Congratulations Jim

Former Boston Red Sox slugger Jim Rice was finally voted in to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. This honor was long overdue.

Rice was one of the players who powered the Red Sox teams that won the American League pennants back in the 70's and the 80's. His power hitting propelled my Bosox to many victories and he was no slouch in the field either. Throughout his career in Boston, which is perhaps the second hardest big league city to play major league baseball in, Rice was a steady player who delivered the goods time and time again on the field. His batting and fielding stats speak for themselves and again I say it's high time he finally got into the hall.

For many years he was kept out of the Hall of Fame by baseball writers who refused to vote for him because he did not kiss their asses when he played. He was a difficult interview and he could often be surly towards writers. Many of Boston baseball beat writers decided that they were not going to take his snubbing of them throughout his career laying down so they mounted a campaign against him when he became eligible for the Hall. They poisoned the voting around Rice and they kept him out of the Hall on purpose. The main one who led the charge against Rice was Boston Globe reporter and fat bag of puss Bob Ryan. Ryan never forgave Rice for hurting his feelings when he refused to do interviews with him. The reason Rice never let Ryan interview him was because Ryan did hit piece after hit piece on Rice and then he expected him to smile and sit down for an interview. If I was Jim Rice I would have kicked Ryan's ass and shoved his notebook down his fat corned beef and cabbage hole.

Boston was, and in some ways still is, a very segreated city and black men have had a hard time making it there. They used to say there was no team spirit on the Red Sox and that after the game 25 players took 25 cabs home so they wouldn't have to mingle outside of work. If my every step and utterance was put under the microscope by fat slob sports writers who questioned only my playing when the team lost then I doubt I'd hang out with anyone after the games either. I'd also not talk to the fat bastards who wrote shit about me day after day.


It's a good thing that some sportswriters have realized that it's the BASEBALL Hall of Fame, not the sunshine happy smiley kiss a baby pet a puppy Hall of Fame. Rice was a miserable bastard some days but in my opinion he had every right to be if he had to shoulder all the blame when the Sox lost. If being nice and giving shiny happy interviews to the press was the only criteria that got one in the Hall then the Hall of Fame would be full of nice guy utility infielders who gave great interviews but who hit only .220 and pitchers who won maybe 5 games in their careers. Assholes like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and many more would not be in the hall if being nice was the main criteria for entrance.

Now that they've corrected their past mistake by voting in Jim Rice maybe they'll induct Bert Blyleven and Tommy John sometime in the future. And maybe they'll keep cheaters and liars like Roger Clemmens, Mark McGuire, and Barry Bonds out forever.