Baseball Still Gets the Hall of Fame Right

There isn't much going on today. The Giants are off to DC to meet President Obama. The NFL will end the lockout today but I have zero interest in that story. The Colonel is working on a case so he won't be around for a couple of days. So I'm going to make this a short post about the baseball hall of fame. 

There are a lot of things baseball gets wrong. In my opinion, they still get their hall of fame right. Yesterday the baseball hall of fame inducted the newest members in their hall. And as always, there's just something really cool about the induction day and hall of fame itself.

There's just something cool about the baseball hall of fame that I don't think the other hall of fames can touch. Maybe it's the setting? Maybe it's the fact there isn't anyone who introduces the newest members into the hall so the ceremony itself concludes in a reasonable time. (The NFL hall of fame actually put a time limit for the people who introduce the newest members into the hall because Marty Schottenheimer rambled on forever during Derrick Thomas' induction.) Or maybe it's the fact that the baseball hall of fame still feels like it matters.

The football and basketball hall of fames usually have big classes each year entering the hall and some of those players you have to ask yourselves "are those guys really hall of famers?" You only get that feeling with baseball every once in a while. Baseball usually has small induction classes and the men entering the hall are pretty much sure fire hall of famers. That's why you see fringe guys like Jack Morris and Lee Smith always on the outside, looking in. The baseball hall of fame only inducts players who are truly worthy.

I'll just end this post before I keep rambling on. The baseball hall of fame is still cool to me. The hall of fame is on my bucket list of places to visit before I die.

The Links

Mrs. Tom Brady to start the mourning.... An MMA fighter brings Mark Buehrle good luck.... How's that Marian Hossa signing working for Chicago?..... More proof that Obama is an idiot.... And how's that whole health care plan going?..... Michael Jackson murdered?..... This women is quite tall.... Florida town fires city manager after finding out he is married to a porn star..... ESPN went cheap for the LeBron dunk tape.... Fox made the right decision in not showing Obama press conference..... NASA has seen failures and success since Apollo 11

The media debates: Did we really know whether or not Tim Tebow is a virgin (The Big Lead)

Mark this down as it could only happen in New Jersey: A 10-year-old boy robs an 11-year-old boy at gunpoint (NJ.com)

Find the typo (Awful Announcing)

Mark Cuban vs. Don Nelson, Round 5 (Dallas Mourning News)

The NFL Draft will take three days starting next year (USA Today)

A former MLB player is Texas' worst deadbeat dad (San Antonio Express-News)

ESPN rarely exercises caution, why now? (Real Clear Sports)

No one was like Rickey Henderson (SF Chronicle)

Jayson Werth was kind of nerdy looking early in his life (Sports Hernia)

Ouch (Don Chavez)

A classic clip of Hulk Hogan on the Arsenio Hall Show talking about his horrible movie 'No Holds Barred'

The Links

Mila Kunis.... It's about time Obama uses his brain, regarding the detainee photos-he doesn't know what risk he puts our troops in if he did release them..... Bye, Bye Shanna Moekler.... Capitals fall apart in game 7 against the Penguins.... The Nuggets are headed to the Conference Finals

Eagles and Sheldon Brown finally meet (PFT)

Typical Boston fans, panicking already (Mass Hysteria)

Aussie Rugby has an orgy problem (With Leather)

Saving the NHL (The Big Picture)

Elijah Dukes is easily rattled (Bay Area Sports Guy)

That-a-boy Jon Stewart (The National Conversation)

A look at Pablo Sandoval (SF Chronicle)

A Hall of Fame for fans? (LA Times)

Pete Rose says A-Roid shouldn't be cheated out of the hall of fame (Daily News)

Nuggets fans have been looking forward to the Nuggets advancing for a long time (Denver Post)

Rickey Thinks Rickey is the Greatest Ever

Today the writers spoke and Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This is significant for two reasons. Rice was finally elected to the hall on his last chance on the ballot. Also the hall elected one of the biggest misogynist in the world.

Think about what Henderson's induction speech will sound like. I can just here Henderson now speaking in the third person, and this is what it might sound like:

- Rickey is the greatest player ever.

- Rickey is the greatest hitter ever.

- Rickey looks good up here doesn't he?

- Rickey doesn't take a back seat to anyone.

These could all be possible subjects Henderson talks about.

I remember a great story Tony Gwynn once told on the Jim Rome Show about Henderson. While they were teammates with the San Diego Padres, Henderson was offered a seat anywhere on the bus because he has tenure.

And Rickey quickly responded with this gem, "Ten years? What are you talking about? Rickey got 16, 17 years."

Then there is the great story of Henderson being so proud of a $1 million dollar check he framed the entire check, thus losing the interest on it.

These are just some of the great stories about Rickey Henderson, and I hope he talks about them all.

Until then, congratulations to both Henderson and Rice.