Totally Unauthorized

Goose knows something about baseball, and the Hall of Fame

Mark McGwire finally admitted what most people were pretty sure of anyway–he was full of juice.  I don’t even know why this is news.  A real Hall of Famer, Goose Gossage, has something to say about it.  He doesn’t think McGwire belongs in the HoF.  More “why is this news?”

A few years ago there was an insane attempt to get bridge into the Olympics.  I love bridge, but it just isn’t a sport.  Not to mention that it doesn’t televise worth a damn and the Olympics are about money and advertising and don’t need or want something you can’t put on NBC and have Costas talk about sagely.

Nonetheless, the World Bridge Federation tried mightily and even got so far as to have bridge be an exhibition “sport” in the 2002 Salt Lake City games.    In the process, they instituted “anti-doping” rules, and required testing of winners at World Championship events.  More insanity–since beta-blockers are on the list of prohibited drugs, virtually all of our older players would be ineligible due to their “drug” use.

What were they looking for, you might well ask.  Okay, I asked.  I asked Chip Martel just what drugs might improve my bridge performance, and he said “coffee”.  Apparently, caffeine is supposed to improve your concentration and focus.  So now I drink twice as much Diet Coke as before, and still can barely follow suit.

Bridge, rightly, never made it into the Olympics.  McGwire, rightly, should never make it into the Hall of Fame.  Diet Coke, anyone?