* Joe Paterno is entering his 45th year as head football coach at Penn State. To put that into perspective, when he took over in 1966 the average cost of a house was $14,000–and the average wage-earner was bringing home $7,000 a year.
* Boys will be boys. That seems to be the rationale for the rib injury that will cost Ray’s relief pitcher Grant Balfour about six weeks on the disabled list. That’s six of the remaining eight weeks in the season. The injury occurred while Balfour and Jim Hickey were “horsing” around, as they say. Balfour is an important, well-compensated member of the Rays’ staff, one who is having an outstanding season and critical to the team’s stretch drive for the American League East pennant.
And Hickey? He’s the pitching coach. But boys will be boys. Joe Maddon and Rays’ management have shown remarkable–and classy–restraint in their muted criticism. But somebody should be seething over this one.
* Needless to say, it was good news for Rays’ fans that the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez did not have a good series last weekend at the Trop, including hitting any home runs. But had he hit one, a Tampa Bay fan might have caught it. Rodriguez’s 500th homer sold at auction for $103,000.