Thoughts and Observations: Kentucky and Oregon Edition

7pm: We start on a down note as the polls close in Kentucky and Hillary Clinton, as expected, is the early winner. She has about a 5 point edge with roughly 11% of precincts reporting—but that number won’t hold. Kentucky tonight will be just as bad as West Virginia was for Barack Obama a week ago. And neither state will be in play for the Democrats come November, regardless of who the nominee may be or what you might read.

Keith Olbermann brings us up to speed on the unexpected story of the day, that senior Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He raises the point that Obama should perhaps scrap all plans to declare victory tonight and devote his entire speech to Kennedy. It isn’t a bad idea. Kennedy endorsed Barack despite polls indicating Massachusetts was not going to follow along in the run-up to Super Tuesday, and it would be a classy move to put the race on hold if even for only one night in his honor. Plus…no candidate should be declaring victory when they have just been slaughtered in Kentucky.

Meanwhile, at Fenway: Red Sox rookie pitcher Justin Masterson, making his very first Major League start tonight, looks to be no more than 13 years old at best. Few things in this world make me feel older than the Sox bringing up a rookie who looks like he is not only not old enough to buy beer but maybe not even old enough to vote. And this happens with some regularity.

7:33: I reiterate my promise to myself to not pour my first drink until at least 8pm. This may turn into a long night. Polls in Oregon won’t even close until 11 here in the East, and game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals could drag out till at least that hour as well. But—if Terry McAuliffe appears before then all bets are off.

7:45: The first trickle of rain at Fenway. The forecast has been threatening rain for days and we have yet to see it here in Boston. I hope it holds off long enough for this kid to get a decision, good or bad.

Breaking News from MSNBC: Hillary Clinton to speak to supporters at 8pm. Now we have two reasons to hope the rain holds off.

Meanwhile, in Secaucus, NJ: The Chicago Bulls have won the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery, vaulting all the way from the 9th spot to shatter the dreams of the Miami Heat and secure the first pick in next month’s NBA draft. Serves Pat Riley and the Heat right for tanking the season, just as it kindasortamaybeinaway served the Celtics right last year. Miami is certainly a city that can attract free agents. They’ll be fine.

8:19: My roommate Mandy asks why I have no drink in front of me despite the time now being well after 8. I have no excuse. Joe arrives with Baby and Odin (the dogs) and it is chaos in the living room. A strategic retreat to the bedroom may be in order.

I decide to stick it out rather than retreat, and as a result my notes for the first half are a shambles. I am amazed that the Boston Celtics felt the need to work “A Rivalry Renewed” into their pregame introductions. And for those keeping score at home, Ray Allen’s first god-awful three point attempt was what finally prompted me to pour a drink. That and the fact that ESPN play-by-play man Mike Breen still tried to refer to Allen as “the best pure shooter in the NBA.” Really? Do you watch the NBA? How do these guys get these jobs?

Halftime comes just in time to watch Papelbon close it out for Masterson over at Fenway. The kid ended up going 6 1/3 innings and giving up only three hits and no runs. Sure, it was against the Kansas City Royals, but that is not a bad way to start a career.

And then the reality slap: MSNBC is reporting that California Governor and Kennedy Cousin-In-Law Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced in remarks tonight that the tumor is inoperable. My heart breaks for the entire Kennedy clan. Nothing can prepare you for the punch in the stomach that comes when a doctor looks you in the eye and delivers that news about a loved one. Nothing.

We really are experiencing a strange pair of days in this regard here in the Commonwealth. John Lester, himself a cancer survivor, throws a no-hitter for the Red Sox on Monday. The very next day Ted Kennedy is diagnosed. Words don’t really do justice the rollercoaster of emotions that go along with that. The Red Sox and the Kennedys are two of the pillars upon which this region is built. To have cancer now so prominently involved with both is in some ways terrifying.

But perhaps, just perhaps, some good can come of it. Lester’s performance has to be an inspiration to cancer patients everywhere, and if as famous a persona as Ted Kennedy can be struck down by the disease then it can only serve to increase awareness and rally new forces to the fight. Because that is what it is, a fight, and we all need to do our part. Whether it is by making a donation, or volunteering, or just being there for a friend in need, we can all help. If we can split the atom, if we can go to the moon, if we can clone human beings, then we can cure fucking cancer.

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program.

10:13: Obama speaks to his supporters in Iowa. He talks about Teddy, and unity, and about beating John McCain—but not disrespectfully. John McCain may not deserve your vote, but he does deserve all of our respect. He spent six years in a cage. How many of us can honestly say we would be able to survive something like that? Not many.

Unity is the key to Obama’s remarks tonight and may be another silver lining to the night’s ugly news. I’m not sure anything can fully seal the chasms that have developed inside the Democratic Party this year, but a call to rally around Ted Kennedy may just do it.

Meanwhile, at the Garden: My man Leon Powe is making free throws and Eddie House is knocking down threes. The Celtics are up 69-57 at the end of three quarters. I must admit, I feel preoccupied by what is happening in Kentucky and Oregon and at the Mass General. This game suddenly seems less important.

10:45: My roommate Tony walks in with pizza. HEAVEN. I can rally.

11pm: Obama is the winner in the People’s Republic of Oregon. Meanwhile, in the Land of Make Believe, Hillary is still pushing the popular vote argument. My stomach turns. Oh, and it gets better, because while Obama has been talking about unity, Geraldine Ferraro has resumed her woe-is-me campaign and announced in an interview that Barack Obama is a sexist and she just doesn’t think she can vote for him. What makes him a sexist? It’s vague at best. The moral, as always, is that Geraldine Ferraro is a jackass. Much like the black community will be better off when leaders like Al Sharpton and Jeremiah Wright are swept away and replaced by the next generation, so too will the feminist movement benefit from new leadership. Geraldine Ferraro, Martha Burke, and Hillary Clinton have all become caricatures of victim politics—and the next generation of brilliant women are so much more than that.

11:04: Rajon Rondo nails a HUGE three-pointer and the Celtics are up 86-75 with 1:42 left to play. Three minutes later it is all over and Boston has taken game 1 89-77. I’m left wondering if this was a great game or not. I haven’t paid much attention.

11:12: Olbermann is making a complex analogy involving Jimmy Stewart, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy, Tim Russert, and Pat Buchanan. I’m several drinks in and completely lost.

11:15: The beautiful and talented Norah O’Donnell checks in with the exit poll data from Oregon and—SURPRISE—Obama has done well with white women there. Don’t believe the hype: More and more women are refusing to buy what the Hillary crowd is pushing.

Have I said too much tonight? Perhaps, but emotions here are running higher than usual, and this has been a long and ugly campaign. It might be bedtime. A few links before I go:

If you would like to donate to The Jimmy Fund, click here.

If you would like to donate to The American Cancer Society, click here.

And even if you don't want to donate, click anyway. We can all use a little more knowledge. Knowing is half the battle. G.I. Joe was a prophet.

Yo Joe!