Mark A. Kilmer (the weblog)

For Sunday, May 11, 2008

FOX News Sunday (FNS): Host Chris Wallace talks to top Obama strategist David Axelrod and Hillary’s mouthpiece, Howard Wolfson, about what will be left of the Dem Party.

This Week (ABC): Host George Stephanopoulos has Nevada Senator Harry Reid on the show to hawk his new book and he sits down with Carly Fiorina to discuss the McCain campaign.

Meet the Press (NBC): Host Tim Russert talks to two former DNC bosses: Chris Dodd for Obama and Terence McAuliffe for Hillary, about what will be left of the Dem Party.

Face the Nation (CBS): Host Bob Schieffer talks to John Edwards and to McAuliffe.

Late Edition (CNN): Host Wolf Blitzer interviews Obama and then hosts House GOP whip Roy Blunt and DCC chair Chris Van Hollen to discuss the outlook for Congressional elections. Then he speaks to his usual cast of thousands.

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The consensus seems to be that the Dem race is over, and the hosts want to know if Hillary’s ongoing battle will let the aging, weary John McCain abscond with the General Election this November; they’ll talk to Democrats who will reassure them that everything will be alright.

Harry Reid is doing his book tour; he’ll probably do Russert next week.

Kudos to Blitzer for paying some attention to what is happening with Congressional races; he has an opening now that the luster has been stolen from his Obama vs. Clinton star.

The only reason for the FTN producers to cast John Edwards this week would be if he promised to endorse Barry, but I am nonplussed about that possibility. At this point, who cares?

I’ll cover these things and have my notes over at RedState.com tomorrow afternoon.

I thought it could not happen, but the new Yankee Stadium, slated to open next season, will suck. Greg Cohen at Sliding into Home provides the vid of MSNBC sportscaster Keith Obermann evidently saying that it is terrific. Anything which leaks from Olbermann’s otherwise empty head is prima facie completely false. (CAVEAT: On occasion, Olbermann invents something which accidentally turns out to be the case, but this is extremely rare.)

Greg writes: “[I]gnore his politics for one minute and watch this video.” I do ignore his politics, but I also ignore him. I didn’t watch the vid, but I trust Greg enough to take his word on it.

Don Mattingly’s private life has been private. He married Kim Sexton in 1979, and they couple had three children.

These days, they’re estranged. Kim Mattingly recently became convinced that Donnie Baseball had stolen her cell phone, and she lost her marbles.

The mug shot is at TMZ.

I was checking out the Sliding Into Home blog when I came across some welcome news. RHP Andy Brackman, the Yankee’s 1st round pick last year, is throwing the ball ninety feet! No kidding! For a starting pitcher to be successful at the major league level, he must first learn how to throw the ball ninety feet.

Bench Mussina and put this kid in.

Brad Cashman is the Yankees GM, and he’s fallen way behind the MLB curve. Hank Steinbrenner is a semi-portly fellow with a lot of money who loves to talk and talk and talk to the press. (”Just… like… his… papa.”) Johan Santana is the best pitcher in baseball right now.

From the Twin Cities’ Star-Trib:

Hank Steinbrenner, son of New York Yankees owner George, made it clear Wednesday that the club still has some interest in making a deal for Twins lefthander Johan Santana, but there is not a unanimous opinion among club officials whether they should pay the Twins’ asking price.

“At this point I think that it kind of looks like we probably won’t do it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to,” Hank said. “I’m kind of back and forth on it, and some people don’t want to do it because of the money.”

Hank said the Yankees would not give Santana a seven-year guaranteed contract calling for $140 million.

Hank took some flak from the press for offering Kennedy and Hughes, two young pitching prospects who might or might not turn out to be good or even okay, plus center fielder Melky Cabrera for Santana. “Giving away the franchise,” folks hissed. “No building for the future!”

The future’s now. You don’t sit back and cross your fingers; no, you grab it while you can.

But now Hank might not be willing even to pay Santana.

For his part, Cashman says of the Santana deal:

It really comes down to if I want to do it, I can do it, but I want to try and keep everybody happy.

That’s not your job, Cash. Shut up and build a winner; everyone will be happy.