Maybe I need to rethink my views.....

WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House hopeful Hillary Clinton has raked in several high profile endorsements as she campaigns for president, but the latest may not be greeted with open arms.

Heidi Lynne Fleiss, the former "Hollywood Madam" who was convicted on charges connected to her prostitution ring, is a big supporter of the New York Democrat's White House bid, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

"I'm a big fan of Hillary's. Any woman who's smart, how can you not be?" Fleiss told the paper. "Even if you're a Republican, if you're a woman and you're smart, you have to respect her."

Fleiss currently resides in Nevada — now a early primary state — and runs a laundromat, called "Dirty Laundry."

The paper reports Fleiss actually tried to attend a Clinton campaign rally in Pahrump, Nevada last week, but was turned away because the building was filled to capacity.

According to Las Vegas' KLAS, Fleiss is trying to make it to the White House herself — or at least a replica of it. She's currently seeking to open a brothel in Nevada that is an exact recreation of the first family's home.

Fleiss isn't the first former Madam to express support for Clinton's White House Bid. Deborah Jeanne Palfrey, also known as the D.C. Madam, said last May she's pulling for Clinton. And, famed porn star Jenna Jameson has also said she is supporting the New York senator.

The Clinton campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Bada Bing on eBay

LODI, N.J. — Scantily clad women have spent nearly 10,000 hours wrapping themselves around two stripper poles made famous in "The Sopranos" as fixtures at the "Bada Bing"
But now that the HBO mafia drama is over, the owners of the real-life club, Satin Dolls, say they will auction off the 12-foot stripper poles and other "Sopranos" relics on eBay later this week.

Of the items — which include a pool table, a disco ball, and the fluorescent purple men's room sign often seen in the background as fictional mob boss Tony Soprano conducts business — possibly the most recognizable are the pair of brass-colored poles on the dance floor.
Susie Quigley, who runs special events at the 19-year-old north Jersey club, which can be renovated now that the series has concluded, wouldn't guess how much the polls could fetch from "Sopranos" fans.

"It seems to me the show the show has a cult following," said Quigley, a former dancer who appeared as an extra last season during an episode filmed at the Borgata hotel and casino in Atlantic City. "The poles have been featured in almost every single episode. I can't begin to say."

Also up for sale: at least 10 standard-issue bar stools that James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano, and his crew sat on in the show. An L-shaped slab of the bar where they watched dancers and drank also will be auctioned.

The club will remain open for business during its renovation, expected to last three or four months.

Quigley said once the final episode aired in June, club owners were released from their contract with the show and were allowed to pursue renovations of the 8,000-foot building. The renovation will make the club more upscale and include areas for private parties and other intimate encounters, she said.

The club sells "Sopranos" souvenirs, including T-shirts, hats and coffee mugs. It is a popular stop on bus tours of "Sopranos" sites in New Jersey.

The Emmy-winning HBO show explored the life of the fictional Jersey mob boss and his family, and scores of scenes have been shot across the Garden State since it debuted in 1999.

Just after the episode aired, the diner where Tony sat with his family in the controversial series finale — Holsten's, really an ice cream parlor in Bloomfield — saw a boom in business.

Satin Dolls isn't the only New Jersey business trying to cash in on the fame of "The Sopranos."

The developer who owns the building that fronted for Satriale's pork store in Kearny — one of Tony Soprano & Co.'s favorite hangouts — plans to sell bricks from the facade as he demolishes it.

Manny Costeira is constructing nine condo units in place of Satriale's, calling the project "The Soprano." Prices will range from $325,000 to $385,000.

He said he doesn't know how much he can get for the 8-inch by 8-inch souvenirs, but suggested $100 apiece.

"I'm a big fan of the show, but I don't know if I'd run to by a stone off the pork store," he said.

When it rains....

Vick cited in traffic stopIndicted QB ticketed for not wearing seat belt

By Mike Morris, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Published on: 08/20/07

When it rains it pours, as Michael Vick found out last week.

Already facing federal charges relating to an alleged dogfighting operation, the Falcons quarterback was cited for not wearing a seat belt during a traffic stop in Isle of Wight County, Va.

Vick's 2007 Acura sport utility vehicle was pulled over by a Virginia State Police Thursday afternoon on U.S. 17 near Smithfield, across the James River from Vick's hometown of Newport News.

State Police Sgt. D.S. Carr said the SUV, driven by Jamal Wilson of Newport News, was stopped because the tint on the windows was too dark.

Vick, who was a front seat passenger in the Acura, was given a citation for not wearing a seat belt, Carr said. Wilson was given a traffic ticket for the window tinting.

Carr said Vick's seat belt violation carries a fine of $50, but does not require a court appearance.

The root of all evil in sports

I borrowed the headline from Sunday's New York Daily News. Mike Lupica is dead on with his column on gambling in sports.

The only league without a gambling scandal right now is baseball. And they have Pete Rose as their poster child.

David Stern is having a blast with Tim Donaghy. Michael Vick may get convicted for dog fighting, but Roger Goodell is worried about his gambling as much as anything else. Rick Tocchet just got two years probation for running a gambling league.

They are the only ones who have been caught at this moment, but I am sure there's more to come.

Classic day off concept...

Russians offered day off, prizes to procreate
Officials hope ‘Day of Conception’ will help turn around declining birthrate

MOSCOW - A Russian region best known as the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin has found a novel way to fight the nation’s birthrate crisis: It has declared Sept. 12 the Day of Conception and for the third year running is giving couples time off from work to procreate.
The hope is for a brood of babies exactly nine months later on Russia’s national day. Couples who “give birth to a patriot” during the June 12 festivities win money, cars, refrigerators and other prizes.

Ulyanovsk, a region on the Volga River about 550 miles east of Moscow, has held similar contests since 2005. Since then, the number of competitors, and the number of babies born to them, has been on the rise.

Alexei Bezrukov and his wife, Yulia, won a 250,000 ruble prize — equivalent to $10,000 — in June after she gave birth to a baby boy, Andrei. Bezrukov said patriotism wasn’t their motive for having a child, their third, although the money was welcome.

“It was a patriotic atmosphere, you know when everyone around is celebrating, but I wasn’t thinking of anything but my son,” he said. “The whole thing is great, it’s great to get 250,000 rubles when you have a new baby to take care of.”

Sparsely populated countryRussia, with one-seventh of the Earth’s land surface, has just 141.4 million citizens, making it one of the most sparsely settled countries in the world. With a low birthrate and very high death rate, the population has been shrinking since the early 1990s.
It is now falling by almost half a percent each year. Demographic experts expect the decline to accelerate, estimating that Russia’s population could fall below 100 million by 2050.

In his state of the nation address last year, President Vladimir Putin called the demographic crisis the most acute problem facing Russia and announced a broad effort to boost Russia’s birthrate, including cash incentives to families to have more than one child.

Ulyanovsk Governor Sergei Morozov has added an element of fun to the national campaign.
When he held the first competition in 2005, 311 women signed up to take part — and qualify for a half-day off from work. In June 2006, 46 more babies were born in Ulyanovsk’s 25 hospitals than in June of the previous year, including 28 born on June 12, officials in the governor’s office said.

More than 500 women signed up for the second contest on Sept. 12, 2006. Exactly nine months later, 78 babies, triple the region’s daily average, were born. They were welcomed into the world as Russia’s national anthem was played, the officials said.

Steadily rising birthrateSince the campaign began, the birthrate in the region has risen steadily and is up 4.5 percent so far this year over the same period in 2006, according to the regional administration’s Web site.

Everyone who has a baby in an Ulyanovsk hospital on Russia Day gets some kind of prize. But the grand prize winners are couples judged to be the fittest parents by a committee that deliberates for two weeks over the selection.

The 2007 grand prize went to Irina and Andrei Kartuzov, who received a UAZ-Patriot, an SUV made in Ulyanovsk. They told reporters they were planning to have another child anyway when they heard about the contest.

Irina Kartuzova had to have a Caesarian section to deliver the baby and it was scheduled for June 12.

The selection committee chose the Kartuzovs from among the 78 couples because of their “respectability” and “commendable parenting” of their two older children, a spokesman for the governor said.

Other contestants won video cameras, TVs, refrigerators and washing machines.
Under the federal program, women who give birth to a second or subsequent child are to receive certificates worth $10,000, which can be used to pay for education or to improve the family’s living conditions.

Monthly support payments were raised this year to $60 from $28.

Jury selection for Vick trial

Numerology

Where were you 30 years ago today? I was 9-years-old and living in Fort Lee when Elvis Presley passed away on this date in 1977. Matter of fact I think I was in Ms. Haberle's third grade class in School #2.

Hard to believe the King has been gone that long. Imagine if he had lived in the Internet world that we live in? US and People Magazine's would be all over him. he would be the lead on TMZ.com twice a week for sure. BTW - if you haven't been to Graceland, you have to go just once in your life. The Jungle Room is something I will never, ever forget. Something you have to see to believe.

Thirty years later, the hockey world lost a legend as Sam Pollack passed away. Many of you will ask, who was Sam Pollack? He was only the man who built the legendary Montreal Canadiens teams of the 60's and 70's. He built what in my mind, and many others think, was the greatest team ever put together in the 76-77 team. They lost eight times in the regular season and dominated their way to the Stanley Cup title. Pollack was 81.

But the real number I wanted to talk about today was the number 8. No, this isn't because I saw it on Sesame Street (which by the way, a new season started. Whoo hoo!). The reason that 8 is the number of the day is because next year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive something other than the 8 car.

Now, it may be sad that he cannot keep the number his grandfather drove, but NASCAR and anyone who is involved in the merchandising of Junior is going to be laughing themselves all the way to the bank.

Think about how many fans Junior has. Think about how many of them own everything with the number 8 on it. Think about how all of them will buy all of the same things with WHATEVER his new number is. While people may be disappointed and upset because they love and are used to the 8 car being Juniors, the money is about to roll in again.

Now that Budweiser isn't his sponsor - this bodes well for the amount of dollars the new sponsor of the car is going to put into it. For surely, they will get bang for the buck with the new number change as well.

Be amazing to see how much Junior will sell as compared to his old 8 car that will stay with his stepmother Teresa. My guess is that it will blow it out of the water. Hey Teresa, think is was a good move to be that greedy? You will soon enough.

As the King would say, Teresa and DEI will soon be in "Heartbreak Hotel."

30 years and still the King everywhere except in NASCAR where King Richard Petty is still the tops.

Remembering a New York legend

While most of you know I am not a Yankee fan, I did still grow up in New York and I did grow up watching Yankees baseball on television. Back in the day, because I am so old, we didn't have a satellite dish with the MLB package and you had to watch what was in your market.

So when I was growing up in the 70's and 80's, you couldn't not watch the Yankees broadcast without listening to Phil "the Scooter" Rizzuto. He was this 5-foot-6 man with a spirit the size as the tallest skyscraper. He used to be in the booth with Bill White and I can still hear him telling stories to him by starting with his typical, "Hey White....." and he always had at least one "Holy Cow " per game.

You may not have been a Yankee fan, but he was as famous in New York as Ernie Harwell in Detroit and Vin Scully in Los Angeles. The main difference was that Rizzuto also won seven World Series as a Yankee shortstop.

Watching Mike and Mike on ESPN today, they described it perfectly by saying that Rizzuto was the crazy uncle you never knew what he was going to say, but you loved him. Buster Olney talked about a Yankee icon and what he meant to the organization and baseball.

Mike Lupica talks about how Scooter made all of us part of his family. Three great columns in the NY Post about Rizzuto. Richard Sandomir of the NY Times wrote a great recap of the Scooter's life.

More from the NY Daily News and NY Post.

As George Steinbrenner said perfectly, "Heaven must have needed a shortstop." You didn't have to be a Yankee fan to love the Scooter.

He is and will be sorely missed.

Story of the day

I was going to write about Michael Vick's hole getting deeper, but we are all bored and sick of the story by now, aren't we?? I am just shocked that his boys are flipping on him more than anything else.

Anyway, I found another funny story this morning that I must share... because that's what I do.

My first thought was to wonder if these mice are Jewish? Then I thought, wow, maybe that's a new profession ... a plastic surgeon for mice. Enjoy!

Nose Jobs Turn Female Mice Into Sex Machines

By Charles Q. Choi

Female mice apparently become as randy as males after their senses of smell are tampered with, ending up aggressively trying to mount any mouse that moves, research now reveals.
These findings open the question as to whether circuits for male behavior exist in a dormant state in females, and vice versa, in other species — including in humans.

In many animals, the vomeronsal organ often helps detect scents.

In mice, it especially helps detect pheromones, molecules used to attract the opposite sex and to communicate other signals linked with social behavior, such as parenting or aggression.

The organ is found in the noses of practically all land vertebrates, except humans and other higher primates.

Key to helping signals from this organ travel up neurons to reach the brain is a gene called Trpc2.

After they knocked out this gene in specially bred mice, Harvard molecular neuroscientist Catherine Dulac and her colleagues found that females displayed uniquely masculine sexual behaviors.

The mice began chasing, mounting and thrusting pelvises against other mice, both male and female, as well as giving out ultrasonic mating calls and sniffing derrieres.

"These results are flabbergasting," Dulac said. "Nobody had imagined that a simple mutation like this could induce females to behave so thoroughly like males."

As to whether or not this applies to humans, especially since humans lack vomeronasal organs, "my guess is as good as yours," Dulac told LiveScience.

Rodents are driven by smell, while "humans and higher primates are mostly visual — hence pornography!"

The effect was not limited to female mutant mice — it was also seen when the researchers surgically removed the vomeronasal organs of normal mice.

The female rodents who had their sense of smell genetically or surgically short-circuited also abandoned typically maternal behaviors.

For instance, after giving birth, normal female mice spend about 80 percent of their time in their nest nursing their newborns, but the altered females readily wandered away after some two days of motherhood, eventually leaving the nest altogether.

While nursing mice ordinarily attack male intruders and reject their sexual advances, the mutant females were docile toward males and seemed highly receptive to their overtures.
Often the differences in behavior seen between the sexes in mammals are attributed to chemicals such as hormones.

These new findings suggest otherwise — the researchers found that female mice that had their sense of smell genetically or surgically hampered showed normal estrogen levels, testosterone levels and fertility cycles.

Dulac and her colleagues described their findings online August 5 in the journal Nature.
"Our work suggests that neuronal circuits underlying male-specific behaviors develop and persist in the female mouse brain, but are repressed by the normal activity of the vomeronasal organ," Dulac said.

"In fact, our research suggests a new model where exactly the same neural circuitry exists in males and females," she added. "You only have to build one brain in a species, and that one brain is built, more or less, the same in the male and the female."

The only thing that differs between the sexes in mice when it comes to sexual behavior is due to how the vomeronasal organ works, Dulac suggested.

"While male and female bodies are strikingly different physiologically, it appears the same cannot be said for the brain," she said.

These findings might open up new avenues for investigation into the brain origins of sex-specific human behavior.

Dulac and her colleagues are now studying male mice with genetically disabled vomeronasal organs to see if they display feminine traits.

Sunday thoughts...

It comes as no surprise to anyone that Tiger Woods won the PGA Tournament for the fourth time. He has now won 13 majors and is five behind Jack Nicklaus. He finished 2nd in two of the other three majors.

The amazing part is Woody Austin finished in second place only two shots back. Ernie Els had chances to get tied with Tiger at different points, but couldn't make a putt on the back nine.

Best story in sports in ages has to be Rick Ankiel. A few years ago he couldn't find the strike zone as a pitcher for the Cardinals. Now he comes back as an outfielder and has three homers in three games. Good for you, Rick! Persistence pays off.

Anyone want to know why the NHL is still in serious trouble??? The New York Islanders just gave Andy Sutton 3-million per year for 3 years. Just absurd - amazing how much you can get paid for being 6-foot-6.

Battle at Kruger

Here is an unreal video from a safari. Little wild ... but very cool!

Light it up!

OK - so my friend Justin Simon has been working with me on a project for what seems like a lifetime. He's the brains behind one of the funniest things I have ever seen - but it makes sense - called the Always Lit.

It's for the knuckleheads who lose lighters. It's a great idea that needs to be seen to be understood. Check out the page and buy a few!!! Tell them I sent ya!!!

Also for you crazy tequila people, check out the Patron Social Club. Very cool site that I got from my friend Chuck Schiller in Dallas. His company, The Richards Group, works with Patron. Now that is a good gig!

One hope, one dream, one shock

So we wake up today and for the first time in 33 years, Hank Aaron's name isn't at the top of the Home Run list anymore.

He slides down into the number two slot on the list. While that may be technically true, he will always be the Home Run King to me. He is number one when it comes to class, decency and everything that a baseball "purist" would hold near and dear to their hearts.

Last night, when a video ran from Aaron congratulating Bonds on breaking the record, it wasn't the first time we saw what a great man Aaron was. But it was the most telling of how awesome a man he is. After everything he went through in his chase for Babe Ruth's record, he has to be wondering why did it have to be Bonds to break my record? Didn't matter - Aaron has done the right thing with this from the beginning. Just the same way he handled the racist clowns during his chase. He is one of the greats in sport, record or no record.

Everyone knows that records are meant to be broken, but if Bonds cheated as we all suspect he did, forget an asterisk, it's a black mark. Aaron's record doesn't need to be taken away from someone who would have been a Hall of Famer without cheating. And there's no question about it, Bonds was a Hall of Famer before. Now the question is whether he is a Hall of Shamer.

Time and hopefully Bud Selig will tell. But no matter what, you may blame Bonds, but you also have to blame Bud. The owners and he knew what was going on. Can't sell it to me any other way. So Bud - this black mark is for you to! Sorry but you did it to yourself.

One other thing that needs to be said are about the fans of the San Francisco Giants. While I have many friends in the Bay Area, I can't not talk about how they stood behind Bonds all the way. Good for them, but then again, they are represented by Nancy Pelosi. Need I attempt to say more????

SI.com's John Donovan has a great piece today on the fact that Barry may hold the record, but he's no hero. Amen! Also check out the SI.com front page - great graphic of Bonds!

OK - all that being said, we all have one thing and one thing to do now that Bonds is on top of the list. It's not an easy thing for many of us to do, but considering what is going on, we have no choice baseball fans. You ready? Deep breath. Here goes: Let's go AROD!!!!!

He's 32 and he's 256 away from Bonds. He can do this. We need him to do this. We need to support him no matter what jersey he wears. And trust me, that's a tough issue for many to put aside. But it needs to be done.

Come on board the ARod train ... it's for the good of the game. And ya know what, I think Hank would rather be third to him rather than two to Bonds. And didn't Babe Ruth wear number 3? More appropriate for the Hammer.

Favor from y'all

Hey gang - my client and friends at Red Lobster are now on You Tube. Can you please make sure to check it out and if you actually like (which you will!!!) give it some positive love back! Thanks !!!!

The line of the day....

As a New York Football Giants lifelong fan, all of you know how I dislike Tom Coughlin with an immense passion.

I want them to go 2-14 and get the top pick and get a new coach, specifically Bill Cowher.

That being said, what has gone on with Michael Strahan is just insane. Here's a great quote from him this weekend.

"What's been most disappointing has been all of this nonsense that I'm holding out for more money. The truth is that football has been very good to me and I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by advisers who have ensured my family and I will live comfortably for the rest of my life. You deserve to know what's really going on. My agent [Tony Agnone] met with the Giants earlier in the year and discussed many things, including my contract. Money is not the reason that I have not reported to training camp and it will not be a factor for my return. This has already been communicated to the Giants, and while the reports may indicate a 'hard line' taken by the team regarding money, it is not necessary as this issue has been decided well before July."

Here's my question ... if it ain't about money, then why does he keep saying that? He could have told them ages ago about his thoughts of retirement, but he didn't until the day before training camp. If it were decided WELL before July ... why are they taking this stance with a Hall of Famer at the end of his career?

To me - it's all hogwash. It's a joke. Michael - it is about the money - just say it! And when you do, say it while walking away. You have been falling apart for the last three years and while you are a legendary player in our history, the way you have handled all of this is your fault.

Hey Mr. Mara - great job. Stay strong and don't give in.

Historic weekend

So many things happened this weekend in sports, where should we focus our time?

Barry Bonds finally tied Hank Aaron for the home run record. The happiest person, Bud Selig, was there to see it. He stood up, didn't clap and now is heading home because he was there for that and he doesn't feel it necessary to hang around until the record is broken. Odds are that Bonds will do it in his game tonight against Washington because Bud is gone. So obviously, Barry when you do, this Bud's for you!

ARod hitting his 500th homer was nice. He became the youngest person to join the club and he's heading down the path to breaking the all-time record. He will probably blow the doors off of whatever Bonds sets the record at. Best part was because it was down the line, close to being foul, that John Sterling couldn't be all obnoxious about the call.

Then there was the Hall of Fame football inductions. Usually these can be long and boring and this one was long, but it wasn't boring. Thurman Thomas asked his wife to marry him again. Michael Irvin gave an emotional speech about his life and what he has been through. Charlie Sanders finally taking the time to say "Hi Mom." He had never done it because his mom died when he was 2 and he never felt right about it. And then Gene Hickerson, being pushed by his running backs, as he suffers from Parkinson's. It was an incredible ceremony.

And by the way, they played a football game the next day. YIPPIE!!!!! Football is back!!!!

The runner-up for my favorite moment of the weekend was Tiger Woods taking Rory Sabbatini out to the woodshed and kicking his butt on the final round at Firestone. Tiger was the only golfer under par and won by 8 strokes. I hate to say this because it may sounds nuts, but it was never THAT close. He just dominated a very difficult golf course. I know this because I played there with my father-in-law and brother-in-law a few years ago two weeks before the tournament. The rough there is harder than anywhere I have ever played. For example, my brother-in-law hit and incredible drive on the first hold that took one small hop into the left rough. We knew exactly where the ball landed and couldn't find it. We walked for 10 minutes in the spot and to no avail. Wild stuff.

But my favorite moment of the weekend is something that we may not see again for a long time: 300 wins from a pitcher.

To start, Tom Glavine is a class act. He's one of the good men in baseball. I like him for no other reason than he was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings to play hockey. I still think he made the right decision by throwing a ball. It was cool to see him become the 23rd person to reach 300 wins at Wrigley Field. It adds to the drama and history in my mind.

I have heard people say that all 300 wins proves is that you have longevity. While they may be right, isn't that something that should be rewarded? Say what you want about Cal Ripken's streak, but there's something to be said about showing up to work and working hard.

If you won 15 games for 15 years, you would be at 225 wins. Think about that? Isn't that impressive to win 15 for 15? How many people have actually done it? Not sure, but I bet you can count them on your hands. Randy Johnson is 16 wins away and he's just had back surgery and is probably done. The other guys close are old and far, far away. Glavine is the last of his generation of great pitchers to accomplish this goal. And depending on health issues and so on, it's up to the C.C. Sabathia's and Johan Santana's to run with it. But it will still be a long time till we see this goal accomplished again.

The question of the day is what was the most impressive part of the sports weekend to you? C'mon - open up and share your thoughts.... tell me if I am off base (ball).

Shamless Red Lobster Plug

OK, most of you by now know that Red Lobster is one of my clients.

I have to tell you, we work with some great people there. Two of my favorite folks are Michael LaDuke and Darryl Mickler, the Red Lobster chefs. Two unbelievable cooks and even better people.

We have just posted our first videocast with the two chefs from our trip to Boston. Check it out and let me know what you think. PLUS you need to go try Red Lobster's Fresh Fish menu. It's very, very tasty and it's healthy! Just don't have the Cheddar Bay Biscuits and your fine.

Have a great weekend.

Yankee empire in transition?

Fortune has a story today on what could be a big change in the baseball landscape if any of this is true.

The New York Yankees' cable network, the YES Network, is for sale, Fortune has learned. And some baseball insiders and Yankees limited partners are wondering whether the team itself might be next.

Also - one of my old partner's in crime, SI's John Donovan, writes about the best GM in baseball. After Mark Teixteira hit a homer and drove in four RBI last night is there even a question?

From the how dumb can someone be department:

A newspaper reporter who said Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick would have been "better off raping a woman" than being charged with dogfighting has apologized and will no longer appear on the local sports panel TV show where he made the remark.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Paul Zeise made the comments Sunday night on the "Sports Showdown" show on KDKA-TV, a CBS affiliate. He was disagreeing with another panelist who said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should suspend Vick for the rest of the season because he was indicted on federal dogfighting charges July 17.

And finally - from the picture says a thousand words department ... YIPPIE!!!!!!!

Sick feeling watching bridge video

Growing up in New Jersey people always jokingly ask me, "what exit?"

My response was always that I didn't grow up on an exit, I grew up on a bridge.

The George Washington, to be exact, was right outside my window in Fort Lee. Crossed over it what seems like a million times. Been through a ton of tunnels and over many, many bridges in my life, as have most of you.

Included in those bridges I have crossed is the one you see now crumbled on television. It connected the downtown Minneapolis area near the Metrodome to the University of Minnesota.

What a strange feeling. I just spoke to one of my nearest and dearest, Jess Myers, who lives in the Twin Cities. Everyone is his world is fine, thank god. What's insane is that he told me that he has a friend that was on the bridge literally two minutes before the crash. Scary.

Jess also said that the time the bridge fell was an hour before a Twins game and during rush hour. Odds are that more folks will be found today, but it could have been a whole lot worse.

After September 11th, it was hard to look at a bridge or tunnel and not have the worst thoughts in the back of your mind. But the kinds of thoughts of what happened last night rarely, if ever, entered my mind. Just insane that this doesn't happen more with the amount of older bridges in our country.

If you want more info on the story - best two places are two of the better newspapers: Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. CNN has incredible footage of the bridge collapsing.



There was actually funny news late yesterday out of St. Paul that I wanted to share with y'all. One of the greatest organizations in sports is having another great promotion.

The St. Paul Saints and the newly merged Humane Society have partnered to give out 1500 Michael Vick chew toys during the Saints August 21 game.

These are the same folks that have had a pig bring a baseball to the mound. They had Futon Alley in right field that had a futon, TV and a fridge full of beer. They used to give haircuts down the first base line and massages down the right field line.

When I went to a game there, it was Mary Tyler Moore night. The people who looked most like the TV characters won tickets to another game.

One of the many happy moments and thoughts I have from my travels in the great state of Minnesota.

Who let the dogs out....

OK - so there's one part of the Michael Vick case that no one has touched on. What happened to the dogs that the feds confiscated?

Well today's New York Times answers the "biting" question. I just couldn't resist. Here's a new picture from the Virginia house. Enjoy.

Bonds rookie card is hot!!!

Roberts shares her cancer scare on-air

Good Morning America's Robin Roberts has worked very hard to get to where she is. Roberts was one of the best anchors on SportsCenter and at ESPN.

This morning, she went on air and announced that she is battling breast cancer. Not an easy thing to do, but another way to get the message out to people that they need to be diligent in taking care of themselves.

Roberts doesn't strike me as someone who isn't a fighter and won't give it her all, like she has everything else in her life. Good luck Robin - or as she would say, "Go on with your bad self."

Crazy day in sports

I know it's hard to read - but here's the latest info from the Michael Vick case. Tony Taylor flipped and says there's no deal for him. If that's the case, then why flip at all??? Just strange stuff. Here's what Taylor told the feds.

The Atlanta Braves made a trade to get Mark Teixeira. Could be the move they need to win another division title. Hey Mets and Phillies fans - be afraid, be very afraid!!

One sad piece of news to report. To me, the greatest offensive mind in NFL history, Bill Walsh, passed away at the age of 75. I am sure SportsCenter will have a retrospective on the man who gave us the West Coast offense.

The King of Sports Writing

When my comrades and I at USA Today.com started one of the best sites on the web, we had a big struggle in the newsroom trying to get writers to write for the web.

How many times and ways did I have to explain to people that even if the paper only gave you 10 inches of space, if you have 27 inches of a story, we can run it all on the web. Space is never an issue with us. They just didn't get it during my tenure there. It was as frustrating as can be. Nowadays, they are much better at working the web.

It wasn't until 1997 when I came to help build and run CNN/SI.com (now known as SI.com) editorially did I meet the one man that got it from day one: Peter King. Not only did he get it - but if he had it, our readers had it. From the Monday Morning Quarterback to the mailbag - Peter just understands how to use the medium like no one else.

If you don't read Peter every week and you are an NFL fan - then you don't understand the NFL. He's the best out there and you need to go check out this week's MMQB. He's got a great conversation with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Late night host Snyder memories

Most of you know that I am a former journalist and although it isn't my profession now, it's my passion and love. It's something that is just in your blood and you can't escape.

With that being said, from time-to-time I will digress to talk about people who I think have changed media in a way that needs to be recognized.

One such person passed away yesterday, Tom Snyder. He was a late night television legend. Some of you who remember Dan Akroyd as a Saturday Night Live cast member and not as a Blues Brother, might remember when he parodied him.

Snyder was a good interviewer who didn't take himself too seriously. He interviewed many famous folks, but most remember his Charles Manson interview and his Kiss interview where Ace Frehley was drunk.

I am sure tonight on NBC Nightly News there will be a retrospective on his life and career. Be good to watch and see what they choose to show of his career.

Do you really need a new toy?

Having two children, there are toys all over the house. Seems like in every room, there is something for them to play with. And if they don't like the toys in the one specific room, they swap out from other rooms.

Heck, most of the time, they'd rather have a big box that they can color and just play in and around. And I have two girls - no boys.

But I was thinking, all of these years later, am I or any of my male friends any different?

The only difference I see is that our toys are technical and cost a bunch of money. We all have iPods, Blackberry's, cell phones, surround sound, HD, Tivo, flat screens, wireless high tech remotes and all of that junk.

But I have drawn a line in the sand - I am anti-iPhone. Not saying that it isn't a cool toy. Just saying I don't need it.

Shocking to hear me say that huh? I don't need it. My fingers quake when typing those words.

Why do I feel this way about what can be the coolest invention in a long time? Let's breakdown what it is.

It's an all in one product combining a phone, iPod and Blackberry. I have all of those and I like what I have at this point. Plus the email keypad to type is OK, not great. I am addicted to my Crackberry and I love the keypad on the older one I have. I didn't even get the newer ones because of it.

My friend Matt, who works for AT&T, told me to sit tight and the price will drop and the product will get better in less than a year. But I am not sure I would jump on the bandwagon when it comes to that.

I am scared, I must be growing up if I am feeling this way. The old me, would have gone out an bought the iPhone right away.

But I don't need a toy in every room anymore. I just need the right ones that get the job done. Besides, I rather spend the money buying the girls new dresses and toys.

More fun for me right now ... wait for October to see if it's more girls toys, or I get to buy toys for a boy.

I can definitely use a Tonka dumptruck right about now. Doubt I will get it.

Primetime stupidity

Sometimes people just need to stop talking. Many NFLers have made comments about Michael Vick's situation. Emmitt Smith made some absurd comments last week about it and now here comes Deion Sanders.

Now I have to tell you, I love Deion. He's one of the greatest PR stunts ever invented. I will never forget when he was drafted and someone asked him what kind of contract he was looking for. In a quote that ran on the front of USA Today he said, "I want a contract that rhymes with my name. Neion, Deion, Million." Classic with the chains and the geri-curl do back in the day.

But now, I don't even know what to say about his column in his hometown News Press of Fort Myers. Read on and you will see why.

Deion’s take on Vick hits ESPN

Originally published on July 27, 2007

Fort Myers native Deion Sanders made plenty of national headlines during his NFL career. On Thursday, the former All-Pro found himself in the national spotlight again, thanks to his recent column in The News-Press about Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who is facing federal charges of running an illegal dogfighting ring.

Sanders’ column, which ran in last Sunday’s The News-Press, was debated on ESPN’s radio and television networks. ESPN radio host John Kincaid said Sanders’ computer should have reached out and grabbed his hands, preventing him from writing his opinion about the Vick case.

Here's his column

I would've never thought Mike Vick, one of the NFL's most exciting players — the man who makes the network execs smile every time he plays — would ever be indicted for crimes against man's best friend.The potential impact could be devastating.

He could lose millions worth of endorsements. Nike has already suspended the release of his new shoe. He could lose millions he was supposed to get from the Atlanta Falcons, if the club decides to cut him. That's unlikely, but it could happen if he's convicted or makes a plea arrangement.

Or his reputation might wind up so stained that he's never forgiven in the court of public opinion. That would be too bad for the 27-year-old superstar.This is all the result of perspective.

What a dog means to Vick might be a lot different than what he means to you or I. Hold on, don't start shaking your head just yet. Listen to me.

Some people kiss their dogs on the mouth. Some people let their dogs eat from their plate. Some people dress their dogs in suits more expensive than mine, if you can believe that.

And some people enjoy proving they have the biggest, toughest dog on the street. You're probably not going to believe this, but I bet Vick loves the dogs that were the biggest and the baddest. Maybe, he identified with them in some way.

You can still choose to condemn him, but I'm trying to take you inside his mind so you can understand where he might be coming from.

I'm sure all of the animal activists and Humane Society folks have a dart board with Vick's picture in the center of it. And if he plays this season, PETA is going to picket every stadium where he plays.Still, I must ask the question: Where is all of this going?

By now you've read all of the accusations about the cruelty involving the dogs — and I'm not just talking about their duels to the death. All of that is enough to make me cringe because I have three highly-trained protection German shepherds, just in case someone wants to rob my family.

Believe me, you don't want to deal with them. With one German command, our dog Yascho turns into Cujo. And for the record, I live around the corner from the police station, so it won't take them long to show up and save you from the dogs.

Now back to Vick.

Why are we indicting him? Was he the ringleader? Is he the big fish? Or is there someone else? The fights allegedly occurred at a property that he purchased for a family member. They apparently found carcasses on the property, but I must ask you again, is he the ringleader?

This situation reminds me of a scene in the movie "New Jack City," when drug dealer Nino Brown is on the witness stand and eloquently says, "This thing is bigger than me."Are we using Vick to get to the ringleader? Are we using him to bring an end to dogfighting in the United States?

The only thing I can gather from this situation is that we're using Vick.Was he wrong? Absolutely. Was he stupid? Can't argue with that. Was he immature? No doubt. But is he the ringleader? I just can't see it.

I believe Vick had a passion for dogfighting. I know many athletes who share his passion. The allure is the intensity and the challenge of a dog fighting to the death. It's like ultimate fighting, but the dog doesn't tap out when he knows he can't win.It reminds me of when I wore a lot of jewelry back in the day because I always wanted to have the biggest chain or the biggest, baddest car. It gives you status.

Can I pause for a moment to ask you a question?

Who shot Darrant Williams? Remember the Denver Bronco cornerback? I'm just more concerned about bringing to justice someone who killed a human. Or finding out who broke into Miami Heat forward Antoine Walker's home, tied him up and robbed him at gunpoint.

We're attacking this dogfighting ring the same way a teenager attacks his MySpace page after school (by the way parents, make sure you monitor your kids). We should have the same passion for man that we have for man's best friend.

The reason this is turning into a three-ring circus is that baseball is boring, basketball is months away, football is around the corner and we in the media don't have a thing interesting to write about.

How will this end up? I have no idea. All I know is Falcons fans better pray because Vick's backup is Joey Harrington. Enough said.

God bless and God willing I'll hollah at you next week.

— Deion Sanders, a North Fort Myers High School graduate, played in the NFL and Major League Baseball. He works as an analyst for the NFL Network and is part-owner of the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League.

Where should I even begin? Ya know what - I am going to let you begin... thoughts, comments and concerns??? Jump in and I will follow along ... but I am sure most of you know what I think.

The day after in Hotlanta

How many of you have actually read the FULL indictment from the Michael Vick case?

Seriously have you read the entire indictment? If you haven't please read this now.

It is by and far one of the most vile things you will ever read, if you can even finish it.

If any of it is remotely true, Vick shouldn't worry about Roger Goodell. He might try worrying about the U.S. legal system.

How do you think new coach Bobby Petrino feels? Check out Jeff Schultz's column in the AJC. Arthur Blank didn't sign up for this when he bought the team. Wanna know how bad it really is?? Even the AJC's Terrence Moore, who supports every African-American sports star no matter what, is saying that Vick is done in Atlanta. If that isn't a tell-tale sign, I don't know what is.

My former colleague Jon Saraceno sums up most people's thoughts on Vick in his column.

It's all over talk radio, it's all over television and for Michael Vick, it looks like his time in Atlanta can be over sooner than he would like. All that said, please don't tell me it's a race issue. If Tom Brady was running this situation instead of Vick - it would still be horrific and still be huge news.

On top of which, I am sure that there's more people that have gone to these dogfights that are name brand athletes. If they ever dig deep on this, I am terrified as to what they will find.

By the way, does ANYONE care about the cheating and the disaster that the Tour de France has become? It's embarrassing what the world is coming to, isn't it?

Hi-Ho Jonny the Frog here... or is it Fozzie Barkan?

Wow - now that ain't grandma's blog... it looks different from the last time I looked.

The Barkan Dawg has gone through a bit of a redesign and the more I thought about it, Kermit and Fozzie are the perfect header to my page. Kermit always covers the news and Fozzie always makes fun of it. If that doesn't fit me, don't know what does.

Let me know whatcha think of the look? Green has always been my favorite color - so it fits my blog well. By the way, if you ever want help with design, make sure to click on Karen's link on the left side of the nav bar below - Swank has been awesome. Thanks Karen!

I am trying to grow readership and expand our horizons - so please pass along the new look and blog to your friends. I'm always appreciative of your following and would love to have more of an interaction with comments or things you'd like me to write about. With everything going on in the sports world plus the political spectrum, I should be busy for the next ten years.

So come on gang let's have some fun and make some noise. Look forward to more interaction with y'all.

Words you never thought you would hear from me...

OK - I hate to admit it, but I have to say something that is going to hurt me.

You ready? I'm not sure I can do this... here goes nothing.

Way to go Gary Bettman!

No, your eyes aren't seeing things and your browser is working well. I said it - the NHL commissioner is doing ONE thing right. Problem is right now, it's the ONE thing that every other commissioner in sports would kill to swap places with Gary on.

His league isn't dealing with a federal indictment that can really hurt his league. Now some may throw out the gambling mishap with Rick Tocchet, but it's no where near as crippling as the other leagues fun stories.

Let's start with baseball and Bud Selig. Hank Aaron's record is about to be passed by Barry Bonds, who is still under indictment. Matter of fact they got a six month extension on that one - congrats boys. Now can you get the info fast enough to save the Hammer's record? Out of all people, why does it have to be him? It's not often in life I root for the government, this one is an easy cheer for the U.S. and Hank.

We then move to the NFL where Roger Goodell is dealing with Michael Vick's fun. Have to say this much - Goodell is the strongest commissioner in sports by far. He stepped in and told Vick to stay away from training camp until the NFL finds out what's up. It's a paid suspension, but who cares? The money will just go to legal fees anyway. The happiest person with that decision? For sure Arthur Blank. He didn't want to have to cut Vick and then have all of his season ticket holders go postal on him and ask for their money back. Which trust me, in Atlanta, that is what would have happened if Blank cut him before due process.

And if you think we couldn't get any bigger and better than the NFL, good ol' David Stern in the NBA is hoping to wake up tomorrow to find that he is dealing with a cruel joke. Unfortunately for Stern, ex-referee Tim Donaghy's case is only going to get worse. Now Donaghy needs protection from some bad guys that want him to stay quiet...permanently! If he spills the beans on others involved in the NBA in any way, shape or form, we are looking at a scandal as big as the Black Sox in 1919. Not sure that I would bet .10 on him ever making it to witness protection, but I heard Vegas has him on the board as a 6-1 to make it to trial.

Did you read everything I just laid out for you??? How insane is all of it? Sports is supposed to be our escape. Now for these folks, they are just trying to escape jail and the repercussion of their mistakes.

Thank CBS for Big Brother 8. At least with that, you know what you get from Day 1. Stupid television to make you feel better for not being those people.

I am just thankful I am not a commissioner of a sports league. Hey, has David Beckham been indicted yet on anything?

Hey Gary Bettman - don't get used to it, but good job.

A picture says a thousand words....

I laughed when we saw this picture originally. Now that I look back at this picture from the AP that ran in Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback, I can only think about how it's partially Arthur Blank's fault.

Not the charges specifically, but he hasn't held Michael Vick responsible for any of his antics. And don't tell me he fined him or yelled at him - if this was one of his Home Depot folks, would he have let this come down this way? Probably not.

Many people say that new coach Bobby Petrino wants to just start the season with Joey Harrington as his quarterback and not deal with all the drama and craziness that will surely follow Vick until all of this is decided in a court of law.

And that still needs to happen and we shouldn't pass judgement before we know the facts. And please don't make this a race issue. If he was white and doing all this supposed stuff, he would and should be in the same boat. This is an issue of a man who had thought he was bigger than he is. Just a sad, sad thing.

Only thing sadder is that people think Harrington is the "safe" way to go.... at least until his first pass in a regular season game. He's a better pianist that he is a quarterback.

What a long, strange trip it has been

Morning all - back in Hotlanta and I think I am finally back on the Eastern Time Zone with my sleeping pattern as well.

Let me recap my last three weeks. It started at the end of June for the Red Lobster trip to Boston. We shot our SMT on a Coast Guard Cutter and it was just awesome. Last week we just launched the new RL website and chef's blog. Within a week or so, our first video casts and the video from the trip to Boston will be up. Take a look and tell me what you think about the site/pages.

From Boston, came home for 36 hours and then left for Israel. If you haven't read my past posts from that great trip, start on July 1 and read on. Just an incredible trip from our experiences with Wexner to our anniversary (7th) to my birthday. For those of you scoring at home, I am the exact same age as Red Lobster. Anyone know that answer? How about my Jack Benny reference in my past post? OK, the answer is 39. Next year is a biggie according to most folks - to me ... it's another year on the planet and that is all I ask for.

That being said, there will be a few special occasions throughout the year to celebrate. Details to come down the road, but I can tell you two places to look for me ... and both are so obvious: Las Vegas and Chicago. Might have to throw a stop in Denver for the Frozen Four for the first time in a few years.

OK - so back to the travel month from hell. I came home from Israel for three and a half days and then hit the road to Los Angeles for GCI Digital Media meetings this past week. Stayed at a great hotel called Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, but didn't get to really spend much time there as we were in a conference room most of our waking time.

But I was able to close out my trip in big time style. Left the meetings around noon and headed to meet a good friend Justin Simon, who interned for me at CNNSI.com (by the way, CNNSI.com launched 10 years ago this past week! Man time flies). Justin has been working on this idea for a long time and I have been helping him as best I can for a few years. At lunch he brought me his idea packaged and ready to go - it's called AlwaysLit. It's a product for smokers - it attaches your lighter to your pack of cigarettes, bong or pipe. The idea is that you won't lose your lighters anymore. Going to be a huge hit - check it out on the website and buy some. The price is $5 per unit. So excited!

From there - off to see the Stanley Cup with David McNab and his family. What an incredible afternoon this was. Kari threw the party at their community clubhouse and it was just a beautiful area and a great day. David's roommate from college and now Denver coach George Gwozdecky was there with his daughter for the day and we had a blast.

The highlight for me is the picture you see below of the McNab boys. David to the left, Max his dad, who won the cup with the Red Wings in the 50s and his brother Peter, who lost three times in the finals. Peter wouldn't touch the cup because of tradition/superstition and had to explain to his girls why he wouldn't, but said that because their uncle won it, they could touch it.

You can see all the photos from the day with the cup at my Photoworks page. There will be more coming as David had the team photographer there as well and we took a picture of David, George and me with the cup. Can't wait to see that one!

From there, I grabbed a red eye back to Atlanta and was home Friday morning. When I got in my car, it hit me what an awesome ride I just had and how lucky I was for all of it.

OK - about to get the kids up and going for a fun Daddy Daughter Day ... have no idea where to, but it's just great to go anywhere with them.

A Day with Stanley

Greetings from Yorba Linda, California. There are days in your life that you will always remember - today was one of those days.

I had the pleasure and honor of going to David McNab's Stanley Cup party. His bride, Kari, put together a beautiful party at their clubhouse of their community.

The party started at 3 pm with close friends and family. Thankfully, I fit into that category and got there early. When I arrived, it was great to see David, Kari and their girls, Ali and Erica.

Some of you know the story of Ali's boyfriend, who got drunk for the first time ever the night the Ducks won the cup. Got to meet him and he's a great kid. He laughed when David told him I knew the story.

I took a few more steps in and I saw another old friend George Gwozdecky and his daughter Adrienne. Gwoz and McNab have known each other since 73 when their were freshmen at Wisconsin together. Gwoz has won at every level he has been at and he won't touch the cup because he might win it someday.

Adrienne took a sip of champagne from the cup as did David's girls and it was awesome. McNab let anyone drink from the trophy and it was awesome to watch.

It was also great to see David's father Max, who won the cup with the Red Wings in 1950 and his brother Peter, who lost the cup three times in the finals. Peter didn't touch the cup as well - but he let his girls touch it.

Then at 6 p.m. David let a bunch of folks from his community and the girls friends. He spoke about how this isn't going to be a crazy party - but a respectful one because of the cup. I couldn't agree with him more.

During the night great hockey songs were being played. Best of the night was the Brass Bonanza - McNab worked for the Whalers and the girls love the song. It is a classic among classics.

It was my third night where I have been around the cup and it's better each time. This is better because David waited 29 years to have this night and I am so happy I could crash it!!!

What an incredible night.... Pics will be up later.

Off to party more with Stanley before catching the 11:55 p.m. Delta back to the ATL!

Do I really need to say anything else???

California Dreamin'

Hey - sitting in Santa Monica and the weather is great. Staying at The Shutters and it's right on the beach - just an awesome property. Highly recommend if you head out this way.

In Digital Media meetings today and tomorrow and have a great story to tell about Thursday.

For those regular readers, you know hockey is my passion outside my family and friends. You also know that my friend, David McNab, is the assistant general manager of the Anaheim Ducks. They just won Lord Stanley's Cup and each member of the team gets a day with the cup.

Amazingly - I get off the plane in LA and David is calling me. It just so happens that Nabber's day with the Cup is Thursday. As in this week when I am here!!!! He tells me that he wants me to come to his party and drink from the Cup.

Karma baby! My beautiful bride gives me the OK to take the redeye so I can go spend the day with the one thing she knows I love that isn't my family.

OK - back to meetings..... Off to Santa Monica Pier later.

Pics with me and Lord Stanley on Friday!!!

Consistency is why Bonds is where he is

We should be getting ready to celebrate the passing of one of the greatest numbers in sports within the next month or so. The home run record is about to fall. This should be a happy occasion that all of us at the water coolers should be celebrating and laughing about.

But for the most part, America isn't laughing. Most of us baseball fans are angry that one of the greatest records in sports is going to go into the hands of an absolute ass.

Sorry, I wish there was a better word in the English language to describe Barry Bonds, but there isn't. He is what he is. He has never made any bones about it either. He was not kind before the steroid era and he's gotten worse since he started taking whatever he told us he isn't taking.

Defenders of Bonds? Are you there? Watch the video from yesterday's game and see the two-faces of a great baseball player. He signs a ball for a fan because that's what the whole team does before the game and then after he berates a sportswriter in the locker room.

"It's an embarrassment for me to be wearing this [expletive deleted] uniform 'cause of the way I'm playing. There, that's it. Now go away," Bonds said at his locker.

Look, I understand that going hit less in a series you got swept in can bother you, but this isn't his first rodeo. He has done this crap on a regular basis and therefore deserves the public scrutiny.

Here's something to ponder. If Ken Griffey, Jr. stays healthy and is neck and neck with Bonds right now for the record, could Bonds be a bigger ass than he already is? I guarantee that 95% of the country would be cheering for Junior to break the record first.

As if that weren't enough, Bonds is going to break the record of a great man named Henry Aaron. The Hammer had death threats and all kinds of garbage that he had to go through because of racial tension in our country. He was graceful and decent throughout it all and now his record is going to fall to a cheater and an ass.

It just isn't right. Bonds may be a great baseball player, but he doesn't deserve to wear this crown and own this record. Sorry Bud Selig - but sleep well, it's on your head and your watch that all of this has gone down. When you are dead and buried we will be cursing you for turning a blind eye to the Steroid Era that put Bonds over the top. Bonds may get a standing ovation when he hits 756, but you should take a bow as well for helping him.

The saddest part of all of this is that now I have to cheer for Alex Rodriguez to catch up to Bonds. He's the only one that can catch him and if my choice is between the two, I would choose the Yankee (or whatever he will be next season) or the cheater.

Somewhere Babe Ruth is laughing and having another beer and cigar.

Alarming welcome back

So last night we put the kids to bed at 8 p.m. and we went to sleep at 8:20. We were just wiped out ... we started to catch up on television that we missed, but fell asleep in the first minutes of watching.

At 3:15 a.m. the house alarm went off saying their was a fire in the basement. I went flying out of bed scared half to death and the kids never woke up. Not even a peep from them. Luckily, there was no such fire and I searched the whole house and everything was fine.

ADT called and everything was cool except the woman told me that I had no zone 15 where it said there was a fire. I called this morning and I went through this exercise of trying to figure it out, but of course a technician has to come out to find out what's up.

We went back to sleep and got to sleep until about 6:15 - so we are close to being back on schedule. This trip to LA may be a bit fun for my system next week.

Couple of things I forgot to mention that I noticed while in Israel. First - we walked by a tattoo parlor and I laughed. You aren't allowed to be buried in a Jewish cemetery if you have one, so it's funny that there is one in Jerusalem. Still not as funny as the sign I saw years ago in Tennessee - "Tattoos while you wait." As if there was another way to do this?

The other thing is cats. There are cats EVERYWHERE in Israel walking the streets. All I could think about was the final episode of the Sopranos where the cat followed Paulie everywhere. Just funny.

Great to be back in the States - missed the kids, my bed and all the other comforts of home. It makes what my new friend, and Israeli soldier, Zach Nussbaum did that much more incredible. Here's his picture for those who wanted to see him. Keep him in your thoughts and be thankful we have kids like him on our side! Have a great weekend.

Back in the saddle ...

What a great way to start the day but landing at Hartsfield Airport. It was great to be home ... until we were randomly picked to have our bags searched. I have to tell you that the morons at the airport that run security have no clue. If you want to see how security is done right - go to Israel.

The woman who was checking us out FIRST was asking us all kinds of questions like where did you learn Hebrew - where are you from - why are you here ... and more. Then your checked bags go through a high tech machine to make sure they are clear of all issues. Then you check in and they ask more questions. You then go through security and get this - don't have to take your sneakers off. I am telling you - when you get through security there - you know you are in a safe place.

Unlike Atlanta where this moron of a woman asks me to open the suitcases and then asks me about everything I bought. Do you really think she knows what a havdalah set and a talit are????

To my liberal friends out there ... open your eyes and realize that you are wrong on security. PLEASE.

Once we got through and got out of there, I was happy. We got to the house and the girls were sooooo happy to see us and I know we were soooo happy to see them.

At the office for a little bit - hitting a wall right now, but I will fight to make it through the day.

More later....

Homeward Bound

Sitting at the airport in Tel Aviv. Man do these guys do security right. If Americans pulled their heads out of their you know what ... We might get it right.

By the way - I am serious about this. What good are civil liberties if you are DEAD??? I am all for profiling - NOT racial profiling - profiling for everyone. No one here questions anything for security - they know the importance of it. Why can't we as a society figure that out?? The day we do we will live a better life.

Sat by the pool this afternoon and chilled out. Weather was great - we haven't seen a cloud in the sky all week. Just beautiful. If you haven't been here - make it a priority.

Anyway - can't wait to get home. Service in Israel is pretty slow and after 11 days here - it's enough. You know it's time to leave when I cannot wait to see Delta.

OK - more later from seat 1C.

All my bags are packed ... I'm ready to go....

For those of you that are as old as I am, you remember Peter, Paul and Mary's Leavin' on a Jet Plane. Well we have about 7 more hours until we leave for the airport and as great a time as we have had here, we are ready to go home and see the girls.

Woke up and went to Yad Vashem - haven't been here since they reopened it. It's beyond words - very powerful and very scary. For those of you who know me a tiny bit, I will warn you know that I am recharged and ready to get on my projects for the Atlanta community more than ever before. And if I call you and/or email you about giving or getting involved in something, you had better be ready for me. After seeing what I have seen and studying what I have studied - don't give me excuses because I am not going to hear them.

We are living in serious times and we need serious people and I am serious about making sure our community, our children and our family in Israel get whatever they need to keep us going. L'dor V'dor - from generation to generation ... it's our time and it's our turn. As Newt Gingrich told us - what would you do or give if Israel was hit by a nuclear bomb tomorrow? Why would you even wait for tomorrow when you can try and save her and the U.S. way of life today?

If you come to Israel and don't get charged up - not sure that you ever can. To finish the song, "don't know when I'll be back again ... oh babe, I hate to go."

OK - off the soapbox for now... but I will be knocking on doors in Atlanta soon and you better answer because I won't stop until you answer our call to our mispaucha.

Some random thoughts from Israel. First, cell phones. These people all have them and NONE of them know the word vibrate. In Yad Vashem and they tell everyone to turn them off, but of course the Israelis don't care. Walking through and you can hear rings from time-to-time.

Second - driving. These people may the NY cabbies look timid. They are all nuts and they honk more than Neil Barkan ever has (mom, I ain't kidding!). They scream, they yell, they drive like madmen. You have to see this for yourself to believe it.

Third - the David Citadel hotel is a nice spot. Highly recommend it to all of you.

Fourth - went to buy a challah today at the bakery we love and they had none. Don't sell them except on Shabbat. Disappointing - but very interesting. I am sure we aren't the first ones or the last to ask for them on a non-Friday.

Lastly, the funny moment from the day. As we came down from breakfast this morning we saw Howard Friedman, AIPAC's President. He was walking with someone and he introduced Elizabeth and me to. We shook the man's hand and said hello and then they left. A minute later Howard comes back to tell me that we just met the new Prime Minister of the Palestinan Authority. Elizabeth looked at me and I looked at her and we wiped our hands off and laughed. Only Howard Friedman could pull that one off. Just classic.

OK - off to the pool for a little bit... more before we leave.

Last tango in Jerusalem...

Well it was a great birthday. We got back from Safed and went shopping for a little bit.

After we got cleaned up we went out for dinner at Darna - a Moroccan restaurant and it was great. Only problem was that the service here is horrific. It took 2 1/2 hours for dinner. The other night we went to another place and it took 3 hours. If you order a drink at the David Citadel bar - you better have 30 minutes to wait for it. It's unreal how slow it is here - no matter where you go.

The only other issue with the trip is the showers here - for some reason they just can't figure out the drains in the shower and the water builds up and runs into the rest of the bathroom.

Otherwise - it's perfect :-)

Time for bed - one more day here and we are going to Yad Vashem and the Menachim Begin Museum as well as a few more special stops before seeing Delta on our way home to see those cute kids that we miss terribly! Our longest time away from them and I can't wait for Daddy Daughter day with Abbie this weekend.

More tomorrow and then we will see ya stateside.

Jack Benny, I am here...

Good morning - July 10th - and I have successfully made it to another birthday. And the chance to spend it in Israel is pretty special. For those who didn't get the Jack Benny line, I am 39. Seriously.

Last night we had our Wexner graduation ceremony. It was a great night with our new families in Cleveland and Los Angeles. The one thing that has made this experience even more special is that we have made lifelong friends in those cities as well as Atlanta. I am going to Los Angeles next week for business and I am going to see a bunch of the Wexner LA folks. Been invited to stay and have dinner at some folks homes as well as joining in a mitzvah of the birth of a child. It's just awesome to make the kinds of relationships that we have made.

Came back to the hotel last night and Howard Kohr and Howard Friedman from AIPAC are sitting in the lobby. We knew they were coming and glad to catch up with them.

It's 8:46 a.m and the Cohen's (yes Mr. and Mrs. Witt - they are still alive and well!) and we are heading to Safad for the day. It's a place of mysticsm which Seth will love and Elizabeth and I have been before and are going to see an artist we like.

Have a great guide named Danny that Seth got from UJC. Riding in a minivan and having a blast. Off tonight to Morocan restaurant called Darna - favorite place here for dinner.

That's it for now....more later.

Syrian border

Good morning all - spent the night at a kibbutz for our anniversary. We met up with the group that went to the Golan Heights for dinner at a restaurant owned by a former Colonel in the army named Kobe. Great guy.

So after dinner Rabbi Jay Moses, who is charge of our program, gets up and announces our simcha. So the two man band starts to play music and the next thing you know we are up and dancing. Was classic way to spend our seventh anniversary. We will always laugh about it.

Woke up this morning and went up to the Israel Syria border. Funny part is that there was a ski slope/alpine slide near it - was awesome.

We then went to the outpost where we looked over Syria. It was so close to where we stood it's insane. Kobe said we were 24 miles from Damascus. Just wild stuff.

Cindy Chazan and I walked over to talk to the two soldiers in the outpost. Cindy is originally from Montreal and started talking to one of these young men who spoke great English. So she asked where he was from and he said Toronto. His name is Zach Nussbaum and he made ayliah a year ago and is here by himself. When we asked why his answer was simple, yet floored me. "I am Jewish - I felt it was my responsibility to do it."

Wow. 20 years old and he sums up a feeling of why we do what we do in our community standing on the border of Syria. Wild.

Think of the sacrifice he made? And to do it all by yourself??? He left everything he had because he felt this was something he had to do. He could be in college drinking a Molson Canadian dating coeds and look where he is.

Just makes you proud to know kids like this exsist. Hope is here in Israel - I'll say it again - American media sucks!!!!! Anyone from the New York Times or Canadian Post talk to this kid???? Just absurd. Stop trying to sell news and show the truth.

OK - soapbox moment - and now the moment is over.

We took his picture on someone cell phone and we have Zach's parents number. We are going to call them to let them know he's doing well. We will them get their email and send them his picture. This is a call that usually would seem weird - but I am sooooo looking forward to making it and letting them know about their son. They should be very, very proud of him.

We also gave him and his partner Vladimir from the Ukraine bottled water, m&m's, ruggalah, and a GQ magazine. If we had it on the bus we gave it to them.

After wishing him well and saying goodbye - he went back to work and got back to watching his post. I hope he knows how much the short visit meant to us - and I hope it made his day if nothing else. I know that I am going to tell his story to everyone at home. Zach earned that respect and opportunity in my mind.

Off to lunch now and back to Jerusalem for graduation. Only two days left here - where did this trip go? Time does fly when having fun.

Until later....

Border Patrol

So we just stood literally on the border of Israel and Lebanon. And it was wild.

Yes Wendy - I avoided all international incidents and am still alive and well!!!

Stood on the exact spot where the Israeli soldiers were captured. It was eerie but very cool. It's nice to be able to see these things without the filter of American media. It's embarrasing to even talk about how what they show us isn't what you see on the idiot box. Someday -maybe one of them can get it right. I seriously doubt it - because it won't sell ad space or get viewers.

Anyway - we had a great view of Lebanon and have some pictures coming tomorrow. We also will have great pics from all the other cities soon. All going to put up on web and share links with each other.

We met some soldiers and one worked in and lived in Atlanta for a bit running a kiosk in Lenox Mall. Small freakin' world.

OK - that's it for now - off to next stop. More later....

Lunch with soldiers

It's not 1:46 JST and we just got done having lunch with soliders at an army base near the border.

We sat with a young man who's originally from South Africa. He has been in the Army for a year and was in tank commander school. He literally was new to the base - he had been there three hours when we ate with him. Food wasn't bad - schnitzel. BTW - the flies here are huge - can saddle these suckers up.

But I digress.

The soldier and all of the other soldiers were carrying their machine guns. Placed it at his feet when eating.

By the way - we have a retired Colonel who is giving us our tour... He also led our discussion with UNIFIL officers from India and Italy. I would write more about the conversation - but I would have to kill you. Seriously though - I wish I could tell you differently - but they were useless.

The man from India said that they could stop a car, but not search it. Yeah - that's gonna work?! Just nuts.

I asked Ezra our guide if Israeli's think the UN is as useless as we in the U.S.A. think and he said they like them a little - but not a ton.

OK - back on the bus and the ride continues.... More later.

Seventh Heaven

Live from the bus ... The question of the day - brought to you by Barkan Wines of Israel - where were you 7 years ago today?

Mmmm ... I know my answer....and I better know it or Elizabeth will kill me!! I was walking down the aisle at the Temple getting hitched. Amazing how quickly time flies huh? Have to tell you this is the best anniversary trip yet. Although Napa the first year didn't suck.

Went to dinner last night at a place called Eucalipsys. Good dinner - but I wanted to rename the place the S.S. Minnow because it was a three hour tour..... And the chairs were not comfortable. Food was good and the chef was a cool guy. He kept explaining everything - which I think is why it took so long!

As I said we are on a bus heading North towards the Lebanon border. We are meeting with UN (booooo!!!) and IDF officers. We will see where the two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped. We will be at Misgav Am where Mike Ginsberg lived ... Hopefully get to see his wife Chaya.

Our tour guide Ezra Korman is from Ithaca, NY originally. He went to Cornell and is friendly with Dan Berman from the ATL.

We are going to spend the night at K'far Bloom - the hometown of our Atlanta friend Tovah Cohen.

Going to be a great, great trip up North. Can't believe that we will be home in four days - trip has just flown by sooooo quickly.

OK - got the iPod on and Little Feat's "Oh Atlanta" on.... Makes me miss the girls and home.

Ezra's on the bus pa giving us background for our trip...

Till later ....