Enough talk,get to work


After a while, you get tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. At some point you have to make it happen.

That’s how I feel about yesterday’s State of the State address (read it here; watch it here). The governor said the right things — things he’s been saying since taking office — and committed himself to change, but little movement has occurred. That gets old quickly — which is something the 120 members of the state Legislature need to remember as they enter an election year in which everyone of them will have to run the electoral gantlet.

The Post will have an editorial to this effect in tomorrow’s paper (Press on Friday).

Some other thoughts:

  • Municipal mergers — a necessity if we are to rein in costs — will not happen unless the state either mandates them or puts up some serious cash to make them more attractive, otherwise voters will hold onto the ephemeral notion of identity and stymie change.
  • Selling the Turnpike is foolish.
  • A comptroller makes sense, but is not a panacea. Local officials are saying the position will come with new costs — it will — and that the audits they undergo now are enough — they are not.
  • Pay-to-play reforms are a good first step, will save money and restore some sense of legitimacy to government, but broader reforms (public financing of elections) are what is really needed.
  • Without an expanded income tax, nothing will matter.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

Get the Goose

So, when exactly does Goose Gossage get in the Hall of Fame? Really, Goose (pictured in AP photo from MLB.com) was the dominant closer, helping to create the position, winning two rings in the process. Mariano Rivera, the best of all time, has four rings — so let the big guy in, already. (And this is from a confirmed Yankee hater.)

Gossage logged his first save in 1972 and No. 310 in 1994. In the 22 intervening seasons — he was out of the game in 1990 — he excelled as a workhorse closer for three franchises — the White Sox, Yankees and Padres.

Gossage also had shorter stints with six other teams later in his career, and this vagabond exit may have weakened his Hall of Fame stature in the eyes of some voters.

However, his platform includes an extra dimension that separates him from the glut of closers who have faced an apparent electorate bias, just as did two relievers elected recently. Dennis Eckersley (2004) had re-invention going for him, having been a successful starting pitcher before embarking on a second career as a closer. Bruce Sutter (2006) and his split-fingered fastball pioneered the modern role of closers.

Gossage was the last of a breed, a fireman whose hose was ready any time and for any length and for whom saves were an incidental reward, not the sole objective. He mixed his saves with 114 relief wins, a total out of the reach of today’s ninth-inning specialists.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

Runner’s diary, Tuesday

I missed yesterday’s running post because I was focused on pulling together contest entries for the NJPA contest. Here is the latest:

Monday: Four miles in about 37 minutes
Tuesday: Three miles in about 28 minutes.

Again, this is not about pace, but about getting some consistency.

At least, my calf has healed.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.