My Morning in Exile

A day on which saying that Rickey Henderson came off as humble is probably only the third most controversial thing I said:

  • All hail Henderson! All do your best to accept Rice!
  • Pete Rose and the Hall of Fame: wanna bet the over/under on the number of comments this post will bring? Wait, that’s what started all of this trouble in the first place . . .
  • Tony Pena is trying to pull a reverse Ankiel. It’s gonna be a tall order to get that done. Off the top of my head, I’d say you’re looking at a Boeski, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinks, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever.
  • Is Washburn going to Milwaukee, and is Melvin dumb enough to trade Alcides Escobar for him?
  • D end of D line for Dmitri.
  • Finally, Stay classy, Philadelphia.
  • I have to take a longish lunch during which I’m giving a talk about deposition preparation. Here’s a brief preview: You look down, they know you’re lying and up, they know you don’t know the truth. Don’t use seven words when four will do. Don’t shift your weight, look always at your mark but don’t stare, be specific but not memorable, be funny but don’t make him laugh. He’s got to like you then forget you the moment you’ve left his side. And for God’s sake, whatever you do, don’t, under any circumstances…

    Back early afternoon.


    22 Comments
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    Matt M
    14 years ago

    Been practicing this speech, haven’t you?

    Craig Calcaterra
    14 years ago

    Little bit. Did I rush it? Felt I rushed it.

    Matt M
    14 years ago

    No, it was good; I liked it.

    lar
    14 years ago

    I think I agree with everything you have to say about Rose, Craig, but I still don’t believe the rumors. I don’t believe for a second that Bud is really reconsidering Rose… I think his shunning of Rose is as important of a part of the legacy that he wants to leave as the wild card and interleague play…

    The Common Man
    14 years ago

    As I said on your NBC site, Craig, I don’t believe that keeping Rose out of the Hall is “whitewashing history.”  Rather, it is continually dragging that history back into the limelight.  While that can be unpleasant, it certainly does more to remind us of Rose’s accomplishments and failings than inducting him with an asterisk will ever do.  Once that happens, the debate ends.  The only thing that changes, if he is inducted, is that the conversation (a conversation worth having) stops and he can charge more for an autograph.  As he is now, Rose serves as a strong reminder to players about the consequences of betting on games.  Why change that?

    Brian
    14 years ago

    Seems like Pena’s career is in barney.

    Richard in Dallas
    14 years ago

    I have long been a proponent of allowing Rose back far enough to allow him into the HOF, however, given all the chemical developments of the past decade or so, I would have to rescind my STRONG support and take a 180 turn.  My argument was always that his performance as a player should not be overshadowed by his performance as a manager (even though he was a player/manager for a short period).  His betting on his own team’s games would seem to have had no effect on his hits total, but, how do we REALLY know when he started betting on Reds games, or Expos or Phillies games, for that matter?  Nope, he broke one of the Cardinal rules of the game, posted on every clubhouse wall since 1920, and he knew what the consequences were.  I hereby declare myself off the fence, and on the side of no Rose in the Hall…..

    Aaron Moreno
    14 years ago

    Make sure to ignore objections in depos, and threaten a motion to compel if they refuse to answer.

    Also, I’ve heard attractive women attorneys get more info out of blowhard executives.

    MJ
    14 years ago

    From Lord Hee Haw’s latest column:

    One AL scout said he’d offer Chamberlain, but not Hughes. “I think Hughes is going to be good, but Joba I wonder about. He hasn’t learned his lesson from showboating yet. In fact, he’s gotten worse. He’s extremely talented, but I just wonder whether he’ll break down.”

    Can anyone tell me wtf this has to do with pitching?  Why don’t reporters actually report and ask these “scouts” what they mean by these idiotic statements?

    Regarding Rose and the HoF, iirc isn’t his election up to the Veteran’s Committee now?  I wonder if they’ll even elect him if given the opportunity.

    Brian
    14 years ago

    @MJ

    It’s been well documented that Chamberlain has had trouble consistently repeating his showboating mechanics.

    YankeesfanLen
    14 years ago

    Okay so it’s “Ocean’s Eleven” day in Shysterville, am I the eighth caller?
    BTW, Doc is coming and Chamberlain can check out any time he wants, and can actually leave.

    J. McCann
    14 years ago

    There are enough OF worse or about the same as Rice in the hall, so no biggie.

    I’ll bet Bud fully clears Rose to attend team functions and possibly even be a team employee, but not step foot in the clubhouse.  HOF ban still pending.

    I hope Dmitri has an interest in playing in an independent league.  I think he’ll be a draw, especially if he is large and in charge.

    Greg Simons
    14 years ago

    @Richard – Welcome back from the dark side.

    @MJ – Rose is on the permanently ineligible list, so he can’t be voted in by anyone, and I hope it stays that way.

    Kevin S.
    14 years ago

    @J. McCann – Really?  Care to name them?

    Matt M
    14 years ago

    @Greg,

    MJ’s point is that, in the event of reinstatement, it would be up to the Veterans Committee, not the writers, to put Rose in.

    Personally, I think it’s a bit silly that the guy with the most hits and the guy with the most home runs aren’t/won’t be in the Hall of Fame. But to be honest, I think people get way too worked up about it. See, I have a HOF in my head and I get to put whoever I want in it.

    Greg Simons
    14 years ago

    @Matt M, thanks for clarifying.  My bad.

    And I like your comment about the HOF in your head.  Well said.

    Matt J.
    14 years ago

    Love the Ocean’s quotes…keep up the good work Shyst.

    J. McCann
    14 years ago

    OF worse or similar to Rice in the HOF:

    Tommy McCarthy
    Max Carey
    Lloyd Waner
    Lou Brock
    Harry Hooper
    Sam Rice
    Edd Roush
    Enos Slaughter
    Heinie Manush
    Kiki Cuyler
    Chick Hafey

    Now you may be able to make a case that one or 2 of those are clearly deserving due to defense or longevity, but then if I looked hard enough, I could add another 1 or 2.

    Also, most of those are from the pre-integration era, and it is true that Rice is one of the worst post WW2 OF’s elected.

    Richard in Dallas
    14 years ago

    @Greg Thanks for the kind welcome, but I was never a Yankees fan..

    Kevin S.
    14 years ago

    You just undercut your own point.  Most of those players you listed were from an era which is nearly incomparable to the modern environment.  The ones who are comparable have approximately the same career value as Rice.  So pretty much, you’re arguing that Rice is the equivalent of a bottom-of-the-barrel HOFer who probably doesn’t deserve to be in the Coop, either.

    Greg Simons
    14 years ago

    @Richard – LOL!!

    Melody
    14 years ago

    I think Rose should absolutely be in the Hall of Fame… posthumously.  That just feels right to me.  An opportunity for fans of the game to celebrate one of the most amazing hitters in history, and have it be about the game itself and about the fans rather than the man or the controversy. 
    I don’t see any real reason for leniency, given that Rose actually *agreed* to the ban in exchange for his case not going to trial or being publicized.  If he didn’t like it, he should have taken his case to the people when he had the chance.  As we all know, gambling on baseball is illegal for players not because it’s an immoral act, but because it puts the integrity of the game itself (are all the players on each team really trying to win? is the outcome pre-determined?) in question in a way that even steroids does not do.