That one declares something does not make it necessarily true; particularly when gathered from internet pages not subject to critical review.

One either has evidence or one has not. Years ago, those on the opposite end of the political spectrum bandied about a “Clinton Death-List”–all of the people they claimed Clinton killed for opposing him.

For some strange reason, none of these people seemed to be in danger, nor did Newt Gingrich, Monica Lewinsky, or Hillary.

Such declarations of fact without evidence and contrary to evidence, and appeals to one’s own authority–”ipse dixit”–fallacies are quite common in political discussions, but they are not reality.

However, as previously mentioned this is a BASEBALL blog; not a political blog. It is a blog of a major league PITCHER. You may disagree with his politics; I disagree with his religion. I may not like his taste in music and toilet paper. All of that is irrelevant. 99.9378% of his entries are about the games he pitches. He has responded to critics of his opinions outside of baseball who post here occasionally, but the vast, overwhelming, really, like, you know, significant amount, has to do with the GAMES HE PITCHES specifically and baseball in general.
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“Going to war with Iraq not only ruined that, but made a lot of middle of the road Muslim people into radicals who hate us.”
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Unfortunately, that is not accurate. Methinks your problem is:
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“You can find information about this using Google.”
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I prefer to consult reliable sources.
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“. . . but it doesn’t take a smart grown-up to figure out that we would have been better not going to Iraq.”
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The children who are not being put into mass graves might disagree with you, as do the servicemen who are there, and, especially, the ones lost when he became the next Kim Il Jung.

Of course, if you do not care what happens to such then I suppose “we” would have been safe until . . . we no longer were. Of course by that time he would have been much harder to deal with, if not impossible to deal with without a huge loss of life.
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“My great grandfather was a soldier in World War 2 my dad said he’s rolling over in his grave knowing what’s going on with the freedom he fought for.”
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His postmortem rotations probably result from your support of appeasement. It was a popular notion in the late 1930s. Theodore Geisel drew about it:

http://volokh.com/files/seuss.jpg

while Churchill noted that, “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”

The situation was not going to resolve itself, Saddam was not going to “go away,” and as even the Kay Report noted, he had every intention of pursuing WMDs as soon as the appeasers got their way and removed attention and sanctions from him. He had a few DECADES history of mass slaughter.

But I am sure if we ignored him he would have changed his behavior, yes?

Too many men died because no one stopped Hitler or the Japanese Empire back when such was practicable. Sometimes one is forced into bad situations. One either deals with them then or lets them get worse.
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“I just think that Kurt Shilling using the glorious World Series win to try and get people to vote for Bush is lame.”
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As is you using it to support your own political agenda on a sports blog.

“Sauce for the goose.”

There are many, many, many wonderful fora for such discussions–even ones with those who think like you and those who think the utter opposite.

This is not one of them. Should Schilling decide to MAKE it part of his entries then, yes, it would be relevant. Until then, such is not.

–J.D.

The great thing about the internet is that even kids living in boring little towns have access to a world of information. My dad is still amazed. I actually do know a lot about politics. More than I know about sports. I will tell you that with the many executive orders passed by our President we have no idea what freedoms we have lost. We found out about a few because of some reporters, and we have no idea how far they went with those. After those guys blew up the World Trade Center the USA had good will from around the world. Going to war with Iraq not only ruined that, but made a lot of middle of the road Muslim people into radicals who hate us. You can find information about this using Google. Who knows how this will turn out, but it doesn’t take a smart grown-up to figure out that we would have been better not going to Iraq. My grandfather died in Viet Nam, so in our family we take war seriously, and maybe that’s why I read about it so much. My great grandfather was a soldier in World War 2 my dad said he’s rolling over in his grave knowing what’s going on with the freedom he fought for. I just think that Kurt Shilling using the glorious World Series win to try and get people to vote for Bush is lame. And it made me like baseball less, so that’s why I write in this sports blog..

“You’re pretty smart! I’m a twelve year-old from Belchertown, MA. I guess I would consider myself an Athiest too.”
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You would find some of the references given to you a number of posts above helpful.
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“I want to apologize for the ‘catching’ joke, as it wasn’t so nice. Something I heard on TV, and not really the kind of kid I am. It just seemed to fit at the time.”
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Accepted and appreciated. For what it is worth, jokes about ethnicity and sexual orientation do not go well on public internet boards unless between friends. It is a all too common tactic of angry kids to accuse people they do not like of being “t3h gh3y”–to use the vernacular. I would suggest not stooping to the level.

People can only be judged on what they write. For all I know, you are “4 r34l” a 37 year old man who lives in his mother’s basement, just playing at being 12. You could even be Derek Jeter. Who knows. My point is one has to be careful that the impression one gives comes only from what is written.
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“The reason I even started writing on this blog was that I couldn’t believe how silly some adults can be, Mr. Shilling being a good example. I also could not believe that actual grown-ups have the time and really care about things like this blog to answer a kid like me. I thought that’s what kids my age were supposed to do! I guess you’d be right to call me a hypocrite if I wasn’t totally joking from the start. From what I’ve seen, it’s usually grown-ups who are the hypocrites.”
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We often are. Understand, though, that your opinion of Mr. Schilling’s politics are your opinion. It may be a VALID opinion. It may not.
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“Kurt is a great pitcher, but he should just keep his mouth shut sometimes. On our school playground we have names for people like him. I know about freedom of speech, but I don’t think that means people shouldn’t use some judgment. I think we also have freedom to not speak.”
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Many would agree with you, and given his blog entries, seems agree with you on that as well. I give him this much credit: he admits to it, and he apologizes for it. Something the various reporters accusing him of faking blood on a sock have NOT done.
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“I hope our silly President hasn’t ruined my chance to enjoy those freedoms when I grow up.”
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While not the venue to argue politics–this is a sports blog, written by a pitcher–exactly what freedoms have you lost? Seriously. You do not have to agree with, or support the President, but I think you need to know more about politics and the world than what “pro” and “antis” shout out on television.

If anything, you have MORE freedom now. Here we are, having a discussion on a blog of a MLB pitcher!! Think Schilling would give either of us the time of day? Not saying he would not, but this is like walking into his home, sitting down in his den, and discussing politics! Heck, he might answer a question, like “who the hell are you people?! Get out of my house!”
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“I hope that you can use your brains for something that actually helps the world, because you seem to spend a lot of time reading and answering this stuff.”
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I do my part, and having done my “homework” on the subjects makes responses so much easier.

–J.D.

I read a lot, and when I looked up some of the terms you use it seems that you’re a really well educated person. The reason I even started writing on this blog was that I couldn’t believe how silly some adults can be, Mr. Shilling being a good example. I also could not believe that actual grown-ups have the time and really care about things like this blog to answer a kid like me. I thought that’s what kids my age were supposed to do! I guess you’d be right to call me a hypocrite if I wasn’t totally joking from the start. From what I’ve seen, it’s usually grown-ups who are the hypocrites.

My dad once told me that Barry Sanders, the great running back, used to just drop the football after scoring a touchdown because his father said he should act like he’s been in the end zone before. He showed me a video on YouTube and he was right. Kurt is a great pitcher, but he should just keep his mouth shut sometimes. On our school playground we have names for people like him. I know about freedom of speech, but I don’t think that means people shouldn’t use some judgment. I think we also have freedom to not speak. I hope our silly President hasn’t ruined my chance to enjoy those freedoms when I grow up.

I hope that you can use your brains for something that actually helps the world, because you seem to spend a lot of time reading and answering this stuff. I wait until my homework is done (A’s only) and I’ve taken care of all my other chores. Some grown-ups really just have to grow-up. There are way too many bad examples out there for us kids. Only the smart kids can see how silly grown-ups can be. Other’s just copy the bad examples.

If you need some ideas of some places that might be able to use the help of someone as smart as you seem to be, just let me know. I donate some spare time to a few charities in my town, and I know it would make you feel better inside than making some smart come-backs to a 12 year old.

Who maintains and through what proof that is credible, denounces that stirring courage was a cheap theatrical trick to divert the attentions of the pinstripes proponents. First of all why are we accepting the credencials of likes of Gary Thorne who’s checkered past is no paragon of virtue to hold out as the truth, and the allegations are at best frivolous, irresponsible, innuendo on the part of the Red Sox’s back-up catcher Doug Mirabelli? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Thorne

There will always be those detractors of great deeds and the inspiration of men that will seek to pervert the truth if only for their own evil joy of diminishing the spirit, and the heart that has alone the power to move mountains and arrive victorious over the enemy!

dirtysox

I used to love ESPN when I was a kid and teenager. One of my favorite shows was “Up Close” with Roy Firestone. It was later hosted by Chris Patrick and Gary Miller, but Firestone was the best host. This show used to air at 5pm EST which is now occupied by “Around The Horn.” Now, listen, I have watched this show and the show that follows it, “Pardon The Interruption.” However, I no longer watch these shows because all I see are a bunch of people shouting at each other, interrupting each other and parroting the mainstream sports media headlines.

I don’t know about you, Curt, but when I was a kid we were told that journalists had to get facts and proofread their stories before they got published. But lately I see the sports media make so many errors you’d think that Chuck Knoblauch was in charge. It’s not just the sports media, though. It’s all media. Most people in the media seem more concerned with being the first ones to publish the story instead of being accurate.

I know this story is old and dead, but I just wanted to give you my 2 cents, sir. I thought you handled it with class and Thorne at least apologized so kudos to Thorne for doing that.

“You can have the wood. I don’t really have much interest in religion anyway.”

Yet, with all due respect, you castigate Curt on that point in each of the comments I have seen.

If I were an unkind man, I would recognize that as hypocritical on your part. You have also pontificated extensively on how Curt should behave religiously and what political opinions he should hold. In fact you blow rather extensively, just not very well.

“Your man should just keep his trap shut and pitch.”

Why?

It is his blog. He has a right to an opinion just as you have. You are throwing your opinion around on HIS blog. Indeed, you have demonstrated an embarrassingly singular ignorance of the subject as kindly demonstrated to you.

So you have a right to blather on HIS blog, and he does not?

Curious. . . .

“Maybe you should too, but you probably catch.”

Is that a . . . Heavens to Betsy! A . . . “t3h gh3y slur?!!” [!--Ed.]

How deliciously unoriginal yet unexpected. When you descend to argumentum ad hominem you concede that you are both a hypocrite and a child.

To which I must renew my suggestion that you start your own blog. I am sure everyone here will rush to read it. Maybe Curt will come and post on it. You can devote reams of bandwidth denouncing how he does not live up to your intolerant yet ignorant religious ideology and facile political viewpoints.

Maybe he will be your friend.

That would be like, so sweet, kid.

You will be popular. The cool kids will stop making “t3h gh3y” jokes towards you.

–J.D.

What I find funny about the situation, is some members of the media jump on Schilling for his comments on Bonds–which I agree with–but have NOT retracted the veiled speculation on the damn sock. IF ANYONE has a right to “question the sock,” it is Yankees fans. They have the proper emotional investment. The rest are just hating. Yet, you do not see them doing that aside from the very few.

These media folks who ridicule his blog obviously do not read it, for they NEVER–to my knowledge–mention the NEGATIVE comments. These get all posted. Heck, someone used the “F-bomb” and THAT got posted.

If it is any consolation, “Worldsworstjew,” apparently there was “talk” about NOT having the WS ring ceremony when the Yankees came to play–according to relatives in Boston. To me, the best response would be for Yankees players to wear THEIR rings–they could have Jeter and A-Rod hold up Yogi’s hands with his TEN rings.

Instead, what did the “MFYs” do?

Rivera smiled when the crowd cheered.

The Yankees put their feet up and CLAPPED!

Class! We Red Sox fans do not want to put “class” and “Yankees” in the same sentence, but your team showed SERIOUS class. As did you.

I will leave you with a “gem” from Good Ol’ Yogi. I happened to watch his “ceremony” of the opening of his library I believe. Clemens was there and others. Anyways, one of the interviewers asked him if he was at least happy for the Red Sox for “finally” winning a WS.

His response?

“They could of waited another year.”

CLASS!! Be proud!

–J.D.