Wiretaps, the Ramblers, and the Midshipmen...

Is it just me, or does the mainstream media simply get more naive as new waves of reporters and writers get cycled through? To feint indignation that wiretapping, legal or illegal, goes on within the government is akin to being surprised that Heather Locklear's hair really isn't blonde. Bush, Clinton, Carter, heck, every president almost back to the week after Alexander Graham Bell invented the phone could probably be fingered. A lot of others besides Presidents have been involved, too. It's a necessary tool for the government, especially when the topic is terrorism.

It gets a bit murkier when white-collar crime becomes the target. This has always been commonplace, in those cases it's up to lawyers to find what's legal and what's not. Even back "in the day" in Las Vegas, the government tried all sorts of things to nail gamblers (and other more-nefarious types), and defense lawyers spent a lot of their time trying to isolate the illegal wiretaps. Sometimes they were even successful. The new-wave reporters might also be surprised that illegal wiretaps have long been notorious in cases not related to terrorism. Just ask any old gamblers from the heyday in Vegas (if they're still around).

More like it for the Ramblers tonight at UC Irvine in the family "Holy War II" this season. Though neither Kelly nor Natalie bothered to show up (they don't care much for hoops), my wife and I did. And after laying that egg in San Diego on Tuesday, Loyola came out focused tonight at the Bren Center, and more importantly, the real Blake Schilb showed up. This guy is one of my all-time favorite players already, he is decidedly unselfish (a good trait, since he's a point guard), but at 6-7 he creates matchup nightmares galore, and the Anteaters threw every trick defense in the book at him tonight. Still, Schilb scored 26, including the key last 6 points of the game after the Ramblers almost blew a 15-point lead against UCI's torrid 3-point shooting in the late going. Down 2 within the last 2 minutes, Schilb came up with a key steal and breakaway dunk that leveled matters. He then tied the game at 72 again in the last minute, and after the Ramblers forced a turnover, Schilb hit the last shot, cooling nailing a 20-footer for the winning points with about 4 seconds to play, and Loyola prevailed, 74-72. What a game!

Schilb is really a unique weapon, and spearheads a very solid Loyola backcourt. They won't see a lot of height in the Horizon League this season, so I firmly believe Loyola contends for the Horizon crown with UW-Milwaukee, Butler, and Illinois-Chicago, with a good shot at the NIT if they can't advance to the Big Dance. Moreover, the team is very fun to watch. I'm not scheduled to see them again until late January, when, tentatively, I will be back for the ice bowl vs. UW Green Bay at the Gentile Center before heading to Atlanta for the Battle of the Bands (a ninja trip deluxe), but I can't wait. Another possible later trip is to Butler and a visit to the famous Hinkle Fieldhouse, where the final game of Hoosiers was filmed. As you can probably tell, I'm having the time of my life watching these games! College hoops is the best.

Able to catch much of the later-starting Navy bowl game tonight vs. CSU after Loyola-UCI concluded, and what a joy it is to watch the Midshipmen execute their spread option with aplomb. Paul Johnson might be the most underrated coach in America, as the Rams were literally helpless against Navy's attack tonight. Wish I could watch Navy every week...