After growing up among die-hard Cowboys' fans - who felt that the only reason the team lost was either because the refs were horrible or the other team cheated - I spent many years trying to learn how to become more objective in my feelings of my favorite team. Every time I picked Dallas to win, or do well in a season was because I truly felt it was going to happen.

Last night, two things happened to put my objectiveness to task. Number one, the Cowboys made a serious statement in not only defeated the reigning conference champion Chicago Bears, but by soundly beating them up, 34-10.

''They just came out and beat the crap out of us,'' Bears' defensive end Alex Brown said.

Does that mean this team is actually good? I know I picked them to go to the playoffs, and I also know it's only the third game of the season, but remember that this team is still missing their #2 receiver (Terry Glenn), their #1 cornerback (Terrance Newman - although he did play a limited number of snaps), their #2 pass rusher (Greg Ellis) and their starting nose tackle (Jason Ferguson). Then add the fact that the Bears are almost unbeatable at Soldier Field, have perhaps one of the top two defenses in the league and a special-teams unit that is second-to-none, and you can not help but realize how much of a whupping the Cowboys laid on them.

To make it worst for the Monsters of the Midway, the final score could have, and perhaps should have been even worse. And that leads me to my second issue.

Last night's game may well have been the worst officiated game I have ever witnessed. Fortunately for Dallas, the horrible calls (or non-calls) that went against the Cowboys in the first half (and there were three very glaring officiating errors) seemed to even out in the second half. Regardless of who got the upper hand, the referee's were horrible. In the first half alone, two plays that resulted (or should have) in first downs were called back for what could only be considered phantom infractions. Then, at the very end of the half - when the clock should have been stopped for change of possession - the referee gave the signal to wind the clock (to keep it running). After he realized his error, he stopped the clock, but it was too late by then and time expired. I have no idea why he didn't allow those three seconds to be replayed (which would have been the right thing to do). Those three seconds would have given the Cowboys an opportunity to attempt a 54-yard field goal. Nick Folk, the Cowboys rookie kicker, has a strong enough leg. Also, considering Chicago already blocked one field goal earlier in the game, perhaps it would have given the Bears a chance to block that kick and score as well.

If the Cowboys would not have won - or if it had been a closer final score - perhaps my comments would sound like an excuse. But on a day where the San Diego's Padres' Milton Bradley tore his anterior cruciate ligament after being incited by the first-base umpire's seemingly outrageous behavior, I am beginning to discover that there is a big problem in the major sports. For whatever reason, in the NFL - where millions are made and lost in the blink of an eye (or a drop of a pass) - the only non-full time employees are the officials.

Now certain people will tell you that instant replay has caused this lax in officiating by making the refs look over their shoulders. I don't buy it. Make these guys full-time, send them to a more intense training program and start allowing more replays to be challenged. Furthermore, if the outcome of the challenge is "inconclusive", then whoever made the challenge should NOT be charged a time-out. After all, if the video and the ref can't figure out what happened, why should the team be penalized?

But I have to say, it was sweet watching last night's game with a couple of big Bears' fans. So maybe I'm a homer after all. At least I'm consistent.

Sickening news from Israel...

In draft declaration, Olmert appears ready to cede Jerusalem's Old City

If this is true, then Ehud Olmert and Shimon Peres will be remembered as the ones who destroyed the State of Israel.

I was only 4 and a half years old when my parents flew to Israel immediately following the 6-Day-War. Although barely old enough to remember it, I do recall the joy in my father's heart as he recalled his memory of when the Israeli soldiers liberated the old city, where for the previous 19 years Jews were forbidden to enter.

For years, I saw video tapes of the soldiers with tears in their eyes, screaming in prayer "AM YISROEL CHAI" (the nation of Israel lives) and "NEVER AGAIN", the rallying cry for a nation whose people where so decimated just 22 years earlier in Nazi Germany.

Yet for all those prayers and all those tears, Olmert (along with Peres) have turned their backs on the promise and are prepared to turn over the holiest city in Judaism over to an "authority" who just recently published these horrible cartoons. They plan to turn over all of it to a people who never existed as a "nation" before and still do not recognize Israel's sovereignty.

The Palestinian Authority, to whom Olmert is giving away the country to isn't even the elected government in the area connected. If you want to say they are more "moderate" then Hamas, fine. But they aren't even in charge of their own land!

Imagine if the minority party in England made a deal to give London to the Irish! Yet that's exactly what Olmert is planning on doing. All in the name of "peace". Olmert, if you recall - was the "leader" who made this comment:

"We are tired of fighting; we are tired of being courageous; we are tired of winning; we are tired of defeating our enemies."

Well I guess he'll get his way now.

I suppose it makes sense. Olmert finally landed his dream job of being Prime Minister of Israel. When he proved his ineptitude in last years war against Hezbollah, he lost his status as a hero for Israel. So, like many losers before him (Peres, Barak and Beilin), he chose to become the hero of Palestine instead.

How sickening.

This story really upsets me.

A high school football coach hit a 7-year-old kid with his car as the child was riding his bike in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on Thursday. Although the child was not critically injured, he did sustain a broken collarbone, road rash on a leg and shoulder and a knot on his head.

According to the police, the coach didn't see the boy until he darted out between two cars.

Okay, accidents happen, right?

But get this report from the Muskogee Phoenix, the local newspaper:

According to Capt. Chad Farmer, of the Muskogee Police Department, “He (Hennesy - the coach) did stop. He did call a parent. He did get him medical treatment with a trainer,” Farmer said. “But he didn’t call us.”

When contacted by the Phoenix, Hennesy’s response was “I ought to be dealing with tomorrow night’s game — not this crap.”

Hennesy said he was leaving Indian Bowl when the collision happened. “I was leaving the stadium when this kid ran into the front of my car,” he said. “It was the kid’s fault.”

What a guy!

This turd is a football coach. For a living he is paid to set an example to children (a teenager is still a child). Turning an injured 7-year-old - WHO HE HIT WITH A CAR - over to a "trainer" is unbelievably irresponsible. First of all, what is a trainer going to do for him? Tape him up? The a-hole didn't even bother to call the police!

From where I come from, that's called "leaving the scene of an accident." Of course, in Muskegee, where high school football is second only to Jesus, it's no wonder the coach wasn't arrested. The police chief (I would not be surprised if his name was Cletus) probably blames the kid as well. You just know that if the team loses the next game, the whole town will blame the damn kid for getting in the coaches way and upsetting his concentration.

“I ought to be dealing with tomorrow night’s game — not this crap.” I don't care how many games this bastard wins. To me, he's a loser.

Speaking of losers, the more I think about the punishment Bill Belichick received, the angrier I get.

For one thing, I don't buy the excuse that "everybody does it." If that were an excuse then you can use it for baseball's steroid cheaters as well.

Secondly, I find that the punishment was far too light. OK, a half-mil is a nice sum of money but it isn't the money that bothers me either. What really gnaws at me is that Cowboys quarterback coach Wade Wilson was suspended for 5 games for using steroids to treat impotence. According to all reports, he was not sharing it or giving it out. He informed the league as to why he was taking it and why he needed it.

However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell felt that as a coach, Wilson must be above reproach and Goodell made an example of him.

Now, here comes along Bill Belichick caught cheating and not only is he not suspended 5 games, but he isn't even forced to miss one game.

If I were a conspiracy theorist (which I'm not), I would be very suspicious. As far as I'm concerned - and I'm not saying this as a Patriot-hater, or out of jealousy of their recent Super Bowl success - but if it were up to me, I'd have suspended him 5 games and turned their last game (a victory over the Jets) into a forfeited loss. According to the NFL rulebook, the Commissioner has the right to do just that.

The reason I would come down so hard on Belichick is not because I want to set an example. It's because he was already warned twice - last year after a win against the Packers, and along with all the other clubs prior to the season.

Belichick is an outstanding coach. But if he has been cheating all along, you have to begin to wonder how much of his success is valid.

BTW, my predictions for tomorrow:

Dallas over Miami, 27-10. Chicago over Kansas City, 20-6, San Diego over New England, 24-20 and in the upset of the week, Tennessee will defeat Indianapolis, 20-17.

Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of my heart attack. It happened the day before Rosh Hashana and every year at this time I find myself looking back at my accomplishments and mistakes over the past year.

I recall Dr. Garcia telling me that the odds of survival of transplanted heart-recipients improved each year. After one year, the survival rate is almost double and after 2 years, it goes up even higher. He let me know that although the risks associated with my transplant - such as a higher risk for certain cancers and rejection - are still there, once you pass the 5-year-milestone the odds are incalculable.
swtanmc
So I suppose I should rest easier whenever I get sick, or even when I only get a headache. But I don't. No, this fear that has driven me crazy since my life was turned upside down has not subsided and frankly, I doubt it ever will.

On the plus side, it forces me to continue taking my daily assortment of drugs.

As Rosh Hashana approaches, I look back at an incredibly eventful year. This was a year when things I would never have believe possible came true. Five years ago, I assumed that I would never get better. I assumed my family would stay in tact and I assumed nothing would change. Now, I realize that change is sometimes not only a good thing, but the best thing. I am gratified that although I no longer live with my children, they continue to love me and want to be with me. That alone is more than I could hope for.

There are other things and people that have made this a wonderful, exciting and unforgettable year. I never thought (certainly 5 years ago) that I would ever be this happy again. I have an awful lot to be thankful for. But I also have an awful lot to work on. Just like last year and all the years before that, I am just thrilled that G-d has given me the opportunity to live again and hopefully, do it right this time.

May G-d grant all of you a very happy, safe and warm new year!

They may wish to forget it in Utah, but I will not surrender:

warning: video not for the faint of heart



Courtesy of Michelle Malkin

Random Musings

Watching last night’s Cowboys-Giants last night reminded me why watching football has always been my favorite activity. Although it was just the first game of the season, I’ve come to a few conclusions:

1. Tony Romo is the real deal. He makes things happen and has the faith of his teammates and coaches. Unlike his most recent predecessors, his enthusiasm and intensity are infectious.

2. The Cowboy’s defense can only improve with the return of Greg Ellis and Terrence Newman. But now that Jason Ferguson has been lost for the season, some changes must be made to shore up a unit that was badly burned by the Giants. My suggestion is to re-sign Remi Ayodele – who was the last cut in the pre-season – and move the so-far-overrated Marcus Spears inside.

3. Eli Manning is a stud who will have a great year. Unfortunately, I think the Giants are in serious trouble – especially after losing 3 players last night.

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I really like Keith Olbermann working on NBC’s studio during Football Night on America. He was great when he was a host on ESPN’s Sports Center. But when it comes to real news, he’s a joke. Aside from the fact that his MSNBC show, Countdown with Keith Olbermannn, barely registers a 0.1 rating, he is woefully biased and unhinged.

In the October 2007 issue of Playboy Magazine, he was quoted as saying, “Al Qaeda really hurt us, but not as much as Rupert Murdoch has hurt us, particularly in the case of Fox News. Fox News is worse than Al Qaeda — worse for our society. It’s as dangerous as the Ku Klux Klan ever was.”

Puh-leeze. I think the families of the 9/11 victims may disagree.

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No matter what the news out of Iraq is, the Democrats – in coordination of MoveOn.org – will never acknowledge it if it isn’t negative. According to this element of the liberal left, It really doesn’t matter if the U.S. is victorious. In fact, it seems their preference is an American defeat in order to advance their own agenda.

Whether you feel the war was just or not, rooting for the enemy of your own country is just sick. You don’t like the way things are going? Vote them out. But until you are able to convince the majority of Americans that you are right – something you haven’t successfully done yet – accept the realities that are most beneficial for the country.

Even though the Democrats are in charge of the Congress, they know that just cutting and running would be political suicide. They were elected because many Americans didn’t like the way the Republicans were running things. They weren’t elected to surrender to the enemy. Unfortunately, too many on the far-left believe that the Democrats victory was a win for the far-left. It wasn’t. It was a victory for the Democrats – many of whom are not ‘far-left”.

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As long as I live, I will never understand why the State of Israel allows herself to be destroyed by her own government. Whether it be Prime Minister Olmert’s disastrous handling of the Hezbollah war a year ago, or Education Minister Yuli Tamir’s stunningly ridiculous decision to draw Israel’s borders at the 1949 demarcation line in all Israeli children’s textbooks, the tiny country continues to bend over to do everything it can to facilitate the removal of all Jewish/Zionist personality from the country.

As long as Israeli’s are ashamed/embarrassed by their Jewishness, why should the Arabs – or the rest of the world give a crap either?

To add more madness to the equation was Israel’s election of Shimon Peres as President. Although the position is only ceremonial, allowing Peres, perhaps the one man responsible for more Jewish deaths this side of Yasir Arafat, a platform to spew his belief is policies proven to be self-destructive, is simply foolish, if not suicidal. To quote Caroline Glick, an Israeli expert and the senior Middle East fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., and the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post:

Peres is a dishonorable man. Notwithstanding his contributions to the state in his younger years, Peres's behavior over the past quarter-century, both in and out of office, has redounded to the diminution of Israel's standing in the region and the world and to the endangerment of the lives of Israeli citizens.

When I think of Peres, I think of Jimmy Carter. That isn’t a compliment.

Now, the news comes out about allowing Judaism's holiest site to have its priceless artifacts destroyed and nobody seems to care.

I’ve said it all before. The Arabs somehow managed to convince the world that Jerusalem is Islam’s 3rd-holiest site, although the city is NEVER mentioned in the Koran. Yet, Jerusalem is mentioned in the Torah hundreds of times and has been the center of Jewish live for almost 4,000 years, and no one cares.

In 1967, after being attacked from all sides, Israel defeated Syria, Egypt and Jordan in 6 days. In doing so, they unified Judaism’s holiest city and liberated the Temple Mount. So what does Israel do? They turn over the day-to-day operations of the Mount to the Waqf, the Arab leadership. Since then, Yasir Arafat and his successor have systematically removed any Jewish presence in an effort to change history and prove the Jews have no historical right to the Temple Mount.

Unfortunately, it appears that once again, the Israeli government is turning a blind eye to this systematic ethnic cleansing. According to Hershel Shanks, editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review and author of Jerusalem's Temple Mount — From Solomon to the Golden Dome, The Waqf has ignored Israeli laws stating that any excavation of the Temple Mount may only be done by professional archaeologists. (The same holds true for construction: Such areas must first be professionally excavated, most often by the Israel Antiquities Authority.) The Waqf simply ignores this law, however. A few weeks ago they began digging a utilities trench almost five feet deep, often going down to bedrock. Worse still, the workmen were using mechanical equipment — anathema to any professional archaeologist in such a site.

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Several Utah schools have decided against commemorating the 6th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

"We don't want our kids thinking about that. We want them to move on,'' said Beth Johnston, principal at East Layton Elementary in Davis County, whose oldest student was just 6 on Sept. 11, 2001. "It might be age-appropriate for older students to acknowledge and talk about it, but for our younger kids, we don't want them to dwell on violence."

What was that saying about forgetting the past?

I expect that behaviour in San Francisco. But in Utah???

This country is going to Hell.

Speaking of California, who raised these kids???

Ah yes, another football season is upon us once again. From my rocky perch above the first floor window of my apartment in sunny, warm Chicago, Illinois, I look upon the new season with a sense of renewal and hope. Hope that my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, will finally return to their playoff-winning ways after not winning a post-season game since 1996 – the longest drought in team history.

Yet, for all my unbridled optimism, I no longer believe that these Cowboys are as good as I originally thought. With the foot injury to DB Terence Newman, as well as the injuries to Greg Ellis and Terry Glenn (not to mention their advancing age, which invariably slows their recovery), I’m quite concerned and no longer comfortable picking them to even win their division.

Of course, I would be happy if they did.

So, even though I picked Dallas to beat Cincinnati last year in the Super Bowl, I present to you my 2007 NFL predictions:

NFC East

Philadelphia………………………………….11-5
Dallas…………………………………...……..10-6*
New York Giants…………………………….7-9
Washington…………………………….……..5-11

NFC North

Chicago……………………………….………12-4
Green Bay…………………………………….8-8
Detroit………………………………………...8-8
Minnesota………………………….……….4-12

NFC South

New Orleans……………………………….10-6
Carolina……………………………………….9-7*
Tampa Bay…………………..………………7-9
Atlanta………………………………………...5-11

NFC West

St. Louis………………………….……………9-7
San Francisco………………….……………8-8
Arizona………………………………………..8-8
Seattle…………………………………………7-9

AFC East

New England……………………………….12-4
Buffalo…………………………………………7-9
New York Jets………………………………7-9
Miami………………………………………….5-11

AFC North

Baltimore……………………………………..10-6
Pittsburgh……………………………………..9-7*
Cincinnati……………………………………..9-7
Cleveland……………………………………...3-13

AFC South

Indianapolis…………………………………12-4
Jacksonville……………………………….…9-7
Houston ……………………………….………7-9
Tennessee …………………………………...6-10

AFC West

San Diego…………………………………….11-5
Denver………………………………………..11-5*
Kansas City………………….……………...6-10
Oakland……………………………………….4-12

First Round NFC: New Orleans over Carolina, Dallas over St. Louis

First Round AFC: San Diego over Pittsburgh, Denver over Baltimore

Divisional Playoffs NFC: Philadelphia over New Orleans, Chicago over Dallas

Divisional Playoffs AFC: Indianapolis over San Diego, New England over Denver

NFC Championship: Chicago over Philadelphia

AFC Championship: New England over Indianapolis

SUPER BOWL XLII: New England 24 Chicago 21

What do you think?