Ben Hall to Announce

This is on Ben Hall’s website this morning:

Good morning friends! Today is a big day for us. I look forward to seeing you all this evening at Tony Mandola’s at 6pm for our official campaign announcement.

Well I guess it is going to happen.  Since the announcement is down the street on Waugh Drive, I may just drop by and see who is lining up to support Ben.  I have always gotten along with Ben since I first met him when Bob Lanier selected him to be City Attorney. 

Here is his website.

Stay tuned!

Most folks know that Commentary grew up in Baytown a few block from the Humble, err Exxon Refinery.  It is the biggest refinery in the country.  Exxon announced yesterday that it was expanding its Baytown facility and will create 10,000 new jobs over the next few years.  I wonder how that will impact my parents’ house.

Check out the announcement here.

Name the former ‘Stro with the most Opening Day starts at shortstop?

Guv Dude for life says Burkablog.  Check this

Well, Perry has convinced me: He really could be governor for life. He appears unbeatable in Texas. That he is at 49% today in the University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll versus a serious Republican challenger after "oops!" is phenomenal. This has to mean that he has repaired his standing with the tea party as well as Republicans in general. Jeremy Bird of Battleground Texas might as well go home.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.

Some folks know that John Ford’s “The Searchers” with John Wayne, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, and Jeffrey Hunter is Commentary’s favorite western and one of the best flicks ever.  A few weeks ago on NPR I heard an interview with author Glenn Frankel about his new book “The Searchers:  The Making of an American Legend.”  Frankel is in town this evening to sign books, talk about his book, and then the movie will be screened. 

Did you know that 177 years ago today Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Barrett Travis, Andres Nava, and other defenders of The Alamo fell to the forces led by …. well you should know the rest of what is in the history book.

Now that the campaign is over, I need to catch up on movies.  This Friday it will be “Oz the Great and Powerful.”

Roger Metzger of course started at short 8 times on Opening Day.

The Cubbies will be in town for two the Friday and Saturday before Opening Day!

 

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On Coming Up Short

This is certainly not going to cut it.  Here is from an AP piece today:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush writes in a new book that the nation needs to completely overhaul its immigration policies but cautions against providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, a position that puts him at odds with some Senate reformers within his own party.

There has to be a pathway to citizenship.  The Latino community will not settle for less.  Not this time.  Not ever.  Those days are over.

Here is the entire piece on Bush’s take.

wonder what George P. thinks now that he is in charge of Latino outreach for the Texas GOP?

Wayne Dolcefino is running for a seat on the Katy ISD School Board.   Now that is interesting.  I wonder if he hired a consultant.  Here is what the Chron said about what Wayne has been doing:

Dolcefino, who operates a consulting firm called Dolcefino Communications, said his most recent projects include assisting a group of citizens opposed to a landfill in Waller County and assisting a group that has filed a lawsuit against Houston ISD trustee Larry Marshall.

Here is the Chron piece on Wayne running.

And here is the Houston Press piece.

How many years was B-G-O our Opening Day catcher?

In Round 1 of the SD6 Special, 16,511 (5.65%) voted.  In Round 2, so far 18,187 (6.22) voted – that’s an extra 1,676. 

It looks like we were outspent.  We won’t know for sure until we see the final reports. 

That allowed the other side to have more TV, mail, and a bigger field operation.  It also probably allowed them to out message us.

It looks like their message was more effective as partisanship trumped pay raise and cutting law enforcement.

We probably waited too long to respond to the initial negative attacks but that is our fault.

I guess the only thing I can say is that they ran a more effective campaign, after all they do have scoreboard.    I need to see the precinct by precinct returns before I can say more.

I found it interesting that they replaced a lot of the local talent.  Oh, well!

B-G-O was starting catcher on Opening Day three times from 1989 through 1991 of course.

I wonder what kind of changes are in store for The Yard.

 

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The Great Brown Hope?

The SA Express News has a piece on P-Bush today about a visit to the Rio Grande Valley.  Is P-Bush the vehicle the GOP needs to attract Latino voters?  Check this from the piece:

At a reception for Bush later Thursday, R. David Guerra, president and CEO of the International Bank of Commerce in McAllen, said he is curious about Bush.  “I want to hear his philosophy and try to understand him. Is he a moderate Republican, is he right-wing, old party line, or is he going to be an individual who can compete for statewide office against individuals like the Castro brothers in San Antonio (who) are very politically astute? That’s the kind of young people that are emerging in the state.

I could not agree more.  The P-Bush fella needs to show some substance.  Here is what he said down there:

“Who here thinks taxes are too high?” he asked as raised hands filled the room. “I would agree … we need to dramatically reform our tax code.”

That’s not what Latinos want to hear.

Here is the entire article.

The other side decided to drop a bunch of dough on TV ads for today and tomorrow.  What’s that all about?  We had to do the same.  I’ll have more to say about the race Monday.

Some would say that the 1980 ‘Stros were a pretty good team.  Name the 1980 Opening Day line-up?

My God Daughter and niece Rachel is celebrating another birthday today sorta. She’s a leap year baby.  Happy Birthday Rachel!

In the Chron today there is a story about the Harris County Department of Education hiring former County Commissioner Jerry Eversole to lobby.  I don’t know if that is a good move.  I don’t think it will last.  What were they thinking?

There is a story in the Chron today about dynamic pricing at The Yard.  That’s when they stick it to you when the Yankees or Red Sox come to town or for Opening Day.  I don’t have a problem since it doesn’t apply to Commentary.

Terry Puhl, Craig Reynolds, Cesar Cedeno, Joe Morgan, Jose Cruz, Enos Cabell, Art Howe, Alan Ashby, and J.R. Richard were the Opening Day starters in 1980 of course.

Opening Day is 30 days away!

 

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No Comment

Some folks have taken the time to comment on the SD6 Special over the past few weeks.  Kuffer has said a little.  Heck, I think Kuffer used to be a part of SD6 so he knows the district.  Big Jolly has had takes and he also knows some of the players and the district.  Same thing goes for Dos Centavos who has put out a few takes on the race. 

Yesterday I saw an out of town take that kind of just humored me because they didn’t know what they were talking about.  They don’t know the district and the players.  They wouldn’t know a Mason Park from a Roseland Park.   They wouldn’t know an Aldine from a Magnolia. They wouldn’t know a Munger from a Freddy.  Try coming down here and spend some time in the communities and get a sense of what folks are thinking because they are certainly not thinking what out of town folks are thinking.

The out of towners are completely unaware of the dynamics of the race yet they go on and pass judgment.  So I read their take and just move on.

Some say the 1998 ‘Stros were one of our best teams ever.  Name the 1998 Opening Day line-up?

Sen. Dan Patrick has a bill that deals with more restrictions and it prompted this from Burkablog:

It is not my intention to debate the merits of this bill. My interest in it comes from a different direction. My question is this: Have the Republicans forgotten that there was an election last November? This bill is a dagger to the heart—of Patrick’s own party. It is anathema to one of the constituencies that is a crucial part of the Democratic coalition that won the election: college-educated women. Has Senator Patrick forgotten the name of Todd Akin? Of Robert Mourdock? Of Sandra Fluke?

This bill is a case study of why Republicans are losing national elections. They do not have a clue about the nature of the coalition that defeated them. If one reflects on what the Legislature has done over the past four years, beginning with 2009, the main thrust of its efforts has not been to improve the lives of ordinary Texans. It has been to harm and harass the constituencies that threaten them. Hence the Legislature has passed Voter I.D. legislation, gerrymandered redistricting maps, restrictions on the conduct of elections, huge cuts in public education, a dismembered women’s health program, the burden of all of which fall on the constituencies that make up the Democratic coalition. The irony is that Republicans are doing their part to turn Texas blue.

Let them keep shooting themselves in the foot if you ask me.

B-G-O, Derek Bell, Baggy, Sean Berry, Moises Alou, Richard Hidalgo, Rick Gutierrez, Brad Ausmus, and Shane Reynolds of course were the 1998 Opening Day starters.

That is all I have from The Yard.

 

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Final Early Voting in SD6 Special

Early Voting in the SD6 Special is history and here is what we have.

8,780 have cast ballots as compared to 16,511 in Round 1 – that’s 53.2%.

5,526 Voted Early in Person as compared to 5,369 in Round 1.

There is really no point in debating how many voters will participate this Saturday.

In 1962 when MLB first came to H-Town, who was the lead-off batter for the Colt 45s on Opening Day?

The Chron has a story on the SD6 special.  Here is a part:

"Substantively," said Rice University political science professor Robert Stein, "the two candidates, with minor exceptions, are in lockstep … Carol is a new-breed Latina. Sylvia is old school."

The story quotes a couple of Republicans. Check this:

"Rep. Alvarado is an effective leader in the Legislature, and will represent the true interests of her state Senate seat,"  (State Sen. Larry) Taylor said in an email.

Harris County Republican Party Chairman Jared Woodfill disagreed, dismissing both candidates as "very liberal voices" who would promote the "Obama strategy."

I guess Jared didn’t get the memo.

I guess Sen. Taylor didn’t get the memo.

I guess Jared didn’t get the memo.

I guess Sen. Taylor didn’t get the memo.

I guess Jared didn’t get the memo.

I guess Sen. Taylor didn’t get the memo.

I’m glad somebody remembers this:

"I hate to say that’s politics," said (Renee) Cross (associate director of the University of Houston’s Hobby Center for Public Policy), alluding to attack ads that have appeared in recent weeks. "From what I can see, the Garcia campaign came out with negative ads before the special elections. Now, Alvarado is countering before the runoff. It is nasty. I guess that’s not surprising."

Here is the entire story.

With all the talk about money being contributed in the SD6 Special, it turns out that Andrea – a children books author – and former H-Town Mayor Bill White – also our Democratic nominee for Governor in 2010 and a former Chair of the Texas Democratic Party – are Carol’s largest individual donors in this race – add it up.

Third baseman Bob Aspromonte of course was lead-off batter for the Colt 45s on Opening Day in 1962.

I don’t have anything from Spring Training this morning.

 

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EV Day 6 in SD6 Special

Day 6 of Early Voting in the SD6 Special is history and here is what we have.

7,318 have cast ballots as compared to 16,511 in Round 1 – that’s 44.32%.

4,327 have Voted Early in Person as compared to 5,369 in Round 1 – that’s 80.6%.

Here is what I said yesterday:

Including today there are two days left to Vote Early.   I don’t think 1,853 voters will show up today or tomorrow to match the EV total if Round 1.

It looks like I might be wrong as 811 showed up yesterday and this being the last day of EV in Person.  We probably will surpass Round 1.

Things kind of quieted down at the EV locations yesterday as the trash talking about Carol Alvarado subsided. 

The campaign contribution and expenditure reports were posted online yesterday – oh, my!

The Chron Sports Section has a piece about Delino DeShields, Jr. who is in the farm system.  His dad played in the bigs for 13 seasons.  In 1990, Delino DeShields was runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year.  Name the player that won it?

Hunker Down supports expanding Medicaid to the Lone Star State.  Good for him!

Check out the Chron article here.

More and more Republicans are seeing the light on this issue. 

Speaking of seeing the light, Lisa Falkenberg’s column today is about a couple or three Republican leaders in the Texas Legislature thinking about supporting tax increases to fix our road and schools.  Of course, you can’t read it today unless you are a subscriber. 

Sometimes you just can’t walk away from good sound public policy.

David Justice of The ATL of course was the runaway winner of the 1990 NL Rookie of the Year Award.

The Big Tuna dropped by  Spring Training today to chat with the new skipper – cool!

 

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EV Day 5 in SD6 Special

Day 5 of Early Voting in the SD6 Special is history and here is what we have.

6,476 have cast ballots as compared to 16,511 in Round 1 – that’s 39.22%.

3,516 have Voted Early in Person as compared to 5,369 in Round 1 – that’s 65.5%.

Including today there are two days left to Vote Early.   I don’t think 1,853 voters will show up today or tomorrow to match the EV in Person total if Round 1.

At one of the EV locations yesterday, there were four fellas from the other side talking trash about Carol Alvarado.  Only 96 voters showed up at that location and one would think that those 96 folks had already made up their mind who to vote for.  Why do you need four fellas to talk trash anyway?  One of the tactics coming out of the other camp is talking trash about Carol.  They do it in phone calls and with their door to door crew.

The other side also tried to make a silly claim that Carol supported vouchers.   Stay tuned!

Former MLBer Vince Coleman is at Spring Training teaching the ‘Stros how to steal bases.  The prolific base stealer ended up with 752 career stolen bases – sixth on the all time list.  How many times did he steal 100 plus bases in a season?

Speaking of vouchers, Peggy Fikac of the Express News – Chron, says vouchers are kind of DOA.

Check it out here.

Seth McFarland did Ok last night as the host.  The song about actresses baring it was a little edgy.  Barbra Streisand was on.  I don’t know about the “Goldfinger” tune.  I thought the John Wilkes Booth joke was offensive to the Lincoln family.  I can’t figure out why they got the First Lady to announce the Best Picture Award.  That Nate Silver fella correctly predicted “Argo.”

I am seriously behind on movie watching.

Vince Coleman stole 100 plus bases in a season three times of course:  1985 (110), 1986 (107) and 1987 (109).

Spring Training continues and Bud Norris made his debut yesterday. 

 

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EV Day 2 in SD6 Special

Day 2 of Early Voting in the SD6 Special is history and here is what we have.

3,019 have cast ballots as compared to 16,511 in Round 1 – that’s 18.3%.

1,046 have Voted Early in Person as compared to 5,369 in Round 1 – that’s 19.5%.

Including today there are five days left to Vote Early.   Maybe the better weather will get voters to the polls this weekend. 

The contribution and expenditure reports are due today so you better stay tuned!

Only two ‘Stros pitchers have started more than 300 games in a ‘Stros uniform:  Name the two?

The Chron E-Board has an informed take on the proposed parking regulations that are being discussed at City Hall.  The E-Board has likes and dislikes about the proposed plan.

You need to check out the piece here.

The Big Jolly fella has a take on the local GOP being ‘tone deaf.”   He went to a meeting and the Jared Woodfill the local party chair spoke.  Here is part of what he says:

Well, let’s take a look at Jared’s priority legislation for this session. After telling the attendees that the reason he was holding town halls every week was to focus on the legislature, here are his priorities:

Move the Texas primary up to the first Tuesday in February.

Support Rep. Toth’s bill to keep the federal government from taking our guns.

Support the pre-born baby pain bill.

Fight the repeal of definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Fight the proposal to have Texans vote on gambling.

There you go. Those are the issues that we must focus on this session. And he encouraged people to not limit their calls and letters to their own representatives – write and call every representative. What a waste of time and effort but some of the people in attendance supported doing that.

Look, I get it, moving the primary up is a good idea. But a priority? And that wacky bill from Toth? Wow, I never thought I would hear that from a Republican party chair. As for the pre-born pain bill, it is bad policy for legislators to start making up science. We’ve made huge progress against abortion but bills like this turn people away and make them reconsider the “war on women”. And marriage? First off, it has zero chance of passing, so why get riled up about it? Secondly, be careful what you ask for because polling continues to show that the majority of Texans now favor some type of legal acknowledgment of gay marriage/unions. As for gambling, hey, lets continue to restrict freedom, right?

I came home downtrodden and now that I think about it, I feel even worse. Those “priorities” might well get the old white folk out to the polls. But they darn sure aren’t going to attract new, younger voters. Let’s hope the media focuses on Speaker Straus and other Republicans that are focused on serious issues and not what passes for leadership in Harris County.

Check out all of Big Jolly here.

Local Dems better hope that Big Jolly never heads up the local GOP effort.   He is one of the few GOPers that get it.

The Rodeo is front and center again.  Folks are in their western gear.  Once again Commentary will take a pass. 

Sunday night is Oscar Night!

Larry Dierker (320) and Joe Niekro (301) of course are the only ‘Stros to have ever started 300 plus games. 

The first Spring Training game is tomorrow.

 

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Chronicle E-Board: Carol Alvarado for Texas Senate: For state Senate District 6, a proven legislator with strong diplomatic skills.

First things first!  Name the former ‘Stro pitcher that has the most all time balks as a

‘Stro?  You’ll never guess!

Yesterday evening the Chron endorsed Carol Alvarado for State Senator, District 6. They made the right call and said some important things.  It is a very nice write-up.  Here is the entire endorsement:

Copyright 2013: Houston Chronicle: 07:34 PM (FEb. 19)

Residents of Texas State Senate District 6, a heavily Hispanic area that winds from the Heights through the east side of Houston and Harris County, are lucky to face a tough choice at the ballot box as they pick a replacement for the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. Runoff candidates Sylvia Garcia and Carol Alvarado are both dedicated public servants with a long history of representing the area.

In terms of political positions, there’s not much difference between them. Both are Democrats who vow to strengthen state education spending and expand Medicaid. They differ chiefly in the way in which they’d go about achieving their goals. Garcia vows to go toe-to-toe against Gov. Rick Perry and other Republicans. Alvarado says that she’d continue to do what she’s done as a member of the Republican-controlled Texas House: work with members across the aisle to get legislation passed.

We believe that Alvarado’s approach will serve her district best. In part, that’s pure pragmatism. Given Republicans’ utter dominance of our state’s government, a Democrat who hopes to accomplish anything at all has to play nicely with the GOP. But it’s also the solution to a larger problem. Both Texas and the United States need more politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, who can find middle ground and nudge the body politic forward. Alvarado is that kind of legislator.

Residents of the district are familiar with Alvarado and her staff, who are frequent presences at civic club meetings and neighborhood events. That sort of ground-level constituent service might not be notable elsewhere, but it is in places like the east side of Houston, Galena Park and South Houston. Many of the area’s neighborhoods receive too little attention from the elected officials who are supposed to serve them.

Members of the Legislature also are familiar with Alvarado. That’s especially important in this runoff because its winner will have to hit the ground running. She’ll be sworn into the state Senate with only a few days left in which bills can be filed. As a third-term member of the House, Alvarado knows the legislature’s ins and outs and has already established many of the relationships she’ll need to serve her district.

It’s essential that the winner of this office – like all members of the Houston delegation – support the mayor’s efforts to bring local oversight to the firefighters’ pension fund. The pension’s fast-growing costs threaten the city’s financial health. And as a matter of good government, it only makes sense that the city, which foots the bill for the pension, should be able to negotiate directly with the firefighters. Alvarado, who has both the endorsement of the firefighters union and experience in city government, could be important in brokering a deal.

Her diplomatic skills and ability to find common ground make her the right person to represent District 6.

Don’t forget to vote!  Early voting runs today through Feb. 26. The election is Saturday, March 2. To vote in the run-off, it’s not necessary to have voted in the previous election. For poll hours and locations, go to www.harrisvotes.org.

Here is a sampling of reactions from Carol’s supporters:

ROCKSTAR!!!

Congratulations on this superbly written endorsement!  (From a Bexar County State Senator)

Nice!

Woo hoo!

The other side is kind of poo pooing the endorsement even though they wanted it. 

Early Voting in Person starts today and some interesting things are happening.  Stay tuned!

We got Chron!

Jim Deshaies of course leads the ‘Stros all time with 27 balks as a ‘Stro.

The latest from Spring Training is about a ‘Stro rumored to be on the PED user list. 

 

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HISD Trustee and Board President Anna Eastman’s Reception

Early Voting in Person in the SD6 Special starts tomorrow and runs through next Tuesday.  Be there!

HISD Board President Anna Eastman sort of kicks off her campaign reelection with a reception this Thursday.  Here is what Anna sent out:

Dear Friends,

Just a friendly reminder about Thursday’s event.  Thank you in advance if you have already RSVP’d or contributed.  If you can’t attend, but would like to contribute you may do so via paypal on my Website at  www.annaeastmanforhisd.com  or send a check to Anna Eastman Campaign, 816 Ralfallen, Houston, TX 77008.  I appreciate your support!

Sincerely, Anna

The reception is from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Thursday, February 21 at 205 Bayland.  Remember, HISD has new rules on donating to HISD Trustees.  I hope you know the new rules!

If you think about this question, you should figure out the answer easily.  Name the former ‘Stro pitcher with the most thrown wild pitches all time as a ‘Stro?

Traci Jensen is speaking this evening to the Katy Area Democrats on state/national education issues in preparation to going to the SaveTXSchools rally in Austin this Saturday.  Please try to drop by.

I am not going to talk much about the Chron story yesterday about HISD shelling out $900,000 in legal fees for a trustee on an ethics lawsuit.  Here is part of the story that is only available to subscribers like Commentary:

It’s alarming and the public ought to take note that HISD is spending enormous funds defending Larry Marshall," said attorney Chad Dunn, representing the Gil Ramirez Group, the company that filed the lawsuit. "But what is more troubling is that after the disclosure of Mr. Marshall’s activities, HISD has still not undertaken a serious investigation of this matter."

Documents uncovered in the case and deposition testimony have revealed that Marshall’s longtime business associate gave him a cut of the consulting contracts she had with several HISD vendors, earning Marshall tens of thousands of dollars.

The lawsuit alleges that the payments to Marshall, as well as a free Super Bowl trip and a $25,000 campaign contribution that went unreported, amounted to bribes that helped certain companies land contracts with HISD.

Marshall’s attorney, Jarvis Hollingsworth, said the case has not produced evidence that Marshall broke the law or violated HISD’s policies.

"Larry Marshall is having to defend his long and highly respected reputation as an HISD trustee against these unfounded claims," Hollingsworth said. "I’m sure the public would not want HISD or Larry Marshall to just pay public dollars to Gil Ramirez if he’s not deserving of them, and his case has no merit."

That is kind of why we have some new rules on campaign donations.  The Chron didn’t say if the $900,000 was a record for defending a trustee on anything.  That’s a lot of money if you ask me.  I wonder how many crayons you can get for $900,000.  Oh, well!

Knuckleballer Joe Niekro of course holds the ‘Stros record with 128 wild pitches.

Nothing from The Yard today.

 

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