Lightning Rod

You wonder why he can't get his arms around it -- the fame, the fortune, the free fall that inevitably accompanies both if you do not anticipate the warning signs that are always there, lurking in the shadows. Alex Rodriguez never sees it coming. He is an immensely gifted, intelligent, diligent, and (as he has pointed out himself) handsome athlete who is a lightning rod for a franchise that once was steeped in the tradition of winning, but hasn't won a championship since he came aboard.

From the mid-1930s — when her first play, "The Children's Hour," opened on Broadway — until her death 50 years later, Lillian Hellman was a famous, vital, controversial presence in American literary and political life. Her writing was popular and critically acclaimed. Her smoke-and-drink-worn face, her haughty attitude, her wit were familiar to most readers and television watchers. She was a disruptive celebrity who inspired fierce reaction, just as she intended. Besides such notable plays as "The Little Foxes" and "Toys in the Attic," Hellman wrote film scripts ("The North Star,"...

NEW YORK - Lowe's is planning to stick by its decision to yank its ads from a reality TV show about American Muslims despite the growing opposition the home improvement chain is facing over the move. Senator Ted Lieu of California put a statement out yesterday that he is considering calling for a boycott of Lowe's Cos., sparking criticism of the chain from both inside and outside of the Muslim community. On the social media website Twitter, actor Kal Penn began directing people to a petition on signon.org in support of the TLC cable network show, "All-American Muslim.

LONDON - James Murdoch stepped down as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting Tuesday, saying he could become "a lightning rod" for attacks on the satellite network, following his role in the long-running phone-hacking scandal. In a letter to the board of BSkyB, Britain's largest pay TV provider, Murdoch said: "I am aware my role as chairman could become a lightning rod for BSkyB, and I believe my resignation will help to ensure that there is no false conflation with events at a separate organization.

The view has not just changed from the Common to Central Park. Johnny Damon looks at Alex Rodriguez in an entirely different light, too. "He'll give you the shirt off his back," Damon said of the player he once wrote would remain "a disgrace" to Red Sox fans and other ballplayers after the Bronson Arroyo slap play in the 2004 AL Championship Series. "He's incredible," Damon continued, a couple of hours before he homered to lead off the Yankees' 7-5 win over the Sox, in which A-Rod's three-run home run accounted for the difference.

LONDON - James Murdoch stepped down as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting Tuesday, saying he could become "a lightning rod" for attacks on the satellite network, following his role in the long-running phone-hacking scandal. In a letter to the board of BSkyB, Britain's largest pay TV provider, Murdoch said: "I am aware my role as chairman could become a lightning rod for BSkyB, and I believe my resignation will help to ensure that there is no false conflation with events at a separate organization.

WASHINGTON - The White House acknowledged yesterday for the first time that it might not be able to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay by January as President Obama has promised. Senior administration officials said difficulties in completing the lengthy review of detainee files and resolving thorny legal and logistical questions mean Obama’s self-imposed January deadline may slip. Obama remains as committed to closing the facility as he was when, as one of his first acts in office, he pledged to shut it down, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity...

NEW YORK — The Rev. Al Sharpton is a “lightning rod’’ for moving forward President Obama’s political agenda in the inner cities, according to Obama’s former Harvard Law School professor and mentor. Charles Ogletree said at a forum in Harlem on Saturday that Sharpton is a conduit between powerful leaders and the disadvantaged. “He has access to both the streets and the suites, to make sure that the people who are voiceless, faceless, and powerless finally have some say,’’ Ogletree said.

From the mid-1930s — when her first play, "The Children's Hour," opened on Broadway — until her death 50 years later, Lillian Hellman was a famous, vital, controversial presence in American literary and political life. Her writing was popular and critically acclaimed. Her smoke-and-drink-worn face, her haughty attitude, her wit were familiar to most readers and television watchers. She was a disruptive celebrity who inspired fierce reaction, just as she intended. Besides such notable plays as "The Little Foxes" and "Toys in the Attic," Hellman wrote film scripts...

NEW YORK -- Listen to an iPod during a storm and you may get more than electrifying tunes. A Canadian jogger suffered wishbone-shaped chest and neck burns, ruptured eardrums, and a broken jaw when lightning traveled through his music player's wires. Last summer, a Colorado teen was hurt when lightning struck nearby as he was listening to his iPod while mowing the lawn. Emergency physicians report treating other patients with burns from freak accidents while using personal electronic devices such as beepers, Walkman players, and laptop computers outdoors during...

Josh Beckett is missing the point, though there is the possibility that he is simply trying to avoid it. This is not about chicken. This is not about beer. This is not even about on-field failure, because the Red Sox and their followers have endured a good deal of that before, too. What this is about, quite simply, is the seeming absence of commitment from a man whom the Red Sox once regarded as a model of dedication. Now, as spring training rapidly approaches in the aftermath of a Red Sox season that ended with a truly historic collapse, Beckett and his mates are poised to get back to...

NEW YORK - Lowe's is planning to stick by its decision to yank its ads from a reality TV show about American Muslims despite the growing opposition the home improvement chain is facing over the move. Senator Ted Lieu of California put a statement out yesterday that he is considering calling for a boycott of Lowe's Cos., sparking criticism of the chain from both inside and outside of the Muslim community. On the social media website Twitter, actor Kal Penn began directing people to a petition on signon.org in support of the TLC cable network show,...

NEW YORK — The Rev. Al Sharpton is a “lightning rod’’ for moving forward President Obama’s political agenda in the inner cities, according to Obama’s former Harvard Law School professor and mentor. Charles Ogletree said at a forum in Harlem on Saturday that Sharpton is a conduit between powerful leaders and the disadvantaged. “He has access to both the streets and the suites, to make sure that the people who are voiceless, faceless, and powerless finally have some say,’’ Ogletree said.

WASHINGTON - The White House acknowledged yesterday for the first time that it might not be able to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay by January as President Obama has promised. Senior administration officials said difficulties in completing the lengthy review of detainee files and resolving thorny legal and logistical questions mean Obama’s self-imposed January deadline may slip. Obama remains as committed to closing the facility as he was when, as one of his first acts in office, he pledged to shut it down, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of...

NEW YORK -- Listen to an iPod during a storm and you may get more than electrifying tunes. A Canadian jogger suffered wishbone-shaped chest and neck burns, ruptured eardrums, and a broken jaw when lightning traveled through his music player's wires. Last summer, a Colorado teen was hurt when lightning struck nearby as he was listening to his iPod while mowing the lawn. Emergency physicians report treating other patients with burns from freak accidents while using personal electronic devices such as beepers, Walkman players, and laptop computers outdoors during...

You wonder why he can't get his arms around it -- the fame, the fortune, the free fall that inevitably accompanies both if you do not anticipate the warning signs that are always there, lurking in the shadows. Alex Rodriguez never sees it coming. He is an immensely gifted, intelligent, diligent, and (as he has pointed out himself) handsome athlete who is a lightning rod for a franchise that once was steeped in the tradition of winning, but hasn't won a championship since he came aboard.

Josh Beckett is missing the point, though there is the possibility that he is simply trying to avoid it. This is not about chicken. This is not about beer. This is not even about on-field failure, because the Red Sox and their followers have endured a good deal of that before, too. What this is about, quite simply, is the seeming absence of commitment from a man whom the Red Sox once regarded as a model of dedication. Now, as spring training rapidly approaches in the aftermath of a Red Sox season that ended with a truly historic collapse, Beckett and his mates are poised to get back to...

ATLANTA -- It's finally over. The Bruins' 2005-06 season came to a merciful conclusion yesterday with a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers before a sellout crowd of 18,637 at Philips Arena. It was the fifth consecutive one-goal loss for Boston and the 32d of the season. So close and yet so far. The Bruins finish 29-37-16, marking their fewest victories since 1999-2000, and the fourth time in the last 11 seasons they have failed to reach 30 wins. For coach Mike Sullivan, it might have been the final time behind the Boston bench, as his future with the troubled franchise,...

NEW YORK -- You could hear the thumping of steel on steel and the ruckus of cement trucks pouring concrete into the new Yankee Stadium. When the stadium opens in 2009, they might call it the House That A-Rod Built. Alex Rodriguez is pretty much blowing up the House That Ruth Built with his potent bat. Yesterday, Rodriguez blasted a walkoff three-run homer to complete a sweep of the Cleveland Indians as the Yankees head to Fenway Park for a three-game series starting tonight. "We needed this going into Boston," said Rodriguez.

The view has not just changed from the Common to Central Park. Johnny Damon looks at Alex Rodriguez in an entirely different light, too. "He'll give you the shirt off his back," Damon said of the player he once wrote would remain "a disgrace" to Red Sox fans and other ballplayers after the Bronson Arroyo slap play in the 2004 AL Championship Series. "He's incredible," Damon continued, a couple of hours before he homered to lead off the Yankees' 7-5 win over the Sox, in which A-Rod's three-run home run accounted for the difference.