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annaeduardovna asked: Happy Birthday!! You're old as fuck now. xo
Thanks. You’re weird, talk funny, dress poorly and nobody likes you. But I’m genuinely touched you remembered my birthday.
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The limit needs to be eliminated, though I haven’t been able to get an entirely clear answer on whether that would be up to the writers, the Hall or both. Just getting the writers to do so would take years. We are a very stubborn, stodgy organization. It was only a couple of years ago that we voted to include Internet writers, and even then, we attached enough strings that if you tied them end-to-end, they just might circle our combined waistlines.
– Jim Caple, ESPN on the Baseball HOF’s ten player limit on ballots. -
Anonymous asked: I don't know that we can say with certainty that Santo's death brought a direct application of sympathy to his candidacy. They changed the voting system, and 2011 was the first vote by a restructured method. So in addition to his death, another thing changed, the voting method, and that might have had as much to do with his finally getting in. But generally, your point is well taken as evidenced by players often waiting, which could be an abuse of power by writers. Happy Blogging, Ken Bland
For those interested, this comment was made in reference to a piece I wrote about Ron Santo’s posthumus induction to Baseball Hall of Fame. It can now be found at my blog.
Ken,
First of all thanks for the comment.
I see your point about the method of induction. But why are there alternate routes to enshrinement for players? Is 15 years of balloting not enough to determine whether or not his playing career warranted induction? Having a veteran’s committee or golden era committee is essentially the HOF giving themselves a mulligan, a do-over for their screw ups. It just seems to me that the only reason the Hall still exists - it’s driving purpose - is to remain a relevant measure of “greatness.” A purpose, mind you, that only serves to cement their irrelevance.
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Californication
I watched the entire fourth season of Californication (Showtime) in one sitting last night (took me until 5am). It’s easily the sharpest, smartest and wittiest show since The West Wing - maybe even more so. It’s the most underrated show on TV.
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Wayne Simmonds, Damn…
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My team-by-team preview of the 2011/12 NBA season. →
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Why Dwight Howard wants out of Orlando and how he will alter the NBA →
Why the Dwight Howard/Orlando situation is just as important, if not even more so, than the movement of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Chris Paul.
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Album Review: LULU by Lou Reed and Metallica
A small smattering of one sentence reviews of Lulu by Lou Reed & Metallica:
Because the effort required to form an entire paragraph would have exceeded the effort put into the conception and execution of the album itself. Oh, Slam! Here we go.
It is vile, repulsive and grotesquely unlistenable.
It’s purpose seems completely lost on no fewer than 4 of the 5 musicians directly responsible for its existence.
For Lou Reed, it is - God, I hope - the final attention grab for the single most pointless and unimportant musical “icon” of the last 4000 years.
It is an uncompromising commitment to the artist’s deepest desires and aspirations created for the sole sake of the artist and his own satisfaction with no consideration given at all to marketability, consumer accessibility or critical reception; much like the painting elephant.
Shit Sandwich.
Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.
