There ain't too many ballplayers around with bow-wows as wives. I have been a baseball fan for thirty years, and a rule of thumb is that if an all-star athlete's wife blends in with the crowd, she's on the way out. Within a few years, an eye-popping former, current, or wannabe model will take her place.
The only exception to this rule I have ever witnessed is Kurt Warner, whose wife is not unattractive, but has the look of an Arena Football League QB's spouse rather than that an NFL MVP with a Super Bowl ring. Warner is a born-again guy who was just happy to be sitting on the bench when fate intervened. In coming years, we will see if success changes him -- I hope not.
I wonder how [Palmeiro's wife] feels about him doing these Viagra ads. Surely he doesn't need the money.
Who "needs" the kind of money ballplayers make? Come on. I would hope that for all the ribbing that Raffie takes, his pay for being the face of impotence would bring him to within a few mill of what his fellow Rangers infielder Alex Rodriguez makes.
Palmeiro's only got a few years left on the diamond, but he's going to be the Viagra poster boy for years to come, especially if he makes it to the Hall of Fame. Look at the way Nolan Ryan's still plugging Advil years after his retirement, and how much play Joe DiMaggio got out of Mr. Coffee ads well into his sixties. And George Foreman is making tons more money with that grill than he made getting punched in the face for a living.
I've been waiting for someone to say it, and so far, no one has, so here goes:
Thanks, everybody, I'm here all week.
Sammy Sosa, in his latest apology, said he doesn't understand why everyone is so angry about the cork incident. "I don't see anybody getting mad about Rafael Palmeiro corking his bat!"