Otis Redding
Try a Little Tenderness

Switch hitters have been a part of baseball almost as long as baseball has been in the public eye. Creighton University has a secret weapon that is bound to confuse batters coming to the plate. Be on the lookout in the major leagues for Pat Venditte. Remember that name!

Pat, a junior at Creighton is believed to be the only switch pitcher in N.C.A.A. Division I college baseball. His ability to do this, no doubt confuses batters and give him the “upper hand” regarding his curveball and slider. In a home game in Omaha last Friday, he allowed only one hit in five and a third shutout innings to earn the victory against Northern Iowa. Because neither arm was particularly tired afterward, Venditte also pitched in both games of Creighton’s doubleheader against Northern Iowa two days later, retiring the only batter he faced (left-handed) in the first game and then tossing a shutout inning (pitching both ways) in the nightcap. He also pitched two innings, alternating arms, in Tuesday’s game against archrival Nebraska.

Venditte even has a custom made glove with four finger holes and two separate holes for his thumbs, allowing him to use the same glove whether he’s pitching left-handed or right handed.
Venditte has improved so much in the past year that major league scouts are beginning to consider him a possible late-round pick in this June’s amateur draft because of his versatility.

Check out this video on the NY Times website to watch him throw from both sides.

Breaking News:

ROYAL MARINE BASE CHIVENOR, England (AP) A Royal Navy crewmember says the captured Britons were blindfolded and faced constant psychological pressure in Iran.

He also stated he was expecting to be put up at the Ritz Carlton with 24 hour room service providing anything he wanted. Having to wear one of the Iranian President INeedADinnerJacket’s suits was beyond torture of any kind he could have imagined.

I believe in simple, and to the point, titles. I think “Dick Cheney, LIAR!” fits the bill. If any mouth-breathing, Kool-aid drinking, Bush defenders read that, please take a moment and read the entire post before commenting. (Like that would do any good.)

And of all places to spout his lies, the Rush Limbaugh show. Perfectly appropriate!

Washingtonpost.com:

Hussein’s Prewar Ties To Al-Qaeda Discounted

Pentagon Report Says Contacts Were Limited

Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides “all confirmed” that Hussein’s regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to a declassified Defense Department report released yesterday.

The declassified version of the report, by acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, also contains new details about the intelligence community’s prewar consensus that the Iraqi government and al-Qaeda figures had only limited contacts, and about its judgments that reports of deeper links were based on dubious or unconfirmed information. The report had been released in summary form in February.

The report’s release came on the same day that Vice President Cheney, appearing on Rush Limbaugh’s radio program, repeated his allegation that al-Qaeda was operating inside Iraq “before we ever launched” the war, under the direction of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist killed last June.

“This is al-Qaeda operating in Iraq,” Cheney told Limbaugh’s listeners about Zarqawi, who he said had “led the charge for Iraq.” Cheney cited the alleged history to illustrate his argument that withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq would “play right into the hands of al-Qaeda.”

I’d like to introduce you to our latest member here at the Blue Herald. We are very excited and honored to have him join our crew. His name is Jim Swanson. Born in Chicago in 1953, Jim has been a radio personality for 27 years and an actor for 11. Now semi-retired, Jim has time to think about what’s happening in the world, both good and bad. Researching different topics from politics, to music to sports, Jim writes opinion articles and invites dialog to discuss how we can have a better America and a better society.

We are so looking forward to Jim’s posts! Welcome aboard Jimmah!!!

WHY is this guy showing up in the news cycle? Is there anyone left out there that still takes him seriously?

Got a news flash for ya, Newt: YOU’RE NOT ALONE!
Talk about stating the obvious…

I suspect Newt’s solution for fixing the nation’s problems would be to equate those woes to that of a horse with a broken leg.

Newt, go away. Please!? Pretty please!!?

During a recent speech in the rose garden by President Bush, the Vice President, Dick Cheney, “secretly” watches over his charge from a distance.

Evidently, a C-SPAN camera man was the only one who spotted “Dark Vader” lurking several yards to the side. I am guessing he thought he was out of sight (the sneaky weasel).

The somewhat creepy video can be viewed here

(Cross-posted at Vagabond Scholar)

(Graphic designed by Liz Ditz at I Speak of Dreams. This is the second in a series of posts for the Blog Against Theocracy weekend. Thanks again to Blue Gal and the others who spearheaded this, and are posting the links. Check out the Blog Against Theocracy site for a variety of posts!)

Trading Dialogue for Lodging

Provided he makes and wins an argument about Buddhism with those who live there, any wandering monk can remain in a Zen temple. If he is defeated, he has to move on.

In a temple in the northern part of Japan two brother monks were dwelling together. The older one was learned, but the younger one was stupid and had but one eye.

A wandering monk came and asked for lodging, properly challenging them to a debate about the sublime teaching. The elder brother, tired that day from much studying, told the younger one to take his place. “Go and request the dialogue in silence,” he cautioned.

So the young monk and the stranger went to the shrine and sat down.

Shortly afterwards the traveler rose and went in to the elder brother and said: “Your young brother is a wonderful fellow. He defeated me.”

“Relate the dialogue to me,” said the elder one.

“Well,” explained the traveler, “first I held up one finger, representing Buddha, the enlightened one. So he held up two fingers, signifying Buddha and his teaching. I held up three fingers, representing Buddha, his teaching, and his followers, living the harmonious life. Then he shook his clenched fist in my face, indicating that all three come from one realization. Thus he won and so I have no right to remain here.” With this, the traveler left.

“Where is that fellow?” asked the younger one, running in to his elder brother.

“I understand you won the debate.”

“Won nothing. I’m going to beat him up.”

“Tell me the subject of the debate,” asked the elder one.

“Why, the minute he saw me he held up one finger, insulting me by insinuating that I have only one eye. Since he was a stranger I thought I would be polite to him, so I held up two fingers, congratulating him that he has two eyes. Then the impolite wretch held up three fingers, suggesting that between us we only have three eyes. So I got mad and started to punch him, but he ran out and that ended it!”

- A Zen story, as told by Paul Reps in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

(more…)

(Cross-posted at Vagabond Scholar)

Blessed are the comedians. On 4/2/07, Fresh Air featured an interview by Terry Gross with members of The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour (here’s them in 2006 on All Things Considered). The Fresh Air interview is well worth a listen. Here’s their website and here’s their DVD.

Here’s a short CNN segment on them:

Here’s a brief segment by one of the comics, Maz Jobrani:

Here’s Ahmed Ahmed:

Here’s one of the guest stars, Dean Obeidallah:

Here’s my favorite segment, from Aron Kader:

Honestly, some of the jokes fall flat for me, but many are pretty damn funny, and I’m very glad to see young Arab (and Persian!) comedians out there.

Finally, here’s another group, The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour. Enjoy!