Rule 21

   Baseball great Pete Rose passed away today, as did Basketball great Dikembe Mutombo. Both of those men had steller careers in their respective sports, but one of those men betrayed his sport after his career ended, and the other became an outstanding ambassador for his sport.

   Over the years I've had several discussions with fellow baseball fans regarding Pete Rose being banned from MLB baseball for life for betting on baseball, and his concurrent banishment from the Baseball Hall of Fame.

   For the record I agree with Pete Rose's lifetime ban from baseball and I now also do not believe he belongs in the HoF.

   I was on the fence regarding the HoF issue for a long time (though never questioned for a second the need for the lifetime MLB baseball ban), but after I read his autobiography (My Prison Without Bars, published in 2004) wherein he finally admitted (after 15 years of lying about it) that he did indeed not only bet on baseball games, he bet on baseball games in which the Cincinnati Reds, the team he was the player/manager of, were playing.

   Every MLB clubhouse has Rule 21 of MLB's code of conduct posted in full view of each and every person who enters the clubhouse. Rule 21 states, "Any player, umpire, club or league official or employee who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible." 

   The Rule had been implemented after the 1919 World Series was marred by the actions of several members of the White Sox to throw the Series for a gambling ring allegedly headed up by organized crime figure Arnold Rothstein.

   Pete Rose walked into MLB clubhouses as a player, player/manager, and solely as a manager over a combined 4,200 times. Which means he saw Rule 21 over 4,200 times, and I'd bet big money he even read Rule 21 a significant number of times. 

   Which means that he was well aware that his actions were not only wrong, but at best a big F/U to the game that he swore he loved with his heart and soul.

   Pete Rose believed he was bigger than the game. He was not, and the penalty he agreed to is the one that must stand if the integrity of the game is to be maintained.  

   That's my opinion, and I'm not backing down.

Duck & Cover

   Some situations are avoidable, some are not. 

   Unfortunately, the situations that are unavoidable are rarely good, at least not in my experience.

   I cannot recall one single instance over the course of my lifetime when I have thought to myself, "Man, how the heck did I get in this situation? Why oh why oh why did I have to buy this winning lottery ticket?" or "Dang, just my luck to be standing next to this incredibly intelligent, emotionally available, fun & funny, beautiful woman who is pretty much demanding my phone number so she can call me up and ask me out to dinner next week."

   Nope, not once.

   No, usually the circumstances of the unavoidable situations are nearly always dire to some degree.

  There may be times when you find yourself in one of those unavoidable situations and you might start wondering if you're going to be able to get out of it unscathed.

   You might even find yourself trying to strike a bargain with the god or gods of your choosing to get yourself out of the unavoidable situation. You might even find yourself running scenarios through your head inwhich you do find a way out of the unavoidable situation with nary a scratch.

   That's fantasizing, and only clouds the mind. When you find yourself in an unavoidable situation, you need your wits about you - all of the wits you can muster, and they have to be sharp.

   The unavoidable situation is going to unfold and happen and run it's course. The chances of escaping unscathed are always 50/50, but as everyone knows, 50/50 is not a great bet.

   So what can one do? Well, first thing of course is don't do anything that will make the unavoidable situation worse, and the second thing to do is to minimize your part in the unavoidable situation.

   And third, try to dodge the fall out. Because there is always fall out. 

Thinking Vs Thoughts

 

   Some people think. They spend considerable amounts of time mulling over ideas or explanations or possible scenarios, regarding this, that, and just about everything else.

   Some people have thoughts. They just pop into their heads on occasion, and can be as rudimentary as "I wonder if the car needs a tune up?" to the more obtuse such as "How the hell can that moron possibly think going 45 on an interstate freeway is a good thing?" 

   The difference is sensational.

What's Up?

 

The Bird On The Sidewalk

   The young girl (5, maybe 6 years old) ran over to the motionless little bird that lay on the sidewalk. She crouched down and stared at the bird intently while her mother ran to catch up to her.

  "Don't touch it Sweetie", her mother exhorted, "It might not be safe".

   The crouched-over little girl turned her head as her mother approached and said, "It's a bird, Mama, and it's sleeping." 

   The mother stood over her daughter and caught her breath. After a few seconds she said, "No Fran, it's not sleeping, it's dead. We should go now".

Everybody Likes The Ramones Now (yeah, yeah)

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody 

Likes the Ramones now (yeah, yeah)

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Likes the Ramones now (yeah, yeah)

There was a time when they played before 1000 or so on a good night

Playing fast and loud, drums and bass tighter than tight

Didn't have T-shirts, had to make 'em yourself

Couldn't hear it on the radio, had to buy their albums off the back shelf

Rocket to Russia was the first one bought at Tower off Rosecrans

Played incessantly with mom yelling it belonged in the trashcan

Lobotomy, lobotomy, lobotomy and Rockaway Beach occasionally

Short, simple and sharp, not that pretty vacant obscenity

Nobody wanted to hear the noise created by those Forest Hill boys

Leather jackets and denim jeans, converse all-stars to complete the scene

And we hopped and bopped and slammed until we could hardly stand

All of us sharing in the grand new energy emanating from this fantastic band

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Likes the Ramones now (yeah, yeah)

Everybody 

Everybody

Everybody 

Everybody

Likes the Ramones now (yeah, yeah)

Buying T-shirts at Hot Topic or Spencers

Hearing songs on the radio, praised now by the old suppressors

Gabba gabba hey chanted by school children in the middle of the day

Never for a moment knowing it never got a minutes airplay

PJ Soles (bless her soul) danced with them on the big screen

Rock and Roll High School was the perfect movie at sixteen

Funny, freaky, fearless in that slightly irreverent '70's way

Gave the band a bigger audience and an even bigger payday

Then Phil came around and the band's energy decidedly unwound

Brought in some big guns, added piano, overdubs and the wall of sound

Baby I Love You was covered and became the first nail in the coffin

The Punk was relegated to the corner when the Pop walked in

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Likes the Ramones now (yeah, yeah)

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Everybody

Likes the Ramones now (yeah, yeah)

Feel My Pain

 

   She was on her cellphone as I approached the counter. About a minute or two of animated conversation later, she deemed it necessary to put up her index finger as if to indicate she would be with me in just a minute. 

   That minute passed and then another before she approached the counter to take my order. She stared at me while still listening to her cellphone, which was cradled between shoulder and ear.

   "A large coffee with two creamers and a bagel" I requested, and she pushed the appropriate buttons on the register without even as much as a nod of reply.

   I paid and stepped away from the counter to make room for the person behind me.

   The server had moved over to a large coffee pot and started filling a large cup with coffee. She looked over at me mid pour and mouthed "Did you want creamer?" as she continued to listen to her cellphone.

   "Yes", I replied, "Two please." She turned to pick up the bagel that had appeared in the small serving window as I said that, then returned to the coffee while replying to a question which the person on the other end of the cellphone asked (something to do with a party that was coming up). 

   She topped off the coffee and placed it on the small counter next to the foam plate with the bagel.

   "Was that two creamers?" She mouthed again, and I again confirmed my order. She then placed the coffee and bagel in front of me, and I took my order over to a small table.

   The bagel was fine but the coffee...no creamer.

   The woe was nearly overwhelming.