No Vets In Hall

The redesigned Veterans Committee failed to elect anyone to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

There was alot said locally about Gil Hodges' chances. He collected over 100 RBI for seven consecutive years (1949-55)and hit 20 or more HR 11 straight seasons (1949-59)with 14 lifetime grand slams, 3rd highest ever. He hit the first home run in Mets history and was even the manager for the Amazin Mets of 1969. But other numbers diminished his chances: he had a .273 lifetime, didn't even crack the 2000 hit mark and never won an MVP award. By all accounts, a wonderful teammate and a true gentleman but sorry Gil, not a Hall of Famer. He came up 11 votes short.

Big news, Hideko Matsui's root canal and his one missed day of practice. "No problem," Matsui said through an interpreter. "Just one tooth. It didn't hurt as much as I thought." What I'm wondering is on a slow news day, is the Japanese mediagoing to start reporting on the size and substance of his stool samples?

*****

I like Willis Reed just as much as the next guy but his statement in today's NY Post was just not temerarious enough. I understand even ex-athletes speak in clichés and spend too much time overstating the obvious, but this was too much:

"IF [the Knicks] had a great center, they'd be a playoff team,"

That's right Willis and as Stephen Wright once said: "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"

Reed went on to add that "a young Patrick Ewing" would ease the Knick woes. How young is Willis talking about? I'm not sure how much a 12 year old Patrick Ewing would help even the Knicks.

But you gotta hand it to him, you can't pull anything over on ole Willis, can you? I'm just wondering why he wouldn't want "a young Wilt Chamberlain" or "a young Lew Alcindor" instead. I mean Patrick never even won a World Championship. Geez, no wonder Willis is a senior vice president of player development and scouting for the Nets while I'm just a Labor Statistic.

*****

Before the trading deadline, the Nets coach Byron Scott was asked if he would have traded Keith Van Horn for Sprewell.

"No, I don't like guys who are on their own time. Spree comes to practice when he wants to, comes to games when he wants to. He sets a bad example for other guys."

Sprewell said Scott's derogatory remarks last week came off as "immature."

Sprewell also said he may approach Scott and ask him if he really said them. The last time a coach got under Spree's skin, well...

Look for Scott's throat to be evading the large hands of Sprewell by hiding somewhere behind Kenyon Martin ample physique provided Kenyon's fiancee isn't having any "health issues" again and Kenyon can actually make it to the game tonight.

Prediction: Nets 97, Knicks 93.