The Brave vs. the Bold

A pumped-up giant (some would say ogre), Barry Bonds meets his match in the consistency of Atlanta pitcher John Smoltz. Incredibly, though Smoltz has allowed more homers against Bonds than any other pitcher, he has shown he can control the ball enough to keep the homerun king at bay in the homestretch. Bonds is still short of Hank Aaron's record, but Smoltz does not intentionally walk him as many others do.

I like that, though I have come to dislike baseball as a whole. The use of steroids has changed the game. It not only spoiled the results of the single season home-run race, it has spoiled the all-time home-run race as well. Just as there should be an asterick next to Roger Maris's old record (broke in a spectacular race by Mark McGuire against Sammy Sosa and then by Bonds three short years later), Hank Aaron's record will also be overshadowed in controversy.

Will Smoltz intentially walk Bond at his attempt at number 755 and/or 756? I think he will pitch as usual. But then, I don't follow baseball anymore.

Ironically, the New York Times article about this match-up has an html entitled "25Bonds.html"
This is strange, unless the bias of the sports writer is against the Braves or something. It sort of shadows the

Leviticus 4:11!

A rather interesting curse, or empty swearing, is the expletive Holy S---. Not quite using God's name in vain, and using a vulgar word for a natural fact of animal life, it brings to mind instructions in the Torah concerning what to do with the left over stuff not burnt on the offer -- take it outside and burn it!

Well, I think saying "Leviticus 4:11" would be a clever way to express one's wonder at some incongruence. Those with a sense of humor would "get it" once they ran to their copy of the Scriptures.

Such was my thought when I read the editorial in the New York Times that explained the little island they dubbed "Little America" near Haiti. A "postage stamp" of land off the coast of Haiti is being claimed by Haiti and the USA. And it is literally a pile of dung! A guano island, first claimed by an American sea captain 150 years ago as a source of fertilizer, Navassa will not support human life, though it supports over 650 other forms of life. Haiti claims it, but we did not recognize them when they made the claim. What a picture of vanity!