Quick Thoughts - 12/30

Here are some quick thoughts on a lazy Saturday afternoon…..

1) Hall of Fame – If I had a vote, here is who I’d vote for…

Cal Ripken – Doesn’t need discussing

Tony Gwynn – 8 time batting champion

Goose Gossage - Here’s where it becomes “grey”…. He has over 300 saves and virtually invented the term “closer”… Unlike today’s “closers” who just come in during the 9th inning, it wasn’t unusual for Gossage to enter in the the 7th and finish up the last 2 inning. Sutter went in last year and Gossage was better! He’s already in the Fu Man Chu Hall of Fame, so he has to be put in here!

Jack Morris – For those of you that don’t know/remember him, he was “The” big game pitcher of the 80’s. He won more games in the 80’s than any other pitcher, the ace of 3 World Championship teams, made 14 opening day starts and in a memorable performance, pitched 10 shutout innings in the 7th game of the 91 World Series, where he was named MVP of the series. The reason it’s taken him awhile get elected? His attitude towards the media wasn’t exactly stellar….. His most famous run in with the media had to do when he told a female reporter, she should be happy he was talking with her because “I don’t usually talk to women unless they’re on top of me or I’m on top of them!” Sounds fair........

Steve Garvey – Once again someone who’s off field behavior has overshadowed what he did on the field… He was the ultimate winner, eight .300 seasons, 10 All – Star appearances, a regular season MVP, 2 all star game MVP’s, 4 gold glove awards, a National League record 1,207 consecutive games played and a MLB record 193 consecutive, errorless games at 1st base. You may not have liked him, but name me another 1st baseman better during Garvey’s playing time???

That’s it for the Hall of Fame and yes I left McGwire off the list…….

2) Bowl Games – Only two I care about:

A) BCS Tostitos Bowl – I don’t think Florida has a chance. Ohio State 37, Florida 17. Most over hyped player in college? Chris Leak. He’s not even the best QB on his team……

B) Rose Bowl – Should be close but I’m not a Michigan fan so I think USC pulls it out. USC 31, Michigan 27. Comes down to whether Booty can handle Michigan’s pressure.

3) Little Tiger – Now we’ll see what THAT does to his career…… Personally I hope it’s a Tigress not a Tiger and she looks just like mom but with darker skin! But hey, that's just me!

4) Tyson Arrested for Cocaine – Is this even a surprise? Does anyone even care at this point? Hopefully he gets his life straightened out soon otherwise we’ll be reading about him in the obituaries…. I still remember being in my early 20’s and boxing experts were saying when he retires he’ll be the best ever. Guess that's not going happen......

5) Michael Jordan getting divorced – Finally….. man that’s been going on for years, good to finally put it out of it’s misery.. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say he’ll start dating someone REALLY HOT looking……. She’ll be a model/wannabe actress, not a well known celebrity. Someone like Adriana Lima (Victoria Secret model) or actress Gabrielle Union (who just separated from her NFL husband...). On the other hand, I think him and Vanessa Williams would look stunning together..... What am I writing a gossip column now?????

6) “Swimming With the Fishes” – Couldn’t resist this…. The GM for an Italian league soccer team received in the mail a severed head of a young goat, covered in blood… He wasn’t home when it arrived in the mail on December 22nd, so his wife put it under the tree and opened it on Christmas Day. Oh those soccer hooligans!

Ciao,

Bill