We've been talking about rivalries in this space of late (and hats off to players and fans alike for keeping things sane over the last couple of weeks), but sometimes you wonder if some people take them too seriously.

Take as Exhibit A the recent silliness in San Francisco over today's Italian Heritage Parade -- or, for older folks like me, Columbus Day.

It seems that San Francisco Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier was so upset over former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasordsa being named the parade's grand marshal, she threatened to introduce a measure declaring Lasorda "enemy No. 1."

Oh, puhleezeeee ... we are at war, after all, and I don't mean with Southern California.

What on earth did Lasorda do to merit such a title? Send up the right pinch-hitter at the right time? Not to be confused with dropping things that go boom on buildings, naturally.

And here's something you probably thought you'd never hear from a Giants fan: I like Tommy Lasorda.

For starters, he did direct our country to the gold medal during the Sydney Olympics. And for all the extracurricular activities that surround the games, he's always been a good sport when discussing all things Giants-Dodgers.

Yes, you should take this "Great Dodger in the Sky" act with a grain of salt, even if you are a Dodgers fan (since that deity wasn't much help in the first two games vs. the Phillies). But what's his real message?

Baseball.

Not economic gloom and doom. Not fear of waking up one morning and losing one's home or hard-earned retirement money. Just nine guys in funny suits with a round bat and a round ball and the difficult task of trying to hit it square.

And Michela ... can we safely assume all of San Francisco's real problems have been solved, giving you time to work on this?

When these things come to the forefront, it confirms to me why we're in such as mess -- the politicians spend too much time on trivial matters as who's leading the parade, that when confronted with a real problem, you get something like with mortgage bailout bill, that sends markets into freefall instead of stabilizing them.

As for Lasorda, while miffed over the whole thing, and rightfully so, he had another reason for declining the honor: No one could guarantee he'd be back in L.A. in time for tonight's Game 3 vs. the Phillies.

And now, a few more thoughts that might be worth that second cup of coffee before heading off to a busy day of clicking between baseball and football.

• As much attention as Hanford High's offense is getting, the bigger revelation may be in the defense, with a second straight lockdown of an opponent in as many West Yosemite League games. Not to look too far ahead, but the Nov. 7 game at El Diamante gets more interesting each week.

• The Boston Red Sox have been praised throughout the years for their uniforms: Simple, neat, clean. The Tampa Bay Rays deserve the same praise for their unis as well, with just the word "Rays" across the chest. One question lingers, though ... what happens when Ray comes back and wants his laundry back?

•l If you have DirecTV, tell that DVR to start recording "Friday Night Lights" on Wednesdays. If you just have cable or over-the-air TV, it's worth the wait for early next year, when NBC resumes showings. Maybe because it's not on a network now, it seems a little edgier and less-restricted. And, maybe because I'm under those Friday night lights again for the first time in a while, it seems more real. And you don't have to know a thing about football to understand the show.

Richard de Give is The Sentinel's sports editor. Reach him at 583-2430 or at sports@hanfordsentinel.com. Richard's Fearful Football Forecast runs weekly at www.hanfordsentinel.com/blogs.

(Oct. 12, 2008)