June 6--On leaders, would-be leaders, anchors and pitchers?

*Remember those 1980s G8 summits, when the world leaders (Reagan, Thatcher, Kohl, Mulroney, Mitterand, etc.) got along so well? And then there's the current G8 summit, otherwise known as German Chancellor Angela Merkel wondering, "How long before I get them out of here?" There's President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanging the latest insults....There's Bush disagreeing with everyone else's proposals on global warming....There's Iraq......Actually, Merkel, whose discomfort when Bush suddenly began giving her a neck rub is still remembered, must be wondering, "How long before I get HIM out of here?" She can get in line behind most of the American people and all the presidential candidates, including Republicans....

*Speaking of presidential candidates, one of the Democrats, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, have rallied in several cities in support of poor hotel workers. However, Edwards may have a few questions to answer about the support of a man (Glover) who has embraced Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Chavez has been showing more and more dictatorial tendencies recently, shutting down Venezuela's oldest television station, which had been critical of him. There's no such thing as six degrees of separation, much less one degree, for a presidential candidate.

*On to something completely different: Katie Couric (who I still think of as "Katherine," the name she went by when she was a correspondent at WTVJ-Channel 4 (at the time) in Miami in the 1980s). Her ratings keep shrinking, but there's a fundamental reason for that: The majority of the television news-viewing public thinks of her more as a celebrity than a journalist. Gender is somewhat relevant, but if "Access Hollywood's" Billy Bush was to start anchoring the CBS Evening News tomorrow, would he get a free ride? (I hope not, particularly since he's W's nephew, which provides various conflict-of-interest opportunities.)
If circumstances had worked out, I could have seen Diane Sawyer becoming one of the major network news anchors. She hosts a morning show, as Couric did, but unlike Couric, there's a trust factor evident when Sawyer is discussing a news story. (She's been in television journalism for more than 30 years, following her stint in the White House during the Nixon administration.)I still remember Sept. 11, 2001, and watching Sawyer and Gibson with capable, solid coverage of the horrific events of that morning - while at NBC, a then-newly blonde Couric and Matt Lauer looked very uncomfortable and like they were just back from the beach.
The fact that Couric once covered hard news doesn't matter now; it's what she's done lately. If she is to pick up viewers, CBS is going to have to give her a wide space. How does five years sound? It sounds like something CBS head Les Moonves probably won't consider. Remember, though, that Dan Rather kept CBS in first place for most of the 1980s after he replaced Walter Cronkite in the anchor chair. Peter Jennings at ABC went into first place for a few years, then Tom Brokaw at NBC.
If Couric wants to stay in that anchor chair, she should ditch the focus groups...and keep her name out of the papers, at least the gossip columns. You're a journalist, Katherine. Show the audience that, and you might have a chance.

*Finally, in the sports world, New York Yankees relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth stated in a radio interview that all the players should be with the team, apparently a criticism of Roger Clemens, the semi-invisible man. Clemens has a contract clause that allows him to leave the team when he's not pitching. The AP reports that Hall of Fame player and former manager Frank Robinson also criticized Clemens.
At this point, Clemens has retired more often than Jack Benny, only to come back (and not be as welcome). I remember his first retirement, the one we all thought was real. I was there at what I call Joe Robbie Stadium (see yesterday's post), during Game 4 of the 2003 World Series, when Clemens walked off the mound to a well-deserved standing ovation. He should have stayed gone. He has groin problems, and with each year he pitches, questions about how he's doing it get a bit louder.
As it stands, Roger, you currently have a clear path to Cooperstown. Just go.