Here’s another edition of our Thumbs Awards, recognizing a little of the good and not so good around Northwest Arkansas and beyond.
(THUMBS UP) To Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner, Arkansan and former Razorback football player, and his wife, Gene. They gave $10.6 million in property and cash to the Razorback Foundation. The 256-acre Fayetteville property is where the failed SouthPass project of homes, apartments and commercial properties was planned, and it’s adjacent to Fayetteville’s planned regional park. They also pledged cash over the next five years, leading the UA to name new facilities after members of the Jones family. We’re glad to see the land back in the hands of someone with a vested interest in how Fayetteville develops.
(THUMBS DOWN) Sessions of the Arkansas General Assembly always involve attacks on the public’s access to government meetings and records, and the 2015 session is no different. Rep. Nate Bell is the latest lawmaker who believes public bodies should be able to meet with their attorneys in executive (secret) sessions. He’s introduced House Bill 1054. It’s bad public policy to shield more of the public’s business from public scrutiny. These public panels have gotten along just fine without this provision.
(THUMBS UP) To Gov. Asa Hutchinson for including Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin in his staff meetings, which is a benefit of having members of the same political party in those two offices. Long live Asa Hutchinson, but it’s part of his job to make sure the state will be in good hands if anything should happen to him. Mike Beebe didn’t really have that option as a Democrat with a Republican lieutenant governor, then a vacancy in the post that accomplished about as much as its former officeholder.
(THUMBS UP) Major League Baseball continues its efforts to speed up the pace of play, but is thankfully trying out potential solutions like the pitch clock in the minor leagues. Baseball rules already spell out how fast pitchers are supposed to deliver the ball to a batter lined up in the batter’s box. The idea behind a pitch clock is actually putting a physical clock on the field and enforcing violations by awarding a called ball. We’re not sure that’s the solution, but we appreciate the effort to rein in the slowdown of the sport.
(THUMBS DOWN) Pitchers and batters who take way too long to “adjust” between pitches, and umpires who don’t enforce rules on the books. If Major League Baseball wants faster games, why not encourage the umpires to enforce the rules in place before creating new distractions in the game, such as a clock on the field? We’re all for the drama of a batter and pitcher trying to out-duel each other, within limits. It’s best if MLB tries to address the causes of the game’s slow down in recent years as opposed to trying to speed up the game.
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Have a suggestion for awarding a thumb to someone? Email your nomination to [email protected] or contact Editorial Page Editor Greg Harton at (479) 872-5026.