29X Face

What with holiday shopping and trying to finish a big job at work, I missed the news that the New York State Commission on Public Integrity last week fined Governor David A. Paterson $62,125 "for soliciting, accepting and receiving five complimentary tickets to Game One of the 2009 World Series for himself, two aides, his teenage son and his son's friend." The $62,125 civil penalty consists of the $2,125 value of the tickets plus two $25,000 fines and a third $10,000 fine for violating three sections of the Public Officers Law. The commission based its decision on testimony by gubernatorial staff and the Yankees, as well as "an independent handwriting expert and common sense."  Ah yes, common sense.

Christmas at, well, Christmas

In mid-summer, Melvin and I enjoyed "Christmas in July" at Progressive Field and elsewhere in the Indians organization.  Now the team has come up with another novel idea: "Snow Days."

For five-plus weeks the ballpark has been turned into a winter funderland.  There is a ten-lane snow tubing hill, quarter-mile skating path, 3,000 square-foot snow maze and more.  It is Cleveland in December, so the Indians have turned on the heaters in the team dugout and there is a fire pit on the home run porch.  While the concessions don't match the in-season choices, guests aren't limited to hot chocolate.  And if you need something stronger, there is a happy hour most evenings.  The whole thing runs through January 2 and folks can even ring in the new year—complete with dinner, dancing and fireworks—at Progressive Field.

Pretty damn cool, if you ask me.  And a good opportunity to send solstice-time greetings from both of us and best wishes for 2011.

The End of the Beginning

As I (intermittently) listened to New York State Governor David A. Paterson co-host Mike Francesa's afternoon show yesterday on sports radio station WFAN, I was reminded of a statement by Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the Second World War.  After the Allied Forces victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, Churchill said, "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." (R.D. Laing was fifteen at the time, and Scottish as well, so probably no influence on this formulation.)