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Ok, so we're not perfect all the time. Here’s our Mea Culpa on some of our opinions that didn’t work out, or on positions that we’ve taken that may have come a-cropper. Confession is good for the soul…sometimes.

1.       Picking Rick Dempsey over Buck Showalter to manage the Birds. Not that this excuses Andy McPhail for his general incompetence since taking the reins, but watching the team play since Buck Showalter was installed has become fun again. Who knows if this will carry over into next year, but you can see that he has this team playing well.

2.       Mocking Sarah Palin for everything she does. She’s dumb like a fox. She’s laughing at us all the way to the bank and has the ability to get her message out to her minions, even intruding into the Maryland Governor’s race by endorsing Bob Ehrlich’s opponent in the primary—an unknown named Brian Murphy who has absolutely no shot. She’s the pied piper, and will be a factor in the political landscape for a very long time.

3.       Heaping too much praise on the President. He’s enigmatic, and hasn’t pushed any of my buttons lately. I thought he had “c” word (charisma) when he ran, but instead he’s been too low-key and aloof, and he should be pushing his agenda harder by using the bully pulpit. He’s betwixt and between in helping out some of the Democrats who are in tight races this fall because he can’t show his face in some areas since he’s not the savior that can pull the country out of the doldrums we had hoped for. He was way too laid-back on the BP fiasco. He better get it together soon, or he may be more vulnerable than previously thought.

Amid the summer’s news stories, some innocuous—Mel Gibson’s tape-recorded tirades, Lindsay Lohan’s travails and Jersey Shore’s second season—and some not, such as the leak of The Afghanistan Papers and  the oil spill in the Gulf—the proposal to build a Muslim mosque near Ground Zero in New York City bubbled up to the surface last week. I don’t believe I am alone in stating that my feelings about the Cordoba Center in Park51, the proposed name of the center, are at best ambivalent.

The man behind the construction project is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. He has been in TriBeCa since 1983 and has condemned the 9/11 attacks. His goal with the proposed mosque is to “bridge and heal a divide” between Muslims and other religious groups. This project is not a pipedream, since the Imam has raised $100 million and the plan includes a prayer space, a performing arts center, a swimming pool and a restaurant. Last Tuesday, the New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously (9-0) approved the project, which is to be located two blocks north of Ground Zero.

Flake:An odd person, unconventional.

 Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of watching some classic athletic eccentrics perform in their chosen field. Such noteworthy flakes as former Baltimore Colt running back Joe Don Looney, who said he talked to buildings because they didn’t talk back, Detroit pitcher Mark Fidyrich who talked to the baseball in his glove, and, more recently, Laker forward Ron Artest who would call his shrink at halftime of games in order to focus better on the court.

   But all these celebrated flakes pale in comparison to former Brooklyn Dodger and Baltimore Oriole righthander  Billy Loes, who, for his utter daffiness, should have been a lefty, and, in any case, belonged in a higher league.

   How else to explain that Loes, 80, was dead for over two weeks before newspapers discovered it?  This did not seem that odd to Bob Villante, who is currently serving as the Dodgers’ alumni director.  A year ago, Villante tried to call Loes at the Tucson, Ariz., hospice where he was recovering from heart surgery and a diabetes disorder. The hospital told Villante that Loes had left the premises.  When they finally hooked up, Loes said, “That’s a lie.  I escaped.’’

I don’t know about all of you, but lately, I’ve been wired more than I’ve been in a long time and I’m ready to blow. As one of my idols, Howard Beale, who was deftly portrayed by the late Peter Finch in the cult classic Network, said “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.”  I have been ranting to you on this page for the last few weeks with my assholes of the summer shtick, but even that hasn’t assuaged my anger and frustration. Here are a few more examples of why there’s a burr up my ass.

The latest crime caper in Baltimore, where a young man was stabbed to death by some career criminals who should have been jailed long before this tragic event occurred, has now evolved into a political subplot and scenario that makes you want to puke. Two total incompetents, Martin O’Malley and Patricia Jessamy, formerly estranged as Mayor and State’s Attorney of Baltimore, are now kissing each other’s asses and joining forces to survive their upcoming electoral challenges. O’Malley badly needs the black support in the city to hold off Bob Ehrlich, and Jessamy needs O’Malley to help her in her primary challenge against contender Greg Bernstein.

Formerly, these two never jived and sparred quite openly about how to resolve public safety issues.  Jessamy has never distinguished herself on the job, and wins because of her political skills, and not with her ability to make the streets safe. My take on O’Malley has been reinforced and corroborated by this latest maneuver. He’s total bullshit.

   CERTIFIABLE:Synon:Stark Crazy

   That was the only word we could think of to adequately describe any suitable candidate interested in replacing interim boss Juan Samuel before the hapless Orioles conclude what promises to be their worst season ever.

   This particularly applies to apparent front-runner Buck Showalter after Bobby Valentine wisely eliminated himself from contention. Why would Showalter, who boasts an admirable 882-833 record as past manager of the Yankees, Rangers and Diamondbacks accept the job before spring training next year?

   All of the other likely job applicants have losing big-league records save for former Birds’ skipper and second baseman Davey Johnson, who managed the team for seven years and led them to their last playoff appearances in 1996 and 1997. But Johnson, who boasted a big ego, ultimately learned that matching egos with self-possessed Orioles’ owner Peter Angelos, the boss would always win.

   There are also two major reasons why Showalter should come to his senses before moving to Baltimore, even if promised a four-year deal and more say over personnel decisions. There are currently much more attractive job openings in Chicago and Toronto .Lou Piniella’s premature retirement announcement has high-profile ex-managers like Larry Bowa and Valentine eying a fresh start with the Cubs, whose nucleus is certainly superior to the Orioles. If Cubs’ fans had their druthers, they’d opt for their former Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, despite his limited minor-league managerial experience.