Free Republic

One thing you learn from studying baseball history is that people have always predicted the sport’s demise. Over and over, the game weathers every perceived crisis and continues to thrive. More than 70 million fans will attend major league games this season; another 40 million or so will go to minor league games. Countless more watch the sport on television and online. And yet attendance is down, and more and more balls are being kept out of play. Some longtime observers consider the shifting landscape — hitters swinging for the fences, pitchers throwing everything with maximum effort, fielders standing in...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signaled on Wednesday that he would seek a second term as governor in what would already be his fifth major campaign since seeking the office in 2003. The former Hollywood actor kicked off a series of campaign events this week ahead of a special election he has called for November on teacher pay, redistricting and the state budget. In an appearance before an invited audience in Clovis, California, he said he would announce on Friday whether he will seek a second term for governor starting in 2006. "I'm not in this for the short term," he...