Michele Bachmann fails history again...

When it comes to any historical fact, Michele Bachmann is not the person you want to see as a contestant on Jeopardy! She's as far from smart or ready for the presidency as possible. I never thought I would say this but: SHE MAKES PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH LOOK SMART.

NBC First Read reports:

On the day of her presidential announcement, Bachmann, an Iowa native, told FOX News that she and John Wayne share a hometown. “John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa,” she said. “That's the kind of spirit that I have, too."[...]

The problem: While actor John Wayne – the gravelly-voiced Western film star known for his characteristic walk and his conservative values– was in fact from Iowa (and, Bachmann’s campaign later pointed out, his parents briefly lived in Waterloo), he was born in Winterset, about 150 miles away.

The famous similarly-named guy who did make his home in Waterloo: John Wayne Gacy -- the serial killer known for dressing as “Pogo the Clown” who buried over two dozen of his young male victims in the crawlspace of his Illinois home.

Gacy, who was born in Chicago, lived in Waterloo in the late 1960s before serving time for sodomy at Anamosa State Penitentiary. He would later go on to commit more than 30 murders.

The mix-up – which, considering the Iowa roots of both men, isn’t as baffling as some Bachmann critics may make it out to be-- isn’t independently the kind of gaffe that makes voters suddenly change their minds. But it’s certain to become late-night comedy fodder for a candidate who has already been ridiculed for a more serious historical mangling of details about the beginning of the Revolutionary War.

Celtics notes

I'm still digesting the draft last night and what it means for the future. I did catch this nugget while looking over the Boston Globe:

“This year we went in with the idea that if a good opportunity came to move out of the draft, depending on who’s available in the draft, [we’d take it],’’ Ainge said. “But when JaJuan was available, we really wanted to stay. He was a guy we had rated pretty high and we had targeted from the beginning.’’

The Celtics are expected to make Jeff Green a qualifying offer and attempt to retain him as a restricted free agent. Green, Rajon Rondo, Johnson, Moore, and Avery Bradley are a solid core for the future. And the Celtics also have the Clippers’ 2012 first-round pick and plenty of cap space next summer when Garnett and Ray Allen become free agents.

“It’s a big offseason for us,’’ said Rivers, who signed a five-year contract extension in the offseason. “And we want to win it again and we need help. We have to go out and get players.’’

Because of salary cap restrictions and the uncertainty of the new collective bargaining agreement, the Celtics will be hard pressed to make a major impact in free agency.

At least they were able to get a capable player in the first round, one who adds youth to an aging frontcourt and helps the Celtics to move on from the Kendrick Perkins trade. While Perkins was wildly popular with fans and an effective center, Johnson could prove to be just as talented and impactful.

I'm not anywhere close to being ready to say goodbye to Ray or KG. Who knows who gets drafted next summer?

Quote of the Day

“I want to dedicate my first rookie season to Kentucky fans because they supported me a lot. They are so special. They will always be in my heart. Kentucky is just amazing.”
--Enes Kanter, 2011 NBA Draft, June 23, 2011

NBA Draft

Kentucky's Enes Kanter went to the Utah Jazz with the third pick while point guard Brandon Knight slipped to the eighth pick and heads to the Detroit Pistons. That's not all. Josh Harrellson become the 100th Kentucky player to ever be drafted by the NBA when the New Orleans Hornets selected him with the 45th pick, later to be traded to the New York Knicks for cash considerations. It didn't end there. DeAndre Liggins became the fourth Kentucky player drafted this evening when the Orlando Magic selected him with the 53rd pick during the second round.

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics selected MarShon Brooks, a guard, with the 25th pick. However, this was actually New Jersey's pick due to a trade that was announced tonight. The New Jersey Nets selected Jujuan Johnson, a forward from Purdue, who will be traded to the Boston Celtics along with a future second round pick. Johnson was the Big 10 player of the year, averaging 20.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. From outside the arc, he made 29.4 percent.

I think Johnson is a great pick for Boston. With KG aging, he's a big man that can play behind him. Nobody knows what is gonna happen with Glen Davis this off-season.

The Celtics took another player from the Purdue Boilermakers during the second round when they selected E'Twaun Moore, a guard, with the 55th pick of the draft. As a senior this past season, Moore averaged 18 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game.

Some tweets from the Celtics this evening now follow.

On Jujuan Johnson:

We didn't think he'd be there and he was. He's a terrific shooter for his size. We like his upside.

Later:

While stressing not to compare him to Garnett, Rivers notes that JuJuan Johnson has a similar body type to KG.

Celtics broadcaster Sean Grande did note the following about the C's picks tonight.

27 and 55 in a weak draft..not sexy. But C's drafted the most overlooked commodity there is..wins. Johnson and Moore won 107 games at Purdue

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets:

Danny Ainge made sure not to put too much pressure on Johnson & Moore by declaring they would play right away but they will be given chance.

Via Celtics Blog:

Johnson is the athletic big man the Celtics have sought and is a natural center. He dropped in the draft because of his slight build and lack of true offensive skills. Johnson scored 20 points with 17 rebounds and 7 blocked shots in a 67-47 win over Michigan State on Feb. 27.

“Even though he’s a four-year player, we still like his upside,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “He slipped to us and I think you got to put him on the floor, I can’t tell you if he’s gonna help or not but I think he’ll be an NBA player and a good one. It may take him some time and it may not.”

Here's some comments from Danny Ainge on tonight's draft:

“No connection,” Ainge said when asked if the picks were related. “Just independently they were the best guys on the board for us when we were drafting. I didn’t even realize that we were picking two kids from Purdue until Doc was on the phone with JaJuan, and he had just heard that we drafted E’Twaun, and I think that made him more excited than the fact that he was drafted. That was just pure coincidence.”[...]

Ainge explained that Moore can make up for his lack of size with his length and a scoring ability evidenced by his 38-point performance in a win over No. 2 Ohio State. Moore drained seven three-pointers in the game.

“He’s played strictly a two, but he can handle the ball some,” Ainge said. “He’s a scorer. He’s only 6-3 but he’s extremely long, has long arms, terrific scorer.”

Ainge said both players will have a chance to compete for playing time next season.

3D disaster

Paramount is making 3D a recipe for disaster. There's no other way to explain it. Studios thought they had a cure for the box office slump. Nope. It was not the answer and never was. It used to be an event...for movies such as animated features. Thing is that 3D simply just doesn't work on live action unless it was filmed with 3D cameras and with the 3D vision from the get go. That's why a film such as Avatar worked, even if the story was one that had already done.

However, audiences just don't want to keep paying the premiums for 3D movies. It's just too much. Never mind the food factor. Just read this excerpt from Deadline:

Just how pushy is Paramount with theater owners on Transformers 3? Well, The New York Times has this interesting detail today: that Michael Bay last week called the chief executives of major theater chains to implore them to show Transformers: Dark Of The Moon in a way that burns out projector bulbs more quickly but makes 3D look brighter and sharper. That's because there's been a continuing problem that "the darkness of 3D is starting to impact movie satisfaction," media analyst Rich Greenfield tells me. "This was a key problem with Pirates 3D, with both Green Lantern and Harry Potter starting off with darker imagery and then layering on 3D glasses that darken the images further."

It gets worse. Via Deadline, we also learned that unless the early screening on Tuesday night next week is in 3D, they wouldn't be able to play the film at all. This also effectively screws other movies when you think about it.

And the studio is telling theaters it's a four-week minimum in their Digital theater. This strategy succeeds in keeping Pixar's Cars 2 out of some digital runs, which will cut back the grosses while forcing Warner Bros' Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows Part 2 out of 3D dates as well.

While those movies will likely sell less 3D tickets, audience goers will pay the cheaper prices for a quality 2D screening. I prefer a digital presentation as it is.

Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore would say only this about his studio's 3D strategy: "The best thing for 3D was Avatar giving people a spectacular 3D experience. The goodwill towards 3D lasted just over a year. Transformers 3 can give 3D the shot in the arm. That's what would be great for 3D and the industry."

Avatar was a unique situation. As much as Transformers brings in, it won't replace the success that Avatar was due to all the explosions.

In other film news, David Wain has not quite announced a sequel to Wet Hot American Summer, now a cult comedy classic, but all the stars (now bigger names in the industry) are open to returning for another round.

In recent years, several members of its once largely unknown cast — which also includes Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper — have become major stars. “It’s been discussed over the last decade in various forms and incarnations,” says Rudd of a Wet Hot sequel. “I think we would all be up for doing it.”

Wet Hot director David Wain and his co-writer Michael Showalter confirmed to EW they have been seriously thinking about writing a second film set at Camp Firewood and may start work on the screenplay later this year. “I really hope it happens,” says Showalter, who stars in the original movie as the lovelorn Coop. “I’m really excited for the idea of a sequel, or a prequel, or for the first-ever movie that is both a prequel and a sequel. Although David pointed out that that’s Godfather II.”

As for salaries?

While Wet Hot American Summer cost a mere $1.8 million, the budget for any possible sequel would be many times that if the cast’s most famous members demanded the kind of wages they are now accustomed to earning. However, Banks, Rudd, and several other Wet Hot alumni told EW they would be happy to appear in Wet Hot 2 for essentially nothing. “Look, any chance to get that group of people all together in a room I will take,” says Banks, who is currently shooting The Hunger Games. “It’s been such a blessing on my life that I got to be included in that circle of people.”

Terra Nova gets premiere date

The long-awaited ambitious series from executive producer Stehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifven Spielberg has finally got a premiere date. Terra Nova will launch with a two hour premiere at 8 PM on September 26, 2011. One week later, it will go to it's regular slot at 8 followed by House at 9 PM.

For the rest of the FOX schedule in the fall, click here.

In Memory: Darryl Kile

It's been nine years since one of the darkest weeks of Cardinal history.

Darryl Kile (December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002)) played his last game on June 18, 2002, the same day that Jack Buck died. Darryl tragically died nine years ago today in Chicago.

Joe Buck broke the news on Fox that day. And it was Joe Girardi who made the announcement at Wrigley:

"I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has cancelled the game today. Thank you.... Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinals' family."

Houston Astros: 1991-1997
Colorado Rockies: 1998-1999
St. Louis Cardinals: 2000-2002

Career record: 128-115 with 1,618 K's





The following was posted on CardNilly.com a few years ago. It's so awesome yet sad at the same time. I always get chills whenever I think of DK and his short time on earth.

Half Shabbas?!?

I'm gonna chime in on this issue regarding Modern Orthodox Jews and texting on Shabbas. One either keeps Shabbas or they don't. Half Shabbas? What the hell is that? I don't touch a TV, DVD, bluray player, remote, my pc, or phone during Shabbas. I'm not a texter and never have been, but the texting generation is addicted to texting and can't go 25 hours without their phones. But to use the term Half Shabbas is a form of blasphemy if you ask me.

If one must text on Shabbas, it's the same as writing, which is a form of work. It's simply not allowed. Now amongst the other movements of Judaism, it's a different story. Trust me. I know from when I check the newsfeed every motzi Shabbas. The worst is seeing all the postings after Yom Kippur.

NCAA has anti-Kentucky policy

With the way this year has been, I blame the NCAA for not enforcing their policies equally when it comes to vacating records. If you don't go after San Diego State and Coach Steve Fischer, what you do is making sure people interpret the policies as a piece of fucking bullshit. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sure, deeming players to be ineligible is one thing. But when you say a coach's record was vacated and only complain to the university after that hack, Jerry Tipton, complains about the University of Kentucky's celebration for John Calipari following his 500th victory.

Because of Tipton, the NCAA asked UK to apologize for what they did.

So why the fuck doesn't Tipton ask them about San Diego State? Where is the outrage there?

So go ahead, Tipton. Keep doing what you do and just remember, you may be a beat reporter in Lexington but you'll keep getting no love from Kentucky fans.

John Clay had a good read this morning in the Herald-Leader. Excerpt follows:

A similar sentiment could be applied to Dennis Thomas, the chair of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions who wrote the letter demanding UK acknowledge it was in error recognizing John Calipari's career 500th victory and that it should not include his "vacated" victories in school media guides, Web sites, etc.

This, of course, propelled the Big Blue Nation into (a) a huff, and more importantly (b) to the Internet (grandma) to a little detective work of its own.

Wake up and smell the Internet, Mr. Thomas.

Thomas is also the commissioner of the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference. And the intrepid reporters among the UK faithful discovered that not one, not two, but three MEAC members publish athletic media guides that fail to exclude vacated victories.

Savannah State was instructed to forfeit all victories from 1993-1994 through 1995-96 in football. Yet none of that is mentioned in the school's football media guide.

Then there's MEAC member Florida A&M, which was ruled to have used ineligible members in 2000 and 2001 and instructed to classify games as "no contests." Yet in the FAMU media guide, the wins are still listed and still included in former coach Billy Joe's record.

Then there is Morgan State basketball coach Todd Bozeman. As the Web site Rush the Court points out, it was under Bozeman that his previous employer, California, was forced to vacate a combined 28 wins in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. So instead of being 63-35 at Cal, Bozeman was actually 35-35. (As another part of NCAA weirdness, schools are not required to "vacate" losses.)[...]


If this all seems nit-picky and silly, that's because it is nit-picky and silly. Most of the Kentucky/NCAA/500-win controversy last week was an exercise in silliness and hypocrisy that only served to reinforce what a basically useless punishment the NCAA doles out when it "vacates" victories.

UK looked either inept or disingenuous by waiting until nearly two hours into its basketball game with Florida on Feb. 26 — which turned out to be Calipari's career 500th win — to email the NCAA with the question about whether it counts vacated victories in career coaching totals.

Dennis Thomas has lost any credibility he has with the NCAA.

Bridesmaids

If you haven't seen Bridesmaids yet, you are missing out on a very funny movie.

Judd Apatow spoke about the box office take of the movie.

"I always hoped that there was this huge neglected audience out there hoping someone would start making movies for them," Apatow said in an email to MTV News on Monday (May 16). "I am so excited I was not imagining things. Hopefully this will lead to a lot more movies being made starring funny women."[...]

"I think people appreciate the fact that it is crazy funny, but is also a very sweet story about female friendship," he said. "And it is always fun to see new hilarious comedy stars. People like it like they like discovering a new band."

He's hoping that once these up-and-coming actresses — like Ellie Kemper and Melissa McCarthy — have been discovered by a wide audience, they'll follow in the footsteps of actors like Jason Segel and Jonah Hill, who played supporting roles in Apatow films such as "Knocked Up" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" before going on to anchor their own comedies.

"I think they all deserve to star in their own movies," Apatow said. "It is usually a dearth of scripts which hold great actresses back. Hopefully the studios will develop more movies for them. As will I."

Judd Apatow also spoke with the New York Times following the opening weekend.

Super 8

This post won't be heavy on spoilers for the J.J. Abrams/Steven Spielberg film, Super 8. I was a child of the 1980s and the first live action film I really saw was Star Wars, when my cousin brought it over one night while babysitting my brother and I. I must have been 8 or 9 at the time. This was a long time ago.

It wasn't until around the time I had my Bar Mitzvah that I finally saw E.T. (it was only because I was scared of "the creature" in the early 90s) but when I did see it, I fell in love with the movie. I saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

But I digress. Go see this movie. It's Spielbergian if you wish to use that term. It's right up there with both movies. I'd argue to throw in Jurassic Park there as well.

A Pet Peeve

When a movie is advertised as a prequel and ignores continuity, it gets on my nerves. It doesn't take away from a movie's awesomeness but that doesn't mean that the nitpicking is there.

Then there is the greatest cameo of all time. It's possible because of the agelessness of said character. I'm trying not to ruin it for others but face it, most fans of a franchise will see a movie during its opening weekend. It is, without a doubt, the golden rule. You don't put it off. It's a fact of life.

If they were rebooting a franchise, no need for continuity issues from a previous trilogy but this was advertised as a prequel with a younger cast. The screenwriters just didn't do their research. Is this the studios way of retconning the horrid movie from 2006? I don't know. I'd like to think that it is. If it is the case, just redo X3 the way thatg Bryan Singer would have directed it and keep Zak Penn as far away as possible. He writes scripts that just don't have the heart that they need to have...and kills off characters that are vital.

I'm done...

Maybe it's the fact that I just don't have the time to blog as much as I used to given the work schedule and all. But from a political perspective, I'm done. I just don't have the heart in it to write political postings anymore. Like many, I got burnt out.

I will keep this up but with sports related postings. This is basketball country, is it not? I'll chime in every now and then with baseball related thoughts, too.

But full time blogging? It's a thing of the past. Maybe a once a week sports column in the mold of Bill Simmons.

On Buster's injury

Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench goes as far as placing the blame on Buster Posey for getting injured. It was a clean and legal play and yes, I do feel sorry for Posey getting a season-ending injury.

"First of all, my catchers don't sit in front of home plate. They stand away from home plate and work back to the plate," Bench told the Tulsa newspaper. "But we (catchers) are just fair game. You've got a guy running around third base at 210 to 220 pounds with 3 percent body fat and with sprinter's speed."[...]

"I teach my kids to stay away from the plate when you don't have the ball so the runner actually sees home plate and his thought is, slide," said Bench, who has undergone hip replacements on both legs in the past seven years after a 17-year career that ended in 1983. "But Buster is laying in front of home plate, and it's like having a disabled car in the middle of a four-lane highway. You're just going to get smacked."

Posey has said he felt Cousins could have slid around him but also said it was a legal play.

"Show them the plate," Bench said. "You can always catch the ball and step, or step and catch the ball, as long as you've got the runner on the ground. And if you have the runner on the ground, there's less chance of any severe collision."

Posey meanwhile has commented on the death threats being recieved by Scott Cousins.

"I appreciate the continued support of Giants fans and others as I begin the process of working my way back," Posey said in the release. "But in no way do I condone threats of any kind against Scott Cousins or his family.

"As I said last week, I'm not out to vilify Scott," the statement reads. "I appreciate that he made the effort to reach out to me on the night of the play, but I was in no physical condition to talk to anyone. I have not been back with the team since that night, so I haven't even been aware of any other messages he's left for me. We all need to move on, so it isn't necessary to have a conversation with him at this point."

It is nice that he released a statement but I think it would be nice that he actually had a conversation.

Friday Round-up

The Orthodox Union's Nathan Diament wrote an op-ed in JTA that appeared on Yom Yerushalayim. The focus is on that this is the time for asserting the need for Jerusalem to be united. This is only an excerpt:

As we mark 44 years of a reunited Jerusalem this week, we should appreciate the centrality of Jerusalem to Jewish identity.

This is why most Israelis and American Jews consistently reject the idea that Israel surrender swaths of the holy city as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians.

Jerusalem has been a touchstone of our identity throughout our history, and our contemporary experience gives Jerusalem a central place in our faith today.

From the religious perspective, when Jews pray, we face toward Jerusalem -- and the Temple Mount in particular -- no matter where we are in the world. We pray each day for the welfare of Jerusalem, and we conclude our most sacred services, the Passover seder and Neilah on Yom Kippur, with the pledge and prayer, “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Historically, we regularly read biblical accounts of our forefathers and mothers that take place in and around Jerusalem. King David made the city his capital 3,000 years ago, and it has been the national capital of the Jewish people -- and no other nation -- ever since.

Only brute force has kept us out. Such was the case, we must still recall, from 1948 to 1967, when Jews were barred entry to the Old City and denied worship at the Western Wall during the time that the West Bank was controlled by Jordan.

Since Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967, the city has been open to all. As noted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his recent address to Congress, “Only a democratic Israel has protected freedom of worship for all faiths."

Moreover, reunification has enabled Jerusalem to flourish economically and culturally. While it is a poorer city than Tel Aviv, Jerusalem has a vibrant tourist trade, entrepreneurial businesses and first-rate theater and museums.

In other news, the State Department announced that America will not be associated with the upcoming Durban conference in September.

In a letter to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Joseph Macmanus, acting assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, confirmed that the United States would not attend the conference, which in its previous iterations has been a forum for anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric. JTA obtained a copy of the letter.

In November, the United States voted against a U.N. resolution to establish the conference. The following month, Gillibrand led a coalition of 18 senators in signing a letter to the American ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, urging the U.S. not to participate in the conference, scheduled for Sept. 21 in New York.

The Durban III conference is meant to mark the 10-year anniversary of the U.N.'s World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, during which the delegations from the United States and Israel walked out in protest as the tenor turned increasingly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.

David Shasha looks at both Paul Simon and Bob Dylan in The Forward as both legendary musicians turn 70 this year. I'm a fan of both. That goes without saying, of course.

In a recent interview in Rolling Stone magazine Paul Simon remarked that he was miffed by comparisons between him and Bob Dylan:

“He’s telling you the truth and making fun of you at the same time. I sound sincere every time. Rock and roll has a lot to do with image. If that’s not your strength, people find fault with the work.”

This short quotation gets to the crux of a perennial battle between two titans of American music. Dylan remains the central figure among serious rock intellectuals. His sometimes impenetrable and always cryptic work is seen as having a heft and cultural cachet often denied to Simon, whose songs communicate directly to the listener. But, while Dylan seems to scoff at confession and musicology, Simon has worn his heart on his sleeve and taken seriously his musical craft.

In the issue of Rolling Stone dedicated to Dylan’s 70th birthday, a list of his 70 greatest songs is presented, with his signature song, “Like a Rolling Stone,” leading the parade. The difference between Dylan’s most praised songs and those of Simon rests in the profoundly divergent approaches each deploys in dealing with the human condition. Dylan mythologizes, goes meta-critical, while Simon — even in his new CD, “So Beautiful or So What” — makes everything personal and anecdotal. For Simon, “I” refers to Paul Simon the songwriter or similar personae; for Dylan “I,” where it appears, refers to the spirit of the time.[...]

Simon is a quintessential New York Jew whose compassionate humanity is the very core of his being. While Simon’s simplicity and pathos are often dismissed, his liberal humanism has aged extremely well by comparison with the values of other artists. Dylan, for example, has continued into self-mythology or, with his recent Christmas album, self-parody.

Dylan and Simon are both transcendent cultural figures, but earnest Simon has not allowed himself to lose his empathy. Both are compelling writers who entertain as they teach. They are the last two of this generation of songwriters and we should not take them for granted. Bob Dylan is a man on a never-ending mission. Paul Simon is a man bent on achieving redemption and on sharing with audiences his personal struggles to illuminate profound questions of life and living.

What a comeback!

Dallas just ran over Miami in the final 6 minutes of regulation. Dirk Nowitzki is one of the most clutch players that you will find playing in the NBA right now. Through his playmaking skills, Dallas went on a lengthy run and took advantage of Miami's errors.

It's an epic win. As Mike Breen said, it's one of the greatest comebacks in NBA finals history.

Lee Smith

This has been sitting in my email for a few days but it's worth posting. Lee Smith ought to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Until his record was broken by Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith held the record for most saves. As such, if the Hall of Fame writers allow players like Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage in the Hall, they ought to make room for Lee Smith, too.

Many baseball observers believe Lee Smith belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Smith hopes that belief someday translates into his own plaque in the Cooperstown, N.Y., shrine.

"I surely hope we get that," said Smith, who threw out the first pitch and signed autographs at the Corn Crib Saturday. "It was good to see Bert Blyleven (elected). I hope he gets out of the way and helps me get some of the votes.

"But to actually be thought of in the same breath with some of those guys, Fergie Jenkins and a good friend of mine Harmon Killebrew, is really a good feeling."

Smith ranks third on baseball's career saves list with 478. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched from 1980 to ‘97 including stints of eight years with the Chicago Cubs, three years with the Boston Red Sox and four years with the St. Louis Cardinals.[...]

Currently working as a roving pitching instructor in the San Francisco Giants farm system, Smith said he enjoyed his time in Chicago and St. Louis but has to root for the Cubs when the heated rivals meet.

"I've got a couple guys on that coaching staff who are my buddies, Bobby Dernier and Ivan DeJesus," said Smith. "But in my heart, I've always been a Cardinal fan. I love the city and who wouldn't want to pitch in St. Louis in that era?

"You've got the big ballpark and Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee behind you. And the city itself is baseball knowledgeable. I have a lot of love for both of those cities."

Similarly, Marvin Miller should be in the Hall of Fame as well. The only reason I thought of his importance is that I watched Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story earlier this evening. Take out his leadership of the Players' Association and free agency would be a completely different animal altogether in this day and age. Sandy Koufax, before retiring, threw his support behind Miller.