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By GREG AUMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 19, 2001
Some Web sites have names that are timeless, never losing their value.
Others have a limited shelf life, a smaller window of opportunity, and as a result, must make the most of what little time they have.
Less than a month after its creation, putjdinthehall.com already has enjoyed its finest day. The tongue-in-cheek effort to get former Astros pitcher Jim Deshaies a single vote on baseball's Hall of Fame ballot reached its goal on Tuesday when a Houston Chronicle columnist obliged the site by tipping his cap and voting for a statistically unremarkable pitcher.
Deshaies, an Astros broadcaster who played for six teams and amassed a pedestrian 84-95 record in his 12-year career, wasn't the force behind the site. He merely consented when a friend suggested the idea last month.
Chuck Pool, a former Marlins public relations director who knew Deshaies when he worked for the Astros from 1986-91, loved the concept of a ridiculous Hall of Fame campaign but was concerned about upsetting the game's purists if the drive was taken too seriously.
"This could blow up in your face if you look disrespectful toward the Hall, or worse, if it just isn't funny," Pool said. "Jim was the perfect guy for this. It was very fertile ground for us."
One page points out that Deshaies holds two major-league records: one for striking out the first eight batters in a game in 1986, and the other, more dubiously, for finishing his career with 396 plate appearances without an extra-base hit.
Highlights of a top-10 list of reasons to vote for Deshaies: No. 7, inspiration everywhere to slow-footed left-handers with minimal bat speed, and No. 1, crucial publicity bounce for upcoming Principles of Throwing to First Base video series. Since the site's launch on Dec. 20, it has been mentioned in several newspapers and sports sites, landed Deshaies interviews on national sports shows, and with a few exceptions, has been taken with a smile by all who visit.
"There's a very small percentage who seriously thought I had a real chance, and there's a few people who thought I was serious, but most people got it," Deshaies said. "It's been a tremendous surprise in the last few weeks. I had no idea the site would have the legs it's had."
Pool said the site was intended to be short-lived, to the extent that he and Deshaies had agreed that if the pitcher somehow got on 5 percent of the ballots, thus allowing him to be included on future Hall ballots, he would recuse himself from consideration.
"It's been a blast," said Pool, echoing the site's main page, which explains that the site is "intended to celebrate the fleeting moment" of Deshaies' inclusion on the ballot.
Now, they are left to the amusement of reading the site's guest book, which has mostly kind messages from fans, some leaving their real names, others getting more creative. Andy Van Slyke demanded a recount. Dave Righetti pointed out that he had doubled Deshaies' vote total. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis permanently banned Deshaies from baseball.
And who's to say that putjdinthehall.com has worn out its usefulness? Surely there's another marginally ballot-worthy player (with more money than Deshaies) who could invest in a barely used domain name. Jeff D'Amico? Johnny Damon? Jermaine Dye? Couldn't J.D. Drew's push for Cooperstown use a little boost?
"We may want to hold on to the registration for a little while," Pool said.
CHATWATCH: Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier, who has a few weeks of down time with a foot injury, will chat at tampabaylightning.com at 5:30 p.m. Monday. ... Trash-talking Mississippi State defensive back Fred Smoot, projected as a first-round pick in April's NFL draft, chats at 1:30 p.m. today at ESPN.com. ... Move over, Mr. Blackwell: Chris Arena, listed as director of performance apparel for the NBA, chats about what today's sophisticated power forward is wearing at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Yahoo.com.
TID-BYTES: CNN is expected to lay off 400 employees next week, but only one-third will come from its online operations, which include CNNSI.com. The cutbacks represent about 15 percent of CNN Interactive's 800-person staff. ... On the other side of the economy, the Everett Herald of Washington has a Pay-Rod Meter that keeps a running tab of Alex Rodriguez's salary with the Texas Rangers. The dizzying totals can be found at heraldnet.com/payrod. ... If you haven't already received an invitation to Keyshawn Johnson's Super Bowl party, there are two pairs of VIP passes up for auction at eBay.com. The auction ends today at 5:41 p.m., with bids topping $2,000 per pair on Thursday.
- If you have a question or comment about the Internet or a site to suggest, send an e-mail to staff writer Greg Auman at aumanac1@aol.com.