I’ve setup a page with information regarding the 2008 presidential debates between John McCain and Barack Obama. If you’re interested in finding more information about the debates, check it out:

Presidential-Debates-2008.com

The page is still in active development. Here is the current to-do list:

• Fix navigation in IE6. Test(/fix) in IE7.
• Restyle top table on opening page for easier reading.
• Incorporate topics from AmericasDebate.com’s Election 2008 forum.
• Add more comparison links.
• Add to FAQ as necessary.
• Further cross-promote America’s Debate, America’s Debate Radio, and the America’s Debate Chat Room.

You can also access the page by going to Obama-McCain-Debate.com and… uhh… since the Democrats had a hard time picking their candidate, Clinton-McCain-Debate.com. They’ll be forwarded over shortly.

I would really appreciate it if you could link to the site. Here’s some code you can use, or feel free to make your own:

<a href=”http://www.presidential-debates-2008.com” name=”Obama vs. McCain: 2008 Presidential Debate Information” title=”Obama vs. McCain: 2008 Presidential Debate Information”>Obama vs. McCain: 2008 Presidential Debate Information</a>

The link will appear like this:

Obama vs. McCain: 2008 Presidential Debate Information

And if you just want to link to the site without all the extra text, you can use:

<a href=”http://www.presidential-debates-2008.com” name=”Obama vs. McCain: 2008 Presidential Debate Information” title=”Obama vs. McCain: 2008 Presidential Debate Information”>Presidential-Debates-2008.com</a>

…and it will appear like this:

Presidential-Debates-2008.com

Major League Baseball had this promotion wherein if you voted in the All-star game final vote, you would receive MLB.TV for free for seven days. MLB.TV allows you to watch pretty much every game, with the exception of games blocked by blackout restrictions.

So I voted the maximum number of times, even though their system didn’t tell me when I hit the limit. I counted, though– I voted 50+ times, and 25 was the max. I voted for Jermain Dye, who deserved to win but was bested by some freaking rookie.

Anyway, I received my email for the week-long MLB.TV promotion, and it had a link to click to activate the promotion. I clicked the link, and the page read: The redemption code you provided has already been used. Please verify and try again.

Odd. That was the first time I clicked the link. I tried playing the game, and it wouldn’t work. It was asking me to start a paid subscription.

So, then I thought that maybe the problem was that the email address I used was a disposable-type address (allstarvoting@mydomain.com), but my account was my generic info@mydomain.com. I created a new account for the allstarvoting address, clicked the link again, and tried to play the White Sox game. Nope, no go.

I tracked down the support phone number, buried in the website, and gave them a call. I held for 30 minutes before my call was answered. I knew they were getting slammed over this promotion.

Now, here’s the part that inspired the title. We all have heard the cliché. It’s as American as baseball and apple pie. Well, apparently the MLB needs a reminder of that phrase.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed to find out that MLB has outsourced their customer service, but I would also be lying if I said I was surprised. It’s got to be hard to make ends meet for the MLB. They only make what… $25 minimum for a nosebleed seat at a taxpayer-subsidised stadium? They only charge what… $5 for a bottle of water, $6 for nachos, and $7 for a beer. I can see how they can’t afford to pay minimum-wage Americans to answer their phones, particularly when you consider the notoriously low salaries of the massively underpaid players.

Sarcasm, obviously. My meter is off the charts.

I mean, come on– the people whose organization consists of the American League and the National League certainly can’t be expected to employ Americans in the nation of America.

I ended up getting nowhere in my call, being told that I would have to check every 30 minutes to see if the video started working, or as an alternative I could check back in 24 hours. Good solution.

As the call wrapped up, I asked the guy to whom I was speaking where he was located. He hesitated, and reluctantly stated “the Philippines.”

Yeah. The MLB: As American as baseball and balut pie.

What a shame, what a shame. I’ll never, ever pay for MLB.TV so long as their call center is outside America. Hell, Canada would even be acceptable to me. But the Philippines?

I. Don’t. Think. So.