And the Winner is....

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain recently announced their running mates to much fanfare and discussion on the airwaves and internet.

I am not a political analyst or pundit, but I have a few thoughts.

First, it seems to me like there has been a stronger focus on VP running mate picks this year than in the past. I'm probably just remembering it all wrong, but if true it doesn't reflect well on the presidential candidates themselves. I am not impressed with either party's nods to the top political position of our country. I'm guessing there are a lot of people in the same boat with me. Therefore, it becomes paramount to select the right running mate.

On the Democratic side, I have to think that a selection of Hilary Clinton would have really ignited the base, would have signified the party unity that they all kept talking about during their convention. It would have married the old machine Democrats to the New Age Democrats in a way that would have sent sparks throughout the country.

But Obama had to be looking at Hilary as an upstage to himself, and Bill certainly would have been an issue if Obama makes it to the White House. Enter Joe Biden. I may be wrong, but I am assuming that Biden was someone else's choice for Obama. No problem there; both candidates have a bevy of advisors that they listen to.

Joe Biden offers Obama many things Obama doesn't have - experience, many years of experience, and more experience. Plus, I have to add that oft tossed about word: gravitas. That was certainly the reason the machine chose Lloyd Bentsen for Dukakis back in 88. Both Bentsen and Biden are considered elder statesmen of the party.

But Joe Biden doesn't excite, doesn't energize the base, much of which is weeping because Hilary wasn't chosen. I can't imagine that Biden was Obama's desired outcome. I have a tendency to think that someone sold Biden to Obama because the chemistry just doesn't seem to work to me.

On the other hand, McCain's advisors kept pushing Lieberman-McCain, Ridge-McCain, Romney-McCain tickets. In the end McCain selected Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska.

The acceptance speech Palin gave was electric. It was powerful for what she said and for what she didn't say. It was a positive message of reform and common sense.

I think the selection of Palin was a brilliant move for McCain. He was having difficulty attracting women voters, and this can only help instead of hinder. He was having difficulty with the Republican base because he is seen too much as a appeaser and ally to the Democratic side of the aisle.

Given that McCain's people were stumping for a different matchup for McCain, I can only assume that Palin WAS McCain's choice, politically strategic of course, but no less inspired. Sarah Palin, by all articles I've read to date, has had the effect of making those who would not vote for McCain look at him in a different light now. The base seems to be swinging back toward him.

I'm still not crazy about either choice for President, because that is ultimately what we are voting for. However, the VEEP choices have cast a new light on things and it will be very interesting to see what transpires in November. Get out and vote!

For Those Who Wait

I have an order in for a box of books (Of Trains and Other Things). As it has been taking a while for fulfillment, I contacted CreateSpace about the turnaround. Just received notice from them basically saying that they are backed up, and I'll get the books when I get them.

So, if you are waiting for a signed copy from me, please know that I've checked into it.

Thanks, Jeff

Of Trains and Other Things

Now available - Of Trains and Other Things.
My new book of short stories:

For more information: www.thejeffhowe.com

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An excerpt from A Forest in Forever, one of the stories in the book:

Just as we reached the door, my cell phone rang.
“Hold on a minute, Maggie,” I said. Speaking into the phone, “Yeah?”
“Dad!”
“Stevie?”
“Yeah, Dad. Just thought I’d call to see if you made it home okay.”
“Stevie, I’m just fine, thank you.”
“Is that music I hear playing?”
“Yeah, Stevie... listen, I’m with your mom right now. I’ll call you back later.”
There was a brief silence. “Dad?”
“Yeah, what?”
“Dad, Mom died three years ago.”
I sighed. “Don’t you think I know that Stevie?”
“So, what do you mean that you are with Mom?”
“I’ll try to explain it to you later, Stevie, OK? Goodbye.” I was getting a little impatient with this conversation.
“But, Da...” I turned off the phone, folded it shut and returned it to my belt.
Smiling at Maggie, I motioned to the door and said, “Shall we?”
“Love to,” she smiled back.
I opened the door. Then I picked her up and carried her into the cabin. She giggled like a teenager as I kicked the door closed behind us.

Facebook vs. MySpace

I have an account with both sites. I set them up as a way to promote books and reconnect with old college buds.

I used to prefer MySpace over Facebook, but I'm not so sure now.

Facebook is wonky - more so than MySpace. It takes a while to get used to its rhythms and methods. But both sites are fairly silly in their own right. MySpace continues to be a spam avenue for people posting porn sites. Facebook allows you to send virtual gifts to others (I haven't figured out the point of that yet). And I've run into people on both sites who've responded to my friend request with "Do we know each other?"

It's a funny thing to be on a networking site where people resist networking.

However, it's more difficult, it seems to me, to do this on MySpace. There seems to be more resistance to networking there than on Facebook. I've sent out oodles of friend invites on MySpace with few to no results (except for the occasional "Do we know each other?")

On Facebook, it seems to be less of an issue. Most people accept the invite and I've only had one questioner during the time I've been doing this.

I don't think all this social networking has really done a darn thing when it comes to book sales. I certainly haven't seen an increase because of it. But I'll keep on keeping on because there's definitely NO benefit in not doing it.

The Truth is Revealed

Let's face it.... this is really why beach volleyball is an olympic sport:



No mystery there!

ManRam vs. JayBay

The last second trade which sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles and delivered Jason Bay to Boston will go down in Sox history as one of the biggest. Certainly one of the top ten. Ramirez was an iconic figure in Boston, albeit a rather self-absorbed, self-centered, selfish and wacky one. Sort of like Tom Cruise with a bat.

It's already been touted as a top niner by the Boston Herald, so I must be right.

Anyway, the sweet irony to the whole situation is this:

In their respective debuts, Jason Bay scored both runs for the Red Sox which gave them a 2-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics and Manny Ramirez grounded into a double play in the bottom of the ninth to set the stage for Los Angeles' 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.

2-1.

On one team, the new guy was the difference-maker. On the other team, the new guy was the yawn-maker.

Manny had two hits in four at bats - neither of them productive.
Jason had one hit in five at bats, two walks and was hit by a pitch. His one hit was a triple, and he brought home the winning run on a Jed Lowrie infield single.

This isn't to infer that the debuts are some sort of harbinger of things to come. (Or are they?)

But look at it from this point of view. Manny bats clean up for the Dodgers, drives in no runs, gets no runs. Jason Bay bats fifth for the Sox, gets on with a walk in his first at bat, goes to third on a JD Drew double and comes home on a sac fly by Lowrie in the second inning. Then in the 12th, he hits a triple and is brought home, once again, by Lowrie, winning the game.

Teamwork. Pure and simple. Setting up scenarios to provide the opportunity for the team to score.

We will miss the Ramirez home run explosions - no doubt about that. But Jason Bay has returned a vital element to the Red Sox, the sense of team.

And it could make all the difference in the world.