In the News

Nicholas D. Kristof: And the band played on
The United States needs to make diplomacy, not war
I thought that this article, while a couple weeks old, makes some terrific arguments for funding the diplomatic corps. With less than 7,000 diplomats on the federal rolls, Kristof notes, there are more military band members than members of the Foreign Service.



Mugabe hands Olympic medalist $100,000 cash reward
As if Zimbabwe's leadership needs more bad press, when President Robert Mugabe handed a briefcase filled with $100,000 American to swimming gold medalist Kirsty Coventry, it just sends another horrible message to a country already dealing with more than its fair share of civil strife.



Terry Francona To Speak At First Pitch Banquet
While a coalumnus of the University of North Carolina-Blue Heaven, I'm still dubious to the fact that the Red Sox manager is getting to celebrate the grand opening of a facility (Beautiful Boshamer Stadium) financed by George Steinbrenner!

Capitol Pageviews!

Click image for better view

A special thanks to Congressman Tim Bishop's team, from whom someone visited my site today. I'll venture a guess that they saw my URL in my signature on the 631 post, and decided to do some investigating. Well here I am, and thanks for the pageview.

I'd like to take this opportunity to offer an interview opportunity to the Congressman or anyone on their staff. I think it'd be a coup for the site.

morgan_obrien3@yahoo.com. I will always make myself available to my readers.

I think it fits...

Alright, alright, I can't attest to the clientel of the Diplomat Motor Inn, but it made for a better picture than a Dodge Diplomat:

Another '79 Diplomat, my dream car!

Job Well Done

What a classy overture. Tonight, Obama's going to be something else, and this John McCain ad was terrific and added to the evening's festivities.

America, we got the candidates right.

Nutter Center!

It appears that John McCain will name his running mate in my former home of Dayton, Ohio, Friday afternoon. Who he'll choose is anyone's guess (although, I find Kay Bailey Hutchison intriguing).

But the real news here is where Senator McCain is making the announcement: at none other than the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University, my alma mater!


The author (after a long night in Cincy), his advisor, and a diploma (finally!)

The Nutter Center will always hold a special place in my heart, because after like 15 years and a heck of a lot of patience from my advisor, I finally graduated on the floor there in 2007! It was a great day, and only a little hazy because the night before, my sisters in law took me to some wild SW Ohio beer celebration that was thinly veiled under the guise of "Church Festival."

Now, in the interest of equal time, Obama ventured into the Nutter Center earlier in the campaign (It'll be interesting to see who packed the gym with more supporters. Geez, Dayton's really getting a lot of 2008 swing state love). Barry also balled with my beloved Carolina Tar Heels earlier this year, which was pretty freaking cool.

Well, anyway, Go Raiders!

The Audacity of Hoops!

My main man, Tom Beer, a basketball columnist over at Hoopsworld.com, got some love from the Democratic Interwebs thanks to his some clever writing:

Hoops and Hopes . . .
By Bill Ingram - Mar 29th, 2008 at 1:45 pm EDT

You've gotta love it when Obama's message sneaks into the vocabulary of entertainment . . .

-----------
Knicks: The Audacity of Hope
By: Tommy Beer
Last Updated: 3/29/08 11:46 AM
A common theme of the 2008 presidential election has been the belief that Americans, disillusioned with the current, ineffective regime are desperate to make a change.
(continued here)

Leave it to Tommy, the hardest working man in the biz. I hope he's pouring himself a tall pint of Guiness right now. Because Guiness is the Working Man's beer.

RIP, 2008 New York Yankees

Yankee Killer, two years running

I reckon I'm a few weeks late in writing this, but after watching that 11-3 debacle tonight, I'm afraid that the 2008 Yankees will not make the playoffs, marking their first absence from the postseason since 1993.

It's interesting because last year, Paul Byrd lead the Cleveland Indians to a Game 4 victory over the Yankees in the ALDS to close out the season. Tonight, less than a year later, Paul Byrd lead the Boston Red Sox to a regular season victory in what portends to be the last Yanks-Sawx series at the Stadium.

I could go on and on about a lack of clutch hitting, hitting with two outs, and a litany of injuries, but all that's been done. I'm thankful for the power of StubHub, and hope that the last 13 games at the Stadium bring in some bucks to the O'Brien coffers.

Before concluding, I do find it hypocritical that the same Chowderheads that love to attack pinstriped juicers can find it so easy to follow into the playoffs a guy that got HGH from his dentist.:

Indians' Byrd says he took HGH under 'doctor's care and supervision'
ESPN.com news services
Paul Byrd, whose victory in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series put the Cleveland Indians on the doorstep of the World Series, has acknowledged taking human growth hormone under a doctor's care.

I don't even care if that's being petty. This freaking game is heart-wrenching.

Morgan O'Brien's WiGO 08.27.08

Great article from Rolling Stone on a decade of Lebowski
(Link)
Like a lemming, I came to Lebowski much too late. However, thanks to the miracle of Digital Video Disc (DVD) technology, I've been able to enjoy the film time and again. Likewise, Lebowski introduced me to the White Russian, my favorite winter drink.

Biden's Son to Deploy
(Link)
When elected officials like Ike Skelton, Duncan Hunter and Jim Webb talk about the Iraq war, I listen. These men have a little more investment in the issue because they have children who are in uniform who have deployed.

Adding a little spice to the 2008 presidential race comes the news that Senator Biden's son Beau (their names rhyme), will deploy as a JAG with the the 261st Signal Brigade. This comes at a time when Senator John McCain's son, Jimmy, is a U.S. Marine who has served in Iraq.

While the distinct lack of veterans in Congress is problematic, having outspoken elected officials fully invested in the process thanks to family service is a good thing. I'm a believer that Harry Wales service for Britain was a great thing, for this exact reason: amongst all uniformity and standardization, a single soldier can be a symbol for their nation.

Passing the Foreign Service Oral Assessment
Monday, I was fortunate enough to complete the run of the gambit that is the Foreign Service Officer selection process. It was a long process, but I'm thrilled with the results. More on this as Mrs. Morganobrien.com and I continue through the decision making process.

In the meantime, I found the following on-line information rather helpful in keeping me informed throughout the process:

The State Department's Web site has great information outlining the process.

The Foreign Service Journal ran this article (link), which in my opinion was the most comprehensive piece on the subject.

And both the New York Times and Washington Post recently ran interesting pieces on the subject.

Working at the US Mission gave me tremendous access to a number of FSOs, whom I could hound on a daily basis for info and insights. For those of you that don't have a daily interaction with our nation's diplomatic corps, Yahoo! has some great, semi-sanctioned user groups that provide a terriffic virtual world for knowledge sharing regarding both the written and oral exams

Some other blogs have some great info on the process, like:

Biesnicker.com

Life After Jerusalem

Satire Report

More on this surely to come...

With my greatest respect,
Morgan

Things said by the DB Boston fan sitting behind me at the game tonight

I had the rare honor of sitting in front of an esteemed fan of Red Sox Nation while taking in the Yankees-Red Sox game at the Stadium tonight. Below are some of the highlights with which he was regailing his travelling party:

- "Did I ever tell you about the time I got so wasted in New Orleans at the Saints game?"
- Explained the black batter's eye in centerfield to the fans sitting to my left, providing a complete history of the concept and detailing other aspects.
- (to the beer man) "Hey, buddy, I'll take two of those off your hands."
- "Oh, look, Kevin Cash is up. That guy's money (ugh). I'm going to be saying that all night."
- "Tim Wakefield he can pitch all night long, the knuckleball doesn't require much force, so it doesn't stress the arm."

****Break****
Wakefield only threw 80 pitches tonight, coming out after the fifth inning.

Wakefield is also not one of the top 20 American League starters in pitches per appearance (his opponent tonight, Andy Pettite, is).

****Return to Annoying Comments******

-"Did I ever tell you about the time I was on the Kiss Cam at the San Jose- Bruins game?"
- "Jed LOW-ree, Jed LOW-ree" (like Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys)(Go to 1:33)

Needless to say, as if A-Rod coming up short in the clutch like 40 times tonight wasn't irksome enough, I had to listen to this chowderhead (who sat in Section 220 Row C Seat 3, for the record) for the 6 innings I stuck around. I'm really going to miss the place.

This is awesome

I don't know what this is all about, but I think I'm being called "Out to lunch."

http://bokertov.typepad.com/btb/2008/04/state-departmen.html

Just don't call me late to dinner. LOL (ugh!)

Kid Rock on GMA

The author and one of his favorites
One of the things I love about New York are the limitless opportunities. For example, in Albuquerque, I never had the opportunity to stop by a Kid Rock/Skynyrd concert on the way to work. Thanks to Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series, this was made possible.

I showed up at Bryant Park around 7 (when they wanted us there, per Kid's email) to find that the concert wasn't much of a concert. Skynyrd played Sweet Home (which never gets old) at 7:30:


Kid Rock came out about 45 minutes later, and played All Summer Long, his latest smash hit, which has picked up sales of his latest album Rock and Roll Jesus months after it first dropped:

Having seen these performers multiple times, I'd put this at the bottom of the list. The sound was awful (the poor sound quality on the video clips isn't solely the product of my camera, at the end of Kid's performance, he makes a comment), and only getting to hear one song a piece (although Kid played All Summer twice while I was there) was kind of a let down. Also, there were only about 500 people there, which was a surprise (but you wouldn't know it from the way ABC shot it).

That said, good for ABC and Good Morning America for doing this. I'll never complain about the chance to catch Kid Rock or Skynyrd, another reason to love this city. I mean, seriously, where else does this stuff happen on a weekly basis?

Also, I left before I had the opportunity to catch Kid sing along with Skynyrd on Sweet Home (I had to go to work), which they closed the show with, here: Skynyrd and Kid Rock Sing 'Sweet Home'.

A right way and a wrong way

Earlier, I wrote about Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian, who upon receiving his bronze medal prompty walked off the podium and left his medal on the mat before the gold and silver medalists were given their awards. While athletes should always place a premium on sportsmanship, I thought this action went a long way in conveying Abrahamian's point.

Well, it turns out that Abarahmian's actions were justified, according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Standing in direct contrast to Abrahamian's more restrained yet very powerful post-match actions were those of Cuban Taekwando comptetitor Angel Valodia Matos, who, after a contested call during his Olympic tournament, kicked a referee in the face.



I know you're a tough Taekwando-dude, but fighting your ref won't accomplish anything. In fact, both Matos and his coach, Leudis Gonzalez, earned lifetime bans for their actions.

Now, it appears that Taekwando has caused consternation for a number of athletes at these Olympic Games, as American gold medal favorite Steven Lopez was defeated on a controversial call by Italy's Mauro Sarmiento in the -80kg quarterfinals Friday. Lopez planned to protest.

Regardless of the outcome, he won't get the gold, or hear the anthem as he stands atop the podium, and that's a shame. That said, if he truly cares about the sport, his example could help shape the future of Taekwando. Hopefully, Lopez learns from the examples of Abrahamian and Matos, and takes the higher road.

He didn't kick the ref in the face, so that's a start.

Possum (or Montauk Monster) on Rockaway Ave, 7 PM Aug 21

I know this is childish, but Mrs. Morganobrien.com and I saw a Homer-sized possum chilling on Rockaway Ave. tonight. We drove by it about 6 times. For the record, she was driving, so she's complicit.

I apologize for the Cloverfield/Blair Witch photography, but like M. Knight Shyamalan, I find that when you don't reveal the monster totally, it makes the footage all the more terrifying!

Bullgod on GMA Friday!

How could I not go to this? It's on my way to work!

On Friday, Aug. 22 Kid Rock & Lynyrd Skynyrd will be performing at New York City’s Bryant Park. This free show will be open to the public and is presented by Good Morning America as part of their Summer Concert Series. Those interested in attending should arrive at the park or studio no later than 7 a.m. For full details, visit GMA’s All-Star Summer Concert page.

Only in New York!

Check back tomorrow for photos and reviews.

Ryder Cup not Iwo Jima

This ad, for a Portuguese TV station covering the Ryder Cup, really struck a nerve:

There are some things that are just not fair game. I'm all for creative freedom and the First Amendment (although this is a Portuguese ad), but to quote With Leather:

...when someone says "Ryder Cup," the first thing I think about is the 35-day battle that featured the fiercest fighting in all of World War II and resulted in the deaths of 6500 Marines and more Medals of Honor than any other battle in history.

When I think of Iwo, I think of a personal hero, Jack Lenz, Chaminade '43. I'll never forget the day he came to speak to my senior history class back in '97, and told us about his time as a young Marine--remember, he graduated in '43. This was one of those moments that made me proud to accept that ROTC scholarship and follow a proud Flyer tradition of service.

God Bless Mr. Lenz, who I had the honor of catching up with again on my last day in uniform, when we caught Gen. Pace's talk to the student body. That day, Mr. Lenz showed me a bottle of that black sand from Iwo. Is there a more impressive keepsake?



Semper Fi!

Photo Courtesy: Dugo

Via:
Deadspin
With Leather
Copy Ranter

In Praise of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh

In an era where it's so easy to be negative, and so easy to be negative towards America, it's refreshing to have the Olympic Games to rally every last bit of patriotism, and remind us all once again why it's great to be an American. Michael Phelps grabbed all the headlines, but I'm partial to a pair of all-American girls who used their talents to display some of the best of what the U.S. has to offer.

Today, America can be proud of the world-beating women's beach volleyball team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, who completed a flawless run through the Olympics, nabbing their second consecutive gold medal after a hard-fought, rain-drenched, two-set victory over China's cyborg-like Wang Jie and Tian Jia.

It's easy to observe the golden girls and not get past their impossibly fit--dare I say, 'Olympian'-- physiques or their skimpy uniforms, but the real joy in observing May-Walsh in action comes from their near telepathic teamwork. Like a well-oiled machine, the duo vanquished all challengers through a systematic dismantling that's like watching poetry in motion (did I cram enough descriptive words in there). Blessed with impeccable court awareness and terriffic athleticism, May and Walsh made it obvious to even the most casual of observers that they were something special, the undisputed leaders of their sport.

While Want and Tian were clearly the toughest opponents faced by May and Walsh, the duo beat them in straight sets as they beat all their opponents throughout the tournament.  

May is the daughter of Butch May, a 1976 Olympic (indoor) volleyball player who--as NBC reminded us numerous times throughout the tournament--was part of the first team to beat the Soviets. This was always followed by a shot of Butch in the stands, looking every bit the Butch, hawking his daughter with nary a smile.  Misty's mom, Barbara, provided a subplot as well.  More on that in a second.  

One of the highlights of the duo's run to gold were the interviews with NBC's Heather Cox. After each win, Walsh's sunny disposition was always on full display, exuding confidence while being all smiles as she never lost sight of the fact that she was playing a game. 

After winning the gold, it was especially refreshing to hear Walsh thank the president for his inspiration. While the media often gives us so much to be negative about--and much was made about Bush's day at the beach, where he visited the two and took photos--its nice to remember that at the end of the day, we're all Americans.  For the two weeks prior, the media had a blast mocking the president's photo op with the pair (I'll spare the PG ones):


Adding additional cheer to the post-match interview, after thanking the president, both May and Walsh gleefully spoke of starting families (in their giddiness, they sounded like they were going to start after the match), talking about creating the next generation of beach volleyball champs.  The duo then grabbed NBC's Cox and hugged her, catching the reporter off-guard with their powerful display of affection.

At the end of the post-match spectacle, May followed a tradition she began after winning gold in 2004, and poured some of her mom's ashes onto the court (albeit a little too close to some Asian gentlemen minding the playing area, some of those ashes blew a little too close).  This was a fitting act of sentimentality that again highlights the character of the team:

They care. They care about their families, about their sport and about the United States.  And their contagious enthusiasm is what this is all about.  

Minot: Incredible

Does anything go right at this base?

Pit bull bites child at Minot
The Associated PressPosted : Wednesday Aug
20, 2008 18:37:31 EDT

MINOT, N.D. — Officials at Minot Air Force Base say they’re reviewing the pet policy for military housing after a pit bull bit a toddler. Maj. Elizabeth Ortiz, a base spokeswoman, says the 16-month-old boy wandered near the pit bull’s newborn puppies on Aug. 13, and the dog responded by biting the child (more).

Dog bites man, not a story. Pit bull mauls toddler, now there's your headline!

and did we mention...

This nation was built on accepting the world's tired and poor. I'll always have a special place in my heart for immigrants of all types, heck, one gave me my first car:

Slow Ride!

And my admiration for immigrants includes those both legal and illegal. In fact, meeting illegals actually helps you recognize that they are, in fact, real human beings with goals and dreams and families to care for. That's not to say that there aren't a number of fair reasons to vehemently oppose illegal immigration. However, I don't think the proper forum to push one's agenda is a sports article covering an Olympic gold medalist.

That brings me to our very own Henry Cejudo, a twenty-one-year-old 55KG grappler, who snagged the gold medal last night after an impressive tournament where he showed ruthless determination and peerless conditioning to beat the world. Of course, Henry's mom came to America as an illegal immigrant. In all fairness, this is a pertinent fact, as all Olympians with interesting and unique backgrounds are good fodder to fill news columns.

The media certainly agreed:

From the AP

From a pre-Olympics Sports Illustrated piece

[HEADLINE] The son of former illegal immigrants, 20-year-old Henry Cejudo has overcome hardship to become the youngest U.S. wrestling champion in decades. Now he wants to be the best on the planet...

Cejudo, who was born in Los Angeles to then illegal immigrants from Mexico City who met in the U.S., is the toughest wrestler in the room. He's also, by his sport's standards, just a boy -- a few months past his 20th ­birthday -- and the youngest member of the U.S. national team. Last year he lost in the finals of the world team trials to 36-year-old world bronze medalist Sammie Henson, who ­remains his top rival for a spot on the 2008 Olympic squad.

From ESPN.com

Cejudo, the son of illegal immigrants from Mexico who bypassed a college career to try to become an Olympian, assured the United States of winning a freestyle wrestling gold for the ninth consecutive Olympics at which it has competed.

I find the New York Times, to be the worst offender. The Times mentions the fact 3 times, basically celebrating the fruits of illegal immigration in their piece, and crafting the article around the theme:

BEIJING — The American flag landed on the scorer’s table, launched by a family member with exceptional aim. Henry Cejudo grabbed it from his coach and draped it around his body. He stood there for the longest time, fighting back tears, the son of illegal immigrants wrapped in stars and stripes....

Like his mother’s life. Nelly Rico, who came to the United States from Mexico as an illegal immigrant, raised seven children by herself and left Los Angeles with them in the middle of the night to escape the criminal who was the father Cejudo never really knew...

They all wore or waved American flags, an entire family decked in the stars and stripes. A family that started with illegal immigrants and advanced to right here, this moment, their very own gold medalist resting in their lap.

“Only in America,” Cejudo said.

And who says the NY Times harbors any bias?

The proof's in the pudding: even the Times wrestling articles foist the paper's agenda on an unsuspecting readership. I think much more pertinent to the story would be details of Cejudo's work ethic, flawless technique and impeccable conditioning. But leave it to the Times to know better about what their readers must know. There was an interesting thread discussing how the media covered this topic on Themat.com, but things got heated (what else is new) and it's since been pulled.

Only in America!

Photo: Bodoglife.com

Bronze Tar Heel!

Congrats to Shalane Flanagan, the pride of Marblehead, MA and a fellow Tar Heel, who captured a bronze medal in the Women's 10K. This was only the second medal for an American woman.

Although I'd be surprised if Shalane remembered me, I met her a few times through my association with Dash and Zach Victor and Matt Weiss, and she was always a first class individual. It was easy to root hard for her (in spite of my crush on fellow American 10K stud-et, Kara Goucher).

ESPN's Luke Wynn did a nice piece here.

Congratulations, Shalane! Way to rep UNC and the USA.

Guilty Pleasure

I gotta give it to JC Penney, their Breakfast Club homage commercial is actually pretty good. As I've learned from Dr. Vincent Blasko's ASU Marketing 395 podcasts (which I'll write more about next week), good advertising has a pythagorean theorem:

attention + benefit = creativity (get it? a+b=c)

To further underscore morganobrien.com's ability to capture the essence of original ideas, the Web is brimming with similar praise, like that shown here, here and here, all highlighting the ad's spot on job at capturing the essence of the movie.

And even though people online have wondered if NFG stands for No F'ing Good instead of New Found Glory, their upbeat/updated cover of the Simple Minds 80's hit (which was written specifically for the movie) is on point.

7!

Move over, Mark Spitz (I wonder if SI will have Phelps do a hack remake of this photo. Here's hoping he wears the LZR, but rocks the 'stache)! Congrats to American Olympic standout Michael Phelps for nabbing his 7th gold in the 100m butterfly. If Phelps were a country, he'd be on the UN National Security Council and tied with North Korea and Ukraine for most medals in the Beijing Games:

Total Medals By Nation

NATION		TOTAL MEDALS	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
United States	48		15	14	19
China	41		26	9	6
Australia	22		5	7	10
Russia	20		4	8	8
France	20		3	9	8
South Korea	18		6	9	3
Italy	15		6	5	4
Germany	14		8	2	4
Japan	14		6	4	4
Great Britain	9		4	2	3
Cuba	8		1	3	4
Ukraine	7		3	0	4
Netherlands	7		1	2	4
North Korea	7		1	2	4

According to Yahoo! Sports, Phelps pre-race playlist is pretty diverse:

While his pre-race tracklist varies, Phelps has said that "I'm Me" by Lil' Wayne has been on his playlist in Beijing. The track, off Weezy's EP "The Leak" features the line:

Yes I am the best/and no I ain't positive I'm definite/I know the game like I'm reffing it...

Other artists that populate Phelps' iPod include: Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, Eminem and Outkast. (What, no 'Pac?) Occasionally, he'll throw some techno into the mix, but usually keeps things rap-centric. Phelps doesn't speak much about the specific songs he's listening to, but he did tell NBC in 2004 that Eminem's "'Til I Collapse" was on his most-played list at Athens. In 2005, he created a playlist for the website Rhapsody that included the songs "Roses" by Outkast, "Burn" by Usher, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and "Smile" by G-Unit.

Wrestling Shots

Here are some photos of the Great Swedish Greco Debacle

1 of 24
Next

Sweden's Ara Abrahamian shouts at wrestling officials after a contraversial match decision during his 84 kilogram greco-roman wrestling match against Italy's Andrea Minguzzi at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008.

Who let the Dog out???

Newsday reports that Chris "Maddog" Russo has left New York's WFAN and his partner, Mike Francessa, with whom he hosts the incredibly popular Mike and the Mad Dog show.

Two weeks shy of its 19th anniversary, the "Mike and the Mad Dog'' show is no more.WFAN announced early Thursday evening that Chris Russo is leaving the company, making Mike Francesa the sole host of the popular afternoon drive time
show.

These guys will always represent New York to me, and getting them on YES while I was out in Albuquerque was always a welcome taste of home. It looks like the dog is going to Sirius. I'm dubious as to their solo prospects--they're a New York institution--it remains to be seen if they'll cater to a national audience, or how Francessa will do without Russo to play off of.

Good luck to the pioneers of sports talk radio and kudos to Newsday for breaking the story.

A couple black eyes for the sport

I've already wrote about my feelings on the Great Swedish Bronze Rejection, which I can justify. Unfortunately, when my sport is supposed to be in its quadrennial spotlight, we've had some tough stories break this week:

Some sick stuff up in Connecticut

I hate bullies--hence my problem with Col. Voldemort--and this is a classic case of a DB asserting his power over a person in a weaker position...although I do think that Col. V was probably on the receiving end of this type of stuff in high school.

(And by the way, Officer O'B--is there a statute of limitations on this crime? Can a cop be the arresting officer of a perp that committed a crime against them--is that unethical?)

Some bad choices in Nebraska

These guys were plain stupid. Whatever they did is normally their own business. However, being student athletes, there is no excuse--they should have known better than to receive money for this, thus putting their scholarships on the line and screwing their teammates.

GRECO!!!

Swedish Wrestler Tosses Medal

Swedish Wrestler Ara Abrahamian tosses away his Olympic bronze medal after being disqualified in the semifinal round.

By News Video

Thursday, August 14, 2008

During the ceremony, Abrahamian took the medal from around his neck, stepped from podium and dropped it in the middle of the mat before storming off.

IOC officials promised a disciplinary hearing, while the victorious Minguzzi said his celebration had been spoiled. "Certainly one can always question decisions made in the course of refereeing, but in sports it is appropriate to show sportsmanship and accept the results," he said.

When I reffed middle school matches in New Mexico, some parents treated it as if it were the Olympics. In that instance, their overreaction was not justified.

At the Empire State Games, some dudes took it WAY TOO SERIOUSLY. Vestal, New York is a long way from Beijing, 40-year-old dude that takes Greco a little too seriously.

Today, as a reformed referee and Greco afficionado, I'm all for good sportsmanship. However, I do feel that when a guy feels that he gets screwed in the actual Olympics, sometimes you have to make your statement. For example, the US was justified in refusing the silver medal in 1972. Ara probably overreacted a little, but was pretty gangster by walking off the way he did.

In related news, congrats to Adam Wheeler, the lone US Greco competitor to medal. It should be noted that Wheeler graciously accepted his bronze medal with pride during today's ceremony.

Morgan O'Brien's WiGO

I think it's important to highlight the glaring flaws of the Air Force, but at the same time I think I'd sacrifice credibility if I didn't point out some successes. For instance, the Air Force is leading the way in finding renewable and alternative energy to power the mission, and should be commended.

Government Exec did a nice piece on this. On the flip side, it's important to note that the man spearheading much of this effort, former Air Force Logistics Chief Bill Anderson, retired in the wake of the Moseley and Wynne resignations/firings.

I also thought that Air Force internal public affairs functions could learn from an awesome interview conducted with Brig. Gen. Cecil Richardson, the Air Force chief of chaplains.

The whole "prostheletyzing" thing has hung over the service for a few years, and I can understand the uncomfortability that non-Christians [to include Catholics :)] might feel because of the religious undertones that pervade the service. At the same time, the chaplains I worked with were incredibly valuable and important to the mission, and the service would be at a humungous loss without them.

That said, there's certainly some concern, and no shortage of outspoken critics. I think the interview conducted by Richardson (who's a helluva talker) with Air Force Times really knocked the issue out of the park. If there was a way to empower NCOs/jr. enlisted/jr. officers to ask these direct questions in a public affairs setting, maybe AF Link would be worth reading. Maybe the key is to outsource this function to out-of-chain civilians who wouldn't feel stifled or outranked in this situation, a la Stars and Stripes.


And for the fun stuff:


Air Force Botched Officer Separations: This feels like going to a casino where you always lose, hitting it big at a slot machine, finding out that the slot machine was broken and ultimately getting to keep the money because there's nothing the casino can do about it.


At the same time, Slates Fred Kaplan shares with us, how the Air Force also Botched Officer Promotions. I bet you-know-who is happy he's in the Air Force and not the Army. Sounds like careerist ass-kissers that haven't rolled around in the sandbox aren't having an easy time in our sister service.

More on this topic--one that deserves further analysis-- later.

For now, and as always....With my Greatest Respect,

Morgan

ESPN.com: Where the Sawx Never Blow 10-run Leads

A picture's worth a thousand words (on describing either Bristol's blind love affair with the Red Sox or their less-than-stellar headline updating staff):


Click Image for Enlightenment (Before)


And 15 Runs Later, They're Closer (Score's still wrong, and I'd argue that coming back from a 10-run deficit is more notable than "Papi's HRs Wasted," which smacks of homerism for the Sawx.)

Decisions, Decisions

Finalizing plans to head to Lahaina for the Maui Invitational.  Unfortunately, after perusing the brackets, the first round has me ankle deep in conflict city:

Click for High Res
On the first day of action, I've got the mighty Tar Heels facing the Fightin' Marianists of Chaminade, battling in the war of my alma maters (kind of).  Later that same day, the schools of my two roommates, Officer Andrew "Cochise" O'Brien and Mrs. Morganobrien.com, square off when Notre Dame (featuring a redshirting Ben Hansbrough, Tyler's bro) and Indiana tussel.

Lord knows what types of matchups will happen in the finals and consies.  Should be a good time, I just hope I don't run into my ex, Sarah Marshall, while I'm there.

NOTES: I bet IU and ND were excited they flew to Hawaii to play one another.  That said, it was probably easier to fly to Hawaii than drive from Bloomington to South Bend, considering the always-under-construction connection of unpaved roads and tractor paths that connect the North to the South in the Hoosier State.  

That's Twisted, Sister

I'll check tomorrow, but I think I spoke to these very nuns as part of my current position:

3 nuns detained during Peterson protest
The Associated PressPosted :
Monday Aug 11, 2008 10:25:01 EDT
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Air Force detained three women suspected of trespassing onto Peterson Air Force Base during a war protest.

Military personnel on Friday stopped Sister Barbara Huber of Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Sister Mary Ann Cunningham of the Sisters of Loretto in Denver, and Esther Kisamore of Colorado Springs as the women tried to deliver a letter to an Air Force general.

The three were later released.

They were detained during the seventh annual Sisters Witness

Against War event at the north gate of the base. About 45 people participated.

When I first started speaking to the nuns, I was expecting meek, pious souls. Boy, was I misguided! Social justice nuns are informed and passionate and a testament to the keeping the faith.

Anyone that keeps the Air Force on their toes is good in my book. I think they should expand their outreach to protest Colonels that allow their non-Catholic spouses to receive the sacraments!

With my greatest respect,
Morgan

Iran = Land of Oppressed, Home of Cowards

I always enjoy the storyline of the Iranian athlete that quits the Olympics before (God Forbid) having to compete against an Israeli athlete:

An Iranian swimmer pulled out of the Olympic Games men's 100m breaststroke heats on Saturday, just minutes before he was due to compete against an Israeli rival.

Mohammad Alirezaei's lane one was empty when the field left the starting blocks while Israel's Tom Beeri, starting in lane seven, finished fourth.

Seems to me, if you're so superior you jump in the pool and kick the Israeli's butt. If you're a coward that's paralyzed by the fear of losing, you don't even get in the pool. But this isn't the first time that Iran's showed cowardice in the shadow of the Olympic torch.

In 2004, Arash Miresmaeili, an Iranian judo world champ, refused to compete against Israel's Ehud Vaks claiming solidarity with the Palestinian movement.

Dude, it's judo. You're a world champ. If you want to represent your cause, then beat the crap out of the Israeli. I think that sends a clear message.

Instead, Miresmaeili's actions played more cowardly than anything else. At least in this kneck of the woods, he didn't really acheive his intended messaging.

I'm a huge proponent of the fields of play serving as a measuring stick of character (For instance, I've got a story about a Belorussian Greco Roman wrestler that kicked my butt up and down the mat in Vestal, NY two weeks ago). And this pattern of ducking out during international competition shows all you need to know about Iran's flawed logic, weak commitment and lack of self confidence.

Pop's Tenant Goes Postal

Finally Jealous of Kirtland

Shortly after I escaped Kirtland Air Force Base and the clutches of the evil Col. Voldemort (almost two years ago, if you can believe it) to work at the Albuquerque Military Entrance and Processing Station, Gen. Peter Pace, then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the troops at KAFB. I couldn't bring myself to go back to the base for the event (see photo above), yet was ticked off that I missed it.

Thankfully, my prestigious status as a distinguished Chaminade alumnus rectified that 11 months later:

Suck on that, 377th ABW!!!

I got mines, and was thrilled that the old place didn't have anything to hold over my head. That all changed when I read this; dang it, I think there's actually something about the old place that has me at least a little bit envious:

Rankin, however, did confirm that “Terminator Salvation” was shooting at Hangar 333 on Friday. It’s near the Albuquerque Sunport runway, but it’s on Kirtland’s flight line. The hangar is part of the 58th Special Operations wing, which flies the high-tech V-22 Osprey helicopters.

Bale has been in Albuquerque for months working on “Terminator Salvation,” the fourth film in the Terminator franchise. He plays John Connor. The film is being shot mostly at Albuquerque Studios at Mesa del Sol.

I was tipped to this from an US Magazine piece.  Man, that would have scored some points with the old lady.  Getting to comment (and possibly work with) the Patrick Bateman while making the new Terminator flick at my old stomping grounds? That's freaking ridiculous. I would kill (no pun intended) to hang out with that guy.

Hey, you can't win 'em all, maybe he'll visit the UN or something some time. One can always hope...

With my greatest respect,

Morgan

Top photo: Tech Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr.

In Praise of...the 39THIRTY

During the past decade, my distinct lack of hair (especially during three of the past four years, which were also marked by a distinct lack of humidity), I never really had much need for a cap.

Going to work in the morning, I'd wear my standard uniform cover. Working out, specifically in Albuquerque, sweat would evaporate before it became a nuisance. But that all changed when I came home to Long Island.

Upon commencing my return engagement with the Empire State, I've grown my hair out and returned to the annoying stickieness tied to living on a land mass surrounded by water. The equation is quite simple:

Hair + Humidity = Sweat + Annoyed Morgan

Hair gettin' in my face, sticking to my forehead, sweat getting in my eyes; this is a recipe for disaster. And seeing as I will not cut my hair out of a sense of pride (and the fact that it's yet another thing I can do the Col. Voldemort cannot, add that to actually running the run portion of the PT test...freaking cheater), I'm left to find out how to fix this.

Do I go sweatband? Man-dana? I mean, there's a time and place for both of those things. However, I'm an American first and foremost. I love apple pie and Midwestern girls. And above all else, I love the game of baseball.

As the official hat of  Major League Baseball, New Era's 59FIFTY is an institution. It's like a Chevy or a Nathan's hot dog.   In fact, New Era recently sent shockwaves through the hearts of purists when they reengineered the lids to better perform in game situations. Upgrades included a conversion from wool to an all polyester design, a black sweatband to hide stains and a black undervisor to reduce glare.  

Head Cover Performance in Action

Alas, I sweat like a Yeti, and even with the new specs, the 59FIFTY doesn't cut it when I'm working out.  Thankfully, a few years ago, New Era, in a shining example of capitalism, introduced a cap designed for batting practice, the 39THIRTY. According to New Era, like me, the 39THIRTY is built for performance. This is a match made in heaven.

From the New Era Web site:

The 39THIRTY is the true fan cap.  With its stretch-comfort fit, the 39THIRTY comes in either a performance mesh fabric or wool-stretch material for anyone or any lifestyle.

The 39THIRTY, while fitted, has an elastic band that allows for some flexibility. So while Air Force Morgan rocked a 7 3/8; Freebird Morgan has to go 7 1/2. The 39THIRTY gives me both, as I fit in the Medium-Large, and it's snug and comfortable.  

In my capacity as the consummate performer, I enjoy the performance mesh fabric, which is perfect for sopping up my sweat during intense training sessions like my interval workouts. Did I mention that in the morning if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches.  I can do 1,000 now.

I have to admit, I bought the Yankees 39THIRTY, but I had to hold my nose when picking it up at the Lids store in Times Square the other day because its very existence rips my sentimental heart out.  The interlocking NY should only appear on the famed navy blue caps of the NY Yankees.  Save the alternate uniform gimmicks for expansion teams like the Mets.  

I've also betrayed my Yankee pride and allowed myself to enjoy the caps of non-Yankee clubs.  My personal favorites include the Yankee-themed AL All-Star cap (modeled by yours truly above and shown below), as well as the TB Rays 2008 version (shown above)  There still remain some teams (Boston, Los Angeles Angels of Orange County-Anaheim-Sherman Oaks, Los Mets) that I'll never rock.

And so it goes, mo' hair, mo' problems.  But thanks to the folks at New Era, I have a reasonable solution to keep tabs on my loathsome locks.

To buy the 39THIRTY, visit:

New Era's online shop

MLB's online shop

Nothing Says "True Love"...

I get the point of this story, and I think there's a time and a place for love stories--especially regarding the military-- it just struck me as odd at a few points, entering the TMI zone:

Ed’s plane was shot down over Vietnam in 1968. He spent five years enduring torture and eating bread smattered with rat feces in North Vietnam. Suzanne, sure he was dead, mourned and reluctantly moved on.

Nothing says "True Love," like bread smattered with rat feces.

And the story again ventured into the weird zone here:

He was kept largely alone. He would prick his wrist with small pieces of bamboo and scrawl messages to his fellow POWs on rough toilet paper with his own blood: “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” “Hang tough.”

On Friday, he pointed to the white specks beneath his wrist watch. “That was my inkwell,” he said.

That kind of reminded me of the famed comic book of Kiss lore.

A final oddity of the piece surrounded bad timing, in a divinely antagonistic set of circumstances, both missed marriage by a week:

As it turned out, Ed came home from Vietnam just six days after Suzanne had married another man. “Boy, were we all surprised,” Suzanne said. “It wasn’t pleasant. I was married for 10 years. I knew right after the marriage occurred that it was a big mistake. I committed, so I stayed in it.”

Ed went to law school and worked as an insurance fraud prosecutor in Austin, Texas.

Suzanne and her first husband had two children. But the marriage ended in the early 1980s. Suzanne sent a letter to Ed’s sister, saying she’d made a terrible mistake, that she still wanted Ed in her life. It’s now known as the “letter from hell.”

Ed was to be married six days later. When he learned that Suzanne had reached out, he stopped the wedding plans and rushed to see her. But he couldn’t believe this was happening and dismissed it all as a fairy tale.

A unique, newsworthy story. It certainly shows how love sometimes works in the wackiest ways.

Favre Jerseys On Sale Now!

Capitalism at work. I should have bought those season tickets.

Via LarryBrownSports.

Favre's A Jet

J-E-T-S !!!

(via ESPN & Matt Weiss)

Favre Traded To Jets

Brett Favre was reportedly traded to the New York Jets on Wednesday night. The Jets send a draft pick to Green Bay for the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who severed ties with the Packers on Tuesday

How's that for Advertising?

Greyhound scraps ads after Canada bus beheading
By ROB GILLIES – 5 hours ago
TORONTO (AP) — Greyhound has scrapped an ad campaign that extolled the relaxing upside of bus travel after one of its passengers was accused of beheading and cannibalizing another traveler. (more)

God Bless America

USA! USA! USA!

Via Docksquad Sports

The Air Force Academy Explained in a < 1 Min YouTube Clip

Enjoy:

Support a Great Cause

Our friends at AFBlues.com are honoring the memory of our fallen comrade, SSgt. Chris Frost, with a phenomenal commemorative coin, the proceeds from which will go to support Frost's young  children,  Mitchell and Mackenzie.  More from AFBlues:

The whole thing is antique silver, and has a shiny coat of epoxy that only covers the inner circles, which is unique. The front side features, in all his comic glory, Chris, smiling like he often did and wearing the exact same uniform he does in the strip. At the top, contained within a black ring, his rank and name are represened, with staff stripes on either side. At about the 8, 6 and 4 o’clock positions, respectively, it says “Father,” “Son” and “Friend.”

Flip it over, and the black ring has been replaced by a blue one filled with stars. Inside, each branch of military service currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan is represented, and an American flag at half-staff pays neverending tribute beneath the following inscription:

“Forged in the memory of United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Christopher Frost and all others who are called home before they leave the war.”

You can put this coin in your collection and be proud of the fact that you helped two young children know how much their father meant to his brothers and sisters in arms, or those he fought to keep free

Buy the coin/make the donation here.

I had the honor of serving with Chris at Kirtland, and had a lot of fun with his dry sense of humor.  Frost was a Hell of a guy, a fantastic NCO and a good friend and it was heart-wrenching to learn of his way-too-soon demise.  More on his story here.

The Military: Patron of Athletes when Convenient

Olympian Lt. Col. Dominic Grazioli is all business

Adm. Mike Mullen came out this week to honor our military Olympians, who'll double down on their American service at the Beijing Olympics, representing the stars and stripes in sports from track and field to Greco-Roman wrestling to marksmanship.

This is great, we should all take tremendous pride in our servicemembers; and these military Olympians cast a terrific spotlight on the armed forces.

However, the hypocrisy of our senior leaders again rears its ugly head. Mullen clearly recognizes the value added to public outreach by these elite athletes (including United States Military Academy cadet Stephen Scherer), but the DoD is still out of touch with maximizing its potential on this front.

According to current Army 2nd Lt. Caleb Campbell, a former NFL hopeful with the Detroit Lions after he was drafted in the seventh round out of the USMA, West Point wanted him to play for the Lions. That was before the DoD ripped those dreams from him in a last-minute policy change.

In my opinion, the case of Campbell probably hinged on some well-placed bureaucrat in the Pentagon that had some personal vendetta/motivation and just enough juice to quash Campbell's NFL dreams. Them's the breaks in the military, where one person can hold just enough power to turn the screws. Campbell has since been reassigned as an assistant coach for the gridiron squad of the Black Knights of the Hudson.

While the odds are slim (what am I saying, it will never happen) there's still time to do the right thing. If the DoD can change it's mind on Campbell once, then perhaps in the spirit of the Olympic Games, cooler heads can prevail. Let him play.

That said, the Olympics should be a terrific show, and the perfect opportunity to highlight everything that's great about our nation. Americans should also take pride in our freedoms, particularly as the crackdowns by the Chinese government on the press continue to gain steam(Free FireJoeMorgan.com!) over the coming weeks. We'll be watching.

Represent us well in Beijing, Team USA!

-- Air Force Capt. Eli Bremer, modern pentathlon;
-- Air Force Capt. Seth Kelsey, epee fencing;
-- Air Force Capt. Kevin Eastler, 20-kilometer race walk;
-- Air Force Lt. Col. Dominic Grazioli, trap shooting;
-- Army Staff Sgt. Dremiel Byers, Greco-Roman wrestling;
-- Army Maj. Michael Anti, air rifle;
-- Army Staff Sgt. Keith Sanderson, rapid-fire pistol;
-- Army Pfc. Vincent Hancock, skeet;
-- Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason Parker, air rifle;
-- Army Staff Sgt. Daryl Szarenski, free pistol;
-- Army Spc. Walton Glenn Eller III, double trap shooting;
-- Army Spc. Jeffrey Holguin, double trap shooting;
-- Army Staff Sgt. Libby Callahan, pistol shooting;
-- Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Bret E. Erickson, trap shooting; and
-- U.S. Military Academy Cadet Stephen Scherer, air rifle.

Campbell Photo courtesy Bleacher Report.com

RIP Tim McClean

An incredible story that's not receiving much attention here in the States revolves around the apparent murder and decapitation of Tim McClean on a Greyhound bus traveling across the Canadian Prairies.  

What's stunning about the story is that it reads like the script of a gore-laden b-movie:

TORONTO  —  A police officer at the scene of a grisly beheading on a Canadian bus reported seeing the attacker hacking off pieces of the victim's body and eating them, according to a police tape leaked on the Internet Saturday.

Inexplicably, McClean was attacked in his sleep during an unprovoked attack by Vince Li, a recent immigrant to Canada from China.  The bus soon cleared out and a standoff with the Mounties ensued.  More from the story:

Mr Li, from Edmonton, Alberta, was holding his victim's head in one hand and a Rambo-style hunting blade in the other. He then lifted up the severed head in an apparent attempt to "taunt" onlookers.

I wonder if we'll ever know what inspired Li--described by his employer as a "model employee" to commit such a heinous act.

Morganobrien.com sends our thoughts and prayers to the families of McClean and Li, that they may somehow find peace in the wake of this truly horrific event.

Vince Li, next stop HELL.

Photos courtesy AP.