Rant #2,070: Bits and Pieces

Yes, once again, there are a couple of stories going around and around that I would like to talk about, but not at great length, so here is another installment of my fabled Bits and Pieces set of entries for today's Rant.

Anyway, here we go ...

Congratulations to the Latest Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees: Kudos must go to Vladimir Guerrero, Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman as the latest class of baseball Hall of Fame inductees.

Each is deserving, and each is a welcome addition to the most fabled Hall of Fame of them all.

And for those who claim that steroid users should never get into the Hall of Fame, I do believe that one day, two of them, or at least two of the most accused players, will probably get in, but it is going to be a long haul for both of them.

Rogers Clemens and Barry Bonds each inched up a little bit from their previous totals this time around, but are still far short of the required 75 percent for enshrinement. At the rate they are going, they will probably get in by the time their time on the ballot is over and done with, in a couple of years, but they will get in.

Guerrero, Jones, Thome and Hoffman created lasting memories by their performances during their careers, and yes, so did Clemens and Bonds.

And the younger the voting clientele get--a sportswriter has to have covered baseball for 10 years to be able to vote--the more votes both Clemens and Bonds will get.

It is already playing out, and will continue to play out, during the next few years, alongside the obvious first-ballot enshrinements of players like Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.

Purists won't like this, but whatever the case, Bonds and Clemens were Hall of Fame worthy with or without help, and probably worse people are in Cooperstown than them.

Elton John Quits Touring: Claiming that he has young children at home that he wants to see grow up, singer Elton John announced that he no longer will tour.

His last tour, a 300-date set that is being called "Farewell Yellow Brick Road," will be it for him. He basically said he wants to go out at the top of his game, so this will be the end for him as he pursues other artistic avenues for his talent.

Wow, Elton John and Neil Diamond announce the end of their touring years in the same week! Who is next-- Cher? (Oh yes, she retired about 20 times already.)

Anyway, once again, I have to say that I probably haven't bought an Elton John record in about 40 years, but like Diamond, I fully respect the guy and what he has accomplished over the years.

I am not a fan by any stretch of the imagination, but you can't argue with success.

And people who can create their own destinies and chart their own courses--whether they are the neighborhood garbage man or a world-class star entertainer--are people I fully respect.

So goodbye, Elton, you done good.

What To Do With the Children From the Horror House?: Of course, this is probably one of the top news stories in the world right now, but what, quite frankly, do you do with the 13 kids that were abused by their parents in a story that was uncovered in California last week?

Normally, in such abuse cases, the authorities try to place the kids, together, with a close relative so that they can try to live normal lives together.

But here, not only do you have a large brood of 13 kids, but you have an extended family that is almost as strange as the parents of this baker's dozen of kids.

The paternal grandparents state that the married duo was "told by God" to have so many kids, and not only haven't they seen their grandchildren for years, but when they did see them, they thought they were a bit thin but otherwise OK.

You have the sister of the mother of these kids who says that the kids' father used to stare at her while she took a shower, and although it kind of ruffled her, she didn't really think twice about it.

You have the half sister of the kids' mother who says that both she and her sibling were abused as children.

And no one, not one single extended family member, knew what was going on ... or so they say.

Sorry, if the authorities have any brain power in this--remember, they let this entire case slip through the cracks for years--they will move these children into non-family foster care, including the older, adult siblings ...

And move them as far away from their extended family as possible.

That will probably mean that the 13 kids will be separated, but something must be worked out so that these kids never lose sight that they were all in this together, and they will go through the aftermath and the healing together too.

Speak to you again tomorrow.