Bidge and the Splendid Splinter

As they reach the end of their stellar careers, conversations about whether Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell deserve Hall of Fame induction have been had on sports talk radio, in fine drinking establishments (and not-so-fine ones as well), and in places like this for some time.

Banjo Jones details the latest milestone reached by the Astros' sparkplug:

If Craig Biggio gets hit and killed by a bus after the game today in Cincinnati, he can go to his reward satisfied that he tied Ted Williams at #63 on the Major League Baseball all-time career hit list.

Biggio likely would have tied the record at home in Houston since Astros manager Phil Garner gave him the day off today, but Biggio was called on to pinch hit in the 7th inning and delivered a single. (That) gives him 2,654 base hits, which he's gathered during a 17-year career that likely will continue a year or two after this season. Williams played 19 seasons.

The fact Biggio started out as a catcher, moved to second base, then moved to the outfield and now has returned to second base only adds to his impressive hitting resume'.

Other names you might recognize on the all-time hit list that are within Biggio's reach are: Nellie Fox (who ended his career with Houston), 2,663 hits; Luis Aparicio, 2,677; Billy Williams, 2,711; Rusty Staub (who started his career with Houston), 2716; Lou Gehrig, 2,721, and Babe Ruth, 2,873.

He ought to be voted in on the first ballot.

Enron's "Smartest Guys"

are headed both for the courthouse and the cineplex this week.

Charles Kuffner has a take on the movie, "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" , which is having its Houston (and New York) debut this Friday.

And voir dire begins today in the trial of five former Enron Broadband officials. It's considered an opening act to the Big Show -- Lay and Skilling, center ring -- potentially on later this year.

I knew a handful of fellas who worked for Enron and Duke Energy and El Paso Energy during the go-go-days. They weren't the smartest guys in some rooms, but they most certainly thought they were, and that hubris made them the most arrogant guys in any room.

Very reminiscent of another group of megalomaniacs...

And maybe the best news of all...

is that we will have Tom DeLay to kick around for a while longer.

The coming week's focus will also be on Bill Frist's judicial jihad and the Social Security Baboozlepalooza and John Bolton and God knows what else.

This post seems to strike the right tone:

Personally, I'm getting a little tired of all this making fun of conservatives. When you think about it, they deserve a lot of respect.

First, they have to believe whatever the Bush administration or lesser congressional-type republicans tells them to believe. Yea sure, I know, that sounds like something any idiot could do, but those beliefs often change from day to day and often end up diametrically opposed to what they were the day before. It takes an incredibly agile mind to constantly change core values and beliefs without ever acknowledging the contradictions.

Next, they have to disbelieve absolutely whatever a certain other class of people believe. This includes democrats, independents, moderates, the educated, the scientists, the French, and just about everyone else in the world.

Then to top it all off, every piece of art or entertainment must conform to the daily beliefs, whatever they are, or it must be boycotted, burned, or banished (not stashed under the mattress, no, no, no).

And finally, they have to disbelieve, and disbelieve passionately, easily observable reality. Those people being tortured, they're not feeling any pain. South Park? Karl Rove couldn't have written it any better.

It's not easy being that fucking stupid. It really takes a lot of work. Show some respect, people.

Via Atrios.

I believe someone has already said it was 'hard work'...

Reporting from the NRA Convention:

My friend John Cobbaruvias making a statement about you-know-who yesterday.

Tom DeLay at the NRA yesterday

There's news from the MSM here and here, but the best report found so far is this one.

Both sides keep firing away. The most interesting news here is that the GOP in Sugar Land is quietly fishing for a primary opponent for the Bugman.

We're going to need more popcorn.

Update: This link (if registration is required then go to BugMeNot and get a User ID and password) will show you the report from last night's evening newscast of local CBS affiliate KHOU.

Too...much...ninnycon...

I just need to post something besides the latest stunt performed by the GOPrano goons, so...

-- Would you like to see some cool satellite photos of Area 51?

-- Those crazy madcap handicappers at Paddy Power have established German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as a 7/2 favorite to be elected Vicar of Christ. He's being challenged on the backstretch, though:

(...) France's Jean-Marie Lustiger has come from nowhere to join him at the top of the list. "Lustiger was at 20-1 two weeks ago but they've started betting for him in just the last three or four days," a spokesman at Paddy Power said.

Can you imagine how pissed the Bush Administration is going to be if there is a French Pope? More here.

And Jesus' General reports on the unholy alliance between the House Majority Leader and Mr. Wu of HBO's Deadwood.

It might be apropo to post now the epithet assorted Deadwoodians utter at least ten times per episode, but it won't be as funny if you don't have cable.

In the Comments, perhaps?