Yes, I know..

We're going to the Final Four, but today is the REAL Opening Day for Major League Baseball, and that's what's on my mind at the moment.

Despite the fact that Kerry Wood gave up three runs in the top of the 9th to their chief rivals for the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers (sorry, Jody, the Cardinals are going to suck this year), newly arrived outfielder Kosuke Fukudome hit a game-tying three-run homer in the bottom half to send the game to extra innings. However, the Cubs bullpen couldn't handle the newly-found prosperity, losing to the Brew Crew, 4-3.

The Southsiders were in Cleveland, and lost, 10-8, despite TWO Jim Thome homers. It's going to be a LOONNNGGG season at the Cell, I fear, because the pitching just isn't there.

As for you Cardinal fans, The Birds took a 5-1 lead, complete with an Albert Pujols homer, before the rain washed it way; Opening Day is now opening night on Tuesday. It's just as well, with the exception of Wainwright, Pujols and Rick Ankiel, they're old and they're going to stink on ice; 4th place would be over-achieving for this bunch. Think I'm kidding? How have their AAA Redbirds done recently? Uh-huh, it's not pretty.

That's OK, I've got the Braves on HD, thanks to CSS, so I'm going to go watch some more baseball.

Later, I will speak my piece about how, if she wanted to, Hillary could still campaign and actually HELP the Democratic Party, instead of trying to ensure the defeat of its' strongest candidate, Barack Obama. Back to Tommy G and his return to Turner Field!

It's BAAACK

The Sunday "spring break's over, back to work" edition of the TennViews weekly blog roundup showcasing the best bloggers in Tennessee and what they are talking about...

• 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: Five Years. 4000 Dead.

• 55-40 Memphis: So the Clintons want Obama to lose to McCain, so Bill is still in power and Hillary has a shot at the presidency in four years.

• Aunt B.: Why, you may ask, are toll roads in Tennessee a stupid idea?

• BlountViews: Our education system is preparing students for jobs that do not even exist.

• Carole Borges: At a time when our economy is grinding to a halt, why outsource this plum contract to a foreign firm?

• The Crone Speaks: Shorter version, protect the companies, screw the people, and let’s not deal with correcting the economic bubble.

• Cup of Joe Powell: My Congressman thinks I'm an idiot.

• Don Williams: How Arthur C. Clarke’s voice of cosmic wonder changed OUR lives.

• The Donkey's Mouth: The scurrilous claims made by a fellow Republican about the inappropriate use of campaign funds could be a problem for Blackburn further on down the road.

• Enclave: The voters are leaving party leaders in the dust today, in the rodeo dust of a Ft. Worth Coliseum.

• Fletch: The Tao of Dinghy

• KnoxViews: Scenic Vista Act update (Bonus: Spirited Democratic primary strengthens candidates and the party)

• Lean Left: But, aside from setting the Republican double standard in concrete for all to see, Rice’s remarks are kind of amusingly pathetic.

• Left of the Dial: More lottery suspicions

• Left Wing Cracker: After this, it doesn't matter. She can win in Pennsylvania but it doesn't matter, her campaign will end unsuccessfully.

• Liberadio: Dana Perino is so uncomfortable answering for President Bush’s crimes against humanity that I almost feel sorry for her.

• Loose TN Canon: Hobbs deleted my comments!

• NewsComa: Newspapers, this is the new world of communication and how news is evolving.

• Pesky Fly: The only credible conclusion I can come to is that Mark Penn, whose lobbying firm is run by one of McCain's top advisors, is simply teeing up Obama for a general election sweep.

• Progressive Nashville: Insurance companies don't want you to use the insurance. They just want you to pay for it.

• Resonance: What's the point in holding elections if the delegates need not honor the results?

• RoaneViews: Congressman Lincoln Davis... Relaxed

• Russ McBee: In Dick Cheney's mind, the misguided and mendacious decisions made by his "boss" are somehow more of a burden than the loss felt by those 4,000 families.

• Sean Braisted: Now, in an effort to show that Hillary Clinton is the only person left running for President who can answer a phone past 2:30AM, she tries to tie the economy to late-night/early-morning phone calls:

• Sharon Cobb: Another day, another lie from Hillary

• Silence Isn't Golden: (W)ine in the grocery store won't drive the big-spending customers away from the retailers.

• Southern Beale: President Bush and his economic advisers assume that people will rush off to WalMart to load up on more cheap Chinese-made crap they don’t need as soon as the check arrives.

• Tennessee Guerilla Women: If the old guard Democrats were to succeed at pushing the woman off the Democratic ticket only to face a Black woman on the Republican ticket, that would mean there really is a goddess and she really is pissed.

• TennViews: New challenger in TN Senate 4th District

• Vibinc: No one is going to heal the divisions, fix the crime, educate our kids, stop the cycle of poverty, or lower teen pregnancy and infant mortality for us Memphis, we have to do it for ourselves.

• Whites Creek Journal: There is a serious problem for both Clinton and McCain in this election cycle... They are both up against an honest person.

• Women's Health News: Nipple Ring as National Security Threat

It was a good time...

Senator Beverly Marrero at the petition-signing party for her and Rep. Mike Kernell Saturday at Garibaldi's on Walker.

         Your Cracker with Carol Chumney and Senator Marrero

Your humble Cracker with our Trustee nominee, Paul Mattila

Sen. Marrero, County Commissioner Steve Mulroy, Carol Chumney, Rep. Mike Kernell.

Photos courtesy of Jody Hurt

It was an enjoyable gathering at Garibaldi's on Walker Saturday after noon as Senator Beverly Marrero (D-30) and Rep. Mike Kernell threw a petition-signing party.  Among those in attendance were City Councilor Shea Flinn, County Commissioner Steve Mulroy, former State Representative and City Councilor Carol Chumney, former SCDP chair David Cocke, State Executive Committeeman David Upton, Jackson Baker of the Memphis Flyer, SCDP Committeeman Lynn Strickland, Democratic activists Will Beaty, Latoya Belgrave, Howard Cohn, Mike Brester, and Paul Mattila, our Democratic nominee for County trustee.

There was lots of pizza and socializing and discussions about the presidential race; more about that in a later post!  All in all, a fun time was had by all.

Filing deadline is noon on Thursday, and I will be at the County Election Commission to see if there are any surprises in the legislative races.

Yes, Kerry, you're right, I should have posted sooner.

The Civil Rights Game will take place tomorrow afternoon at AutoZone Park at 4 PM, featuring the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. It will be shown on ESPN, and I believe tickets may still be available.

The Sox have looked shaky in the Spring, but that often portends a strong season. However, in the AL Central, where Cleveland and Detroit have a hammerlock, it could be problematic for the South Siders.

As for the Mets, I happened to be in the Philly area when the Mets blew the NL East, and they are hoping that the acquisition of Johan Santana will bring them back from the depths of despair.

Let's forget about politics for a minute..

Since it's been a long strange week (more later), we need something positive to point us toward the weekend, why not present one of the greatest moments in the history of Memphis music, hell. ALL music:

Otis at Monterey. Enjoy....

Hey you! Yeah, you, You live in House 93 or Senate 30?

Then listen up, as Senator Beverly Marrero (D-30) and Rep. Mike Kernell (D-93) are having a petition-signing party this Saturday at Garibaldi's, 3530 Walker Avenue (near the U of M)from Noon to 2 PM. Come by, say hi, and if you like (AND live in their district, that's a must), sign their petitions for re-election.

It should be fun, so come on out and meet with our legislators this Saturday. No, the Tigers play Friday night (and hopefully, Sunday afternoon!), so you won't miss it (they have big screeen TVs in any event.

As always, for more information, contact Jody Hurt at 901-283-5528 or Memphisjody40 at aol.com

This sums the whole Herenton situation up beautifully

Dwayne commented on the post below, and well, you just need to read this:

Henry Loeb was mayor when I was a teen, developing my political views. In addition to being a racist, Loeb was a narcissistic elitist who put his own ego above the welfare of the City. He made me gravitate towards the Democratic Party. His successor, Wyeth Chandler, was similar in philosophy to Loeb but more laid back. In fact, downtown and much of the rest of the City stagnated under his rein. Dick Hackett came after him. Hackett was a petty and immature micromanager who managed to let Holiday Inn and almost St. Jude go.

While Herenton did well for his first two terms, I believe his own personal character flaws have affected both his administration and the self image of many Memphians. He seems to adopted many of the same characteristics of his last three predecessors, especially Loeb, with similar polarizing effects. The white community is unified against him as was the black community against Loeb. Like Loeb, Herenton has lost many moderates of both races and relies on the race card for support. Like Chandler and Hackett, he has adopted a crony system versus reaching out to talented innovators in Memphis and beyond.

This administration is spent. The only question is when will he be gone - this July or later.

Willie Herenton as the black Henry Loeb - Damn.

It's over, and the time for a graceful withdrawal has come.

Hat tip to Sharon Cobb.

After this, it doesn't matter.  She can win in Pennsylvania but it doesn't matter, her campaign will end unsuccessfully.  She still has a great career in the Senate ahead, and hopefully she'll work with the Obama administration to achieve the goals that Democrats need to achieve in order to change this country.

I don't hate her, she's been preparing for this for a long time, and I know she's going to be disappointed, but Obama needs to ignore her and focus on McCain, because she's more done than a two-hour steak at 500 degrees.

OK, enough about Herenton for the moment...

And let's get back to Leonard Cohen covers.  With deepest thanks to Aunt Kathy, here's Nina Simone's fabulous version of the Cohen classic "Suzanne" from 1969:

More on all of this stuff...

For a man who has won five terms as the Mayor of the 18th largest city in America, Willie Herenton has shown all the sensitivity of a drunken farmhand who has commandeered his boss's tractor for a joyride into to town.

I am presuming that he listens to few, if any, of his closest confidantes. For, if he did, here's how he SHOULD have handled this situation:

My fellow Memphians, I want to thank you again for returning me to office for an unprecented fifth turn, it is very humbling for me and I appreciate it. However, as you know, I have grown more concerned by the day about the Memphis City School system, which I headed for many years before becoming your Mayor. I have watched as superintendent after superintendent has come into this system with a vaunted record, used the system to pad resumes, all while our children's achievements plummet.

Therefore, after deep thought and prayer, I have decided to apply for the open position of Superintendent of the Memphis City Schools. I believe that I have an understanding of this system that no one outside it can provide, and I have the skills to make the necessary changes that it so desperately needs, and I am prepared to work with the School Board, if they are prepared to work with me.

If I am hired, I will then resign as your Mayor in order to solve the
problems that this system faces. Thank you again for your support.

Now then, do you think that the citizens of this City might have responded just a wee bit differently? Yes, there are haters, but I'm not one of them, as I remember his first two terms, which, aside from some scuffles with Harold Senior, were probably the two best terms of any Mayor in the City's history.

The Mayor's problem is that he is his own worst enemy from a PR standpoint; if he paid attention to his friend across the Mall and emulated him, he might have found that there were far less haters than he thought.

I understand that he was falsely accused of serious crimes as a youth, and the mere fact of being an imposing, intelligent black man in the South scared the living shit out of the white power structure when he was young. I cannot imagine what he went through, but he overcame it and became the first black Superintendent of MCS and then the first elected black Mayor of his hometown.

I have even forgiven him (partially, any way) for serving as co-chair of the 2002 Coordinated Democratic Campaign while privately helping Lamar Alexander, with whom he had been friends for years.

We're all past that now, Mr. Mayor. Running for a term that you DID NOT APPARENTLY WANT but doing so just to piss people off is not the action of a grown man. You know better, yet you ask us to understand that you want to go back to MCS, which apparently pays better.

You really need to think about US, Mr. Mayor, the people who stay in Memphis because they love it and know what it is capable of achieving. At one time, sir, you helped move us forward; now, you are our biggest obstacle. Please remove yourself so that we can move on, whether you can or not.

Hire me as Superintendent or I'll kill this dog!

OK, so Mr. Conspiracy used this at the Pesky Fly last week but I thought it appropriate.

The Mayor of the City of Memphis now says that if the Board of Education does not hire him as the new Superintendent of Schools, he will NOT resign as Mayor. Hmmm, a little extortion, eh?

Mayor Herenton, you DON'T want to be Mayor, why stay? Do you need money that badly? The real estate implosion killing Banneker Estates? Too bad, ace. This is nothing more than what the title implies, only think of the dog as 650,000 people (and reducing daily).

I'm through being nice: take your old ass home and count your money, unless it's shrinking, too. You're done here, you've proven your point, so take a hike and let AC or Carol or Thomas or whoever is crazy enough to try to follow you have a shot and fixing this mess.

Go, and don't let the doorknob hit ya where She split ya.

UPDATE: Here we go again. I doubt this will be any more successful than the last one, either, because the Mayor has a base that would follow him into the Mississippi River if he led them there.

How about some CONTEXT, people???

Hat tip to Katie Allison Granju at Knoxville Talks, I learned that Trinity United Church of  Christ has their own YouTube Channel and has provided this clip of Reverend Jeremiah Wright's sermon where he exclaims God Damn America.  When you hear the sermon leading up to it, you'll be saying it, too.

An Easter Gift for you..

I confess I know little of the works of Leonard Cohen, but when I saw this at Sharon Cobb's site, I had to steal it,  Here is the legendary k.d. lang singing in Cohen's "Hallelujah".

Enjoy.

You know, I'm not going there...

Polar Donkey, however, has no fear whatsoever about going there.  So, YOU should go there if you want to read his comments about a former (and possibly future) candidate for Mayor. 

WOW. What a day.

I was about to do a post in tribute to John Wilder, as, outside Shelby County, this, along with Belmont's near-upset of Duke, is the big story in the state today, as it should be.

However, I got an email from Bob of 55-4o fame asking me if I'd heard anything about a resignation; I replied that all I'd heard was about Wilder not running for re-election.  Then, five minutes later, VIBINC called me to drop the bombshell that HIZZONER was stepping down.

OK, it's usually over at Pesky's blog that Mr. Conspiracy shows up.  However, I'm borrowing the franchise for a moment, as VIBINC and I talked briefly about how odd it was that A) David Kustoff was bailing early as US Attorney, then B) Herenton decides to exit, either C) to return as MCS Superintendent or D) inexplicably, challenge our Congressman for the 9th District seat.

As much as he has talked about the downward plummet of MCS since he left there, I think that's what he really wants to do.  Unless, of course, he's developing senility and thinks Senior is still the Congressman, which I seriously doubt.  His skillsets are NOT suited for being a legislator, but they are for administrating, which he could do up a storm, when he chooses to do so.

Of course, no one knows what that pesky Grand Jury is going to do with that ongoing investigation of city and county government, either.  This could all be a blowing of smoke in the event an indictment of the soon-to-be ex-mayor comes down, at which point he could pronounce that those HATERS will do whatever it takes to stop him.

Well, maybe not.  I was having a discussion with one of the ladies who works on my floor about this.  She, like me, is an Obama supporter.  She, UNlike me, has supported the Mayor all along, but her conclusion: "He needs to take his old ass home and count his money".

All righty then.  It's going to get more curious every day, and all we can do is grab some popcorn, sit back and watch.

UPDATE: Jackson Baker weighs in with an excellent take on the future, and I hope he's right as usual.

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Mayor of the City of Memphis has told the Commercial Appeal that he is resigning effective July 31.

Does this have anything to do with the Grand Jury investigation, or is it just that he wanted one last electoral victory to say F--- YOU to those who wanted him out?

Here we go again!!!

In honor of Pesky's post that was in honor of Auto's post

And those were at another blog!

You wanna REALLY talk about robots, boys?

In The Know: Are We Giving The Robots That Run Our Society Too Much Power?

A Different View

In case you didn't know, I am a comic collector and fan. There usually isn't a lot of crossover in these worlds, but my favorite message board has had this up since yesterday. Go over and enjoy and see a different perspective on everything.

UPDATE on Mike Williams

I received a call tonight from my Godfather and my Senator, who advised me that Mike Williams had taken to the Senate floor tonight after hearing about the report that he was not running for re-election, which I linked to on Monday.  

Senator Williams advised that he had repeatedly told the reporter that he had yet to decide what he wanted to do about re-election, because he himself had not decided.  He was agitated, and frankly, I think the Goopers are going to piss him off enough so that he runs.  If Mike Williams runs, he wins, because even though he left the Republicans last year, they had really moved away from him.

My deepest thanks to my Godfather and my Senator, both of whom we will re-elect to their seats this fall!

Oh, and did I mention Jake Ford filed today in the Democratic Primary for the 9th District?  Good for him; he needed to re-establish his Democratic credentials.

In honor of St. Paddy's Day