Pete Rose

Pete Rose,  the polarizing all- time major league hits leader who was permanently banned from the game for gambling, has died.  He was 83.

I remember him best from the lead up to breaking Ty Cobbs record,  when I read a book on him and, oddly enough,  felt rather protective of old Cobb and resentful of the record.  Silliness.  It was a well deserved accomplishment. 

Of course he's known best for that MLB ban,  and I fully endorse it. He knew the rules, and there was no bigger no- no in the game. He only bet on his team to win,  yeah, but he was the manager.  Baseball is a marathon,  and who knows how many times, as manager,  he sacrificed tomorrow for a win today because he had money on the outcome.

Now, I might have been in favor of a pardon as the years wore on,  were it not for the fact that he was never remorseful and his story changed over and over. 

All the same,  he was a fantastic player, truly one of the greats. I wouldn't object, at least right now,  to a posthumous HOF induction.

RIP

Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson, the singer/songwriter/actor who  wrote hits like Me and Bobby McGee and starred in the '70's version of A Star is Born,  has died. He was 88.

I remember him most from my very early youth,  from way back on Windlake Ave, which puts it at pre-'79.  My parents had an 8-track of the soundtrack from A Star is Born. They must have had a Kristofferson 8-track too, because I remember Jesus Was a Capricorn. Anyway, what I remembered most about him was the repetition in his name, and being fascinated by it, like Dan Danielson. Weird what kids think about. 

I also remember him from the '80's miniseries Amerika, about a US occupied by Soviet forces. 

RIP