Palin’s going to be at the new Barnes & Noble store inside the Woodland Mall in Kentwood, Mich., (Grand Rapids) tonight. My understanding is that some people began camping outside around midnight (it gets into the 30’s overnight this time of year). The store doors opened at 7 a.m. for people to get wristbands, so they can come back at 5 p.m. and get a place in line.

The public relations team for the book publisher has not returned our calls yet, and has ignored the local media, so far. My guess is because they want to make sure the national media get in there, instead, as the G.R. stop is launching the national tour.

Yeah, I got along well with Gerald Ford. Always personable.

I don’t know what’s inside Sarah’s brain, but she might be going on an early publicity campaign to build up her base of support well ahead of the other, future Republican candidates for the ‘12 nomination. If nothing else, that will keep her in the public eye - a good place to be, whether her destiny lies in politics or talk-shows.

Sarah launches her national book-signing tour tomorrow. She’ll be at the new Barnes & Noble store in the Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids, at 7 p.m. Mike Huckabee will be promoting his new book, A Simple Christmas, in Grand Rapids today. Is G.R. a Conservative strong-hold, or what? ;-) .

Anyway, I almost get the feeling that the 2012 presidential campaign already is getting underway.

That, Phyll, is why I think Hillary Clinton would’ve been the better choice for Prez. Less political rhetoric from all concerned, although one wonders how much less. Nowadays, all presidents are labeled as buffoons. Reagan was probably the last one that seemed to retain widespread support. Of course, he had his detractors, to be sure. But anymore, it just seems like no matter who gets that job in the Oval Office, they’re torn to shreds.

I think most of it has to do with the ubiquitous media outlets. The 24/7 cable networks, Internet blog pages…they’ve got to fill the void with something to out-do their competitors. And controversy sells.

The in-fighting within both the Republican and Democratic parties is something to behold. It’s a safe bet to say that everyone hates everyone.

A fascinating possibility, Linda

You know, Eileen, I don’t know the answer. Yet, anyway. Mom was truly the most wonderful, giving person I’ve ever met. And I remember, even as she was dying of lung cancer, her wanting to pay bills for me, show me some house-cleaning tidbits, anything she could to help me out, even after she was gone. For example, I told her before she died, "I would feel bad about having to remove your clothes from the closets, if you were no longer here." And she replied: "Why? I would do it, if it were me (in that situation)."

I have long suspected that dreams may be the one way that our late loved ones are allowed by God to communicate with us, but that’s just my own little thought. Nothing to prove it.

Liz, Derek Jeter’s a class act. I’m happy for him and the other true Yankees who came up through the system. But what disgusts me is the disparity in team payrolls. As I indicated in a separate post on the main blog, the Yankees dole out around $230 million annually in player salaries, give or take a penny. Smaller-market teams often cannot afford more than a $50 million payroll. Therefore, the Yankees, in particular, and large-market teams, in general, snap up the best free agents. And thus, Boston, New York and Los Angeles/Anaheim are often in the World Series.

Sure, there have been examples of small-market teams occasionally making it to the World Series (the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 come to mind). But by and large, the lack of a salary cap in baseball means the vast majority of small-market teams cannot compete year in and year out. Meanwhile, the Yankees have "won" 4 World Series since 1996.

And baseball commissioner Bud Selig looks the other way, rather than put his foot down with the players’ union and insist on a salary cap, which they have in pro basketball, hockey and football.

One thing I disagree with you about, Liz. The "crotch adjusting". If you were a man, you’d know that sometimes those cups have to be adjusted, in order to even walk, let alone play the game.

But I agree with your sentiments about the non-stop spitting, and the Great Steroid Fiasco that also, not surprisingly, occurred on Selig’s watch. Selig knew that the players were juiced up. Baseballs were flying out of stadiums at record paces, and scrawny little guys like Sammy Sosa were bulking up to the size of behemoths. Little tiny Sammy swatting 66 homers in a season?! Please.

I remember when Cecil Fielder of the Tigers whacked 50 in 1990. He was the first guy in baseball to hit 50+ since George Foster of the Reds did it in 1977. A few years later, though, everyone and their brother was doing it. Roger Maris’s record 61 homers in 1961 was crushed by clowns like Barry Bonds, Sosa and Mark McGwire.

Baseball pundits scoffed when Jose Canseco’s tell-all book came out several years ago about the steroid scandal. No one’s laughing anymore. And once baseball finally started testing these "athletes" for ‘roids, the homerun totals came back down to normal levels. Once again, it’s quite a feat to hit 50 homers in a season. And nowhere to be found are Bonds, Sosa, McGwire and the others who disgraced the game. Who can forget Rafael Palmiero swearing to a Senate panel that he did not take steroids?

What fuels sports grudges is the intensity of the action and the physicality of it. You take an elbow to the eye in basketball, or throw a 100-mile-per-hour heater at the bill of someone’s baseball cap, and it’s not soon forgotten.

Belinda, Favre may lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl this year. Minnesota’s looking awfully good. And as indecisive as Favre is/was about retirement, he showed the Packers this season that he still has a lot of fuel in the tank. 

As I wrote to Joan Cooney, the Yankees bought the World Series title. With their $230 million+ payroll, they can afford to go out and buy top sluggers. But teams in smaller markets with team salaries topping out at less than $50 millon cannot compete on a level playing field, in more ways than one. Baseball needs to implement a salary cap, so that talent evaluation, coaching and other non-monetary factors determine titles, not who has the biggest wallet.

But baseball commissioner Bud Selig (SEE’-lig) looks the other way. He’s the same buffoon who called off an All-Star Game a few years back when it went to extra innings, because he needed a nap. No kidding, the game was tied and he called a halt to it!

Selig is also the same clown who supports the uneven baseball schedule, with teams having to play other teams in their own division 18 times a season.

Selig also seems oblivious to the fact the World Series now drags on into November. The "Boys of Summer" are visibly freezing to death, but hey, let’s start the season in March and end it in November. What he should do is go back to the 154-game schedule, and schedule a few day-night double-headers in order to shorten the length of the regular-season schedule. Otherwise, one of these days, the World Series is going to be snowed out! Minnesota moves out of the Metrodome to a new outdoor stadium next year. Imagine the Twins and Chicago Cubs, or Tigers and Rockies trying to play ball in two feet of snow. Instead of hardball, they’ll be playing snowball!

I can just see it now: Selig Moves World Series to Neutral Site in Miami.

The Yankees bought the World Series title, Joan. They’re spending $230 million a year in player salaries, whereas some other teams can’t afford to spend more than $30 million in the smaller markets. Baseball needs to institute a salary cap, like exists in pro hockey, basketball and football. That’s the only way to assure parity.

Titles should be earned through shrewd talent evaluation, both of coaches, players and other personnels. They should not be sold to the highest bidder.