What do you get a guy for Christmas who seems to have everything? Last year Brandon Webb received a National League Cy Young award after completing his best year as a professional. He followed that up in 2007 with an even better year statistically. Unfortunately San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy happened to do just a little better and took away Webb’s chances of taking home a second consecutive Cy Young. The Diamondbacks went Christmas shopping early and got Brandon Webb an ace to follow him in the rotation. That’s a pretty nice gift if you ask me and it is going to be pretty tough for anyone to top that. Old Uncle Henry is going to feel pretty inadequate when Brandon opens up the autographed Orlando Hudson bobble head that he got Webb for Christmas (by the way I would be more than happy to accept such a generous gift should Uncle Henry have any extras that he might not know what to do with). So is there anyone who can top a wrapped Danny Haren under the tree? I would have to say Ashland Kentucky could answer with a resounding “Yes!â€
City leaders in Ashland this week began unveiling signs marking the newly renamed “Brandon Webb Highway†to designate a portion of highway US 60 from the Ashland city limits to Beech Street. Governor Steve Beshear stated, “Mr. Webb has brought permanent recognition to Kentucky through his talent and hard work. We want to recognize him his contributions by naming this highway in his honor.†Wow, now that is what I call a Christmas present. How many of us can honestly say that they have a road named after them? I once tried to have the street I lived on renamed to “One Disk Drive†and you would have thought I had asked the city to please launch all garbage men to the moon to explore possibilities for a new city dump (not a bad idea but I have used up all my insane requests for this year so I will make not to suggest that as soon as the calendar turns to 2008). The point was that it is impossible to get a street renamed. Yet here is little Ashland Kentucky who through a bill sponsored by state representative John Vincent got part of an entire highway system renamed. It wasn’t one of those proclamations where the government names today “Jeff Summers Day†either where once the day is over that’s it, it never comes around again. So any thoughts of earning a few royalties through yearly Hallmark card sales on “Jeff Summers Day†just went out the window. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Joe Prather explained it this way, “Road signs and highway markers are maintained in perpetuity, which means the spotlight Mr. Webb has brought to his hometown will be remembered for generations to come. It's a pleasure to help do that for such a deserving citizen.†This is the gift that just keeps on giving. The best part of all this, Brandon doesn’t even have to pay to have the highway cleaned. How sweet is that, his road comes with its own maid! Maybe I need to move to Kentucky. I wonder if they have a street named, “Wacky Bloggers Way� Maybe I can send an email to Representative John Vincent and he can get the ball rolling for me.
Leave a comment