Greg Maddux and the Missing Logo
The MLB Hall of Fame class was recently announced, and it includes Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas. Managers Tony LaRussa and Bobby Cox were also inducted. Glavine and Cox will both wear the Braves logo on their plaques. Thomas will feature the White Sox logo.
Maddux and LaRussa will not have a logo at all on their plaques. Maddux did so by choice, so as not to snub either Atlanta or Chicago. He stated “…I grew up in baseball in Chicago, and then we had just an amazing experience in Atlanta with the Braves. It's impossible for me to choose one of those teams for my Hall of Fame plaque, as the fans of both clubs in each of those cities were so wonderful. I can't think of having my Hall of Fame induction without support of both of those fan bases, so, for that reason, the cap on my Hall of Fame plaque will not feature a logo.” Contrary to the comments of some Braves fans, this is a darn classy move by Maddux, but who would expect anything less?
The calls to “un-retire” Maddux’s number in Atlanta are insipid. The guy gave the Braves many good years, and was part of the most dominant pitching rotation in baseball, along with the aforementioned Glavine, John Smoltz, and Steve Avery. Maddux was drafted by the Cubs in 1982, and he joined the Braves in 1992. Two brief stopovers with the Padres and Dodgers would eventually lead Maddux back to the Cubs to finish off one of the best careers in baseball history.
Much noise was made over Maddux not being unanimously elected to the Hall, but no one has been unanimously elected, and some “purists” say that if Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb or Honus Wagner weren’t unanimous selections, then no one should be. These people are wrong, but they’re also part of a much entrenched system that will be difficult to overhaul.
Maddux not having a logo on his cap isn’t that big of a deal, in the grand scheme of things.
Unveiling Some Formula 1 Cars
The last time I wrote about the unveiling of Formula 1 cars, we were being smothered by the step-nose, that I unceremoniously decided should be named Geoff. The regulations for the 2014 season appear to have learned a lesson from 2013, but it was the wrong lesson to learn.
Williams unveiled a computer rendering of their 2014 contender, and it’s like something right out of an rFactor game. The obvious point of revulsion is the nose. Regulations have tightened even further on how tall the nose can be, and to fit the regs, engineers have created what can only be called an anteater.
The nose tapers to a blunt point (I’ll leave you to figure out how something can taper and be blunt at the same time) that appears to be only millimeters off the ground. I fear that if a gnat or flea bounces in front of these cars it may shred right through the cockpit.
McLaren wasn’t far behind in their unveiling, actually revealing a built car: the MP4-29. The livery, which I assume is a test livery, as it is quite devoid of sponsorship logos, is very nearly the same silver as the Mercedes F1 team. The nose, like the Williams, tapers down to a rounded off point much lower than I can remember the modern (post 2009) cars having. I came into the sport during the days of the double front wings and aerodynamic doodads. Those were the dark days of 2008.
I normally write that McLaren produces the best looking car, but so far I’m not sold on this. Perhaps once they add a true primary sponsor the livery will change significantly. For now, it looks like McLaren took the lead from Austin Powers in Goldmember and produced Silvermember.
Lotus, mere minutes later, revealed the E22…or, rather, a photoshopped version of the E21 with the new nose. Of the cars unveiled so far, this might actually be my favorite. The livery remains much the same as last year, though with some updates. New sponsors adorn the car, like Yotaphone and PDVSA, the primary backer of new Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado.
The biggest difference between the E22 and the MP4-29 is the nose. Lotus opted for a two-prong nose that appears to act as support struts for the front wing. My only gripe with the rendered image that Lotus provided is that the nose doesn’t work perspectively. The left-hand prong should be as long as the right-hand prong, considering the angle at which the car is sitting. I’d like to see this car head-on, as that might change my opinion of it.
Formula 1 News
In other F1 news, former Lotus boss Eric Boullier has left the building. That’s why I wrote “former.” The word on the street is that Boullier is headed for Woking to take over the team boss position for McLaren.
Michael Schumacher is still in a coma after sustaining a brain injury while falling during a skiing trip with his family. The injury is similar to the one suffered by actress Natasha Richardson that eventually led to her death. Schumacher was able to get to a hospital faster than Richardson, but the ordeal has left him comatose after a couple of brain surgeries. It is unknown if he will ever awaken and, if he does, it is unknown what type of personality he would have, or what kind of lingering damage remains.
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