BLOG/BASEBALL/POLITICS etc.: Here n’ There

Thoughts upon my return from vacationing in Lake George, NY:
*Saw a bunch of Bush/Cheney and W’04 bumper stickers. Saw tons of those yellow ribbon support-the-troops stickers. Did not see a Kerry or Kerry/Edwards sticker anywhere. Blue state, red country. Also on the sticker subject, I bought one of those magnetic Bush stickers advertised over at Smash’s place; they’re a great thing if (like my wife) you don’t want permanent sticker residue on your car after the election (downside: the fear of the sticker getting swiped). I also saw a Bush TV ad, which seemed odd, given that the New York/Vermont TV market isn’t exactly a swing state market.
*Ever have one of those stretches when you just keep having instant problems with stuff you buy? We had this – inedible/undercooked hot dog, corkscrew that won’t open a bottle, overcharge for a food order, take-out entree that gets home without an essential element – and the solutions are always bad: I don’t want to sit back and accept getting ripped off, but I also hate to be one of those people who goes back and complains about stuff all the time.
*Ricky Williams is retiring. Ricky Williams was born in 1977. Yes, I feel old.
*The Mets appear ready to decide that this team is worth making a few tinkers around the edges but otherwise be neither a buyer nor a seller in the summer deal market. Which is depressing, given how close they have come in so many games blown by the bullpen lately, but makes sense. Sometimes a pennant race just has to be enjoyed on its own terms, without high expectations.
*On Sandy Berger’s pants-gate: man, Clinton scandals are just the gift that keeps on giving, aren’t they?