A few thoughts before ramping up again for what promises to a long and hard work week:

Having to watch the Red Sox and Tigers play on FOX is beyond painful. From the music to the graphics to the announcers – especially Tim McCarver, who hasn’t said anything insightful in twenty years – it’s just bad. Alternatively, TBS has done a great job throughout the post-season, so much so that I’ve really enjoyed all the games, even the ones the Sox weren’t playing.

Hard to get revved up about the new PGA Tour season and the “race for the FedEx Cup” when it’s only been a few weeks since the 2013 champion was crowned. I mean, I know why the PGA Tour is doing this – they’re trying to keep interest up during what used to be golf’s “silly season” of celebrity and non-sanctioned events – but there’s really nothing on the line for these initial events of the 2014 season, and to call this the start of the FedEx Cup race is ridiculous since it’s a virtual lock that no one who wins these first events will figure anywhere in the standings once the playoffs start again next August.

It’s really amazing to see the games that the politicians in Washington are playing when it comes to the so-called “government shutdown” and the increase on the debt ceiling. I get it that the Democrat and Republican leaders in the House and Senate don’t want to negotiate with each other – after all, the partisan divide between them has never been so vast. But to me it’s astounding that President Obama shows no interest whatsoever playing any kind of intermediary role in bringing the sides together. Not only does it show what a petulant and petty person he is, it demeans the office he holds. And the same holds true for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Mind you, their actions don’t surprise me – it’s just sad that the media has been giving the Democrats a free pass while they’re the ones refusing to negotiate with their Republican counterparts. I’m with Instapundit’s Helen Smith on this: the House and Senate GOP should make a “best and final offer”, then leave town if it’s rejected. No more political games. Let the whole thing burn.