I just returned from the Valley of the Sun where me, my wife and our little guy went to see A's Spring Training.  I caught three games while I was down there, including one where I took both my father and my son.  What a great experience. 

Hope, of course, springs eternal this time of year (pun intended) as everyone is a contender, and we all daydream of our team playing deep into October.  So while I am still on my Spring Training high, I thought I would post an interview with our Newsmakers friend, Cal Ripken Jr.  The "Iron Man of Baseball" and current TBS baseball analyst was one of the first guests for the Lesher Speaker series some 6 years ago.  Sports Illustrated posted an interview with him earlier today in which he discussed the upcoming season and the importance of Spring Training.

In a few short weeks, it will be time once again to PLAY BALL!

                                            

Sports Illustrated Q&A with Cal Ripken Jr.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/baseball/mlb/03/05/cal.ripken/

Our next guest at Newsmakers, Dr. Robert Ballard, has been recognized by many for his work in the field of oceanography.  His latest honor is from the Desert Research Institute, who has awarded him their Nevada Medal.  Read about it in the link below from the Reno Gazette-Journal.

                                            

Reno Gazette Journal on Dr. Ballard being honored by DRI
http://www.rgj.com/article/20100302/NEWS/100302026/1003/CARSON/DRI-honors-oceanographer-who-found-Titanic

One of our guests for next year's Newsmakers season, Tom Brokaw, will be hosting the CNBC program, Boomer$! this Thursday.  As a follow up to his landmark, The Greatest Generation about the World War II generation, Brokaw's most recent book is devoted to the baby boomers, the most wealthy and influential generation.  The CNBC piece should be an interesting companion piece to the book.  Click below for more information about the broadcast.

                                              

CNBC on Boomer$!
http://www.cnbc.com/id/35329225

Our Newsmakers friend, General Colin Powell and his wife Alma, were featured in USA Weekend magazine for their work on the high school dropout rate.  See the link below to read their joint column on the subject.  USA Weekend is featured in each Sunday in the Contra Costa Times, one of the media partners for Newsmakers.

                                                 

Powell column on the dropout rate for USA Weekend Magazine
http://www.usaweekend.com/article/20100226/HOME02/100224004/One-in-three-kids-drops-out-of-school

There are not many people as seasoned in the world of the ocean as our season 4 Newsmakers guest, Jean-Michel Cousteau.  Click the link blow to read the recent Q&A with him from the Santa Barbara Independent Review wherein he shares his thoughts about the recent Sea World whale tragedy.

                                        

Santa Barbara Independent interview with Jean-Michel Cousteau
http://independent.com/news/2010/feb/27/cousteau-seaworld-tragedy/

Several of our Newsmakers guests have weighed in with analysis of President Obama's efforts to reform the the American health care system, both before and after the President's summit with GOP members of congress.  From Bob Schieffer's thoughts on the Obama political strategy, to Jane Bryant Quinn's pre-summit blog post on health care and the economy, to Newt Gingrich hosting his own on-line health summit, there is an interesting range of opinions out there from past Lesher Center guests.  See my summary below.

                                            
Bob Schieffer on the CBS Early Show
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/02/26/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6245897.shtml

                                        
Peggy Noonan's column in the Wall Street Journal
http://www.peggynoonan.com/article.php?article=512

                                        
Newt Gingrich's interview on FOX News
http://newt.org/tabid/102/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4813/Health-Care-Reform-Plan-B-in-the-Works.aspx

Video of Gingrich's on-line heatlhs summit
http://newt.org/tabid/102/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4810/Default.aspx

                                        
Tom Daschle's interview on health care with thesuburbanite.com before his speech this week in Ohio
http://www.thesuburbanite.com/features/x640764140/Senator-Tom-Daschle-speaks-on-health-care-crisis

                                        
Tucker Carlson on FOX News panel re: the reconciliation process
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587522,00.html

                                                                    

Jane Bryant Quinn's blog post on the economics of health reform
http://janebryantquinn.com/2010/02/no-health-reform-you-lose/

There has been much opining about where the 9/11 trial should be held.  And let's face it, much of the opining has been on the side of those who feel strongly the trial should not take place in New York.  Well, for a contrarian view on the subject, let's look to CNN terrorism expert, Peter Bergen, who visited us at Newsmakers last year.  See Bergen's column on the subject below.

                                            

Peter Bergen's column about terror trials and New York
http://www.peterbergen.com/articles/details.aspx?id=417

An interesting piece in New York Magazine analyzes the current political environment and rhetoric around the need for job growth,
It has an interesting reference to our Newsmakers friend, Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.  Mulroney is quoted in the piece, drawing an interesting parallel between today's political struggle over how to create jobs in America (and the pressure for a leader to be seen as doing exactly that), and his situation North of the boarder in the mid-80's  Click below to read the article.

                                                

New York Magazine on the political mantra of "jobs, jobs, jobs"
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/02/jobs_jobs_jobs_the_allure_and.html

Our inaugural Newsmakers guest Jay Leno has unveiled some of his guests for his upcoming return to The Tonight Show.  As I have written before, it is hard to believe that Leno would prove to be among our most controversial guests in the wake of his visit to the Lesher Speaker Series.  I would have to put him slightly ahead of Tom Daschle, who had to withdraw his name from a Presidential appointment due to a tax scandal, and Brian Mulroney, who has been embroiled in a scandal of his own involving a German arms dealer. 

See the link from Reuters below to read about Leno's upcoming lineup.    

                                        

Reuters on Jay Leno's upcoming guest lineup and his return to The Tonight Show
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M0H920100223?type=entertainmentNews

Our Newsmakers friend, Senator Bob Dole, is back in the hospital.  This time he is in for pneumonia and some physical therapy.  The Washington Post has a piece on it (link below), and it sounds as if he is doing okay. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with Senator Dole, one of our most inspiring and memorable guests.  They just don't make many Bob Doles, so here's hoping the group at Walter Reed can fix the one we've got! 

Get well soon, Senator.

                                                     

Washington Post on Bob Dole being in the hospital.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022203864.html