Boca 3 Lanús 1

Boca, como Buenos Aires, venía sediento y desidratado en un verano tórrido de ecos desesperantes. Y una noche San Pedro trajo agua, agua para Buenos Aires, agua para la Boca, para que Boca vuelva a gritar en la Bombonera.

La tormenta fue demasiado. Granizo en algunos lugares, calles inundadas, basura navegando, vientos de 50 km, Bánfield – Argentinos suspendido, la cortina de agua y la pelota que se clava o hace patito.

Cualquier cosa podía pasar. Y pasaba. 

Medel abrió el marcador (´12) pero Lanús se movía con más soltura que Boca. Castillejos empataba (´41) y la incertidumbre hacía más agua.

Fue en el segundo tiempo cuando apareció Palermo (´47) y apareció Boca. En el barro, en la guapeza y en la inteligencia para hacer un gol de papi fútbol (Gaitán, Riquelme, Gaitán, Palermo). 

Entonces Lanús se desconcertó, Erbes cabeceó el 3-1 (´55) y Boca, que no la había pasado bien, fue dueño de su casa otra vez.

Primer triunfo xeneize del año. Agua para la Boca. Un sorbo, porque en este torneo express, ni siquiera hay lugar para reprogramar partidos injugables.

GIMNASIA 3 ESTUDIANTES 1

Kirk Up by 12% Already?

November is a long way off, but Ace of Spades has some interesting numbers up:

• Illinois

  2010 Senate
  Kirk 47%, Giannoulias 35%

  Favorable / Unfavorable
  Mark Kirk: 31 / 26
  Alexi Giannoulias: 24 / 39
  Barack Obama: 51 / 45

He also links to a republican ad that blasts Alexi pretty devastatingly.

It's going to be a long summer in Illinois politics people.

Attacks on Police

Second City Sarge has a post up with the Hannity piece on the dangers we face every day. Click over and watch the whole thing.

Be safe boys and girls.

FLSA Thread

We're going to claim to be in the dark about this entire episode. We still aren't sure how it works, but from what's posted below (from our comment section), it sure sounds like we got burned:

• What members should be up in arms about is the FLSA ruling. What should have been a great benefit for us has turned in to a loss by going to binding arbitration.Regarding the decision handed down by Benn on 09 Dec 2009,no one can give a straight answer on this ruling.The FOP officers are either unsure of what the ruling means, are embarrassed and want to keep it quiet,or sold their soul's to the devil.The timekeepers do not know what it means. In the FOP newsletter they barley touched on it and did not explain it's impact.It says all FLSA hours worked in excess of 171 hours will be paid in cash. FLSA time is the time you are actually at work.Does it mean that if you work 30 hours of overtime in a period and are compensated at time and one half equalling 45 hours you get paid for the 30 and can put the 15 hours towards comp time? Or does it mean the following? Some periods you work 160 hours. So excluding holidays you could only get 11 hours of comp time in that period. In a period where you work 140 hours for example you could get 31 hours of comp time. Any hours exceeding 171 you will be forced to take money. Either way we have lost a great benefit, this was big concern to the city,paying out huge amounts when officers retire. This will lead to no more retiring with thousands of hours. It will also lead to no more selling back bfd and pdays because you will have to use them. As the department continues to downsize they have eliminated a manpower problem by insuring that you will be at work because you will have no accumulated time left to take off. This could lead to medical abuse which could in turn lead to losing our sick leave benefit.
  
  So the question is did FOP after winning every appeal by the city to the FLSA ruling in the courts make a huge mistake by going to and losing binding arbitration and effectively giving up our contractual right to choose money or time. Or did they intentionally sell out the membership for personal gain.It is well known that Mark Donahue is lobbying to become a lobbyist.VP Bill Dougherty's name was on the grievance that went to arbitration. You can read the ruling on the FOP web site. I would like to see SCC do a thread on this. Maybe you did and I missed it. Also the duty trade benefit which was supposed to be unlimited like CFD is limited to 1 day per period and the time constraints to get it accomplished are unworkable.

Can someone summarize the entire event so it makes sense?

Anchor on Quinn's Ticket

Didn't a follower of Lyndon LaRouche end up sinking a ticket a few years back by winning the Lieutenant Governors primary? This Cohen character looks like a similar situation:

• Scott Lee Cohen -- a pawnbroker who shocked state Democratic leaders Tuesday night by winning the party's nomination for lieutenant governor -- was arrested about four-and-a-half years ago and accused of holding a knife to a former live-in girlfriend's neck, newly obtained court records show.

  The misdemeanor charge against Cohen was dropped weeks later when the woman -- who had just been found guilty of prostitution -- failed to show up to testify, according to those records.

We'll be the first to admit that a misdemeanor domestic charge with a convicted working girl isn't that big a deal in any other instance. But politics? Who is doing background checks on these candidates? Should this guy have been anywhere near a ballot?

Again, Bad News

More bad headlines on the way:

• A man allegedly shot in the head last month by an off-duty Chicago Police officer at the officer's Southwest Side home after an alleged night of drinking filed a petition Wednesday requesting the Chicago Police Department, the officer and the bar make available all records.

You can read the rest over at the Sun Times site if you're of a mind to. We weren't.

Gimnasia 3 Estudiantes 1

CONTRATAPA Nº 24

Hacía cinco años que Gimnasia no podía ganarle a Estudiantes. Desde entonces (2005) cuando el Lobo goleó 4-1 en su cancha, el clásico platense se jugó en el Estadio Único, donde Estudiantes ganó siete juegos (incluido el histórico 7-0) y empataron dos. Entonces el pincha se regodeaba paseando la Copa Libertadores por La Plata, viajaba a Abu Dhabi y le mojaba la oreja al Barcelona para que la IFFHS lo ponga como 8º equipo del mundo, mientras Gimnasia definía angustiosamente su permanencia en Primera con Rafaela y pervive en zona de descenso.

Esta tarde el clásico volvió al Bosque (60 y 118), con 900 policías, sin hinchas de Estudiantes y el desenfreno se hizo grito y carne.

Lo ganaba el Lobo desde el minuto 44 (Stracqualursi). El mismo Stracqua erró un penal (´51) y se recompuso para marcar el segundo con una excelente mediavuelta en la medialuna del área pincha (´80). 

Pero Estudiantes, que se pasaba de lateralización, encontró el descuento a través de Verón a 5 minutos del final. Dos opciones clarísimas ahogaron los corazones triperos, maduraba el agónico y místico empate. Benítez, Nuñez, Boselli se relamían en un final cardíaco...

Hasta que un rechazo llegó a las inmediaciones del área pincha, Orión – uno de los peores pies de arquero - salió a errarle a la pelota y Cuevas la dejó suavecita adentro del arco: 3-1 y delirio.

Gimnasia volvió a adueñarse de La Plata, al menos por esta lluviosa noche.