Manny being stupid and leaving us wondering

Can I just go on the record as being sick and tired of the "Steroids Era" in baseball? I love baseball and am just fed up with the fact that we can't enjoy the game anymore without some jackass getting caught with a needle in his butt, a piss-poor excuse (my cousin made me do it; my doctor said it was OK) at the ready, and fans ready to accept these poor misguided souls back with cheers and applause. Why? These people cheated. Why on earth would they be cheered on and welcomed back with open arms?

Manny Ramirez is just the latest to get caught. "Manny being Manny" turned out to be "Manny with a syringe in his fanny."

What's worse is that the memories you have of the game get tarnished as memorable and joyous events are revealed to have been brought to you by some chemical concoction. Did I really believe that the Red Sox had somehow avoided the scourge of steroids? No, of course not. Still, it's almost painful that because of Manny and his female fertility drug, the validity of the greatest sports moment in my lifetime -- the Red Sox finally dispatching the Yankees and going on to win the World Series in 2004 (sorry but I didn't see the hockey game at Lake Placid in 1980) -- is now being called into question. Sports Guy Bill Simmons recently offered a great look at how it feels to have those doubts raised as well as how we might have just been ignoring the obvious. I feel his pain.

In a way, perhaps ignorance is bliss. You can just watch the game without doubts or cynicism. On the other hand, you can keep your cynicism and play baseball on the Wii. Just enter the cheat code "triplecrown" to boost your hitting by 50%. It's too bad someone at the game developer didn't have a more wicked sense of humor and choose "steroids" as the cheat code.

Is this really the Scouting ideal?

I was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout when I was younger. I attended and worked at Yawgoog Scout Reservation, marched in parades, wore the uniform, earned the rank of Eagle and was elected to the Order of the Arrow, served as senior patrol leader, camped in the winter, and did all the things Scouts were supposed to do. I was proud of my time in the Scouts and while I personally can't support them now due to what I believe are discriminatory policies coming out of the national office, I do believe that the Scouts can offer something very positive to young men. The Scouting ideals -- service to community, duty, personal responsibility, lifelong learning, compassion for others, appreciation and care for the natural world -- are all worthwhile lessons.

That's why, when people made comments about the Scouts being a paramilitary organization, I just scoffed. Hell, I spent my summers working as a lifeguard, teaching sailing, or driving the powerboat out of the Ashaway Aquatics Center (aka "The Yawgoog Yacht Club") to rescue tipped-over canoes and the occasional crash-landing hot air balloon. Sure, we wore khaki uniforms with badges and there was a rifle range at camp but just as many kids went to the craft center or the nature lodge and more of my friends went on to be doctors, teachers, and diplomats than military personnel.

I think that's why I found this article and the accompanying photos in today's New York Times -- Scouts Train to Fight Terrorists, and More -- so profoundly disturbing.

I knew that the Explorers, a co-ed "learning for life" spinoff of the Boy Scouts, taught kids about different types of jobs but I'm baffled about a program that teaches children as young as 14 this:

Ten minutes into arrant mayhem in this town near the Mexican border, and the gunman, a disgruntled Iraq war veteran, has already taken out two people, one slumped in his desk, the other covered in blood on the floor.

The responding officers — eight teenage boys and girls, the youngest 14 — face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots — BAM! BAM! — fired from behind a flimsy wall. They move quickly, pellet guns drawn and masks affixed.

I'm all for youth programs that teach kids skills, that give them something to do after school, but have we become such a paranoid and defensive culture following 9/11 that we need to teach children who aren't even able to drive to shoot people, to subdue suspects, how to respond to a sniper attack, and to rescue hostages? Do we need to be recruiting them like this? One of the Border Patrol agents quoted in the article candidly states, "Our end goal is to create more agents."

I realize that the Explorers aren't the Boy Scouts but this approach, this goal, and this training all strike me as a rather frightening turn. So much for just spending a weekend earning your woodworking merit badge.

He has a career in standup if the White House gig doesn't work out

At the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner last night, President Obama had some fun at the expense of Republicans, his staff, Joe Biden, and himself. I know someone else writes his jokes but the man knows how to deliver, including his final statements about the value of a vibrant press.

Slightly sore after walking in the dark

24 hours after it started, I'm home from participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and recovered/awake enough to write about.

First, I want to thank everyone who made a donation to support my walk -- I surpassed my personal goal of raising $500 and our company team, the KVH Cancer Crusaders, raised more than $1,500 along with donations of materials for Hope Lodge in Boston. Congratulations also to everyone on the team (especially our awesome team captain Nicole Chevrette) who took time from home and their families to set up tents, walk more than 50 miles through the night, and then pack everything up amidst a pretty steady and moderately heavy rain this morning.

The KVH Cancer Crusaders, 2009 Edition

While I wasn't sure what to expect, it turned out to be a pretty special event. Kicking off with a celebration of survivors, including my mother, the field at Gaudet Middle School in Middletown, RI, was packed with people. Almost our entire family was there and together, we all shared a lap for survivors and their caregivers before beginning the long task of walking through the night.

Mom and her granddaughter Lorelei looked great as they came on to the track at the start of the Opening Ceremonies

Mom and the rest of the family circles the track together in a celebration of Survivors and their Caregivers

Lighting our way were more than 1,200 Cancer Society "luminaria", each decorated in memory of a loved one lost or in support of someone currently fighting or recovering from cancer. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when the stadium lights were turned off and a bagpiper slowly circled the track playing "Amazing Grace" and followed by all of the participants.

Watched by an-almost full moon, 1,200 luminaria stood vigil through the night and guided the steps of Relay walkers

Ensuring that there was always a member of the team walking, we were able to take breaks, catch brief naps here and there, grab a bite to eat, or just chat quietly amidst the tent city (well, tent village might be more accurate) established by the participating teams.

The Relay for Life "tent city" as seen from the bleachers at 2:30 AM

When the rain came, first just as a light sprinkle at 1:30 AM and then as heavier rain at 4 AM, the walkers were undeterred. None of us got much sleep -- by the time we returned home this morning, I was operating on about 90 minutes of light napping -- we were all moderately sore, and the rain made us all squelch like sponges as we bundled up soaking tents and hauled gear to our cars, but it all felt worthwhile.

In the grand scheme of things, the amount of money we raised is a drop in the bucket compared to the funds directed to cancer research and treatment but the real value for us came in the solidarity and sense of community engendered by the experience. The look on my mother's face as we stood alongside the track clapping and cheering for her and the other cancer survivors made it absolutely worth the effort, the lack of sleep, and the sore feet.

My stepfather John, accompanied by my colleague Angela, finishes his 60th lap and 15th mile at 3:10 AM

The inexorable movement continues

Two thumbs up to the legislators and the Governor of Maine who moved quickly this week to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. After he signed the bill into law, the Governor issued an impressive statement explaining how he, a Catholic and prior opponent to same-sex marriage, came to change his mind and support this legislation as well as reaffirming the separation of Church and State.

I guess beauty is more than skin deep

The scandals surrounding Miss California continues. Apparently she's been a bit...ummm...enhanced. Personally, my favorite revelation is that women who are somewhat less endowed use chicken cutlets to add a bit of oomph to the swimsuit competition.

Rashomon with pirates, not bandits

Richard Spilman's excellent Old Salt Blog offers a great look at dueling views of how exactly an Italian cruise liner managed to avoid Somali pirates recently as well as variations in security measures and costs for these and other vessels.