Dissent in Seattle, bears in cars and a nuclear ménage-a-trois

- Turn the anger outward, not inward, Seattle Mariners. A last-place team needs to use all the rage and fight it can muster against its opponents, not internally. Someone should probably explain that to second baseman Chone Figgins and manager Don Wakamatsu, who engaged in a very public screaming match in the dugout after Wakamatsu pulled Figgins from the game in the fifth inning. The benching came after a throw from the outfield bounced past Figgins, who was standing on the second base bag. He made no discernable effort to get the throw, which bounced to first baseman Justin Smoak as baserunners reached first and third. Wakamatsu felt the lack of effort was enough to merit removal from the game, Figgins disagreed and the two yelled it out in the dugout. "I didn't think there was much effort in that backup, and I made the decision to take him out of the ballgame," Wakamatsu said. Players and coaches attempted to intervene and inadvertently expanded the argument into a mass of pushing, screaming and attempted peacemaking. Figgins eventually left the dugout and spent the rest of the game fuming in the clubhouse. Veteran infielder Russell Branyan went back to talk to Figgins, who will not be suspended for the altercation. He did leave the stadium before reporters were allowed into the clubhouse, but at least remained through the end of the game. In a game where they dropped a 2-1 decision to Boston and plummeted to a season-low 23 games under .500 with their 16th loss in 20 games, this is probably the last thing the Mariners needed. "With the way we've been playing, it'd be hard to convince any fan to come out and watch us play. Because it hasn't been pretty," Branyan said. "But on the other hand, we're working hard. Guys are trying too hard." Well, maybe not every guy, but point taken. Figgins likely blew up, at least in part, because he’s been having an incredibly disappointing season after inking a $36 million, free-agent contract prior to the year. Hitting .229 when you come to a new team with a reputation for being a guy who gets on base consistently and sets the table for the middle of the lineup has to weigh on a player. Having said that, both Wakamatsu and Figgins would probably like their little dugout dustup back. Next time, take the fight to the guys in the other jerseys and not your own, fellas……….

- Of late, bears have had a tough time getting licensed to drive cars. States have been tightening restrictions about members of the animal kingdom getting behind the wheel and as such, I can’t be too angry with the black bear who briefly borrowed a car in Douglas County, Colorado. Sheriff's deputies received a call early Friday morning about a honking car and a commotion inside. Not knowing what to expect, they responded to the call and were anticipating a bunch of stupid teenagers pulling a prank or perhaps a thief. Instead, they approached Ralph Story's 2008 Toyota Corolla and found a massive black bear inside. The car was 125 feet below its normal parking spot in the driveway of the Storys' Larkspur home, which sits on five rolling acres of Colorado real estate. It was still dark outside when deputies shone their flashlights inside the vehicle, where they spotted a full-grown black bear, also known as ursus americanus. “Our Toyota was making a heck of a racket and was rocking back and forth," Story said. The neighbor who called the police did so shortly after 3 a.m., according to spokeswoman Michelle Rademacher of the sheriff's department. So aside from a failed attempt at a joy ride, why did the bear decide to raid the car? Does he simply have an affinity for affordably priced compact cars that get excellent gas mileage? Probably not. No, the bear was likely drawn in by a peanut butter sandwich left inside the vehicle by Ralph Story’s 17-year-old son Ben. Spurred on by the prospect of a free meal, the bear managed to either open the unlocked back door or push a window down to get inside. Once inside, the creature was not happy about his new surroundings and moved around enough to knock the car's gearshift into neutral. The Corolla rolled down the hill and along the way, the door slammed shut, trapping the bear inside. Once a sergeant and two deputies arrived on the scene, they "were stymied on how to proceed," Story said. After debating the possibility of tranquilizing the bear, the decided the best move was to tie a long rope to a door handle and pull it open. Not one to take a hint, the bear simply sat there for a few minutes before finally exiting the car around 5 a.m., at least two hours after it had gotten inside. Before leaving, the bear dropped a deuce on the front seat and left behind destroyed air bags, torn-up seats and a ruined stereo. Ralph Story managed to find humor in the incident in spite of his family’s loss. "There's a bear in the car. Who are you gonna get mad at?" Well said, Ralph, well said………

- And the major nuclear ménage-a-trois that is the quest to deal with Iran’s burgeoning nuclear aspirations continues. After Iran, Brazil and Turkey agreed on a nuclear fuel swap deal proposal in May, the three nations have done precious little to advance the process. That will change when the foreign ministers of all three countries meet in Istanbul on Sunday. It will be the first meeting among the three countries since the may agreement, a deal under which Turkey would act as an intermediary for Iran to get highly enriched uranium from abroad. The meeting comes nearly two months after the U.N. Security Council imposed additional sanctions on Iran, expanding an arms embargo and tightening restrictions on financial and shipping enterprises related to "proliferation-sensitive activities." It was a decisive 12-2 vote that came after vehement speeches by the United States and other Security Council members about their concern over Iran's lack of compliance with previous U.N. resolutions on validating the peaceful nature of the its nuclear program. President/dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has insisted over and over again that Iran has no aspirations whatsoever to develop nuclear weapons and bomb Israel right off the map. In response to repeated actions in direct contradiction to Ahmadinejad’s words, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States introduced the resolution to the council and it was subsequently passed. The two dissenting votes came from Brazil and Turkey voted and Lebanon abstained. At the time of the vote, Akbar Javanfekr, spokesman for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, claimed that the passage of the resolution "automatically wiped out" the proposed deal with Brazil and Turkey. However, an unidentified Turkish government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the three ministers will meet Sunday "to establish the next steps to be taken in order to further the diplomatic track regarding Iran's nuclear issue." If the U.S. and its allies have their way, those steps will lead to Iran stopping the enrichment of uranium on its own. Color me cynical, but I just don’t see this situation coming to a positive conclusion now or ever………

- Everyone is reacting to the reception issues and other assorted troubles for the iPhone for a bit differently. For example, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is getting indignant, snapping at critics and insisting that the issues are minor and will be resolved soon. Angry iPhone users are demanding answers and some are on the verge of revolt. As for Apple’s competitors…..let’s just say they aren’t too broken up about all of this. I say this on account of Samsung seizing on the opportunity by handing out free Galaxy S smartphones to iPhone 4 owners frustrated by reception issues. Using a Twitter account called @samsungukmobile, the company is contacting people who've tweeted about their difficulties with the iPhone 4, asking them to submit their contact details to receive a free handset. As with anything in life that seems too good to be true, this one appeared to be some sort of hoax as well, but it turns out that there is no hoax and that Samsung really is undercutting Apple/AT&T by distributing free phones. Samsung is confident that the Galaxy S is a superior product and feels that iPhone users who have the chance to compare the two products side by side will agree. It’s an unusual marketing strategy for sure and definitely involves a bit of financial risk, but it could also pay off big for Samsung. The Galaxy S is powered by Android 2.1 and features a 4.0-inch AMOLED display. Getting the phone in the hands of disgruntled iPhone users who may be open to a change is smart, as the “If it’s free, it’s for me” motto applies in virtually every sector, region and corner of American society. Not that Steve Jobs and Co. need me to remind them of this, but now would be a great time for them to do something more than simply offering new cases for iPhones and promising that the reception problems are not that big of a deal…………

- Are you angry that Lupe Fiasco’s next album, the oft-delayed "Lasers," hasn’t been released yet? Me neither, but some people are upset about the album’s perpetual postponement and dammit, they aren’t going to take it any longer. While Guns ‘N’ Roses fans waited more than decade for “Chinese Democracy,” Lupe Fiasco fans don’t seem to be quite as patient and some of them have started an online petition addressed to Atlantic Records demanding the release of "Lasers." The petition sprung up after the rapper tweeted on July 13, "Lasers is out of my hands guys and gals…it's done and that's all I can tell you…when they drop it…they drop it…so drop it." That tweet has inspired a whopping…..um, well, 9,000 fans to sign the petition. Not exactly a groundswell of support, is it? But once word of the petition got back to Lupe Fiasco, he began urging more of his followers to rise up and speak out: "I wake up to mass protest!!!...Tdsahank Ya'll…By Any Means Necessary! Keep It Going #WeWantLasers." Here is the text of the petition:

To: Atlantic Records

Dear Atlantic Records, 

The fans have been below have been waiting for the release for Lupe Fiasco's album "Lasers" for over a good year now. Since when it was originally announced finished last summer, there has still yet to be a release date announced. It has even been stated by Lupe Fiasco the artist himself, that the album is in fact completed. Enough is enough, we demand that you stop playing around and give us the album that we have been highly anticipating since the release of The Cool.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Should you be someone sympathetic to this cause, feel free to track down the petition online and add your name to it. You know, if you like overrated, overproduced, bubble-gum hip-hop………