Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader was watching the Yankees/Red Sox game last night on ESPN. It was a great game. Everything you want to see in a game in fact.

Except all of the gratuitous shots of John Kerry in the owners box. With Kerry were his wife, one or two of his kids, the Sox ownwers, Tom Brokaw, Katie Couric, and Tim Russert.

Allow your Maximum Leader to make a few stream of conciousness comments.

First, if George W. Bush invited Brokaw, Couric and Russert to a baseball game in NYC during the Republican Convention would they go? Your Maximum Leader puts his money on Brokaw and Russert going. He can’t see Couric sitting that long with Bush. Plus, under that fun and perky veneer there is a snarling animal of leftist loathing.

Second, when the ESPN crew interviewed Kerry (in the 6th?) they asked him a few softball questions. Which is fine, because the candidate was at a game relaxing. He was not stumping. Oh… But wait. The questions turned political. One of the play-y-play guys asked Kerry if he would make steroid use an issue in the campaign. What? With all of the other things going on do we really need the president focusing on doping in sports? Regardless, Kerry did the right thing by saying his campaign was about jobs, opportunity, and the war. There really wasn’t any other sensible answer to give.

Third, John Kerry and your Maximum Leader agree on one issue at least. The Designated Hitter rule in baseball is bad and should go. Huzzah for John F. Kerry! (Note this moment, it might be the only time you hear it.)

Fourth, since when did Ben Affleck start writing Kerry speeches. That was a little factoid your Maximum Leader learned last night. It can’t hurt you to have an Oscar-Award winning writer writing for you. NB to Karl Rove: Do you have Peggy Noonan’s cell phone number? You might need it big boy.

Carry on.