26 FEB 08: YOU DO THE HOKEY-POKEY

It's been a long time since I've personally done it. But Monday brought news that a local political candidate has done that dance. In this case: he put his campaign hat in, he put his campaign hat out - and at the moment it's out, and he's shaking it all about.

Jeremy Hobbs issued an e-mail letter, taking back his announcement that he'll challenge Red McDaniel for Columbus Council this year -- an announcement made in another e-mail only six weeks ago [15 Jan]. Wow, his campaign didn't even last as long as Sam Brownback's.

You'll recall this story started in January 2007, when Jeremy Hobbs e-mailed Red McDaniel to say he would NOT challenge the Councilor in this election year. Hobbs took that back last month - and now he's changed his mind again. If Hobbs isn't careful, he's going to become qualified to manage a Waffle House.

So what led Jeremy Hobbs to withdraw his "letter of intent" to run? An e-mail addressed to Red McDaniel says he has "a debilitating disease that will eventually kill me within the next ten to fifteen years." Our sympathies go out to him - but hold on here. Aren't Columbus Council terms only four years long?

(This news is especially stunning, since Hobbs is secretary of the Muscogee County Young Republicans. It makes you wonder what the party's health care plan is - and whether it's underwritten by a major grant by Blue Cross Blue Shield.)

Jeremy Hobbs's message does NOT say exactly what the disease is, but he drops enough hints to suggest he has the AIDS virus. He calls for the creation of a local HIV/AIDS awareness committee, and admits his own "white blood count is.... critically low." Some scoffing Democrats would say whiteness is essential for any Republican to be successful in politics.

Jeremy Hobbs says his doctor told him last Friday it would NOT be physically wise to run for political office right now. That's because Hobbs plans to take an experimental drug of some sort, and the doctor is concerned about "the stress level from an election." It's not like Hobbs would have to travel to a new state every week to campaign....

Yet Jeremy Hobbs's e-mail to Red McDaniel does NOT completely rule out a campaign this year. "It is possible I will seek Schley's seat," he writes - as in Muscogee County School Board member Philip Schley. So Hobbs's 2008 election status could be out-and-in, out-and-in. Call him the "rocking chair" candidate.

The e-mail from Jeremy Hobbs also is an appeal for Red McDaniel to give him a job to do in the community -- but not a paid job with the city. "I am looking for a commission to a committee," he writes. In politics, that normally means a payment in the other direction....

While Jeremy Hobbs concedes a Columbus Council seat to Red McDaniel, his e-mail still contains some complaints. Among other things, Hobbs lists several roads in need of immediate widening - including Weems, Whittlesey and Whitesville Roads. Why more computer repair shops haven't located in this W-W-W zone, I have no idea.

E-MAIL UPDATE: The Blog of Columbus is your Little League spring training headquarters -- and without our even trying. We received a different side of the Pioneer story Monday....

Mr. Burkard,

I've been reading your blog off and on since first hearing about that "issues" at Pioneer Little League were being reported to you. Until recently, I was on the Board of Directors at Pioneer Little League and served for about 4 years.

Decisions made by the board are done so with the best intentions. No one gets paid to be a member of the board, we hear complaints in public, but never does anyone give praise to the board in public. This is a group of people who give of their time to run a league for the kids to participate in. I've read comments about uniforms. A decision was made to limit the amount being spent on uniforms as in the past some coaches have not thought twice about have a uniform that cost the parents over $100.00 per player and then another coach kept the cost at half that. The Board made a decision last year to limit the cost of the uniforms to a maximum of $65.00 per player. When a family has multiple children playing, the uniform costs can get very expensive. And to accomplish this, the Board made a decision to direct the uniforms to purchase uniforms from certain businesses. Now I know for a fact other leagues have taken similar action and directed that all uniforms be purchased from a particular business (Peach and Northern as two examples in the past). Again, this was done with the best intentions.

For these parents who want to complain, ask about a board meeting and come up to voice complaints. I have heard so many times over the years that a parent had a problem with a coach yet even when the parent was approached and told that a board member had heard of their complaint, we would never receive the complaint in writing, even after asking the parent to do so. We cannot go on verbal complaints. We ask for complaints to be in writing.

In the end, it seems ridiculous for a parent to complain here to you rather than to discuss with the league. And people may point fingers at Pioneer, but every league has it's problems and the people responsible for the leagues are doing their best.

And when you ask why I'm no longer with Pioneer, it's because I live in Phenix City and have my step-daughter playing in the local league there as we are districted for it.

Thank you for listening, and please remind your readers, this is a kids game. Let the kids play and be there to participate in the fund raising activities as they help everyone involved.

Thanks.

Greg Olvera

We appreciate this alternate viewpoint - and I agree, it does "seem ridiculous" for parents to complain to a blogger first. But that's what happens when Mike Vee and Rachel Baribeau spend all their time on WEAM-AM talking about silly things like college football.

It indeed is a rare occasion when a sports board receives praise. You may have noticed no one has thanked the Muscogee County School Board, for hiring Dell McGee as Carver High School's football coach.

It appears several Little League programs have single suppliers, to offer "group discounts" to players and teams. But I can see why some people might consider that exclusivist. When those people are through complaining about baseball uniforms, let's see those picket signs outside Sam's Club.

Lest you think Pioneer is the only Little League program that's less than perfect -- what's this I'm hearing about a different program, where young players already have made nasty threats against each other? Could there really be that many New York Knick fans in Columbus?

We're still holding one other Little League message, until we can do some fact-checking. So let's move on to some other Monday news headlines....

+ Midland's Seth Harp told WRBL the Georgia Senate will vote today on his proposal to allow Sunday liquor sales in stores. He complained under the current state law, "you can get drunk as a skunk" at a restaurant on Sundays. But he forgets something -- people wearing nice suits after church don't want to spill beer on them.

(The manager of the Villa Nova package store on Second Avenue said he actually prefers to be closed on Sundays. Can you really blame him? He can take home expired liquor on Saturday nights, and invite his friends over to watch games on TV.)

+ Chambers County authorities reported about $4,000 in items were stolen from the Kia training center. These new employees simply don't understand! Johnny Cash sang about building a car "one piece at a time" - not six or seven.

+ WLTZ News reported the U.S. has "had four recessions," and the last economic recession occurred in 1991. That's not what I found online -- which makes me wonder if their reporter consulted the most hardline Republican in the area.

+ An evening jog past the RiverCenter led to the discovery that the touring production "The Greatest Love Story Ever Told" has been canceled. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but Eve Tidwell has that new weekly TV show....

+ Pro basketball's champion San Antonio Spurs assailed the Atlanta Hawks 89-74 -- and won despite scoring only five points in the first quarter. This is why I'll have trouble considering the Hawks a playoff contender until Dominique Wilkins's children are old enough to join the team.

+ Instant Message to the staff of Providence Canyon State Park: Wow -- your attendance jumped more than 50 percent last year! How did you do it? Were people comparing whether the canyon was as empty as West Point Lake?

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