Aug. 9 - another bad day

Sorry for all of the inactivity - we just returned from Seattle the day before yesterday, and yesterday I want to a Dave Matthews Band concert, so I'm getting back on track. I just finished two books, and the political world never sleeps, so I've got plenty on the way, believe me.

In the meantime, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on another crazy day in history. Since I read a lot about history, two pretty big things happened on this date that I was not around to witness, and one from the world of sports that I do remember, and I'll never forget.

I suppose I'll go in chronological order, since it's tough to pick between the first two:

Sixty-two years ago today, the U.S. dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. It barely gets a mention in the U.S. media, but in Japan, it's observed each and every year. Since the number of survivors from both atomic bombings are shrinking by the year, observing the anniversaries of the atomic bombings takes on added importance in Japan (and it should in the U.S.). The photo above is often misidentified as being the Hiroshima bomb cloud, but it is in fact from the Nagasaki blast.

Above, people carry the head part of Virgin Mary image on Papal See in Nagasaki earlier today. The head part of the image was found amid debris of Urakami Cathedral in the suburbs of Nagasaki about two months after the bombing.

Above, people attend a ceremony held in front of the Statue of Peace at Nagasaki Peace Park earlier today. Nagasaki marked the 62nd anniversary of the world's second, and so far the last, atomic bomb attack with a somber ceremony and calls for the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide. If I live another 50 years, I pray that I never live to see the horror of another nuclear weapon detonation on people. It's a realistic fear that we may indeed see one though, and in America.

Above, this photo from video, from HBO, shows atomic bomb survivor Etsuko Nagano holding a picture of herself as a child in Nagasaki, Japan, during the making in 2005 of the HBO documentary film White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Filmmaker Steven Okazaki interviewed 14 survivors for the film, which premiered on HBO on Monday, Aug. 6, 62 years after the U.S. detonated the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

This weekend I'm going to watch the HBO film, and I'll bring you my thoughts on it. Here's a short clip from the film...

Today's probably the single biggest day in history that gave us the media coverage and political system we have today. (And, an annoyance - the reason we have "-gate" as a suffix to any political scandal of note.)

Thirty-three years ago today, President Nixon resigned in disgrace for abusing his power, attempting to subvert the Constitution, and thinking he was above the law. Sound familiar? It should.

Anyone who lived through Watergate can never forget Nixon's hubris to the very end of his presidency and beyond. I was three years old on August 9, 1974, so I don't remember, but the subject has always been one of fascination with me, and probably always will be, as long as good books continue to be churned out about he Nixon presidency. (And that's showing no signs of slowing down.) Above, Nixon does his ridiculous victory wave before he boards Marine One for his trip into exile in San Clemente, California.

Tell me if you notice the difference...

Between this...

...and this.

Nixon's resignation didn't hurt the country then, and Bush's impeachment wouldn't hurt the country now. Nixon more than deserved his fate, and the Bush presidency deserves a similar ending - impeachment. He'd never resign, and it looks like the Democrats are allowing Bush to get away with the many, many subversions of the law over the last nearly seven years.

Compared to the other two, the Wayne Gretzky trade pales in comparison, but it was my worst day ever as a sports fan - when the defending Stanley Cup Champion Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings on this day 19 years ago in 1988. I would argue that it is right up there with the trade that brought Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees as one of the worst sports trades in the history of professional sports. This trade was that huge.

The entire nation of Canada, where hockey is the first, second and third biggest sport, was outraged. I still remember where I was and who told me - my friend Brian called me up and said, "Hey man, Gretzky just got traded." I didn't even believe him - I thought he was kidding. I turned on the TV, and for one of the few times since I was a little kid, I sat down and cried over sports. (I also did when Gretz played his last game as a Ranger in 1999 when he retired.)

The Oilers' Cup victory in 1990 eased the pain a little, but it's difficult not to wonder how many Cups the Oilers could have won had #99 not been traded. It's almost too painful to contemplate. I'm guessing the team could have won at least 2-3 more championships above the five it won from 1984-1990, but we'll never know.

August 9 - not a fun date when I think about it.

Top photo AP file photo
Second & third photos AP/Kyodo News
Fourth photo AP/HBO

Sunday Cartoons

Here's the best of the best I found this week in political cartoons. I'm waaay behind on writing, but I'll get back to it tonight. You'll see how I've been spending all of my spare time very shortly.

I'd like to know just what Hillary Clinton was thinking?!? A Celine Dion song? It's not exactly her husband's Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow by Fleetwood Mac, that's for sure. With a Celine Dion song, I can't stop thinking about yesterday. Yeesh.

Speaks for itself. Bonds is a disgrace, and pretty soon, so will Major League Baseball's most hallowed record. Just another reason that football and hockey are superior. The last time I checked, Emmitt Smith and Wayne Gretzky weren't juiced, and they both hold arguably the most esteemed records in their respective sports.

Oil honors best-ever leader in team sports

This is the last Oilers Stanley Cup Championship, from 1990. Looking at this picture and a much younger Mark Messier makes me feel a bit older. And I felt a lot older the other night when the Oilers retired #11 in a great ceremony at Rexall Place. Watching the montage of video clips from those great Oiler teams in the 1980s really brought back many memories. It seems so far away now.

I still remember where I was when the Oilers won their first Stanley Cup in 1984 - in my living room, really excited that they finally managed to beat the Islanders. and I remember the team's last Stanley Cup, after they beat the Boston Bruins. I heard the news on on the radio, and I watched a tape of the game the next day. (At the time, the NHL decided to broadcast its games on SportsChannel America, which was in about 10 homes at the time.) And I remember where I was when I heard the news that the Oilers had traded Mess. I'd heard rumors, but I didn't think the team would really do it.

Anyway, it sure was great to see, in many ways, my favorite hockey player ever back in Oiler blue the other night. The pictures really are quite cool.

Love this shot.

Some say that it's inappropriate for players to handle the Stanley Cup in retirement ceremonies like this. I say hogwash. It should be judged on a case-by-case basis, but Messier has his name on the Stanley Cup six times, and is the only man ever to captain two Stanley Cup winning teams. He's earned the right to appear with the Cup when his number is retired.

I love this shot, and notice how he's holding the Cup - not like players do when they win the Cup and parade around the ice. I know, it's subtle, but I did notice it. For instance, look at how Messier holds the Cup in the top picture, taken immediately after the Oilers beat the Boston Bruins to win the Cup in 1990, and how he holds it above.

This is the last time I will ever see Messier with the Cup in this uniform on Edmonton ice. It was a special moment I'll never forget.

The greatest leader in the history of team sports alternated from smiling from ear to ear to...

...being an emotional, sobbing man, humbled by the Oilers raising his number to the rafters to hang with other Oiler greats. Messier has always worn his heart on his sleeve, so this was anything but unexpected. He was a giant on and off the ice, and I miss him as a player more than I can describe here. Anyone still want to say that real men don't cry? Yea right.

It was great to see the old Oilers in attendance to congratulate Mess, including Wayne Gretzky (left), and to the right of Mess, from left to right: Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr and Jari Kurri, all of whom have their numbers retired by the Oilers as well. The Oilers kept it classy and formal, too - Messier was the only former Oiler who was wearing a jersey, instead of a greeting line of former players all wearing their old jerseys.

The Oilers also considered the fans during the ceremony, too; Messier made several laps around the ice and greeted many fans to pay homage to his 12 years in Edmonton. My favorite part was when he held up the Oilers crest on the front of his jersey and so proudly showed it to the crowd. To many/most hockey fans, he'll always be a New York Ranger, the man who ended the crazy-long Stanley Cup drought on Broadway. No doubt that cemented his reputation as a legend, but he'll always be an Oiler to me. Hey, he won five out of his six Stanley Cups up north, so it's a fair argument.

Finally, the night concluded with Messier holding his son, while watching what we'd all been waiting for...

..his #11 being raised to the rafters. He is the only Oiler in team history to wear #11, and now, no one else ever will.

Those days are long gone, but I can't help but wonder how many Stanley Cups the Oilers would have won had they not traded Gretzky and Messier. Seven? Eight? We'll never know, but the number surely would have been higher than the five the team did win.

I feel a little bit older today, and a lot sadder, realizing that the glory days of the Oilers are long gone. The way the team is progressing, it may be a long time before I see another Stanley Cup in the best hockey city in the NHL. Maybe not, but it's hard to be optimistic right now after the Ryan Smyth trade. It's a young, talented team, but the team has to mature with the right mix of players at the right time. Losing Smyth will really hurt this team down the road.

Photos from AP

Thank God for All-Star Weekend

This picture is a microcosm of the Oilers season thus far. It's as if the team hasn't been able to shake off the shock and disappointment of last June, when within the span of seven days, they lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and arguably the best defenseman in the game, Chris Pronger, who requested a trade 10 months after signing a four-year deal, and only a few days after the Cup Finals. That was not a fun week to be an Oilers fan, let me tell you.

Edmonton's season started out well enough - at different times, the Oilers were 6-2, and then 16-10-2, but since mid-December, this team has been in free fall. They got shut out against the Flames yesterday, 4-0, to drop to 23-21-4. Yikes.

The good news is that the team is only three points out of 8th in the Western Conference, but the Oilers now know how difficult of a road it is to win the Stanley Cup as the eighth seed. In fact, it's the toughest road to the Cup, and no eight seed has ever won the Cup, but last year's Oilers were the closest.

The first order of business after the All-Star break is for Oilers GM Kevin Lowe to pull off a trade for a top-flight defenseman. It's a must - this defense is just not getting it done, no matter how they want to spin it.

Thank God for G Dwayne Roloson, who has really had a great year, although his stats don't show it. But, he's being hung out to dry on many nights as the defense in front of him has all but crumbled.

It's not like I was expecting a Stanley Cup parade along the Blue Mile this year, but after coming within 60 minutes of sipping from the Cup, I expected Edmonton to at least be in a comfortable position to make the playoffs.

So, as usual, my favorite sports team on the planet will have drama and go right down to the gun as far as making the playoffs. Missing the postseason this year would be a disaster for the Oilers, so I don't even want to think about it.

In the meantime, I'll be treated to a special night on February 27, when the Oilers raise #11 to the rafters - the jersey of their former captain and warrior, Mark Messier (Above, that's Messier hoisting the Cup, in May 1991, after the Oilers beat the Boston Bruins in five games to win their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years. It's my favorite Cup win by the Oilers - so awesome and so sweet, especially after the team traded Wayne Gretzky. I love Messier and that Cup win so much, I have the exact authentic jersey that Mess is wearing here.)

In many ways, The Messiah is my favorite hockey player of all time, but my overall favorite player is (surprise) Wayne Gretzky. But, I can't wait for the pregame pomp to honor Mess, the greatest captain in the history of team sports. I won't keep going on and on about Messier - I'll do that later on, when they raise his #11 to the rafters. I can't wait to see it. So, if the season goes in the tank (and it had better not), at least there's that little gem to look forward to watching.

##

There's talk in Edmonton of a new barn for the Oilers, or retrofitting the ancient Rexall Place, where the Oilers play. The sentimental fan in me wants them to stay put, but the owners, players, coaches and fans deserve a first-class facility, and they are not playing in that now. So, stay tuned on that one.

I've vowed for years to get up to Edmonton to see the Oilers play a three-game set, and I'm renewing that vow now, especially if the city of Edmonton inks a deal to give the team a new playpen. I must get into Rexall Place, to "feel" all of that history and to see where four of those five Stanley Cups were won before it's too late.

One other quick hockey thought - things could be worse -- at least I'm not a Flyers fan. Man, does this team suck. I mean, they reeeeeeeeealllllllllllllly suck. I haven't seen a Flyers team this bad since this early '90s, before they got Eric Lindros. Not only will the team not make the playoffs, but Philly sports the worst record in the NHL, and they are in line to get the first overall pick in the draft. But, that's not much solace to Philadephians, who take their hockey pretty seriously, and the city's championship drought even more seriously.

I'm not too big into All-Star games - I usually catch the NHL's version of it if I'm around. (Actually, for the last decade, I've mostly worked on weekends, so this year it'll feel weird to have the opportunity to watch it.) But, I must say, I've never been happier to see hockey's All-Star Weekend arrive. The Oilers are banged up, big time.

So, I hope Edmonton gets healthy - right now, Jarret Stoll, Ethan Moreau and Ales Hemsky are just a few of the key players who are banged up. They are all needed for the stretch run.

It's unthinkable after last year that Edmonton could miss the playoffs. I hope this year I don't have to experience what that's like.

Go Oilers !!

Oil boils for 6!

What a night for my hockey team. Edmonton may very well start a new TV series this season - The NHL's I Love the 80's, because the Oilers certainly looked like the 80's version of the franchise, when they would just try to outscore opponents with lots of offense.

What a stunner this game was.

Edmonton goes up 1-0. Okay, cool, I thought. It's always good to get the first goal in your own barn - it gets the crowd excited and revs up the players.

About 25 minutes of hockey time later, the Oilers were down 4-1 on the heels of Jonathan Cheecho's natural hat trick and four unanswered goals by the Sharks. Oh Christ, I thought- not a good week; first the Cowboys, now the Oilers.

But, I'm glad I stuck with the game while I did my work. Five Edmonton unanswered goals later, the Oilers Ryan Smyth (above, scoring his first of the night) snagged a natural hat trick of his own, scoring three in a span of 2:01, breaking Wayne Gretzky's previous team record by 17 seconds. Now that's a good night.

Of particular note is goal number six tonight by the Oilers. The New NHL made it possible - under the old rules, the play would have been a two-line pass, but that rule was eliminated before last season. Ya gotta just love Ales Hemsky comin' out of the box, homerun pass on his tape... SCORE!

I think tonight's game will be a reflection of this year's Oilers, but I hope not all season. The young defense will suffer lapses, but with an obscenely deep group of forwards, this team can flash hot, in a hurry. But, I'm sure Head Coach Craig MacTavish would rather have the team play a little more defense. It didn't help either team that the refs were panting from blowing their whistles tonight from calling a very tight game for a total of 15 penalties.

There's 79 more games to go, but I don't know if my heart can take it.

Pronger who? Joffrey Lupul, who came to Edmonton in the Pronger deal, got his second of the season tonight. So far, so good.

Go Oilers!