After arriving late at night to Grand Rapids, MI, I had spent the night at the Amway Grand on the shores of the Grand River. My company had a booth at the Great Lakes Broadcast Conference and Expo. This day was for setup, the next day was the show itself. For now…food.

I looked up from my plate and looked across the river’s brown water. I spotted a dull-looking triangular building adorned with large, blue lettering: “Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.” I took a sip of coffee.

Wait - “Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum?” I woke up a little more. That might be interesting. OK, so I decided to go to the booth, make sure all of my packages had arrived, check the contents of the boxes, then head over to the museum. Then I could set up in the afternoon with my coworker, which would only take about a half hour.

So after breakfast, away I went, walking quickly across the bridge through the cold mist. In front of the museum building were slightly appropriate, but largely unrelated items - let’s call them earmarks - like statues of angry UAW members and an astronaut. It’s like the proprieters just thought, “Ah, we have some open space out front, let’s throw those weird statues out there. They’re kind of appropriate, since it’s Michigan and all. While we’re at it, toss in an astronaut. Everybody likes astronauts.”

Inside, I bought my ticket from a disinterested teenager, and started through the museum. The first display was a monolithic chunk of the Berlin Wall. Again, a non-sequiter, since President Ford had little or nothing to do with the eventual fall of Communism, but it was a pleasant surprise - the first of many. I was quickly admonished for using my flash as I took a picture of it.

Upstairs, I walked through a few chambers that displayed much-expected pictures of young, blonde-haired Ford in his college football uniform, cans of Ford brand exterior paint, and news footage, featuring a young John Chancellor, piecing together the story of Watergate, and Ford’s subsequent pardon of Richard Nixon.

Then, a full scale model of the Oval Office. Speakers mounted in the ceiling simulated conversations between the President and his aides. Some actor doing a mediocre-passable Ford impression met with invisible kids, cabinet members, and talked on his imaginary phone. I’m still not sure if it was cool, or just silly. Probably the latter. But the Oval Office looked great.

Along those same lines, the musem featured a model of the Executive Conference Room. A similar audio presentation was available buy pushing a button on the conference table. I passed. But again, the room was outstanding. I accidentally snapped a flash picture of this. A few minutes later, the flash-phobic security guard of my earlier acquaintance asked another security guard if he had seen anyone take a flash picture. Calm down, Sparky.

More rooms told of the timeline of Ford’s brief Presidency in great detail, including an emphasis on media coverage. TV coverage of politics was in full swing by the time the mid-seventies rolled around, and presidents used the medium to promote their policy agendas. A Teleprompter scrolled a speech given by Ford in 1975.

Finally, a sixty-foot model of the White House punctuated the tour.

It was quite a pleasant surprise, and worth a visit. Gerald Ford was the first American President I can remember. I even voted for him in my Kindergarden mock election in 1976 (no surprise to those who know me now). If you’re ever in Grand Rapids, give the Gerald Ford Museum a visit.

Manny doing his Bobby DeNiro.

And it’s perfect for the Dodgers.  Without Jeff Kent, they need that veteran, right-handed bat to take the pressure off young studs like Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp.

It’s also good for baseball.  Now, no one’s playing any tiny violins for baseball, the game is stronger than ever based on record attendance in 2008.  However, it’s hard to ignore the low TV ratings that any team not named Red Sox or Yankees get on national broadcasts.  Even the World Series, which Sports Illustrated accurately described as a “purist’s classic,” lost the ratings game.  As a result, the national baseball broadcasters (ESPN, Fox) tend to show more Red Sox and Yankees games than any other team.  If you watch SportsCenter, and knew nothing about baseball, you would think they were the only teams in the league.  The distribution of ex-Red Sox or Yankees players may be the only way to combat this trend.

When Pedro Martinez went to the Mets, they got more TV time.  When Joe Torre went to the Dodgers, the networks took notice.  Kevin Millar signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays as a non-roster invitee this Spring, yet his at-bats are featured on SportsCenter every night

Lifetime .277 hitter.

like he’s Albert Pujols (who seems to get far less coverage despite his .334 lifetime batting average).

As frustrating as it can be for the rest of the league, to the casual fan, Major League Baseball is ruled by the Red Sox and Yankees.  But as their players move on, maybe the rest of the league will finally get some publicity.  Maybe even Cincinatti Reds highlights can return from the exile that is the last few seconds of filler after SportsCenter’s Top Ten.

Johan Santana reported pain in his left elbow, and was due to get an MRI in New York on Sunday.  Then, due to bad weather conditions in New York, the medical staff was due to fly to Florida to examine Santana (good news, no doubt, for the medical staff).  Then, Santana proclaimed himself pain free after a bullpen session, and said there was “no reason” for an examination of his arm.

The grim reaper of pitchers.

All that’s fine, but doesn’t Santana’s situation give you flashbacks to how you’ve felt the past couple of years?  Like the first time Pedro showed signs of breaking down at the end of the 2005 season?  His total physical meltdown of 2006 and 2007?  And watching him try to come back as a shadow of his former self, often throwing in the low-eighties?  Or does it remind you more of Billy Wagner?  He had discomfort in his elbow, and we all assumed he would return for the stretch run.  Then, one day, he throws a pitch in a simulated game, and says no mas.  Just like that - Tommy John surgery.

After 234 innings, and a rush to get into shape for the WBC, Johan Santana’s elbow injury brings about that same sinking feeling in the pit of a Mets fan’s stomach.  If this is an indicator of a more serious injury, and if he needs The Surgery, he will be out for the year.  Now, the Mets’ starting rotation is nice, and will have plenty of help from the bullpen, but without Santana, that puts a lot of pressure on Maine, Perez, and Pelfrey to be the ace.  In Santana, the Mets have guy they can count on every fifth day to win a game more often than not. 

For the Mets to have a chance this year, they will need to hear more about Johan Santana than Tommy John, another nice lefty who’s now known more for the surgery named after him.  Until we hear more, keep holding your breath.

Take baseball, for instance.    It’s a given that you need a good leadoff man, and the number three hitter is supposed to be your best player.  But what about the number two hitter? 

Some managers like to have an on-base percentage guy there, kind of a second leadoff man.  Others like someone with great bat control, who can hit behind the runner on base, or bunt him over.  Sometimes, you’ll see a power guy in the number two spot.  Hey, why wait for the three or four hitter to see some fireworks?

Today, Mets manager Jerry Manuel slotted his starting pitcher, Oliver Perez, in

Oliver Perez - Number Two?

the number two spot.    Obviously, this is just to give him an at-bat before he is taken out of the game - this early in spring training, the starting pitcher only gets a couple of innings of work at the most.  But that raises an interesting question.  Why not bat your worst hitter second?

Manuel has been toying with leading off Luis Castillo and batting Jose Reyes second.  But why not put your pitcher there every time?  If you’re looking for a number-two guy to advance the runners, pitchers practice sacrifice bunting more than any other player.  Remember how effective Paul Lo Duca was in 2006 advancing Reyes with sacrifice bunts, and opposite-field grounders?  Pitchers have trouble catching up to fastballs, so a right-handed hitting pitcher would be perfect.  He couldn’t do anything else but hit it to the right side.

Of course, if your eight and nine hitters get on, and somehow get into scoring position with two outs and your worst hitter is at the plate, then it doesn’t sound like such a great idea.  But of course, if your seven and eight hitters get on, and your pitcher is batting ninth, then you have the same problem.  But do you really want your worst hitter to potentially get more at-bats than your cleanup hitter? 

So what to do about number two?  Maybe it only matters in the first inning, because from then on, anyone can be the number two hitter.  What a perplexing number, the number two.  No wonder you little respect.

So why haven’t I been inspired to write about the Mets?  Because there’s really nothing happening.  First of all, they’ve played well each of the last three years, only to see their championship hopes dashed late in the season.  That means nothing really interesting is going to happen until September.  Second, where’s the controversy?  Sure, there are two closers in the bullpen.  It should be a clash of egos, right?  Nope.  The only thing JJ Putz has taken shots at this year has been a wild boar (it was roasted on a spit in Port St. Lucie, in case you were wondering), and, the previously most high-profile free agent, Francisco Rodriguez, was signed at a relative bargain price, and has folded himself into the orange and blue, in Jerry Manuel’s team-first world.

Embattled second basemen Luis Castillo is in shape, and ripping the ball like it’s 2001(albeit in batting practice).  Johan Santana leads a quietly confident starting rotation that (shh) might be the most solid in the game.  And there’s no need to worry about the manager.  By all reports, Manuel has the team fully under control. 

Let’s face it.  Spring Training for the Mets has been downright boring. 

Ooo!  Wait!  Here’s something!  Jerry Manuel said Daniel Murphy has the starting  job in left field, and Ryan Church will platoon with Fernando Tatis! 

Well, lets face it, all three of them had to prove themselves this year anyway.  All have shown flashes of brilliance, but Murphy, a double-A callup last year is still an unknown quantity, Church got off to a great start, but was derailed by two frightening concussions, and Tatis is the classic off-the-scrapheap player; you never know when he’ll be officially totalled. 

But, for the time being, as it is only February, all is quiet in Mets camp.  Everyone just wants the season to start.  Everyone just wants to see if the 2009 Mets are any different from their predecessors.

Soooooo, Slumdog Millionaire walked away with the big honors last night, eh?  And Sean Penn won best actor for Milk.  Nice, that’s real nice. 

I haven’t seen these movies, I don’t care to see these movies, and neither do the majority of moviegoers around the world.  My best picture of the year?  The Dark Knight.

Editor’s Note: This guy is such a moron.  A movie about Batman?  What are we, a bunch of 5-year olds?  Real movie aficionados prefer movies that make relevant social statements, like Milk and Slumdog.  Not some comic book THING for fanboys.

Actually, The Dark Knight goes beyond what most people see on the surface.  Those who truly appreciated the film (as opposed to the guy who said “Man, that was WEIRD,” or the grandma who ushered her little granddaughter out of the theater while the hospital was being demolished) realize that the Dark Knight had many themes relevant to today’s world. 

Editor’s Note: Wait a minute.  Did you just argue with me?  That’s not possible.  I added these notes after you submitted your post.

It’s an old blogger’s trick.  Anyway, back to the movie.  Gotham City is a place run by various criminal organizations.  Enter the Batman, who pushes them back with the help of the city’s new DA, Harvey Dent.  In fact, the criminals are pushed to the edge of existence.  So, what do cornered animals do?  They fight back.  They fight for their lives. 

Enter the Joker.  He knows how to fight this war.  He convinces the crime organizations that he can kill the Batman.  Then, he starts a wave of terror, while simultaneously winning the hearts and minds of the citizens of Gotham City.  How?  By making sure civilians are killed (either by him or as collateral damage) and telling everyone that it’s Batman’s fault - he shifts the blame from the criminals to the man or men trying to save the civilians from the criminals.  Tactics like these have been used in the real world by al Qaeda and others. 

Editor’s Note: Whoa, whoa, there Sparky, I  think you’re reading way too much into this.  And besides, we didn’t ignore the Dark Knight.  Heath Ledger won best supporting actor.  He carried that movie!

Sorry, I forgot, social allegories are supposed to be crammed down our throat in obvious fashion these days.  And by the way, the truth is, while Heath’s performance was outstanding, and good actor (that precludes you, Nicolas Cage) could have pulled off this role.  The real strength of the Joker was in the development, writing, and direction of the character. 

The ultimate theme of The Dark Knight was that we should not give up, but endure through hard times, be it in the fight against crime, terrorism, tyranny, government corruption or even a bad economy.  That’s an important message for people today.  And The Dark Knight didn’t even get a nomination for Best Picture.  That’s why the Academy is so out of touch.  That’s why the Oscars are irrelevant.

Editor’s Note: I still think you’re nothing but a taped-glasses wearing fanboy.

OK, I’ll let you have the last word.

Editor’s Note: I still don’t know how you’re responding to me.

The same day Holder called the United States a “nation of cowards,” always a terrific thing to say when holding a high-profile position in the federal government, a controversial cartoon appeared in the New York Post.  In reference to the recent chimp-bites-woman incident in Stamford, Connecticut, the cartoon depicted a dead chimp, shot by a policeman, who mused that now someone else will have to write the next stimulus package.

How ironic that on the day Holder decided to call the people of his country racial cowards, that a cartoon would be printed that illustrated the exact reason why we are racial cowards.

The cartoon is clearly meant to depict the intelligence of those who compiled the frivilous, pork-stuffed stimulus package to be on par with that of a chimpanzee. 

However, it seems that the majority of people think the cartoonist, Sean Delonas, used the image of the chimp to depict our African-American president, Barack Obama.

Now, let’s think about this one for a moment.  How stupid would a cartoonist of a major New York newspaper be to use such an obvious racist image for the President of the United States?  Secondly, the stimulus package was authored by congress - one version by the house, another by the senate.  President Obama’s only job was to approve the final package.  But despite these seemingly easily overlooked facts, the flame-fanners have been called in.  We’ve even had an appearance by Al Sharpton, the man who lied to New York about Tawana Brawley, and the man who tried (unsuccessfuly) to ruin the career of Don Imus, after the aging shock-jock made a relatively innocent, and mostly unfunny racial joke. 

By the way, where was the good Reverend, who wears expensive suits, but doesn’t have a job, when this gem was published?  I guess it’s OK if it’s a Republican.

This, Mr. Holder, is why you call us cowards.  We simply have no choice.  We, the various races that comprise the melting pot of the United States, must walk on egg shells around each other, lest we be subject to the kind of persecution which resembles the modern equivalent of being fed to the lions.  An open discussion of race is impossible if every candid comment or opinion is to be considered racist.

And we truly are in the covered-wagon stage of the Blog, even though some have made high-profile inroads into news, politics and sports.  We don’t really know how blogs will ultimately fit into the role of media as we have known it.  To some (cough..oldmedia…cough), bloggers remain a nuisance and a joke, to others, essential daily reading.  Some can’t even define what a blog is.

In truth, blogs are about individual voices being heard without the use of a vehicle or medium, like the national news and sports media.  Blogs cut out the middle man.  That being said, most bloggers are limited in their coverage or opinions given the fact that they don’t have the same access to the people and events they are covering that the traditional media has.  That’s why the role of the blog in American and world media still hasn’t reached it’s crescendo - and that’s part of the fun.

As for this blog, The Attention Seeker will focus mostly on sports, mostly of the New York variety, mostly on baseball, and mostly on the New York Mets, about whom I have blogged for the past three seasons.  I will also toss in an occasional movie review, photo essay, political editorial (though I don’t want to be one of those people - you know…), and basically whatever else I bloody well like. 

It is, after all, my blog.

Happy reading!