In Defense of Pete Rose (Finally)

I am a huge baseball fan, and always have been. I played the game from 1965-1968, again from 1973-1976, and then, after over a decade playing softball from 1976-1992, returned once again and played from 1993-2017. A lot of my life was spent between those white lines, and they are moments I would never give back. I loved every second.

So today, I want to write about the complicated legacy of Peter Edward Rose.

Let’s face it: like a lot of professional baseball players (Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Lenny Dykstra and Wade Boggs come immediately to mind), Rose was not a rocket scientist, nor was he a candidate for the Nobel Prize.

But his job description was not “Rocket Scientist” nor was it “Nobel Prize Winner.” Nope.

Pete’s job was getting hits, catching and throwing, and winning baseball games. Anyone who says he did NOT do those things at a Hall of Fame level has never held a baseball in anger. The 1980 Phillies simply do not win a Championship without Rose. This is inarguable.

But Pete was his own worst enemy.

Every day, he walked past a sign in every MLB clubhouse than warned against the dangers of gambling and promised every player that, should he get involved with gambling, that he WOULD be banned from the game for life.

I suppose Pete thought he was above such things. He was arrogant in that way, and really, that same kind of arrogance may have been what made him such a great player given his rather pedestrian skill set.

I am certain he gambled on baseball. I am certain he gambled on his own team. Yet I am 100% certain he bet on his team to win.

For years, I felt no pity for him. He made his own bed. Thanks to his friends Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt, Rose finally did get a meeting with the Commissioner of Baseball, Peter Seitz. In that meeting, he was told that, in order to get back in baseball’s good graces, he would need to cease any association with gambling and gamblers. That was made very clear to him,

Pete went directly from that meeting with Seitz to Las Vegas to sign autographs and kibitz with his gambling buddies. That’s self-destructive behavior if I’ve ever seen it.

But things are different in baseball today. After a century of decrying the evils of gambling, now I have to sit through ad after ad PROMOTING gambling. The announcers at each game even have the audacity to give the odds of “Alec Bohm driving in a run tonight” or “Aaron Nola getting seven strikeouts or more tonight.”

I find it infuriating, and I find it hypocritical.

How can baseball or anyone else now keep Rose out of the Hall of Fame if they are literally IN BED with gambling on a nightly basis? How long will it be before some addle-brained superstar gets in knee-deep with the wrong people and gets himself banished from the game? You already came dangerously close with the Ohtani mess.

In closing, I have the following advice for baseball: 1) get all this gambling bullshit off the air every night and away from the game; or 2) put the goddamned guy in the Hall of Fame where he belongs. Shoeless Joe, too, for that matter.

It’s just common sense.

Calling A Violation

My dear cousins and me had a text chain going. It was all about our family and about a Cousins Dinner that is held in Jersey several times per year. This message is for them. It is NOT political.

We all grew up the children of five wonderful women who raised us all pretty much collectively. I can only speak for my mom when I say that I never heard politics discussed in the household. The only things I can remember are discussions of JFK and RFK when they were assassinated. My mother loved them both, and I believe all of our parents were lifelong Democrats. But that's not the point.

When one of my cousins posted a political cartoon on that text chain, I was very, very upset, and I openly apologize here to them all for my reaction, which was heated. But I need to explain WHY it was heated, and what it meant.

We certainly have different views of the current political landscape, and you are all well aware of mine. But I never, ever shared those views in the text chain, because to me, that is scared. It's like a digital version of our family homes when were growing up — all about family, not politics. Most of the conversations my mom had back in the day in her kitchen were about Aunt Rosie, Aunt Millie, Auto Mary and Aunt Lulu and their kids. That was their focus, and their "life's work," as it were.

Times are different now. We are scattered around the country and cannot spend each weekend visiting each other like in the old days. There are responsibilities to attend to and lives to live. But we CAN connect digitally, share old stories, and spend time together via text chains like this, and via other digital means.

And that's why that text upset me so much. To me, it violated a sacred trust and destroyed a "safe haven" for me. I have ZERO problem with any of you posting your political views on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, wherever. There I am able to mute or block them should I not agree with them. And I do disagree MIGHTILY with some of you.

But here? In our "digital family home?" That just wasn't right. And honestly, I think you all agree with me on that point, though I know some of you most certainly do NOT agree with me politically. Which is fine.

The basic message here is that we should all stay in our lane when it comes to family conversations. If you wanna argue on Facebook or one-on-one, bring it. I am happy to handle myself in either forum, if need be. I have receipts.

Here in the safe space, though, let's talk about who's mother made the best meatballs, please.

Love you all. 

Abortion Clarity

I wanted to expand on my thoughts on abortion for clarity.

First of all, NO ONE is "in favor" of abortion. Well, okay, maybe the famous Hannibal Lecter might be. But no actual human beings. The minute someone uses that turn of a phrase in a an argument, they have lost the argument.

Back in 1977, me and my ex-wife were faced with this very decision. We were both very young (she 18, me 20), and we had to figure out what we were going to when she found out she was pregnant.

We went to Planned Parenthood for a consultant.

They did NOT try to point us in either direction. Instead, they talked through our options in a realistic fashion so we would know where we stood. It was a long time ago, but I remember them being very fair, open, and kind about everything. I was very impressed.

Cindi and me went home and quickly made the decision to keep our baby, and months later, our dear Nicole was born. Sadly, we only had her for 24 years, as she passed away due to complications of sepsis in 2002. Neither of us has ever recovered from this, because it's simply not something from which you ever "recover." Here we are some 22 years later and I still wake up sometimes crying, and I would imagine she does, too. That's how it is. But I digress.

I am anti-abortion. But I am anti-abortion for ME, a personal policy that should not ever affect anyone else, even a person with whom I might conceive a child (which ain't gonna happen at this advanced age, especially given my 1983 vasectomy!).

This makes me "Pro-Choice," not "Pro-Abortion."

And let me say that I fully understand and appreciate those who are 100% pro-life in all circumstances. If you believe life is precious, and that a fetus is a child, I get where you're coming from. However, that belief must therefore extend to children conceived by rape and incest, too. And it also must extend to the death penalty. A life's a life, right? If you favor any exceptions, that makes you a hypocrite. Sorry.

However, it must be noted that your belief that a fetus is a child comes from religious dogma, not from science nor medicine. There is no way to make that point using either of those things. Yes, there are some physicians who believe that way, but their beliefs ALSO come from religious dogma rather than science or medicine.

Don't get me wrong: if a physician feels that way, they should never, ever be forced to perform an abortion procedure. They should have ever right in the world to step away and hand the case over to another physician.

The problems arise when Physician A starts to try and tell Physician B that THEY cannot perform the procedure. That's where we go off the rails, and that is the difference between a pro-choice person and an anti-abortion person. The latter thinks THEIR beliefs, again based upon religious dogma, extend to folks besides themselves. 

They don't. Ever. This is why the Republicans being hell-bent on "sending the decision back to the votes" is asinine and ingenuous. Face facts: they still want to ben abortion. They just want the states to it for them, not the Federal government. It's a classic Republican dodge.

No one but a woman and her doctor should be allowed to make that decision, period. If Cindi and me had disagreed on that very difficult decision, HER voice should have been the one that held sway, not mine.

These Republican muckity-mucks have already set us back 50 years in social progress and women's rights. Give them another term in office and they are likely to try and take us back another 50 years to a time when Jim Crow laws ruled the land and women and black people were viewed as second class citizens by many.

Don't let them do it.

This election is without a doubt the most important in my long lifetime. I am hoping that the women and young people of this nation will choose a new future in which a woman, a mother, leads us. Where the politics of hatred and derision are no more. Where hope and positivity reign, and ignorance and negativity are rejected.

I am hoping for Kamala Harris, President of the United States.

The (Flag) Burning Question

I raised this topic several years ago on Facebook, and it created quite a bruhaha. Though it is incendiary — figuratively and quite literally — recent events tell me its time to revisit the subject.

Freedom, protest, and the burning of the American flag.

What is the REAL meaning of the freedom we have here in America? The freedom so many have died to protect. The freedom our forefathers built from scratch by putting forth the then novel and un-heard-of concept that all men are created equal.

It's clear to me, and very sad, that far too many people simply do not really understand American freedom. It has become lost in a rising tide of nationalistic fervor, a fervor that has exactly nothing to do with real patriotism. It is a sham and a show, a contest where you "prove" you are more patriotic than me by singing the national anthem louder, doing the pledge of allegiance repeatedly, or hugging the flag like an idiot. None of those things make you a patriot. Standing up for the rights of ALL Americans, whether you agree with them or not, THAT'S patriotism.

I said this back in the day, and I say it again here: the American flag BEGS you to burn it. The very fact that you are allowed to burn it without legal consequence is the very strength of that flag. Burn it, tear it, pour acid on it, whatever, the promise of freedom that it holds cannot be diminished. And the flag, or more accurately, the IDEAL of the flag, survives.

A flag burning, kneeling at a football game, or any other kind of peaceful protest is the most American of things. It is NOT a protest AGAINST America (or perhaps more accurately, the CONCEPT of America), and it does NOT dishonor the men and women who died defending that flag. That right to peacefully protest is exactly WHAT they were defending. Such actions are (generally speaking) a protest against the current government and (whatever) actions they have taken with which you disagree. As an example, the hippie protests against the Vietnam war were not a protest against the troops out there doing their duty. They were against the government that sent them there to die for no good reason. This does not diminish their service or sacrifice in any way.

When protests such as these are NOT allowed, when you are jailed for expressing such opinions, well, that's the moment Democracy has died. Welcome to Russia.

Now let me be clear: I am NOT in support of burning the flag nor am I suggesting this is something I would EVER do. No. What I am saying is that if YOU want do burn the flag, the flag itself is a symbol of your right to do just that without being punished by the government. Try that it Russia and you will wind up in a jail cell for a very, very long time. That is the opposite of Democracy. This is a concept that even people in Congress (looking at YOU, Marjorie Taylor Green) apparently do not grasp.

Same thing with flying the flag upside down, as so many Trumpsters are wont to do these days. Make no mistake: this is also a desecration of the flag done in protest of a government with whom they disagree. I don't particularly like that, either, but I will defend your right to do it to the death, unless you happen to be a SCOTUS justice, looking at YOU Samuel Alito, in which case you have just tarnished the High Court and your position in it and should be removed.

There you have it. A brief lesson in freedom.

The Four Quadrants

 In my view, there are four quadrants of Trump supporters. Some are very dumb, some are not. To wit...

1. The Rich People (Smart)
2. The Poor People (Dumb)
3. The Religious Leaders (Smart)
4. The Religious Followers (Sheep)

The Rich People

It's easy to see why the wealthy and the big corporations would support Trump and throw cash at him. These are the SMARTEST people involved in this whole mess. These people know Trump is going to do two things that will help them:

1. Lower taxes on the wealthy
2. Eliminate government regulation

There is no debate that Trump will lower taxes on the rich and continue the Reagan-esque policy of "Trickle-Down Economics," which history has unequivocally proven to not work. Just look at the huge increase in income inequality during the period since Reagan held office. It's really quite astounding. As he told his membership at Mar-a-lago when he first did the tax cuts for the rich, "You all just got a lot richer." 

This same group is diametrically opposed to all regulation. Why? Because it costs them money. Never mind that it saves lives, protects the environment, protects workers, etc., so on and so forth. If it costs them money, they are OUT. If elected, Trump most certainly WILL destroy all the government institutions that are there to protect YOUR dumb ass. Do not fall for that bullshit about it saving money. That's what he said when he eliminated the pandemic response team. How did that work out for over a million Americans? Government is not a profit-making enterprise. It is about serving the people. What did Trump ever do that end? Nothing, that's what.

This group of people are in the "Smart Sector" of Trump supports. They know when they are doing and are quite methodical and patient about it to a scary degree. And they are taking advantage of the other three quadrants. They know their policies will NOT help any of these people, but they are extremely adept at convincing them to vote against their own interests.

The Poor People

This group has simply been brainwashed by over 40 years of lies and misinformation from the only news source they trust and follow, Fox News, an entity already convicted of flat-out lying, and entity who's defense in that case was that "no sane person would think that what we do is news." This is what they have watching their entire lives. There is no way anyone could come out of that without being devoid of any real knowledge of the world we live in.

This group cannot tell the difference between fact and fiction, nor the difference between fact and opinion. They are being used the first group, a group who knows how to stir people to anger, and knows their audience is not smart enough, or perhaps not paying enough attention, to see that they are being fleeced and lied to.

This group does not truly understand the meaning of American freedom nor patriotism. They are blinded by nationalistic appeals to those concepts, such as NRA messaging, the whole "cowboy/tough guy" image put forth by Republicans since the Reagan era, and finally, by disinformation that "coincidentally" happens to make Russian messaging.

Imagine that.

The Religious Leaders

These folks might be the scariest bunch of them all, for several reason. First of all, they KNOW what a bad guy Trump is, but they don't care. They are willing to manipulate their minions to help elect a career criminal, sexual abuser, non-Christian, lying low-life scumbag because he agree to support their agenda to help turn the United States into a Chirsto-fascist country. They have basically come out and said as much.

But make no mistake: he is using them as much as they are using him. Trump doesn't not care about their issues, doesn't believe in god (note that he has basically NEVER been inside a church unless the appearance benefitted him politically), and simply want to garner the voting block so he can regain power and free himself from all criminal culpability -- while of course enriching himself at the same time.

These people have bludgeoned their base of sheeple with the concept of "faith" for so long, that they are now willing to do the bidding of a virtual madman because church leaders are telling them it's the right thing to do, that god demands it of them. And they use the issue of abortion as the wedge to drive these morons.

There is no such thing as "after-birth abortion." It simply does not exist. And any late-term abortions that are done happen because a severe health crisis endangering either the mother or the child is present. Take note: Banning abortions after six weeks is basically banning abortion. Most women have no clue they are pregnant at that stage, so a post-six-weeks ban would force them to carry a child they do not want. It's disgusting. Your religious views of this can kindly take a hike: abortion is HEALTHCARE, and Trump and these idiots are taking away women's rights.

Also, these morons are eagerly looking forward to "the rapture," the event when the world ends in fire. Excuse me for being worried, but if a guy like Trump has his hands on the nuclear button, the danger of a nuclear event goes up exponentially, and these clowns will be HAPPY about that, as they will then have the opportunity to meet their Sky Fairy. Do you REALLY want people in power who are eagerly looking forward to the end of the world? Sounds like a really bad idea to me!

This group are also rich people who have managed to find biblical rationale for them to be wealthy, fly private jets, but luxury boats, cars and houses while their "flocks" live in poverty. They are button-pushers who, like the first group, are expert at manipulating their minions into doing their bidding, often at their own peril.

The Religious Followers

These people are the bottom of the barrel when it comes to brains and deductive reasoning. They have been so brainwashed by their (mostly) corrupt leadership that they will do literally anything the Religious Leaders tell them as long as it has god wrapped around it. They are driven by a blind faith that should frighten any sane human being. 

This is the same type of person who collectively managed to put Adolph Hitler in power and look the other way as he ravaged Europe, their own Germany in particular, and the Jewish people. They are easily blinded to reality because their misguided concept of "faith" makes them trust their leaders without question.

They are the ultimate Machiavellian crowd. The end (a Christian nation) justifies the means (destroying our Democracy) because it is the "right" thing to do. And they believe they get to decide what "right" is for the rest of us, you know, the "elite" and "educated" people.

Though a lot of these folks live in trailers in the south, there are many, many of them in the north, too, living in ordinary suburban homes with crosses everywhere. They believe that because they attend church on Sundays (or whatever day they attend), they have righteousness on their side, and they are "good people."

Of course they believe that. They are told that by their church leaders every time they get together with them.

This group is the epitome of the movie Idiocracy, which in retrospect, looked very, very predictive. Yes, this scares the crap out of me.

Stay strong, elect a Democratic administration or suffer the consequences. VOTE.

It's a Cult, Part One.

There are no "politics" behind Donald Trump's conviction in a New York courtroom. That is a false narrative supported by him and his minions, and by right-wing media outlets. There's is absolutely no evidence to support this contention. None. 

First of all, the Federal government holds no sway whatsoever in what goes on in a state courtroom. None. Here's how the process works:

State officials in their department of Justice suspect a crime has been committed. They collect evidence of that suspected wrongdoing. They then convene a grand jury made up of 16-23 normal folks chosen randomly from the pool of potential jurors in the state. These grand jurors examine the evidence from MULTIPLE possible crimes (not just Trump's) presented by the prosecutors, and determine which of those warrant an indictment. 

The grand jury in Trump's case, and again these are average folks like you and me, made the determination that Trump should be indicted based solely upon the evidence presented. He was. 

Now another jury of normal folks is chosen randomly from the jury pool to decide his guilt or innocence. Lawyers from each side can decide to eliminate a certain number of jurors if they are unhappy with that person for any reason. Both sides used their exemptions.

If you never served in a jury, let me assure you that the very process makes you extremely focused on doing the right thing, and rendering a verdict based upon the evidence. It is a solemn duty, and you can feel it. 

Although the judge is presiding over the case, he or she really does not determine guilt or innocence. His or her role is to basically make certain that the law is followed and that the lawyers do not do anything untoward while presenting their cases. It is possible, but extremely unlikely that a judge will ever affect the actual outcome of a case. 

Judge Marchan did nothing of note to hamstring Trump's case. He simply did his job. Legal experts have confirmed this. This is in contrast to Judge Cannon, who's strange rulings so far have confounded the experts.

So the case went to trial and both sides presented their cases. Trump had every opportunity to testify, but refused to do so. He was sanctioned by the court several times for statements made outside of court, statements that put the lives of the judge and others at risk. But when it came time to speak under oath and defend himself, he refused. This is not uncommon in criminal trial for various reasons.

The jury then examined the evidence presented and found him guilty on all 34 counts of the indictment, fair and square. There was no collusion. There was no foul play. There was no federal interference. If there had been evidence of such, you can bet the house it would have come out by now. Trump's minions would have made that a certainty. The evidence against him was simply overwhelming.

If you don't believe this and have no facts to back up your opinion, you are probably in a cult. If there was evidence to the contrary, we would have seen it. Your opinion or anyone else's is not evidence. 

If you vote for Trump, you are voting for a righteously convicted felon for the highest office in the land. 

Live with it. 

Croce

 August, 1973. It was just a moment in time, not unlike a million others in a long, eventful life.

My cousin and I walked down the Wildwood boardwalk in the early evening hours. The surf whispered a soft tune in the distance, muted by the jangly carnival sounds of the rides and games.

I used to go down to Aunt Millie's house just about every August for a couple of weeks in those days. I can't remember the exact day or date, or exactly why we were there that particular night. Dominic worked at a poker parlor so I could have been walking him to work. Or we could have been there doing what teenage boys do: girl-watching. Or I suppose we could have simply have been out having fun and eating pizza.

Whatever, there was nothing like hanging out on the Wildwood boardwalk in the heart of summer. Oh, the sounds and smells, and the sheer innocence of being young and healthy, with your whole life ahead of you, dreams laid out before you like a bright field of poppies.

So we walked, taking everything in and enjoying the warm air. The sounds of music could be heard in the distance. At the time, there was a local guy who had two very big hits on the radio. One, released in 1972, was an up-tempo, funny song called "You Don't Mess Around With Jim." Then in March of 1973, the boogie-woogie classic "Leroy Brown" came out, and that was being played just about everywhere.

The author and singer of both tunes, an Italian guy from South Philly, was at the very pinnacle of his career. As musical fans (I was not yet an actual musician; that would come about two year later), we liked both songs and were kinda proud to have "one of our own" achieve such massive success. It was cool.

So down the boards we strolled, happily talking about whatever the hell was on our minds that night.

Suddenly, a family appeared out of the crowd. In an instant, we were face-to-face with them, a young man with a moustache, his young wife, and their two-year-old boy, who really seemed to be loving the experience.

Yep, it was Jim, Ingrid and A.J. Croce.

It's funny how these little memories stay with you for a lifetime. I've never, ever forgotten this one. Croce was happy, nice, smiling, and stoned out of his mind, something that two 15/16-year-old found incredibly entertaining.

I don't think we had much to say to him, but I do remember him being very pleasant and engaging. It was obviously a very positive time in his life, and it was very sweet to see such a nice, happy family just enjoying themselves.

So we went on with our lives from there, just a small moment come and gone like a grain of sand washing back out to sea.

Of course, we had no idea that Jim's clock had almost run out. Just about a month later, on September 20, he perished along with five others when the Beechcraft E18S in which they were flying clipped a pecan tree just beyond the runway in Natchitoches, LA and crashed. The cause was determined to be pilot error. Jim Croce was just 30 years old.

The single "I Got a Name" was released (as previously planned) on September 21, just one day after his death. It went on to become only the third posthumous No. 1 single of the rock era (following Otis Redding's "Dock of the Bay" and Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee."

A week after his death, Ingrid received a letter Jim had mailed while on tour. In it, a weary Croce expressed a desire to quit the music business and take up other pursuits, including movie scripts and short stories, things that wouldn't take him away from his family.

In closing, he wrote: "Remember, it's the first 60 years that count and I've got 30 to go. I love you."