The Bird

For more than 80 years, the dearest ladies of my life -- from a grandmother in the 1920s to a granddaughter in 2009 -- have lovingly served Thanksgiving turkeys to my family and me. Nothing is more traditional with us except Christmas.
So it isn't lightly I say what I'm about to say, which is this: In my considered opinion, when you get past the skin, no other food has less taste than the breast of a turkey, except maybe the breast of a chicken.
I most humbly apologize for saying that, but it's time someone did.
Personally I can't even imagine what could be done to make turkey white meat tasty. Still, this week, in the daily paper, a local foodie offered some suggestions along that line.
They're too voluminous to detail here, but they include juniper berries, fennel seed, limes, lemons, oranges, paprika, green and red chile strips, brown sugar, onions, garlic, molasses, apple cider, melted butter, a bottle of white wine and "a couple of soaked cedar planks under the turkey in the roasting pan for an extra punch of woody flavor."
Want to give that a try?
History says John F. Kennedy inaugurated the presidential tradition of granting a "pardon" to the ceremonial White House turkey to save its neck from the ax. I'd like to think he just preferred a prime rib roast or a Virginia ham.

dead end

No matter how many troops we put on the ground or how long they stay, the United States cannot "win" the war in Afghanistan. The United States can no longer even afford the war in Afghanistan, either in blood or money.
Any sort of open-ended commitment to continue that war and occupation will ensure that Barack Obama is a one-term president.
I hope to God I'm wrong. CRR 11:24:09

DIAMOND

It isn't news to family and friends that I've been a New York Yankee fan since Lou Gehrig. So yes, there I was this week, pulling for the Yanks to win their 27th World Series.
But not with any great enthusiasm. Times change.
For one thing, this season I also took a liking to the Philadelphia Phillies, a very good and scrappy young team that gave the bombers a pretty good run for the World Series rings.
For another thing, as a long-time Yankee loyalist, I admit I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable about being one of those people. Why am I applauding a team of multi-millionaire mercenaries for beating up on a team of ordinary millionaires?
Hasn't George Steinbrenner bought enough championships?
Well, if so, something of interest may be happening. Time may be catching up with the Yankees. The newly crowned champions, the new "dynasty," simply are getting old.
Look at the roster in terms of future baseball years: Derek Jeter is 35. Andy Petitte is 37. Mariano Rivera is 40. Johnny Damon is 36. Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez are 34. Hideki Matsui is 35. A.J. Burnett is 32.
Sure, they're still good at what they do, but for how long?
By contrast, look at the Phillies: Cliff Lee is 31. Cole Hamels is 26. Chase Utley and Jayson Werth are 30. Later this month Ryan Howard will turn 30, Jimmy Rollins will turn 31 and Shane Victorino will turn 29.
Which of these teams do you think is more likely to win a pennant next year?
I'd say the Phillies. They've got a spark. The Yankees don't.
Of course nobody can predict what the profligate Yankee owner will be doing in the meantime. George can throw enough money around to turn baseball upside down.
For example, this would be in character for him: He could raid the Phillies to get Chase Utley, merely to complete an all-star Yankee infield, and grab Cliff Lee. just to get another ace pitcher.
And suppose, in the next few years, the great Derek Jeter should decide to hang up his spikes. To fill that slot, Steinbrenner could grab the most valuable propery of our beloved Rockies, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who turned 25 last month.
See? The Rockies could always bring up another rookie infielder from the minors and spend a few years getting him up to speed.
You think that isn't quite fair? It doesn't have to be fair. It's baseball these days.