Watchdog

I never covered the Iditarod - not enough seniority - but I was there for the starts in 1983 and '84

As you know, one of WatchDog's most sacred rules is that whenever a Newsday writer authors a column about the race, it is linked to here.

John Jeansonne features a 40-year-old woman from New Jersey who had issues in this year's race.

Bonus: It mentions the Balto statue in Central Park!

I'm done for today.

Enjoy my new Facebook page. Is there no end to the ways in which the Internet can waste my time and distract my attention? Evidently not. Be my friend!

Photo: Getty

Speaking of politics . . .

I received what appears to be a legitimate e-mail from Wayne Allyn Root, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party and a sports handicapper (with a bit of an unsavory reputation) whose ads have been running on WFAN.

I had suggested Mr. Root would be a more relevant halftime interview for "Monday Night Football" than Barack Obama or John McCain. Mr. Root's response:

"You are correct - I'd make one heck of a political interview for Berman. I guarantee you that I'm the only Vice Presidential candidate who can teach Chris about how to cut government, cut taxes, increase freedom, rescind the bailout, increase school choice... and analyze the MNF game too."

Here's what I don't get: I have written much more about Gov. Sarah Palin than about Root, but I still am waiting for my first e-mail from her.

As you know, WatchDog is strictly apolitical.

(To paraphrase Michael Jordan: Republicans produce page views, too.)

That doesn't preclude me from pointing out media-related absurdities on both sides, though, especially regarding shows hosted by 14-time Olympic gold medalists.

For example: Sarah Palin told Franklin Square's own Sean Hannity of Fox News that she found Tina Fey's impression of her on "Saturday Night Live" to be "hilarious" and "spot on."

But she evidently was only referring to Fey's appearance, because she said she watched the show with the sound turned down. Huh? Was she in a crowded airport sports bar or something?

This explanation presumably was designed to allow her to praise Fey without praising the political satire coming out of her mouth, but . . . oh, never mind.

This is why I didn't become a political reporter. Sports is silly enough. Politics is much sillier.

The WatchDog reader Hall of Fame has its first member. Congrats Bob Mantz.

Mr. Mantz accepted my recent challenge to find the 1983 Anchorage Times editorial in which the paper celebrated the fact TV types had referred to "Anchorage" rather than "Anchorage, Alaska" in reporting the Soviets shooting down a Korean airliner and killing a couple of hundred people.

It cost him $14, but here it is. And it's even more embarrassing than I remembered!

Check out the last line. Wow.

How big a deal is Sarah Palin's VP nomination in Alaska, a state whose residents understandably often feel neglected and/or misunderstood by their countrymen in the Lower 48?

Here is a hint, although granted it's a story 25 years old this week:

When the Soviets shot down a civilian Korean aircraft near Sakhalin Island on Sept. 1, 1983, network TV newscasts covering the event noted that the plane had refueled in Anchorage.

"Anchorage." Not "Anchorage, Alaska."

This prompted an editorial in The Anchorage Times celebrating the fact "Anchorage" sufficed on national TV to identify our town, a sign we had finally arrived as a major city. Sure, 269 people - including a U.S. Congressman - died and the incident led to a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and the Soviets, but at least Anchorage got plenty of pub!

If anyone finds me a copy of that editorial, he or she will be inducted into the WatchDog Hall of Fame, assuming I start one at some point.

Hey, don't laugh. Ronald Reagan started out as a sportscaster, remember?

Yes, I know I swore off blogging for the weekend (see post below), but WatchDog by-laws clearly state that promises can be broken any time a governor of Alaska is named a major party candidate for Vice President.

Unfortunately, I arrived in the Last Frontier a few months after Sarah (Heath) Palin led Wasilla to a state small schools championship, and I left before her stint as a local TV sports reporter.

I was in the 49th State when she finished second in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest, but I missed the big event.

Did I ever visit Wasilla? Sort of. It was a wide spot in the road en route to Talkeetna, Mount McKinley and Fairbanks. The official Iditarod start is there, but I only attended the ceremonial one in downtown Anchorage.

I've written before that Barack Obama would be the best basketball player ever in the White House. But he was a non-starter as a senior when his team won the Hawaii state title in 1979.

Palin was the starting point guard on her Alaska state title team in 1982.

I say forget the debates and set up a two-on-two game between the tickets. I'm guessing Obama has trouble going to his right and Palin can't go to her left.