> (The<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Nub is a team effort skippered by Dick Starkey.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Comments<br> to <a href="mailto:dickstar@aol.com">dickstar@aol.com</a> are welcome, as are subscription requests.<span style="">&nbsp;</span><br> Previous Nubs can be found by scrolling below.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="">&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(Posted: 2/24/09)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><b style="">Green&#8217;s Signal: Team Bloomberg Will be Tough to Beat<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b>The additives flap may be reducing the Yanks&#8217; chances of making the playoffs, but the odds favoring Team Bloomberg widened the other day when the mayor&#8217;s original opponent opted to compete citywide again&#8230;but not against him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Mark Green&#8217;s decision to seek his old number 2 spot in the municipal lineup - public advocate - flashes this signal about the mayoral contest:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>He learned in 2001 how hard it is to overcome Bloomberg&#8217;s well-financed team; and that was even before Mike had stats as a political player.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Had he chosen to swing against the mayor again, Mark would have been - it says here (home of former teammates) - the strongest hitter in the opposition lineup.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Anthony Weiner and Billy Thompson will conduct scrappy campaigns, but their teams lack the articulate clout that Green can bring to the plate.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Still, as we&#8217;ve noted, there&#8217;s a resentful buzz growing among NYC fans &#8211; more over Bloomberg&#8217;s arrogant, public-be-damned game than against him personally.<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>A savvy player in the city&#8217;s academic circuit put it this way in response to a previous Nub:<span style="">&nbsp; </span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;">Speaking of the Yanks and Bloomberg.&nbsp; Around the nation, Yankee approval ratings are always on the low side because the fans hate the idea of buying the championship.&nbsp; Are we at that point with Bloomberg?&nbsp; Is his wealth (and cockiness) blowing it with the fans?&nbsp; How long can he keep being loved if he says he is smarter than all of us, and proves it by being so rich?&nbsp; Unlike baseball, where approval ratings are less significant than winning. in politics -- at election time-- it is everything.&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="color: black;">If the still-squibby trend continues, the final election scoreboard could show Team Bloomberg defeated, not by Weiner or Thompson as such, but by the concept of the anti-democratic mayor.<span style="">&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="">&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: black;">The guess here: Green is aiming for another mayoral run in 2013.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>He must win first, of course; he already has the citywide recognition that three of his four major Dem opponents - Bill de Blasio, Eric Gioia and John Liu - are seeking.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The fourth, Norman Siegel, has well-earned recognition but not the big bucks that may be required to pull out this all-star contest (about more later).<o:p></o:p><br> <span style="">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </span>-<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>-<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>-<o:p></o:p><br> How great is the spring training season?<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Here are the reveries of Dan Shaughnessy and Bruce Jenkins, columnists for the Boston Globe and San Francisco Chronicle:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;" lang="EN">&#8220;All the clich&eacute;s are true. Pitchers and catchers. The crack of the bat. The smell of the grass and suntan oil.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;" lang="EN">&#8220;Spring training is where&#8230;a majestic blast off the bat of Dave Kingman in 1975&#8230;sailed over a light tower and bounded onto a practice field beyond the left-field wall. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Yankees manager Bill Virdon decided it was a six-bagger - a home run at <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Fort Lauderdale</st1:place></st1:city> Stadium and a double on the adjacent diamond.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;" lang="EN">&#8220;Spring training is where I saw a <st1:city w:st="on">Montreal</st1:city> left fielder crash into a fence in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Winter Haven</st1:place></st1:city> chasing a fly ball. Back in 1976. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>The kid was out cold for a spell. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Fans applauded when he finally got to his feet. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>He wound up spending most of his career behind the plate. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Gary Carter.<span style="">&nbsp; </span><span style="">&nbsp;</span>Hall of Famer.<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></i><span style="color: black;" lang="EN">(Shaughnessy)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span><strong><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; font-weight: normal;">&#8220;Jose Reyes</span></i></strong><strong><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></i></strong><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">dances off first base, and it's a bit of <strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-weight: normal;">Rickey Henderson</span></strong>, that sweet sense that anything can happen ... A pitch sails head-high and inside to <strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-weight: normal;">Vladimir Guerrero</span></strong>, who doesn't flinch&#8230;.he somehow drills it down the right-field line <strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">... </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-weight: normal;">John Smoltz</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></strong>takes it ever so slowly, a world-class athlete in repose. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>The Red Sox are saving him until mid-summer, and the payoff could be huge ... Everyone in the Dodgers' camp has an eye on the front gate. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Surely, this is the day <strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-weight: normal;">Manny Ramirez</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></strong>checks in.&#8221;</span></i><span style="">&nbsp; </span>(Jenkins)<i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;"><span style="">&nbsp;</span></span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;"><span style="">&nbsp;</span></span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p><br> <span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></i>- o -<br> (The<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Nub is a team effort skippered by Dick Starkey.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Comments<br> to <a href="mailto:dickstar@aol.com">dickstar@aol.com</a> are welcome, as are subscription requests.<span style="">&nbsp;</span><br> Previous Nubs can be found by scrolling below.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="">&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br> (Posted: 2/21/09)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><b style="">Money Propelling Mike and the Yanks<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Economic batting practice - money as a predictor of success:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>two NY examples, Mike Bloomberg and the Yankees.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Who would bet against baseball&#8217;s richest franchise, the bulked-up Yanks, making the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">AL</st1:place></st1:state> playoffs (at least)?<span style="">&nbsp; </span>And all stats point to the mega-rich mayor romping to a third term this season.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>So what else is new? <span style="">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Well, a teacher-friend the other day reported anti-Bloomberg rumblings among her public school teammates, which suggests the UFT is getting the mayor-as-undemocratic message out to its members.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>And perhaps because he detects mounting opposition, Mike<span style="">&nbsp; </span>is not playing his usual unflappable game.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>As the NY Times reported this week, the mayor is nervously looking for organized support; he hopes to be picked up by a formal political team, perhaps the GOP outfit from which he recently demanded a release.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Another sign that all&#8217;s not well with Team Bloomberg&#8217;s game plan: Mike&#8217;s testiness.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>When a Daily News reporter asked if the mayor now wished he followed the lead of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Venezuela</st1:place></st1:country-region>&#8217;s Hugo Chavez and let the people decide on extending term limits through a referendum instead of by Council vote, he blew up:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" lang="EN">A: "I don&#8217;t understand your question. What on Earth do we have to do with Hugo Chavez?"<o:p></o:p><br> </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" lang="EN">Q: "Well, like you, he wanted to extend his term."<o:p></o:p><br> </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" lang="EN">A: "If you wanted to ask Hugo Ch&aacute;vez, call him up! <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Maybe he&#8217;ll take your call. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>My suspicion is he doesn&#8217;t have press conferences&#8230; Who knows? I still fail to see a connection.<span style=""> " &nbsp; </span></span></i><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" lang="EN"></span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" lang="EN"><br style=""> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span></i><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" lang="EN"><br> Chavez tried to end the limits to his presidential term through a referendum in 2007; the voters rejected the idea then, but supported Hugo earlier this week.</span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" lang="EN"> </span></i><span lang="EN"><span style="">&nbsp;</span><span style="">&nbsp;</span></span><br> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The referendum on the Yankees will come via the turnstiles at the new Stadium. The revelations about A-Rod&#8217;s steroid use may have some effect on those numbers as well as the new elevated ticket prices.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus projects the Red Sox as winners of the AL East, with the Yanks only a likely wild card.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>A Boston Globe roster rundown concludes that the Sox will rise or fall on the performance of David Ortiz.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The Yanks&#8217; hopes don&#8217;t rest on any one player, which should give them an edge in that competition.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>But they do have an important hole to fill in center field.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Progressives see at least three big holes in Team Obama&#8217;s early game plan: the troop buildup in Afghanistan, continuance of the Bush rendition policy - sending suspected terrorists to be interrogated abroad - and continued Bush-like hostility to Chavez (there he is again); his democratically elected team is winning fans in much of Latin America while the <i style="">Yanquis</i> are losing them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><b style="">More baseball</b>: The Curt Schilling Theory - the team that gets the most starts out of its rotation has the best chance of winning - is gaining stat-checker support. Sports Illustrated&#8217;s Tom Verducci notes that the Phillies (158 rotation starts) and Rays (153) made the Theory look good last year.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>But, since World Series teams seldom repeat - from 2001 on there&#8217;s not been a single returnee - it&#8217;s unlikely, he says, that either of them will be back in 2009.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Here is his take on the subject:</p> <p><o:p></o:p><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;Want to see The Schilling Theory at work? Here are the only teams in 2008 to get 30 starts from four starters:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p>1. Phillies (Won World Series)<br> 2. Rays (Won <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">AL</st1:state></st1:place> pennant)<br> 3. Angels (Won AL West)<br> 4. White Sox (Won AL Central)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p>&#8220;Since 2000, 28 teams, or about three per year, were fortunate enough to have four starters make 30 starts&#8230;Good luck to the Phils and Rays seeing those kinds of numbers again, especially after three rounds of playoff baseball added to the load. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Most alarmingly, (Cole) Hamels threw 79 innings more in 2008 than he did in any other professional season, putting him at great risk of a fallback season. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Winning can be costly, and not just a</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">s measured by payroll.&#8221; <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style=""></span><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>- o -<br> (The<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Nub is a team effort skippered by Dick Starkey.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Comments<br> to <a href="mailto:dickstar@aol.com">dickstar@aol.com</a> are welcome, as are subscription requests.<span style="">&nbsp;</span><br> Previous Nubs can be found by scrolling below.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(Posted: 2/10/09)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><b style="">Obama Keeping to His Game Plan Despite Hits<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Pete Rose bowled over catchers, Roger Clemens tossed a bat at Mike Piazza.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Why has Barack Obama taken so long to show the same aggressive spirit?<span style="">&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Obama as a baseball manager who lets his team play the game its laid-back, undisciplined way: that&#8217;s the image suggested up to now by the scene on the stimulus field.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The team - with &#8220;CONGRESS&#8221; across its collective chest - has not played as smoothly together as its leader would like.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Fans were waiting for his news conference last night to see if he would do anything about it.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>What they heard was a strong argument for quick passage of the stimulus bill.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>But on the matter of divided loyalties on his team, <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Barack said he intended to continue behaving with &#8220;respect and civility&#8221; toward the dissidents and hoped that his &#8220;overtures will be reciprocated.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>That politeness is not what the left was looking for.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>NY Times scorer Paul Krugman has led the call for Obama to get tough. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Krugman wants the manager to stop coddling the foot-dragging players from the other party. <span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>Obama&#8217;s big mistake, says Krugman, was to think he could win the obstructionists over to his game plan. The effort wasted time and, by the scorer&#8217;s lights, has been a damaging failure. &#8220;The real question now,&#8221; Krugman said in advance of Barack&#8217;s prime-time appearance, &#8220;is whether Obama will be able to (take control of the game)&#8230;My guess is no.&#8221;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; margin-top: 7.5pt; line-height: 13.5pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><o:p></o:p>Where Krugman blames Barack for playing ball with &#8220;centrists&#8221; on the Congressional team, statman Charlie Cook, viewing matters from the exact middle of the political field, likes the two-sided approach.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>He says it&#8217;s Obama&#8217;s true game plan, and a sensible one, based on the record book numbers: <i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;What was so impressive about Obama's victory last November was that in winning 53 percent of the popular vote and 365 electoral votes, he showed a breadth of support that suggested a transcendent appeal. He was able to attract votes far beyond the traditional reach of liberals. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>He was the first Democrat since 1964 to carry Indiana and Virginia. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>He prevailed in <st1:state w:st="on">Florida</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">Nevada</st1:state>, and <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:state>. He captured college graduates by 8 points, those with some college by 4 points, suburban voters by 2 points, and men by 1 point&#8230;&#8221;</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""></span><span style=""></span><span style=""></span>The custodian of the Cook Political Report says the figures suggest why Barack&#8217;s centrist game plan makes sense: it opens the possibility to major long-term accomplishments. Because they are thinking short-term, says Cook, the Dem members of Team Obama are his real problem: <i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;Congressional Democrats are understandably anxious to put into place those programs and priorities that got nowhere while Democrats chafed under Republican rule. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Expecting them to take naturally to this very different approach by Obama is unrealistic.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>For that very reason, the Obama White House must begin (calling) the plays, or it risks having Hill (Dems)&#8230;run counter to the president's game plan and have much less likelihood of success.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>-<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>-<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>-</span></i><br> Success could elude several ballteams grappling to fill gaping holes in their rosters.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Rocky Mountain News columnist Tracy Ringolsby assembled this partial team-by-team list of hitting and pitching gaps:<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span><u>Giants</u>:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Middle of the lineup.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>They&#8217;re still counting on Bengie Molina to hit cleanup.<br> <u>Brewers</u>:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>No replacements for C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets in the rotation.<br> <u>Cardinals</u>:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Closer.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>No sign of a successor to Jason Isringhausen.<br> <u>Tigers</u>:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Closer.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Brandon Lyon, who couldn&#8217;t cut it in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:state>, is their best hope.<br> <u>Blue Jays</u>:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Front-line starter.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>No #2 behind Roy Halladay, with A.J. Burnett gone.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Ringolsby did not mention the Mets, who are weak at the outfield corners, and have only a single reliable starter in Johan Santana. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Still-learning Mike Pelfrey may (or may not) match his &#8217;08 performance.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Oliver Perez may well remain his bi-polar self.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>John Maine, recovering from an injury, has inconsistency issues, as well, etc.<span style="">&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""></span>Along with the Obama comment last night about A-Rod&#8217;s &#8220;tarnishing&#8221; himself and baseball, Sports Illustrated&#8217;s Tom Verducci had this comment about the Rodriguez steroids controversy: <i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;The Yankees are stuck with him for nine years, a guy who is untradeable and unloved. They have to be reserved with how much they promote him because a guy who used steroids and lied about it is not exactly what the image-conscious Yankees want as a face of the franchise. They're stuck paying him and they're stuck paying those garish bonuses based on home run milestones, a bad idea that looks embarrassing now that those milestones are meaningless.&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></i><br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - o -<br> (The<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Nub is a team effort skippered by Dick Starkey.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Comments<br> to <a href="mailto:dickstar@aol.com">dickstar@aol.com</a> are welcome, as are subscription requests.<span style="">&nbsp;</span><br> Previous Nubs can be found by scrolling below.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="">&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span><br> <i style="">The Nub, heading south in search of pitchers and catchers, will return <o:p></o:p><br> at the end of next week.</i> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br> </span></p> <span style="font-style: italic;"></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;<br> </o:p>(Posted: 2/7/09)<o:p></o:p></p> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><b style="">It&#8217;s the Nervous Season in Baseball and Politics<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>On the brink of baseball&#8217;s pre-season and the end of the political post-Inauguration inning, fans of both pastimes are nervous about what they see.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Teams like the Red Sox and Mets have not strengthened themselves enough to compete with confidence against their main adversaries, the beefed-up Yankees and still-solid Phillies.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>And Team <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>, despite its new globally popular manager, has lost ground in defense of its &#8220;most influential&#8221; world title.<span style="">&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>The savvy International Herald Tribune scout William Pfaff notes that, not only has the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> economic model lost its clean-up spot on the world financial team, the nation&#8217;s military prowess has taken a hard hit, as well.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Pfaff says Europeans consider the idea <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> &#8220;won&#8221; the cold war as spin; the consensus there is that it was &#8220;lost&#8221; owing to the Red team&#8217;s internal problems.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>He produces a lineup of what Europe sees (U.S. claims notwithstanding) as American defeats in Asia and Africa &#8211; the conflicts comprising open warfare, police actions and covert activity: <i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;<span style="color: black;">Communist China,<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Korea,<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Laos,<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Cambodia, Vietnam, <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Somalia, <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Lebanon, <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Iran, <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Iraq (an estimated 95 thousand civilians killed in Iraq, 15 thousand coalition soldiers and police, including 4,229 Americans; and the outcome still in doubt).<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The war against terror has been a bloodbath with mainly civilian victims, two free-standing Asian states wrecked, and probably more to come.&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="color: black;">Among the depressingly familiar features of Pfaff&#8217;s <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> economic-model box score: &#8220;swindles&#8230;personal enrichment&#8230;criminal real estate practices&#8230;Ponzi schemes.&#8221;</span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;"><br> </span></i><span style="">&nbsp;</span><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="">&nbsp;</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span><br> Red Sox GM Theo Epstein shrugs off the Yankees&#8217; spend-whatever-it-takes practice in the competition for free agents.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>&#8220;<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;" lang="EN">I always assume if the Yankees want a player, they're going to get him,&#8221; he said in an interview.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Speaking for much of Red Sox Nation, the Globe&#8217;s Dan Shaughnessy asks</span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: black;" lang="EN">: Is th(e team&#8217;s) prudent spending supposed to make fans feel better when the Yankees whip out almost a half-billion for Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett?...The Sox seem to have a lot of easy outs in their lineup.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span></span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i>&#8220;Easy outs&#8221; are clearly what threaten to make the Mets also-rans again this year. Back in the early 90&#8217;s, then-GM Joe McIlvaine was fixated on using products of the Mets&#8217; farm system to make the team competitive.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>(Tightfisted co-owners Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon didn&#8217;t give him much choice.)<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Owing to injuries, poor performances, etc., the practice didn&#8217;t work. More than a decade later, Omar Minaya seems to believe in<span style="">&nbsp; </span>making a couple of splashy deals each year &#8211; Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez are two recent examples &#8211; and then making do with extra players salvaged from the MLB scrap heap.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Mets&#8217; fans know he doesn&#8217;t have much choice, either.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>But they also know Omar&#8217;s system is another that doesn&#8217;t work.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>With their new stadium due to open come spring, the Mets received this catchy signage advice the other day from Newsday&#8217;s Wallace Matthews: <i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;G</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">ive back the dough, drop a TARP over those Citi Field signs and come up with a new name for your ballpark."</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><span style=""></span></span></i><span style=""></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - o -<br> (The<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Nub is a team effort skippered by Dick Starkey.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Comments<br> to <a href="mailto:dickstar@aol.com">dickstar@aol.com</a> are welcome, as are subscription requests.<span style="">&nbsp;</span><br> Previous Nubs can be found by scrolling below.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="">&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(Posted: 2/3/09)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><b style="">Citi Field Hit From the Left and Right<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>&#8220;Extremely troublesome.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Those are the words of Congressmen Dennis Kucinich and Ted Poe - one from <st1:city w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:city>, and the far left of the political playing field, the other from southeastern <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state>, and the far right.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>They teamed up last week to slam the $400 million deal under which Citigroup bought naming rights to the Mets&#8217; new stadium for 20 years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>In a letter to the new Treasury Secretary, the pair noted that Citigroup received a $45 bllion government bailout and that, under the circumstances, the naming investment - which, in effect, is being undertaken with taxpayers money - was &#8220;unacceptable.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Citigroup and the Mets insist that the deal, made in 2006, will stand.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>A number of people, political and press among them, say it should be sent to the showers.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Here is how Newsday&#8217;s Anthony Rieber puts it:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">&#8220;(Although) it's in the country's best interests for our giant financial institutions not to fail&#8230;it is not in the country's best interests for a Citi Field sign atop the new ballpark - not considering who is paying for it.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Order it taken down, Mr. Treasury Secretary. Cancel the contract&#8230;.<br> <br> &#8221;Or how about the Mets doing the right thing and getting out of the contract themselves? The Citigroup money is not quite blood money, but it's very close.&#8221;</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></i>Troublesome, too, is the silence of NY&#8217;s Dem elected officials about the naming deal.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Surely, Anthony Weiner, whose Congressional district includes parts of <st1:place w:st="on">Queens</st1:place>, could be expected to take his swings.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Joining Kucinich and Poe would generate sure-fire positive publicity for his run for mayor.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Same goes for fellow Dem mayoral candidate Billy Thompson.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>He, too, seems reluctant to take on Citygroup.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Except for two Staten Island Republicans, Councilmembers - those running for reelection and/or citywide offices - have kept a low profile on the issue.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>As for our senior Senator Chuck (Where&#8217;s Charlie?) Schumer, fuhgedaboudit.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The suspicion here, as yet undocumented, is that Citygroup is as active a political contributor as it is a corporate dealmaker.<span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>More than troublesome:<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The mantra of many Republicans during the law-defying eight Bush years was &#8220;as long as there&#8217;s no indictment.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Already, thanks to the arrogance of privilege of Tom Daschle and Tim Geithner,<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Obama Democrats are moaning &#8220;I thought we were better than this.&#8221;<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The pair has tarnished the pre-game gleam that suffused Team Obama.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>And it&#8217;s only the top of the first, with a tough season ahead. <span style="">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>WNYC&#8217;s Jonathan Schwartz recalled over the weekend that, in response to a fan letter, John Updike, along with a &#8220;thank you&#8221;, sketched a ballfield at the bottom of his reply.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&#8220;How to Beat the Yankees&#8221; was the caption.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The field had a husky, pinstriped batter at the plate and <u>15</u> defenders facing him.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Schwartz had commended Updike, who died last week, for his New Yorker essay &#8220;Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu,&#8221; which described Ted Williams&#8217; last at-bat in September 1960.<span style="">&nbsp; </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Baltimore</st1:place></st1:city>&#8217;s Jack Fisher was the pitcher.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Here is an excerpt:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;">&#8220;</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;" lang="EN">Understand that we were a crowd of rational people. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>We knew that a home run cannot be produced at will; the right pitch must be perfectly met and luck must ride with the ball. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Three innings before, we had seen a brave effort fail. The air was soggy; the season was exhausted. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Nevertheless, there will always lurk, around a corner in a pocket of our knowledge of the odds, an indefensible hope, and this was one of the times, which you now and then find in sports, when a density of expectation hangs in the air and plucks an event out of the future.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;" lang="EN">&#8220;Fisher, after (an) unsettling wait, was wide with the first pitch. He put the second one over, and Williams swung mightily and missed. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>The crowd grunted, seeing that classic swing, so long and smooth and quick, exposed, naked in its failure.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Fisher threw the third time, Williams swung again, and there it was. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>The ball climbed on a diagonal line into the vast volume of air over center field. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>From my angle, behind third base, the ball seemed less an object in flight than the tip of a towering, motionless construct, like the <st1:placename w:st="on">Eiffel</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Tower</st1:placetype> or the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Tappan Zee</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place>. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>It was in the books while it was still in the sky. (Jackie) Brandt ran back to the deepest corner of the outfield grass; the ball descended beyond his reach and struck in the crotch where the bullpen met the wall, bounced chunkily, and, as far as I could see, vanished.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;" lang="EN">&#8220;Like a feather caught in a vortex, Williams ran around the square of bases at the center of our beseeching screaming. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>He ran as he always ran out home runs&#8212;hurriedly, unsmiling, head down, as if our praise were a storm of rain to get out of. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>He didn&#8217;t tip his cap. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Though we thumped, wept, and chanted &#8220;We want Ted&#8221; for minutes after he hid in the dugout, he did not come back. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Our noise for some seconds passed beyond excitement into a kind of immense open anguish, a wailing, a cry to be saved. But immortality is nontransferable. The papers said that the other players, and even the umpires on the field, begged him to come out and acknowledge us in some way, but he never had and did not now. <span style="">&nbsp;</span>Gods do not answer letters.&#8221;<o:p></o:p><br> <span style="">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></i>- o -<i style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia;" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></i><br> (The<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Nub is a team effort skippered by Dick Starkey.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Comments<br> to <a href="mailto:dickstar@aol.com">dickstar@aol.com</a> are welcome, as are subscription requests.<span style="">&nbsp;</span><br> Previous Nubs can be found by scrolling below.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="">&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br> </body> </html> the_nub archive
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