The Appretice Finale: Stefani Schaeffer Last Apprentice?

She was a surprise but by no means a long shot. Stefani Schaeffer (a California attorney) did not serve as project manager during the entire season and yet she was hired by Donald Trump. Seattle's James Sun who's high voltage style charmed some and annoyed many others was runner up. Sun had directed the Arrow team to 2 victories. Usually the final show involves the last two standing contestants, this year, there were 4 finalists, although Frank and Nicole, both visibly nervous, were gone fast.
Stefani, usually under the radar, served the team as "den mother" quietly filling team needs. She seemed to compliment the hard charging James in several tasks. Stefani, much more animated and outgoing last night than she had been most of the season, told Trump she could see herself hiring James to work for her someday.
Because of this year's format change that allows PMs to work until the team loses, Stefani, as mentioned above did not get her chance to serve . She will be working on a Trump resort project in the Dominican Republic.
The show which made "your fired" a pop culture catch phrase has been rapidly declining in ratings and no mention was made of future programs. This season, shot in LA, was the first to be done anywhere but New York. The final was broadcast live from the Hollywood Bowl.

Book Review: Rear View Mirror

Tacoma native Cindy Callinsky shares her triumphs and tragedies in this moving autobiography. Cindy was talked into going to a party with a friend when she met the love of her life--a soldier from Fort Lewis. What continues is a growing up pattern through laughing crying, playing and self discovery, moving across the country and abroad. Meeting friends who will find a place in your heart.
Cindy is a likable, but not humble hipster who enjoys football, rock music and the night life. This book has a subtle way of wrapping you in to where you are saying "Cindy, don't", or "way to go, Cindy". There is something in this book that everyone can relate to. Rear View Mirror is available on Amazon.

Walla Walla Sweet Is Now State Vegetable

Walla Walla, home to three college, the state pen, dozens of wineries has something new to hang it's hat on, Washington Governor Gregoire has signed a bill making the Walla Walla Sweet Onion the state vegetable. The idea was conceived in a Kirkland Jr. High classroom across the state from Walla Walla a couple years ago. The idea snowballed into it reached Olympia and met resistance from the state potato lobby. This year, the bill was revived by Walla Walla Republican Maureen Walsh of Walla Walla. With bi-partisan support, it passed the house unanimously and the senate by a 45-3 vote. In my opinion, it shows that there is now a reason that people from Walla Walla to vote for a Democrat. Walla Walla is considered a very Conservative town. Both houses of the legislature have a Democratic majority.

Here is a recipe using the Walla Walla Onion

Tod Goldberg's Take On The Writings Of The VT Killer

Cousin Tod Goldberg, a published author and literary teacher, wrote an interesting piece on his blog dealing with talk of the disturbing writings of Virginia Tech gunman Cho Sueng Hui and the effect it may have on future creativity, etc. Quoting from Tod

"It's always dangerous to assume one's fictional creations are somehow manifestations of their inner most desires -- there's no ethical responsibility in writers to only create pleasant characters, nor to create characters that are in any way decent humans whatsoever or who have any emotional nuance. They might have a creative responsibility if they actually want their work to be readable -- and after having read Cho Seung-Hui's two plays I can report that his work was unreadable in the most base way, which is to say it doesn't appear he had much in the way of talent -- but in the end people's art is their own. They can make it as awful as they want, provided they don't want to actually earn a living from it."

Sam Barer: Obey The Laws You Make, Politicians!

In 4 Wheel Drift, Sam Barer slams New Jersey Governor John Corzine, who was recently seriously injured in an automobile accident. Reports say the the governor was not wearing a safety belt.

>Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike are all sick of politicians exhibiting “do what I say, not what I do” behavior. It’s often hard to catch them in the act, but there’s no hiding the situation New Jersey Governor John Corzine put himself into.
With all the protections offered to high-profile politicians, it’s unusual that one can so instantly punish himself for a stupid action…but good old Corzine found one of the few ways.

A Moment Of Silence

Tragedy strikes Blackburg, Virginia.

The Apprentice: The Final Task

The last four contestants are talking in the kitchen. All are members of the old team Arrow, a late starter, whom at the the beginning of this season, had spent weeks in the tents before they earned their first victory. They are surprised when Donald Trump and his son Donald, Jr walk in to the mansion (without knocking) telling them to get dressed up because they have a cocktail party to attend to in Beverly Hills with the 5 previous winners of the show. When they arrive at the party, they learn that Bill Rancik, the first winner and show mouthpiece, was unable to attend because of a last minute business meeting. Randall, Sean, Kelly, and Kendra are there and dispatch what seems to be useless wisdom to the candidates. Kelly informs them of one final task. Both teams can pick 2 fired candidates. James and Stefani pick Aaron and Kinetic's Angela , a smart choice because she had a big fan in Trump. Frank and Nicole pick Suryea and Tim.
The candidates are split into 2 teams and are to meet Donald Trump at the backlot of Universal Studios. Teams will make a one minute movie (commercial) for Renuzit.Trump mentioned that was one of his mother's favorite products. They will show their commercial to a popcorn chomping audience at an AMC theatre.
After watching the real commercial for Renuzit, neither ad is terribly inspiring, but the audience seems to like both and Trump does not fire any candidates. On to next week when Trump will pick the winner from the final four.

We Salute Jackie Robinson

Many baseball players wore number 42 today to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking into Major League baseball. Robinson became the first African American to play in the bigs. His struggles are well documented. Robinson's persistence paved the way for some of my old favorite players like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Lou Brock. It was the charisma and talent of these players that drew my interest in the sport.

Felix Hernandez Tames The Red Sox

Congratulations to Felix Hernandez, who threw a one hitter in Fenway Park as the Seattle Mariners shut out the Boston Red Sox 3-0.

Drew Bledsoe Hangs Up Pads For Good

After 14 years in the National Football League, Dallas Cowboy quarterback Drew Bledsoe is calling it quits. Bledsoe was the number one pick overall by the New England Patriots and saw them go from one of the worst organizations in the NFL to one of the best. Bledsoe guided the Patriots to the AFC championship in 1996, but lost the Super Bowl to the Green Bay Packers. He was knocked out of the starting job by a chest injury in 2001 by Tom Brady who lead the Patriots that season to their first Superbowl victory.

He then played 3 seasons with the Buffalo Bills, setting 10 team passing records. He finished his last two seasons with the Cowboys, losing his starting job halfway through last season to Tony Romo.

Bledsoe finishes his career 7th in alltime passing yards, 13th in touchdowns passes, and 5 in completions for NFL quarterbacks.

Bledsoe graduated from Walla Walla High School where he excelled in both football and basketball. He was the state's top recruit when went to Washington State University, becoming the starting quarterback in his freshman season.

The Apprentice: Three Is A Crowd

On this episode, we are down to the last 6 players, Trump brings Arrow back into the mansion, there will be no more backyard camping.

The candidates meet the next morning in the boardroom, Trump has dissolved the teams and have split themselves into three teams of two players each. Kristine is tired of working in Heidi's shadow and pairs off with Nicole, Heidi is left to work with Frank. The most solid group is James and Stefani who have worked together the whole time.

Candidates will fly to Las Vegas where Trump Tower's condos have filled so fast that a second tower will be built. The task was to begin create a promotional campaign for the new tower.

Nicole and Kristine cannot seem to get on the same page. Heidi by herself does not seem as strong as in the past and finds out that Frank is abrasive and impossible to work with. James and Stefani are a "well oiled machine" and have their presentation ideas started before the even arrive.

James and Stefani have a great presentation, while the two other teams are shockingly bad. Four people are on the chopping block, but Trump mercifully fires only two, Kristine and Heidi.

Bon Voyage Mel!

Saturday night TV will never be the same as quiz show host Mel Peachey will no longer host Playmania. Available to the viewers on the Game Show Network, Playmania is unique in that viewers are the contestants. Filling the screen with her British charm, Mel was a joy to watch. She will be going back to her native London, where she is already a well known personality.

Mariners Are Still Idle

Baseball is definitely a 4 season sport as the Mariners had their third consecutive game postponed by snow. The Mariners came within a pitch of their second straight loss Friday when Manager Mike Hargrove was able to delay the game long enough to have it called on account of snow. Two makeup double headers have now also been postponed. Meanwhile the weather here in the Puget Sound area continues to be seasonably pleasant.

Ventrella May Sit Out Race

Sources now tell me that Tony Ventrella will not be a candidate for the 8th district seat. The feeling is that the family oriented Ventrella has found that a campaign would be very taxing as far as time and effort. Ventrella seems to be very civic minded and may feel that he can find other ways to benefit his community. What remains to be seen is whether this means clear sledding for Darcy Burner or if the move to draft Ross Hunter will take on a new life.

Mariners Win Second Straight

Fresh off an opening day victory, the Seattle Mariners won their second straight victory over arch rival Oakland. Richie Sexson hit a 2-run homer, his second in as many games and Yuniesky Bentancourt also hit one over the fence. Pitcher Julio Mateo earned his first victory of the season. Although the season is very young, 2 quick victories show that this team could turn things around.

Lady Vols From Tennessee Rule

Legendary Coach Pat Summit won her 7th National Women's Basketball title as the Tennessee Lady Vols beat the Rutgers Scarlett Knights 59-46. My wife is a graduate of Tennessee, and since my Cougar Basketball team was stopped in the Men's Tournament, we can celebrate a Tennessee championship.

The Apprentice: Tim Goes From Bad To Worst

Last week, after Arrow PM James sent Nicole to the opposing team, breaking up the couple, Tim angered his girlfriend with his competitive drive. This week while Tim, worked hard to make up with Nicole, he angered his own team by sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Over the hedge talking too much to the members of Kinetic.

The teams met at the publishing headquarters of the Los Angeles Times. Trump tells them that it is the nation's largest suburban newspaper. He is accompanied by Ivanka and executives from Smartmouth, a new mouthwash. The project will be to create a Sunday insert supplement for Smartmouth which would run in the LA Times.

Kinetic, down to three finally seems to be able to work well together, probably because Heidi is PM again, in spite of the fact that Nicole has not ever been. Arrow on the other hand is out of sync, there concepts seemed good, but made error like forgetting their phones and not streamlining their presentation. They lose the task. Anyone on the team could have been fired, but the team turned it's wrath toward Tim, who Trump was already a bit angry with. Tim was fired.

Good Luck M's

The 2007 Seattle Mariners begin the regular season tomorrow with Felix Hernandez on the mound. Starting his second full season in the bigs, the 20 year old Hernandez is expected to be ace of the pitching staff. The Mariners will take on arch nemesis Oakland Athletics in Safeco Field.

"Last Call" For Bill The Beerman

Seattle lost one of it's "characters" this week with the passing of Bill "The Beerman" Scott. Bill The Beerman did more than sell beer, he sold professional sports in the Northwest (He also briefly worked for the Trail Blazers in Portland), he was a charismatic engaging hulk of a man who lead cheers and who help build what is known as the Seahawk's "12th Man". When I lived in Eastern Washington, Bill and Rick "the Peanutman" were seen in a Rainier Beer commercial trying to pop the top off a "wild Rainier Beer" bottle.

Danny O'Neil said in the Seattle Times that anyone could start the wave, but Bill "would choreograph tsunamis". That was not far from the truth. Back the early days of major sports in Seattle, Bill was much more entertaining than the teams.

Tony Bennett To Stay In Pullman

It appears that Tony Bennett will be returning as Cougar Men's Basketball coach as ESPN reports the rookie head coach has inked a 7 year deal with the Pullman School. Bennett has just finished his first year after succeeding his father, Dick, leading the Cougs to their first NCAA Post SeasonTournament appearance in over 10 years.

The Apprentice: Yes, It Is Personal

Team Arrow has now won several tasks but somehow does not seem to think it commands the respect that it deserves. Arrow is gathered in the kitchen when Trump calls, James answers the phone and is told that the Kinetic team is "decimated" and by golly that is his favorite team (he didn't say that part, really). James was charged to pick a member to go to the opposite team. It is no secret that he would not mind breaking up the Nicole-Tim thing has it seems to have become somewhat of a drag on the rest of the team members. James sends Nicole over to Kinetic, and she does not go gracefully. She is not only angry at James, she does not think her team fought enough for her, especially Tim.
On Kinetic, it is up to Angela to step up to be PM. Her work has come into question many times but she has always been saved because Trump loves champions and she has a Gold Medal in Olympic Hockey. Nicole joins the team with fire in her eyes. You would almost expect Nicole to be PM.
The two teams meet at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (LA's number one tourist trap). Trump wonders why his name is not on the Walk Of Fame, and while we are at it, where's the "Donald Trump Dr." in Palm Springs? Forget it, what he really wants is the naming rights to the "White House". Basically the project is to use something called Adwalker to sell annual passes to Universal Studios at the site. This will be the first time the two teams have gone head to head on the same "turf".
Nicole pitches her new team on a roller skate gimmick, it allows them to be flirty and sexy. Only trouble is it doesn't quite fit their Conservative sorority make up and flops badly. Arrow brings a kiosk set up plenty of signage and an aggressive attitude and wins the task.
The reward this week is the very tired and much cliched helicopter trip over the city. Tim is working like crazy to patch things up with Nicole but to no avail. Frank is angry that Tim is talking to the other team and everything just isn't that simple anymore.
Kinetic is once again in the boardroom and Donald is distressed. Can Angela dodge another bullet? Trump looks for anyway he can avoid firing her (he really could have canned Nicole), but it is obvious that it is time for Angela to leave. Nicole opens her big mouth, and says she wants Tim to be on Kinetic, it was stupid for her to do that, but Trump just tells her to go away.

Waitsburg Welding Works On Abarer

My Dad has just wrapped up a series on my Grandfather Barer and Uncle Dave's purchase of Waitsburg Welding Works, a 20 some year venture that culminated in selling it to the foreman in the mid 1960s or so. The story was excellently written and brought back lots of memories. The picture above is Main Street of Waitsburg, WA, about 20 minutes east of Walla Walla.

Darcy Burner Is In 8th District Congressional Race

Democrat Darcy Burner came within percentage points of beating sitting Washington 8th District Congressman Dave Reichert last fall. Now she has announced she is ready for a rematch with Dave in 2008. Burner (pictured with son Henry) attended a meeting last night of the 5th district (5th State Legislative district) Democrats with gifts for elected PCOs and a power point presentation on her strategy for winning the seat. The 8th district which comprises most of the East Side of King County has been represented by Republicans since it's inception.

Sada Jacobson--My Cousin The Fencer

Through the magic of youtube, I am able to bring video of Cousin Sada Jacobson. Sada and her sister Emily, represented the US in the Sabre Competition, where Sada won the Bronze, the first woman at the time to win a medal in the competition. The Gold Medal was later won by another American. In 2003, Sada was named US Fencer Of The Year.

The Apprentice: No Soap For Kenetic

This week's task has the teams `writing a 45 minute Webisode, that is a soap opera to promote a soap. In this case Soft Scrub Obviously something everyone should excel at since this is a reality show and criteria of being on this show is to be able to appear well on camera.

James steps up to be project manager for Kinetic and one week after nearly getting fired, he seems to have emerged as a favorite to win. Especially since there is talk of Trump purchasing Real Estate in his home town of Seattle. The premise to Arrows skit is a bachelor who races to clean his pad so he can propose to his girlfriend.

Kinetic, lead by Kristine has Muna in a Desperate Housewives type skit of infidelity. It is well written but Muna's acting is clouded by her accent (she is a native of Jamaica).

Arrow wins and there reward is to fly by private jet to meet California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. James wants to compare experiences, because Arnold is an immigrant success story.

It seems for a couple of weeks now that Kinetic was tiring of Muna, no need to worry, she was fired.

Clock Strikes Midnight For WSU Cougars

The WSU Cougars' dream basketball season has ended this afternoon with a double overtime loss to Vanderbilt in the second round of the Eastern Regionals 78-74. Derrick Byers lead Vanderbilt with 27 points, Derrick Low scored 21 points to lead the Cougs. Congratulations WSU for a great season!

Cougs Beat Oral Roberts

The Washington State Cougars have taken round one of the NCAA Tournament 70-54. Ivory Clark scored 19 points to lead the Cougs.

Vanderbilt will be the Cougar's next opponent in round 2.

Our Little Mountain

The vistas of Mount Rainier from our subdivision in Maple Valley are astounding. Although it is usually only visible on a clear day, sometimes The Mountain is silhouetted within a thin layer of clouds. The picture above was taken from Google Images because our camera would not do it justice.

Cougars Are In The Big Dance

The Washington State Cougars are in the NCAA tournament for the 5th time in it's their history. They will play Oral Roberts this Thursday.
The Cougs will fill the 3rd seed in the Eastern Regional, their games will be at 11:30am, in Sacramento. Don't be surprised if I turn up sick on that day.
On a related note, the Washington Huskies, who finished hot beating UCLA, were overlooked in by the NIT, the consolation tournament. That is probably the best thing that can happen to the programs at the stage it is at because they will start next season angry and out to prove themselves.

The Apprentice: Bye Bye Surya

Suryea never was a good fit for Arrow. Perhaps that is why they started winning when he came on board. His presence unified the team. The teams had to come up with a halftime promotion at an LA Galaxy Soccer game for GNC, a company who's vitamins and supplements are commonly sold at health food stores and gyms. We never find out who the Galaxy is playing and most of the viewers probably don't care.

Neither presentation was truly inspirational, but Surya thinks that his team's was just great. Wrong again. Everyone knows that Surya will be fired. He is. Surya, I have one piece of advise, if you want to feel part of the team, don't talk to the opposing team that you just switch from.

Pac 10 Basketball Tournament: Trojans Dump Cougs

Cougs fans barely had enough time to celebrate their 74-64 victory over the Washington Huskies last night when they had to get back on the floor again tonight. Sadly the USC Trojans ended the Cougars quest to win the Pac-10 tournament with a 70-61 victory. Greg Pruit of the Trojans lead all in scoring 26 points. The Trojans go on to face the Oregon Ducks in the Conference finals. The Cougars will move on to the NCAA Tournament.

Tony Ventrella--Now A Candidate

Sources tell me that Tony Ventrella is now a declared Democratic candidate for Washington's 8th US Congressional district. Ventrella becomes the second media figure to seek the position. KIRO talk show host Dave Ross sought the then vacant seat in 2004, losing to Sheriff Dave Reichert. Darcy Burner, who lost to Reichert last year is also seeking support for a 2008 run.

Trump Eyes Seattle Properties

Look out Seattle, the king of build now, ask questions later, Donald Trump is looking toward building high rise condo's in the area. In a story in this week's Puget Sound Business Journal, Trump's Real Estate company is attracted by the "lucrative market" here. The thought of Trump building in Seattle has got to send shivers to the City Council, already weary from dealing with Oklahoma City based Seattle Super Sonic owner Clay Bennett.

The Seattle Times ran a story this morning, where they spoke to Trump's daughter Ivanka.

The Apprentice: Wheels Fall Off Kinetic Machine

It is ironic that this week's product of choice was the Lexus LS 460 Luxury Sedan, because the two teams, much like the show at this point seem to be chugging along like an old International pick up truck (remember them?).
Nothing new with the Arrow team (pictured above), Nicole and Tim are hot, heavy, hopefully careful. Suryea is off in another world with charts, writing, and jargon, totally clueless on why he is not reaching his team. Frank on the other hand is still Frank, in more ways than one, probably Arrow's most likable member.
On Kinetic, Derek is happy to throw stones at departed Aimee, he is getting a little too cocky and you know he is going to blow it somehow.
The teams meet in Beverly Hills on the Legendary Rodeo Dr., where if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. Trump pulls up in the most obnoxious Black Limousine with executives from Lexus. Also Randall is going to monitor the task, Randall was the winner from season 3, who alienating his fans by not hiring his runner up, but that is neither here nor there. The teams must each put on an event to promote the new Lexus LS 460 Both teams will have $50 thousand to spend on the task.
I don't know what Kinetic was smoking but their choice of event was more like a carnival, with go-carts, a very scary illusionist, and a dreadfully unprepared hostess in Jenn.
Arrow, behind what looked like the brains of Stefani and James, had a food spread that you would expect at a luxury event. Their event ran very well and were able to win the task, being rewarded by an evening in the studio with Rapper Snoop Doggy Dog.
In the boardroom, Derek self implodes, with his off the cuff reference of himself as "White Trash", Trump gives him the boot right away, if you have been watching, you would remember that Trump is not a fan of modern slang, especially an expression that is both degrading and racist. In addition, Derek is always in a hurry to point a finger, but never takes responsibility himself. Trump is not through, he can either fire Angela, who is in charge of promotion or Jenn who was in charge of the team. He fires Jenn, who unlike the other candidates, leaves with dignity by wishing her old team luck.

Area Native Brandi Carlile's Star Is Rising

Her music has been used in top rated TV show Grey's Anatomy , she has a brand new CD to be released next month, and a concert appearance in downtown Seattle on March 30th sold out so quickly, another show was added, which promptly also sold out. There is no doubt that Maple Valley native Brandi Carlile is a fast rising star in the music world. I did a short story on her a couple of months back.

Cougars Beat Trojans In Thriller

Rebounding from a heartbreaking loss, the WSU Cougars kept their dream season intact by squeaking by the USC Trojans 88-86. A controversial foul call at the end of the first overtime allowed the "Men Of Troy" to catch up, and possibly defeat the Cougs, but a missed free throw sent the game into a second overtime.
The Washington Huskies saved their season by beating UCLA today, the Coug's win prevented an LA sweep in Pullman. Had the Cougars defeated the Bruins last Thursday, they would have shared the Pac-10 title.

Sports Radio Listener Exposes Charlotte Mayor

It was a little over a year ago and Seattle was on what would be a journey to the Super Bowl. Wisecracking KJR morning man Mitch Levy was able to get an interview with Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory before a matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers. Levy decided to have a little fun. He asked the Mayor if he wanted to make a friendly wager, if the Seahawks were to win, McCrory would buy Levy 2 tickets to the Duke-North Carolina game. If the Seahawks would have lost, McCrory said that Levy had to pony up 4 first class tickets to fly his family to Seattle as one of McCrory's relatives lives in the area. As you remember, the Seahawks did win. Levy (who has gotten into big trouble over bets before) decided to collect. What then ensued was a cat and mouse game where McCrory was harder to catch than the 2005 version of Saun Alexander. Mitch and his morning show staff made telephone calls, talked to his staff on the air, left unreturned voice mails for months. Finally a Seattle listener trapped the Mayor by pretending to work on the staff of someone he was going to lunch with. McCrory would up with egg on his face, but still would not face the music.

Dang! Bruins Beat Cougs

There have got to be worst things than losing to the nation's number 2 College Basketball team by seven points but right now it's hard to think of what would be.

The Cougs started out ice cold in the second half and spotted the UCLA Bruin a 10 point lead. The Cougs roared back and closed the gap by four, but UCLA would not fold and wound up with a 52-45 win on our home court.

One Last Snow Blast

I will be late today for work as another snowfall has hit the area. Normally, the Greater Puget Sound area gets a light snow fall once in a while in the winter. But this year is absolutely insane.
The Maple Valley Highway was a "parking lot" earlier and I figured it was time to curtail my commute for later in the morning as the temperatures are expected to warm.

The Rock Opens In Covington

In the somewhat sleepy town of Covington, a strip just outside of Maple Valley, there is a new Pizza place and bar that defies ordinary.

The Rock Wood Fired Pizza is more than a theme restaurant, it is a loud, bright, sensory experience. With Pizza's named after Rock songs from late 70s and beyond, it brings the attitude of the genre. In addition, there is a full list of Burgers, salads, appetizers, and a full bar with big screen TVs. There are also locations all over the Seattle Suburban area

Deb and I went last Saturday and had a great time. The only way we could avoid a 45 minute wait for a table (In Covington for heaven's sake) was to grab a couple of seats at the bar. Not only was it a fun place to eat, but the food was good, too.

It's Oscar Night

For a full irreverent reports go to Ken Levine's blog. He is sure to roast and toast all aspects of the event.

Ventrella For Congress?

Tony Ventrella's unannounced drop by at a Democratic State Committee Meeting last month, has sparked rumours of a possible bid for Congress. Ventrella, former sportscaster on just about every station at one time or another in the Puget Sound area, lives in the 8th Congressional District, where Republican Dave Reichert has hung on to by the skin of his teeth.
Ventrella's probable strengths in the general election could be a weakness in a primary election, his congenial style has potential crossover appeal, but the Democratic rank and file tend to favor a candidate who would be more outspoken and blunt.
So far, 2006 candidate Darcy Burner has not announced her intentions.

So Long DJ!

The Seattle sportsworld lost one of it's greatest with the passing of All Star Sonic guard Dennis Johnson. Johnson was a member of the 1979 Supersonic team that won it all. Since their were two player on that team with the name Johnson, John Johnson was the other, the players were known as DJ and JJ. Johnson would later be traded to the Phoenix Suns and eventually win two more titles with the Boston Celtics. Celtic legend Larry Bird called Johnson the best teammate that he ever had.

Cougars Dream Season

The Washington State Cougars are ranked 9th in the nation, higher then they have been ranked before. The Cougs, who are guided by first year coach Tony Bennett (pictured above) were picked to finish last in the Pac 10. The experts were sure wrong on that one.
Tonight the Cougars will take on the Oregon Ducks in Eugene.

Good Time At Key Arena

Yes, Seattle does have an NBA team, although they have not gotten much press or aroused much interest this season. Deb and I headed to Key Arena last night as we got near courtside seats for Christmas and sat closer than ever before. The Sonics played like winners as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-105. Although Memphis also was having it's problems, it looked like the Sonics were playing for something rather than playing out the string. Rachard Lewis scored 34 points and Ray Allen chipped in 27 for us.

The Kentucky Democrat

Even though it's more politically oriented than mine, The Kentucky Democrat has the right mixture of news, politics, sports, and pop culture to make it one of my favorite sites.

The Apprentice: Arrow Takes Back The Mansion

I have to wonder if the reason they always skip the week after Arrow wins because that is the only way they can stay in the mansion. Probably not but once again we will have to wait 2 weeks for the next episode.
The candidates meet Trump at the airport, about to fly out for business on his own jet (he must not have seen Al Gore's movie), he introduces the candidates to executives from Priceline.com
the executives will be supervising the task which consists of sending the candidates to shopping malls to sign them up for the latest promotion something about naming you own hotel price.
Aimee is in her second week as PM for Kinetic, her team seems to feel that they won the task in spite of her. Suryea takes over as PM for Arrow, he is still the square peg, James seems to think that he takes himself too seriously, maybe that's why he is called Suryea (sorry). The Arrow team shows it's energy and wins the task.
Arrow is rewarded, Nicole gets hurt and it seems like the Rebecca incident all over again, will she quit or go through the task on crutches? Rebecca was the candidate who broke her leg in a reward while playing Ice Hockey, she would have been a co-Apprentice had the winner let her aboard. This was not the case with Nicole, she only had a jellyfish sting. She undoubtedly was treated with lotion and was back so she continued her romance with Tim, they connect with a kiss that would make the viewer aware that there was more to the story off camera.
Meanwhile Kinetic arrives at the boardroom, Donald Trump Jr is sitting in today. Daddy Trump of course says what a good job he is doing. I never hear Donald say that about his other employees. In the biggest non surprise of the season, Aimee is fired.

Stanley Barer: Magnuson Bumble Bee

Warren Magnuson was an integral part of Washington history serving in the United States Senate from 1945 until he was defeated in the Reagan Landslide of 1980. In a book written about Magnuson, Author Shelby Skates paid tribute to my Cousin Stan Barer , one of Maguson's "Bumble Bees" (a name, said to be coined by Maguson opponent John Erlichman referring to the Senator's young staff). Stan later would serve as Senator Magnuson's administrative assistant.

June 1963: the commencement of a career for Stan Barer, just graduated from the University of Washington Law School and bound for the staff of Senator Warren Magnuson; the start of a hot summer of racial strife for the nation. Barer the first of Professor Ralph Johnson's star pupils to be propelled from the law school to Maggie's employ--was on the way to "the other Washington...Barer the high spirited son of a Russian immigrant turned Walla Walla businessman, had no inkling that his destiny and the black revolution would quickly become intertwined.

The book which was published in 1997, goes on to illustrate Stan's role in writing legislation which would help change the nation's course in the battle for civil rights.

Joey's Hits The Mark

We spent Valentine's Day at Joey's on the Corner of NE 8th and Bellevue Way, in Bellevue. Since Deb was putting on a special deal at work she would be arriving late, I put my name in and went to the bar. Although it was a busy night, service was instant, a friendly waitress took my order of a Ginger Margarita, something that I had not heard of until then. It was incredible, in about 15 minutes, there was a table open, the waitress made a suggestion for an appetizer a Sweet Chile Chicken thing that was excellent. After Deb arrived, we ordered dinner, I had The Pacific Northwest King Salmon and my wife had an "Evil Jungle Noodle Salad". We also had a desert which was a spice cake. It is very rare that I have gone to a restaurant and everything was this close to perfect. In spite of the great atmosphere, the price of the dinner was reasonable. I would recommend Joey's for great food, great service and an enjoyable atmosphere.

Stolen From Brother Danny's Blog

People continually say that I look like my Father. I put up this picture so you can decide, my Dad incidentally is the one on the left. I flew down to Rancho Mirage, California last weekend to visit my Dad, as his wife flew up here and stayed with my wife at our house. We drove to Los Angeles Saturday to have lunch with brother Danny and his wife Amy. This picture was taken by Danny at the Japanese Restaurant in Westwood. I am wearing my WSU shirt. Go Cougs!

Amid Great Anticipation--Steve Barer Creates Second Blog

My youngest brother Steven Barer has a second blog now, devoting to Boxing, Pro Wrestling and other forms of bodily destruction. Steve has always been a devout student of hand to hand combat, I wish him the best of luck.

The Apprentice: Aaron Is The One To "BEE" Fired

Trying hard to compete with Desperate Housewives, The Apprentice LA has started to add 2 elements that have made reality shows successful, danger and romance.

In this week's task, teams are asked to go out to a bee farm, with the protective suit and harvest honey which they will process and actually sell in Ralph's Grocery. Neither team really has confidence in their project manager. Aimee is a good rah rah girl, she leads the Kinetic team and fails to instill any confidence in her abilities. There is little doubt that Aimee is on borrowed time. For Arrow, winning project manager Aaron has Trump sore at him for not contributing in the boardroom conversation on the last task. The Ironic thing is that Arrow is known as the boisterous team.

The hero in this case is Derrick, one of the Kinetic teammates who is stung by a bee, but still gets right out to finish the task. He also comes up with the idea of putting on his bee suit to draw attention to the honey. Why didn't Derrick assert that idea the previous task with the chicken suit? My guess is that he was too annoyed by Marissa.

Kinetic wins the task and sends Arrow back to the tents or as Jeff Probst of Survivor would say, "put out your torches and head back to camp!" Sorry, I could not resist.

Former Kinetic team member Suryea is the piece of Arrow's jigsaw puzzle that does not fit. He decides to go over the hedge to talk to the other team as any good traitor would do. Aimee in a bikini laying by the pool says she will protect him. I think of Suryea as a first class weasel and can't wait to see him fired.

In the boardroom, Aimee speaks up and attacks everyone but Suryea. Trump is not fooled and picks up on what she is doing. He obviously is not impressed. He is impressed even less with Aaron. Then there is the romance between Tim and Nicole, Trump is impressed with that, he winks at Sean (last season's Apprentice who is sitting in for Ivanka again) and tells Tim he could be the next Apprentice. To refresh your memory, Shawn had a little thing with Tammy last season that even sparked an engagement rumour. There will be no romance for Aaron, at least not on this show. He was fired.

Anna Nicole:It's Not So Funny Now

She was the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, we watched her show and it was a holler,Anna Nicole Smith, looking like a balloon at the Macy's parade and the dysfunctional group around her. It was the ultimate show about nothing, much like the more successful "The Osborn's". It seems like everyone has had a laugh at Anna Nicole. She married a billionaire who's son was twice her age. Her court battles, her slurring at awards ceremonies. Yesterday Anna Nicole died suddenly at a Florida Hotel. It is indeed a tragedy that her family and friends must bear. It hits home with the fact that comedy about someone who needs help, who may have been able to get help, may not be all that funny.

Love Turns Astronaut Into Space Case

Lisa Nowak went up in a space shuttle just last July, now she's in big trouble due to a botched kidnap attempt. For someone who grew up when the space program was at it's heyday, this is astounding.

It's tragic that she could not use the resourses available to get the help she needed.

How Burl Barer Got His First JR Gig

My cousin Burl Barer talks about how he broke into Seattle Radio

An Inconvenient Truth

We watched a special screening of this movie tonight and it is indeed an eye opener. First of all to watch a documentary movie with Al Gore as announcer would seem as exciting as spending your Friday night watching grass grow. However this was Monday night and it is time that people face the truth about the direction our earth is going. Anyone living in the Seattle area would notice that the winters and the summer have become much warmer in the last few years. We have just worst wind storm in years and our rainiest month was last November.

The movie really is not boring, on the contrary Mr. Gore presents the evidence in a very elementary fashion to illustrate the phenomenon. He also presents ways to reverse the current trends, sometimes with minor lifestyle adjustments. No matter what opinion you have of Mr. Gore, I would deeply recommend watching this movie.

Not Much On The Blog Lately

Recurring computer problems have limited my writing time. I hope that I have cleared all of that up. Thank you for your patience.

Manning Gets His Ring In "SnoozeperBowl"

In 1998, many thought that the Indianapolis Colts made a mistake by drafting Tennessee's Peyton Manning over Washington State's Ryan Leaf. Ryan is long gone from Pro football and Peyton Manning is today a Superbowl Champion.

The game started with a bang whenChicago Bear Devon Hester ran the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown slowly turned into a "when will this be over" Colt offensive marathon. Even the commercials were forgettable. The Halftime show with Prince was a pleasant surprise, but for the most part, it was a dreary forgettable game.

Chicago's Greatest Player

Michael Jordan was more than just a basketball player, he was a cultural icon. He did for the NBA what Abraham Lincoln did for the presidency. Since Jordan retired, the NBA

has diminished on the national radarscreen.