Happy Sunday, everyone! Welcome to the Six.
One of the unfortunate realities of online culture is the dissemination of rancor. What topic is deserving of our preoccupation, and what should be nothing more than a swipe and go? Most fall into the latter category, some the former.
Over the past three-plus decades, there has arguably been no public figure more absorbent of American discourse than Pete Rose. Once again, the now deceased Rose dominated the news cycle this week.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the sport’s all-time hits leader will finally be eligible for the Hall of Fame. This comes 36 years after Rose was banned from the game for gambling. The should-he-or-shouldn’t-he be in the HOF is by far the longest-tenured debate in sports talk, pre-dating the internet and even sports talk radio. Those arguing in his favor say it’s about the numbers, period. Those against make an “integrity of the game” argument—don’t bet on your own team, as Rose was proven to have done. Although Manfred lifted the ban, the debate will linger on for a few more years. Rose won’t technically be eligible to be voted on for his HOF merits until late 2027.
With two more years of lobbying ahead, I think he’ll get the votes. I think it’s deserving. Put Pete in the Hall.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
NOW THE HARD WORK BEGINS
The baseball news this week wasn’t entirely about Rose. There were 16 other now-deceased ballplayers removed from the banned list, including the famous Shoeless Joe Jackson. Just because the commissioner restored their eligibility does not mean they are guaranteed to make the HOF. There’s a process, a long, winding process that includes meetings and committees, and well, more meetings and committees. This article from Yahoo breaks it all down. You may need to reach for the Tylenol by mid-read. Coffee won’t be enough.
DID THE MEDIA BLOW IT ON BIDEN? YEAH, THEY DID
More requiems keep coming out on the failed policies of the Biden Administration. One glaring problem—the president had deficits. Mental deficits that were plain to see from outsiders just observing his limited public appearances. Yet those tasked with covering the president never bothered to raise the issue… is he fit to serve? Now, books are coming out, and there is quite a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking going on amongst the Biden protectors. Another shameful chapter from the branches of corporate media, an industry that, sadly, has little credibility left.
THE GREAT SCHOOLS OF THIS SOUTHERN STATE
When I lived in the South (Georgia) for a while in the late 90s, I was often referred to as “that Yankee from up north.” At times it was affectionate; other times, eh, probably not so much. I may have come across at times as a cocky Chicagoan to my Georgia buddies (they got most of their city references from “The Blues Brothers” movie), and maybe I felt emboldened by my “superior” Midwestern-based education. No more! This piece in the Free Press tears down any notions about the southern states and their inferior K-12 educational infrastructure. In Mississippi, middle schoolers are reading at a level surpassed by the rest of the country while spending a fraction compared to schools in Wisconsin and Illinois. Guess what Mississippi has that Illinois doesn’t? School choice. Turns out free markets are best for students.
ADAM DURITZ IS STILL COUNTING CROWS
There are certain records that just scream the decade from which they came. One of those records that screams 1990s is “August and Everything After” by The Counting Crows. That album and the ubiquitous song “Mr. Jones” were in constant rotation in the middle part of the decade, and the band’s dreadlock-wearing singer, Adam Duritz, became an overnight star. He dated famous women (Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox) and hung out at Hollywood hotspots such as The Viper Room. While Duritz enjoyed making records and performing, he struggled with fame. He’s still struggling with it, yet the band he formed in the late 1980s is still around and making music.
WHAT WERE YOUR GATEWAY BOOKS?
In the ‘hmm…that’s interesting’ category… novels by the likes of Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut and J.D. Salinger acted as "gateway books" to more serious literature for a certain generation of aspiring intellectuals. But why did they work? Partly because of the loneliness/alienation that drives a certain type of teen towards The Catcher in the Rye or The Outsiders. But also because they romanticize that loneliness/alienation without offering any solution. For that, you need a better book, after the gateway reads, as the author of this fascinating piece points out.
WHEN MUSIC VIDEOS STILL MATTERED
Finally… sticking with our 90s-esque pop culture theme this week. Music videos still had some cultural relevancy in that decade. They weren’t quite as big of a deal as they were in the 80s, but bands and record companies spent sizable creative and financial capital on making cool-looking videos. People still bought records back then and videos could move the needle on sales. Nothing says 90s excess and decadence like this classic Beastie Boys video. Listen all y’all, it’s a Sabotage!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Have a suggestion for The Kerr Report? Send email to jonjkerr@gmail.com.
Back in the cave man days, my selected choice of reading was “Ball Four” by Jim Bouton. Give it a read if you’re a baseball fan.