Major League Baseball should recognize scouts

Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times writes about a Major League Baseball scout, and how scouts as a whole are not recognized by baseball's elite... "Despite the celebrated baseball practice of collecting, rating and bartering prospects, the world ignores the guys who sign them. There are no scouts in baseball's Hall of Fame. There are no old-timers days for scouts, no mid-game video tributes for scouts, no first pitches or last hurrahs. Once a scout reaches the age of 76 like Southland legend Pote, there is no way to retire gracefully, so they simply don't retire." ...

Bill Plaschke

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes how the St. Louis Cardinals are expected to draw 3.3 million people this year despite the economic woes of the country... "The arrival of All-Star outfielder Holliday spurred a run on ticket sales just as it symbolized the amount of tickets already sold. Holliday's home debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers was the first of seven consecutive sellouts for the Cardinals. And his acquisition, via trade, was made possible, multiple officials said, by earlier ticket sales that had overwhelmed the club's original estimates." ...

Derrick Goold

Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press writes about former Michigan basketball player Robert "Tractor" Traylor who at 32-years-old wants one more crack at the NBA and to help his mom who was a registered nurse on crack... "Lenora became a prostitute, turning tricks for drugs and cash. Sometimes she would bring johns back to the house, even if one of her kids was there." ...

Michael Rosenberg

Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune writes how Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib has learned from his rookie mistakes... "Talib's rookie season was all of six plays old when veteran receiver David Patten got behind him and caught a 39-yard scoring pass from Drew Brees in New Orleans. Talib trudged to the bench and buried his face in his hands." ...

Ira Kaufman