And here I thought my weary dismissal of Newt's underlying thesis re wealth was a way of addressing his proposals. I'll be more clear. I don't believe Newt Gingrich advocates a reward system so that business will pursue pro-environmental policies, so the details of the reward systems don't matter. I believe he's after deregulation as an end in itself.

I don't know you guys, but you seem all right. Happy Veterans Day.

Believe it or not, some people in the south have a sense of humor. We do call it the Redneck Riviera, and it is indeed where rednecks with some cash go for golf and "resort-ing". Unbelievably, many of said rednecks also call it the Redneck Riviera.

Tell us all how the South shall rise again.

I love the implication here, that the erudite society that comprises Salon readership has somehow been crashed by a single resident of the South. Yes, let's all of us point and laugh!

but in that time (mostly the China stuff) I thought Clinton was outstanding. I've avoided the televised debates -- too early, too many participants, and the cameras queer everything. I've heard about Clinton's debating skill, and she certainly put the other front-runners to shame -- Edwards was "branding" too obviously, the way he shoehorned his stump speech into any question, and Obama's inexperience was evident to me. The two of them, along with Kucinich, brought the least to the table, and this comes from someone who has toggled among exactly those three to this point in the process. Maybe someone who listened to the whole thing can dispute this claim -- I'd like to know.

Clinton was on point, confident, and contextual. And if those sound like wishy-washy qualities -- well, maybe they are. But I'm not in the mood for an ideologue, and I think the tenor of the nation agrees with me. Level-headedness and wisdom are the qualities I'm searching for. Clinton has them.

Biden's wealth of knowledge and experience was also evident. But though I try not to be cynical about process, we've seen what opposition research can do to a longtime Senator.

"...aside from bad predictions, What the Heck™, coin-flipping kids and "You can't get this kind of analysis just anywhere," I try to avoid shtick."

You left out "see what I did there?" and "Do you detect a pattern? Neither do I."

Signed, An Avid Reader

He has it exactly right. I think the punishment is just, and I don't understand the desire to see someone permanently ruined, to hope that he doesn't get a chance to "reclaim his life". Even though it means a convicted dog killer would immediately make more money than I ever will, I still hope that Vick gets another chance to play football and redeems himself as a person. How can you not want that to happen?

I don't buy the argument that a "college coach" can't succeed in the NFL. I'll offer up Jimmy Johnson, Bill Walsh, and Bobby Ross as evidence. Heck, Saban's 15-17 record with the Dolphins could be viewed as a smashing success when you consider their 4-25 record in the years bookending his brief tenure.

I'm sure there are coaches out there whose personalities fit one or the other, and Petrino may be better suited as a college coach, where he can get away with being an uncommunicative despot. But he was an NFL assistant and coordinator with Jacksonville -- did his DNA change because he took a college job in the interim?

In my view, most coaches viewed as college guys tend to fail in the NFL for two reasons. First, MOST coaches fail, because the best few tend to stick around and keep winning, while most franchises experience sporadic success interspersed with frequent coaching turnover, whether they're college or pro guys.

Second, when a successful head coach does manage to step down without being fired, the franchise may tend to value continuity and hire someone familiar, i.e. George Siefert, or else assuage a nervous fan base by going with a retread, i.e. Wade Phillips. The "college" guys get the jobs with the lesser franchises.

You people are a bunch of tinfoil-clad assholes.

about Frankie Frisch, who is responsible for several of the most egregious admissions. The Giants infielders he helped enshrine are roughly analogous to having Chris Speier, John Olerud, Bill Madlock, and Hubie Brooks in the HOF. Good players all, but come on.

But some of the rest of this reads like The Sporting News from back in the '70s -- traditional stats being flung about with no context. It's not necessary to use fancy sabermetrics to make a point, but even many casual fans know that a 3.54 ERA means different things in different eras (and that catchers don't often lead the league in any offensive category, because they aren't on the field every day).

of Martin Starr in Undeclared (early Apatow TV show) hitting on a college girl by babbling about how great and unappreciated Freddy Got Fingered was. To which I say, keep your chin up. You are worthy of being entertained, though you seem not to believe it.