Maybe it's just me, but…
WELCOME
Theresa Adreanna Futterman is the latest member of the “Connolly Convent.” She was born on July 20th, weighing almost 9 lbs. and was almost 20” long. Her parents, Judy and George, welcomed her with open arms and hearts.
BIG OIL= BIG PROFITS
Just at a time when American consumers are worrying about tomorrow’s cost of living, CNN reported “ExxonMobil made history by reporting the highest quarterly and annual profits ever for a U.S. company, boosted in large part by soaring crude prices.” When will our government realize that this price gouging will be the ruin of our economy?
Surging oil prices helped drive quarterly profits for US energy giant ExxonMobil to 10.36 billion dollars, the latest in a string of mammoth profit reports that have drawn fire for the industry.
The second-quarter profit was up 36 percent from a year ago and approached the company's all-time record profit of 107.1 billion dollars that was believed to be one of the biggest for any company.
Stoked by skyrocketing crude-oil prices, ExxonMobil's net profit in the quarter to June came to 1.72 dollars per share. That handily beat Wall Street forecasts for an earnings figure of 1.64 dollars.
Total revenues in the three months rose 118 percent from the same quarter of 2005 to 99 billion dollars.
WHY CAN’T AUTO FUEL PRODUCERS BE MADE TO LOWER THEIR PRICES? DON’T LEGISLATE “WINDFALL TAXES” BECAUSE THAT MONEY WILL NEVER EVER REACH THE TAXPAYERS.
TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE GAS
Someone, who wanted to remain nameless, asked me to give it a rest with the gas prices. They said that the gas prices are sickening enough without also reading about them in a SPORTS column.
So, with that in mind, I think that all of those people who walk around carrying, so called, imported and premium water bottles are allowing the bottlers, like Coca-Cola, to charge higher prices for WATER when free tap water is just as good or better.
WHILE I’M ON A RANT
All of those “pundits” who make fun of pronunciations of President Bush are only trying to cloud the message by rapping the messenger.
Now they’re slamming the President because he didn’t think that that Commander in Chief of the Military was enjoying himself playing golf while they’re fighting for our freedom. That’s not “right” ( I meant the pun).
LOOK WHAT I FOUND!
The Sports Curmudgeon found the statement, by Brian McNamee’s lawyer, amazing. “Kirk Radomski- the already convicted steroid peddler who used to work in the Mets clubhouse- moved a broken TV in his home and found shipping documents under the TV that involve HGH and Roger Clemens. Voila! Just like that!
Possibly, lab analyses will show that Kirk Radomski’s DNA has a significant tendency toward that of the genus Mustela (weasels).”
BASEBALL REIQUARY
Terry Cannon created the organization, situated at the Pasadena Central Library, to celebrate baseball with non-traditional items and happenings. Its emphasis is “FUN” and has such items as a box of baseballs bearing the forged autograph of Mother Teresa and Bill Veeck’s wooden leg.
Its enshrinees include Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, Jim Bouton, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Pam Postema (the 1st female pro umpire), Bill Buckner, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, and John Adams who has been pounding the bass drum at Cleveland Indians games for 35-years- he’s receiving the “Hilda Chester Award.”
Think Ripley’s!
DID YOU SAY FREE?
Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun commented about players switching teams at the end of their contracts for tens of millions of dollars: “Is there a bigger oxymoron in sports than the term ‘Free Agent?’”
PACKER
As much as I rapped Billy Packer for his pro-ACC reports, they were understandable. I have to say that I’d probably do the same thing when talking about the Big East or the A-10.
Packer was replaced by Clark Kellogg, who compared to Packer is “Mr. Objectivity.”
Billy was always at his grumpy best when he was separated by Dick Enberg from Al McGuire.
NBA
The Clippers lost Elton Brand to the Sixers and Corey Maggette to the Warriors on the same day. The story was that it all was about money but Brand tried to leave the Clippers once before as a restricted free agent in 2003. He signed an offer sheet from Miami that was matched by the Clippers keeping Brand in LA for five years. His departure was a bit of a surprise, to the Clippers front office, though, even after they low-balled a salary offer, after he helped the Clippers recruit, free agent, Baron Davis. Maggette’s departure WAS about money and was no surprise.
I wonder if anyone is at home in MSG. We haven’t heard much coming out of there.
NOW WE HEAR
Donnie Walsh signed his first free agent, G Chris Duhon, for two years- $11.7 million. Last year Duhon earned $3.3 million with the Bulls. He’s been in the league four years with career averages of 26 min/pg, 6.9 pts/game, .387 fga, 78.5 fta, 4.5 Assists per game. These are not earth moving stats by any means. I hope Walsh “knows” something.
MR.CRANKY-THAT’S ME THIS WEEK!
OK, OK, I have to admit it. The Mets (you should pardon the expression) have been playing pretty well of late. I thought that I’d mention that to see if my reverse jinx worked and they went on a losing streak. Although the Mets are tied for 1st at this writing, they’re only percentage points BEHIND the 3rd place Yankees.
AGE DIFFERENCES
Dana Torres was the oldest US Olympic swimmer EIGHT YEARS AGO. When Torres, who was reared in Beverly Hills, won her first Gold Medal in 1984 at the LA Olympic Games Michael Phelps was not yet born.
Have we become so calloused that when Torres completed the swim trials with several records in her swim bag, a lot of people said that it was either because of her swimsuit or because she was “on the juice.” Greg Cote said something like that is worse than sad.
Is it wrong to feel that way? I don’t know, but I understand it- “Once burned- twice warned.”
