Tim McG

OK. So....why is this a problem? You guys never cussed?

I'm with you there. Highly intelligent crafty critters they are. We had one with a chipped bill in that nested in our back yard for about 6 years (maybe more before the beak injury too as it's hard to tell the individuals apart.) Some jays are famous for becoming tame as they get to know the people in their territory and "broken bill" used to plunk down in the grass behind me as I'd use the manual mower. Shorter grass made it easier to pluck worms out of the ground. That bird is no more but the current pair are just as tolerant of us. Yesterday I spotted the 2 hopping up our front porch to check for bugs in the Welcome mat (nothing there) which was new behavior, or at least the first time I noticed. They'll sometimes land on the gate at the same time I'm opening it. They seem to like to play games with the people in the house. The Scrub Jays in our yard do the same things, that is, play games with us or search out the bugs on the porch. Often, I'll whistle at them and they chirp back at me...this could go on for hours, if I let it. They even perch in a spot next to the kitchen window, peering in at us when the seed we put out gets low or is gone. They've got us trained pretty well. Cool birds.

This is my favorite local: Western Scrub Jay

...and lived to tell the tale OTOH, I pride myself in being a Jazz Central Station/Jazz Online refugee lately of JazzCorner; oft quoted, rarely understood. I come here for a regular dose of sanity...and thanks.

I saw my first Cardinal in Madison, WI several years ago...much smaller bird than I thought.

Big time! We put out wild birdseed for the local birds in our area. Year around birds: Scrub Jays House Finches Sparrows [two varieties] Morning Doves Red Shouldered Hawks [we have a nesting pair in the Cottonwood Tree next to our house] Barn Owls Woodpeckers [two varieties] Black Crows Mockingbirds Migrating/Seasonal Birds: Gold Finches Cedar Waxwings Dark-eyed Juncos Mud Swallows Red Wing Blackbirds Starlings Red Breasted Robins Mountain Blue Bird A tiny mountain bird we think is a Nuthatch Birds that fly by our house a lot: Snowy Egrets Turkey Vultures Blue Herons Canadian Geese Mallard Ducks Sea Gulls Sandpipers

A happy Mother's Day to all Moms on this BSS. Sadly, my Mom passed on this very day....19 years ago. She never knew my children. Love you, Mom....miss you.

JP Morgan JK Rowling ee cummings

Yer killin' me with your avatars here, Van Basten.

Lincecum 5-1; Giants beat the Phils 8-2. But most importantly: 8R on 15H with no errors. I'm semi-impressed. Yay

Tommy Tune Tommy John Tommy [you know...that deaf, dumb and blind kid; sure plays a mean pinball]

It's only May, Dan.

What white van did you buy that from? Is it really a Sony Bravia or a Sonny Brevia? Sony has never made 41" LCD. Actually, it was a blueish gray van with the left headlight knocked out. BTW....it is an LCD but only a 40" screen....and a Bravia. So there. Still a nice TV, though.....sheesh.

My condolences, Jim.

Flat screen TV recs, I'm shopping The Sony Bravia 41": Not too big, not to small and clear, clearer, clearest. TV never looked better, IMHO.

Barry Zito, 0-7. Any bets on when he will actually win a game his season?

You continue to amaze me, and not in a good way. You want to insist that this is the government. Fine. You do that. The fact is that they have been investigating Clemens for all of what, six weeks. In his column last week, Mike Lupica declared that "four reporters have invested four months on the story" of the affair with McCready. "they have no case"? How can anyone with a brain declare that? They have Brian McNamee. They have Andy Pettitte and Laura Pettitte, Debbie Clemens and Chuck Knoblauch. They have extremely contradictory evidence from team medical personnel on Clemens claim of receiving B-12 and Lidocaine shots. They have physical evidence that may directly link Clemens at the genetic level. If anything, the government has a stronger perjury case against Clemens than they do against Bonds, because of two crucial differences: 1) Bonds' trainer has refused to testify against him. McNamee is the crux of the case against Clemens, and because of his own risk (jail if he lies) and his proven honesty (Pettitte, Knoblauch, Mrs. Clemens) makes him a powerful eyewitness. 2) Clemens boldly and foolishly denied outright all claims against him, while Bonds very artfully and carefully answered direct questions about BALCO steroids and the evidence they had against him. And last but not least, you should at least be aware that the government does not go after individual users of steroids, they go after distributors, and they go after anyone who recklessly and cravenly commits perjury in a legal proceeding. First, its I want MLB to take away Gag-me's record. Now, its I want the Feds to arrest Gag-me. Grow a brain or give it up. Not what I said, but that's OK, Dan. We will have to agree to disagree on this one.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BBO...EMPLATE=DEFAULT I get your point, Dan. And in some respects you are absolutely right. Here's my problem: How about all that Clemens slept with some woman bullshit...like it really matters relative to the case the government has trumped up against him? The government has nothing to do with the reports about Roger-the-family-man's paramours. The reporting has been done almost exclusively by the New York Daily News, which has been out front and exceptionally accurate in its investigation of the Mitchell Report as it relates to Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. I have no possible clue why you would relate this reporting to any governmental prosecution for perjury. The reporting relates solely to Clemens "reputation" and how much McNamee's statements could have damaged it, should Clemens prevail in his defamation suit. Its all about that, not the government's investigation. Which brings up something else: How can you claim that a case is "trumped up against him"? His PED supplier has turned state's evidence against him. Everything he has told the Feds (and Mitchell, and Congress) has been proven true (He told them he injected Pettitte, Pettitte says that's true. He says he injected Knoblauch, Knoblauch says that's true. He says he injected Debbie Clemens, Debbie Clemens says that's true. He's told the truth about everyone except Roger? That doesn't pass the laugh test, and we haven't even gotten into the testimony of Andy Pettitte. The evidence of perjury is as far from "trumped up" as it gets, and it has nothing to do with Roger's whoring around. I don't know what you've been reading, but the indictment returned by the BALCO grand jury is for perjury and obstruction of justice. There is no tax evasion charge. Yet. San Jose Mercury News did the same shit to Bonds. I submit the goverment has everything to do with it. As with Bonds, they have no case [unless they are going to prefer tax evasion charges like they did with Bonds; such bullshit] so they prefer instead to wipe out the man's career with stories of sexual inpropriety [through their lawyers] and by hiding behind a tabloid-like story in the local rag. Meanwhile, I patiently await the goverment's steroid charges against Gag-me.

Shocks me too, Berigan. Butcha know what? I'll take it

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BBO...EMPLATE=DEFAULT I get your point, Dan. And in some respects you are absolutely right. Here's my problem: How about all that Clemens slept with some woman bullshit...like it really matters relative to the case the government has trumped up against him? It tells me the government has no case [and as with Bonds...I mean, c'mon, tax evasion is all they have? Such bullshit.] is trying to find some dirt, any dirt to destroy his character. Now I know how you feel about this Dan, but this is way outside the boundaries of a fair and reasonable prosecution. It borders upon cheesy headline grabbing bullshit.

Gagne was named in the Mitchell report and there was a FedEx receipt for a package sent by Radomski to Dodger Stadium c/o Eric Gagne. Gagne reacted by issuing a typical "non-apology apology". He has not committed perjury. He has not launched a foolish and now disastrous lawsuit to "save" his reputation and destroy the individual who went state's witness on him. If baseball wants to remove him from the record book, that's fine by me, I'd love to see it. But baseball is making no attempt to remove Bonds from the record book, so this is a completely false issue you are raising. Furthermore, let's not pretend that you have no ulterior motive here. You hate Gagne with a passion because he was the premier closer in the majors and did it for the hated Dodgers. You wouldn't give a rat's ass about him if he were Eric Gagne, All-Star steroided-up cannuck closer for the Toronto Blue Jays. OK....I'll cop to that. Gag-me is a colossal a-hole and I did not like his behavior on the field when he was with the Dodgers. This is true. But the bottom line is he holds a phenomenal record and he was voted to the Cy Young with a losing record. Jason Schmidt can't get saves and was in a 4-5 man rotation which means he touches the ball way more often than Gag-me did. The steroids got Gag-me that record and influenced people to vote for him. Schmidt had a great season and came by it honestly, but he was denied. Yet if Clemen's and Bonds are to have their name besmirched in the HOF, then so too must Gag-me. Assuming, of course, there is enough proof to do that. Nationality or current team status notwithstanding.

Rowand hits his 3rd HR, but the Giants still lose...bullpen meltdown in the 10th; same old story.

How silly can you be? The man in charge of investigating BALCO and now Clemens has nothing to do with the imposition of any asterisk on any baseball record. If you have a problem with Gagne, then petition the Commissioner to do something. Unfortunately that would result in the wiping out of your hero's record, so I suspect you doth protest too much. Not at all, Dan. If justice is what you are seemingly all about, why do you discount Gag-me's steroid use yet pound on Clemens or Bonds? Seems to me if the intention was pure, you'd be interested in damning all steroid users in the MLB.

So! When does Eric Gag-me get taken to task for his steroid induced Cy Young and 72 saves? Hm? Jason Schmidt was robbed of his rightful Cy Young by a juiced-up Cannuck. I will believe the MLB's IRS investigator is serious about steroids right after the day Gag-me has an asterisk by his record.

Now how cool is that? I'd like to think that is what sports is supposed to teach.