It's over.

Good bye, immortality. No perfect season. More importantly, no Super Bowl championship. It was supposed to be the greatest season in NFL history. There was supposed to be a validating end to an amazing, controversial, exciting, tumultuous, hard fought, highly scrutinized, awe-inspiring season.

Nope.

Unlike last year, I can wait for a new season to start. This one will sting for a while.

Gaffanino

That was ugly. The only glimmer of hope is that the Sox have run the table (via outright sweep or with their backs against the wall) in their last five victorious post season series:

1999 Division Series
Down 0-2 to the Indians, the Sox take the next three, capped by the immortal Pedro Martinez pitching six no-hit innings out of the bullpen and Troy O'Leary going 'Way back!! WAAAAAAAAY BACK!!!!' Man, I miss Pedro.

2003 Division Series
Again, down 0-2, this time to the Oakland A's. A mix of clutchitude (Trot's extra inning two-run homer to center field in Game 3, Scott Williamson suddenly emerging as the fireman, David Ortiz beginning his transformation into Senor Octubre with the winning hit in Game 4) and ineptitude (Baserunning gaffes galore for the A's) allowed the Sox to storm back. Derek Lowe came out of the bullpen to strike out the last two batters, punctuated with his DX 'Suck It!!' crotch chop. Miguel Tejada was not amused.

2004 Division Series
Swept the Angels. Big Papi over the Monster.

2004 League Championship Series
Millar walks. Roberts steals. Mueller hits. Ortiz. Ortiz. Ortiz. Foulke. Schilling. The Greatest Collapse in History or the Greatest Comeback in History, depending on your allegiance, but history's written by the victors, bitches.

2004 World Series
The Cardinals had no chance in hell. Broom city.

Random Katrina stuff.

I got the following articles from Andrew Sullivan's excellent blog:

From Slate :: How race shaped Bush's response to Katrina.

"Had the residents of New Orleans been white Republicans in a state that mattered politically, instead of poor blacks in city that didn't, Bush's response surely would have been different. Compare what happened when hurricanes Charley and Frances hit Florida in 2004. Though the damage from those storms was negligible in relation to Katrina's, the reaction from the White House was instinctive, rapid, and generous to the point of profligacy. Bush visited hurricane victims four times in six weeks and delivered relief checks personally. Michael Brown of FEMA, now widely regarded as an incompetent political hack, was so responsive that local officials praised the agency's performance."

From Halifax Live :: Canadians Arrived In New Orleans Five Days Before The U.S. Military.

They came all the way from fucking Vancouver and still beat FEMA and the National Guard.

From the Salt Lake Tribune :: Frustrated: Fire crews to hand out fliers for FEMA

"Many of the firefighters, assembled from Utah and throughout the United States by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, thought they were going to be deployed as emergency workers.
Instead, they have learned they are going to be community-relations officers for FEMA, shuffled throughout the Gulf Coast region to disseminate fliers and a phone number: 1-800-621-FEMA."

What the hell is going on?

How can this be happening in the United States? Why is the federal government so slow to respond? Why are they blaming the local authorities? What is it about the Bush administration and all of their cronies who would rather pass the buck than actually accept responsibility? Where is the federal leadership? How can conservative right-wingers actually have the gall to blame the poor for not having enough money or resources to leave? Who are these lecherous fucks looting and raping? Where are the soldiers and police force to stop them? Who the fuck is sniping at the hospital? Where is Dick Cheney? Who the fuck cares about Trent Lott's house? Does FEMA chief Michael Brown have his head up his ass, or is he just stupid?

Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans: righteous anger.

Not to politicize a catastrophe, but heads better roll for this massive fuckup. Nobody is ever accountable with this administration. Seeing as how the federal government decreased hurricane spending in Louisiana for the last five years, how they wouldn't supply the Army Core of Engineers (who volunteered to strengthen the levees for no cost), and how they colossally failed in their disaster response in all phases (security, food and water, shelter, evacuation, manpower, medical aid), people need to be made examples of.

[ American Red Cross ]
[ America's Second Harvest ]

Other news.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/31/iraq.main/index.html

841 people, and counting. Not that it's any more or less important than the hurricane, but this is barely getting any coverage. 841 fucking people, trampled to death.

Also, Louisiana had to call up their bordering states for some National Guardsmen because theirs are all in Iraq. Maybe they could've curbed some of the looting?

Only the good die young.

Finally got my 'Undeclared' box set the other day. Thank God for small miracles. I only wish there was a Season 2 to look forward to.

'Closer'

Larry: That's the spirit. Thank you. Thank you for your honesty. Now fuck off and die, you fucked up slag.

Roberto Petagine

Three bad plays last night:

1. Miller's laboring, and he finally gets the batter to hit a slow grounder to first. Petagine starts to break the wrong way, tries to correct himself, and ends up letting the ball go through his legs and under his glove. Another run scores, and the game is tied.

2. Kevin Mench hits a single to right field but stumbles out of the box. Millar, who is fielding the ball, sees an opportunity and fires the ball to first. Petagine isn't even paying attention, turns around at the last minute and awkwardly fields the ball. I know it's not exactly a routine play, but he was clearly not paying attention to where the ball was.

3. Foul pop up to the first base side, and Petagine goes after it and then...completely loses sight of it. Thankfully Graffanino comes swooping in to save poor Roberto's ass.

Throw in an inning ending, rally killing double play early on in the game, when it was still competitive, and Petagine's not exactly lighting the world on fire. Somehow I think Ortiz would embarass himself less out there, but maybe they don't want to take him out of his comfort zone. I say, send Roberto back to AAA and find a way to make a trade for Daubach. Dauber, I miss you.