Innocent or guilty
ESPN ran a special called "Pete Rose on Trial". The jury and fans (voting online) said Rose should be admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite the overwhelming support for Rose's cause, his entrance into Cooperstown should be denied unless he plays by the rules.

Rose admits that he bet on pro sports, but never admitted that he bet on baseball. Many have thought that Rose while playing and coaching for the Cincinnati Reds bet on Major League Baseball and even on his own team. Rightfully people have argued that this charge has never been proven (even though MLB hired John Dowd, a fomer federal prosecutor, who found evidence that Rose bet on the game). However the reason why this hasn't been conclusively proven or disproven is the crux of the matter.

On 23 Aug. 1990, Rose signed an agreement with Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in which he would be permanently ineligble to play MLB baseball (and thus can't be considered a candidate for the Hall of Fame). Considering the case closed, MLB dropped the case.

If Rose wishes to be considered for the Hall of Fame and negate the agreement that he signed with baseball, the investigation into his gambling should be reopened.

If there's nothing to the charges and he is cleared of the crimes that he's been accused of, then he could be considered for the hall. However, if he is guilty, then he should walk away from baseball like he agreed to 13 years ago.

After all, the way the discussion is framed today, Rose faces no potential loss for his attempt. However, if there is the possibility of Rose's shameful past being exposed perhaps Charlie Hustle will reconsider his bid to enter Copperstown.

Aha!

After months of trying to figure out what to do with my Web spaces (and procrastinating), I've come up with a plan and it should be implemented in the next couple of weeks.

I am going to go ahead and set my Yahoo! GeoCities space as a professionally orientened page. This Lycos Tripod site will remain a 'blog and personal space. It's going to require overhauling this space and putting in an entirely new space on GeoCities.

It looks kind of daunting, but thankfully I've got a few ideas up my sleeve. ...

They don't call it a 'bug' for nothing

Check out The UK Campaign for LOGO FREE TV. It's interesting to see that the little logo on the bottom of TV screens can irritate people on both sides of the Atlantic. Check out TeeVee.org article about how these little things distract from TV watching.

Uh, maybe I should find something better to write about. ...

"A Good Day to Die"

Information for "A Good Day to Die" -- the latest voyage of the I.K.S. Gorkon, the pride of the Klingon Defense Force -- is available at PsiPhi.org. The book, and the entire series, is by Keith R.A. DeCandido, a leading light in today's sci-fi fiction. Due out in November, it should be a good read.

NOTE: I've temporarily created the above image from a thumbnail from the novel's cover. I enjoy this incarnation of the IKS Gorkon. Copyright due to Pocket Books and the cover artist. It will be removed shortly. EDIT: Now, it's gone, but the cover's still cool.

Congrats to the Vancouver/Whistler area for winning the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Let's see if Canada can put on "the best Games ever." Regardless, CBC's Olympic coverage usually puts NBC's to shame. Maybe it's because CBC actually shows sporting events live and without the dramatic pap.

I have fond memories from the 1988 Calgary Games which are the first Olympics I really remember.

Speaking of Canada, July 1 was Canada Day (or la fête du Canada) which commemorates the confederation of Canada as one entity in the 1860s.
CBC TV carried a live concert. The introduction included several Canadians (famous and otherwise) singing "O Canada."

William Shatner popped up in there "singing" the national anthem. His singing style was more a proclamatory statement instead of an actual melody -- like Capt. Kirk or Rex Harrison from "My Fair Lady." Otherwise lots of good fun.

I went to the "Porkies" today for work. It was nice getting out and about.

A couple of thoughts -- I really should have brought my boots. I walked about a mile in my dress shoes and it was a slightly uncomfortable experience. Secondly, I was surprised how many flies there were. I lived in the South, but it was pretty bad.

Still the view at the top of Summit Peak was really nice. I think it would be really nice during the fall color season. Now its time to write up my stuff.