Senator Kay Bailey Hypocrite

Anna and Vince have done the research; just go read them.

Eric reminds us how Senator Perjury Technicality managed to avoid Ronnie Earle's long arm not so long ago.

We CAN get rid of this kind of crap without sending it to D.C., you know.

Starting in November, at the top of the ballot.

Anybody else missing Jeff Bagwell?

I'm enjoying the opening month of baseball season as much as always. Just seems to be a void.

When Baggy trotted out to receive his ring last week, the first thing I noticed was how small he had gotten -- his arms and shoulders were, well, shriveled compared to years past.

My wife was quick to point out that his ass hadn't gone down any.

Anyway, here's a pretty good article from former Astro reliever and current Tiger DL resident Todd Jones on closers, hitters, and their intro music:

Mariano Rivera has one. Billy Wagner does, too. The same one, in fact. Chipper Jones has one. Trevor Hoffman has the best one. I'm talking about intro songs. Music is everywhere in the big leagues, and why not? It gets the fans going, and the players dig it.

Don't think that heavy-metal song you hear when Chipper Jones comes to bat was just pulled out of a hat, either. Guys give their intro music more thought than I'd like to admit. Kevin Millar has been known to change songs -- quickly -- if he goes a series without any hits. Some guys get to know guys in bands, and they come out to their buddies' band's song. That's why Johnny Damon rocks to Sevendust when he comes to the plate.

Music also is a good way for old players to keep up with the young guys. The most popular music in big-league clubhouses has got to be rap. After a win, most teams have a set CD that's played in the clubhouse. As a rule, if you lose, no music.

For batting practice, the resident computer geek often is the one who burns CDs that combine several guys' favorites. Those CDs can get old quick, and when they're not changed from day to day, guys can come to know what time it is by what song is playing. If the lineup doesn't change and the B.P. groups stay the same, the same guy will end up hitting with the same song playing. It can get monotonous.

Few guys keep the same songs for their whole careers. If you play long enough, the song gets played out and you get sick of it. But there are some staples. Luis Gonzalez is a Collective Soul man. Todd Helton likes to hit to Disturbed. Chipper hits to Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." Rivera and Wagner enter to "Enter Sandman" by Metallica.

Hoffman sets the gold standard for intro music with AC/DC's "Hells Bells." It's worth a trip to Petco to hear. It's not just the song, either -- it's the scene. They take all the graphics off the video board until Trevor hits the door coming out of the bullpen. When he begins his slow jog to the mound, it's exclusively Trevor Time. Everyone in the park seems to be singing, and Trevor is oblivious to it.

What makes it so cool is that Trevor hardly ever blows a save. Let me assure you, that atmosphere provides a big advantage for him. Hitters are out before they get into the box. Matter of fact, Trevor is so recognized by "Hells Bells" that if it ever is played in another park, guys will say, "I didn't know Hoffman got traded."

Finally, when Adam Dunn is slumping, he has been known to come out to the chorus from a Toby Keith song that goes, "I Ain't As Good as I Once Was." Guys can be pretty creative.

Russ Feingold, Cindy Sheehan, Jim Hightower and David Van Os are all in Austin next week

Austin is the epicenter for Democratic and progressive activists next week.

David Van Os' "Citizens' Filibuster for a Fair and Constitutional Education" begins Monday April 17 at high noon for 24 hours straight on the Capitol grounds -- the same day that the Lege goes back into session for the fifth time (or is it the sixth?) in order to solve the pressing dilemma of funding public education in Texas.

You can catch Cindy Sheehan at the UT east mall (near the statue of MLK) between 11 and 12:15 on Monday the 17th for a rally with the Cameo anti-war folks.

And Senator Russ Feingold will have a listening session with CD-21 candidate John Courage at the UT Student Union Quadrangle on Tuesday, April 18 at 12:30 pm, and a rally beginning at 7:30 pm for Courage supporters at Jovita's, 1619 S. First Street, where Jim Hightower as well as Feingold and Courage will speak.

All these are open to the public and free of charge. I'll see you at all three events next week. Stop by and say hi to me.

Update: A correction to the "free" notice above... The evening rally with Feingold, Courage, and Hightower is a fundraiser, includes musical entertainment South Austin Jug Band, The Grassy Knoll Boys and Texas Youth Word Collective and costs $25.

Update II (4/13/06) : sonia in the comments notes Senator Barack Obama's event on Tuesday the 18th as well.

Victory is sweet.

Just returned from the parties for Barbara Radnofsky and Borris Miles, and I have to tell you, as sweet as March 7 was, tonight was even better.

Lyn and I were on the BAR live webcast tonight again, joined this time by Mrs. Diddie (it will be archived tomorrow for viewing; I'll update this post then) and even before it began, the AP had called the race for Barbara. So it's on to November, and some reckoning with Senator Perjury Technicality. Kay Bailey Rubberstamp hasn't had much in the way of a respectable challenger in her time in the Senate, but all that changes now.

As the webcast continued and Lyn got some returns fed into her Treo, we rushed over to the Sheraton by the Astrodome to party with the Miles crew and the rest of District 146's elated constituents. Borris had pulled ahead as the returns closed on the finish line, and within the ten o'clock hour Rep. Edwards conceded. When the Representative-elect finally made an appearance, he was something I haven't seen before: humbled. And a little bit awed by the incredible dedication and hard work of his supporters.

A special shout-out to my blog podnah Greg Wythe, who poured everything he had into this race and looked as worn out and happy as Borris' mother did. And there's a thousand others, and I hope their enthusiasm can carry over to all the other races we must win in November, from Chris Bell to BAR to my man David, and Hank Gilbert and Fred Head and Maria Luisa Alvarado (congratulations to her on her victory today as well) and Ellen Cohen and Kristi Thibaut and Hubert Vo and all the rest.

I salute Rep. Al Edwards for his 28 years of service to the district and the state of Texas. But I am thrilled that I will have a real Democrat representing me in Austin.

Ten thousand marched for justice in Houston today.

That's about ten thousand people who filled the streets of downtown H-town this afternoon to make a statement about justicia para todos, like the pledge says. Even I-45 ground to a standstill with cars trying to get to the march and cars stopping to watch. I saw the flags of the United States, Mexico, Pakistan, Palestine, Honduras, and El Salvador. I saw signs that said "Outlaw Ignorance" and "We're workers, not terrorists". I saw mariachis and Uncle Sam on stilts and Lady Liberty and palenta and taleta and chicharron vendors.

Here's a photo from Austin also worth sharing:

The Republicans are getting nauseous about the genie they've let out of the bottle, but the local conservatives remain angry and bitter. This is going to end badly for them, they know it, and it's only going to make them more insufferable to live with (as if that was imaginable).