SPRING TRAINING, POLITICS, OSCARS!!
March 3, 2009
I LOVE YA’ CLEVELAND!!!!
FIRST OF ALL. . I HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR WEEK OF PROGRAMMING FROM THE INDIANS NEW SPRING TRAINING HOME IN GOODYEAR, AZ. WE ARRIVED ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH. . .AND WENT TO WORK BRIGHT AND EARLY THE NEXT MORNING. WE WERE ABLE TO KNOCK OUT 19 INTERVIEWS ON SATURDAY MORNING, ALONE. GENE DID A PHENOMENAL JOB OF LINING UP THE PLAYERS. HIS JOB WAS MADE SOMEWHAT EASIER BECAUSE SATURDAY MORNING WAS PHOTO-OP DAY FOR THE TEAM. THEY ALL HAD TO WEAR THEIR HOME-WHITES. . AND GET THEIR PICTURES TAKEN ON PRACTICE FIELD #1. WE POSITIONED OUR CAMERA NEARBY SO WE COULD GRAB THE PLAYERS FOR INTERVIEWS RIGHT AFTER THEY WERE PHOTOGRAPHED.
AS YOU’VE HEARD ME SAY ON THE AIR. . .WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE THIS GORGEOUS, MODERN FACILITY. THE WEATHER WAS SPECTACULAR AND IT WAS GREAT TO RETURN TO THE DESERT. ARIZONA HAS GOT IT ALL OVER FLORIDA!
LET ME RESPOND TO CHRIS’ MESSAGE (FROM BROOKPARK): CHRIS COMMENTED WHEN I HAD MY WIFE, JACKIE ON THE SHOW. . .SHE REVEALED THAT SOMETIMES AT HOME. . I TALK POLITICS. CHRIS WAS CURIOUS ABOUT MY “LEANINGS”. AS YOU ARE PROBABLY AWARE, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN CHICAGO. . ONE OF THE BIGGEST DEMOCRATIC BASTIONS IN THE COUNTRY. AS A MATTER OF FACT. . MY GRANDFATHER (MOM’S SIDE) WORKED IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. HE WAS A CLERK FOR A CITY COUNCILMAN. SO. . NEEDLESS TO SAY. . .EVERYONE ON MY MOTHER’S SIDE OF THE FAMILY. . LEANS TO THE LEFT. MY FATHER, HOWEVER, CAME FROM A SMALL FARM TOWN IN SOUTH-CENTRAL ILLINOIS. . WHICH IS BIG REPUBLICAN TERRITORY. IN 1960, WHEN JOHN F. KENNEDY WON THE PRESIDENCY BY DEFEATING RICHARD NIXON IN ONE OF THE CLOSEST ELECTIONS IN AMERICAN HISTORY. . MY MOTHER VOTED FOR KENNEDY AND MY FATHER VOTED FOR NIXON. AS AN ONLY CHILD, I GREW UP HEARING BOTH POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES. AS A CHILD THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, RICHARD J. DALEY, RULED WITH AN IRON FIST. SOME SAY HE FIXED THE ELECTION FOR KENNEDY. ILLINOIS WENT DEMOCRATIC THAT YEAR BY THE NARROWEST OF MARGINS AND THE COOK COUNTRY VOTE, WHICH IS CHICAGOLAND DID NOT COME IN UNTIL 5 OR 6 A.M.. . THAT NEXT MORNING. I REMEMBER ONE EVENING WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS WITH MY DAD AND HE WAS CUSSING OUT MAYOR DALEY. I INNOCENTLY TURNED AND ASKED HIM IF HE HATED DALEY SO MUCH. . WHO WOULD HE PREFER TO BE MAYOR OF CHICAGO??? HE RESPONDED BY SAYING: “EVEN THOUGH DALEY IS ONE OF THE MOST CORRUPT, SHADY AND DISHONEST POLITICIANS IN THE COUNTRY; THERE IS NO ONE BETTER SUITED TO RUN THE CITY OF CHICAGO. . THAN HIM!”
I CATEGORIZE MYSELF AS A PRO-CHOICE MODERATE REPUBLICAN. I WAS A HUGE FAN OF RONALD REAGAN AND QUITE DISAPPOINTED IN THE FAILINGS OF GEORGE W. BUSH. . FOR 4 OF THE LAST 8 YEARS. HOWEVER. . I FEAR THE CURRENT SWING TO THE LEFT BY THE ELECTORATE COULD EVENTUALLY PUSH US IN A DIRECTION OF A EUROPEAN STYLE OF SOCIALISM. WHAT BOTHERS ME. . MOST OF ALL. . IS THAT IN MY BUSINESS, MAINLY THE MEDIA. . .RADIO AND TV NEWSROOMS. . AND NEWSPAPERS ARE TREMENDOUSLY LOPSIDED TO THE LEFT. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY TO SEE AND HEAR THESE TALKING HEADS AUDACIOUSLY CALLING THEMSELVES. . JOURNALISTS! I THOUGHT A JOURNALIST WAS SUPPOSED TO NOT BE BIASED, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY, IS NOT THE CASE WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEM ON THE MAINSTREAM NETWORKS. MY PROBLEM WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS THE FAR-RIGHT WING . .THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT. BARACK OBAMA WOULD NOT BE THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO WIN THE PRESIDENCY IF THE RELIGIOUS RIGHTS’ FIRM STAND ON PRO-LIFE WAS SUCH AS IT IS. OTHERWISE, COLIN POWELL WOULD HAVE ALREADY SERVED 2 TERMS. CHRIS, I’M GLAD YOU ASKED ME ABOUT MY POLITCAL BELIEFS AND I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO CONTINUE OUR EXCHANGE IN THE FUTURE ON THIS BLOG.
NOW, IN RESPONSE TO LEMMY FROM AKRON. . I’M GLAD YOU AGREED WITH MY OSCAR PICKS AND OBVIOUSLY, YOU AND I WERE RIGHT ON THE MONEY. I THOUGHT SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE WOULD WIN 6 OR 7 AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST PICTURE. TO MY DELIGHT, IT WON 8. IT DESERVED EACH AND EVERY ONE! AS I MENTIONED IN MY PREVIOUS ENTRY, I FELT KATE WINSLET WOULD PROBABLY WIN, ALTHOUGH, I MUST ADMIT. . I WISH THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE RARE TIES BECAUSE MERYL STREEP WAS ALSO INCREDIBLE IN DOUBT.
BY WINNING HIS 2ND BEST ACTOR OSCAR, SEAN PENN IS NOW IN THE POSITION TO BE CATEGORIZED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST MALE LEADS OF ALL TIME. AS YOUNG AS HE IS. . .WHO KNOWS? HE MAY EVEN SURPASS KATHERINE HEPBURN’S 4 ACADEMY AWARDS (BEST ACTRESS).
HEATH LEDGER’S OSCAR FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR MARKS THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1976, WHEN PETER FINCH WON FOR NETWORK THAT AN ACTOR HAS WON POSTHUMOUSLY. BESIDES THE LANDSLIDE VICTORY FOR SLUMDOG MY OTHER FAVORITE MOMENT CAME WHEN PENELOPE CRUZ WON BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS FOR VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. THE WOODY ALLEN WRITTEN AND DIRECTED COMEDY IS NONSTOP LAUGHTER. . AND ESPECIALLY WHEN CRUZ APPEARS ON SCREEN TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY. . INTO THE MOVIE. LOVE HIM. . OR HATE HIM. . .ALLEN HAS A WAY OF BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN HIS LEADING AND SUPPORTING LADIES. HE DIRECTED DIANE KEATON TO A BEST ACTRESS OSCAR IN ANNIE HALL (1977). . WHICH ALSO WON BEST PICTURE. HE BROUGHT OUT THE BEST IN DIANNE WIEST IN HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986) FOR WHICH SHE WON THE FIRST. . OF 2 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS AWARDS. HER SECOND OSCAR, DIRECTED BY ALLEN WAS FOR HER HILARIOUS PORTRAYAL OF THE BROADWAY DIVA IN BULLETS OVER BROADWAY (1994). THE VERY NEXT YEAR, ALLEN DIRECTED MIRA SORVINO TO THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS OSCAR IN MIGHTY APHRODITE.
LASTLY. . DOUG FROM MARION . ..FIRST OF ALL. . THE WAY I DO MY BLOG. . IS THAT I DICTATE TO MY WIFE, JACKIE. . WHO DOES THE TYPING. . SO BLAME HER! BECAUSE SHE REFUSES TO CHANGE BECAUSE OF YOUR CRITICISM. . SHE PURPOSELY ENTERED THIS BLOG. . .BUT TUNE IN NEXT TIME. . .MAYBE SHE’LL MAKE YOU HAPPIER!
LOVE YA’ CLEVELAND. . .SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!!
