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A memorial service for historian, civic activist and writer Walt Crowley will be held today, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Museum of History & Industry, 2700 24th Ave. E., Seattle.

Between helping a friend move on Sunday and playing goalie in my co-rec soccer game last night, I’ve been doing a lot of standing in the rain recently. And that can only mean one thing. Summer is over and it’s time for the baseball playoffs. Here’s some history behind the four playoff matchups:

National League

Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Cubs were formed in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings. Also in 1870, the newly named town of Phoenix purchased a 320 acre lot of land that eventually became the city’s business downtown. The last time the Cubs won the World Series, in 1908, the population of Phoenix was around 10,000. In 1915, the Cubs’ new home, Wrigley Field could hold 18,000 spectators. Today it seats 41,000, much fewer than the population of Phoenix, which thanks to the invention of air conditioning, has 1.5 million people, and its own team.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies

The Phillies were formed in 1883 and were originally called the Quakers. At the same time in Denver, a con-artist named “Soapy” Smith was able to corrupt officials in the quickly growing capital of the new state of Colorado with the money he made from his infamous soap scam. When the Phillies won their only ever World Series in 1980, the Colorado Rockies were still a hockey team. The Phillies won the NL East Division title this year for the first second time since 1983, the year after the old Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey and became the Devils, and 10 years before the baseball Rockies were born.

American League

Boston Red Sox vs. LA Angels of Anaheim

The Red Sox were founded at the beginning of the American League in 1901 as the Boston Americans. At that time, Anaheim was a small farming community. In 1920, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees, allegedly to finance a Broadway play. This action would curse the team for 84 years until they won the World Series in 2004. In 1924, the Ku Klax Klan secretly won 4 of the 5 seats on the city of Anaheim’s Board of Trustees. This action cursed the city of Anaheim for 78 years until 2002, when the Angels won their first World Series. The following year, a Mexican-American named Arte Moreno bought the Angels, changed the name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and began trying to market the team to Hispanic fans. Since that bit of beautiful karma, even Anaheim’s NHL team has been good.

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians

The Yankees and the Indians were both founded at the beginning of the American League in 1901. The Yankees were originally the Baltimore Orioles for two years before the owners were able to move the team to New York. There they were first called the Highlanders because their home field was on a hill. They didn’t become the Yankees until moving to the Polo Grounds in 1913. The Indians also went through a number of name changes. They started as the Cleveland Blues in 1901, but became the Bronchos (1902), the Naps (1903), the Molly McGuires (1909), and finally the Indians in 1911 after the city was allowed to vote on a name. Since then, the success of the Yankees and the Indians baseball teams has pretty much paralleled the fortunes of Yankees and Indians in this country as a whole.

Man, I suck on the radio. My voice is screechy, I pick boring topics, and nobody wants to listen to my relentless, left-wing propaganda. Liberal talk just doesn’t work, and my days at 710-KIRO are surely numbered.

That said, I’ll be filling in for Dave Ross this morning from 9AM to Noon, and will kick off the show with a KIRO exclusive, on-air, caller-driven “debate” between Republican Dan Satterberg and Democrat Bill Sherman, vying for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. This is your chance to ask your question of the candidates in the premier race this November: 877-710-KIRO.

I haven’t got a chance to read it yet, but I just picked up Who Hates Whom. Looks great. Yay for blogger books. On that random note, here’s your bullshit:

* So, last week there was a march in Washington. Peace is neato. Anyway, the take away from that is that peace groups support murder. Obviously it couldn’t be that conservatives don’t understand that pictures can be manipulated. But remember, the conservatives were there, so they saw banners with their own eyes. And then they beat up a Gold Star father and go to the White House. But don’t worry, because Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week is coming up, and that will present right wingers with a whole new appreciation of make believe pictures.

* Tim Russert thinks that John Edwards’ hair, asking Hillary Clinton about things that will never happen, things that happened in Cleveland in 1978, and all of the candidates’ favorite Bible quotes are more important than the environment. But at least we aren’t racists like the Republican frontrunners.

* David Brooks is actually making me miss Safire. How is that possible?

* Who could have guessed that Fox News were a bunch of hypocrites?

* Lee Bollinger treats dictators differently based on their relationship with the United States. Quite the man of courage.

* The Boner finds it despicable to hide behind children.

Locally:

* Michael Medved doesn’t think slavery is such a big deal. He has 6 reasons and they’re all crazy.

* Littering in the bus tunnel is bullshit, although, I used it on Friday rush hour and didn’t notice anything.

* The Washington Policy Center is upset at the existence of S-Chip and the state minimum wage.

This is an open thread

State Attorney General Rob McKenna argued Washington’s top-two primary before the US Supreme Court today, and Postman’s got a partial transcript up online. I know it’s not a predictor of how the court will rule, but it sure sounds like McKenna is getting his ass kicked — which raises the question: why is McKenna personally arguing this case rather than, you know, a more experienced appeals attorney?

For example, backers of the top-two better hope this isn’t McKenna’s most compelling argument.

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: But clearly, it’s just like a trademark case. I mean, they’re claiming their people are going to be confused. They are going to think this person is affiliated with the Democratic or Republican Party when they may, in fact, not be at all.

MR. McKENNA: Mr. Chief Justice, they make that claim without the benefit of any evidence. The Ninth Circuit and the district court and the parties simply assume this will happen…

Well, if you’re looking for evidence to support this scenario, how about this: I hereby declare my intention to challenge Dino Rossi for the Republican nomination… should the top-two primary be reinstated.

Run Goldy, run!

Of course, I’m just some crazy blogger… one of those wacky, out-of-touch, far-left-of-center, internet agitators who threatens to destroy the Democratic Party’s credibility with mainstream Americans. So when we in the “nutroots” argue that Darcy Burner is in a better position to defeat Dave Reichert in 2008 than she was in the so-called “Blue Wave” election of 2006, you can be sure that the inside-the-beltway professionals will run as fast as they can in the opposite direction…

WASHINGTON — Darcy Burner is becoming a hot commodity in D.C.

Burner, the likely 2008 Democratic opponent of U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, was one of seven candidates hosted at a special fundraiser by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) at Johnny’s Half Shell, a block from the Capitol.

Wow. Burner is a “hot commodity”… one of the DCCC’s top challengers. Who’d a thunk?

One of the other top-seven Democratic challengers is Dan Maffei, who like Burner, was a first time candidate in 2006, yet came from nowhere to draw within a few points of defeating Republican incumbent Jim Walsh.

Walsh, a former supporter of the war in Iraq, made news last month when he changed his mind and called for redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq, after a two-day trip to Baghdad.

Sitting with Walsh on that trip was Reichert, who did not alter his position. Burner is against the war.

“Burner is against the war.” How many more Americans must die before political expediency forces Reichert to switch positions?

Meanwhile, Reichert finally says something I agree with:

“Republicans should head for the hills.”

Man, I’m looking forward to 2008.

Hmm…

The US Supreme Court rejected Monday a bid by Roman Catholic and Baptist groups to stop offering their employees birth-control benefits as part of their health insurance.

The case hinged on the organizations’ right to place their own beliefs at the center of their employment practices, offering a new battle ground over the age-old state versus religion debate at the start of the court’s new year.

The top court rejected a petition by the groups arguing that by being forced to offer contraception pills and equipment on their employee health-insurance plans, their First Amendment rights to free speech were violated.

The petition sought to overturn a New York state law that mandated that all employees of religious groups must have access to birth-control measures as part of their employer-provided health insurance.

I’m no lawyer, and the court has not published an explanation of its decision, but… if religious organizations have no First Amendment right to deny employees birth control benefits in violation of NY state law, how could a pharmacist claim a similar First Amendment right here in WA? Plan B — “the morning after pill” — is birth control. If a state-licensed pharmacist is required by law to stock and sell this pill, there doesn’t appear to be an inherent First Amendment right to refuse.

Iceland is pulling its troop out of Iraq. That’s right, Iceland, which has long been counted by President Bush as one of the original 36 members of the “Coalition of the Willing,” is bringing home its single “Icelandic Crisis Response Unit” member… a press aide who has been working in Baghdad for the past two years. Iceland has no standing army.

I guess that’s another victory for the terrorists.

Tonight on “The David Goldstein Show”, 7PM to 10PM on News/Talk 710-KIRO:

7PM: What’s the truth about Roads & Transit?
There’s a big Roads & Transit package on the ballot this November — what exactly does it do, and what exactly does it cost? Jessyn Farrell of the Transportation Choices Coalition and Aaron Toso of Keep Washington Rolling join me in the studio to give the Yes side of the debate, and then Mark Baerwaldt, the man behind No To Prop 1 joins us by phone to give us the other side. $17.8 billion or $157 billion? We’ll try to bridge the divide or expose the lies.

8PM: What makes Peter Goldmark run?
Okanogan County rancher Peter Goldmark lost a tough race last November to Rep. Cathy McMorris in WA’s 5th Congressional District, but he’s jumped right back in the saddle, declaring this week his candidacy for Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands. Goldmark joins us for the hour by phone to outline his vision for the office, and to take your calls.

9PM: TBA

Tune in tonight (or listen to the live stream) and give me a call: 1-877-710-KIRO (5476).

PROGRAMMING NOTE:
I’ll be filling in for Dave Ross Tuesday morning. Tune in at 9AM for a KIRO-exclusive on-air debate between Republican Dan Satterberg and Democrat Bill Sherman, candidates for King County Prosecuting Attorney.

From beyond the grave, Walt Crowley gets to the heart of why normally cynical folks like me can muster enthusiastic support for a Roads & Transit package that quite frankly, has some details that warrant little enthusiasm. In a posthumous guest column in today’s Seattle Times, Crowley looks back at our region’s transportation history and argues that we are at a tipping point that could herald the end of the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) Age.

The RTID package does not satisfy the true believers on either side of the great lanes-versus-trains debate that has divided the region since the 1960s, but its approval would irrevocably tip the balance in favor of transit and other non-ICE Age modes of transportation, such as bicycles, ferries and electric vehicles. Personal transport per se will not cease to exist — it is too ingrained in our culture and economy — but petroleum-powered cars and their insatiable appetite for oil, concrete and real estate will no longer set the pace for future mobility and development.

[…] Passage of the roads-and-transit plan will not instantly unclog highways nor usher in some modern version of a 19th-century City Beautiful utopia overnight. It will, however, mark a tipping point not unlike the predicted thawing of the polar ice caps, a one-way threshold of no return. We will always need roads and highways, but once the momentum of transportation investment steers away from the gas-powered automobile in favor of transit and other alternatives, there will be no going back.

These two paragraphs represent Crowley’s thesis, but he supports it with a ton of historical perspective, so please read the whole damn thing before popping off in the comment thread. In Crowley’s memory, please lets try to have a reasoned debate for a change.

Speaking of which, a memorial service for Walt Crowley will be held Tuesday, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Museum of History & Industry, 2700 4th Ave. E., Seattle. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Walt’s honor to HistoryLink.org.

Tonight on “The David Goldstein Show”, 7PM to 10PM on News/Talk 710-KIRO:

7PM: Should it be harder to raise taxes for schools, than for parks, roads, and other levies?
This November local voters will be asked to spend $17.8 billion for roads and transit, and it’s gonna be close. But should that this measure require the same 60% super-majority required of school levies, it wouldn’t stand a chance. The Legislature passed a constitutional amendment last session to impose the same “simple majority” requirement on school levies as required of other levies, and this November you’ll have the opportunity to approve it at the polls… by of course, a simple majority. Kelly Munn of People for Our Public Schools joins us for the hour.

8PM: Will WA voters finally get their “top two” primary?
Washington voters lost their cherished open primary after a legal challenge from both parties, only to see the favored replacement, a “top-two” primary, also tossed out by the courts. Monday the U.S. Supreme Court hears and appeal, and some legal experts predict the top-two might be reinstated. As an East Coast transplant I’ve never personally understood what the big deal is about declaring a party affiliation in order to vote in a party primary, so I’ll have Sec. of State Sam Reed on for the first half hour to explain it to me and take your calls.

9PM: Is Rudy Giuliani “white enough?”
That and other questions, plus your calls.

Tune in tonight (or listen to the live stream) and give me a call: 1-877-710-KIRO (5476).

Six boys or young men have died in the US this year from a killer amoeba that lives in lakes, enters the body through the nose, and feeds on the brain. It is almost always fatal.

“This is definitely something we need to track,” said Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational-waterborne illnesses for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Um… ya think?

“This is a heat-loving amoeba,” Beach said. “As water temperatures go up, it does better. In future decades, as temperatures rise, we’d expect to see more cases.”

The amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, killed 23 people in the US between 1995 and 2004. It has already killed six people this year, three in Orlando, Florida, two in Lake LBJ, Texas, and one last week at Lake Havasu in Arizona.

Hmm. Perhaps our good friend Stefan should organize a national conference of global warming deniers at one of these prime locations? After all, who could possibly have less to fear from a brain-eating amoeba?

Hey…only a “half-glass empty” kind of person would claim that the GOP front-runners are afraid of black voters. They prefer to think of themselves as Powerfully White:

(This and about 50 more of the best audio and video political clips from the week are posted at Hominid Views.)

This poll was done before Ron Sims’ opinion piece in the Times came out, so the numbers have likely dipped. But still, a few points short of 60% is very good for a package like this.

Our latest survey of 600 likely voters taken within the RTID district on the 22nd/23rd of September shows the Roads and Transit measure continuing to hold a clear lead with 60% (57% vote for, 3% lean toward) with 37% opposed (34% vote against, 3% lean against). We have now seen eight polls (conducted by four different polling firms) since April giving the measure between 54 and 61% of the vote, with opposition between 32 and 39%. Transportation concerns continue to be the top issue in the Puget Sound area, and voters are
looking for solutions. Clearly, we enter the last six weeks of the campaign with a real chance to put this measure over the top, and are in a better position to win than I would have imagined possible eight months ago.

I’m one of the most pessimistic people I know in local politics, and even I’m buoyed by these numbers.

…stay away from your blog. At least that’s what I’m trying to do after this news.

There is an upside to this: I’m already thinking about who I want to support for King County Exec in ’09, since Ron is pretty much making it clear that he isn’t running again. One of my only rules is that the candidate has to have a consistent position on light rail. They can’t be for it…

…and then against it.