What type of Baseball Hall of Fame is it going to be in the future?

For a number of reasons, maybe it is time for MLB to re-examine how the vote for membership into the baseball Hall of Fame is handled.

Aside from the inherent conflict of interest, there is increasing evidence of overt and covert biases among the writers that may allow "undeserving" players to get in anyway where "undeserving" is simply defined as merit.
(see the Beyondtheboxscore story featured below - great work!!)

So now where do you go if you are the Hall of Fame relying on baseball writers to be the final arbiters of what the Hall of Fame represents?

It's certainly not a Hall of Merit as much as a Hall of Paybacks in some areas.

It's clearly not a Hall of Saints in many areas, cited here and elsewhere on numerous occasions.

So which is it going to be going forward?

It seems to me that the Baseball Museum which tells the History of Baseball Warts and All should be the approach taken going forward.

The other two approaches leave you appearing like Madonna defending her virtue.

A big, fat joke.


from Baseball America:
BaseballAmerica.com: Majors: Tracy Ringolsby: Hall Vote Hurts Everyone:

Steroids have become such a lightning rod for members of the media. Could it be, in part, because there is a guilty feeling on the part of so many of the writers for ignoring the impact of steroid usage at the time, and then having the problem exposed publicly, including in Congressional hearings?

 Think about it. For all the complaints about steroids, the BBWAA voters never seemed to have any concerns about segregation. They elected players who have been arrested on drug charges and some who were implicated in the cocaine scandal of 30 years ago. They didn't bat an eye about supporting pitchers who doctored baseballs.

 With steroids, however, the masses seem to have suddenly found religion.

The fact that Clemens and Bonds did receive support from more than a third of the voters bodes well for them long-term, and it underscores that voters are more willing to recognize their accomplishments than others also stained by steroids.

Sammy Sosa, also a first-time candidate, was on only 12.5 percent of the ballots. Mark McGwire was on 16.9 percent of the ballots, his weakest support in his seven years on the ballot, and Rafael Palmeiro only 8.8 percent, his lowest total in three years on the ballot.

The question that only time will answer is whether those who wanted to make a statement about suspected steroid users this year will ease their stance over time, and eventually reward the likes of Clemens and Bonds for what they accomplished on the field.

'via Blog this'

from beyondtheboxscore.com
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2013/1/10/3857368/2013-baseball-hall-of-fame-vote-how-much-do-bbwaas-secret-ballots

Two years ago, as I was was looking through some Hall of Fame vote trackers, I stumbled upon something curious: the totals from the publicly released ballots didn't match up with the final results. I thought this warranted further investigation, so I crunched some numbers and found that there were indeed some major discrepancies in the voting—specifically, that public voters were more likely to check the boxes for better Cooperstown candidates and less likely to support questionable picks than their more secretive peers.

.......

We've now established two facts about the 2013 BBWAA Hall of Fame vote:

1. Several candidates for Cooperstown were judged differently by those who kept their ballots secret than by those who made their votes public.
2. A significant amount (perhaps more than half) of a player's vote discrepancy between the two groups can be explained by how worthy he is of the Hall of Fame.

Let me pause for a moment to say that what follows is not a blanket statement that applies to every Hall of Fame voter. At the time of this study were 467 writers who did not allow the BBWAA to release their ballots, and for any individual voter I do not assume to know why he or she did not release his ballot (I should again mention that the BBWAA's list does not seem to be complete), or why he or she voted for whomever he or she voted for, or how responsibly he or she takes his or her duty. This is not targeted at any specific person and I would like to apologize in advance to any BBWAA voter to whom the following statement does not apply.

That being said, there is a third fact staring us in the face that is the logical conclusion of the first two:

• The BBWAA's use of secret ballots leads writers to vote for undeserving players and to snub worthy candidates when they would not be able to defend such selections publicly.

Report: Yankees look to void A-Rod's deal after latest PED charge - Yahoo! Sports

This will do more to slow down the use of PED's in baseball than drug testing could ever do. Remove the monetary incentive and the behavior will follow.

Report: Yankees look to void A-Rod's deal after latest PED charge - Yahoo! Sports:

With Alex Rodriguez facing new allegations related to performance-enhancing drugs, the New York Yankees are mulling ways to void the remainder of his massive contract, ESPNNewYork.com reported.

'via Blog this'

Random Mass Shootings, Gun Control and Mental Illness

This sign is symptomatic of the problem. We would love to be able to say all of the above are true, but it's not as easy as making a sign or a law saying something is so and then sleeping well at night believing that what the sign or law says reflects the realities of life. The fact is if you go to almost any school in the land that has one of these signs, you want have to look very hard or far to find out that what is posted just isn't so.

That's the easy part, identifying the problem. Next step, FIXING IT!!

I agree with this Newtown Dad speaking out when he says the answers "appear" to be so deceptively easy on the surface. But we make them complex by our failure to, first and foremost, take a long, hard look in the mirror and realize that some of the "answers" we thought we had right before in our culture, are increasingly found to be "dead wrong". And I don't use that phrase frivolously in this context.

We continue down the path of denial at our own continuing risk.

Newtown Father Speaks out on Gun Laws

from freedomoutpost.com
http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/01/father-of-slain-6-year-old-sandy-hook-victim-gun-laws-are-not-the-problem/

In an emotional testimony, Mattioli said that more gun laws would not solve the problem and that politicians who try and proclaim that the issue is “complex.” He believes there is simply a lack of civility and that “what we are seeing are symptoms of a bigger problem. This is a symptom. The problem is not gun laws. The problem is a lack of civility.”

“We need civility,” he said. “We need common decency to prevail.”

Given the cultural differences of city vs. suburbs vs. rural living - One size fits all approach does not work

The culture is really the culprit here. 

The entire culture, not just the gun culture.  

Society at-large is increasingly going crazy. 

Mental Illness is much more widespread than recognized.

Much of what passes as normal today is just bat-poop crazy.

The overall homicide rate in the US peaked between 1975-1990 at just over 10 per 100K population.

In recent years,  it has decreased to between 5.5 - 6 per 100K. 

Overall violent crime has also fallen significantly during the time period.

Perhaps incarcerating many of the so-called "rational" criminals (gang members and career criminals) we are somehow missing the random crazies that walk among us until they perpetrate crimes like Columbine or VA Tech.

We need practical discussions about practical solutions. 

The drop in US violent crime is generally attributed to massive incarceration. 

The US already incarcerates a larger % of its population than any other advanced nation on earth. 

We used to institutionalize the mentally ill as well. But now we leave them primarily alone in the community, where they eventually become homeless or a danger to themselves or to others.

Deinstitutionalization - One size approach does not work

The consistent pattern since the 1960's with random mass shootings is mental illness. 

The phenomena of mass random shootings had its beginnings in the 1960s. 

It was as a result of one of the worst public policy ideas of the decade -- mass deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill population. 

Kennedy began the movement, Carter picked up the ball and carried it over the goal line. 

This led to the modern homelessness problem. 

In the 1980's, we all asked where the homeless were coming from and the answer was "Must be Reagonomics!" 

Now we know better. 

In the upper-middle class suburbs -- seemingly far removed from the inner city and the violence of drug wars and gangs -- it led to the phenomenon of random mass shootings. 

This problem seemingly didn't exist before the 60's -- at least not in magnitude -- because it was accepted that crazy people were to be under psychiatric supervision. Gun legislation was weaker then by comparison. 

De-institutionalization was a great idea, in theory. In practice not so much. 

The problem was that there were no real comprehensive plans for "support" in how to effectively serve people coming from institutions to the communities.

Budgets for mental health programs have been subject to the vulgarities of the budgeting process.  

Treating Mental Illness - One size fits all approach does not work

The mentally ill are now passed along from homeless shelters to halfway houses to local prisons for sporadic treatment at best. 

If they're on their medications, they're manageable, if not....

Part of the problem is that treating illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorders are fairly manageable in the community only if those people are in group homes, and they are closely monitored to take their medication and receive clinical support.

 If people with severe mental disorders are not closely monitored in professional settings, they often don't take their medications and their conditions deteriorate to a point where they become a danger to themselves or others. 

People with less severe mental disorders -- what would have been classified as neuroses in the past -- seem to do well without closer monitoring. 

So some have benefited from the process of deinstitutionlization, but clearly some have not. 

School have become drug-free zones, except to handle "behavioral issues"

We have turned disciplinary issues in the schools over to Big Pharma and the psychiatrists. 

Kids are calmed down with meds instead of detention or clapping erasers or any one of a number of methods used in the past to burn off excess energy and hyper-activity that kids inherently possess.

We bought into the "better living through chemistry" approach.

There is no "magic pill" to deal with the vagaries of growing up.  

The Universal Background Check Problem - One size fits all approach does not work

It is difficult to predict behavior.  If a given behavior has never manifested itself before, it is anyone's guess whether it will ever manifest itself. 

In terms of behavior, if something happens once, it's more likely to happen again within the context of a given individual's life. 

Unfortunately, the "once" may be so dangerous and tragic that society can not risk it happening a second time. 

So the question becomes, how do we balance public safety with the fundamental rights of the individual without treating innocent people unfairly. 

You certainly cannot punish someone on the basis of what they might do

You also cannot punish an entire class of people on the basis of the actions of a minority of people withing that class.

 That's the definition of prejudice and stereotypes.

We don't have effective treatments for serious mental illness, but at least we can detect seriously disturbed people earlier and put them under supervision or keep them out of general population without stigmatizing. 

Discussing options like that might offer practical solutions.

Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction:

Overview of Policies and Programs in Canada

Report 1

http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/381/soci/rep/report1/repintnov04vol1part3-e.htm

CHAPTER 7:

Mental Health Service Delivery And Addiction Treatment In Canada: An Historical Perspective

INTRODUCTION

The history of mental health services and addiction treatment in Canada parallels the European and American experience.  The delivery of mental health services has, for the most part, evolved differently from the provision of addiction treatment throughout the last century.  This has led to the emergence of two distinct systems of care and support – one for individuals with mental illness and another for individuals suffering from addiction.  It is only during the last decade that efforts have been encouraged to better integrate the two systems.

The mental health service system and the addiction treatment system have struggled to provide the most compassionate and responsive treatment possible, but both have been dogged by the problem of stigma which had a negative impact on their development.  Arising out of widespread misunderstanding and broad misconceptions, individuals with mental illness were often labelled as “idiots”, “imbeciles” and “lunatics”, while addiction problems were perceived as a sign of personal weakness.  In some cases, a punitive attitude, exemplified by a desire to remove individuals with mental illness and addiction from public sight, has hampered the delivery of appropriate services.  Despite many advances in models of care, policies and legislation, negative perception and stigma still persist today (see Chapter 3, above).

Quote of the Day

" Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." - Will Rogers

 H/T to NASO - National Association of Sports Officials. 

When TRUTH is spoken BY a politician... That is news!!!!

POWERFUL: Belgian MP Exposes War on Terror Lie and 9/11 False Flag

This simply has to go viral. 13:45 worth of TRUTH from a politician. BRAVO!! 
Crude language alert - Sadly, it adds rather than detracts from the message.

This guy put into words the feelings I have almost every day when I read the news. He must be the Ron Paul of Belgium or Europe.

Sad to read, although not surprising, that he is considered to be un-popular. QUELLE SURPRISE MON AMI!!!

H/T to Activist Post: http://www.activistpost.com/2013/01/powerful-belgian-mp-exposes-war-on.html

Belgian MP LAURENT LOUIS stands against war in Mali and exposes the international neo-colonial plot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WkzXTgslFNE

Published on Jan 22, 2013CLICK ON THE SUBTITLE ICON for the TRANSLATION in ENGLISH. 

Belgian MP LAURENT LOUIS stands against war in Mali and exposes the international neo-colonial plot at the Belgian Parliament. 

On January the 17th, 32 years old Belgiam MP Laurent Louis, the most controversial and demonized national political figure ever, explained why he voted against the belgian support to war in Mali. Meanwhile, he expressed his disgust and wrath against the criminal foreign policies of the belgian elite and its submission to foreign financial and interests groups. For the first time at the Belgiam Parliament, he evokes that 9/11 was made up and says what no one before him has never dared to speak out!

Please share this exceptional moment of truth. There were other interventions as powerful from that man regarding the necessity to re-open the DUTROUX CASE, since he has been confronted to official pictures of the pedophile's little victims that dramatically contradicted the official version of the cause of their death. 

I'll translate his intervention on that subject within the next days because too many dark secrets are poisoning our democracies, and because it seems like in the heart of EUROPE, dark secrets have become a raw material. 

Thank's for sharing. This man needs and deserve our support.

TRANSCRIPT (translated): 

0:01

Thank you, Mr President.

0:03

Dear Ministers, dear Colleagues.

0:06

Belgium is indeed the land of surrealism.

0:08

This morning we learned in the media that the Belgian army is incapable

0:12

of fighting some extremist soldiers having radical Islamist beliefs

0:17

existing within its own ranks and who can not be dismissed

0:21

by lack of legal means. However, at the same time,

0:26

we decide to help France in its war against "Terror"

0:31

by providing logistical support for its operation in Mali.

0:36

What wouldn't we do in order to fight against terrorism outside our borders?

0:42

I just hope we took care not to send for this anti-terrorist operation,

0:47

in Mali, these much talked about Belgian Islamists soldiers!

0:53

I seem to be joking, but what is going on in the world today does not make me laugh at all.

0:59

It doesn't make me laugh, because without any doubt,

1:02

the leaders of our Western countries

1:04

are taking the peoples for imbeciles

1:07

with the help and support of the Media

1:09

which are nothing more today than an organ of propaganda of the ruling powers.

1:14

Around the world, military actions

1:19

and regime's destabilization are becoming more and more frequent.

1:22

Preventive war has become the rule.

1:25

And today, in the name of democracy and the fight against terrorism,

1:29

our states grant themselves the right to violate the sovereignty of independent countries

1:34

and to overthrow legitimate leaders.

1:36

There has been Iraq and Afghanistan, the wars of the American lie.

1:41

Came later, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, where

1:44

thanks to your decisions, our country has been "first in line"

1:49

to participate in crimes against humanity, in each case to overthrow

1:54

progressive and moderated regimes

1:56

and to replace them by Islamist regimes,

2:00

and - isn't it weird ? -

2:02

their 1st will was to impose Sharia law.

2:04

This is exactly what is currently happening in Syria

2:07

where Belgium is shamefully funding the arming of the Islamist rebels

2:12

who are trying to overthrow Bashar Al Assad.

2:15

Thus, in the midst of economic crisis,

2:18

as more and more Belgians can no longer house themselves,

2:21

feed, heat and cure themselves

2:23

- Yeah, I can hear what a filthy populist I am -

2:26

well, the Minister of Foreign Affairs decided

2:30

to offer the Syrian rebels 9 million euros!

2:33

Of course, they'll try to make us believe that this money will

2:37

be used for humanitarian purposes ... one more lie!

2:40

And as you can see, for months, our country is only participating

2:44

to put in place, Islamic regimes in North Africa and the Middle East.

2:49

So, when they come and pretend to go to war

2:52

in order to fight against terrorism in Mali, well... I feel like to laugh.

2:56

It's false! Under the appearance of good actions,

2:58

we only intervene to defend financial interests

3:02

in a complete neo-colonialist mindset.

3:06

It's a real nonsense

3:08

to go to help France in Mali in the name of the fight against islamic terrorism

3:13

when at the same time, we support in Syria

3:16

the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by Islamist rebels

3:19

who want to impose Sharia Law, as was done in Tunisia and in Libya

3:24

It is about time to stop lying to us and treating people like imbeciles

3:28

The time has come to tell the truth.

3:33

Arming the Islamist Rebels, as Westeners have, in the past

3:37

armed Bin Laden, that friend of the Americans before they turned against him,

3:42

well, the western countries are taking the opportunity

3:45

to place military bases in the newly conquered countries

3:49

while favoring domestic companies.

3:52

Everything is therefore strategic.

3:55

In Iraq, our American allies,

3:58

have put their hands on the country's oil wealth.

4:01

In Afghanistan, it was its opium and drugs

4:05

always useful when it comes to make lots of money pretty quickly.

4:10

In Libya, in Tunisia, in Egypt, or then again in Syria,

4:15

the aim was and is still today

4:18

to overthrow moderate powers,

4:20

to replace them by Islamist powers who very quickly,

4:23

will become troublesome and that we will shamelessly attack

4:28

pretending once again,

4:30

to fight terrorism or protect Israel.

4:34

Thus, the next targets are already known.

4:37

Within a few months, I bet that

4:40

our eyes will turn to Algeria

4:42

and eventually to Iran.

4:46

To go to war, to free people from an outside aggressor, is noble

4:52

But go to war to defend the interests of the USA,

4:55

To go to war to defend the interests of big companies such as AREVA,

5:00

go to war to put our hands on gold mines,

5:03

has nothing noble at all and it reveals our countries to be attackers and thugs!

5:09

No one dares to speak, but I will not shut up!

5:12

and if my battle makes me look like an enemy of this system who flaunts

5:18

the Human Rights in the name of financial, geo-strategic

5:21

and neo-colonialist interests, so be it!

5:26

Flaunting and exposing this regime is a duty and makes me proud

5:31

And honestly, I apology for my low class speech, but

5:36

fuck you all, the so-called do-gooders,

5:38

both left and right wingers or from the center

5:41

who are today licking the boots of our corrupted powers

5:45

and who will be pleased to ridicule me.

5:48

Fuck you all, leaders who are playing with your bombs

5:51

as kids do in a playground!

5:53

Fuck you, you who pretend to be democrates

5:56

while you are nothing more than low class criminals.

5:59

I don't have much respect neither for the journalists

6:02

who have the audacity to label the opponents as mentally retarded

6:06

while basically, they know very well that these opponents are right.

6:12

Finaly, I despise, at the highest point,

6:15

those who believe they are the kings of the world

6:17

and who are dictating their laws, because I AM on the side of truth,

6:21

the side of justice, the side of the innocent victims of looting at all cost.

6:28

And it is for this reason that I have decided to clearly oppose this resolution

6:34

that is sending our country to support France in its neo-colonialis operation.

6:38

Since the beginning of the French operation, the lie is organized.

6:43

We are told that France is only answering the call for help of a Malian president.

6:49

We almost forget that this president has no legitimacy

6:55

and that he was put in place to ensure the transition following the coup of March 2012.

7:01

Who supported this coup d'état? Who started it?

7:04

For who is this president of transition actually working?

7:07

This is the first lie!

7:10

The French president, François Hollande dares to pretend to wage this war

7:15

to fight against the jihadists who threaten (ohhhh do you realize!)

7:21

who threaten the French and European territory! But what an ugly lie!

7:24

By taking this official argument, while taking the opportunity

7:28

to frighten the population

7:30

increasing the terror allert level,

7:34

implementing the Vigipirate plan

7:36

our leaders and media are demonstrating an un-imaginable outrage!

7:43

How dare they use such a point while

7:46

France and Belgium have not hesitated to arm and support Jihadists in Libya

7:52

and that these same countries continue to support these jihadists in Syria.

7:58

This pretext hides strategic and economic purposes.

8:02

Our countries are no longer fearing inconsistency because everything is done to hide it.

8:07

But the inconsistency is well present.

8:10

It is not tomorrow that you'll see a Malian citizen commit a act of terrorism in Europe.

8:15

No! Unless we'll suddenly create one

8:19

so we can justify this military operation.

8:22

Haven't we created september 11th, after all,

8:25

to justifiy the invasions, arbitrary arrest, torture

8:28

and massacre of innocent populations?

8:30

Thus, create a Malian terrorist is no big deal!

8:33

It must not be very complicated for our bloodthirsty leaders.

8:37

Another pretext used these recent months to justify military operations,

8:42

is the protection of human rights.

8:44

Ah! This pretext is still used today to justify the war in Mali.

8:49

But yes! We have to act, otherwise the evil Islamists

8:55

will impose Sharia law in Mali, stoning women and cutting the thugs' hands off.

9:00

Oh! The intention is truly noble.

9:03

Noble and salutary for sure.

9:05

But then why is it, Good Lord, why is it that

9:09

our countries have contributed in Tunisia and Libya to the accession to power of Islamists

9:15

who have decided to apply this Sharia Law in these countries which were still

9:19

not so long ago, modern and progressive?

9:22

I invite you to ask the young Tunisians

9:25

who have launched the revolution in Tunisia,

9:28

if they are happy with their current situation? This is all hypocrisy.

9:33

The purpose of this war in Mali is very clear.

9:37

And since no one talks about it, I WILL.

9:39

The purpose is to fight against China

9:43

and allow our American ally to maintain its presence in Africa and the Middle East.

9:48

This is what guides these neo-colonialists operations.

9:51

And you will see, when the military operation will be over,

9:54

France will, of course, keep its military bases in Mali.

9:59

These bases will be a benefit to the Americans as well.

10:02

And at the same time, as has always been the case,

10:05

Western corporates will put their hands on juicy contracts

10:10

that will once again deprive re-colonized countries of their wealth and raw materials.

10:17

So let's be clear,

10:20

the primary beneficiaries of this military operation,

10:22

will be the owners and shareholders of the French giant AREVA

10:27

who has been trying for years to obtain a uranium mine in Falea,

10:33

a town of 17,000 inhabitants located at 350 km from Bamako.

10:38

And I don't know why, but my little finger is telling me

10:41

that it won't take long before AREVA will eventually exploit that mine!

10:47

I don't know, it's an impression I have.

10:50

It is therefore out of question that I would take part to this mining colonialism,

10:54

that modern times colonialism.

10:56

And for those who doubt about my arguments,

10:59

I sincerely invite them

11:01

to learn about the wealth of Mali.

11:04

Mali is a major producer of gold, but recently it has been designated

11:08

- recently, eh....- as being a country that offers a world-class environment

11:13

for the exploitation of uranium. How strange!

11:16

One step closer to a war against Iran, it is obvious.

11:22

For all these reasons

11:25

and in order to not fall into the traps of lies they are tending us,

11:28

I've decided not to give my support to that intervention in Mali.

11:31

Therefore, I will vote against it.

11:32

And by doing so, I'm being consistent

11:35

since, I never supported in the past our criminal interventions in Libya

11:40

or in Syria, and so being the only MP in this country

11:44

to defend the non-interference and the fight against obscure interests.

11:49

I really think it is about time to put an end

11:51

to our participation to the UN or NATO and get out of the EU

11:55

if Europe, instead of providing peace

11:59

becomes a weapon of attack and destabilization of sovereign countries

12:04

submissive to financial rather than human interests

12:08

Finally, I can only urge our government

12:11

to remind the President Hollande

12:14

the obligations resulting from the Geneva Conventions

12:16

regarding the respect of prisoners of war.

12:19

Indeed, I was shocked to hear on television

12:22

from the mouth of the French President that his intention was to "destroy"

12:27

- I say "destroy" - Islamist terrorists.

12:31

So, I do not want the qualification to be used to name the opponents to the Malian regime

12:37

- it is always convenient today to talk about Islamic terrorists-

12:41

to be used to circumvent the obligations of any democratic state

12:47

in terms of respecting the rights of prisoners of war.

12:50

We expect such a respect from the Fatherland of Human Rights.

12:53

In conclusion, Let me emphasize

12:59

how lightly we decide to go to war

13:03

First, the government acts without any consent from the Parliament.

13:07

It appears that it has the right to.

13:08

It sends equipment, men to Mali

13:11

The Parliament subsequently reacts and when it responds, as today,

13:16

well, this institution happens to be composed of only 1/3 of its members.

13:21

Much less if we speak of the French speaking MP's.

13:24

It is therefore a guilty lightness

13:28

which does not really surprises me,

13:30

coming from a Parliament of puppies,

13:32

submitted to the dictates of political parties. Thank you. (Translation: Geraldine Feuillien)