Rickey runs to the Hall, As Henderson, Rice get elected
BOSTON - Down to his last at-bat, Jim Rice made it into the baseball Hall of Fame.
The former Boston Red Sox slugger was elected to the Cooperstown shrine on Monday in what was to be his final year of eligibility, getting seven votes more than needed. He is the third player elected by the baseball writers in his final year, joining Red Ruffing (1967) and Ralph Kiner (1975).
"I don't think it matters what ballot I was on as long as I got in. That was the key thing right there," he said in a conference call. "Everything was timing, because my numbers have not changed over the last 22 years. The only thing I can say is I'm glad it's over with. I'm in there and they can't take it away."
Rice will join career stolen bases and runs scored leader Rickey Henderson at the July 26 induction ceremony. Also to be honoured are former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected last month by the Veterans Committee, as well as broadcaster Tony Kubek and writer Nick Peters, the winners of the Frick and Spink awards, respectively.
Rice received 412 votes of the 539 ballots cast for 76.4 per cent, topping the required 75 per cent. Last year he was 16 votes shy, sending him back to the members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America for a 15th and final time before he would be relegated to the Veterans Committee.
"It's about time," said former teammate Fred Lynn, who edged Rice for the 1975 rookie of the year award. "Throw out the statistics. Jimmy was the dominant force in his era. That's really all you can say when you're trying to compare guys that played in the '70s and '80s to the guys that are playing now. ... In his heyday, Jimmy was a feared hitter."
Henderson, who received 94.8 per cent of the votes, appeared in 72 games for Boston in 2002. Rice and Henderson will be the 20th and 21st left-fielders to be inducted and the first since Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski, who preceded Rice in the shadow of the Green Monster and entered Cooperstown in 1989.
Rice joins Yaz, Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr as the only Hall of Famers who played their entire careers for Boston. "It was long overdue," Yastrzemski said.
From 1974-89, Rice batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs, earning eight all-star selections and finishing in the top five in AL MVP voting six times. He won the award in 1978 when he batted .315 with 213 hits, 46 home runs, 139 RBIs, a .600 slugging percentage and 406 total bases - the only AL player to top 400 since Joe DiMaggio in 1937.
"It was the most dynamic offensive year that I have every played with anybody," Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley said.
Rice drove in 100 or more runs eight times when runs were more scarce than today, batted over .300 seven times and topped 200 hits four times. He is the only player in major league history with at least 35 homers and 200 hits in three consecutive seasons (1977-79).
He helped Boston reach the World Series in 1975 and 1986.
THEY'RE GOLDEN: SPRINGSTEEN & ROURKE WIN FOR THE WRESTLER
Last night at the Golden Globes, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa shared a table with fellow Wrestler players such as Darren Aronfsky, Evan Rachel Wood, and Mickey Rourke, and it was a big night for the film. Springsteen didn't have to wait long for his moment, as "Best Original Song" was the second award of the night, and "The Wrestler" took the honor. Springsteen made his way to the stage to receive the statue from his old pal Sting and give his thanks.
This is the only time I'm gonna be in competition with Clint Eastwood [laughs]. Felt pretty good, too!
Anyway, Mickey called me in Ireland and he asked me for some music.He told me a little bit about the character; he said some people invest themselves in their pain, and they turn away from love and the things that strengthen and nurture their lives. He said this was a guy that hadn't figured that out. So I said, "Well, I know a couple of those guys...." And so, the song.
First and foremost, I'd like to thank Mickey -- without the call I wouldn't have written the song, without his inspiration -- thank you, brother, for a beautiful performance, thank you for thinking of me!
I'd like to thank Darren and all the folks involved with the film, for letting me be a small part of their picture -- thank you.
Love to my strong and lovely wife Patti; hello to Evan, Jess and Sam at home; happy birthday, Big Man Clarence Clemons!
Springsteen appeared rightfully pleased with his own award, but not quite as happy as at the end of the night, when the announcement of Rourke as Best Actor was clearly the big thrill. Talking about the long road back to this moment, Mickey saved his final thanks -- right after a moving thanks to his dogs -- for the Boss: "I wanna thank Bruce Springsteen... for everything, brother -- love you! Thank you so much."
Congratulations Mickey, congratulations Bruce!
Andy Richter Controls the Universe - Incredible News for Andy Richter Fans: The Complete Series is Coming to DVD!
ANDY RICHTER CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE was touted as "the funniest new sitcom of the spring" (2002) by TIME magazine and declared by US Magazine to have "scaled new heights." Set in Chicago, the half hour comedy chronicles the day to day happenings of Andy Richter, an aspiring short story writer working for a large corporation writing "how to" manuals. Andy is constantly thinking about possibilities and how every moment in life could just as easily go another way. Stars: Andy Richter, Paget Brewster, Irene Molloy, Jonathan Slavin, James Patrick Stuart
After more than seven years writing and co-hosting Late Night with Conan O'Brien, sidekick Andy Richter moved to the forefront in 2002 with the first television series he starred in, Fox Network's Andy Richter Controls the Universe. It ran over the course of two seasons, and while the mass ratings weren't there for the broadcasts, the series has developed a very devoted following of fans who have passionately wanted a DVD release for the program. We've got great news for all of you this morning!
Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series is coming out on March 24th. The 417-minute collection of 19 episodes will be presented in full screen video, with English - Stereo audio and closed captioning for the hearing impaired. Pricing and package art aren't available yet, but stay tuned.
Guest stars during the show's run include Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Erik Estrada (CHiPs), Molly Sims (Las Vegas), Conan O'Brien (Late Night with Conan O'Brien), Rose Marie (The Dick Van Dyke Show), Charles Robinson (Night Court) and June Lockhart (Lost in Space, Lassie, Petticoat Junction). Don't miss them!
Superbad star Seth Rogen to star in The Simpsons
Seth Rogen is to star in The Simpsons. The Superbad actor has written an episode of the hit US series, and has cast himself as a lead character.
Matt Groening, the creator of the cartoon, confirmed rumours Rogen had approached the show.
Matt said: “He wrote an episode we’ll be reading soon, where Comic-Book Guy creates a superhero comic which then gets made into a feature film. Homer plays the lead and to slim down, Seth Rogen will play his personal trainer.”
Matt also revealed most people do not know the long-running TV series is still produced as traditionally as possible.
He explained to Nuts magazine: “Every episode is still drawn by hand but we no longer have animators willing to ink and paint actual stories, so it’s all done on computer.
“To get continuity with the way the way it was done traditionally, we dirty up the picture and make it look the way it used to, with a lot of dirt on the drawings, so no one knows it’s done by computer.”
Beyonce, Wonder, Springsteen at inaugural event
NEW YORK – Judging by the lineup, Sunday's inaugural celebration for Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial is a coveted gig for music's top names.
Beyonce, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban and James Taylor are among the musicians scheduled to perform Sunday afternoon. The president-elect and his family are expected to attend.
HBO will televise the show at 7 p.m. EST on Sunday on an open feed, meaning the pay cable network will offer the telecast for free to cable and satellite customers.
Other performers include Stevie Wonder, Renee Fleming, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles. Historical passages will be read by Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.