They say it like it's a bad thing

The latest cover of Time magazine and how they're depicting the Trump administration:

I've been far more critical than praising of President Trump in my overall assessment of his presidency. But the notion that his cabinet is "dismantling government as we know it," specifically a government with unprecedented influence in our everyday lives, is absolutely a good thing.

There are few better examples of highlighting differences between the political left and political right than to gauge reaction to the shake up of the status quo in Washington, DC.

--------------------------------

October 25, 1987: Twins win World Series!

Being a baseball fan, there’s nary a more magical phrase than “Game 7 of the World Series.” And that is where I found my Minnesota Twins on this date thirty years ago.

I was confined to watching the game in the basement at home on this Sunday evening. Twins ace Frank Viola was making his third start in the series against the St Louis Cardinals. He was the winning pitcher in Game 1 but got shelled in Game 4.

In Game 7, Viola was touched for two runs and four hits in the second inning. However, he hunkered down and gave up only two more hits (and 0 runs) over his last six innings.





Unlike their previous three games at home, the Twins offense was scuffling in this one. While they were able to answer with one run in their half of the second inning they were hosed out of another. Replays showed that Don Baylor scored from second base on a Tim Laudner base hit. However, Baylor was called out, denying the Twins a run. I’m sure the neighbors heard me express my dismay.

Later in the game, the Twins received that run back courtesy of a blown call in their half of the fifth inning. With one out, Greg Gagne hit a chopper to first base. With Cards pitcher Joe Magrane covering, umpire Lee Weyer called Gagne safe saying Magrane never touched the base. However, replays showed that Magrane did indeed swipe his foot across the base ahead of Gagne. The next batter, Kirby Puckett, greeted new pitcher Danny Cox with a double to center, scoring Gagne and tying the game.





From there, wackiness ensued.

After Gary Gaetti walked, Cox threw a pitch in the dirt with Baylor at the plate. Both Puckett and Gaetti attempted to move up a base but Puck was thrown out at third. With Gaetti now at second and two outs, Baylor looped a single to left. Gaetti charged towards home plate in an attempt to give the Twins the lead, but the throw from left fielder Vince Coleman beat him there. Gaetti then rammed full bore into catcher Steve Lake in an effort to jar the ball loose.




While Lake got the worst of that violent collision, he somehow hung on to the ball. Three outs, game still tied and I’m practically bouncing off the walls due to the intensity of the game.

The Twins finally took their first lead of the evening in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Gagne hit a ground ball behind third base off cards pitcher Todd Worrell. Third baseman Tom Lawless made a diving stop, threw a one hopper to first but not in time to get the speedy Gagne. Tom Brunansky scored giving the Twins the 3-2 lead!!






They would tack on another run in the eighth and closer extraordinaire Jeff Reardon faced the Cards in the ninth, leading 4-2.

With two outs and nobody on, my brother had a bottle of champagne ready to open upon the third out. We made a promise to our Mom that we would merely have a nice, celebratory drink when the Twins won it all. Nothing too raucous, we assured her. But once Willie McGee bounced out to Gaetti at third and Kent Hrbek squeezed the throw for the final out, bedlam ensued!!






My brother immediately popped the cork on the champagne but it wound up on my head instead of in my glass. I hardly noticed as I was jumping up and down in pure delirium at what my Twins just accomplished. Of course, my mother was perturbed that we trashed her basement in celebration. But the laborious clean up we endured afterward was well worth it. For the first time in over thirty years, a professional sports team in Minnesota won a championship!!

How sweet it was!!

----------------------------------------------

October 24, 1987: Twins tie World Series, 3-3

With this being World Series time I always look back to 1987 & 1991 with fond memories. Those are the years my beloved Minnesota Twins won the Fall Classic.

In fact, it was thirty years ago today on a Saturday afternoon that the Twins were hosting the St Louis Cardinals in Game 6 at the Metrodome.

After winning the first two games at home, the Twins found themselves down 3 games to 2 after getting swept in the middle three games in St. Louis. This was typical of a club who went a stellar 56-25 at home during the regular year but a pathetic 29-52 on the road.

Things didn’t look good early in Game 6. The Cards knocked around Twins starting pitcher Les Straker and led 5-2 in the fifth inning. For a split second, I tried rationalizing with myself that it was an honor just to get to the Series. Of course, I was kidding myself. After witnessing some wretched baseball over the previous few years I desperately wanted my club to be #1.

Before I knew it, the Twins were mounting a comeback.

Kirby Puckett reached base in the fifth inning. Gary Gaetti doubled to left, scoring Puck to make it 5-3. Then late-season acquisition Don Baylor came to the plate as the tying run.




BOOM!!! A two-run homer off Cards starter John Tudor and the Twins had tied it up. I was at my buddy Todd’s place in Vadnais Heights. There were four of us in the basement that day hanging on every pitch. We were going crazy when the Twins tied it. They would eventually take the lead later in the fifth when Steve Lombardozzi knocked in Tom Brunansky with a run-scoring single. It was 6-5 Twins after five innings.

But it was the next inning which many fans remember most. The Twins had loaded the bases with one out. Twins slugger Brunansky had a chance to put the game out of reach facing reliever Bob Forsch. Bruno popped out to shortstop. Now there was two outs, bases still loaded and Kent Hrbek coming up. Cards manager Whitey Herzog came out to summon lefty Ken Dayley to face the left-handed hitting Hrbek. Since there was a commercial break during the pitching change, we decided to watch some excerpts of comedian Louie Anderson on VHS. We figured we’d kill a couple of minutes until the game came back on. All of a sudden we heard the words “GRAND SLAM” come from Todd’s brother upstairs.





We quickly flicked off the video and saw Kent Hrbek rounding the bases with his arms raised in elation. The hometown kid made good with a grand slam homer, giving the Twins a 10-5 lead. The four of us were literally huddled together jumping up and down in unison, all the while yelling in elation!!

The Twins would go on to tie the Series with an 11-5 win. I remember that evening driving around my neighborhood. On many a street corner, there were vendors selling Twins merchandise. Whether it was caps, pennant flags, homer hankies, etc., every corner was packed with people getting in on the fun. My brother and I drove home with both of us waving our homer hankies out the window. Not one single car had passed us by without honking in acknowledgement.

Ah, but there was work to be done. Game 7 would take place the next evening. My stomach was all tied up in knots anticipating the winner-take-all contest. Yes, I had definitely come down with a state-wide epidemic. It was called “Twins fever”.

-------------------------------

Quick Hits: Volume CLVII

There's no question that President Donald Trump plays fast and loose with facts. The media could have (and usually does have) a field day picking apart the dubiousness, hyperbole and flat out inaccuracies contained in Trump's infamous Twitter feed.

But as is often the case with Trump's detractors, their valid criticisms morph into them stepping on the proverbial rake.

C'mon down, CNN.

“Some people might try to tell you that it’s a banana.” #FactsFirst pic.twitter.com/LbmRKiGJe9

— CNN (@CNN) October 23, 2017

The problem with that kind of dripping sanctimony, especially in the Information Age, is such smug claims of utilizing "Facts First" are easily punctured with....well......facts.

David Harsanyi at The Federalist pens a damning piece with the brilliant headline 10 Times CNN Told Us An Apple Was A Banana. 

Check it out here.


- The World Series gets started tonight with the Houston Astros taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game One. This is the first Fall Classic since 1970 where both teams logged at least 100 regular season victories.

The Astros reached 100+ wins due predominately to a potent offense (1st in Major League Baseball in team batting average, Slugging Percentage & OPS and second with 238 home runs) whereas the pitching rich Dodgers were tops in MLB in WHIP (Walk and Hits allowed per inning pitched) and second in team Earned Run Average.

For what it's worth, I'm predicting the Dodgers in six.


- It was recently reported that former FBI Director James Comey was tweeting under a pseudonym.

Earlier this year, a reporter for Gizmodo traced (a) Twitter account to Comey, after doing what she described as "four hours of sleuthing." The account, under the pseudonym "Reinhold Niebuhr," takes the name of a well-known theologian about whom Comey wrote an undergraduate thesis at the College of William & Mary.

Another clue: The account is now called @FormerBu, for former, um, bureau. Last week, the account posted two public tweets — an image of a kayaker at West Point, and a photo from Little Round Top, in Gettysburg, Pa., with the line, "Good place to think about leadership and values."

But it was this tweet in particular which resulted in some wild speculation.

Goodbye Iowa. On the road home. Gotta get back to writing. Will try to tweet in useful ways. pic.twitter.com/DCbu3Yvqt3

— Reinhold Niebuhr (@FormerBu) October 23, 2017

Because Iowa is the first state to cast ballots for Presidential nominees every four years, people were drawing their own conclusions as to why Comey was there.

For my money, a picture like this leads me to one immutable truth: Comey is getting ready to run. No, I mean literally getting ready to run. You don't don a nice pair of New Balance shoes if you're not going to break 'em in with a brisk jaunt.


-------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week (Postseason edition)

In the final BSOTW for 2017, let's look at Game 7 of the 1973 World Series featuring the New York Mets at Oakland Athletics.

----------------------------

Oakland pitcher Darold Knowles recorded the final out this game, clinching the Athletics' World Series victory over the Mets. Also notable about this appearance was Knowles became the first (and, to this day, only) pitcher to appear in all seven games of a World Series. 

-----------------------------

And it’s hard to fly when your wings are tied.....

Another Sunday, yet another edition of the Northern Alliance Radio Network program The Closer. The 1-hour bonanza gets going at 2:00 PM Central Time.

Right at 2:00, I welcome to the broadcast our show's official political wonk Matt Mackowiak. There's so much happening on the political scene these days, so we'll likely narrow it down to the President Trump/John Kelly/Rep. Frederica Wilson kerfuffle, tax reform moving forward, what to do with Obamacare, etc. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

----------------------------------------

All cried out

I'd like to start off by sharing a recap of the fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

The tale concerns a shepherd boy who repeatedly tricks nearby villagers into thinking wolves are attacking his flock. When a wolf actually does appear and the boy again calls for help, the villagers believe that it is another false alarm and the sheep are eaten by the wolf.

It's analogous to how leftists have portrayed GOP presidential candidates in the 21st century. George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney were all labeled as cold, heartless, out-of-touch with the common man, etc.

Now we have President Donald Trump.

One could argue that Trump personifies a lot of what leftists have claimed about all the Republican POTUS candidates since 2000. Leftists are as unhinged as ever and will shout you down at every turn unless you are in 100% agreement that Trump is unfit. Again, the left may be correct in that assessment. But since they have been coming across as frothing kooks when referencing Republicans for the entirety of this new millennia, they're not taken at all seriously now. This is especially in light of their using the words of Bush, McCain and Romney (all of whom leftists dubbed evil incarnate at one time or another) to attack Trump.

The bottom line, leftists, is all this revisionist history can't cover up the fact that what you now bellow about Trump (however legit those sentiments may be) is what you said about those who now have your "strange new respect." So forgive us if we dismiss this latest shrieking as little more than the proverbial cries of "WOLF!"

--------------------------------

Oh what a night!

My wife works Thursday evenings, so I rarely have concrete plans on those nights.

Ah, but this Thursday is different!

With nine NHL games, three NBA games, an NFL game and an MLB playoff game — made possible by the Chicago Cubs’ victory in Game 4 of the NLCS on Wednesday — Thursday is your (first) sports equinox of 2017.

What’s a sports equinox? As my former colleague Reuben Fischer-Baum wrote on a couple of occasions, it’s when all four major U.S. sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB — play at least one game on the same day.

The Simpsons Homer Simpson GIF from Thesimpsons GIFs

Let the games begin!

---------------------------------------

Voice of reason

About a month ago, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos ended an Obama era ruling which essentially lowered the burden of proof for sexual assaults on campus. And if state universities were non-compliant with the Obama administration ruling and thus had the nerve to be guided by that Constitution thingy, said universities lived with the threat of having Federal funds cut off.

Because DeVos is part of the Donald Trump administration, her common sense directive was met with the obligatory lunacy and hyperbole.

Recently there was a state legislature looking to codify the old Obama directive, essentially looking to have its state's campuses resume "kangaroo courts" as opposed to letting the legal system adjudicate allegations of a crime.

Thankfully this particular state's governor was the voice of reason in vetoing such legislation.

..(T)houghtful legal minds have increasingly questioned whether federal and state actions to prevent and redress sexual harassment and assault—well-intentioned as they are—have also unintentionally resulted in some colleges’ failure to uphold due process for accused students."

Kudos to Gov. Scott Walker. Then again, ensuring laws don't infringe upon the Due Process clause in both the 5th and 14th amendments would seemingly be the proverbial layup for a conservative governor. After all, expelling a student for a crime which wasn't adequately adjudicated could unnecessarily and unjustly jeopardize the accused's future.

Wait, WHAT?!?!? You mean the governor in question is not Gov. Walker of Wisconsin???

“Depriving any student of higher education opportunities should not be done lightly, or out of fear of losing state or federal funding,” Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) said.

Huh. Whatta ya know.

Props to Gov. Moonbeam.

----------------------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week (Postseason edition)

Game 7 of the 1957 World Series - Milwaukee Braves at New York Yankees.

----------------------------------

In the 2015 AL Wildcard game, Houston Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel pitched six scoreless innings against the New York Yankees. The next time Keuchel faced the Yanks in the postseason was last week in ALCS Game 1 when he blanked them over seven innings. Keuchel is the first starting pitcher to have consecutive scoreless outings against the Yankees in the postseason since Lew Burdette of the Milwaukee Braves turned that trick in the 1957 World Series. The game featured this week was the second time in three days that Burdette tossed a complete game shutout against the Yanks.

-------------------------------------

Grasping at straws

I believe this is an exercise in futility, but what else does he have going on in life?

Free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick has filed a grievance under the latest collective bargaining agreement against NFL owners for collusion, according to his attorney, Mark Geragos.

Kaepernick is not going through the NFL Players Association but has instead hired Geragos, who has represented several high-profile clients, including Michael Jackson, former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield and musician Chris (the dude who beat his girlfriend - ed.) Brown.

The filing, which demands an arbitration hearing on the matter, says the NFL and its owners "have colluded to deprive Mr. Kaepernick of employment rights in retaliation for Mr. Kaepernick's leadership and advocacy for equality and social justice and his bringing awareness to peculiar institutions still undermining racial equality in the United States."

Nice spin. Another way of saying it is "Mr. Kaepernick's services are unwanted due to his skill set not being a match for any team's vacancies at this particular time." Besides, it seems pretty obvious that providing concrete evidence of collusion (assuming such activities exist or ever existed) is a mighty tall order.

Naturally there will be the perpetual arguments from Kaepernick apologists which say that Kap's ability is superior to more than half the QBs on an NFL roster today. But such a claim is totally subjective. About a month ago I went on record as saying that Kaepernick would be a better option at backup QB for my Vikings than Case Keenum. However, now that Keenum has been pressed into service over the past several weeks due to starter Sam Bradford being out with an injury, circumstances have changed. Keenum now has had valuable experience within the Vikings' current offensive system, so he is now better suited than Kap to be on the Vikings' roster. But, again, I would be perfectly fine if Kaepernick were brought in for a workout. I have a hard time imagining he's not a better option to be the Vikes' backup than current #2 Kyle Sloter.

All that being said, teams can actually refuse Kaepernick's services due to potential negative public relations that may occur upon his signing. So even if Kap is more talented than a number of active quarterbacks, NFL teams are well within their rights to gauge how much of a distraction they want to take on when signing a controversial figure.

In the end, I can't really blame Kaepernick for this proverbial "Hail Mary" given that he'll be 30 years old in a couple of weeks. In football terms, that means a QB is typically in the back end of his career. I'm guessing even a third stringer in the NFL makes more than, say, his next potential vocation of being an adjunct professor teaching Social Welfare at Cal-Berkeley.

-----------------------------------------

There's no more little secrets we haven't yet disclosed.....

Yes, I admit it'll be tough to compete with today's Packers-Vikings tilt. Nevertheless, I encourage y'all to take a break from 2:00 until 3 PM Central Time to tune in to this week's edition of The Closer. 

Just when you thought the "NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem" saga was dying down, it was resurrected this past week. We'll discuss the latest.

Also, is President Trump really declaring war on the First Amendment?


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

----------------------------------------

News you don't wanna use

When Barack Obama was President of the United States, he, on more than one occasion, lamented the unfavorable media coverage he received from Fox News. Many right-of-center folks (myself included) found it a tad chilling that the country's leader would call out a free press. Someone with a rather high profile Twitter account even tweeted about it 4+ years ago.

I commend Roger Ailes for publicly supporting @FoxNews’ employees against the Obama administration's intimidation of its reporters.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2013

While Obama's behavior was out of bounds, he never went so far as to say a media outlet should have its credentials revoked.

With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2017

This was apparently in response to an NBC report that Trump had asked for an outlandish ten-fold increase in America's nuclear weapons arsenal. Given that some of the prior media coverage of Trump was poorly sourced, it behooves outlets to now have multiple sources & reporters on a given story (as was the case here).

However, all that is beside the point. The fact a sitting U.S. President even suggests that a TV network have its license pulled due to what he perceives as unfavorable coverage smacks of authoritarian tactics. There's no other way to see it. Yes I know Trump hasn't actually taken substantive action on this and I know he has the reputation for bluster, thus should be "taken seriously but not literally." But if we're going to be intellectually consistent, Trump's words about NBC were far more concerning than Obama's whining over Fox News.

NBC had been having a rough week given revelations that they blew off breaking the story of Harvey Weinstein's sleazy behavior. Leave it to Trump to temporarily generate sympathy for such an operation.

------------------------------

National Anthem backlash bringing NFL to its knees

In no small part to President Trump expressing his displeasure, there has been significant backlash from NFL fans over some players not standing during the pregame signing of the National Anthem.

As such, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could no longer bury his head in the proverbial sand, so he issued a written statement on Tuesday.

"Like many of our fans," Goodell wrote, "we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.

"We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players."

The NFL's current anthem policy states that players "should" stand for the anthem, but it stops short of requiring it.

The proposed new policy is the result of "many of discussions with clubs and players," Goodell added.

If a policy is drafted mandating that players stand during the Anthem, I don't believe such a directive is too outlandish. It's not like an individual player would be required to place his hand over his heart or sing along with the Anthem performer. But the idea is that the pregame ceremony is an infinitesimal percentage of time during the week where politics can (and should) be put aside. Since most NFL players have a substantial social media following, there's still a significantly large platform (as well as ample time) to convey advocacy and/or protest.

Commissioner Goodell's statement also comes on the heels of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealing his intentions to take disciplinary action against any member of his team who refuses to stand during the Anthem. Jones's own sentiments have created quite the firestorm of reaction, including one which led to the suspension of ESPN personality Jemele Hill. Not to be outdone, fellow ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon took his objections steps further.

“And the word that comes to my mind―and I don’t care who doesn’t like me using it―is plantation,” Mr. Wilbon said on Monday’s show. “The players are here to serve me, and they will do what I want. No matter how much I pay them, they are not equal to me. That’s what this says to me and mine.”

Leave out the fact that millionaire football players being equated with individuals who didn't possess a scintilla of freedom is at best asinine and at worst trivializes an otherwise ugly time in American history. This idea that bosses don't consider employees "equal to them" is hardly a revolutionary concept. Whether we like it or not, employees at most companies are there for little more than to make their bosses look good. Don't believe me? Make your employer look bad about twice and see what happens.

I digress.

Say what ya want about Trump, but his rhetoric surrounding this issue seems to have given him an upper hand in this latest battle in the culture war.

------------------------------

The obligatory ESPN suspension post

Refer to a sitting President of the United States as a "white supremacist?" That'll get ya a stern "talking to" at ESPN. But implying that disgruntled football fans should boycott advertisers of a certain NFL team? A bridge too far for the self anointed "sports leader."

The network sidelined “SportsCenter” anchor Jemele Hill “for a second violation of our social-media guidelines” after she promoted NFL-advertiser boycotts on Twitter, an ESPN spokesman confirmed Monday.

Hill got into hot water for wading into the debate over whether NFL players should protest racism in the nation’s police force by kneeling during pre-game renditions of the national anthem.

Reacting to Dallas Cowboys coach Jerry Jones — who told his players he would bench them if they did not stand for the anthem — she tweeted: “This play always work. Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ’s statement, boycott his advertisers.”

Again, a good number of observers will look at this as ESPN misplacing its priorities. That is, a left winger ripping a GOP President is on the up and up but messing with the bottom line results in the proverbial firing squad. However, in their official statement, ESPN emphasized that Hill's suspension was due to multiple violations of its company policy as opposed to the level of controversy generated by each incident.

ESPN's Statement on Jemele Hill: pic.twitter.com/JkVoBVz7lv

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 9, 2017

This certainly isn't the first time ESPN has had to suspend or fire an employee for controversial commentary (on or off the air). The network brass has long been hypersensitive to criticism, especially when viewer complaints center around its personalities opining on politically/socially charged issues. However, ESPN has mostly itself to blame for these controversies. Long ago they realized that politics and the culture bled into the sports scene, so ESPN looked to capitalize on this phenomena by adding to its programming round table discussions which occasionally broach these issues. As such, it's inevitable that one of their commentators will occasionally have a rhetorical misstep which will give the sports giant unwanted attention.

At the end of the day, ESPN is in survival mode. Unwanted political commentary is only one of multiple reasons why the network is becoming obsolete. I mean, other than Rev. Al Sharpton and his obligatory "racist" charge, is anybody all that passionate about this decision on either side of the coin? If I had to guess, I believe Hill's suspension was met with mostly ambivalence.

----------------------------------------

Quick Hits: Volume CLVI

- I can't lie. I'm not really thrilled with the Veep's actions yesterday.

Vice President Mike Pence walked out on his home-state Indianapolis Colts Sunday when members of the opposing team kneeled for the national anthem, but a report that Colin Kaepernick, the player who started it all, will stand if given another shot in the NFL was quickly dialed back.

"I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem," Pence tweeted.

I won't go so far as to say that this was an orchestrated "publicity stunt" as some are suggesting. VP Pence has a son in the Marine Corps, so the anthem issue is no doubt a sensitive one to him. But given the San Francisco 49ers (the Colts' opponent on Sunday) are perhaps the NFL's most high-profile "kneelers" (even with Kaepernick no longer on their roster), what did Pence expect would happen? Plus, you had the Secret Service going through all their detail in securing Lucas Oil Stadium in advance of Pence's visit so he could stay for, what, an hour or two? Add to that the fact Pence had just flown in from Las Vegas and then left immediately to attend a different function on the west coast, it seems the nearly $250,000 cost of that trip was a colossal waste of taxpayer money.

Let's be honest, fellow fiscal conservatives. We would have absolutely nuked President Obama (and rightly so) had he pulled a similar stunt.


- My favorite NFL squad takes on the Chicago Bears tonight on Monday Night Football. With the Bears seemingly in the midst of another lost season, they have decided to expedite the debut of rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who was drafted #2 overall in the 2017 NFL draft.

For those Vikings fans who may view this game as easy pickings, I offer you some recent history. The Vikings are 2-14 in their past 16 road games against the Bears with both victories (in 2007 & 2015) coming on field goals as time expired. And it ain't like the Vikes were going up against an Aaron Rodgers caliber QB in those 16 games. They succumbed to stiffs like Jim Miller, Rex Grossman, Chad Hutchinson and Kyle Orton.

If this game turns out to be anything similar to last year's Monday Night October tilt in Chicago, I worry for coach Mike Zimmer's left eye.


- It was great to hear from Peter Johnson, founder of Archway Defense, on my radio program yesterday. Archway, which was founded by Peter, is a "covert network of professionals serving around the world in law enforcement, military, customs, border protection, counter-terrorism, emergency preparedness, emergency medical and intelligence communities. This private support network provides Archway Defense the ability to create and offer unparalleled training."

With those credentials, I couldn't think of a better guest to have on the broadcast to discuss the issues surrounding last Sunday's mass shooting in Las Vegas as well as addressing the inevitable spread of misinformation about firearms.

Definitely check out the broadcast for yourself.





-----------------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week (Postseason edition)

Game 2 of the 2015 American League Division Series - Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays.

-----------------------------------

At age 42 years & 292 days, Blue Jays pitcher LaTroy Hawkins became the oldest pitcher in MLB history to be charged with a postseason loss.

------------------------------------

How do you move in a world of fog that's always changing things?

No Vikings until tomorrow evening, so I'm anticipating a lot more of you will be listening live to The Northern Alliance Radio Network this afternoon. My weekly program The Closer gets started right at 2:00 PM Central Time.

We'll spend most of the hour-long show discussing last Sunday's mass shooting in Las Vegas, which turned out to be the largest (in terms of casualties) in U.S. history. Joining the program right at 2:00 will be Archway Defense founder Peter Johnson. An expert in defense, counter-terrorism and surveillance, Peter will come on to discuss how people can be better equipped to adequately react to a situation similar to what occurred in Vegas. With a vast knowledge of firearms, Peter will also discuss a lot of the misinformation being bandied about regarding calls for "gun control."


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

----------------------------------------

Mass hysteria continues

We've known for some time now that the majority of American media outlets are merely transcript services for pet leftist causes. That's never more evident than when there is a mass shooting in America. I'll come back to that.

In their reaction to the largest mass shooting in U.S. history (in terms of total casualties) in Las Vegas this past Sunday, leftists pulled out all the stops in their demands that Congress (specifically Republicans) do something, anything to ensure that such an event never occurs again. However, such a sentiment is born out of pure emotion, thus completely void of common sense, facts and logic. I say this because most "solutions" offered up in that aftermath of shootings would not have prevented the vast majority (if any at all) of these events over the past decade. 

The typical pleas this time around were to ban machine guns (they're already illegal) and suppressors (Vegas shooter didn't use one), expand background checks (the shooter had no criminal history) and pass more rigorous legislation to address mental health (no indication the shooter had such issues). When challenged on these demands, gun control proponents double down and then accuse gun owners of caring more about firearms than the well-being of their fellow citizens. It's almost as if these people deliberately keep their heads buried in the sand. 

As Stephen L. Miller pointed out, very few members of the U.S. media even take the time to understand basic facts about firearms. 

The American political left and mainstream media pundits at large do not understand guns. They are not educated about them and they refuse to learn about them. They could not tell you the difference between an automatic or semi-automatic firearm. They don’t understand what a suppressor does or does not do. It’s safe to say most of them have not heard the term “bump stock” until this week.

CNN tried to explain a bump stock with an animation.

The animation of the rifle features a suppressor, grenade launcher and no bump stock. pic.twitter.com/0jTpTzp0mB

— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) October 6, 2017

Q.E.D.

You never know what can happen if one takes the opportunity to actually research such an issue (you would think that a journalist would consider research of a topic a prerequisite to a story). It's almost as if they're hesitant to do so in that it might upend their long, deeply held beliefs. That means the possibility exists that some media person may actually, oh I don't know, ascertain that "gun control" is not all it's cracked up to be.

In a monologue that went viral earlier this week, late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel flat out said that those who oppose to "gun control" don't care about the Vegas victims. He doubled down the following night by saying his critics (primarily law abiding gun owners) know in their hearts they "bear some responsibility" for what happened in Vegas. So this "conversation" the left claims they want to have about guns devolves into little more than shaming opponents.

Miller emphasizes that's probably not the best course of action.

Law-abiding, gun-owning Americans will not be lectured to about a national tragedy they had nothing to do with, and they certainly won’t be lectured by elitists in media who refuse to understand even a basic grasp or terminology about a sacred constitutional right.

And until they do, we will refuse to have that “conversation” the left and the media keep telling themselves needs to happen.

As it stands now, the National Rifle Association is indicating its support for stricter regulations of bump stocks, which are devices that increase the rate of fire from a semi-automatic. This seems to be reasonable acquiescence. However, don't be shocked if Congressional Democrats continue to overreach like they did last year in their response to the Pulse nightclub shooting. After all, "doing something" appears to mean different things to different people.

--------------------------------

Tell us how ya really feel

Former First Lady Michelle Obama recently had some harsh words for women who voted Donald Trump for President.

"Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice," she said at the Inbound 2017 conference in Boston, according to video from inside the event.

"What does it mean for us as women that we look at those two candidates, as women, and many of us said, that guy, he's better for me, his voice is more true to me," Obama said. "Well, to me that just says you don't like your voice. You like the thing you're told to like."

I've said it many times before and I'll say again. There are few things more stunningly arrogant than someone telling a person what is or isn't in his/her best interest.

As usual, conservative commentator Michelle Malkin didn't pull any punches in response to Mrs. Obama's viewpoint.





Oof. For Mrs. Obama's sake, I hope rhetorical burns are covered under Obamacare.

--------------------------------

Bad News, Good News.

The Bad News: My Minnesota Twins lost the American League wildcard game to the New York Yankees 8-4 Tuesday night. That was the Twins' 13th consecutive postseason loss (10 of which have been to the Yanks), which ties the Boston Red Sox for the all-time record.

The Good News: I had absolutely zero expectation back in March that the Twins would even be in a position this season to equal that mark of futility.


With that, I'm officially on the Cleveland Indians bandwagon for the 2017 playoffs!

-----------------------------------------------

Vegas shooting: My two cents

The mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL sixteen months ago was, at the time, the worst in U.S. history in terms of casualties.

That has now been usurped.

A gunman turned a Las Vegas concert into a killing field Sunday night from his perch on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, using at least 10 guns to rain down a steady stream of fire, murdering at least 58 people and injuring more than 500 others in the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history.

The suspect, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, a resident of Mesquite, Nevada. Police initially sought a woman believed to be Paddock's roommate, Marilou Danley, as a "person of interest." Detectives later made contact with her, and "do not believe she is involved with the shooting on The Strip."

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said an "excess of 10 rifles" were found in the room, but did not immediately reveal a motive, saying "I can't get into the mind of a psychopath at this point."

Of course, details are still fluid and the investigation will be ongoing given its thorough nature. As such, attempting to assign blame (other than towards Paddock) or immediately exploit the tragedy for political gain is not only inappropriate but downright ghoulish. Given the death toll, there are literally scores of people who have one less loved one in their lives today. To use the victims as political pawns only pours more salt into the open wounds of those in mourning.

I also know that certain people will denigrate those who are offering prayers on behalf of the victims and their loved ones, basically indicating it's not enough. It's time for "real progress," they'll say. So if  your reaction to this devastating tragedy is anything but a call for curbing gun violence via legislative fiat while the dead are literally still warm, then you have no soul or something. With all no due respect to the anti-prayer crowd, I'm praying that the family members and friends of the victims somehow receive peace & comfort which transcends all understanding.

--------------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week

St. Louis Browns at Washington Senators - September 7, 1945.

------------------------------

The Senators hit a paltry 27 home runs in the entire 1945 season. In this particular game, Joe Kuhel hit an inside-the-park homer which accounted for the Sens' only home run hit in their home stadium all season.

------------------------------

You've been sitting much too long; There's a permanent crease in your right and wrong...

Back in the Patriot bunker for this week's edition of The Closer. The one-hour broadcast kicks off at 2:00 PM Central Time.

We'll look back at the fallout from President Trump's comments about NFL players not standing for the National Anthem. Also, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) returned to the U.S. House 3 months after being shot at the Congressional Republicans' baseball practice. As for the other segments, we'll just wing it.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

----------------------------------------