FLASHPOINT for Dec 14, 2006

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006 | 7:22 a.m.

The real Ty Cobb was a phenomenally successful hitter. Any real baseball fan knows his lifetime average of .367 will never be matched. So when I saw that the baseball legend's namesake, a freshman assemblyman from Reno, has proposed a bill that would prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining state benefits, I wondered how the batsman would have reacted. Baseball player Cobb was a fierce competitor who never had a problem spiking opponents. His arrogance was backed up by his play, but he never won a Mr. Popularity contest among his peers. I wonder how the legislative Cobb will fare in comparison. If he hopes to be successful in that game, he'll have to hit better than .367.

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