William Shatner’s Monday Morning News

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Good Monday morning evening everyone!  Today happy 79th birthday wishes go out to the surprisingly youthful looking William Shatner.  Born in Montreal, Quebec in 1931, Shatner rose to fame in the late 1960s for his role as Captain James T. Kirk on the Star Trek television series.  When the show went off the air in 1969, the Canadian actor made the rounds on syndicated gameshows before he returned to the science fiction genre in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  Appearing in six films, Shatner is a sort of cult icon for his role as the Trek protagonist.  But without a major film appearance in over a dozen years, he is now widely recognized for his role as a witty legal partner in The Practice and Boston Legal or for his moderately annoying commercials for the discount travel website, Priceline.  Personal regonition notwithstanding, Shatner is an icon and one of the most widely endeared figures of the last two generations.

On to your Monday news fix-

1) On an historic night in Washington, the House of Representatives passed the controversial Health Care bill by a seven vote margin- completing one of the sweeping changes Barack Obama promised in 2008.  The passage could not have come soon enough.  Underinsurance is one of the most painful and emotionally testing problems facing average Americans.  As someone who did not have health insurance for nearly four years, I can attest to the concerns that arise from a financial inability to establish that safety net.  Despite many ridiculous claims, this is not “the first step toward socialism,” as that would have mandated purchasing government insurance.  Conversely, the plan is not immune to criticism- I am still unsure whether the absence of a public option will spark the market change to lower premiums through competitive pricing.  That said, now all Americans have access to health care regardless of medical history and that is a victory we should all applaud.

Give credit where its due

2) For the second time this Spring, new Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley was ejected from a game for arguing with umpires.  After the game, the former Chicago Cub told reporters that the confrontation was not his fault; rather the umpire should have just let him go.  The pattern here is obvious.  For the nuance impaired, Bradley continually blames everyone but himself despite the fact that he is the common denominator in the downfall for every team for which he has played.  I almost feel for Mariners fans.  They have the best 1-2 pitching punch in all of baseball, but will likely squander it because of the distraction that is Milton Bradley.  However, my Cubs have far too many concerns entering the 2010 season (Soriano’s knee, pitching, depth) for me to waste time on the team that consciously elected to take on the biggest whiner in the history of the game.

What a surprise, this guy has an anger problem

3) After a lengthy negotiation, Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer inked an 8 year- $184 million contract to stay in the Twin Cities.  The deal ensures that the Twins will have the best backstop in baseball for the foreseeable future and have a marquee player to highlight as they open Target Field next month.  No doubt, the All-Star catcher would earn the same amount, if not more, on the open market but there is some debate as to whether the club overpaid.  Mauer is a great player, but he plays a position that takes a massive physical toll- both from the squats and contact with other players and the ball.  Like Craig Biggio in the 1990s, Mauer will likely have to learn a new position to extend his career and maximize the value of his massive new deal.  Although the American League rules will protect the former number one pick- allowing him to DH if necessary- at some point I expect to see him take fielding drills at first base.

Yes we know, he is good

4) This week, the NFL owners will discuss potential rule changes that would end the current sudden death overtime format.  Under the proposed rule, each team would have one possession to score and if neither team successfully converts or if the game remains tied, then the sudden death format resumes.  The only exception to the rule is if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their first possession.  Depending on your perspective, the change is based on the fact that (1) the team that wins the coin toss wins 60% of overtime games or (2) brett favre lost his last two playoff games on opening possession field goals after throwing an interception at the end of regulation.  Although the Bears are a remarkable 11-3 in overtime games since the NFL instituted the extra session, I am all for the rule change.  It highlights what makes the sport great- touchdowns- while maintaining the sudden death element that avoids the insanity that the alternating possession universe of college football.  It should keep the game exciting and allow for more competitively satisfying overtimes.

Have a good Monday readers!

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