NEWS ITEM-MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL BYPASSES A CHANCE TO START R. A. DICKEY IN THE ALL STAR GAME

A success in spite of itself, Major League Baseball made a big error in this week's All Star Game in Kansas City. R.A Dickey of the New York Mets leads all major league pitchers with 12 wins at the midseason break. He is also a fantastic human interest story, a victim of child abuse and he recently scaled the earth's tallest peak. 

But, instead of selecting him as the starting pitcher and receiving all kinds of publicity, Tony La Russa the retired manager of the St. Louis Cardinals (who somehow was given the right to manage the team), decided to start a pitcher from the San Francisco Giants. 

The Mets have not had a pitcher start the All Star game since the Dwight Gooden days. Baseball erred twice on this "play."

First, La Russa should have not been given the honor of managing the game, although it is normally given to last years world series manager. La Russa had retired and baseball could and should have selected someone else.  Baseball should have then instructed or suggested firmly that La Russa start Dickey, which would have been a plus for its tv coverage. 

Tony La Russa, by the way, is the same manager who once elected to bat his pitcher eighth in the batting order instead of ninth. Hey Tony, it's not rocket science, it's baseball. Maybe Tony invented baseball. They tell me the final score was 8-0. I wouldn't know, the game was too boring and too long for me.

NEWS ITEM-JOE PATERNO INVOLVED IN THE COVERUP OF JERRY SANDUSKY

I took an extra day to write this blog so I could calm down some. A third party investigation after 8 months revealed that beloved Joe Pa did indeed know about Jerry Sandusky's perversion with young boys and not only didn't tell anyone but he covered up the goings on. 

While alive, JOE PATERNO WAS PENN STATE. There was nothing going on at the university or in the football program that he did not know about.  It makes me sick because even with all his wisdom and accolades, he could not once, just once, think of the innocent children whose lives he helped ruin. 

Dating back at least to 1998, we are talking about 14 years of abuse of children; that is unforgivable. Sandusky is going to get his, he is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of 45 of 48 counts of child molestation, but it is now time for the NCAA to make sure this does not happen again, and if need be make an example of Penn State so other universities notice. 

A 10-year death penalty should be levied against the school. The university knew what was happening and did nothing to stop it. I am incensed and you should be too.