Jared

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:00:27 GMT

Clinton Struggling With Her Likability Problem

If the story of last week's polls was how tough a month March had been for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a headline in many of this week's polls is that New York Sen. Hillary Rodman Clinton suffers from a pronounced, if not entirely new, problem - she rubs a lot of people the wrong way.

That is coming more to the fore because nearly all the polls indicate that Obama is moving beyond his big problem - the controversy over the rhetoric of his ex-pastor, Jeremiah Wright.

Although a large chunk of voters still say they are personally offended by Wright's remarks,a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday reported that fifty-one percent of all voters said Obama did an excellent or good job of handling the controversy versus 42 percent who said he did not. About two-thirds of Democrats gave him good marks, about two-thirds of Republicans gave him poor marks, and independents were more evenly split.

The Pew Survey and one released yesterday by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal concluded that the Wright controversy had not caused lasting damage to Obama's campaign based on the fact that Obama had not lost ground in the horse race against Clinton and Arizona Sen. John McCain.

However, Pew differs from yesterday's NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in the numbers. The Pew Survey, conducted March 19-22, says Obama is ahead of Clinton 49 percent to 39 percent, with a 5.5 percent margin of error where yesterday's NBC/Journal poll had them deadlocked at 45 percent each. That poll was conducted March 24-25. Gallup's daily tracking poll, conducted March 24-26 has Obama ahead 48 percent to 44 percent with a 3 point margin of error.

But one race Obama is winning by the numbers is the favorability race whether the measure is positive/negative reactions to the two, or traits that voters like or dislike about each.

Here's a collection of findings on this score from a range of polls:

- Obama bests Clinton among Democratic voters by margins of 15 percent to 20 percent on the traits of being "down to earth," "inspiring" and "honest," according to Pew. More Democrats think Clinton is "phony" and "hard to like" than they do about Obama.

- Pew said the things Democrats most dislike about Clinton are her personality, the idea that she has "too much baggage," and that she is too ambitious.

- Again Pew: Demonstrating Obama's appeal beyond just Democrats, 70 percent of all voters say they find him inspiring, 67 percent say he is down-to-earth, and 65 percent say he is honest. More than half of Republicans agreed on the first two traits and 46 percent agreed on honesty. The figures for all voters were roughly the same as the figures for independents.

- The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll said 48 percent of Democrats in its survey viewed Clinton as somewhat or very negative versus 37 percent who had very or somewhat positive perceptions of her. Two weeks ago, 45 percent viewed her positively, and 43 percent viewed her negatively. Obama is viewed positively by 49 percent of voters and negatively by 32 percent.

- In a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted March 14-16, forty-four percent of those surveyed said they considered Clinton honest and trustworthy while 53 percent did not. By contrast, McCain was considered honest and trustworthy by a 67 percent to 27 percent margin, and Obama was close at 63 percent to 29 percent.

- A Quinnipiac University poll of Connecticut voters found that 47 percent of all voters viewed her unfavorably to 46 percent who viewed her favorably. Obama's favorability rating was 59 to 24 percent and McCain's was 52 percent to 31 percent. A quarter of Clinton detractors in the poll said she was dishonest.

- A Public Policy Institute of California poll in that state today reported that Obama's favorability rating is 61 positive percent to 34 percent negative, McCain's is 49 percent to 45 percent and those with unfavorable opinions of Clinton outnumber the favorables 52 percent to 45 percent.

Obama is not without his own baggage. Fifty-five percent of all voters in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll said the rhetoric of Obama's ex-pastor disturbed them a great deal or somewhat, with 59 percent of white voters and 34 percent of black voters holding that opinion.

Of the 69 percent of voters who saw or heard Obama's speech on race, 55 percent said they were satisfied with his explanation of his association with Wright, while 32 percent were dissatisfied. White voters were satisfied by a 55 percent to 35 percent margin while black voters were satisfied by 77 percent to 9 percent. Forty-seven percent of all voters who saw the speech said Obama had sufficiently addressed the issue but 37 percent said he had not.

In the context of the Wright controversy, about a quarter of voters said they knew too little about Obama's background and views.

And in today's Pew poll, when asked what made them uneasy about Obama, 29 percent said experience and naivety, 21 percent named the Wright controversy, 13 percent said he was "all talk" and not substantive, while 11 percent were uneasy with his ideology and stand on issues.

Another element common to the polls of the last two days is that McCain and whoever is the Democratic nominee will face an electorate that is more pessimistic and negative about the economy and direction of the country than has been the case in years.

Americans are as negative about the economy as they were during the big recession of the early 1990s, Pew reported. Dissatisfaction with the direction of the country is at its highest in any Pew survey since 1993.

In the PPIC California poll, 73 percent of all voters believed the country was heading in the wrong direction, and among them, that view was held by 80 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of Republicans and 77 percent of independents. Similarly, 76 percent of all adults in California are bracing for bad economic times in the next 12 months, a view shared almost equally among all voter groups.

With a picture like that she is shocked her likability

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:25:14 GMT

Way to funny

It's official, Thorn is the new king of masturbation. In a stunning feat of endurance and determination, Thorn achieved 36 orgasms in a 24 hour period!

Sleeping intermittently during the 24 hour marathon, Thorn remained focused and aroused by his impressive library of pornographic films. With over 400 films in his library and 3 televisions playing movies at all times, he had a continuous stream of footage to aid him in his quest.

It is apparent by the massive development of the muscles in his forearm that Thorn is not your average masturbator. In an interview with UJ reporters after the record setting event, Thorn was quoted as saying, "masturbation for me is a way of life. I've been training for this day since I was 13 years old and I'm happy with my performance today".

This record was formerly held by German Student, Hans Blickstein who achieved 27 orgasms in a 24 hour period. Mr. Blickstein was not available for comment.

When asked what his next world record achievement would be, Thorn said "my immediate goal is to get a bag of ice and some lotion on my penis to soothe the burning".

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:57:58 GMT

Don't click here!

Jacked from jakflak

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:57:14 GMT

Jeez...What ever happened to calling in sick? This gut really didn't want to go to work....

Police: Man Gets Shot to Avoid Work

"PASCO, Wash. (AP) - What happened to faking a cough? Sheriff's detectives in Franklin County said a man had his friend shoot him in the shoulder so he wouldn't have to go to work.

When he first spoke with deputies, Daniel Kuch, of Pasco, told them he'd been the victim of a drive-by shooting while he was out jogging Thursday. But detectives told KONA radio that Kuch later acknowledged that he asked his friend to shoot him so he could get some time off work and avoid an upcoming drug test.

The friend, Kurtis Johnson, of Burbank, has been arrested for investigation of reckless endangerment. Kuch was booked into the county jail and is expected to be charged with false reporting.

Detectives declined to say where Kuch works, or whether he still has a job. It wasn't known if he had obtained a lawyer."

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:23:14 GMT

For my vacation this time I took a trip to Wichita Falls Texas, on the 22nd and spent the night there. Not a lot to do in Wichita Falls. They are doing lots of construction. Also beings that I did not get a good night sleep the night befor going there I took and relaxed and slept. The next day I got up and drove from Wichita Falls, up through Oklahoma into Kansas. Lots of driving on toll roads. The trip was very long and there was lots of rain, freezing rain, snow, fog and freezing fog.

Upon arriving at Topeka there was fog and it was cold. I got into my motel room and just chilled out. Went and drove around Topeka for a little while, ordered GodFathers pizza for dinner and was disapointed with how crappy it was. On the 24th I got up and took a drive to Denver Colorado. Long trip again because of lots of snow, fog, freezing fog, freezing rain and rain in part of Kansas across I-70.

I was never so Happy to see the sun. I was so happy to see it poke its evil little head from behind the fog. Upon arriving to Denver, I went to
Bass Pro Shop it was so freaking big. They have a fine gun room. They have one gun in there that cost over $46,000.00. After that I went back to my motel and relaxed.

Today I wanted to go to the US mint. Well trying to find parking in down town Denver is like trying to give a cat a bath it is hard as can be. I gave up and went to tour the coors plant.

The rest of the pictures are here

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:17:30 GMT

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:53:29 GMT

I know some of you may not find this funny but I sure do.

Stolen from annamarie326

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:18:35 GMT

The first three people who reply to this post, and who re-post this challenge: you win!!!

Your prize? It might be something I've made, or something weird or cool from my hidden stash of fabulousity. It might be edible, or wearable, or a book I think you might enjoy. A love letter, a useful object, or something else that is awesome or maybe just taking up room in my house.

Whatever it is, I promise I will post it within 30 days of your posted comment.

The only thing you need to do to receive your gift is PARTICIPATE.

Be one of the first three journalers to reply to this, and post this very same thing in your journal, and YOU are the lucky giftee.

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:16:46 GMT

Today I decided to spoil myself. I went to Walmart and bought me a Garmin StreetPiolt c330. I love it. It works so nice.
That is what my new toy looks like.

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:13:24 GMT

Stolen from Amy, and Brett

68% Mike Huckabee
66% Fred Thompson
65% Mitt Romney
61% John McCain
52% Tom Tancredo
50% Joe Biden
48% Bill Richardson
48% Ron Paul
46% Barack Obama
46% John Edwards
45% Hillary Clinton
40% Mike Gravel
39% Rudy Giuliani
39% Chris Dodd
34% Dennis Kucinich

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:05:15 GMT

Blood work came back from my recent doctor appointment.

Cholesterol is a little high at 207.
Good Cholesterol is at 32
Bad Cholesterol is high at 161.

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:21:56 GMT

I know it is wrong to find this a good thing but you know what she deserves what she gets.

Rich Spoiled Brats money goes to the poor

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton's potential inheritance dramatically diminished after her grandfather Barron Hilton announced plans on Wednesday to donate 97 percent of his $2.3 billion fortune to charity.

That wealth includes $1.2 billion Barron Hilton stands to earn from both the recent sale of Hilton Hotels Corp. -- started by his father Conrad in 1919 when he bought a small hotel in Cisco, Texas -- and pending sale of the world's biggest casino company, Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

That money will be placed in a charitable trust that will eventually benefit the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, raising its total value to about $4.5 billion, the foundation said in a statement.

Barron Hilton, chairman of the foundation, intends "to contribute 97 percent of his entire net worth, estimated today at $2.3 billion, including the created trusts, at whatever value it is at the time of his passing," the foundation said.

Paris Hilton was not immediately available for comment on her grandfather's plans for his fortune.

Jerry Oppenheimer, who profiled the Hilton family in his 2006 book "House of Hilton," has said Barron Hilton is embarrassed by the behavior of his socialite granddaughter Paris and believes it has sullied the family name.

Barron Hilton, who is 80, has not commented on Oppenheimer's remarks.

The foundation supports projects that provide clean water in Africa, education for blind children, and housing for the mentally ill. Its aims, based on Conrad Hilton's will, are "to relieve the suffering, the distressed and the destitute."

"Speaking for the family as well as the foundation, we are all exceedingly proud and grateful for this extraordinary commitment," said Steven Hilton, one of Barron's sons and president and chief executive of the foundation.

Conrad Hilton established the foundation in 1944 and when he died in 1979 left virtually all of his fortune -- including, according to media reports at the time, a 27 percent controlling stake in Hilton Hotels -- to the charity.

But Barron Hilton challenged the will and after a nearly decade-long legal struggle reached an out-of-court settlement to split ownership of the shares with the foundation in 1988, The New York Times reported.

The hotel group was sold for $20 billion in October to private equity firm Blackstone Group, while the acquisition of Harrah's -- of which Barron Hilton was a board member until 2006 -- is due to be completed by Apollo Management and TPG Capital in early 2008.

Paris, a symbol of celebrity privilege in America, gained notoriety in 2003 when a home video of her having sex with a boyfriend was posted on the Internet.

She parlayed her notoriety, fueled by tabloid headlines about her partying lifestyle, into a celebrity career that has included a reality television show, a book, a music album, and film roles. Then this year she spent more than three weeks in jail for violating probation in a drunk-driving case.

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:30:27 GMT

The Worlds Only Caffeinated Lip Balm.

Richie free advertising.

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:37:45 GMT

Well I should be sleeping right now but I can't. The end of this month I get to take a road trip to Tucson Arizona to pick up my Grandmother from the airport down there. While I am there I am going to take and get me a burger from In-N-Out burger I am going to get a double double animal style. It is a good thing I do not live where there is one of these or I would be there all the time they have such good burgers.

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:14:57 GMT

Have you ever had that feeling that you are attempting to get out of a hole, and each time you think you are about to get out of the hole it gets deeper and deeper? Well that is how I feel with my debt right now. I have about 9,000 in credit card debt and a loan that has about 1,500 left on it. So I have just over 10K in debt. I am having a hell of a time getting out from under it. I hate this feeling. Shit I wish there was a way I could get out of this debt. I have closed all of my credit card accounts. They are not able to accept a charge any more. That is the good thing. Now just to get out of the debt. The big problem is the fact that all of the cards have a stupid interest rate of over 20% and that does not help at all.

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:15:18 GMT

This is a job posting for a Lieutenant spot that has been open for a month now. One person has put in for the job. She used to be a Lieutenant on the unit but her dad made Major so she had to transfer to another unit. I am just curious to see how long they will keep the job open before they fill it. If I had the time needed for the job I would put in for it but I do not have the supervisory time in for the job.

POSTED: 10-25-2007
CLOSES: 12-03-2007-EXTENDED
JOB POSTING NO.: 033010DH
PAYROLL TITLE: LIEUTENANT OF CORR OFF
EXTENDED TITLE:

MINIMUM SALARY: GR. B08-($3,026.56/Monthly)
VACANCY LOCATION: Dalhart Unit /Dalhart
PAYROLL JOB# 033076

*Hazardous Duty Pay
*CPO/CO Retirement
*No Housing
*TDCJ Training Academy Required
*Telephonic Interviews Will Not Be Accepted
*Work Site Visits Will Be Conducted
*No Study Material

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Graduation from an accredited senior high school or equivalent or GED.

2. Three years full-time, wage-earning correctional custody or law
enforcement experience to include one year in the supervision of
employees. Operational Review Sergeant or Security Threat Group
Sergeant experience may be substituted for supervisory experience
for a maximum substitution of one year. Thirty semester hours with
a minimum of six semester hours in Criminal Justice from a college
or university accredited by an organization recognized by the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) may be substituted
for one year of non-supervisory experience for a maximum substitution
of one year.

*To ensure compliance with PD-97, the selected applicant will be required to attend or have attended Principles of Supervision (POS) training prior to being assigned to a shift.*

*Applicants who want to schedule an appointment for a work site visit must call the contact person listed below.*

*Outside applicants will be required to submit to pre-employment drug testing as a condition of employment.*

*Applicants who are retirees from state employment through ERS are required to write 'ERS RETIREE' at the top of the application form.*

Applicants must submit a State of Texas Application For Employment to the contact person:

Brenda Gray
Dalhart Unit Human Resources
11950 FM 998
Dalhart , TX 79022
PH (806-249-8655)

Applications must be received by the contact person by 5:00PM on 12-03-2007. A complete job description and all application forms may be obtained at the above address or by viewing the Job Description. Job Descriptions are available in PDF format which maybe read with the free Adobe Reader.

*Equal Opportunity Employer*
*Authority is granted on or after: 11-15-2007*

JD: 02-08-2004

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:46:39 GMT

A day off finally. I have only had 3 of them this month, well today makes 4. The good thing about not having many days off is the Over time. This month alone I have worked 186.5 hours, and there are still 4 more days left in this months pay cycle. I am on track to make about $1,600.00 in over time. That being said I am on track to make about $30,000.00 this year. The good thing is when I file my tax return I should get around $2,000.00 of the $4,000.00 they stole back. So when that happens I will be paying off some more bills. Then with the over time I will continue to work I will be able to pay off the rest of my debt. So some time around June I am looking to go on a nice long road trip to Alaska. I will make sure I hit Seattle on my way up so that I can ~~pick on~~ see emptycountry and then travel the rest of the way to Alaska, by way of ferry. So for now I am just working away to make the nice overtime so I can pay my bills. For my vacation in December and January I am probably just going to take a trip to Albuquerque or Huntsville. Other then that not much going on here getting ready to make my Christmas candy and stuff for the family, a great way to spend between $200 and $300 on cooking stuff. Well that is all for now I am off to bed.

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:17:18 GMT

Time for vacation ideas. I am off work on vacation from 12/29/2007 until 01/06/2008, so what should I do for my vacation I need ideas.

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:50:51 GMT

Yesterday I broke down and purchased a new pair of boots. Once again I went with a pair of Bates. The nice thing is I now have 2 pair of boots to wear for work. So I will wear one pair one day and have the criminals at work put a nice shine on the other pair.

Work the last two weeks has been nice for the OT.

10/27 worked 2115 to 0600
10/28 worked 1800 to 0600
10/29 worked 2115 to 0600
10/30 worked 1745 to 0600
10/31 RDO
11/01 RDO worked 1745 to 2215
11/02 worked 1745 to 0600
11/03 worked 2115 to 0600
11/04 worked 2115 to 0600

Worked 76 hours for a total of 21 hours of OT

11/05 worked 2115 to 0600
11/06 worked 1745 to 0600
11/07 worked 1745 to 0615
11/08 worked 1745 to 0600
11/09 RDO
11/10 RDO
11/11 Will work 1745 to 0600
11/12 Have to take off as Inservice starts on 11/13
11/13 Inservice 0700 to 1800

Worked 68 Hours for a total of 13 hours of OT.

Yes the fun of yearly training. I hate going to inservice. It is the same old stuff year after year. The only good thing about inservice is the fact we get lots and lots of OT. Between 11/06/07 to 11/08/07 the State of Texas paid right around 1,000 hours of OT for our unit alone. Yes you read that right 1,000 hours.

I will be happy to see my paycheck on the fifteenth of December just in time for Christmas.

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:13:42 GMT

Sgt board was today. It went good, I also got my high school transcript today showing that I graduated from high school. I will take it to work tomorrow and give it to them.

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 23:46:00 GMT

I got the call the board is Monday the 22 at 10:30 AM. I am going to try and get my seventh off. You see that is my RDO anyways but due to the fact we are short of staff we have to work it. Well I am going to try and get it off so I can get a good night sleep the day befor the board.

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:23:07 GMT

I have heard the SGT board will be on Monday. WHOO the fun begins again. I know what I need to study, or I should say I know what I should study. Who knows I can study Ad seg plan, UOF plan, Safe Prison Plan, UCC plan and all that good stuff and it could be situational stuff.

I have a better out look on this board then the last one though. The last one I went up on I went in with the attitude of I know I am not going to get it, the Assistant Warden told another officer to put in for it so he has it. Well I was right but the down side was he got a Sergeant spot at the Clements unit, so they went with the number 2 choice.

This time I am going into the board with the attitude I am the next Sergeant, I have the spot already. It is mine to loose. I will just have to see what happens.

The stress starts again.

Also I will be going in early today. Well I should say I might, you see we have 46 criminals going out on chain. So we need to get their property packed up. So I will wake up at 1400 hours and call the unit and talk to the second shift supervisor and let them know if the let me do the chains I will come in early if they say no I will not go in. That is right I am going to tell them what I am going to do, that is how you have to deal with these people.

ROCKIES ON TO THE WORLD SERIES

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:10:36 GMT

The Colorado Rockies are roaring into the World Series like no team before them.

More momentum. More rest, too.

With their 21st win in 22 games, the relentless Rockies beat the rattled Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 in Game 4 Monday night to sweep the NL championship series at chilly Coors Field.

Series MVP Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer into the pine-filled rock pile in center field that capped a six-run outburst in the fourth inning, and Colorado was on its way.

Born as an expansion team in 1993, the wild-card Rockies are headed to their first World Series.

"They always say baseball is about confidence and we have a lot right now," outfielder Brad Hawpe said.

The Rockies have a record eight days off before opening the World Series at either Cleveland or Boston on Oct. 24. The Indians lead the ALCS 2-1.

"It was fun, this has been a great ride. We're not done yet," said Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, the face of the franchise who cradled the last out in his glove. "We're going to keep it going."

With their delirious fans waving brooms and towels, the Rockies joined the 1976 Big Red Machine as the only teams to start a postseason with seven straight wins. Colorado has won 10 in row overall and lost only once since Sept. 16.

"It's unbelievable. I never dreamed I'd have this opportunity," Holliday said. "With this group of guys I'm so excited to be a part of it. This MVP award goes 24 other directions."

Just one strike from postseason elimination on the final weekend of the season, the Rockies have become a charmed team that seemingly cannot lose. This marked the sixth straight year that a wild-card club reached the World Series.

"This has been different. They're very, very unselfish, and they kept working together, working together and believing," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.

Colorado had never won more than 83 games before going 90-73 this season and sneaking into the playoffs with a 9-8, 13-inning win over San Diego in the wild-card tiebreaker -- rallying for three runs against career saves leader Trevor Hoffman.

After sweeping Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs, the Rockies put a purple pummeling on a D-backs club that finished with the best record in the league.

"Once the sting of this subsides, we'll be able to reflect that we did have a great year," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.

Ahead 6-1, the Rockies withstood Chris Snyder's three-run homer in the eighth. Chris Young doubled with one out in the ninth off closer Manny Corpas, but Stephen Drew popped out on a 3-0 pitch.

"If that's not the tying run, then I obviously don't let him swing," Melvin said. "But right there you know you're going to get a fastball, you know you're going to get a pitch to drive. He just came off it a hair and popped it up."

Eric Byrnes followed with a checked-swing grounder that shortstop Troy Tulowitzki charged. His throw beat Byrnes' headfirst dive, and Helton threw his arms in the air, a decade of disappointment finally forgotten.

"I'm not going to lie, my mind wandered a little bit," Helton said. "You've got to refocus. Sometimes you'd like to be a fan in that situation and sit back and enjoy it. You can't."

Corpas earned his second save of the series and fifth in the postseason.

The Rockies are the first team since the 1935 Chicago Cubs to win at least 21 of 22 after Sept. 1, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

"There comes a point in time when a team is no longer hot, they're simply good," Arizona's Tony Clark said. "And I think that's what we saw with Colorado."

Before this season, the Rockies had just one postseason victory, back in 1995, when they were eliminated by Atlanta in the first round.

Now, they're riding into the World Series with astonishing momentum -- and to think, with two weeks left in the season, they stood in fourth place in the wild-card race and knew they had to win just about all their games to have a shot at extending their season.

Reliever Matt Herges, who resurrected his career in Colorado this summer, pitched two hitless innings for the win, and the Rockies' stellar bullpen closed it out -- but not before Brian Fuentes allowed Snyder's homer.

With the Rockies trailing 1-0 with two outs in the fourth and runners at second and third, Hurdle made a bold move: He pulled his starting pitcher, rookie Franklin Morales, for a pinch-hitter.

Hurdle didn't have to worry about burning his bullpen because Game 5 wouldn't have been until Wednesday night. So he sent up rookie Seth Smith, who had only eight career at-bats when he was placed on the playoff roster.

Smith fell behind 0-2 in the count against rookie Micah Owings, then blooped a 1-2 pitch down the left-field line. Like everything else this October for the Rockies, it fell in the perfect place and ended Owings' streak of 19 scoreless innings.

"In the box score it'll look like it rattled the wall," said Smith, whose two-run double put Colorado ahead 2-1.

The Rockies caught another break when Arizona first baseman Conor Jackson couldn't catch Willy Taveras' easy grounder. The error set up Kaz Matsui's run-scoring single -- the eighth RBI of the postseason for a player once cast off by the New York Mets.

Holliday sent the sellout crowd of 50,213 into a frenzy when he drove Owings' slider over the center-field wall to make it 6-1.

Morales allowed one earned run on five hits in four innings. Though he didn't get the win, the Rockies improved to 8-2 in his 10 major league starts.

Owings, the first pitcher since Whitey Ford in 1953 to collect two four-hit games in the same season, lived up to his .333 batting average by legging out a single in the first and coming around to score on Jackson's two-out single in the third.

Owings had a chance to pad the D-backs' lead in the fourth but struck out to strand a runner at second. In the bottom half, he dived to field Yorvit Torrealba's dribbler and throw him out at first. Afterward, the trainer came out to take a look at Owings' left shin, but the right-hander stayed in -- only to soon fall apart.

With the Rockies celebrating their first pennant, four franchises remain that have never reached the World Series: the Mariners, Devil Rays, Senators/Rangers and Expos/Nationals.

The Rockies went 2-1 against Boston this season, outscoring the Red Sox 20-5 in a June series at Fenway Park. Colorado last played Cleveland in 2005, getting swept in a three-game set at Jacobs Field.

One night after a cold rain forced the grounds crew to dump three tons of dry dirt on the field, the grounds crew had a relatively routine workload under clear skies. It was a crisp 55 degrees at gametime.

The D-backs clinched their playoff spot on Sept. 28 at Denver and Melvin put out a diluted lineup the next two games while resting his regulars for the postseason. Melvin said he has no regrets about not trying to knock out the Rockies that weekend because his sole purpose was to get his team rested and ready for the Cubs, whom Arizona swept.

"It's really a remarkable run that these guys made," Melvin said. "They haven't lost a postseason game. It feels like they haven't lost in a month. I was talking earlier about trying to deflate that force field they have right now. They're on quite a confidence roll."

Arizona hadn't lost four straight game since a five-game slide July 4-8. ... The only team to sweep a NLCS since it went to a best-of-seven format in 1985 was the Atlanta Braves, who blanked Cincinnati in 1995. ... Denver mayor John Hickenlooper and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter presided over a temporary renaming of 21st Street in front of Coors Field to "Rockies Road" before taking in the game together. ... The D-backs went 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position in the series and scored just eight times, the fewest in an NLCS of at least four games since Pittsburgh was held to 12 runs in seven games in 1991. ... The Rockies trailed in just two of the 38 innings in this series. ... Holliday leads all players in the postseason with four home runs. ... Colorado's starters posted a 1.66 ERA. ... Corpas leads all closers in the playoffs with five saves.

NEW YORK YANKEES LOOSE

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:36:43 GMT

New York Yankees LOOSE

The Cleveland Indians, a bit player in their American League division series until Monday night, threw themselves at each other near the mound at Yankee Stadium, delighted to leave the whole thing behind.

They'll go play the Boston Red Sox starting Friday night, meaning, if we are to believe George Steinbrenner's threats, Joe Torre, for one, is out of a job. Also, Alex Rodriguez is on the clock, and the Yankees have a roster to rework.

The Yankees' defiance held up for one game, when they squared their shoulders and spit in Steinbrenner's eye. Sadly for them, there was still some pitching and hitting to do, neither of which went too well in Game 4, when Paul Byrd – yes, Paul Byrd – ran them off for five innings with mid-80s fastballs.

Maybe Steinbrenner will reconsider. Hell, maybe he won't remember saying it and everybody can keep showing up to work. It seems doubtful, though. No one from Steinbrenner's camp – not one of the Steinbrenner sons, not the team president, no one with an ounce of consideration for Torre's 12 years of service and dignity – telephoned Torre with encouragement after Steinbrenner's public promise to can him, Torre said Monday afternoon. The silence, one can only assume, suggests compliance, even agreement.

"This ballclub," Torre said, "they have a great future."

Not we. They.

"This has been a great 12 years," he said. "Whatever the hell happens from here on out, I mean, I'll look back on these 12 years with great, great pleasure, based on the fact that I'm a kid who had never been to the World Series. … The 12 years just felt like they were 10 minutes long, to be honest with you."

Staring out over the top of the delirious Indians, the last of his players having passed into the tunnel and out of the season, Torre might have recognized that he brought this on himself. He made managing in New York look too easy. He solved problems and soothed egos and made sense of the irrational. He neither coddled nor whipped, but let play Steinbrenner's bankrolls and whims, along with some very fragile rosters.

The owner and his lieutenants have forgotten, perhaps, that the 20 years prior to Torre produced a dozen or so managers who made the job appear exceptionally difficult, even in victory, and the next dozen are as likely to repeat that than not.

Whatever. It's their pinstripes, their image, their landmark franchise.

Someday, they'll remember the old stadium and the chants that poured from the stands as their manager made two trips to the mound in the eighth inning. Maybe, from his office behind the curtains on the loge level, Steinbrenner could hear them.

"Joe-oh Tor-ee! Joe-oh Tor-ee!"

An hour later, Torre grinned. His voice thinned. He didn't want to cry.

"You can feel their heartbeat," he said. "Not hear it, you can feel their heartbeat."

In the middle of Yankee Stadium on an unseasonably warm October evening, there were 25 guys who wouldn't give much thought to Torre, or A-Rod, or the pending free agencies of Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, or what all of this might look like come April. And there was no more heartbeat to feel, outside of their own.

While the Yankees began to look tired and overmatched (they've lost four consecutive playoff series, starting with those four consecutive losses to the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS), the Indians have been reborn. After a season of 96 wins and their first postseason series victory in a decade, they rolled on the infield grass and shouted and celebrated their youth, their future.

"This is what you dream of," center fielder Grady Sizemore, said. "You want to play in the postseason."

They'd vanquished 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang for the second time in five days. They'd gotten big hits, made big pitches, became the better team. They were poised and game. They hung over the dugout rail for every pitch.

They are more like the Yankees used to be. The Yankees used to pitch themselves to World Series. Now they pitch themselves out of them, and into another winter of uncertainty.

Rodriguez stood in front of his locker, his fourth season ending like the previous three. He has 10 days from the end of the World Series to declare his intention, in or out. He hit a home run in the seventh inning, but still lost 6-4, still went home the best regular-season player in the game, still went home early. The RBI that came with the home run was his first in the postseason since 2004.

He was asked if this was his last game for the Yankees.

"I don't know," he said. "I haven't really thought about it. It's been all baseball for eight months. It's just a tough time to reflect right now."

His eyes were bloodshot.

"It's been a tough ladder for me," he said, meaning the fall and climb from MVP to target to MVP. "It's too bad it has to end like this. … The reason I came to New York first and foremost was to help this team win a championship. I must say, I have failed at that."

Rodriguez and Torre did not walk out together, though it would have made for great symbolism. Torre will hear of his fate, presumably, in the coming days. Rodriguez has perhaps a month to decide whether to opt out of his contract.

He would not commit to returning to the Yankees, but he did call Torre "the best manager in the game," and he did not exclude Torre's presence here as a factor in his decision.

"I wish Joe the best," he said. "I wish things work out for him."

The rest of them? It'll need time. For the moment, the Yankees watched the Indians play better baseball, watched them move on to the Red Sox, watched them do what the Yankees used to do, seemingly so long ago.

Rodriguez pursed his lips.

"You just feel like some day you're going to be on that end," he said. "You know?"

Sorry to all the yankee fans on my friends list, but I have to rub it in.

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:41:02 GMT

Happy Birthday, Richie