America's (OTHER) Great National Pastime

It's funny how how one topic will be highlighted in a news cycle and before you know it, there are other, similar, stories multiplying like those little brooms under Mickey's axe in the The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I'm never sure if the actual number of incidences (or incidents?) increase or if it's just our sensitivity and awareness about them.

Here's a local (to me and to him, as it so happens) TV station's story on Steve Phillips' precarious predicament because of peccadillos. As a Yankees fan who wonders what the heck happens every season to the NY Mets, I may have part of my answer now. Depends on how literally I should take the turn of phrase 'switch-hitter', perhaps.

Someone once told me ESPN stood for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network-I'm trying to picture that on the breast pocket of a sports shirt. I guess when they started covering the National Spelling Bee, we swapped out the word 'sports'. But by all (news) accounts, there may be more going on in Bristol, CT, and its surrounding area than happens during the course of a 162 game season.

Watching him on Around the Horn, I always thought it was just American League baseball Woody Paige had no clue about. And one of his former colleagues, Harold Reynolds, seems to have been active beyond the trading deadline (as the kids used to call it). Nor is he alone, says these folks. Who does ESPN think they are? David Letterman, perhaps.

When Mrs. Letterman reacted by suggesting Dave-O take a hike, I doubt she meant on The Appalachian Trail. And in light of all the baseball lechers wandering the alleyways and the airways, I'm surprised Governor Sanford didn't insist all he was doing was scouting South American talent, since he obviously was. It's a cinch Harold and Steve would believe him--they're refreshed players.
-bill kenny