Yield of Dreams

By Bill Maher

In 2010, Japanese baseball phenom Tsuyoshi Nishioka was the Nippon League batting champion, hitting .346. The guy could really drive the ball… despite what you've heard about Asian drivers. He also won the Japanese equivalent of a Golden Glove for his defensive play as an infielder. In 2011, Tsuyoshi was signed by the Minnesota Twins to a three-year $9.25 million deal. Six games into his rookie season, Tsuyoshi had a collision at second base with Nick Swisher of the Yankees, breaking Tsuyoshi’s leg. And he’s never played up to his potential since.

After his injury, Tsuyoshi batted only .226 and committed 12 errors in 68 games… or what the Chicago Cubs call "a career season." This season, the Twins sent Tsuyoshi down to Rochester, their AAA team, where he hit .258 with only two homeruns and 34 RBI’s in 392 at-bats. So, with $3.25 million left to pay on his contract, the Twins are kind of stuck with Tsuyoshi, right? Well, they would be if he were an American player. But Tsuyoshi isn’t American. He doesn’t come from a greed culture.

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Bookshelf: October 12, 2012

Bull by the Horns

By Sheila Bair (October 12, 2012) - "Sheila Bair is widely acknowledged in government circles and the media as one of the first people to identify and accurately assess the subprime crisis. Appointed by George W. Bush as the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in 2006, she witnessed the origins of the financial crisis and in 2008 became--along with Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke, and Timothy Geithner--one of the key players trying to repair the damage to our economy. Bull by the Horns is her remarkable and refreshingly honest account of that contentious time and the struggle for reform that followed and continues to this day." (Simon & Schuster)

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Guest List: October 12, 2012

The Interview:

Ann Coulter is a conservative author and commentator. This week, she took aim at MSNBC in her syndicated column, accusing the network of racial bias. Her latest book is Mugged: Racial Demagoguery From the Seventies to Obama.

Twitter: @AnnCoulter

The Panel:

Ben Affleck is the director and star of the new film 'Argo' which opens this Friday. He also graces the cover of the Oct. 19 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.

Twitter: @BenAffleck

Brian Schweitzer is the 23^rd Governor of Montana (D) and recently oversaw the creation of the nation’s first government-run healthcare clinic for Montana state employees.

Darrell Issa is U.S. Congressman from California (R) and chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He has been critical of the Obama Administration’s response to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya.

Twitter: @DarrellIssa

Sheila Bair will join the panel mid-show. She is the former Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and recently told MarketWatch that, before leaving her position, she set up rules for a “new process that will protect taxpayers from bailouts going forward.” Her new book is Bull By The Horns.

Submit Overtime questions for these guests now at HBO.com.

Behind the Screens: Oct. 5, 2012

By Miles Leicher

Check out what went on behind the scenes of last week’s Real Time!

New Rule: The Wild Brunch

Bill runs down the new rules from the latest show. Watch a clip.

No News Is Bad News

By Bill Maher

New Rule: Network news has to be renamed "Cool Video We Think You’ll Watch." Not long ago, Fox News was showing a live police chase of a stolen car in Phoenix and the suspect pulled over, got out of the car and shot himself in the head. Or as the Fox anchor called it, "Exercising his Second-Amendment rights." There were apologies all around for the "insensitive" and "wrong" airing of a live suicide. But what about the bigger question? What's a national "news" network doing showing a local police chase?

Paul Ryan Is Not An Economist

By Bill Maher

Paul Ryan couldn't explain his tax plan to Chris Wallace because "It would take me too long to go through all of the math." It's not the first time Ryan has had trouble trying to explain his plans and it raises an important question: is Paul Ryan a policy wonk, or does he just play one on TV?

The record suggests he just plays one on TV. He has a bachelor's degree in political science and economics. That's all. He's not a trained economist and wouldn't be qualified to teach a graduate level economics course. Most economists take him about as seriously as they do his idol, Ayn Rand.

The only people who have tagged him as a brilliant economist are journalists who aren't economists themselves and other Republicans. Why does everyone take it as a given that he's a wonk? How would they even know? He lies about everything else; doesn't it make sense that he’s lying about that, too?

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New Rules: October 5, 2012

New Rule: When we can't tell you from the wax statue of you at Madame Tussaud's , stop, John. I'm just saying something is wrong when the least-creepy thing about you is that you're a Scientologist. That's the real picture.

New Rule: Before beginning any scientific study, you must first ask, "Does anyone give a shit about what I'm studying?" Like a recent study revealed that people who decorate their bedrooms purple have the most active sex lives. Yes, because only three types of men have purple bedrooms: pimps, Herman Cain and the Minnesota Vikings.

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