Odds and ends.

Topic #1: In the last week we lost one of tv's greatest moms and dads. Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver) and Tom Bosley ("Mr. C") have left us for the great sitcom beyond. They were never "perfect parents", and were never meant to be. But the love they brought to the role and the job came through. Name a tv dad since Bill Cosby we can say that about. Rosanne will never hear that in retrospectives of her role.

Topic #2: James Harrison of the Steelers "might retire" because of the new rules against helmet to helmet hits and his $75,000 dollar fine for one of the two dirty hits he made against the Browns. His agent says he doesn't understand how he can play the game if he gets fined over "good clean hits". Several other players on both sides of the ball have likewise complained. You know what, guys? If you can't play without putting yourselves and others in unnecessary and easily avoidable danger, then feel free to quit! I don't miss Jack Tatum and I won't miss you. If I was Dan Rooney, I'd go right down to the locker room, give Harrison a gold pin and a handshake and say, "Anyone else thinks they cannot function without intentionally trying to injure fellow players, follow him out." I just hope the league remembers to go after the handful of RBs I've seen that think a helmet is an excuse to act like a rutting mountain goat. Frankly, I think if you're an NFL player, you saw the hit on Mohammed Massaquoi, and you still dislike the new rules, you are an idiot and should be made to play without the helmet you obviously don't need.

Topic #3: Can someone explain to me how it is, when Marlin Stutzman basically walked Hayhurst through this whole farm-subsidy thing during the debates and in his press conference, Dr. Tom still thinks this is a worthwhile thing to assault Stutzman on? I guess he must be trying to win the "too stupid/lazy to think for ourselves " vote, because all you have to do is a little research into the subject to learn that this hound don't hunt. I don't tend to believe that all the stupidity in campaign attack ads come straight from the heart of the candidate. But if I did, I'd be insulted by the level of Hayhurst's ads.

Topic #4: I used to like Dan Coats back in the day, but there's something about being a lobbyist-particularly for things that are allegedly against your convictions- that lines "lobbyist" up with "lawyer" in a list of somewhat reprehensible occupations. I've thought about Rebecca Sink-Burris, the Libertarian, as a viable alternative (Brad Ellsworth, you say? Don't make me laugh while I'm typing), but her semi-isolationist foreign policy take concerns me. I'm listing heavily towards write in candidate Jim Miller in this race, if only to show the RNC that I don't care for out-of-staters picking my candidates.

Topic #5: My next post will be #200 in my just under 10-month career. Let's all light a candle tonight in hopes that I come up with something worthwhile!

PS: Does anyone else besides me think that the guy who came up with the "we can't afford Dick Dodge" ad for Cody Ross is the same guy who did the "Cody Ross can't make up his mind what he wants to be when he grows up" ad for Dick Dodge? Just sayin'.