Censorship of the Worst Kind!

(I've really made it a point to stay as non-political as possible with this blog, and so I've been writing primarily fun stuff like sports columns, interviews, things about San Francisco, restaurant reviews and celebrity-bashing pieces. But, when I read this today I got so pissed I just had to comment. A group of former Clinton staffers are upset because they say there are portions of a miniseries by ABC about 9/11 that aren't accurate and they're demanding that changes be made. Demanding? Since when can politicians demand that something in the media be changed? How can they be so arrogant? Haven't they ever heard of a little thing called Freedom of Speech? When former White House officials (they're not even currently in office!) start telling people what can and cannot be on TV, on the Internet, in newspapers or on the radio, well, folks, it's time to change our name to the U.S.S.R. (United States with Shady Rules). How dare they demand anything! There's no doubt that to some degree Clinton and his administration blew it with the Bin Laden situation, but I guess old Bill wants to re-write history and avoid taking any of the blame for 9/11. What these people fail to realize is that they are inadvertently providing some amazing publicity for this miniseries. I didn't even know about it, but now I wouldn't miss it for the world! In fact, I just Tivo'ed it. If these washed-up bureaucrats are upset over it, I figure it's a must-see!!)

This was on www.aol.com this morning:

(Sept. 7) - A "terribly wrong" miniseries about events leading to the Sept. 11 attacks blame President Clinton's policies, former Clinton administration officials said in letters demanding that ABC correct it or not air it.
But in a statement released Thursday afternoon in apparent response to the growing uproar, ABC said, "No one has seen the final version of the film, because the editing process is not yet complete, so criticisms of film specifics are premature and irresponsible."
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Clinton Foundation head Bruce Lindsey and Clinton adviser Douglas Band wrote in the past week to Robert Iger, CEO of ABC's parent The Walt Disney Co., to express concern over "The Path to 9/11."
The two-part miniseries, scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday and Monday, is drawn from interviews and documents including the report of the Sept. 11 commission. ABC has described it as a "dramatization" as opposed to a documentary.
"For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, and time compression," ABC said in its statement. "We hope viewers will watch the entire broadcast of the finished film before forming an opinion about it."

My NFC Predictions

NFL Predictions

With the 2006 NFL season starting tonight, football fever is in the air.
Today I'm doing my NFC predictions and tomorrow I'll have my AFC predictions. Then, on Sunday, I'll give you my division winners and my Super Bowl Champion.

NY Giants: With a seasoned QB Eli Manning, a much improved defense and RB Tiki Barber rolling up the yardage, the Gigantes will play so well that even Jimmy Hoffa will dig his way out from under the 50-yard line to watch this team win. People are calling their defense highly questionable, but with great new additions like LaVar Harrington and Sam Madison, I believe the Big Apple has a core they can be proud of.

Seattle Seahawks: QB Hasselback is better, RB Alexander will thrive again and the seagulls from the Northwest will play just enough defense to rain supreme. They lost LG Steve Hutchinson and WR Joe Jervicius during the off-season, which will hurt, but they also picked up OLB Juilan Peterson and WR Nate Burleson, and have improved their overall depth in many places. Take away a few questionable calls last year, and we'd be calling them World Champs. The Seahawks are well-coached and one year smarter, so they'll be even tougher to beat this year.

Minnesota Vikings: I can hear the groans from here. A lot of you must be asking, "What is this clown smoking?" Well, nothing anymore. I just believe that if this team can stay away from the stripper boat excursions, they should win because they're loaded with talent on both sides of the line. I'm confident that a new coach and a new attitude will help the Vikes do right. C Matt Birk is supposedly healthy again, which will help their O-line in a big way, and their defense is stronger than its been in a long time with DT's Erasmus James and Kenechi Udeze, who are tough to block and whose names are even tougher to pronounce. Brad Johnson is a very capable, experienced QB and with RB Chester Taylor running behind the great blocking of FB Tony Richardson, this team will surprise a lot of people. Besides, the NFC North is weaker than the coffee at I-HOP!

St. Louis Rams: Less passing, more running and a much-improved offense will help the horned ones get into the playoffs in 2006. With Bulger at QB, RB Steven Jackson power running through an experienced offensive line and WR Torry Holt leading a strong receiving corps, the Rams will make a run and butt a few heads. If their totally revamped defense can hold up, they may even go deep into the playoffs. The best thing that happened to this team was when they said goodbye to former head coach Mike Martz, who started to display the brains of Paula Abdul coupled with the arrogance of Simon Cowell.

Carolina Panthers: They’re well-coached, experienced in the right places and should excel in 2006 with a tough D and just enough O to make it to the postseason. I predict right here that DeAngelo Williams will win rookie of the year honors and have people asking “Reggie Who?” QB Jake Delhomme is only getting better; the addition of a humble WR Keyshawn Johnson gives the receiving corps much-needed depth, and with names like Peppers, Jenkins, Morgan, and Ricker, the Panthers have the best defense in football. There, I said it.

Atlanta Falcons: If Mora can control Michael Vick, the team should soar into the playoffs with a team that is young and cocky and can back up the swagger. This team made a ton of off-season moves in order to shore up their weakest link – their run defense, by picking up RE John Abraham, SS Lawyer Molloy, FS Chris Crocker and DT Grady Jackson. MLB Ed Hartwell is back from injury and LE Pat Kerney and DT Rod Coleman round out a really solid group. On the other side of the ball, TE Alge Crumpler is amazing at getting open and he has clutch hands, and RB Warrick Dunn will run just well enough to keep opposing defensive squads off Vick’s expensive back.

Restaurant Review: Pane e Vino: A Whole Lot More than Bread & Wine

Pane e Vino
There is a restaurant on Union Street in San Francisco that is so good the first time I went there I returned two days later. Since then I have gone there many times and I have never been even remotely disappointed. The name of the place is Pane e Vino. I guess there are several other restaurants throughout the United States with the same name, and I don’t know if they are in any way connected to this location, but it really doesn’t matter. Pane e Vino in SF is multo bene. The food is authentic Italian; the portions are generous; the service is prompt and professional, and the menu has a little something for everyone. From fresh fish and meats to great thin-crust pizzas, all the way to some of the best pasta dishes you’ll find anywhere – Pane e Vino is a whole lot more than just bread and wine. I met one of the owners, Bruno, down on Union Street several times before I tried the place. He wasn’t bragging about it or anything – he’s a nice, very humble and rather soft spoken guy – but he kept telling me I need to stop in sometime. Well, it took me a couple months to get around to it, but when I finally ate there, I said to myself, “What the hell took me so long? Man, have I ever been missing out!” The place has a great atmosphere. The people – both the staff and the patrons – just all really seem like they’re in a good mood. Good food and fine wine will do that to you! What should you try when you visit Pane e Vino? To be honest, I don’t think you can go wrong ordering anything on the menu. If there’s a bad item on that menu, we haven’t found it. Nor have any of the many people who we’ve recommended the place to. (I put that in there because I’m always lobbying for a free meal. Why else do you think I do these reviews, for my health?) To kick off the meal right, we always get the best appetizer they offer at Pane e Vino, which in our humble opinion is the Antipasto Della Casa ($14). I am so tired of restaurants that throw a couple pieces of salami and some peppers on a plate and call it antipasto. This is the true version – with a cornucopia of things like bruschetta, cured meats and house-marinated vegetables that will have you racing your dinner guests for the last little piece of proscuitto. They also have a seafood salad called the Insalata Mista ($8) that consists of bay lettuce, tomatoes, leeks, oil and vinegar with an assortment of marinated squid, shrimp, mussels and clams that will make you feel like you’re at a seafood grotto on the coast of Italy. For your main course, I would definitely try one of the magnifico pasta selections. I’ve had the Pappardelle alla Contadina ($14), wide egg pasta with chicken and porcini mushrooms in a light tomato cream sauce. The pasta is homemade, cooked al dente the way the experts who know what they’re doing make it, and the sauce is not weighted down with too much cream like in many Italian restaurants. Or sample the Pennette Rigate con Salsiccia e Cipolle ($14), which is a great combination of penne pasta with sausage, onions, tomatoes and Romano cheese. This is truly a penne you will not forget. Or should I say it’s a penne for your thoughts? (sorry.) I was really surprised when we went there the other night and Angelina ordered the Bisteca alla Fiorentina ($28). Whenever I’ve ordered steak at an Italian restaurant, I have been disappointed, to say the least. Italians aren’t known for their steaks, at least not in this country. But, let me tell you – it was one of the biggest, juiciest pieces of prime-quality meat that I have ever seen or tasted – right up there with Ruth's Chris or Morton’s or any of your so-called great American steakhouses. A carnivore’s dream come true! Fan-tas-tic!! They also have an awesome selection of fish dishes at Pane e Vino. Order the Pesce Fresco del Giorno Aq (Fresh fish of the day – price varies) and you will not ever be unhappy. The thin-crust pizza is also outstanding. They have a big brick oven which I guess is the only way to go, because the texture is light and crispy and right on target. We like the Napoletana ($12), with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, anchovies and oregano. Sweet and simple. We have also had the Diavola ($14), with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, spicy salami, hot pepper flakes and oregano. Sweet and spicy. For dessert, maybe you’d like the tiramisu ($6), which is better than a lot I’ve tasted. My personal favorite are the Profilteroles ($6), which are white chocolate gelato filled cream puffs topped with hot chocolate sauce. Pane e Vino has an extensive and somewhat expensive wine list, and they even have those Italian sodas I love so much. They remind me of my days in New York when my grandma owned and operated an Italian family restaurant in the Bronx right down the street from Yankee Stadium. Pane e Vino is located at 1715 Union Street in SF, just far enough away from the yuppies and the drunks. There is never any parking, so walk there or take a cab. On the weekends, be sure to make a reservation, because the place gets packed. If you can, request to be seated on the patio in the back. It’s less noisy and it’s got a roof and heaters, so you won’t catch pneumonia. For more information about Pane e Vino, visit their web site at: http://www.paneevinotrattoria.com/.

He was a great one, and that's no croc!

(This is so fricking sad that I don't know what to say. Steve Irwin was only 44 years old and now he's gone. Of all the dangerous crocodiles, snakes and other wild animals that he closely encountered, I bet never in his wildest dreams did he think it would be a stingray that would kill him. The odds of this happening have to be extremely long, I would think. For most people, getting stung by one of these things will make you very sick, but will rarely kill you. Just like the guy in Vegas who almost got killed by that tiger, the message here is that wild animals are very, very dangerous. What I loved about Steve (aka "The Crocodile Hunter") is that he was also a conservationist and environmentalist. He wasn't just messing with animals to get on TV or in the movies -- it was his life and his passion. I hate it when people say "If he was going to die, this is the way he would have wanted to go." That's total bulls--t! Dying is dying and nobody wants to go at all. I'm sure Steve would have rather died in a way that would have allowed him the time to say goodbye to his wife and kids. How do folks know how he would have preferred to die? I hate that kind of thinking.)

Here's the story as it appeared on www.aol.com today, in a capsulated form:

SYDNEY, Australia - Fatally injured "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin pulled a stingray's serrated barb from his chest before he lost consciousness and died, his manager said on Tuesday as fans worldwide mourned the exuberant naturalist. Hundreds of fans placed flowers outside his Australia Zoo in Queensland state and wrote messages on khaki shirts, part of his trademark uniform, as Irwin's body was flown home after Monday's freak diving accident off Australia's northeast coast.

This Film Rates an 11

One of my all-time favorite films is This is Spinal Tap. The movie is more than twenty years old, but still stands up to the test of time. This is Spinal Tap (1984) is the hilarious rockumentary/mockumentary about the trials and tribulations of a semi-fictional heavy metal band. Michael McKean (as David St. Hubbins, named after the patron saint of quality footwear), Christopher Guest (as Nigel Tufnel) and Harry Shearer (as Derek Smalls) first appeared together in a 1978 ABC comedy special, The TV Show. The band is fictional, because these guys are comic actors, but by doing concerts and releasing albums, Spinal Tap has blurred the line between fact and fiction. A friend of mine loaned a tape of the movie to his sister, and when she gave it back to him, she exclaimed, “This is the worst band I’ve ever seen!” She was convinced that Spinal Tap was a real band! Some of the things in the movie have become part of our vernacular in this country, most notably “This one goes to 11”, which was said when Nigel shows film producer Marty DeBerghi (played by Rob Reiner) his special amplifier. One of the things that make Spinal Tap so believable is that they wrote all their own songs and play all their own instruments. Their album, which came out on Polymer (now MCA) records the same year as the film, includes hits like, “Big Bottom”, “Hell Hole”, and “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You”. Spinal Tap has had a succession of drummers, all of whom died tragically, kind of like the keyboard players for the Grateful Dead. One died from a gardening accident, while another choked on what appeared to be someone else’s vomit. Their current drummer is Mic/Ric Shrimpton, who is an actual rock star and used to play for a band called Atomic Rooster. The keyboard player is a guy named Viv Savage. Right after I showed the movie to Angelina (my fictional fiancée), she ran into Viv in San Francisco. She got his autograph with his famous quote from the movie, “Have a good time all the time.” When she called me and told me she had met Viv, I got really excited. She gave her his phone number, and we went and saw him play in a blues band one evening down at Fisherman’s Wharf. Viv lives in Oakland and records with bands from all over the Bay Area. He’s a really great keyboard player and just a sweet man.
Here’s some interesting trivia about Spinal Tap:

• The film includes a ton of great cameos by: Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, the late Bruno Kirby, Fran Drescher and Howard Hesseman.
  
• Metallica's "Black Album" and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” are two examples of (almost) all-black album covers, similar to the one Spinal Tap put out called “Smell the Glove”.
  
• A number of Spinal Tap's songs cover identical subjects to renowned songs by other bands. For example, "Gimme Some Money" is similar to the Beatles’ "Money (That's What I Want) (and its appearance in This is Spinal Tap is a parody of the Beatles' famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show) and "Big Bottom" is similar to Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls."
  
• In an interview with Noel Gallagher said his brother Liam (both of British rock band, Oasis), "...had seen the film This is Spinal Tap, loved it and thought they were a real band."
  
• The British band Supergrass uses a line from "All the Way Home", the first song Nigel and David wrote together, in "Evening of the Day." The original line is "If she's not on the five-nineteen, Then I'm gonna know what sorrow means." while in the Supergrass song it's "If she's not on that three fifteen, Then I'm gonna know what sorrow means." The Rialto song "Monday Morning 5:19" might also be a reference to this same song; the line there is "It's Monday Morning 5:19, and I'm still wondering where she's been."
  
• Spinal Tap's "none more black" quote inspired the name of the punk band of the same name.
  
• In September 2002, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary included the entry: "Up to eleven: up to maximum volume" a reference to Nigel's amplifier that had controls that went beyond the usual maximum setting of 10.
  
• The three "real" members of Spinal Tap are also the members of another mostly fake band, a folk trio called The Folksmen. The Folksmen originally appeared as the warmup band for some of Spinal Tap's live concerts, but eventually became the subject of their own mockumentary, A Mighty Wind, directed by Christopher Guest.

Taking a Day Off

I have been blogging like a crazy person since I started doing this thing, and some people are complaining that they're becoming overwhelmed by all of the content. So, I'm officially taking a day off today, to rewind and regroup. I've got a lot of great stuff planned for the very near future of Life on the Edge, so stay tuned.
(photo courtesy of www.babyanimalz.com.)

Tom Arnold: King of the 4-Year Ditch

(Actor Tom Arnold is into marrying women for 4 years and then ditching them. That might work when you're buying or leasing a new car, but it isn't acceptable with wives. I think what happens is that it takes these women approximately 4 years to figure out how unbearably annoying and talentless this guy is. If these ladies get half of his stuff every time they divorce him, poor Tom is going to lose all his Roseanne money! One thing I love about this article is that they identify Tom as the "True Lies actor." That movie is 12 years old! It just shows how little good work this clown has done.)

This was on www.people.com:

Tom Arnold filed for a legal separation from his wife, Shelby Roos, on Monday, after four years of marriage, PEOPLE has learned. When asked why Arnold filed for a legal separation, which involves a permanent division of assets, rather than a divorce, Arnold's rep said the couple may still reconcile. "He doesn't know what the future holds, but he does care deeply for her," the actor's spokeswoman, Staci Wolfe, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

Arnold, 47, met Roos, 34, a political consultant, in 2000 at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. The couple married June 29, 2002 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. In the actor's separation documents, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Beverly Hills divorce attorney Neal Hersh, Arnold asks the court to treat the couple's Beverly Hills home, as well as all profits that Arnold had going into the marriage, as his own separate property. The papers provide no date of separation. Arnold's previous two marriages ended in divorce – also after four years. The True Lies actor was married to Roseanne Barr from 1990 to 1994, and to Julie Champnella from 1995 to 1999.

My Interview with Dick Williams

(I met Dick Williams' daughter Kathy at a party in SF one day, and when I told her I was really into baseball, she said, "Oh, my dad played and managed in the major leagues, but you have probably never heard of him." When she told me her pop was none other than Dick Williams, I nearly had a stroke. When I interviewed Dick a couple months later, one of the first things I could tell about him was that he's a tough cookie. He thought a few of my questions were stupid and told me so. I felt like a scolded child and made sure to keep it simple rather than piss him off. Overall, it was great talking to him. I got the impression that if he wanted to manage again tomorrow, he could do it and be a success.)

Dick Williams

Dick Williams was a player and manager in the major leagues for a total of 35 years. He entered the big leagues with the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, and although he didn’t play much as a rookie, he was on hand to witness Bobby Thomson’s shot-heard-round-the-world. He then played for 12 more seasons, with the Dodgers, Orioles, Indians, Kansas City A’s, Indians and Red Sox, primarily in the outfield, although he did fill in at first base, second and third. His best season was probably in 1959, when he hit .288 with 75 RBI while playing in 130 games for Kansas City. As a manager, Williams had a HOF career, winning a total of two world championships and two league championships, winning it all while the skipper of the ’72 and ’73 Oakland A’s and losing in the World Series in 1967 at the helm of the Red Sox and in 1984 with the San Diego Padres. He was known as a fiery competitor and a great manager who loathed mediocrity and stressed fundamentals. He made enemies with his outspoken style; including famous feuds with people like Ted Williams, Jack McKeon and Charlie Finley, but his players respected him because he was honest and direct. During his career, he managed the Red Sox, A’s, Expos, Padres and Mariners, for a total of 22 seasons, with 1,571 wins and 1,451 losses. He is considered by many to be one of the most successful managers in the history of the game, and yet the Hall of Fame has not included him into their coveted club.

As manager of the 1967 Boston Red Sox, his first managing job: “The team had finished a half of a game out of the cellar the year before, so I had to start from scratch, on fundamentals. And I was pretty tough with them. Jim Lonborg was the Cy Young winner that year, Yaztremski was the MVP and won the triple crown; I was the Manager of the Year and Dick O’Connell was the Executive of the Year, so that’s four spots right there. But, we played good, fundamental solid baseball. The way you’re supposed to do it. The role players were Conigliaro, who we lost him when he got beaned; Norm Seibern, Jim Landis, Jose Tartabull and Kenny Harreslon all played. Petrocelli got hurt, so I had to play a guy at shortstop who was normally a second baseman, he was one of my backup infielders, Jerry Adair. Everybody contributed on that club.”

On his relationship with Ted Williams: “Ted Williams and I didn’t see eye-to eye. My first spring training with the Red Sox he was there to supposedly work with the hitters. Usually during spring training you’ve got a lot of extra players around. So, for a lot of the pitchers, when they they weren’t on the field, I set up a volleyball net down the third-base line. I got all the pitchers tennis shoes, and we had a little volleyball tournament, with four or five different teams playing each other. Well, Ted didn’t like that. He thought it was stupid. So, he walked out of my spring training camp. But, somehow he showed up when we were in the World Series.”

Bert Campaneris throwing the bat at the pitcher during the 1972 AL playoffs: “Campy was having a great game that day, I think he had two or three hits, including a home run, I’m not sure. But, Larren LaGrow was the pitcher for Detroit, and he hit Campy in the shins, but this was on orders from the manager, Billy Martin, I know darn well it was. Because Campy could beat you a number of ways – with his bat, with his glove or with his legs. And he hit him in the shins. He could have put him out of the series permanently. He’s Latin, Campy is, so his first reaction is to get revenge, and he fired the bat at LaGrow, and he got suspended for the rest of the playoffs. But, it was always tough managing against Billy Martin. He was a great manager. All he tried to do was win, any which way he could.”

Relationships with umps: “I got along with most of the umpires, but there were a few I
didn’t always see eye to eye with. Usually whenever a manager gets tossed out of a game it’s for cussing. But, sometimes you can look at an umpire a certain way, and if he didn’t like you and you didn’t care for him, he’d run you. I don’t know how many games I got thrown out of -- I know it wasn’t as many as Earl Weaver, but I was probably next in line.”

Managing the A’s: I got a three-year contract from Charlie Finley in 1971. And we won 101 games that year. Then, we lost three games in the playoffs against the Orioles. Then, the next year, we won everything, including beating the Reds in the World Series without Reggie Jackson. Jackson was hurt sliding into the plate in the playoffs against Detroit. And then the next year we were down three games to two to the Mets going back to Oakland, and Yogi was managing that club, and he decides to pitch Tom Seaver against us one day ahead of time and we knocked him out in the fifth inning, and that forced Matlack to pitch one day early, and we won the last two and won it.”

The Mike Andrews controversy in the 1973 World Series: “Sure, Andrews let a ball go through his legs, but that can happen to anybody. Charlie (Finley) wanted him out of there and tried to get him to say his back was hurting him. And he wouldn’t do it, was Charlie just flat-out fired him. But, Bowie Kuhn reinstated him, and he re-joined us in New York. He wanted to get Trillo in there, but he wasn’t eligible.”

Pluto is the victim of bad PR

Poor Pluto. Maybe if you had just called once in a while. How hard is it to pick up the phone? Would hosting an open house every so often have killed you? We never really got to know you, Pluto -- so downgrading you wasn't that big a deal. We're sure you're nice. Probably a lot of fun at parties. It's just that you never wanted to hang with the rest of the Universe. You acted so distant all the time. You're obviously a loner. Sorry it has to be this way, Pluto. Can we still be friends? Being a moon isn't the end of the world, you know! (Caption: Is this Pluto and its big brother Neptune or an ad for a bocce ball tournament?)

The Boston Dead Sox

(Photo caption: It's okay Theo, but if I were you, I'd start updating my resume!)

Poor beantown. Everyone on the slumping Boston Red Sox (2-12 last 14 games) is injured, and those who are still playing are putting out performances that are hurtful to the eyes. David Ortiz has heart problems, Manny Ramirez is a head case, and the entire squad is jumping off the Bosox bandwagon faster than you can say "El Foldo." The Red Sox have the second highest payroll in the AL, but are sixth out of 14 teams in winning percentage. Their payroll is twice that of Minnestota's, yet the Red Sox trail the Twins by six games in the wild-card race. Every day it just seems to get uglier. Yesterday they put overweight and out-of-shape pitcher David Wells on the trading block; fans and the media are starting to get all over superboy GM Theo Epstein for some questionable moves before the season began; they made a big deal out of getting catcher Javy Lopez from Baltimore and he is hitting a dismal .214 for them; and they're being heavily criticized for picking up rag-armed castoff pitchers from out-of-contention teams (Jason Johnson from Cleveland and Kyle Snyder from Kansas City) who played poorly and are now gone. Could this be the curse of Babe Ruth revisited? Babe had a sick sense of humor which means he would have enjoyed this. Are the Red Sox dead? Is there a mortician in the house?