TGIF!!!

Mother nature messed with yesterday's quarterfinal schedule for the PIAA baseball and softball playoffs. 11 games around the state were cancelled or suspended due to rainy weather yesterday. In the games that did get in, Bellefonte's softball team beat Baldwin 1-0 and will take on Shaler Monday. In AAA baseball, Peters Township beat District 6 Indian Valley 9-7 and will face Kiski Area Monday. Kiski continued its dream season by beating North Allegheny 9-4. The postponed games will be made up today and tomorrow, so the semifinals will still go on as scheduled for Monday.

Mario Lemieux basically told local politicians to shove off yesterday during a press conference at his annual charity golf tournament. I don't blame him, the Pirates and Steelers got there new parks, why can't the Pens? In case you've forgotten, Mario is part of the last professional championship that was brought to this so-called "City of Champions". Let's face, the Mellon Arena in an antiquated piece of crap. Don't believe me? I implore you to go to Cleveland and take in a Cavs game at the Gund Arena; your opinion will change very quickly.

Then I see Ron Cook's column today in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette basically blaming 9/11 for not having a new arena in Pittsburgh. Give me a break! Honestly, is 9/11 going to be the end all excuse for everything bad that happens until like 2011? I sure hope not, it will be like post-1977 Johnstown, where everything wrong was blamed on the flood.

I really wish that a plan could be devised that could fit an NHL approved rink in the Peterson Events Center. Then Mario could strike up an agreement with the University of Pittsburgh and basically tell the city, county and state to blow off. I know it would be a scheduling nightmare between the Pens and Pitt's Men's and Women's hoops squads, but it is food for thought.

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Ray Charles yesterday. "America the Beautiful" is truly his song. Just thinking of him singing that song gives me goose bumps. He was a master of many different styles of music and a true patriotic person. Patriotic in a pre-9/11 sense, when EVERYONE was allowed to patriotic. You know, when you could disagree with your country's policies, leaders, etc. and still love your country. Conservatives nowadays would have you think they're mutually exclusive. They feel they have the monopoly on being patriotic and Christian. You can’t disagree with anything President Bush says or does or you’re committing treason. I'd like to proudly proclaim that I believe in God, love my country and am a liberal. Yes, it's possible.

Furthermore, I’m tired of hearing about the liberal media bias; it’s been a lovefest on all the network news broadcasts about Reagan. I think Reagan is getting a very fair shake right now. Out of respect many democrats are saying kind things and I see nothing wrong with that. He wasn’t my favorite president but it could have been worse (like, his Vice President’s forgetful term). Leave it too the blond blowhard Ann Coulter to be critical in latest column that can be seen on Yahoo. I’d actually love to challenge her in person to write a column without using the word “liberal”.

I’d like to think we live in a society that thinks it’s OK to celebrate someone’s strengths, regardless of their political affiliation, upon their passing. We’ll see what happens when Jimmy Carter dies. Yes, his presidency was troubled but I think he’s done more than enough to make up for that in the years that have followed. We shall see.

Will SNL’s Robert Smigel make a new Ex-Presidents cartoon in memory of Reagan and add Clinton to the crew now?

I can’t WAIT until Fahrenheit 9/11 comes out.

Have a good weekend, I’m out like Seacrest.