Happy Boxing Day!

Just a lazy day here in Cartoon City. The streets are deserted, being a State holiday and all. Woke up to snow on the ground, which like the last storm, was not previewed in the forecast at all. The weather pukes around here need better skills at issuing CYA-type forecasts so we're not surprised so much.

Got some good exercise of the last couple of days and now feeling all twitchy. Will probably do something about that later.

Random thoughts:

- Slowly coming to the belief that government-sanctioned murder is wrong, be it via lethal injection or smart bomb. It's not that I don't deeply appreciate and care for those who will do violence on our behalf. The whole idea just doesn't seem to mix with the idea of social evolution.

- And my firm stand on abortion is a million miles away.

- Officers stopping San Antonio Spur Tony Parker and his "girlfriend" Eva Longoria for a minor traffic violation say they were insulted and verbally abused by the duo, who deny it. I'm with the cops on this one. Tony and Eva are big-time divas in their respective profession.

- One of my favorite actors, Vincent Schiavelli, passed on. The man could make you believe anything.

- What is behind the Bush administration's latest ploy? They're fessing up to everything, from starting a war on bad intelligence, to admitting to domestic spying to retracting a non-qualified candidate for the Supreme Court? Is it possible that (a) someone realized that denying something we all knew was foolish and/or (b) the President didn't want his second term to be historically remembered as one big lie?

- Remember the Carolina Panthers (ex-) cheerleaders who allegedly assaulted a woman in a bar because she complained to them that they were taking too long in the bathroom (you know why, of course)? Look who had to supposedly defend herself in a bar.

- Kid you not: Coach Pat Riley of the Miami Heat is considering the introduction of sumo wrestlers to team practices. Lack of respect and personal professionalism is killing the NBA.

- Nobody in the United States cares about the World Baseball Classic. The event will prove to the world once and for all that the sport's best players come from the Caribbean and Central America. And that's without Cuba. I'm good with that because seven times out of ten, they play the game with respect to the fans, their teammates, and the game itself.

- A sports talk radio show said Johnny Damon sold his soul for $13 million to play for the Yankees and it's true. The man could have had free dinners throughout New England for the rest of his life. Now he's considered a mercenary figure, selling himself to the highest bidder. Wait until he starts seriously choking as the New Yankees new leadoff hitter. He'll make no new fans in the Bronx and lose all of his old ones at Fenway. Watch him finish his career in Oakland.

- In the meantime, the Cubs have actually made some decent moves in the field, signing one of baseball's most exciting players (Jacque Jones) and unloading Nomar. Corey Patterson should have guessed by now he needs to find a new home. The downside is the rumors that Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Zambrano are available for the right price. If two or even one of those pitchers gets traded, this will be Dusty's last year as manager.

- The Bush administration filed some "friends of the court" briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court, supporting a widow in her case to have the will of her dead husband be probated as written. The deceased was probably a little nuts when he wrote his last testament, but the Soliciter General wants to tell the SCOTUS that federal judges have the right to rule on state cases that involve wills. You've probably heard of the widow: Anna Nichole Smith.

- Arnold Schwarzenegger got his wish. His Austrian hometown of Graz removed his name from the local sports stadium because town leaders did not support his decision to execute Tookie Williams. Is there any real news out there?

- Tony Dungy may not come back this year. Good for him. Nobody needs to tell him that his family needs him more that the Colts. When we all grow up, let's be Tony Dungy.