Slowplay.com

As we reported here at Slowplay.com on Sunday:

I believe last season’s national title is the reason USC is #1 in the nation which to me is a wholly unacceptable consideration.

Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com chimed in with a similar take on Monday:

The only reason that the Trojans are No. 1 is that they started there.

In the article, Maisel listed this as a reason for excluding USC from the title game, though this was a pro-con piece for the top three contenders. Maisel made no selection of his own in the article.

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Weekly handicapping on college football
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Boxing card selections
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Slowplay.com is proud to announce that online poker star Ryan Anderson will headline the coverage. Ryan will post hand analyses and other useful and informative stories and critiques of poker plays and games on a regular basis.

Slowplay.com Scoop:

Looks like the “sue everyone” attorney has a live one. He is representing Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault prosecutrix in the impending civil suit.

ESPN.com reports:

No trial date is being contemplated for now, L. Lin Wood, an Atlanta attorney representing the woman, said after the brief hearing before U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch.

We at Slowplay.com have long memories, and this lawyer’s name triggered something from way back in 1997:

Jewell’s attorneys say that while they would like some apologies, they and Jewell want financial compensation.

“We’re going to sue everyone from A to Z,” said attorney L. Lin Wood Jr.

“You can’t spend 60 percent of an apology,” he said, referring to a client’s typical share of a settlement after attorneys’ fees. “This litigation is not about principle. It’s about compensation for injury done.”

You’ll remember Richard Jewell was the man falsely accused of the bombing of Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. His life was basically ruined by the publicity, and he recovered tort damages from multiple parties.

More: Colorado or California: Kobe’s accuser forum shopping?

USA Today reports:

Democratic Party leaders said Wednesday they want to know why Sen. John Kerry ended his presidential campaign with more than $15 million in the bank, money that could have helped Democratic candidates across the country.

Some said he will be pressured to give the money to Democratic campaign committees rather than save it for a potential White House bid in 2008.

“Democrats are questioning why he sat on so much money that could have helped him defeat George Bush or helped down-ballot races, many of which could have gone our way with a few more million dollars,” said Donna Brazile, campaign manager for Al Gore’s 2000 presidential race.

By holding on to this money, Kerry sold Tom Daschle up the river completely. Can you imagine the effect of a multi-million dollar infusion into a close senate race in South Dakota? One thing is certain, and the pundits at Outside the Beltway agree: Kerry could not have won his own race by using the extra $15M. Washington Monthly isn’t so sure.

USA Today reports:

As Bill Clinton’s library is unveiled at a gala opening this week, one thing is certain: His messy legacy will be on full display.

One alcove will be dedicated to impeachment, and organizers have promised not to sidestep even Monica Lewinsky or Paula Jones. The 58-year-old political superstar is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors a year to his library.

Clinton has promised to give scholars early access to previously private policy advice and other documents he isn’t required to release until 2006. He already has written about the Lewinsky and Jones sex scandals, impeachment and his political missteps in his memoir, “My Life.”

The William J. Clinton Presidential Center, dedicated tomorrow morning in Little Rock, Arkansas (MSNBC is going with live coverage tomorrow at 11 AM ET, we’re told), promises not to dodge any of the controversial facets of Clinton’ life. This, apparently, is fine with the presumptive 2008 Democrat nominee:

Hillary Rodham Clinton has said controversial subjects shouldn’t be kept out of the library because “this is part of history.” On Friday, she said the library would be “a comprehensive accurate story of the eight years of the Clinton administration.”

Some highlights of the opening week will be a speech by President Bush (winner of Arkansas in 2000, 2004 elections), visits by Sen. John Glenn, Whoopi “Coat Hanger” Goldberg, and Quincy Jones. (The highlight of the week will probably be a concert by Super Diva Aretha Franklin. Insert joke about the lack of “Respect” the world has for Clinton here.)

Slowplay.com got the real scoop on the library opening. Some of the secret wings of the library, that even those “scholars” (read: Dem shills) haven’t yet gotten access to, include:

1. The Monica Lewinsky room, complete with an a la carte pizza parlor, Gap giftshop, and deluxe humidor
2. The Clinton grammar school, a little something for the kids: a classroom in which a videotaped Clinton teaches America’s youth the definition of certain “be verbs”
3. The Clinton Amphitheatre, which shows a specially-taped scene starring Robert Deniro and Dustin Hoffman, reprising their original roles in Wag the Dog, in which the two actors talk about Clinton’s 1998 bombings in the Middle East and decision to get involved in Kosovo

Also, in response to the Clinton Library’s grand opening, Dick Morris is reportedly working on a library of his own to set the record straight. The library, reportedly to be called “Rebuilding Clinton’s Fallen Empire,” will feature excerpts from the best-selling author’s last two novels exposing the… half-truths in the Clintons’ autobiographies.

More:
One artist’s rendering of library
Hillary using library dedication as rally for Senate re-election bid… or beyond?
Franken chimes in
Wizbang on Chelsea’s wardrobe

At what point do we realize that maybe we are becoming a bit too sensitive? I think the recent events in Fallujah may be a good start. The Pentagon is now considering a criminal investigation against a U.S. Marine who shot an injured insurgent yesterday. Let’s think about this for a moment… we send this young man to do a job that most people would NEVER volunteer to do, give him a gun, and tell him to run around in a city where he is getting shot at around every corner. Then, when he shoots an insurgent we are going to charge him criminally? Now I am not advocating the wanton murder of any random Iraqi. However, this particular Marine had just been shot in the FACE and many of these so called injured insurgents booby trap their bodies to take as many “infidels” with them as possible. Knowing this, I think I would be pumping lead into any suspicious looking bodies as well. We need to step back and realize the stress these guys are under and appreciate the job they are doing for us. Update: Power Line has posted an absolute must-read letter home from a Marine. (Sen. Col.)

More: The Lessons of Fallujah
The other side: Dem shills up in arms, cite this as proof U.S. should join ICC

Dr. Dre was the apparent target of an attack at Monday’s Vibe Awards.

“I saw Dr. Dre fighting somebody,” Williams told KCAL-TV. “I don’t know if he was fighting back. But there was a guy taken out basically bloodied.”

The Los Angeles Times, citing an unnamed associate of Dr. Dre, said the melee broke out as the acclaimed hip-hop producer was sitting at a front-row table waiting to receive the Vibe Legend Award. A man walked up to Dr. Dre’s table and punched him, and Dr. Dre’s bodyguards went after the man, the associate said.

Slowplay.com’s Top Suspect List
1. Suge Knight (Death Row)
2. Ja Rule (Murder Inc.)
3. Karl Rove (Bush Administration)
4. Richard Jewell (on a tip from the FBI)

Young Buck, of G-Unit, had a warrant issued for his arrest yesterday. He will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon. He was apparently defending Dre and ended up stabbing someone. This was all caught on video. G-Unit is currently complete after re-adding Tony Yayo when he was released from prison in May.

Update: Suspect Young Buck surrenders himself to authorities [Sen. Col.]

USA Today ran a full story today on nuclear proliferation in Russia. The most disturbing part of the story is below:

President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is developing a new form of nuclear missile unlike those held by other countries, news agencies reported. . . “I am sure that … they will be put in service within the next few years and, what is more, they will be developments of the kind that other nuclear powers do not and will not have,” Putin was quoted as saying. . .

Earlier this year, a senior Defense Ministry official was quoted as telling news agencies that Russia had developed a weapon that could make the United States’ proposed missile-defense system useless. Details were not given, but military analysts said the claimed new weapon could be a hypersonic cruise missile or maneuverable ballistic missile warheads.

(Emphasis added.)

OK, let’s play a logic game. Russia believes they are the only ones to have this weapon. Russia also believes that the United States’ proposed missile defense system would be worthless as a result of the Russian development of this weapon. If the U.S. missile defense system can stop all weapons other than this Russian one, then it is only “useless” if Russia decides to attack the U.S. with it. A Russian wonk, however, insists the U.S. missile defense may, indeed, be rendered useless by this weapon. Hmmm…

I would imagine that this is merely another typical Russian hard-liner puffing out his chest. Still, though, can you imagine the Pentagon saying something like this?!

Putin also commented on the value of nuclear weapons against international terrorism. I can only assume he really wants to use these weapons against Chechnya?

More:
TBIFOC wonders how one uses nuclear weapons against terrorist organizations
RMPN calls this proliferation “mutually assured destruction”

USA Today reports:

Moving to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay, House Republicans want to change party rules to ensure that DeLay retains his post if a Texas grand jury indicts him as it did with three of his political associates.

The House Republican Conference, composed of all GOP members in the chamber, was to vote Wednesday to modify a requirement that would force DeLay to step aside if charged with a felony requiring at least a two-year prison term.

Party rules require leaders to relinquish their posts after a felony indictment, but the change would eliminate the requirement for non-federal indictments.

A grand jury in Travis County, Texas, is investigating alleged irregularities in 2002 state legislative races. Republican victories in those contests enabled DeLay ultimately to win support for a congressional redistricting plan that resulted in the GOP’s gain of five House seats in Texas in this month’s elections.

[Note: We at Slowplay.com are not going to speculate on Mr. DeLay’s guilt or innocence — we’ll leave that to Anderson Cooper and this blog, which has decided to forego the trial and just sentence Delay now. It is my belief that if he is indicted, the GOP should remove him from the leadership post.]

This is likely to be another in a long line of purported GOP “scandals” that the Democrats pounce on every chance they get. As Republicans have run the table on The Party of Jefferson since 1994, it has seemed that the only opportunities that the Dems have gotten to make moves have resulted from GOP gaffes. Everyone remembers Trent Lott’s ill-advised speech at Strom Thurmond’s birthday party and the liberal media’s attempted Bork of Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum based on his comments regarding gay marriage. Earlier this year, Illinois’ Senatorial Candidate Jack Ryan was implicated in a bizarre sex scandal with his wife, who also happened to be a Borg, to hand that seat to Barack Obama. And let’s not forget Senator Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas, a family values candidate who was swept out of his seat in 2002 after divorcing his wife of 29 years and marrying a former aide. The scandal handed the seat to Democrat Mark Pryor, who (in spite of a great curveball) is probably a one-termer in Arkansas assuming the GOP there can roust a suitable challenger in 2008.

The Democrats haven’t made strides based on the accolades of their own politicians lately. Most of the high profile Democrats are old money shills who have been in office for decades. The bright star of the party, Hillary Clinton, has gained much of her fame through her… arrangement with Bill. The Democrats’ platform in 2004 appeared to be an all-out attack on Bush’s military record. Just keep your noses clean, GOP. When you’ve got the lead, there’s no need to gamble…

More: Outside the Beltway calls for DeLay to “come out against the rule change for the good of the institution.”

Bob Stoops made a call to ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning show today around 9:30 AM ET. Stoops, no doubt in the heat of the battle for that second spot in the BCS championship game, cracked back on the SEC and ESPN. Stoops said that there “is no evidence to support” the notion that the SEC is this year’s strongest conference, citing the fact that the SEC powers’ only quality non-conference win was LSU’s overtime win at home against Oregon State. Stoops also claimed that the ESPN pundits have over-hyped the SEC because of its contract to broadcast SEC games. (This is probably the most absurd assertion Stoops could make, given the fact that the SEC is the only major conference in which ABC/ESPN does not generally have the rights to the marquee game of the week — CBS has that deal.) Co-host Mike Golic pointed out that ESPN will broadcast no more Auburn games this season, but Stoops persisted, calling this a clear “conflict of interest.” (Nevermind the 20 minutes of free air-time that ESPN gave Stoops, the coach of a Big 12 power, or the fact that ABC seems to have every Oklahoma game televised, often nationally.) Sooner Bob appears to be feeling the pressure.

More:
Fanblogs: Oklahoma left out of title game in poll scenario; story
Slowplay.com: “Auburn’s the one.”