In The News

A few interesting stories I noticed flipping through the paper piles today that I figured I would share with you since I have not ripped anything (but getting the itch for some Topps High Numbers or T-206).

In the Wall Street Journal there was a funny little blurb about MVP voting...did you know that Placido Polanco received a 9th place vote for MVP this year? Yup, Polanco and his .285 BA and 10 HR's impressed enough voters to earn him some points and to make the chart. Some other oddities from year's past were Scott Podsednik in 2005 with his .290 and o HR's, Scott Eyre in 2005 with o saves in 68.1 innings, Deivi Cruz in 1997 with a paltry .241 avg and 2 HR, and Charlie hayes in 1995 with a .276 avg and 11 HR. I am not sure how the votes are tallied or how the points work, but I do know that it is the writers that do the voting and WSJ has jokingly suggested that some writers did their votes on a dare. Good stuff. Also of note is a blurb that a goalkeeper got a yellow card this week for removing a cat from a soccer field.

Soccer you say, well yes indeed there was another story on Futbol. It appears that there is great concern over Baboons causing havoc in South Africa during the World cup next summer. Yup, it sounds like the baboons are the equivilant of racoons, bears, or dogs here in the US in that they are scavengers that seem to get into garbage and also people's personal foods (backpacks, picnic baskets, etc) and event coordinators are concerned that the increase in tourism during World Cup is going to increase baboon bamboozling incidents. Do you think that the goalie will get a yellow card for kicking a baboon off the field?

One more story a bit more puzzling...I read in today's Oregonian about Brandon Roy and his apparent systematical behavior of dissapearing into a tunnel during the national anthem to quietly pray and get himself squared for competition. I have never noticed this before, as the arena lights are typically out during this time to highlight the performer, and I am not certain that it is really anybody's business, but it is a bit perplexing to see the poster boy, team-leader, and all-around good guy exercising a questionable act such as this. He means no harm and is not anti-patriotic, but just uses those final moments before tip-off to clear his head. Where the contraversy comes in is what if other members of the team decide to join him in the tunnel, then how would that look. I am going to reserve opinion on this and give Roy the benefit of the doubt because he does not deserve otherwise, but nevertheless, an interesting story.