Today is the first day of training camp for the New England Patriots.  (and, rumor has it, for more than thirty other NFL teams–but we needn’t concern ourselves with such trivialities.)  

On paper, the Patriots appear to be utterly fabulous, but it is more fun to win a championship by playing actual games.  And, like any sports team, keeping your key players healthy generally determines the outcome of the season.

 That said–ever so politely, it’s hard not to be mighty excited about the Patriots’ prospects this year.  I’ve never liked Randy Moss, but now, he’s one of Our Guys, and so, I’m willing to keep an open mind.  So far, he has been a model citizen, and let’s hope it’s another Corey Dillon story.  For that matter, it’s worth remembering that Rodney Harrison was not a popular NFL figure, and yet has now assumed the position of Wise Elder, along with the likes of my two favorite players, who–I just noticed–share the same initials: Troy Brown and Tedy Bruschi.  So, for that matter, does the gifted quarterback who really needs to rethink some of his fashion choices.

So, in order to celebrate the day properly, here are some fun and easy ways to keep up with the team second only to the Beloved Ones in my heart:

Patriots 1

Patriots 2

Patriots 3

Patriots 4

In other matters, I don’t generally agree with Charles Krauthammer, since he tends to be much too conservative and reactionary, but his editorial about Barack Obama today is well worth reading.  It very nicely sums up many of the same not-ready-for-prime-time concerns I’ve been having about his candidacy, although a favorite writer of mine, E. J. Dionne Jr.,  is spinning the exact same incident in an entirely different direction.    I actually don’t think Mr. Dionne on target with this one, but there’s no question that Hillary really does need to come up with an effective “okay, this is why I voted to go to war in Iraq” answer, or it will dog her forever.  Going with something like, “well, obviously, I had grave reservations, but I honestly never believed that Colin Powell would flat-out lie to the world” might be a way to go. 

For those of you with Livejournal accounts who would prefer to read Ellen’s blog on your friends list, I have created a syndicated feed (ellen_e_white). You can add it to your friends list by clicking here.

Or, anyway, I would have.

And, if you’re unfamiliar with Laura Roslin, what a treat you have in store!

The Best President on Television

It is very tiresome when people insist that you are foolishly not watching the finest show currently on the air–but, frankly, when it comes to Battlestar Galactica, it’s actually true. I resisted tuning in for quite some time, because I hate science fiction, and fantasy, and so forth, and I thought the 1978 version of the show was beyond stupid, even though the actor who played Apollo was terribly handsome. Mr. Handsome

He was also the guest star in one of the best episodes of what may be my favorite television show ever, produced by the late, sadly underrated Aaron Spelling. In all honesty, I wanted to be Jill Danko, the female lead. Some days, I still do.

The Show I Loved

And if you want to watch that delightful example of 1970s entertainment, you can get it here.

Anyway, Battlestar Galactica is, in my opinion, true appointment television. I was absolutely sick of having people tell me how stupid I was not to have discovered it yet, but after a writer chum convinced me that I really was missing out, I decided–grimly–to give it a try–and was completely hooked within about three minutes. The show is gloriously ambitious and dark, and so crammed with shades of grey, that I’m not sure whether black or white even exist in the incredibly compelling world of BSG. Except for The Beloved Team and The Home for Wonks, it’s the only thing I watch regularly, since Buffy went off the air.

Laura Miller, a Salon television critic, summed up the appeal of Battlestar Galactica far more effectively than I have: Where no TV show has gone before

Anyway, I began thinking about all of this–particularly the notion of female chief executives in pop culture–when I heard that Cherry Jones (an unusually gifted actress) has been cast as the President on the new season of ‘24′. I don’t particularly like ‘24′, since I think “Hey, come on, torture is fun!” would be a better title for it–but now, I will tune in for a few episodes. However, I’m not looking forward to the inevitable stream of is-this-a-nefarious-Hollywood-liberal-attempt-to-promote-Hillary-Clinton’s-campaign punditry, which will be foisted unwillingly upon the viewing public. Shoot, they’re already talking about this turn of events in England. Given the notorious right-wing slant of the ‘24′ production team, I think it is safe to say that they are probably not lined up in Hillary’s camp at the moment. But, the polls seem to be indicating that a lot of people are.

Although my current favorite female politician is probably Kathleen Sebelius, it is increasingly neat that America finally has a legitimate female candidate for President. In fact, there’s a very interesting Op-Ed piece about this, and the politics of gender, in today’s Washington Post.

But, all things being equal, I wish I could vote for Laura Roslin in 2008.

The Red Sox came out with four runs in the top of the first–and Jon Lester brought home the win. Considering that Cleveland is a really good team, this is all the more impressive. Did the damn Yankees win again? Yes. Does it matter, whenever the Red Sox win, too? Nope.

The Boston Globe weighs in

Yay, Jon!

And Coco Crisp is suddenly sizzling hot.

He has cool hair, too.

High fives with Coco out front (taken at Fenway, in early July)

In other forms of competition, the Democrats were in South Carolina tonight. Too many Democrats, unfortunately–Hillary and John really do need to talk to “their guys.” (Be careful, kids! The microphones are still on!) I thought the YouTube format was going to be a dumb gimmick, but for the most part, it actually worked quite well. I’m still on the fence about which candidate I’m backing–sort of–but, when you look at that group, is there any doubt which one of them would actually be the best President? If you ask me, Hillary Clinton walks away with the Competence Crown. So far, anyway. (The problem with John Edwards is that I would rather vote for his wife, and while Barack is often downright poetic, I’m still not sure he’s ready for the big leagues. Yet.)

Wrap-up on The Fix

Tonight, Jon Lester is making his first start for the Boston Red Sox, since being diagnosed with lymphoma last year–which makes this a very good day.

Mr. Lester’s Big Night

Mr. Lester’s Big Night, II

It would be a thing of beauty if he threw a shut-out, or even–dare I say it–a no-hitter, but if you ask me, it’ll be a victory the second he uncorks his first pitch. We’ll ignore the uneasy possibility that the front office may be planning to use him as trade-bait, before the 31st. (whereupon all Red Sox fans would be appalled and disgusted, I suspect)

I hope that even Yankees fans root for the guy tonight. How can you not?