- Yesterday was a big day for controversial figures in the world of sports looking to make their return to their respective sports. The biggest name in this trend, as it is every time this guy becomes a topic of discussion, is Pete Rose. Once again, MLB commissioner Bud Selig is said to be "seriously considering" reinstatement for Rose nearly 20 years after the game’s all-time hits leader was banned from baseball for gambling on the sport. Since agreeing to the lifetime ban handed down by then-commissioner Bart Giamatti, Rose has waited through two commissioners for a potential reinstatement. Fay Vincent, who took over as commissioner when Bart Giamatti died eight days after banishing Rose, was never inclined to seriously consider the matter. To hear Vincent, he’s still not a huge fan of Rose. "There is no indication that there's any great support for Pete Rose to get in the Hall of Fame," Vincent said in addressing Selig’s possible consideration of the matter. "If members of the Hall of Fame say we don't want him, you've made a meaningless gesture." Still, Selig has proven before that he’s more open-minded to returning Rose to the game than his predecessor. Five years ago he was on the verge of allowing Rose back into baseball and was prepared to do so if Rose would admit what he had denied for years, that he bet on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds. Rose resisted but ultimately decided that he would confess to gambling – in his book that he had written to make a few bucks off of the apology. When Rose issued that terse, disingenuous apology in literary form, Selig decided that maybe ol’ Pete wasn’t as serious about reinstatement as he thought. The issue went away and stayed quiet – until this weekend, when MLB held its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Several of the current HOF members who attended, including true home run king (sorry Barry Bonds) Hank Aaron, spoke out in favor of Rose’ reinstatement and were reportedly in Selig’s ear about the matter. "I would like to see Pete in," Aaron said. "He belongs there.” Another HOFer, former Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt, has been championing Rose’ reinstatement for years as well. Of course, Vincent is right in pointing out that being reinstated would not guarantee Rose’s entry into the Hall of Fame. If Rose were to become eligible, he would have to be voted into the Hall of Fame by the 65 living members who make up the Veterans Committee. For the first 15 years of eligibility, which begin five years after a player retires, players are voted in on the writers' ballot expires after 15 years. After that, the decision goes to the Veterans Committee. Rose has several friends and former teammates, including Joe Morgan and Frank Robinson, on that committee, but it’s tough to say what would happen if he actually came up for a vote. “I know there are still guys who feel strongly against him," said an unidentified Hall of. "And I don't know if that would change even if Selig clears him.” What I’ve always supported is allowing Rose to be in the Hall of Fame, which his states definitely merit, but not to return to work in baseball in any capacity. The last time this issue came up, Rose was reportedly opposed to that idea and wants to be reinstated so he can work in baseball, possibly even managing again. To me, that’s a bad idea and one that I can’t get behind at all……..
- Meanwhile, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has decided that his own league’s lightning rod for controversy, Michael Vick, can come back to the game he has been out of for nearly two years. Vick was freed last week after serving 18 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring and since his release, speculation over when he would be allowed to return to the NFL has been rampant. Vick and Goodell met Wednesday to discuss Vick’s case and today the commissioner issued his ruling. Vick has been granted a conditional reinstatement, which means he Vick can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games -- if he can find a team that will sign him. However, once the regular season begins he will not be allowed to play in games until at least the sixth week of the season. He can still participate in all team activities except games, but Goodell won’t consider him for full reinstatement immediately. This is the latest step in a case that began when Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after Vick admitted bankrolling a dogfighting operation on his property in Virginia. After that, Vick headed off to federal prison in Kansas and was released by the Falcons. His potential return to football has never been far from the sports consciousness, but that’s a double-edged sword. People didn’t forget about him but there is an incredible amount of vitriol and resentment toward him. That includes NFL teams, one of which will have to step up and sign Vick for him to play again. Several teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, a trendy stop for troubled players, have already said publicly that they will not sign Vick. Any team that does sign him will undoubtedly have to deal with all manner of protests and outrage from animal rights groups and animal-loving fans. That team would have to weigh the pros and cons of resigning a Mike Vick who has two years of rust to knock off after being a subpar NFL quarterback prior to his arrest and jail time. As for Vick’s reinstatement, Goodell sent him a letter outlining how the next few weeks will unfold. “I accept that you are sincere when you say that you want to, and will, turn your life around, and that you intend to be a positive role model for others," Goodell said in his letter to Vick. "I am prepared to offer you that opportunity. Whether you succeed is entirely in your hands. Needless to say, your margin for error is extremely limited. I urge you to take full advantage of the resources available to support you and to dedicate yourself to rebuilding your life and your career. If you do this, the NFL will support you." In making his decision, Goodell talked to numerous current and former players and coaches and received responses he described as "very mixed.” Goodell also admitted that he knows some fans and observers will never forgive Vick no matter what he says or does. So as he waits for a team to step up and sign him, what will Vick do? In addition to training and working out, he’s also agreed to counseling. Other than that, it’s a matter of waiting, working and watching………
- Are you ready? Now that the government owns a chunk of the American auto industry and has bailed out the rest of it, the government is looking to jump-start auto sales with its cash-for-clunkers program. As automakers and dealers look out at lots full of cars following months of stagnant sales, this program is a ray of hope. It officially kicked off yesterday after being signed into law in June by President Obama and the cash-for-clunkers program offers $1 billion overall for consumers who agree to trade in their old vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models. The concept is to stimulate sales while also taking cars low in fuel efficiency off the road. Early projections have the potential sales boost provided by the incentive at by about 200,000 units. In addition to the money being offered by the government, car dealers are tacking on their own incentives to sweeten the deal for customers. Chrysler plans to match the federal rebate dollar for dollar and any consumer shopping for a new vehicle will qualify for the program, which offers up to $4,500 for the purchase of an eligible 2009-model-year Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge vehicle. GM is also staging a direct-mail campaign to promote its own version of the program, which offers specific financial incentives in addition to existing incentives ranging up to $4,000 that GM offers on slow-selling models. All of this comes as nearly every car maker sits on a stockpile of cars will above the While 50 to 60 days' supply of cars that’s considered ideal. Chrysler is sitting on a 71-day supply and GM has an 82-day supply even after keeping most of their factories shut since the beginning of May and foreign automakers are faring no better. Suzuki has a 108-day supply, Jaguar dealers are sitting on a 92-day supply, Mitsubishi stands at 84 days and Mazda has 78 days of supply. Consider those numbers and it’s not surprising that auto sales are currently running at less than 10 million units annually — the lowest level in more than three. With the end of the model year approaching and 2010 models set to hit lots in a few weeks, 2009 vehicles will take an even bigger hit in value if they don’t sell soon. Will the cash-for-clunkers program be enough to entice consumers to take on the financial burden of a new car? I’ll say no because extra incentives or not, the government seems to forget that the American people are still struggling financially and whether a new vehicle costs them $20,000 or $16,000, many of them don’t have a hundred extra dollars to spend, let alone thousands of dollars. Thanks for the effort, though, it’s a nice thought………
- Great news everyone! After ratcheting things down a notch for monsoon season, piracy is expected to pick up in the high seas off in the days ahead. My contemporaries at the Combined Maritime Forces are looking to get out ahead of the curve by urging crews to take up safety measures, including using recognized transit corridors and alerting the proper authorities before making their voyage. "The prior preparation and vigilance of merchant mariners at all times of day and night is more important now than ever," said Rear Admiral Caner Bener of the Combined Task Force. Good advice, rear admiral, but here’s some advice for you: You cannot keep the freaking Somali pirates down no matter what. Think about it: an international coalition has been on these guys’ asses for months now and they aren’t backing down. They’re still hijacking ships, demanding and receiving ransoms and doing their pirate-y best to be the scourges of the high seas they’ve always been. Even with international forces made up of more than 30 ships and aircraft from 16 nations patrolling the specifically to stop them, these pirates will marshal their forces and pillage, plunder and loot their way to success. “While our ability to deter and disrupt attacks has improved over time, we are constantly adapting the way we do our business as the pirates adapt and modify their tactics," Bener said. Keep up that false hope, admiral. There’s a reason the waters off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden have gained a reputation as the most dangerous and pirate-inhabited in the world and it’s the same reason that reputation will stay in place. The pirates will continue to capture dozens of vessels and hundreds of hostages, making millions of dollars in ransom demands and drinking their rum, mateys………
- Umm, is this really something newsworthy, People magazine? I know that People is a publication that’s all about celebrity gossip and reporting on the goings on in Hollywood, but that doesn’t explain what the mag is doing reporting on the love life of a reality TV loser who has never done a damn thing to contribute to the world outside of knocking up his former wife to the tune of eight kids. Jon Gosselin is neck and neck with those idiots Heidi and Spencer in the race for milking the most fame out of the least contributed to the world and they’re leading the pack by a wide margin. So watching People breathlessly report on Gosselin’s trip to Saint-Tropez with Hailey Glassman (who?) and a double date in the Hamptons with Kate Major (double who?) is simultaneously hilarious and horrifying to me. But fear not, People has cleared everything up for us! The magazine reports that Gosselin now says he's happily flying solo. "At this point ... I'm single -- per se," he told PEOPLE. “I'm just a regular guy who just wants to have friendship and good times. And I like meeting people.” Wait a minute, I think this idiot just made a salient point. He IS just a regular guy. He’s a regular, f’d up guy with a failed marriage who is in no way, shape or form a viable celebrity and shouldn’t be part of any coverage of celebrities. Just because TLC has nothing better to do with its airtime than slam Gosselin and his dysfunctional family on TV in "Jon & Kate Plus 8” doesn’t mean the rest of us have to pay any attention to him. Whether it’s because people enjoy seeing someone whose life is more screwed up than theirs or just like seeing others’ drama, I don’t know, but this show has gotten a lot more run that it should have. Because you all couldn’t contain yourselves and gave this tool the impression that he really is a celebrity, he’s now cruising around the Hamptons with Lindsay Lohan’s old man Michael, acting like he belongs. So when “Jon & Kate” returns to TLC on August 3, count on me to not be watching……
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