Old age 2 miles ahead
Most people don't get hip problems until they hit a ripe old age, but I guess I'm not most people. If you don't hear from me for a few days, it's because I can't sit to type. I've got some kind of hip problem going on. I can't drive. I can't sit. I can't stand. All I can do is lay on the hard floor. I had to pull over 3 times on the way to work on Wednesday to get out and straighten my hip. That's no good. I finally have an MRI and bone scan scheduled for next week so wish me luck. The funny thing is (funny?) there is no way I can even ride in the car long enough to get to the hospital for the tests! I'm on a muscle relaxing cocktail of prescriptions right now, so before the purple elephant in the corner makes a run for it, I'm gonna go. Later.
Jack Wilson signing
If you haven't already, read the details of the Wilson contract
here. I'm glad they signed him for 2 years rather than 3. As it stands, the Pirates will control Wilson's contract status for another season (via the arbitration process) after this contract expires. By that time, we'll all know if 2004 was a fluke. If it wasn't a fluke, the Pirates would still have some leverage left with which to try and sign Wilson to a long term contract through some of his free agency. If it was a fluke, well then, let's worry about that in 2007.
Sandberg, Boggs in...Former Pirates Gossage, Parker, Blyleven still out
In case you were in a 24 hour coma, let me be the first to announce to you that Ryne Sandberg and Wade Boggs were elected to the Hall of Fame. Sandberg squeaked in, in his 3rd year of eligibility. Boggs made it easily in his 1st year.
I realize every columnist is cranking out their annual “Who I (would have) voted for” column, but since there’s not much going on in Bucco world (otherwise known as the free agent signing period), I’ll contribute to the noise.
What would my ballot have looked like? Here you go:
Wade Boggs
Ryne Sandberg
Rich Gossage
Dave Parker
Alan Trammell
Jack Morris
I realize that HOF voting is highly subjective. Still, after taking a closer look at the votes, I’ve uncovered what I consider to be some egregious “voting irregularities” which I’ve ranked in order of egregiousness.
Bruce Sutter getting more votes than Goose Gossage. (If you take Sutter’s career and add 10 more good years, then you have Gossage’s career. Yet Sutter gets more votes?)
Steve Garvey getting more votes than Dave Parker (These guys were almost exact contemporaries. At anytime during their careers, would a straight up Garvey for Parker trade have ever been a good one for the team getting Garvey? I don’t think so.)
Dave Concepcion getting more votes than Dale Murphy (Explain how a 3 time NL MVP gets fewer votes than a guy who was at best, the 6th best player on his own team?)
Lou Whittaker not getting any votes
One last word: I wouldn’t have voted for sabermetric darling Bert Blyleven. Blyleven is pretty much the pitching equivalent of Harold Baines. Both are guys who exhibited remarkable consistency and longevity, fell just short of major milestones that would have guaranteed enshrinement, and lacked a true peak or signature season that would make their careers stand out. In order to make the HOF, I think you have to have at least some point in your career where you are considered a great player. Being a good player for a long period of time just doesn’t quite cut it.
In the end, I think Blyleven is destined to fall just short of enshrinement, because, to paraphrase John Steigerwald, he was a jackass. And sportswriters have long memories.
US increases aid
The US government has increased its pledge to $350 million to aid in the tsunami disaster recovery.
Why couldn't this have been the story the day after the tsunami? I had little doubt that we would eventually kick in a lot more, but we should have been out in front of everybody. I still say we should announce that we will build the tsunami warning system that the region lacks. We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of the world.
At least somebody in the Bush administration "gets it." Maybe this is why that same person is leaving government.
"If nations are poor, if they don't see hope, if they're riddled by
disease, if no one is helping them, then radicalism takes over, they lose faith
in democracy and they start turning in other directions," he said. "This is an
investment not only in the welfare of these people, which in and of itself is a
good thing to do; it's an investment in our own national security."
- Colin Powell
