Five part series on drug use in baseball
Wow - this thing came out of nowhere. Howard Bryant of the Boston Herald has just unveiled the first of a five part series on steroid use in baseball ["A Tainted Era?"]. Excellent so far. And pretty relevant points about offensive players - as in hitting champions; not assholes - putting people in the stands. I can hardly wait to read the rest of it.

Living the life of Kerry
Yesterday, the Boston Sunday Globe began its seven part series on the life of Sen. John Forbes Kerry, presidential candidate. What a life - boating with JFK, forming a debate society at the exclusive St. Paul's School in Concord, NH, and then to 'Nam ... These kinds of features really do make you want to puke. But even in reading the first two, you get a real understanding for the guy and why he is the way he is. The entire series can be found here ["John F. Kerry - Candidate in the making"].

Capuano for govenor?
Rep. Mike Capuano, D-Somerville, made the rounds at last week's Democratic [issues] Convention which kicked off the official start of Kerry's campaign. The Boston Sunday Herald gave Capuano a "who's hot" listing for reportedly impressing delegates who are all abuzz about him taking on Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006. Of course, this should surprise no one. The Herald has always had a soft spot for Capuano, endorsing him in the 1998 8th Congressional District melee. Then again, they also broke the "Capuano accused of favoritism in mobster land deal" story on their front pages so ... who knows? However, I would add, that while he hasn't been specifically relevant in the legislation department, Capuano has been a pretty good representative - consistently voting with and supporting the Progressive Democratic Caucus.

Also in The Buzz ...
The latest number of taxpayers who have taken the option to file under the state's 5.85 percent rate are in: Out of 2.265 million returns only 1,132 filers have opted to pay more in taxes, adding $130,732 to the state's general fund. Hmm. So much for finding the revenues, eh?

Traffic reporters ...
Back to today's Herald: "Roads Scholar" writer Robin Washington has a short and funny piece about visual markers used by traffic reporters on the radio ["Follow your favorite landmark to gridlock "]. He interviewed a number of commuters who all said they didn't know where the markers referenced in traffic reports were. Hey, Robin, tell the traffic people to slow down when they talk. They whip through the reports so fast you often don't know what the hell they said!

Dean wins Wisconsin straw poll
This story made the national wires thanks to Drudge. Presidential candidate former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean handily won a straw poll conducted at Wisconsin's Democratic Convention Saturday [WisPolitics.com]. The most curious thing about this is the national committee's overbearing hand discouraging attendees from casting votes because it believed the poll would sap energy and resources from campaigns. Only 352 out of 1,162 delegates voted. For shame! Actually, it is the exact opposite of what the DNC says. These kinds of polls can buoy a campaign and give it the electability component it might need to succeed, especially in these very cynical times.
However, I would contend that the DNC doesn't like straw polls because the process takes power away from super-delegates and elected officials who essentially choose the nominee and limit the support to a handful of candidates that idiot Terry McAuliffe deems worthy. Note Rep. Dennis Kucinich albeit low third place finish, although ahead of Edwards, Gephardt, Graham, and Lieberman. Nice political site, too.