POTpourri

• Unemployment rate drops to 7.8%. A near 4 year low.  
• Don't buy into the hype, the Presidential election isn't about a debate. 
• Should we really have to fact check the first Presidential debate?
• Todd Akin says doctors give abortions to women who are not pregnant.   
• I rather like Ashley Sky's tumblr page. 
• Would an Obama tax increase on upper income earners kill small business?
• Did you know Obamacare is a major tax cut for middle class families?
• Miguel Cabrera wins baseball's first triple crown since 1972.  
• President Obama leads Mitt Romney in the 7-Eleven coffee cup poll. 
• Are you a disaffected Republican?  Have you seen 'Republicans for Obama'?

Vikings 30, Titans 7

The Vikings knocked off the Titans 30-7 today in Minneapolis to improve to 4-1 on the season.  They've now already surpassed last years win total in just 5 games.  It was a pretty impressive performance by the Vikings, they were solid all the way around (offense, defense and special teams).  Temper your enthusiasm though, keep in mind that 3 of their wins have been at home and outside of San Francisco their opponents haven't been that strong (3-11 overall).  Still, I am very please with what I have seen out of the Vikings to this point, they are vastly improved over last year.

Observations:

• Could Percy Harvin be in line for NFL MVP?    
• Christian Ponder threw his first 2 interceptions.  He had none in the first 5 games.  Still, he completed 25-35 for 258 yards and 2 TD's.  
• Total Yards:  Vikings 433, Titans 267
• Harrison Smith has already given the Vikings their best Safety play in years.  He may need to play with a bit more composure though. 
• Matt Kalil has already given the Vikings their OT play in years (and that includes the Bryant McKinnie years).  He's not far from playing at a Pro Bowl level already. 
• Draft needs for the Vikings next April?  LB's and WR's.  
• You've got to like a last place schedule. 
• Matt Hasselback looks ready for retirement.    
• Was that Flip Saunders blowing the Gjallarhorn before the game? 
• Up next?  @ Washington to take on the Redskins. 

Bill Maher on the State of the Economy

AL MVP? Cabrera or Trout?

There's big debate going out there about who should win the American League MVP Award, the Tiger's Miguel Cabrera or the Angels' Mike Trout.  Cabrera just won baseball's first Triple Crown since 1967, he hit .330, with 44 HR's and 139 RBI's, he also led the American League in Slugging Percentage and OPS.  Trout, who will undoubtedly win the American League Rookie of the Year Award, had a great season too, he hit .326, with 30 HR's and 83 RBI's, he also lead the league in runs scored, stolen bases and the stat-head's all important WAR rating.  The stat-heads will tell you that the Triple Crown, while a great accomplishment, is an antiquated way of looking at stats and that WAR is a much better way to look at a players value to a team.  

For those of you not up to date in your sabermetrics, WAR grades players on 5 tools that take place in a game (getting on base, hitting for power, baserunning, fielding and throwing).  WAR then attempts to assign value, based on the number of runs a player creates by using each of those tools.  It then spits out a number that is suppose to tell you how many more wins a player would give a team as opposed to a "replacement level", or minor league/bench player at that position. 

I'm not quite sure that I'm ready to embrace the WAR number as the be-all and end-all of performance evaluation though.  Who would you rather have, Josh Hamilton or Ben Zobrist for example?  According to WAR, Zobrist is the better player.  I don't know about you but I'd rather have Josh Hamilton in the middle of my order than Ben Zobrist.  Or how about Jason Kubel vs Michael Saunders?  I can't imagine you'd find too many GM's willing to make that trade, yet Saunders finished with a higher WAR. 

For the record, I think that given the fact that the Triple Crown hasn't been won since 1967 and given the fact that the Tigers are in the playoffs and the Angels are not, I don't see how you can not give the MVP Award to Miguel Cabrera.  If I had a vote, it would go to Miguel Cabrera.  

Big Bird Responds to Mitt Romney

AZ Tidbits

• Jeff Flake finally agrees to debate Richard Carmona. 
• Who the heck is going to replace Jan Brewer as Arizona Governor in 2014.
• Trevor Bauer & Adam Eaton named Diamondbacks minor league pitcher & player of the year.
• Did you catch the UA's new copper helmet?    
• Why is Mike Stauffer running for Maricopa County Sheriff?  
• Arizona Fall League set to kick off 20th season.  Rosters here. 
• National Democrats back Richard Carmona with ad buys as he takes the lead in the polls.
• MiLB.com highlights some of the best Diamondback prospects of 2012. 
• Phoenix men ranked 6th Most Promiscuous.  
• Diamondbacks ax Darren Sutton & Mark Grace from broadcast booth. 

Mitt on the Dream Act

He sounds pretty confident in his answer.  Just saying.

Cardinals 3, Rams 17

So much for the Cardinals 16-0 season.  They fall to the Rams 17-3 tonight in St. Louis.  This loss drops them to 4-1 on the season.  They really put on a pathetic display of offense tonight.  Their offensive line is a mess, they gave up 9 sacks tonight, that's now 16 sacks in the last 2 weeks.  They cannot go on like this, they need to try something different (maybe try Daryn Colledge at LT?).  Unfortunately, without Beanie Wells they haven't been able to run the ball either.  QB play wasn't too impressive either, Kolb was very erratic on many of his throws.  I have a problem blaming Kolb too much though as he was getting absolutely abused out there.  They really do need to straighten out their offense if they want to make anything of this season. 

Observations:

• Thank God for Darryl Washington. Team MVP to this point.
• Wasn't Russ Grimm suppose to be some sort of OL savant?  
• Now we know why Peyton Manning didn't sign with the Cardinals. 
• I wonder if the Cards wish they had gone with Riley Reiff over Michael Floyd in the draft? 
• The defense had another strong game, they need the offense to help them out though. 
• Rams rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein is quite the weapon. 
• It's time for Ryan Williams to step up his game.  If he can stay healthy that is. 
• It was good to see Darnell Dockett out there.  
• No Beanie Wells or Todd Heap, that didn't help the Cardinals struggling offense.  
• Up next?  The Buffalo Bills @ home on October 14. 

Presidential Debate I

Did you catch the first Presidential debate last night?

The general consensus seems to be that Mitt Romney won. If you're judging it based upon style, I would tend to agree that Romney had the edge, he seemed more prepared, he controlled the tone and direction, he did a better job of laying out his plans and he just looked more comfortable on stage.  President Obama on the other hand seemed to take a more conservative approach, he seemed a bit aloof, he rambled a bit, he wasn't making eye contact and most importantly he wasn't nearly aggressive enough in calling out Mitt Romney's on his plans or his inconsistencies.  It was kind of like watching a football team going into a prevent defense. 

Here's my question though, does the above make someone the winner of a debate?  Shouldn't substance also matter?  Romney made some very misleading statements, he walked back many of his stated positions, he continued to avoid specifics.  The fact checkers seem to be having a field day with many of Romney's comments.  Shouldn't those things also be weighed when deciding a debate winner?  It seems to me that perhaps people were, like they are apt to do, making a premature judgement on the winner.  I'm guessing that in retrospect many people will remember this debate more for the lies that Mitt Romney told rather than for his supposed great performance.

Olga Kurylenko

Looking damn good!  I've been a big fan ever since "Hitman". 

POTpourri

• Pennsylvania voter ID law suspended.   
• What's the deal with Mitt Romney's $100 million IRA?  
• Wil Meyers named USA Today & BA 2012 Minor League Player of the Year.
• The lottery winners curse myth lives on. 
• Do you really think Mitt Romney would solve the healthcare crisis?  Think again. 
• Debunking the Obama 2 year "super majority" myth here. 
• Wayne Powell takes it to Eric Cantor in VA debate.
• Hiatus for the Foo Fighters?  Tell me it isn't so.
• 'Conservatism and Extreme Inequality' is right on the money. 
• Best new television show of 2012 so far?  I say 'Elementary'.  

Paul Ryan on the Cayman Islands

Paul Ryan calls the Cayman Islands "the place you hide your money."   Just saying.  What say you Mitt?

Bruce Willis

I've been seeing glowing reviews for the new Bruce Willis movie "Looper", I'm excited to check it out.  I've been a big Bruce Willis fan going back to his "Moonlighting" days, you can generally count on a movie being worth seeing if he's in it.

Anyways, here's my Top 10 Bruce Willis movies:

1. Die Hard - 1988
2. The Sixth Sense - 1999
3. Die Hard 2:  Die Harder - 1990
4. Die Hard: With A Vengeance -1995
5. 12 Monkeys - 1995
6. Armageddon - 1998
7. Unbreakable - 2000
8. The Fifth Element - 1997
9. Live Free or Die Hard - 2007
10. The Whole Nine Yards - 2000

AZ Tidbits

• You can check out NewTimes 'Best of Phoenix' winners here. 
• Phoenix Mercury win WNBA draft lottery.  Welcome to Phoenix Brittany Griner.
• Is that former ASU star Ike Diogu in a Suns uniform?
• Is the Obama campaign going to start spending money in red state Arizona?
• Do the Arizona Cardinals have the best defense in the NFL? 
• Music guide to the 2012 Arizona State Fair here.
• Where is the GOP outrage over Arizona's own Nathan Sproul's voter fraud? 
• Did you catch Fox News airing the Arizona car chase that ended in a suicide?
• Why is Jeff Flake dodging debates with opponent Richard Carmona?  
• Jan Brewer is stacking Arizona courts with conservative judges. 

October Flavor of the Month . . . .

. . . . . is Eriana Blanco.  Hubba, Hubba, Hubba!  I think I'm in love!