HOF Finalists. This years Hall of Fame finalists were announced Tuesday. Dan Marino is a sure thing. Steve Young will probably be, but I wouldn't vote for him this year. You can't have two QBs go in in one year -- there should be a rule that says that.

So who else? Art Monk (940 receptions / 12,721 receiving yards) should be there, but probably won't. Yet if Monk doesn't make it, how can Michael Irvin (750 rec./ 11,900 yds) get in? (Of course, both lapped Lynn Swann [336/5,462], but that's another story.) [stats here] .

Yeah, but what about the real players, the offensive linemen? Guards Bob Kuechenberg and Russ Grimm. I'd put 'em both in. They'd both get my vote -- the one-at-a-time rule only applies to QBs, not linemen. If I had to pick Kuech this year, Grimm next.

On defense, I'd give the nod to first year nominee Derrick Thomas who was awesome at linebacker. The other linebacker nominated, Harry Carson, was very, very good, but not great enough to tip the scale. He had the advantage of playing for a great defense, a winning team.

This is something that Cardinal DB Roger Wehrli (although he did play beside the great number 8 for a few of those years) didn't have. I would pass over Wehrli in favor of Lester Hayes, but Lester didn't make the list this year.

Then there are three defensive ends: Richard Dent, Claude Humphrey, and L.C. Greenwood. All very, very good, however, none gets my vote this year. Dent should probably make it some year; he has the same advantage Carson had, playing for a great defense, yet it could be argued that he was the one who really made it great. L.C. Greenwood played on what was probably the greatest defense of all time -- trade places with Humphrey on Atlanta and see how he would do.

My votes:
1. Marino
2. Monk
3. Derrick Thomas
4. Kuechenberg

if you give me more, it would be:
5. Grimm
6. Lester Hayes (again, not on list)
7. Dent

Modern History Lesson. Mark Byron labels himself a "Bapticostal." What would a holy-roller Episcopalian call himself? Fr. Dennis Bennett, a major tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit (regarding the Episcopal Church) called them "Charismatics." Yesterday, the Washington Times had a good introduction to one of the truly influential books on the charismatic renewal: John Sherrill's They Speak With Other Tongues, still in print after 40 years. Fr. Bennett's book Nine O'Clock in the Morning is also still in print.

Sherrill's book (along with the Cross and the Switchblade) had a huge impact on the Catholic Church beginning in the 1960's at the famous "Duquesne weekend." This led, among other things to the founding of the Word of God community in Ann Arbor, MI. Pope John Paul II has embraced the Charismatic renewal saying,

The emergence of the Renewal following the Second Vatican Council was a
particular gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church. It was a sign of a desire on
the part of many Catholics to live more fully their Baptismal dignity and
vocation as adopted sons and daughters of the Father, to know the redeeming
power of Christ our Saviour in a more intense experience of individual and group
prayer, and to follow the teaching of the Scriptures by reading them in the
light of the same Spirit who inspired their writing. Certainly one of the most
important results of this spiritual reawakening has been that increased thirst
for holiness which is seen in the lives of individuals and in the whole Church

If you're interested in more on the subject, I recommend Richard Quebedeaux's The New Charismatics (1976).

R.I.P. My daughter came to me late this afternoon and wanted to know if radio stations ever just went off the air permanently. I asked why and she said she'd turned in 99.1 and it now seemed to be playing Spanish music. For the past few weeks we've have a running battle going over 99.1 because every time she'd want to listen to it in the car, it was playing rap or hip-hop -- and not good rap or hip hop. So I said good riddance. She wanted to call the station but couldn't find the listing in the phone book. I asked what were the call letters and she said "WHFS." It was then that it hit me.

WHFS used to be a great station, but in the past few years it seemed to go downhill and I hadn't realized it was the same one as 99.1 (I know it doesn't make sense but the station and I must've drifted apart without realizing it). Anyway, she looked it up, called and didn't get an answer -- but we soon figured out that it was indeed gone -- without warning. Now it's "El Zol."

The WaPo had a nice time of rememberance on-line today -- here's the transcript.

Like I said, 'HFS had already disappeared years ago, today just confirms the reality. Still, it will be missed.

More here.