Visual Description: “Who’s on first?”
ORNCO = CROON, IPTOL = PILOT, BREHOT = BOTHER, CABFIR = FABRIC — Giving us: OITBEBC
Clue/Question: Before Pete Rose took over as the all-time hit leader, he had to – – –
Answer: “BET“ BOCI? “BET“ BICO? “BET“ COBI? “BET“ OBIC?
(Gee, folks. I just can’t imagine what the answer is! It HAS to be BET something. Doesn’t it? LOL! The technical reason why he is not enshrined at Cooperstown, in the Baseball Hall of Fame, is because he is serving a lifetime ban for betting on baseball, while being actively involved in the game, and then he tried to lie about that for a quarter of a century. The man thought that – because of his accomplishments on the field – that he was bigger than the game. To him, rules don’t apply to those who have his sense of self-worth. To me, this type of arrogant selfishness was reflected in the way he played the game. A lot of people like to extol his “aggressive play”. Good ol’ “Charlie Hustle”! I never bought into that. I was a big baseball fan, growing up in the ’60s and ’70s. I thought that his “style” was unnecessarily aggressive, and often mean spirited. He was the one time scrawny kid who muscled up, and saw that he could get away with playing like a bull. It showed a bully mentality. He had a huge chip on his shoulder, and he played like he felt he had to challenge everybody to knock it off. To me, he didn’t play like the team was his main concern. Only himself. His talent was more than admirable, and his numbers are undeniable. But, baseball is a team sport. And, as trite as it may sound, there is neither an “I” in the word “team”, nor in “baseball”. There have been some allegations that Ty Cobb may have bet on a game that he was playing in, but nothing was ever proven. If it had been, then he likely would have been denied his enshrinement into the Hall as well. Ty was the bully who got away with it. Pete got caught, lied about it for a long, long time, and now he hopes that time, and the changing – but not necessarily evolving – “ethos” of American sports fandom will weaken the resolve of those in charge of Cooperstown. A lot of sports writers and fans want him on the ballot. If I could vote, you know I’d keep his butt out. Tough cookies, tough guy!
Oh, yeah. The Jumble. No new clue words, but all new jumbles. The best answer letter layout of all time, because I am positively stumped! LOL! Gorgeous baseball cartoon. Very good likeness of Pete, and Leon Durham. Be well and do good, friends. Don’t break the rules, lie about it, and then expect forgiveness. Try to set a good example for future generations.) — YUR
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