Mediocrity

"Hence it is that there can be but few men in the society who will have sufficient skill in the laws to qualify them for the stations of judges. And making the proper deductions for the ordinary depravity of human nature, the number must be still smaller of those who unite the requisite integrity with the requisite knowledge."-- Alexander Hamilton on the selection of Supreme Court justices, 1788"Even if he is mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they?

When you think about baseball in the 1990s, names like Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken come to mind. Yet, there were so many classic, run of the mill, and mediocre ballplayers in that time as well. Here are some of the most average to grace professional ballfields during that time. General guidelines used are at least 10 years played several of which were spent as a starter, a career average below .265 and not so stellar power numbers - 15-20 home runs and 70 RBIs a season. Keep in mind, other factors, such as funny memories and the comedic value of a player's name, can weigh in as well.

ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO, SEN. ROMAN HRUSKA, A NEBRASKA REPUBLICAN WHOSE NAME I AM NOT making up, rose in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body to endorse one of Richard Nixon's Supreme Court nominees. Responding to criticism that the nominee was "mediocre," Mr. Hruska thundered, "What if he is? There are millions of mediocre people in this country, and they deserve representation on the Supreme Court, too!"Whether mediocrity finally got its due on the Supreme Court is a matter of opinion. In almost every other sphere of life, however, its triumph seems assured.

Even after Monday night's dismal performance, the Ravens are still one of the better teams in the AFC. But it's by default. The NFL has become a league of one great team, Green Bay, and the rest are either average or downright terrible. The Ravens are better than most because of their defense, but after that they are just as mediocre or as bad as everyone else. We've all been waiting for the offensive line to get better, and it hasn't after six games. Left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie is still slow.

I am the current president of the Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland (CBH), a group of long established, mission-driven providers of community mental health care to the poorest and neediest Maryland citizens. I was pleased to read your editorial comment ("The General Assembly's to-do list," March 27 ) supporting an increase in alcohol tax. You note — correctly — that the dime-a drink proposal was to provide funds for mental health care; however, the bill on the table now — SB 994 — raises less money, raises it more slowly, and, most importantly, does not fund those distressed though deserving programs.

JEFF Greenfield, one of the moderators of Monday's big industrywide violence-on-TV conference in Beverly Hills, noted rTC that depictions of violence in Greek tragedy occurred off stage.The tragedy of American entertainment, as in American life, is that violence is front and center. It is everywhere, it seems, and -- while our elected officials are unwilling to take a tough stand on gun control and other lobbyist-sensitive issues that might have a direct effect on curbing violence -- the rallying cry of the hour is to stem the flow of it in our entertainment.

,TC Reports decrying the sorry state of American educatio remind us of background music: They're always there, but we hardly seem to notice.Critical studies of U.S. schools continue to flow, reporting that college entrance exam scores are dropping again, that American students trail much of the developed world in math and science, that high schoolers can't find Canada on a map. And yet, nothing changes.Amid this elevator music, one note has resonated louder and clearer than the rest. A decade ago, a national commission published "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Education Reform," with rhetoric as bold as the title: ". . .the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and as a people."

EVERYBODY talks about diversity, but what do we know about it except that it's good?That's why President Clinton wants a government made up of people as diverse as America. A government as diverse as all America would be good: so runs the season's wisdom.Yet how many know that one of the early advocates of diversity in government was mocked and ridiculed, especially by progressive people, for speaking out in favor of this principle now so widely admired, especially by progressive people?I refer to Sen. Roman L. Hruska, a Nebraska Republican during the Nixon administration.

Flash back to late 1997 and a Jon Miller book signing at the Babe Ruth Museum. The Orioles season ended with a heartbreaking playoff loss to the Cleveland Indians and manager Davey Johnson was rewarded with walking papers. Mr. Miller had — for all intents and purposes — just been fired. I told him that firing proved to me the team and its owner were willing to settle for mediocrity. Boy was I wrong. Mediocrity was too kind a word. Welcome to the new Oriole Way! John Hammond, Baltimore

Five coaches who could be job-hunting by the end of the year:Cowboys' Barry Switzer: At least Barry can always say he won a Super Bowl.Bears' Dave Wannstedt: Unsettled quarterback situation and working on third personnel man in five years. (Got contract extension through 2000.)Raiders' Joe Bugel: The puppet coach for Al Davis.dTC Seahawks' Dennis Erickson: Paul Allen didn't put up all that money for mediocrity.Vikings' Dennis Green: After four playoff losses, he needs a postseason win desperately.

I think I may have figured out why Jordan Williams was in such a hurry to get to the NBA: the women. New Jersey power forward Kris Humphries is the latest mediocre NBA big man to net himself a model. The basketball vagabond, who has averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in seven NBA seasons, is now engaged to reality show star Kim Kardashian . He gave her a 20.5-carat diamond engagement ring last week, which means he wasn’t making D-League money while coming off the bench for the Nets.

I am the current president of the Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland (CBH), a group of long established, mission-driven providers of community mental health care to the poorest and neediest Maryland citizens. I was pleased to read your editorial comment ("The General Assembly's to-do list," March 27 ) supporting an increase in alcohol tax. You note — correctly — that the dime-a drink proposal was to provide funds for mental health care; however, the bill on the table now — SB 994 — raises less money, raises it more slowly, and, most importantly, does not fund those distressed though deserving programs.

A group representing civil engineers reported that Maryland's transportation and water systems are in dire need of billions of dollars of repairs and upgrades as it released a study giving the state's infrastructure an overall grade of C-minus. The report Tuesday by the Maryland section of the American Society of Civil Engineers issued grades ranging from a B-minus for the state's bridges to a D for its storm-water systems. Frank Kaul, president of the state chapter, said the results were "not acceptable," adding that Maryland has been putting off investment in aging infrastructure for too long.

One of the few positives that accompanies the end of summer is the arrival of pennant fever which allows a lucky handful of cities to harbor sandlot dreams of October glory. Sadly, for yet another season, the playoffs will elude both of our local teams. The Orioles have, at least, perked up under their new manager, but the Nationals? Their rusty collection of mediocre arms, tired bats, and underwhelming prospects is locked into another last-place finish. The sting of this year's disappointment was worsened by the announcement that Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals' top young phenom who struck out 14 batters in his first big league start, was felled by a potentially career-ending arm injury.

Flash back to late 1997 and a Jon Miller book signing at the Babe Ruth Museum. The Orioles season ended with a heartbreaking playoff loss to the Cleveland Indians and manager Davey Johnson was rewarded with walking papers. Mr. Miller had — for all intents and purposes — just been fired. I told him that firing proved to me the team and its owner were willing to settle for mediocrity. Boy was I wrong. Mediocrity was too kind a word. Welcome to the new Oriole Way! John Hammond, Baltimore

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso has presented the city board of school commissioners with a problem of both practical and philosophical import: How long should the city wait before deciding to close charter schools that clearly aren't up to the job they were intended to do? The issue came to light at a meeting of the city school board last week, when Mr. Alonso recommend revoking the charter of the independently run, publicly financed Dr. Rayner Browne Academy, an elementary/middle school in West Baltimore that is now in its third year of operation.

Summer of discontent for 9th year in a row Summer is upon us, a third of the baseball season has whizzed by, and the Orioles' dwindling faithful are desperately searching for ways to avert our attention from the team's record. We as fans have been through this drill so long now, we seem steeled by the team's performance. We keep hearing this will be "year nine" for consecutive losing seasons. It makes .500 baseball sound like horsehide nirvana. It shouldn't be like this. Mr. Angelos seems to accept this team's mediocrity as some form of overachievement.

1. Patriots They simply know how to win. 2. Colts They're chasing the Pats already. 3. Eagles Young corners must come through. 4. Seahawks Mike Holmgren's offense is on go. 5. Ravens Will Deion Sanders make a difference? 6. Panthers Built tough and made to last. 7. Packers Best line protects Brett Favre. 8. Chiefs If only Gunther Cunningham could tackle. 9. Broncos Quentin Griffin is on the spot. 10. Titans If they fall, it won't be far. 11. Cowboys Bill Parcells is collecting his old boys.

The Sun's Feb. 26 article "Mediocre charter schools in cross hairs" brings to mind the response computer programmers sometimes give to complaints about unconventional, unexpected outcomes in their software: "It's a feature, not a bug." In the spirit of the techno geeks who have brought us one-click shopping, online drivers license renewal, Internet dating and endless other marvels of the digital age, it can be said that closing a charter school based on inadequate performance is a feature, not a bug. On the one hand, given the experience and expertise of the charter school operator at Rayner Browne Academy, it is surprising that the school system recommended termination (and we hope that the superintendent, the charter operator and the school board will work out their disagreements about the evaluative process)

E very visit from the Indianapolis Colts creates a special level of angst around here, what with the way that franchise left town and the way Baltimore was jacked around by the NFL afterward. This year, however, we don't have the luxury of wallowing in our ancient football history. There is way too much to worry about in the here and now. The Colts are the best team in the AFC and they'll bring a 9-0 record to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. The Ravens will be coming off a short practice week and an unimpressive Monday night performance against the unimposing Cleveland Browns.