The SoapBoxers

Johnny missed his normal Tuesday article last week as he was vacationing with Mrs. Goodman in the lovely town of Las Vegas Nevada. As surprising as it may be, yours truly ran into none other than Peter Edward Rose at the sports book at the Mirage Hotel and Casino.

Pete was making an appearance somewhere at the Hotel or a nearby hotel doing an autograph session, as I saw a number of folks walking around later that day wearing autographed jerseys and hats or carrying photos. I for one did not bother asking for an autograph from Pete Rose, as I have heard countless stories about him charging for his signature no matter what the venue or occasion, however I did break the ice with him by offering him one of the multitude of my free drink tickets, which he accepted.

We spoke about baseball for a few short minutes – he even mentioned that one of his favorite hitters in the game today is Troy Tulowitzki, and then I was rudely interrupted by an East Coaster who just barged into the conversation like he had known Pete Rose since he was three years old (shocking I know).

Many thoughts crossed my mind in this short time speaking casually to the all-time hit leader of major league baseball. Are you pissed off that you are banned for life? Do you wish you would have admitted you gambled on baseball right out of the gate instead of admitting it years later? Do you miss the limelight that you could have gotten if you would be able to display your Hall of Fame ring wherever you go?

I am sure Pete as some regrets. The saga around his banishment from baseball basically became a grudge match between the Commissioner Bart Giamatti, and Rose when the details of his gambling came out. I still feel strongly that if Pete would have admitted to all his indiscretions right away that the result today would be different. There is no doubt that his credentials or the way he played the game (he is known as Charlie Hustle for cryin’ out loud!) would have been more than enough to get him a guaranteed first ballot vote into the Hall. Some argue that once Pete is gone from the earth, the Commissioner at that time may elect to remove his ban, as it is doubtful that no one has been more hotly debated about getting into Cooperstown, with the possible exception of Shoeless Joe Jackson.

As we move away from the so called “ Steroid Era “ in baseball it will be interesting to see how the likes of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and others are viewed. Baseball writers are a fickle bunch, many having a holier than thou attitude and the thought that they are the gatekeepers of the National Pastime.

This I know for certain, all the baseball issues for Pete Rose are in his past, he still is a person that likes to gamble, and I hope he enjoyed the free drink from Johnny Goodman.

What do you think, readers?  Should Pete be in the Hall of Fame?  What about the guys from the steroid era?

Until next time, Stay classy Cincinnati!

An exciting week in sports this week. I am still resting up from my trip to the Solheim Cup, and I am sure you are all ready to read something other than another golf article, so I will just touch on some golf briefly and move on.

Golf

A real win for the LPGA this week with a win for the United States Team in the Solheim Cup. It might have well spelled a coming out party for Michelle Wie, who along with Paula Creamer were clearly the stars of the US team. Wie went an impressive 3-0-1 in her four matches played. It is too easy to forget she is still very young has it seems like she has already been playing forever.

Sergio Garcia sees another opportunity slip by as he extinguishes a late lead on Sunday in yet another tournament. And what is up with the rugged bearded look Sergio? Go back to the clean shaven Michelob Poster Boy look, it is much better for you and I am sure your many sponsors would agree with that assessment.

Baseball

C.C. Sabathia became the majors first 15 game winner of 2009 as the Yankees continued to dominate over the Boston Red Sox. No love in Beantown right now as the Yanks have built an impressive lead and seem to be firing on all cylinders. The Yankees now have a huge 7 ½ game in the division … just a few months ago it seemed like this was totally out of the question for this year.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Pete Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball. What I have always found fascinating about the Rose lifetime ban is that very few people are on the fence with an opinion. You either think Pete Rose should or should not be in the Hall of Fame. Even current Hall members are on different sides of the issue. There is no disputing however that the all time hit leader has some statistical support in many categories that warrant a spot in Cooperstown, only time will tell if the decision of Bart Giamatti is ever overturned.

Football

Brett Favre is back …. again …. I think I would un-retire for a cool twenty five million dollars over two years. The Vikings have the running game, they have the defense, I am not sure they have the receivers. All the Vikings really need to do is to manage the game offensively. This could be a huge year for Adrian Peterson if he stays healthy.

Latest line from Vegas….over/under for number of times the new “JerryTron” 60 yard long High Definition Jumbo screen gets hit by punts at the new Dallas Cowboy stadium this year….14 ½.

And finally …

The crazy comment of the week:

Lou Holtz makes a bold post season prediction for the BCS Title game. “ I personally believe, if you ask me, ‘Who’s going to play in the national championship game?’ I’d say it’s going to be Florida and the University of Notre Dame. They return 11 starters on offense. They return all three running backs, the two best wide receivers, they have a great defense coming back.”

And to think …. ESPN pays this guy …. wow.

Until next week … Good Luck with your last minute Fantasy Football drafts!