Bush on Baseball....then think Iraq!
By John Amato Saturday Oct 06, 2007 7:45pm
"I made my arguments and went down in flames. History will prove me right," - Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush after voting against realignment and a new wild-card system during a Major League Baseball owners meeting in September 1993. Bush was the lone dissenter in a 27-1 vote.
Jerry Crasnick has more...
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this moran would if he could would wish for a brain stem!kevin allmighty
He traded Sammy Sosa too...
Why does he hate baseball so much?
Does this guy just scream "big L on the forehead"? I was rewatching the movie set in the depression era, They shoot horses, don't they? and Gig Young's character says to Jane Fonda's character: "I may not be able to spot a winner, but I sure can spot a loser." I think the same thing applies here.
His face makes me sick. It always did.
The only lesson he took from this is that it is much better when others make their arguments to you, then go down in flames. Being the decider is kick ass!
WHO is this History, and what has he got on him?
Also note the certainty. "History will prove me right". No humility whatsoever. Just plain, pig headed, I'm right, they are wrong, watch and see assholes!
Bush is the perfect Wrongway Righter; A loser to the Nth degree.
If I were fighting a war I'd want Bush leading the other guys!
Hell...no wonder America lost two wars at the same time! Wow.
I blame the citizens.
Little known fact during Dumbya's years as baseball owner: He sent the Rangers into Montreal because he suspected the Canadian's were hiding WMD in their dugout.
Sammy Sosa. . . 'nuf said.
LibertyLover @ 2:
leslie @ 11:
sorry LL,
I commented before reading the comments.
To be doomed, or not to be doomed: That is the question... after watching this video.
http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/4000
Truely scary and sickening video full of wrong and misguided people.
I opposed the wild card and expansion of divisions as well. I am not a fan of Bush and did not know he voted on that decision. I liked baseball better when there were two division winners from the East and West who played for the Pennant in each league. Baseball as we have seen it has been watered down with talent, team expansion to the extent that having four quality starting pitchers is so 1970s now.
Sportswriter Dave Zirin talks a lot about this in his writings as well. There are more reasons for loads of homeruns in baseball besides the steroids issue with the lack of good pitching being one of those reasons not to mention the new stadiums being built with closer lines to hit homers in.
The unfettered expansion of teams in sports kind of reminds me of unregulated capitalism. Pro Sports have declined in the age of expansion and new sports stadiums being built on the taxpayers dollars as in the case of the Texas Rangers while Bush was part owner.
Baseball was better when the two best teams from the National and American Leagues played one another for the World Series. The wild card may be good for public relations, TV, corporate sponsors, and revenue, but it has cheapened the game of baseball for all-time!
I still think he looks like Alfred E. Newman ..the guy from the cover of Mad Magazine.
show some titty george!
Is there anything this moron has been successful at in his life besides coke and alcohol?
I've never taken to the wild-card either, and confess in the late-90s I sorta respected Dubya for his stance.
While I've never been a Bud Selig supporter, I'd rather live with Selig as president and Dubya as baseball commish.
EMPY @ 8:
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert... Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandius, King of Kings,
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
If I had some writing talent I'd update the poem for Bush. Something to repeat any time uses the "history will prove me right" self delusion.
Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush? He only had a $600,000 stake with borrowed money and was given a 10% stake as a bonus for being George Bush Jr. right when daddy became President. He was such an owner he was not allowed to make any material actions without the express consent of real owner/partner Rusty Rose.
To paraphrase Paul Simon....GWB..."still dimwitted after all these years".
The Competent Neocons...
Iraq War - check
Multigenerational War on Terror
3800+ US Iraq War fatalities, 1000+ Afghanistan War, 1.5 million Innocent Iraqi deaths
Escaping justice for numerous domestic and International War crimes - check
Escaping impeachment - check
Enriched war machine - check
gutted Habeas Corpus - Check
rationalized torture - check
"Misplaced" Trillions (Sept 10th, 2001) and later Billions of dollars in Iraq - check
"Misplaced" weapons cache in Iraq - enabling "insurgency" to be well armed - check
Reestablished record breaking opium production in Afghanistan - check
Implemented Extraordinary Rendition and secret torture camps - check
Manipulated - Stole 2000 and 2004 elections - check
Lied about Iraqi WMD's - check
Lied about Jessica Lynch-Pat Tillman - check
Working on reigniting Russian-American Cold War (Russian bomber flights, etc) - check
Gutted independent officer corps - check
Christianization of the military - check
Massive expenditures for Star Wars, exotic non-lethal electromagetic Weapons, Internet cybercorps - check
Intimidation (or cooperation) of Media - check
Permanent military bases in Iraq - check
Passed Patriot Act after convenient Anthrax and Manchurian Sniper attacks - check
Passed Military Commissions Act - check
Massive debt to break government (and public) - check
Electronic surveillance - check
warrantless wiretaps and internet - check
First-rate mercenary force enriched and empowered - check
Blinding of America to Iranian nuclear program - check
Billions budgeted for favorable media coverage - Check
Billions budgeted to silence the shill-for-hire 501c3 Churches
Decimated New Orleans post-Katrina (dry-run for martial law) - check
Coopted Justice Department for 2008 election-rigging - check
Stacked Supreme Court with Neocons with a cake-walk confirmation - check
Turned over regulatory agencies to the wolves of industry (ex. Mining, Forestry) - check
Freed Scooter Libby with no political cost - check
Bankruptcy "reform" - check
No Child Left Behind and other Orwellian named govt initiatives- check
Garnered cooperation of Democrats to enable agenda - check
Unending blank checks from Congress - check
Convenient benefiting from a "New Pearl Harbor" - check
Pulled a sham Investigation on 9-11 over on the public for a paltry $15 million - check
Conning the American public that they are incompetent - mucho grande check
What more do you want to qualify them as a success? Most people think they are incompetent because they are operating according to a different game-plan, or paradigm, than the normal person. Normal people wouldn't operate at this level of corruption and genuine evil. These people are expert Machiavellian psychopaths (with a strong dose of Straussian Noble Lie telling) and to attempt to associate normal behaviors to them is an exercise in futility. By focusing on the Mouthpiece-in-Chief for the real elite power-structure that makes policy for this defacto enslaved nation - (do you really think you're Free as the Founders fought, bled, and died for?) you are diverted from noticing - and moving against - the men behind the curtain.
History will point to him when the worst criminal president is named. People in the future will damn him and all the enablers, including those who voted for him. And he may end up before an international tribunal for all his crimes.
Prabhata @ 23:
Now THAT is something Pelosi can pray for!!!!!!!
Does anyone remember Female Trouble starring the divine Divine? Remember when Dawn Davenport tells her daughter Taffy that she was "most definitely retarded and that the doctor even said so." I always play that scene out in my head with the marieantoinette-babs-hag and little george whenever I read another priceless gem from lil' george's black hole. I know "retarded" is not PC, but if the foo sh*ts you must wear it.
pickles @ 25:
Hahahaha........now be nice...George isn't retarded...he's "special"
barbara bush at birth on the street, dropped gw bush right on his head and then she stepped on the birthcord. gw started as a moron and has lived in a downward spiral always. this is one time an abortion would have been best for humanity.
CensoredFan @ 17:
More Shrub: "Rehab is for quitters."
Bob-in-Northern-Thailand @ 15:
stop insulting Alfred E. Newman
Yep, still further proof that GWB is intellectually challenged. He hasn't been able to really manage during his whole career, but there are still people who think he is smart. His demeanor is nothing more than a typical school bully, whom, by the way, usually had dumb hanger-ons also.
19 Thingfish....
right on.
Boosh Confirms: Iran Attack Imminent!
Bush says possible US Iran attack 'empty propaganda'
John Byrne and David Edwards
Published: Sunday October 7, 2007
In an interview with the Arab language broadcasting network al-Arabiya Friday, U.S. President George Bush called reports of a planned attack on Iran "empty propaganda" and "baseless gossip."
The al-Arabiya questioned asks Bush about reports in the Arabic press which have alleged the United States has detailed plans to strike military sites in Iran.
"There are some leaking to the press and particularly the Arabic press," the questioner asks. "Is it true that you've issued orders Mr President to your senior generals in the American military to prepare for a major and precise strike that could happen in the middle of January or February."
"Empty propaganda," Bush replied. "Ah, evidently there is a lot of gossip in parts of the country... the world, that's trying to scare people about me personally, my country, and what we stand for. That kind of gossip is just what it is. It's gossip. It's, uh, baseless gossip."
well. john must be feeling better tonite, as the evil empire staves off elimination and there were no signs of gnats anywhere in yankee stadium
here is reason number 152 why i hate selig
bush wanted to be baseball commish....selig got the votes instead
would bush have totally effed up baseball? probably...he was wrong about the wc
but no one wouldve died
I've hated realignment myself. I gotta agree with Georgie on that one. Although, "History will prove me right."??? This guy has a serious Napoleon Complex. Get him to a shrink right away!!
On baseball - The strike in the 80's, Giamatti's death and the owners playing with the commissioner's seat by leaving it vacant for too long, then installing Selig as Temp. Commish while doubling as a voting owner of the Brewers was a terrible, terrible time for pro-baseball and pro-sports. That Selig is still there makes the sport a non-entity. The MLB is rotting and has been for a long time. Each decision the owners and commissioners office makes steers it more along this path.
Once, a sport worth watching - now it is ignored with growing expressions of "Who really cares?"
CensoredFan @ 17:
No, not one thing, which Molly Ivans tried to tell all Americans in 2000. But, of course, Republicans don't read except for the Left Behind series.
The really sad thing is, he did all this crap in TX and then people still voted for him for prez.
kaT @ 35:
Twice. Some people must really be hanging their heads in shame. Or drooling alot. Or both.
Thing Fish @ 19:
I am a Shelley fan too Thingfish. A wonderful message for megalomaniacs everywhere.With regard to baseball I think George's opinion on the matter is entirely consistent with his attitude as expressed by the author of his recent biography (whose name , for the moment, escapes me). Apparently he has always preferred games and politics where power can be used to shift the rules in his favour. Win at all cost, fair play be damned. The new rules make it much harder, if not impossible, to buy a World Series. I am sure he would be against that on general principles.
kaT @ 35:
That's not sad--that's Texass.
Mr. XXXX @ 14:
baseball is a biz, and as a biz, its main goal is to make money
before the wc was instituted most teams were out of the running come late august, early sept.
that meant meaningless baseball for a month for most teams...which led to decreased revenue
with the wc...most teams stay in contention up to a week, sometimes up to the last day (this year, there was the possibility of a 4 team tie for the wc)
this has led to increased revenue and increased interest in the game.
you may cry about the watered down talent, but that has led to more parity among the clubs, so a club like the rox can spend 55mil and compete with a team like the yanks, who i believe are now at the 1 billion dollar mark in spending.
the fact is, the wc has been good for the game.
oh, and with the increased interest in the mlb, so too has there been an increase in interest and revenue for minor league clubs
baseball is still america's number one pasttime
any doubt at all that bush would try to eff that up too?
Long time lurker, first time commentor. I've been sitting on this for five years, but it's still a worthwhile link. The Beeb didn't catapult the propaganda too far, but at least someone over there made this a story.
You'll notice that this never, ever came up in the U.S., just sayin'.
basea ball been very good to dat asshola!
Indeed, Good thing is that the idiot left baseball for politics or he might have fucked up baseball completely.
Anyway, the start of the decline of the American Empire historically will be traced one day to the institution of the DH in the American League in 1973.
Please read "A Line in the Sand" at ;
http://willyloman.wordpress.com/
(shameless plug, I know, but I have no self respect. I am immune.)
Had I been an owner back then, that vote would have been 26-2. I am an arch reactionary where monkeying around with baseball is concerned. For example, it took 4 or 5 exciting playoff series for me to approve of the respective leagues having split into conferences in '69. It didn't take me nearly as long to acknowledge the 3 conference & wildcard arrangement was a good idea, though. I may have even approved by season's end, I can't recall. I do know that if it had been the law of the land a year or two before, the Giants would have made the playoffs. Instead, after winning 103 games, they went home because the Braves won 104 ("Damn you, Fred McGriff").
My contempt for the DH remains unadulterated. If MLB ever introduces cameras into the game, I'll probably write it off for good.
God -- was Bush's entire sum of life experience circa 1993 MANAGING A BASEBALL TEAM? REALLY? Jesus. Just seven years later this lightweight dimwit was on the verge of assuming the Presidency!!! I cannot believe more people didn't think this one through before pulling that lever in 2000!
jane @ 31:
Thanks. But just once I'd like to hear someone point this out to our fearless leader whenever he makes that idiotic "history will prove me right".
Peter G. @ 37:
More of a history buff myself. Always hurts my brain when some idiot rants like that. The "Great Man" theory behind history I view as crap.
Baseball; I got nothing. Except that the Phillies did what they do best. Make it to the playoffs and then lose. At least this time it was quick.
with goerge bush everbody in the republican party gets a piece of ass!!!ours
Thing Fish @ 19:
"Aye, ye may not fear the Pestilence
From fabled hell as by a charm withdrawn;
All power and faith must pass, since calmly hence
In pain and fire have unbelievers gone;
And ye must sadly turn awaym and moan
In secret, to his home each onr returning;
And tolong ages shall this hour be known,
And slowly shall its memory, ever burning,
Fill this dark light of things with an eternal morning.
The Revolt of Islam, chapter 29
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Actually even that baseball answer by Bush in '93 was disingenuous. The real reason Bush was against it was that the Rangers got stuck with all West Coast teams. That meant that the Rangers had to play more games out west than everyone else in the American League. This has always been considered a disadvantage because of the time change (jet lagged players). Another interesting parallel to today.
Thing Fish @ 46:
Yes indeed, the Great Man view of history has long been discredited. I am sure that George has come by his views independently as none of Carlyle's works were published in the Illustrated Classics comic book series .
Peter G. @ 50:
Just mentioned that theory seeing Bush's supporters still promot it: One of the most fascinating things about the course of human affairs, I think, is the enormous difference in potential directions life can take depending on discrete moments (which is why I do believe in the Great Man theory of history, btw). -- Jonah Goldberg.
motorfingaz @ 5:
It's that entitled/chimp/idiot/frat boy hybrid look that does it I think.
CensoredFan @ 17:
Warmongering, lying and deficit spending.
Ruthless People @ 53:
Don't forget the steroids!
BUT I DON"T WANT TO GO DOWN IN FLAMES WITH YOU BUSH!
bmw 528 @ 48:
Isn't that poem more about the excess of the French Revolution?
The steroid culture in baseball really started in the early 90's when Jose Canseco was a member of the Texas Rangers. This is when he started getting teamates involved (like Rafael Palmiero). This was all under Bush's watch.
Like Texas George has some idea about playoffs.
"We'll steal a World Series".
@Uncle Joe McCarthy: Damn Right. At this point, the Wild Card is the only hope for my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, to ever have a chance of winning a World Series again. And the Boston Red Sox wouldn't have won the World Series in 2004 if not for the Wild Card. Same goes for the 97 and 03 Marlins, the 2000 Yankees, the 2001 Diamondbacks, the 2002 Angels and on and on. In 2003, the Cubs wouldn't have even gone to the NLCS under the old format. Ultimately, looking back at this past decade, the Wild Card has been a great boost the sport needed for a long time. Sadly, the Pirates continue to suck it up in Pittsburgh in the best ballpark ever....
Jerry,
its a shame that pittsburgh has crooks for owners
by keeping attendance down, they stay a small market team and take a boatload in the shared revenue...and pocket it.
the idea that baseball shouldnt be touched and was a pure sport is a myth
from almost day one, they have tinkered with the sport
the worst thing to happen to baseball was the dh...but the best thing is the wc
Uncle Joe, Yeah, it's a damn shame with those owners. I'm hoping with that idiot GM who wrecked the team gone and new management in place; they can work around the owner and put a winner on the field like others have in Oakland and Minnesota. But I'm skeptical about the new guys at this point.
I hate the DH. Whenever I'm watching an AL game, which isn't often, I have a hard time telling where in the batting order they are because the pitcher never hits. It just bugs me a lot. It seems kinda like cheating a bit.
But yeah, baseball isn't pure. It's a sport. Things changed and will continue to change for years to come. That's part of what progress is all about.
Cubs in '08... Hey, we won last '08!
Speaking as a ROCKIES fan, thank god for the wild card. Speaking as Bush hater, yeah right Mr. Decider, Mr Side Supplier, Mr.--oh well you get the picture.
Wow, Bush gets it wrong once again. I guess he was too busy picking his nose at the game. http://www.ifilm.com/video/960813
Always the loser, always has been and always will be. W, you're pathetic and you're a piece of crap. Step down already and take Cheney with you.
Proving yet again, that he always was an idiot, he's an idiot now and he'll die an idiot.
History will remember him as the President who TORTURED.
Along with a multitude of other WAR CRIMES.
His legacy? It's toast
He's WAR CRIMINAL. He'll be reviled forever.
*
As long as he gives fiscal conservatives tax cuts, then he's prolly right. They will hold in in high regard. We think hes bad cuz we have too much criteron, conservatives got their tax cuts and are happy.
whizkid @ 58:
Why not? He and his cronies stole land ostensibly for the Rangers stadium from the rightful property owners. I remember. I lived in Arlington at the time. People were outraged, for all the good it did.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A98311
Excerpt:
"It's a little disheartening that it takes a meltdown of Wall Street," says Robert Bryce, "before the mainstream press considers how the big corporate and political players abuse common property holders." A former Chronicle reporter, Bryce broke the story of the Rangers' abuse of eminent domain in May of 1997, first in The Texas Observer and then here. He calls the deal "the quintessential example of crony capitalism. Bush and his cronies, very purposefully and in a very organized fashion, used (Arlington's) power of eminent domain to seize land that they wanted for development that had nothing to do with the stadium itself."
the truth is do we even care anymore to that dumbass nut presnut talking points. Obviously he only have a one track mind a symptoms of psychosis usually people don't weigh anymore to what this asshole say. History will prove that America is truly an isolationist country. By voting for someone like him twice. I don't know if there is an ally left who trust our views and value after him. Even if he was allowed to finished his term in office he should never be left off the hook. And the democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid should pay with their career on election period the same way those remaining repugnant in office who always sided with this loco-poor-simulation-of-a-president-of-a-"free"-world-country.
Well supposedly they were also going to try to equalize things so other teams besides the Yankees could win the World Series. Of course the Yankees have made the playoffs for how many years in a row now?
I ponder if George W. Bush has been right about anything ... ever.
phlounder @ 10:
Never underestimate how crafty we Canadians can be. (We're secretly plotting to take over the world, with the help of Dr. Evil.)
All I know about baseball is it is very boring. Did he do bad? Is that the point of this post?
For all you elitists who liked the old system I would ask, are you happy that the Yankees won umpteen World Series during the 30's,40's, 50's and 60's? Thank god for expansion. It is exciting to watch Baseball now and know that any one of 10 or 12 teams can still make it to the World Series in mid September. In addition..................GO ROCKIES!!!!!
this clown couldn't predict 6:00 @ 5:45
Amazing. The lone "no" vote and the arrogant decider thought he was right. He truly is not smart enough to understand he is an idiot. This is the problem with the wealthy. They coddle and spoil their children, send them to the best schools, and convince them of their superiority over others when in reality sometimes they are a complete utter dunce. And they will never know this.
I like the idea that Selig would make a better President than Dubya. Heck, my pet cat would make a better Prez !
considering how history has so far proven the boy king to be a looser (oil business and baseball business) it is a wonder to me why he still uses the "history" will judge line.
And the cheques for box seats for Enron weasals arrived after the company had imploded.
The 1 great thing W. Bush has accomplished is exposing how many ignorant gullible morons the USA is filled with and hopefully educating most of them for the future.
"History will prove me right". Still waiting, aren't you george?
Virtually every decision you have made, from going AWOL, to your agreeing to a fascist coup on the American government, to 911, to the Iraqi occupation, to Katrina, to torture, to the mass murder and genocide of Muslims, has been wrong.
You have been, and are still, an abject failure.
Brian @ 71:
"I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that." --George W. Bush, on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as quoted by the Sun newspaper, June 27, 2007
CensoredFan @ 17:
He failed to O.D. or drink himself to death, and history will prove that we're ALL worse off for that.
Do the words "abject failure" come to mind here?
When a man stands alone, that usually means a man of principle and integrity, and a lot of the time, they're proven right years later. EXCEPT BUSH. He is completely wrong on EVERYTHING. This man missed his calling, whatever it was.
As someone earlier mentioned, he traded Sammy Sosa too.
History proved that you consistently go down in flames, that you are always sure that you are right, and that you are always wrong.
I only wish that every time you go down in flames you would not take anyone else with you.
I hope to read about you someday when you are a defendant in a war crimes tribunal. I will enjoy seeing you go down in flames on that occasion. No matter what punishment is meted out to you, though, it will not be enough to satisfy what you deserve.
Is Bush broadcasting this crap from a bunker in Berlin?
"Always sure seldom correct" is a standard barb one usually shoots across the bow of a moronic blowhard like George II. My problem is I can't think of anything he was correct on. Can anyone think of a single thing he has been correct on? Hasn't the decider already decided to attack Iran and leave the rest to history? Isn't what he is saying a repeat of that sick line from the Crusades: "Kill all of them and let god sort it out".
unfrozencaveman @ 49:
Boston didn't seem too "disadvantaged"
tyree @ 1:
Are you sure it's not you.... that is the "Moran".
Jackass.
RockSites
[...] More info: here [...]
Lets not forget Boosh named the Rangers new stadium "The Ballpark at Arlington" - guess he didn't want to forget where it was...
Three divisions and the wild card are evil - evil.
Gads, I can't believe that there is something I agree with the Idiot in Charge.
I think Bushie was right about the wild-card playoff system. It might have been the one thing he's been right about in his wasted life.
But, how ironic! The new system was designed for television, i.e., to keep baseball on the air throughout the month of October. Extra rounds of playoffs (as with basketball and hockey) give more teams a chance, so that more fans will watch. The fact that the product was diluted didn't matter. Of all people, the last guy you'd expect to oppose baseball teams making money at the expense of the game's integrity was George W. Bush...the archetypical toady toward Corporate America. Amazing.
James @ 9:
Even a broken clock is right twice a day... but not "Dumbya"! This genius is wrong all 24 hours a day, and seven days a week! He declares his favorite baseball player to be Raffy Palmeiro, so what happens? Palmeiro ends up being the most disgraced! Out of hundreds of BB players in the steroid era, George W's declared favorite turns out to be the one who most blatently takes steroids and lies to Congress about it.
This President's penchant for stupidity is nothing short of breathtaking!
John @ 3:
Because baseball is part of America.
The real question is:
Why does GW Bush hate America?
Bush on Baseball... then think Iraq!
[...]?I made my arguments and went down in flames. History will prove me right,? - Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush after voting against realignment and a new wild-card system during a Major League Baseball owners meeting in September 1993. Bush was ...
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