"These Iranians are wusses. Remember when Bush stole the election in 2000. Did we riot in the streets and complain. We did not!" "Hell, No. We said, 'Well, that's the way it goes," and went home and watched TV."

Have you tried the new Sarah Palin cocktail. Russian vodka over ice with bitters and a garnish of sour grapes. Potentially powerful, but you want to quit half way through.

Baseball HOF thoughts

Honestly, I don't think that Jim Rice belongs in the Hall of Fame. I believe the writers actually got it right for 14 years, by keeping him out. He had a 15 year career (1974-1989), where he hit .298/382/1451, and one MVP season in 1978.

He currently sits in 56th place in RBI's behind players of the same era such as Rusty Staub (53), Dave Parker (51), Jeff Kent (48), Andre Dawson (34), and Harold Baines (29) who has 1628 RBI's, and none of these players will (or should) never gain entry into Cooperstown. He is in 56th place on the career HR list, one ahead of Albert Belle, and behind Baines (54), Joe Carter (48), Andres Galarraga (45) and Andre Dawson (36) with 438. Jim Rice was a very good player in the pre-steroid era, however he was not one of the best ever.

So in other news, temporary commissioner for life, Bud Selig has said he is once again seriously considering reinstating the All-time hits leader Pete Rose after 20 years, in order to make him eligible for the Hall of Fame. Now, I have two thoughts on this issue:

1. If he is reinstated, he should not be allowed on the field as a manager or general manager.
   
2. Shoeless Joe Jackson (and the other banned Black Sox) should also be reinstated, since they have been out of the game for 89 years and deserve the opportunity to be reinstated before Charlie Hustle.

I think and hope in the end that Rose is not reinstated, even though be absolutely positively belongs in Cooperstown, since it will open an enormous can of worms about what he can do and won't he will not be able to within the game. Even if Selig allows him a limited return, allowing him entry to the hall and to the celebrations of the past players, Rose will continue to lobby and pressure Selig and his successors to give him either greater access to the game, which he simply does not deserve. He broke the one cardinal rule of the game, and has to learn to live with the consequences. He has said and done everything he can to get out of the baseball purgatory for the past 20 years, and if a lifetime ban means anything, then let it be a lifetime. Joe Jackson's lifetime ended in 1951 (31 years after he was banned) and he has not yet been reinstated.

Finally, the question around who from the steroid era deserves to be in the hall will still take a few more years to figure out. Once we have a slightly longer historical view on the subject, then we will have a more objective way to view this period. Quite simply, I believe the Hall of Fame should represent the best players of any given era. My standard is fairly simple, as you look back on any era, you need to ask yourself was player x one of the best of that period. If we assume that sufficient number of players were on juiced (both pitchers and hitters) over the past 20 years, then which of those players stand out as the best and most elite of that era?

The no brainers remain Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey*, Mark McGwire, Derek Jeter* Greg Maddux*, Pedro Martinez, Frank Thomas, Tom Glavine, Manny Ramirez and Mike Piazza. The players who in my opinion are not HOF material are Rafael Palmeiro, Fred McGriff*, Jose Canseco, Mike Mussina*.

I don't know what to do with Sammy Sosa and Curt Schilling*, for very different reasons; Sosa because not only is he tainted, but also a cheater, and Schilling because he was largely a mediocre pitcher for much of his career.

* - Untainted to date by steroids

About to talk CMS

Steroids, you think?

Boston Red Sox’s David Ortiz passed an eye exam so eyesight is not to blame for his season-long slump. Gosh, so what could make a player’s home run total plummet the exact same time Major League Baseball is cracking down on performance enhancing drugs? Shoot, I feel like I should know this one. Nope, I don’t get it.

Very excited that Jacob woke me up, asking me to come watch a Yankee Classic with him. Not happy that it was 6 am.