When I woke up this morning and went to work, I read about two dozen posts on the "Willie Watch". I was tempted to write my own post on the matter, but thought otherwise. Throughout the day I wondered if Willie would still be the manager when I got home. And, as you all know by now, he still is the manager, and according to Steve Popper from Newsday, he will continue to be the manager for the foreseeable future.

You know what? I’m glad…

As I’ve said all season long I like Willie. Sure, I criticize his moves on many occasions, but that’s just baseball. It’s always been that way. Just ask your fathers and grandfathers if they second-guessed managerial moves back in their day, and you’ll see that I’m right. Anyhow, I digress.

The Internet has become such a mountain of misinformation. Unsubstantiated reports can easily spread like wildfire and before you know it, the truth is being buried with rumors, supposition and innuendo. It’s a sad reality, but the trick is to know and understand when news is news, and when it’s not.

We have some sites that love to inundate you with the same unsubstantiated rumors and reports again and again without accepting any responsibility for its veracity. It’s a shame, especially when hundreds of other bloggers rely on that information for their own posts and opinions causing a tidal wave of misinformation. It’s also why the mainstream media does not recognize news that come from blogs, except for Fox News of course. (slap intended)

I tell my writers quite often, if you want to be critical be critical, but don’t report any inaccuracies and never cite another blog as the source of news. We will continue to honor that tradition on this site.

On another note, I wish to express my heartfelt sympathy on the passing away of Tim Russert. I was and will continue to be an avid watcher of Meet The Press. Tim was always a straightforward reporter who didn’t think he had to sensationalize everything for attention. He had a human quality about him that you seldom see in other reporters.

I always found Tim to be down to earth, truthful, humorous, serious, and an overall great guy. He loved baseball and football, and frequently would end his shows with a show of support for the Bills or the Nats. Or his dad.

I’m gonna miss him. This afternoon, when I got the cell phone call, I was asked if I had heard the news and I said no. The next words were "Joe, somebody I know you really liked just passed away." When she told me who, I couldn’t talk anymore, so I said goodbye, turned off my cell and said a little prayer for him. I never thought I’d mention Tim’s name in my blog… I wish I had done so while he was still alive…