Tough night for scoreboard watchers in Tampa:
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Brandon Wood(notes) is sharing the spotlight for one day with A-Rod.
Wood hit his first homer since June 27, a tiebreaking shot leading off the ninth inning that lifted the Los Angeles Angels over Tampa Bay 4-3 on Friday night and knocked the Rays out of first place in the AL East.
...Moments after Wood connected, Alex Rodriguez(notes) hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth to send the Yankees to a 4-3 victory at Baltimore, pushing New York a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay.
A-Rod connected in the top of the ninth, which made his homer a Mariano-off rather than a walk-off. And yes, I am bitterly aware of the recent reminder that that is not exactly the same.
Near the top of Instapundit right now is a claim from Ross Douthat (the bastard offspring of David Brooks and Dave Weigel) that journalists' innate skepticism helps them cover politics more effectively.
I figured since we were talking about people with perceptions at odds with reality, like that nutball Christine O'Donnell who thought you could grow human body parts on a mouse.

I think everyone from the newest PhD to the Oldest Lurker will agree with me that we need to keep lunatics with inflated ideas of what science can accomplish out of the Senate, so we can ensure the complete replacement of petroleum with wind power before the end of Obama's term.
Posted by: bgates | September 18, 2010 at 05:16 PM
Speaking ahead of a talk at the British Science Festival in Birmingham tomorrow, he (Consolmagno) said that the traditional definition of a soul was to have intelligence, free will, freedom to love and freedom to make decisions.
PAPAL ASTRONOMER CALLS DEMOCRATS "SOULLESS"...
DEVELOPING...
Posted by: bgates | September 18, 2010 at 05:19 PM
JM Hanes-
The US got to have a national conversation about sex throughout the Clinton Administration. O'Donnell was a young conservative sent to get slaughtered. And now the clean toga club is worried that there might be something embarrassing on her-from Hollywood-from the 1990's. Worried about vetting for a candidate favored by a new mass movement. Where is the GOP supposed to get these "acceptible" candidates, chaste and saintly, with nothing embarrassing, with perfect resumes?
Posted by: RichatUF | September 18, 2010 at 05:19 PM
If she votes against Obamacare, I don't care what she did or didn't do in bed or with a witch.
Posted by: Clarice | September 18, 2010 at 05:28 PM
Frau-
Sorry if you know this already, but the father of modern cosmology is Georges Lemaître, a Catholic priest.
Posted by: RichatUF | September 18, 2010 at 05:30 PM
I knew a woman who claimed to be the Grandniece of the mother of cosmetology.
Posted by: MikeS | September 18, 2010 at 05:40 PM
And sorry for being so OT and linking everything to amazon, but a history of the Vatican Observatory. bgates, lol.
Posted by: RichatUF | September 18, 2010 at 05:47 PM
You may think I'm an idiot for saying this (or you might have other reasons as well) but I'm kind of happy with having Michael Steele heading the Repub party after he fairly forcefully imo said to stop attacking O'Donnell a couple days ago. I only heard it on Laura Ingraham so the Duke brothers (from Trading Places; don't worry MarkO I'm not badmouthing your alma mater) may have gotten the vapours and tried embargoing it from the MFM. Either way it was the only thing from the party that I've heard toward her that wasn't lukewarm or absolutely defensive.
Has anybody from the party said anything about Merdecowpie's exit? I know McConnell has said something lukewarm about it but that's Mitch's style and I kind of like him (I'm not sure he's well placed as minority leader but I usually give him the benefit of the doubt) so I'm not badmouthing him. No I'm talking about Cornyn or one of the other squishes who will wimp out as much as possible. She deserves to be tossed out on her fat ass from any committees she's currently on and lose whatever perqs the party gives her immediately.
Posted by: Captain Hate | September 18, 2010 at 05:59 PM
Congratulations, Young Lurker! Wowza!
Posted by: MayBee | September 18, 2010 at 06:01 PM
George Will, Rocco, and your 4:16 link is well worth a read.
==============
Posted by: Hook, line and ladder. | September 18, 2010 at 06:05 PM
Congrats, OL!
DrYL is married to a Marine?
Is he doing the Evanston, or Loop Kellogg?
Because I KNOW where she'll be, Erie and St. Clair, working with Dr. Melen.
Anything I can do for the couple, just let me know.
Posted by: Melinda Romanoff | September 18, 2010 at 06:16 PM
RichatUF - Nooooo, I didn't know about Georges Lemaître. The book looks good and the price is right!
Clarice, I don't care how many tentacles Ms. O'Donnell has. I hope the media does not get to define her. She is light years ahead of "Plugs." Pfui!
Posted by: Frau Tabak | September 18, 2010 at 08:00 PM
"journalists' innate skepticism"
The guiding principle behind The Dan Rather Award.
Posted by: Frau Tabak | September 18, 2010 at 08:04 PM
Thanks Mel.
He's at Evanston.
She, Jack Kessler.
They have an apt near school and she will commute your way to the Med School.
Posted by: Old Lurker | September 18, 2010 at 08:29 PM
Yes. MSM journalists are doubly skeptical... they are skeptical of skepticism.
Posted by: sbw | September 18, 2010 at 08:29 PM
I just wanted to tell you all how wonderful you all are. When the last of her guests leave, I'm sure YL will stop in to say hello.
Bgates, your picture at 5:16 is a hoot. Since YL spent the last five years operating on mice, we will have to ask her how they grow human ears.
For the party today, Mrs. L had a cake lady make a cake covered with little white mice and a microscope... All the geeks in town were here and they all enjoyed that.
Mel, Mr. YL was a Marine Intel Capt until 8/1, but left the service to return to his roots at NW for his MBA. JOMers followed his deployment and I think enjoyed my stories of how YL negotiated the wedding plans over a sat phone to his tank...or something. I think he bailed from the service when he learned from the protocol manual that even were he to become a General, the proper address would always be "Dr. and General XXX" and I think he couldn't stand that idea.
Posted by: Old Lurker | September 18, 2010 at 08:42 PM
"Dr. and General XXX"
It's good enough for Dr. and Senator Biden.
Posted by: DrJ | September 18, 2010 at 09:32 PM
I think I've told this story before... Lots of people have heard of Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer place. It was developed and most of the most beautiful buildings were built by the same pope who silenced Galileo. In the 1800's, the Vatican Observatory needed to move out of Rome because of light pollution, so they moved to Castel Gandolfo, where they still have a lot of their facility. (The telescopes moved to Arizona to escape light pollution that followed them.)
So the folks at the VO are fond of pointing out that in the dispute between the astronomer and the pope, the astronomers eventually won -- they ended up with the pope's house!
Posted by: cathyf | September 18, 2010 at 09:34 PM
OL-
Tell her to use the train line, NOT the CTA, and get a student monthly, which NWM should be able to work out.
If the Apt isn't chosen yet, tell them to try and get as close to Central St. as possible, and as close to "Ryan Field (Dyche Stadium)" as they can. Lots to choose from between Central and Maple(North boundary to South).
Do not let them try anything south of Dempster. Period. And, no matter where, no address on Ridge, no matter how cheap it is.
I'll feel better knowing that.
Posted by: Sydney Sheldon | September 18, 2010 at 11:17 PM
Oooops, I was riffing off of another Sheldon on another thread, OL.
Sorry about that.
I'll ask Clarice to forward my e-mail to you (psst, Clarice, will you do me a favor?).
And I'll be in touch, promptly.
Posted by: Melinda Romanoff | September 18, 2010 at 11:22 PM
So perhaps someone can help me. O'Donnell said in 1999 that she once "hung around with people who were doing [witchcraft]." Nancy Pelosi says that extending unemployment insurance creates jobs. Now which one is the whack job?
Posted by: jimmyk | September 19, 2010 at 12:27 AM
All- thanks for the heartfelt congratulations! I appreciate all of your support, and for giving OL something to do besides check up on my homework all the time.
Can't wait for Chicago politics.. hubby and i have been following "planet blago" closely and are ready for more entertainment from that silly city. not that obama is any laughing matter...
Sincerely, Dr. Lurker
Posted by: Young Lurker | September 19, 2010 at 09:01 AM
Way to go, Dr. L! Congratulations on a job obviously done well.
Posted by: JM Hanes | September 19, 2010 at 10:08 AM
Dr. Young Lurker- Chicago is a great city to live in. Lucky you!
Posted by: MayBee | September 19, 2010 at 10:53 AM
Please,
Disregard this post.
Testing formatting tool bar.
Just Kidding.>
I know where you live.
All your Social security numbers belong to me.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 24, 2010 at 06:28 PM