Today’s bittersweet announcement that Ron Santo will finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame is really just a swift kick to the groin of the Cubs legend who died almost a year ago to the day.

I’m far from biased here. Santo played well before my time and was easily the worst broadcaster I’ve ever heard (although Dick Stockton is giving him a run for his money these days) so I don’t have a horse in this race, but the numbers don’t lie. I won’t bore you with yet another examination of his career statistics because it’s clear his numbers have always been Hall of Fame-worthy—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been elected now.  So what the hell was the holdup?

I’m not a big fan of the pomp and circumstance associated with awards and ceremonies in general, but to deny the man the joy and satisfaction of joining the Hall and then posthumously deem him deserving is simply cruel and vindictive.  The fact that he was elected almost unanimously (15 of 16 votes) now that he’s dead and buried proves that the Baseball Writers Association and especially the pompous Veterans Committee are just a pathetic group of pretentious elitists who are abusing their perceived power to spite people they think they are better than.

What’s really sad about this whole sorry story is the enormous amount of time and emotion Santo devoted trying to join such a miserable organization. You deserved a lot better Ron.

Here’s a logo concept for a new craft beer garden at Cooley Law School Stadium, home of the Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball club.

Sitting down to watch last night’s ESPN premiere of “Catching Hell” I wasn’t sure how I would feel about reliving one of the most horrific moments in Cubs’ history and one of the most bizarre unfolding of tragic events in all of sports. I was hoping it would be a cathartic experience, exorcising the agony of knowing what could have been. Instead, it was anything but.

Initially, I found myself feeling the same sense of anger followed by dismay and pain that burned in my gut on that dark day in October, 2003. But I was glad to see that Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney spent a lot of time removing blame for the Game 6 loss away from Steve Bartman and placing on the multitude of other factors that contributed to the Cubs’ demise:

• The late Bernie Mac—a life-long Sox fan—jinxing the Cubs’ by changing the words to Take Me Out to the Ballgame to “CHAMPS” during the 7th inning stretch (I know it’s ridiculous, but a century of failure tends to breed paranoia)
• Moises Alou‘s overreaction that incited the crowd and clearly rattled everyone on the field including pitcher Mark Prior who promptly walked Luis Castillo, threw a wild pitch that advanced Juan Pierre to third, then gave up a single to Pudge Rodríguez to score Pierre
• The real culprit, shortstop Alex Gonzalez who dropped a sure double play ball that would’ve gotten them out of the inning relatively unscathed, still leading 3-1
• The possibility that the dark mood of the crowd and their overwhelming overreaction to the event may have further unsettled the players on the field

But Gibney’s egregious omission of Dusty Baker and his culpability was simply unacceptable.  Whatever the incompetent Baker was doing at the moment—sitting on his ass, adjusting his wristbands, sucking on a toothpick—I’m not sure, but I do know he DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to settle down his 23-year-old pitcher in the biggest game of his life after a historically insane event unfolded before his eyes until it was way too late.

Obviously, I’m still angry, but above all the generally well-crafted documentary (besides letting Baker off the hook) made me sad.  Sad for myself, for Cubs fans, for Cubs players and—more than anything—sad for Bartman whose life has been irrevocably marred by an otherwise innocuous natural reaction of reaching up for a foul ball at a baseball game.

Just sad.

Not much makes sense about how or why I came up with a Mexican brand for the NCAA Tourney pool I set up in an internet café in London, England back in the year 2000, but somehow it’s stuck for almost 13 years now. ¡VIVA LA FIESTA!

Originally posted on MajorLeagueAholes.com on 10/24/11.

With close to $30 million coming off the top of what was already a relatively modest 2011 payroll of $106 million, the Tigers are in a great position to go after New York Mets’ superstar shortstop Jose Reyes this offseason if they so choose—and I hope they do so choose.

The leadoff spot should be the Tigers’ number one priority this offseason. A backup catcher, middle relief and second base are definitely other issues the Tigers need to address, but those are relatively easy to solve by comparison. The 1-hole was the glaring weakness in what was otherwise a very potent offense, finishing in the top four in the Majors in just about every category this season.

While Austin Jackson is a very talented young player, his 181 strikeouts and a .317 OBP just didn’t cut it as a leadoff hitter. He will be better served batting later in the order under less pressure. Reyes, on the other hand, would be the proverbial straw that stirs the Tigers’ drink as a prototypical leadoff hitter they have lacked. The reigning NL batting champ would provide the consistent bat and speed at the top of the order that would drive opposing pitchers inane and spark an already dangerous offense.

Acquiring Reyes would also help solve Detroit’s ongoing 3B issue by sending All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta over to the hot corner. Peralta is no stranger to third. The Indians moved him there—albeit begrudgingly—in 2009 as part of a rebuilding project that eventually led to him being traded to the Tigers. His acerbic relationship with then-Indians’ manager Eric Wedge and the losing atmosphere in Cleveland led to his discontent, but neither would be issues in Detroit.  Manager Jim Leyland and Peralta have a strong relationship, plus he would only have to look across the diamond at reigning AL batting champ Miguel Cabrera for an example of a star player whose ego wasn’t bruised by moving from his preferred position to make the team better.

The expiring contracts of Magglio Ordonez ($10M), Carlos Guillen ($13M), Brad Penny ($3Ml), Joel Zumaya ($1,4M), and Ramon Santiago ($1.25M) coupled with GM Dave Dombrowski’s shrewd construction of a talented young roster with few obvious flaws gives the Tigers a lot of flexibility going into this offseason. Granted, the club still needs to deal with arbitration-eligible pieces like Delmon Young, Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer, Phil Coke, Ryan Perry, and Don Kelly and faces a pay raise to Justin Verlander, but those deals will still leave them far under the $130 million owner Mike Ilitch has shown he’s been willing to spend on more than one occasion.

Ilitch himself sounds ready to pounce. The 82-year-old billionaire owns a vast pizza empire and four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, but nearing the end of his life, he now covets a World Series ring more than anything. In recent interviews, he’s made it clear he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get one.

I’m challenged to keep it there like the Yankees and the Red Sox. I haven’t totally zeroed in on our payroll yet. What I’m still trying to figure out is what we need for next year. I want to be in a position to make one or two additions, and generally, they’re pretty big additions.”

The timing couldn’t be better as the Tigers have never been so stacked with young talent and are poised to contend for years to come. One or two “big additions” should be all it would take to put them over the top. If Ilitch—and this Tigers fan—gets his way, Reyes #7 jerseys could be the hottest-selling gifts this Christmas in the Motor City.