David “MVP” Ortiz, who I elevated to deity status after he almost single-handedly put the Red Sox in the World Series last October, struck again earlier tonight, lifting Boston to a crucial comeback win over Toronto that keeps them within one game of New York in the AL East standings and makes it possible for them to potentially win the division without sweeping the Yankees this weekend. If they take 2 out of 3 at Fenway, they’ll tie New York for the division crown and force a one-game playoff in New York on Monday. (If that happens and the Indians take two of three from the White Sox, the loser of the Sox-Yanks playoff would then play the Indians in a second one-game playoff on Tuesday to determine who gets the wild card!)

That said, a sweep would obviously be better, as it would put everything to rest and allow Boston to win the division outright.

From the AP:

After nearly three months in jail, New York Times reporter Judith Miller was released Thursday after agreeing to testify in the investigation into the disclosure of the identity of a covert CIA officer, people familiar with the case said.

Miller left the federal detention center in Alexandria, Va., at 4 p.m. after reaching an agreement with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. Legal sources said she would appear before the grand jury investigating the case Friday morning. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings.

The sources said Miller agreed to testify after securing an unconditional release from Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, to testify about any discussions they had involving CIA officer Valerie Plame.

Bush May Wait to Nominate Next Justice

The White Sox clinched the AL Central today, so it’s down to three teams competing for two spots (the AL East crown and the wild card).

I’m not sure who to root for now in the White Sox-Indians series. On the one hand, the Indians might need to lose in order for the Red Sox to get the wild card if it goes ill against the Yanks. On the other hand, I want to believe the Red Sox will beat the Yankees head-to-head and earn the division title… in which case I want the Indians to beat out the Yanks for the wild card, so that there will be no Yankees in the playoffs. :)

First, though, it’s Boston vs. Toronto, New York vs. Baltimore and Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay, all tonight.

UPDATE, 8:10 PM: Not looking good. Red Sox trail 4-1 and Yankees lead 6-0, both in the sixth inning. If those scores hold, Boston will need to sweep the Yankees in order to win the AL East. To make matters worse, the Indians are leading 6-0 in the eighth… and ready to start a series against a White Sox team that now has no motivation to play its best players or really try very hard at all.

I got an offer! Woohoo!

That’s all you’re getting for now. :) When I decide whether to accept it (I’m waiting to hear back from other firms as well), I’ll post more. But I’m happy. I really liked the firm that made me an offer, so no matter what happens from this point forward, it’s all good.

Those interested in more details, you know where to find me.

Here in South Bend, for the second straight weekend, Saturday’s USC game won’t be on TV. We’ll get the Minnesota-Penn State game instead. Coverage map here (PDF).

Harumph.

After being sworn in today, Chief Justice Roberts had this to say:

Thank you, Mr. President, for nominating me. There is no way to repay the confidence you have shown in me other than to do the best job I possibly can do. And I will try to do that every day.

And thank you for the remarkable team that you assembled to assist me throughout this process. I benefited greatly from the wisdom, judgment and plain hard work of Ed Gillespie, Senator Thompson, Harriet Miers, Bill Kelley and everyone on the team. I am very grateful to each and every one of them.

Roberts then proceeded to sing the Notre Dame Victory March at the top of his lungs, before leading the assembled dignitaries in a call-and-answer chant of “GOOOO IRISH! BEEEEAT BOILERS!”

Okay, I made that last part up… :)

UPDATE: Here’s a photo:

In other news, I don’t mean to get carried away with this whole Gay Day thing, but man, Chief Justice Roberts has nice legs!

:)

Oh, and somebody really should have told Mrs. Roberts not to wear a dress that’s the exact same color as the rug:

The Chief Justice is married to a floating head!! ;)

P.S. Memo to the L.A. Times: it’s Chief Justice of the United States, not of the Supreme Court.

P.P.S. Uh-oh, looks like obstructionism’s ugly head is having a bad day:

Tough luck, Chuck.

The USC-Fresno State game in November, which I’ll be attending with Becky, Andrew, Bea, and Adrienne, is sold out. Nice.

There’s a pretty bad wildfire in L.A., apparently. More here.

On my flight home yesterday, I saw a bitchin’ fire off to the north (I think) of Phoenix:

More pics of the miles-long plume of smoke here and here. Full photo gallery from my trip to Phoenix here.

Well, for Bush’s SCOTUS picks, it’s now officially one down, one to go. Will the next pick be Professor Kelley’s boss? The New York Times reports:

President Bush is close to naming a successor to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and could announce his choice this week, Republicans close to the White House said Wednesday.

One name that was the source of enormous speculation in Washington legal and political circles was Harriet E. Miers, the White House counsel, who is a leader in the search for Justice O’Connor’s successor. [Ah yes, the Cheney Effect. -ed.] …

Republicans cautioned that Ms. Miers was just one in a swirling mix of perhaps 12 possibilities and that she could be the subject of the same kind of assumptions that led much of Washington to conclude in July that Judge Edith Brown Clement of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit was Mr. Bush’s choice for the court only hours before he named Judge Roberts.

Read the whole thing.

John Roberts has been confirmed, 78-22, as the new Chief Justice of the United States.

Here’s the roll call. Senator Lieberman, unsurprisingly, voted yes. Senator Dodd, much more surprisingly, also voted yes. Hooray for the reasonableness of Connecticut Democrats!

From Indiana, Senator Bayh voted no. Boooo. (Lugar voted yes, obviously.)

In addition to Bayh, the other 21 Democrats voting “no” were: Akaka (HI), Biden (DE), Boxer (CA), Cantwell (WA), Clinton (NY), Corzine (NJ), Dayton (MN), Durbin (IL), Feinstein (CA), Harkin (IA), Inouye (HI), Kennedy (MA), Kerry (MA), Lautenberg (NJ), Mikulski (MD), Obama (IL), Reed (RI), Reid (NV), Sarbanes (MD), Schumer (NY), Stabenow (MI).

With both of the Democratic senators from New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts voting no, and Rhode Island’s one Democrat also voting no (the Rhode Island Republican voted yes, of course), Connecticut is an island of reasonableness surrounded by knee-jerk opposition!

In other news, Obama’s vote is disappointing.

Senator Schumer said: “While this nomination did not warrant an attempt to block this nominee on the floor of the Senate, the next one might.” Bold words from one who voted “no” on this nominee! Hint: you’d have a thousand times more credibility if you’d voted “yes,” senator. (My thoughts on this point are here.)

Regarding the “next one,” Schumer added: “I hope and pray the president chooses to unite, rather than divide — that he chooses consensus over confrontation.” Hope and pray, eh, Chuck? And here I thought the Dems believed in separation of church and state… heh. :)

Today is Gay Day at Notre Dame, when supporters of gay rights are encouraged to wear orange t-shirts declaring “Gay? Fine by me,” much to the consternation of some. I forgot to wear mine… d’oh! Anyway, apparently one of the shirts was stolen, though the e-mail we received from the administration was rather vague about the details:

A student has reported a t-shirt delivered to mailbox number 113 lost or stolen. If you have seen an orange t-shirt, size small, in or around the student mailbox area, please turn it in to me. Thanks.

Hmm… “an orange t-shirt,” eh? Way to be straightforward. Anyway, I’m sure we can all agree, regardless of our political views, that stealing people’s property isn’t cool.

From The Onion:

Saying “F**k this sh*t, I’m stopping beating hearts with my bare hands,” Justice Antonin Scalia, overlooked for the vacated position of Supreme Court chief justice, went on a spiteful abortion-performing bender over the weekend. “If I’m not going to be permitted a lasting judicial legacy, to hell with law and order,” said Scalia, the conservative Reagan appointee who has served on the court since 1986. “I worked my ass off for 20 years, and no one cares. So, who gives a sh*t? Safe, legal abortions for all. Who wants one?” Scalia added that 2000 presidential candidate Al Gore “totally won that election, any idiot knows that.”

Heh. (Hat tip: my dad.)

P.S. Also from The Onion: Heh.

…hmm. (Hat tip: Dane.)

The Senate will confirm John Roberts today.

And then, rumor has it Bush will announce his pick to replace Sandra Day O’Connor tomorrow.