CC Sabathia officially gave up only one hit in the Brewers 7-0 win in Pittsburgh today against the Pirates. The Brewers are angry, believing the official scorer messed up, and that the hit credited to Pirate Andy LaRoche should have been an error charged to Sabathia, giving Sabathia a no-hitter.

Brewer Manager Ned Yost says it was an error. Pittsburgh Manager John Russell says it was a hit.

What does the guy who swung the bat, LaRoche have to say?

First, here’s how the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes the play in question:

“LaRoche squibbed a 2-2 slider -- off a check-swing -- to the left of the mound. Sabathia got there quickly and tried to barehand the ball but dropped it and never made a throw. Within seconds, (Official scorer Bob) Webb announced to the press box that it was a single. Webb's decision, which he explained right after the game, was that it would have taken an ‘above-ordinary’ play for Sabathia to get LaRoche.

‘The way the ball came off the bat, it was spinning, and it went to the left of the mound with a left-handed pitcher going to get it. It's a difficult play,’ Webb said. ‘The definition requires that standard effort is required, and that would have taken more than an ordinary effort. The runner was well down the line.’”

So you’d expect LaRoche to say he had a clean hit, right? Guess again. Once more, from the Pittsburgh paper:

“LaRoche, who saw a replay, said, ‘I'm sure they'll change it to an error. I mean, I obviously didn't hit it very hard, so it really doesn't deserve a hit.’”

Here’s the Pittsburgh paper’s story, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s coverage.

I’d be stunned if Major League Baseball changes the call. Bob Webb is Public Enemy #1 in Milwaukee.

Advocacy groups and the media stories about their causes often refer to “heightening awareness,” disseminating critical information to the public.

A great example is former Los Angeles Laker star Magic Johnson holding a news conference to tell the world he had contracted HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. Johnson’s stunning announcement was considered to be more than therapeutic. The fact that an athletic, wealthy, star celebrity could get this deadly virus put a name and face on the disease. The message was clear: If Magic can get it, so could anybody. More and more information flowed to the public whose interest in what was thought to be a white homosexual’s affliction increasingly grew.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin may have done more good than anybody realizes when she said yes to John McCain.

A figure cited by U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) and published on several websites is that 80% or more of the babies that test positive for Down syndrome are aborted. (Brownback has authored, along with Senator Ted Kennedy, the Prenatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act. The legislation would require that when an expectant mother receives the news that she is going to have a child with Down syndrome, Spina Bifida, or Cystic Fibrosis, the women receive up-to-date, scientific information about the life expectancy, clinical course, intellectual and functional development, and prenatal and postnatal treatment options for their child).

On April 18, 2008, Palin gave birth, one month before her due date, to Trig Paxson who weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces. Four days later, Palin announced her son had Down syndrome. She refused to abort her fifth child.

"Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed,” Palin said in a statement.





What Palin did was remarkable, choosing not to diminish the value of a baby that would confront learning disabilities. Most Americans didn’t know who Sarah Palin was in late April, but they certainly know her now. Palin’s life story is sure to be told over and over during the remainder of the Presidential campaign.

Future families faced with receiving the jolting news that their babies will have Down syndrome can now look to Palin for courage and inspiration. Abortion doesn’t have to be the answer.

Sarah Palin heightened awareness about the blessing a Down syndrome baby can mean and the joy it can bring to a family. Now thrust into the global spotlight, Palin and her decision not to say no could mean more and more babies will survive, no matter what happens in November. Compassionate Americans, no matter their party, should be grateful.

Here we go again.

As reported in May, certain restaurants in New York City must now, under a new law, post the number of calories for each item on their menu boards or face fines. Now, an entire state may impose the same requirement.

A bill approved by the California Legislature awaiting the signature of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would make the west Coast the state the first in the nation to require restaurants to display the calorie counts for each item on their menus and menu boards. The law would apply to chain restaurants that have 15 or more outlets. About 17,000 restaurants would be affected by the law that would take effect in 2011. Supporters believe restaurant patrons will make healthier choices if presented the calorie information.

A new study indicates 3 out of 5 Californians are either overweight or obese. Researchers from  the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley figure a menu-labeling law  will result in people losing weight. They calculate the weight loss after the law’s been in effect for a year would be about 2.7 pounds for adult fast-food customers.

The problem is that there is no way of knowing if people will reduce their intake of fattening menu items and exactly what their weight loss, if any would be. Supporters of the California legislation say the calorie counts in New York City are having a dramatic impact. But that evidence is primarily anecdotal. There’s no definitive study that clearly shows consumers armed with calorie counts makes them thinner. To get the data, a study would have to be done to find out what transpires after the law has actually been in effect for some time.

The American Journal of Public Health looked at 11 chains in New York City giving customers calorie counts. Subway was determined to have the most-easily seen information, making it handy for customers before they placed orders. Only 32% of Subway's customers said they saw the numbers, and of those, only 37% admitted the information affected what they purchased, or 12% of all Subway customers. Researchers determined the difference in calories between customers who saw the numbers and those that didn’t. Subway customers that saw the calorie counts ordered meals on average that had 52 less calories, a 7% reduction.

That tells me a menu-labeling requirement doesn’t work. Most customers aren’t seeing the information, not to mention the fact that a weight loss in a year of 2.7 pounds isn’t, I’m sorry, all that much. Some studies suggest only 15-20% actually pay attention to labels.

California’s restaurant industry prefers legislation proposed by Assembly member Nicole Parra (D-Hanford). It differs from the bill that calls for calorie counts on menus and menu boards by requiring the same information, but allowing restaurants to display it in several ways: menu or other writing at the point of sale, standard food item packaging, counter or table tent, tray liner, poster, brochure or other printed material, and/or electronic kiosk. The information must be available on the premises of the restaurant.

Will Governor Schwarzenegger sign the bill? Sure looks like it. Recently he signed a bill into law making California the first state to ban trans fats in restaurants.

Restaurant-goers are smart enough, I believe, to be able to discern if a menu item is loaded with calories. Government mandating that restaurants give this information, that will only increase their costs, and will probably not have a significant impact on eating habits, is just plain wrong.

My wife listens to smooth jazz station WJZX (106.9 FM) on her way to work every morning and morning host Ramsey Lewis, jazz legend. Each morning, Lewis has a brief segment on food and drink called, “Wining and Dining.”

Jennifer says that on a few occasions, a few days after one of my Culinary no-no postings, Lewis has discussed the same topics addressed in my blogs. He’s done it, according to Jennifer, at least twice: the moratorium on new fast food restaurants in Los Angeles and chocolate-covered bacon.

I’d be flattered if the legendary Ramsey Lewis or his staff was reading This Just In…

Of course, it’s entirely possible that great minds think alike.

But if Lewis is one of the many who read the ever-popular Culinary no-no, he’s definitely in with “The In Crowd.”

Courtesy of JibJab.

A compilation of photos that caught my eye the previous week.

  
The newly refurbished Louisiana Superdome - the stadium that symbolised New Orleans' suffering during Hurricane Katrina - was sealed off to stop people taking refuge there this time as Hurricane Gustav heads toward the city. (AFP)

 
A girl waits in line at the Greyhound Bus station in New Orleans. (AP)

A Christian boy Thomas Digal salvages belongings from his burnt home at Minia village, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) from the Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the eastern Indian state of Orissa. Thousands of Christian-run schools and colleges across India were closed Friday to protest recent Hindu mob attacks on churches and homes in eastern India that have left at least 11 people dead. (AP)

 
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama watches Senator Hillary Clinton deliver her speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Billings, Montana, August 26, 2008.  REUTERS/Jim Young





The DNC in Denver (NY Times photo)

 

A yelling protesters is reflected in the sunglasses of a law enforcement officer wearing a helmet and face shield during an activist rally that marched through downtown Denver, Colorado on Sunday, August 24, 2008. The Rocky Mountain News

A protestor dressed as the grim reaper holds a tally of American troops who have died in the Iraq war at the Democratic National Convention site in Denver. Democrats prepare to open their convention on Aug. 25. (Photo by Max Whittaker/Getty Images)

 
Police officers use pepper spray on a group of protesters during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. (AP)

Iraqi police remove a suicide vest from an Iraqi girl in Baquba in this handout photo from the Iraqi police taken August 24, 2008.REUTERS/Iraqi Police/Handout





Roy Woods, Taylor County State Emergency Response Team liason, surveys a 12-foot deep, 25-foot wide sinkhole in the front yard of a Worley Way residence in Perry, Fla., Saturday, Aug.23, 2008. The sinkhole formed this morning as Tropical Storm Fay made its way through Taylor County, Fla. Phil Sears/Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat via AP

Denver Post reader Steve Sernka photographed a tornado on August 24, 2008.





Derek Frazier, 8, left, Ethan Frazier, 6, Gavin Cuttler, 5, and Gabriel Cuttler, 5, right, get out of their car as their fathers' inspect the hail on the ground after two twisters touched down near Castle Rock on August 24, 2008. Noah Rabinowitz/ The Denver Post

 
Mandy Lotz (left) is rescued by B.J. Gleason after driving into standing water in Greensboro, North Carolina.(Rob Brown / Greensboro News & Record)

Lynn Dann laughs while having her picture taken with four dead alligators in the back of Jerry Flynn's truck in Sanford, Florida as her daughters Hayley and Lucy take pictures. They just flew in from England at Sanford International Airport and noticed the gators in the back of the truck and came to get a closer look. Jerry Flynn is a nuisance alligator trapper and had the four gators in the back of his truck trapping them in "places where they shouldn't be," like peoples yards. The gators are being found in the street and people's yards because of the heavy flooding from Tropical Storm Fay. (Orlando Sentinel)

 
An Egyptian bread vender rides his bicycle in a Cairo street, Egypt, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. The Egyptian government has already faced discontent this year, with a series of labor strikes and anger over shortages of subsidized bread, a staple of Egypt's largely impoverished population. Fights in long bread lines caused several deaths, and Mubarak had to order the military to sell its own bread production to the public. AP Photo/Amr Nabil

 
A one-day-old unnamed dolphin calf plays with its mother Dolly in the dolphinarium of Black sea's town of Varna, 280 miles east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. (AP)

A couple covered in tomato juice are pictured during the "Tomatina," a traditional festival where people throw tomatoes at each other, on August 27, 2008 in Bunol, some 300km east of Madrid. Tens of thousands of people from around the world hurled tons of ripe tomatoes at each other in the annual food fight.
Pablo Argente/AFP/Getty Images

This combination picture shows the Olympic flame before (L) and after it was extinghuished during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium August 24, 2008.(Dylan Martinez/Reuters)

Fireworks in the shape of the Olympic rings explode over the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 24, 2008.(Christina Hu/Reuters)

U.S. swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps greets the crowd during a handover party to watch the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on a screen outside Buckingham Palace in central London, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. The party celebrated London's becoming the Olympic host city with musicians and some 40,000 people.(AP Photo/Akira Suemori-Pool)

 
(Orlando Sentinel photo by Joe Burbank / August 29, 2008)
Eight-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps reacts to cheering guests as he makes his way down Main Street USA in a homecoming parade at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.






The downtown parade for the 105th aniversary of Harley-Davidson. Milwaukeee Journal Sentinel

 
Dave Kotowski, of Milwaukee, brings Sadie along Saturday morning while preparing to ride in the parade. Photo: Mary Jo Walicki, Journal Sentinel

Photo: Eric Nelson, Racine, WI

ack Orton, Journal Sentinel

As I post every Sunday, here are the top five most popular of my blog entries from the previous week:

1) Culinary no-no #'s 70, 71, 72 and 73

2) Elvis on top...again!

3) Photos of the Week (8/24/08)

4) Week-ends (8/23/08)

5) State Senator likens WMC to KKK

Hurricane Gustav…


a) is President Bush’s fault.

b) is Dick Cheney’s fault.

c) is the result of our taxes being too low.

d) is the result of too many tax breaks for the wealthy.

e) is the result of not enough social/government programs.

f) wouldn’t be happening if Al Gore was President.

g) All of the above

h) is an act of God.


If you answered h, you are a sensible individual.

If you answered a, b, c, d, e, f, any combination of a-f, or g, you are a hopeless liberal.

 



Stay tuned

My friend, ultra-liberal Joel McNally is famous for his preposterous stands and making ridiculous statements. The guy loves criminals, the more violent the better. He'd take a sex predator out to lunch if he could get an interview for his rag, the Shepherd Express. Taxes could never be high enough to meet his satisfaction. He hates the military but loves any social program that is a failure and wastes money.

He didn't disappoint this past Friday on InterCHANGE when he said John McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate was "insulting to women."

Insulting to women?

You see, in McNally's moonbat mind, he has a view that is shared by many liberals, that most women think like he does. Women are pro-choice and they want liberal judges on the bench and they abhor hunting and fishing and the they detest guns.

Keep saying it, Joel. Keep saying this choice is "insulting to women." I beg to differ. Is this the kind of person who's insulting to women? I dont think so.

Sarah Palin is all about family.





She's pro-life, mother of a Down syndrome baby.

She cares about our military.

She's into athletics and sports.

She's a former beauty queen.

And is that a Harely I see her with?






If you want to see Joel McNally insult women, you can see and hear his idiotic remarks when InterCHANGE is repeated at 11:00 this morning on Channel 10.

Can you believe it?

Citizens on the north side of Milwaukee had a worse winter than the people living on the south side.  It’s true. Just read your Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sunday (today).

The city of Milwaukee responded much more quickly to complaints about potholes on the south side than they did on the north side. Of course, the city departments and officials in charge of this order of business were fully aware of the discrepancies, but proceeded to favor one side of town over the other anyway.

Ladies and gentlemen, the race card has no boundaries. It can be played anywhere, anytime, anyhow.  The ugly card has now been tossed onto the table of politics in the debate over potholes.

South-siders in Milwaukee, you probably had more sunlight, less snow, higher temperatures, and better paved roads last winter, too. You know what this means, don’t you? Milwaukeeans on the south side, you are about to get screwed.

Residents of the north side, along with their representatives, aided by the bleeding heart Milwaukee Journal will play the race card right up until the first snowflake of next winter. Meanwhile, south side residents and their representatives will, frightened of rocking the boat, will clam up. There will be a concerted effort to make sure the north side’s winter woes are addressed firmly and immediately. There’s nothing wrong with that, mind you, just not at the expense of other areas of the city.

For years, police on the south side have been diverted to violent crime areas of the north side, leaving the south side vulnerable. When south side aldermen (Annette Scherbert) complained, guess what happened? You got it. Out came the race card.

Last winter pounded everyone, and all parts of the city suffered. It’s possible that some aldermen complained more often and louder on behalf of their constituents than others. As much as I’d like to avoid charges of racism on potholes, they’re almost inevitable. Because that’s what we do in Milwaukee.

Watch for an editorial from the bleeding hearts at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a piece from the paper’s race columnist, Eugene Kane who will be utterly aghast at these revelations.

And south siders, start preparing now for a looooooonnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggg winter in 2008-09.

SATURDAY, Aug. 30, 2008, 9:57 p.m.
By John Diedrich

Crowd well-behaved, no arrests

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department says the crowd at the Bruce Springsteen concert and all up and down the lakefront is incredibly well-behaved.

As of now, not a single arrest has been reported.

---jsonline.com

I have called the Democrat candidate for President by his first, last and middle name on this blog many times. I did it on InterCHANGE last night (Joel McNally didn’t appreciate that, but tough).

Apparently, it’s now OK because even the NY Times is calling the Obamamessiah by his full name.

The greatest speech in the history of mankind given by the most intelligent person God ever put on this planet sure got knocked off the front page in a hurry, didn’t it?

A look back at the people and events that made news the past week.
Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...


HEROES OF THE WEEK


Melissa Stockwell


For taking a stand, JoAn Karkos


Debra Bartoshevich. She epitomizes one of the many problems for Barack Obama.


The thousands of Harley-Davidson riders in town from all over the world!



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Charlene Hardin


Waukesha Municipal Judge Michael Cook


The city of Milwaukee


China Arnold


Angel Valodia Matos


California tribes don't want ANY competition



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin "stands up for what's right and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down.She's exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country this needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second."
John McCain


I am "just your average hockey mom in Alaska. The women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all."
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin


"My family, I think, was among the earliest to endorse Barack Obama. I’d say it happened about five minutes into the keynote speech he delivered four years ago. I have asked all my family members why they support Senator Obama so strongly, but no one said it better than my 7-year-old grandson, Asiah. He said: 'We need a president who will work hard for us.'"
Governor Doyle addressing the Democrat National Convention on Tuesday evening. 


"I'm just one voter. I was a Hillary Clinton Democrat, and I think people are going to have to make up their minds on what matters most to them."
Deb Bartoshevich, the former Clinton delegate from Waterford who is featured in a new McCain campaign ad. 


"I had my friends from Planned Parenthood give me a bunch of condoms because I feel I need to protect myself from John McCain as a woman."
U.S. Congresswoamn Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, in Denver criticizing McCain’s record on women’s issues.


"Who would you like to have in the White House at 3 a.m. if Russia decides to invade another country? No question it's John McCain."
Former Governor Tommy Thompson criticizing Barack Obama. Thompson said Doyle’s prediction that Obama would win Wisconsin in a walk was the result of “drinking some Kool-Aid that is not very relevant to this election.”


"I'm not going to vote for Obama. I'm not going to vote for McCain, either. We love her, (Hillary Clinton) but it's our vote if we don't trust him or don't like him."
Blanche Darley, 65, a Texas delegate for Clinton at the Democrat National Convention.  Darley wore a button saying "Obamination Scares the Hell Out of Me."


"Can we drill your brains?"
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a back and forth with protesters demanding domestic drilling.


"Those of us who have been clamoring for photo ID for voting have been blocked by Democrats who keep claiming such a requirement would disenfranchise the poor and the elderly. It is time to call their bluff. Produce six people who don’t have photo IDs. They don’t exist. They certainly don’t try to buy alcohol, fly, take out a library book, withdraw money from a bank, rent a movie, write a check at a grocery store, rent a car, take a cruise, take metal in for recycling, drive, pick up tickets at will call, buy cigarettes or get treated at the doctor’s office. About all you can do without an ID is breathe. Everyone has them - OK, you got me - there may be some poor soul in a coma. But they’re not supposed to vote."
WISN talk show host Mark Belling in his column in the Waukesha Freeman



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


Despite the fact that 22% of new voter records don't mesh, elections officials vote against voter penalties.



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


Sarah Palin on McCain's short list. No one saw it coming.



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


Will Barack Obama's speech at the DNC be the greatest of all-time? Please. The media's lovefest for the guy never ends.



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


Did you hear the one about the priests who wanted to have a beauty pageant for nuns?


Disposable diaper breaks fall and saves child's life


This alderman is a nutjob. Of course she is. She's from Madison.



REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.

Welcome to the final edition of Friday Night Live, our summer series looking back at old late night concert programs from the 70’s. The 70’s showcased pop stars in late-night hours on Friday, usually after Johnny Carson or some other post-10:00 news programming.  On NBC, it was the Midnight Special. On ABC, it was In Concert. Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert was a syndicated vehicle.

For the past three months, I’ve shared some of my favorite clips from those old shows. The 70’s saw popular music take all shapes and forms, but no style dominated and is more symbolic with the decade than disco. Everyone took a stab at it, even Sinatra.

Tonight on Friday Night Live, the toe-tapping, finger-snapping rhythmic funky beat of 70’s disco.

It’s hard to believe the group that gave us one the most popular wedding reception songs, “Celebration,” actually started as a jazz ensemble in the 60’s. Kool and the Gang had big hits in the 70’s, performed on the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever (They won a Grammy), and are still touring today.

Known almost as much for their sexually provocative album covers as their music, the Ohio Players were another horn-driven band that had a slew of hits in the 70's. Their album, "Honey" had a nude woman model feeding herself honey from a jar. The inside cover showed her covered with the sticky stuff. Rumors abounded at the time that the model was murdered duringthe recording of one of the album's tracks, "Love Rollercoaster." The rumor was false. The record was a hit.








They have sold over 100 million records. They have been nominated for Grammy Awards nine times and have won three. They have also won an American Music Award. The band has been in the business for 35 years.

KC & the Sunshine Band are just about everywhere. Their songs are in ads for General Motors, Burger King, Nestlé Toll House Cookies, K Mart, Old Navy, and Nick at Night. Their music has been featured in  over 75 movies such as Forrest Gump (Get Down Tonight); Boogie Nights (Boogie Shoes); Boys Don't Cry (Rock Your Baby), Rush Hour (Get Down Tonight); Carlito's Way (Rock Your Baby, Shake Your Booty & That's the Way I Like It). You hear their tunes at sporting events, in clubs, and at wedding receptions. And KC is a loyal Republican! That's something to shake about!