The Fix is in for local news blog

Hawaii islander Nancy Cook Lauer’s “All Hawaii News” has been named the state’s best political blog by Washington Post political blogger Chris Cillizza.

Lauer can add that laurel to her selection last year as the Society of Professional Journalists-Hawaii’s favorite one-person news website.

Cillizza asked his readers across the nation to name their favorite home-state political blog. Hawaii was among what Cillizza in his “The Fix” blog calls a number of sites “that are not purely blogs but rather primarily do news aggregation.” Indeed, veteran journalist Lauer’s site includes a voluminous listing of Hawaii media report summaries and links, sort of a politico junkie’s one-stop shop.

Here’s a pitch for the World Series

After 162 games played by each of the teams in Major League Baseball since April, the playoffs for America’s unofficial national sport are finally about to begin.

In fact, they start today, with the Tampa Bay Rays at the Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers at the New York Yankees. See your TV guide for details.

Also in the mix are the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals, and, of course, the Philadelphia Phillies, featuring our very own ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian’ Shane Victorino, of Maui, who played so well this season for his team in centerfield and as a batter.

Not included are the colorful cast of characters with the San Francisco Giants, who won the World Series last year after a 50-year drought.

No need to fear the beard this time.