Complaint Dept. Opens Early on Hall of Fame Voting

January 8, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Midweek musings: Anticipation can be a wonderful thing. Except perhaps when it isn’t. Baseball’s Hall of Fame is to announce its newest inductees Wednesday (well, assuming there are any, as opposed to 2013 when no players were selected). As the buildup was playing out, there was outcry about Greg Maddux, who toiled primarily for the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. The voter said he would not check off any player from the steroids era. OK, so that’s his position, as unpopular as it might be with some folks, especially Cubs fans. So Maddux is not going to be a unanimous choice. He is, however, going to get in. If Maddux fails to make it into Cooperstown, then there can be legitimate whining. But somehow some people need a unanimous vote to be satisfied? Babe Ruth – and everyone else in the Hall of Fame — failed to receive 100 percent. So, please, let’s have a little perspective.

Among the contestants on the current “The Bachelor” show on ABC is this lovely seen in a photo from 2012. That’s about all we know about the show.

* Speaking of perspective, it might be wise not to read too much into the Chicago Bulls’ first game since trading Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls beat the visiting Phoenix Suns 92-87. The Bulls also played without forward Carlos Boozer, who sat out because of a knee injury might not be around next season. So the Bulls win with a starting lineup of Taj Gibson and Mike Dunleavy at forward, Joakim Noah at center and Kirk Hinrich and Jimmy Butler at guard. To expect that lineup to win regularly might be more than unrealistic. But Deng’s departure does appear to mean more playing time for rookie Tony Snell, who hit consecutive three-pointers to key a key Bulls run.

* Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau seems not to be a fan of the Deng trade. In no small part because Thibodeau could depend on Deng to play major minutes. With reports of friction between Thibodeau and the front office having surfaced long ago, the deal provides him with a challenge more than anything approaching reconciliation. “I had to voice my opinion,” Thibodeau said of the Deng deal. And that his opinion didn’t sway management — even if the trade made financial sense for the franchise — isn’t likely to make Thibodeau feel any better.

* Dennis Rodman in North Korea for an exhbition basketball game? As a diplomat, the former Bulls standout is a heckuva good former power forward.

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If today is Wednesday (and the likelihood of that seem reasonably good in that yesterday was Tuesday — well, provided that today is January 8, 2014 or a subsequent Wednesday), then it is almost time for another edition of “Sports & Torts” with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris. The program airs on Thursdays at noon Central.

The first 2014 program features Danni Allen and Bump Elliott as the interview guests. Danni is the Season 14 winner of “The Biggest Loster,” a weight-loss television program on NBC. She opened a yoga studio — one2one — in December in Evanston, Ill. She will talk about her TV experience, her new venture and more on the show. Bump is a former football player, coach and athletic director with deep ties to Michigan and Iowa.

Here is a brief video to provide an idea of what Danni will be discussing:

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Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the earnest efforts of the editorial and video departments at ElliottHarris.com):