2020: A Horrible Year With a Twinge of Hope

By any objective measure 2020 was a horrible year. Front and center of this horror is COVID-19. As of this writing, it has infected more than 83 million people around the world killing more than 1.8 million. Nearly 1 in 5 of those deaths have happened here in the United States. COVID-19 has now claimed the lives of more than 345,000 Americans. On the first day of 2021, this country will have crossed the 20 million case mark.

While some countries have made the best of these horrible circumstances (i.e. New Zealand) here in the U.S. the pandemic has led to a health care system on the verge of collapse, economic catastrophe and social unrest exacerbated by malevolent leadership.

Fortunately, there is a twinge of hope. American voters saw fit to elect a new President who will take office in less than three weeks from now. Of course, Joe Biden's efforts to clean things up will greatly be assisted if Georgia elects both Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock this coming Tuesday despite my reservations. If nothing else, I picked one hell of a time to move to Georgia.

But Republicans are making a concerted effort to delegitimize Biden's presidency before it begins. While the efforts of House and Senate Republicans to disregard the Electoral College results next Wednesday fail I fear there could be violence aided and abetted by President Trump between now and Inauguration Day. 

Even if Biden takes office with little or no incident there will be a critical mass that will actively resist wearing masks, social distancing and taking a COVID-19 vaccine. For those of us who wish to be vaccinated, there is the challenge of getting these vaccines into people's arms. However, I do think the incoming Biden Administration has the competence and compassion necessary to get this done come hell or high water. If more than two thirds of America's populace has been vaccinated by this time a year from now and community spread is dramatically reduced, Biden will have bought himself a great deal of goodwill. Of course, only time and our patience will tell. 

As for myself, in the grand scheme of things, I have been very fortunate. I did lose my job like tens of millions of other Americans, but I managed to find a new one. This meant leaving my Dad and moving from New York City to Atlanta a little over two months ago. Such a thought was the furthest thing from my mind at this time a year ago. Then again this could be said of a great many things. 

Since arriving in Atlanta, I did have a COVID scare but again good fortune smiled upon me in this regard as well. Knock on wood for the same in 2021. I'm slowly adjusting to my new life in Atlanta. My new job has a pretty steep learning curve. But the decisions I make are not matters of life and death. With this in mind, I do not envy the health care workers who have seen so much death this year and will likely see a great deal more death in the coming year. But I am grateful for them and hope they get the kind of care they give to others. 

With just over an hour left in 2020, I am sitting in my large garage apartment alone. I have spent a great deal of time this year alone. Prior to moving to Atlanta, I spent nearly 7 months in an apartment upstairs from my Dad to promote social distancing. Since moving to Atlanta, I am alone at home and am nearly alone at the office as most people work from home. I am accustomed to being alone and like not being in anyone's way. But no man is an island. 

Still my problems pale in comparison to millions of other people. Things could be much worse. I have found joy in practicing tai chi, watching reaction videos and discovering the 1970's all-female rock band Fanny. As an aficionado of late 1960's and early 1970's rock music, I am astounded I never came across Fanny's music until this year. I have now immersed myself into the band and have become friendly with Fanny's lead guitarist June Millington and drummer Alice de Buhr on Facebook. Millington hosts a weekly live show on Facebook while de Buhr co-hosts the Get Behind Fanny podcast. I listened to the former earlier this evening and the latter will be the first thing I do in 2021 as the latest episode drops at midnight. 

For all the misery which defined 2020 and will remain with us to start 2021, I am nevertheless looking forward to the New Year. I hope the same is true for you as well wherever you may be.

Two Cheers for Ben Sasse

In 2016, I wrote in Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse for President. Sasse has done little to endear himself to me ever since. Much of the past four years he has fallen in line with the rest of the GOP and has worshipped at the altar of President Trump.

Today, I rise and give Sasse two cheers for publicly refusing to take a cue from his Republican Senate colleague Josh Hawley of Missouri who plans to challenge the electoral college results in Congress on January 6th. 

In a lengthy Facebook post, Sasse rejected the idea:

The president and his allies are playing with fire. They have been asking – first the courts, then state legislatures, now the Congress – to overturn the results of a presidential election. They have unsuccessfully called on judges and are now calling on federal officeholders to invalidate millions and millions of votes. If you make big claims, you had better have the evidence. But the president doesn’t and neither do the institutional arsonist members of Congress who will object to the Electoral College vote.

Let’s be clear what is happening here: We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there’s a quick way to tap into the president’s populist base without doing any real, long-term damage. But they’re wrong – and this issue is bigger than anyone’s personal ambitions. Adults don’t point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.

So why not three cheers? Here's what Sasse argues in his next paragraph:

We have a deep cancer in American politics right now: Both Republicans and Democrats are growing more distrustful of the basic processes and procedures that we follow. Some people will respond to these arguments by saying: “The courts are just in the tank for Democrats!” And indeed the President has been tweeting that “the courts are bad” (and the Justice Department, and more). That’s an example of the legitimacy crisis so many of us have been worried about. Democrats spent four years pretending Trump didn’t win the election, and now (shocker) a good section of Republicans are going to spend the next four years pretending Biden didn’t win the election. 

Sasse is making a false equivalency. While Democrats certainly loathed the idea of a Trump presidency they didn't deny its existence much less attempt to overturn the results of the election. After all, it was none other than Joe Biden who certified Trump's election just four years ago. Biden might not have liked it, but he respected the peaceful transfer of power and therein lies the difference.

The fact of the matter is that American voters chose Joe Biden over Donald Trump. Period. Trump hands the reigns of power to Biden. Instead what we have is a defeated President who won't accept he is defeated and a significant segment of the Republican Party eager to go along with him and the will of the people be damned. 

Now it could be the case that Sasse is making the moral equivalence argument because many Republicans are hostile to the very fact that Biden won the election. For them 2 + 2= 5. Sasse is saying otherwise but is sugarcoating the message by saying Democrats are no better. Democrats certainly don't possess a monopoly on virtue, but they may soon have a monopoly on being the only political political party which accepts the peaceful transfer of power - win or lose.

My disagreement notwithstanding, I do hope Sasse raises many of the same points on the floor of the Senate in the presence of his Republican colleagues who see fit to challenge the results of the electoral college. The question is how many other Republican Senators will be prepared to publicly join him.

COVID-19 Claims Dawn Wells (a.k.a. Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island), R.I.P.

Actress Dawn Wells, best known for her portrayal of Mary Ann in Gilligan's Island from 1964 to 1967, has died of COVID-19. She was 82. 

Wells began adulthood as a beauty pageant winner claiming the title of Miss Nevada and competing in the 1960 Miss America pageant. Her acting career began the following year with appearances on shows like Maverick, Cheyenne, Wagon Train, 77 Sunset Strip, The Joey Bishop Show and Burke's Law before being cast on Gilligan's Island.

Mary Ann Summers would come to embody the girl next door and contrast to the sex symbol movie star Ginger Grant played by Tina Louise. With Wells' passing, Louise is now the last surviving cast member of Gilligan's Island. 

Wells did attempt to break away from the Mary Ann persona. Her first post-Gilligan appearance was on an episode of The Invaders starring Roy Thinnes in which she plays something of a wild child (please see photo above). 

After a few guest spots on The Wild, Wild West, Bonanza and The F.B.I., TV roles became harder to find and Wells spent much of the 1970's in musical theatre along with the obligatory appearance on The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. 

By the end of the decade, Wells would reprise the Mary Ann character in a series of Gilligan's Island TV movies and cartoons even making an appearance as Mary Ann on A.L.F. and Baywatch. 

In 2018, Wells was mired in financial trouble and launched a GoFundMe page in order to pay medical bills and Uncle Sam. She managed to raise nearly $200,000.

Sadly, whatever money she was able to raise could not help her overcome COVID-19. Now she is among more than 340,000 Americans who have succumbed to the virus. R.I.P.

Thoughts on Loeffler & Perdue's Sudden Support For $2,000 Stimulus Checks

Georgia Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are now on board with $2,000 COVID-19 stimulus checks.

Not that they objected to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocking a vote on the matter.

Of course, neither Loeffler nor Perdue were champions of a second round of stimulus payments. 

But they are both in favor of being re-elected. As it stands, with the election only one week away, both Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff are leading in the polls. Hence the flip-flop.

Let us also remember that President Trump will be holding a rally with Loeffler and Perdue the day before the election. It would be kind of awkward if Loeffler and Perdue weren't on the same page with Trump regarding the $2,000 stimulus. Then again it might also be awkward if they hit the stage next on Monday without any $2,000 stimulus checks ready to be cut. There could be further awkwardness afoot if Trump spends the rally denigrating Governor Kemp and Secretary of State Raffensperger rather than promoting Loeffler and Perdue. 

Whatever Trump has to say, it remains to be seen if Georgia voters will see through Loeffler and Perdue's sudden support for $2,000 stimulus checks let alone the $600 checks.

William Link, R.I.P.

Writer and TV producer William Link, best known for co-creating TV shows like Columbo, Mannix, Ellery Queen and Murder, She Wrote passed away on December 27th of congestive heart failure. He turned 87 earlier this month. 

Link met his collaborator Richard Levinson when they attended junior high school in Philadelphia. Together, Link and Levinson would write radio and TV scripts. By the late 1950's, their story "Chain of Command" had appeared on Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. In the 1960's, Levinson and Link co-wrote stories for TV shows like Richard Diamond, Private Detective; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Dr. Kildare; Burke's Law and The Fugitive.

In 1967, Levinson and Link would create their first hit TV show Mannix starring Mike Connors. The following year saw the TV debut of Peter Falk as the beloved Lt. Columbo in the TV movie Prescription: Murder. The two had actually developed the Columbo character years earlier and featured him in the teleplay "Enough Rope" in The Chevy Mystery Show with character actor Bert Freed as the lieutenant. Prescription: Murder had also been a stage play in 1962 featuring Thomas Mitchell (who one might remember as Uncle Billy from It's a Wonderful Life) as Columbo.

Given that Columbo had been played by Freed and Mitchell, Levinson and Link wanted an older actor to play him in the TV movie. The pair had Bing Crosby in mind, but he wisely turned it down. Casting Falk was the best decision Levinson and Link ever made. Columbo added another TV movie in 1971 before becoming a fixture on NBC during most of the 1970's and was revived on ABC sporadically between 1989 and 2003. Columbo has been praised for being a comfort to people during the pandemic.

During the mid-1970's, Link and Levinson adapted Ellery Queen for a short-lived TV series starring Jim Hutton. In the 1980's, Link and Levinson collaborated Peter S. Fischer on the long running TV mystery Murder, She Wrote starring Angela Lansbury. Levinson died suddenly in 1986 leaving Link to carry on.

I leave you with Link discussing how Peter Falk was cast as the lovable Lieutenant. R.I.P.

If McConnell Blocking $2,000 Stimulus Checks Isn't Enough to Convince Georgia To Vote Democrat Then Nothing Will

One week from tonight, Georgia will decide the future of the United States. 

Yes, Joe Biden takes office three weeks from tomorrow, but if Georgia elects either Republican Senator David Perdue or Kelly Loeffler then Mitch McConnell will run the show. 

Today, McConnell blocked efforts by Senate Democrats to vote on a $2,000 stimulus check for all Americans earning less than $75,000 a year. Yesterday, House Democrats along with 44 Republicans voted to grant Americans a $2,000 stimulus. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moved on this after President Trump called for a $2,000 stimulus a week ago after raising objections to the $900 billion COVID relief package passed by Congress. As I (and many others said at the time) Trump was totally being disingenuous. After all, Trump didn't veto the package and ended up signing two days ago but only after extended unemployment benefits had already lapsed. The COVID bill would have extended unemployment relief for 11 weeks. 

But credit Pelosi for acting on Trump's suggestion even if he didn't mean it. Still, there won't be any $2000 much less $1200 stimulus checks so long as McConnell and the GOP are in charge of the Senate.

Georgia voters can change that between now and January 5th. If Georgia elects both Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock then America won't be at the mercy of McConnell. 

If McConnell blocking a $2000 stimulus checks isn't enough to convince Georgia to vote Democrat then nothing will.

I've voted for Ossoff and Warnock. So have many of the more than 2 million Georgians who have already voted. Now it's up to the rest of Georgia's voters to do their part because America is counting on us.

Padres Acquire Darvish From Cubs

Less than 24 hours after acquiring 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays, the San Diego Padres have added yet another starting pitcher.

The Padres have acquired Yu Darvish from the Chicago Cubs along with his personal catcher Victor Caratini in exchange for starting pitcher Zach Davies and four prospects - outfielders Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena and shortstops Reggie Preciado and Yeison Santana. 

Darvish finished runner up in NL Cy Young balloting in the COVID shortened 2020 season. In a dozen starts, Darvish went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA striking out 93 batters in only 76 innings pitched. 

The Japanese born hurler signed a six year contract worth $126 million with the Cubs prior to the 2018 season. It is unclear how much the Cubs will pay Darvish to pitch in San Diego the next three seasons. Darvish, 34, has pitched in MLB since 2012 after seven seasons with the Nippon Hamfighters. He has been injury prone missing the entire 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery while a member of the Texas Rangers and then missing a significant portion of his inaugural season with the Cubs in 2018 with injuries to his elbow and triceps. 

Despite Darvish's injury history and Snell's inconsistency, the Friars are putting the World Series champion Dodgers on notice in the NL West. Darvish, of course, was part of the Dodgers rotation when they won the NL pennant in 2017. 

As for the Cubs, it will be interesting to see if the Darvish deal is the beginning of a fire sale. Will Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo follow?

We don't know the answer to that but we do know that Snell will follow Darvish in the Padres starting rotation in 2021.

Snell Might Not Be So Swell in San Diego

The San Diego Padres have acquired 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays for three prospects - right handed pitchers Luis Patino and Cole Wilcox and catcher Blake Hunt as well as catcher Francisco Mejia. 

While some laud the Padres acquiring Snell as a game changer, I take a more cautious view. Snell, who turned 28 earlier this month, had a sensational 2018 when he led the AL in wins (21) and ERA (1.89). But the year before his Cy Young campaign, Snell was 5-7 with a 4.04 ERA and the year after he was 6-8 with a 4.29 ERA. I cannot help but wonder if 2017 and 2019 Blake Snell are more representative than 2018 Blake Snell.

To be fair, Snell had a decent year in 2020 going 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts in the COVID shortened season. Of course, Snell had a sensational World Series and was unjustly removed in Game 6 as the Dodgers would win their first World Series title in 32 years. 

This isn't to say Snell can't have a good big league career. But at this point I think his Cy Young year was an aberration. If the Padres are expecting a Cy Young winner they might be disappointed.

The Rays are also very savvy when it comes to trades and spotting talent. I think the Rays will ultimately get the better half of this deal. Perhaps not in 2021 but perhaps in 2022. The Rays are always looking to the future. The only drawback to that is that they don't always look at what is in front of them as was the case in the World Series. And even if Snell never wins another Cy Young he does stand a good chance of attaining World Series glory in San Diego.

COVID-19 Cases Cross 19 Million While Killing 1 Out of Every 1,000 Americans

The United States has now recorded more than 19 million COVID-19 cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, 19,097,377 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19 resulting in 333,007 deaths. This represents a mortality rate of 1.7%.

While the mortality rate has been gradually declining, COVID-19 has now killed 1 out of every 1,000 Americans. More than 60,000 Americans have lost their lives this month alone. 

With four days left in 2020 there is a good chance this country will reach 20 million cases given the Christmas festivities. This Christmas hasn't been so Merry and this year hasn't been so Happy.

Phil Niekro, R.I.P.

Former MLB pitcher Phil Niekro, who spent the bulk of his 24-year career with the Atlanta Braves using a knuckleball, passed away in his sleep last night following a battle with cancer. He was 81.

Niekro becomes the seventh member of the Baseball Hall of Fame to die in 2020. Indeed, just last night, the MLB Network aired a special Icons Lost in tribute to Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Whitey Ford and Joe Morgan. Hours later another member would fall.

An Ohio native, Niekro would sign out of high school with the Milwaukee Braves in 1958. Niekro would not reach the majors until the 1964 season. With the help of Bob Uecker of all people, Niekro put himself on the map in 1967 when he led the NL in ERA with 1.87. In 1969, by this time pitching in Atlanta, Niekro won a career high 23 games en route to the inaugural NL West title and finished runner up in NL Cy Young balloting to - you might have guessed it - Tom Seaver. 

Between 1967 and 1986, Niekro was double digit in wins every season except for the strike shortened 1981 season. On a personal note, I saw Niekro pitch that season in the first very first big league game I attended in Montreal. The Braves won 5-4 in 12 innings although Niekro was not involved in the decision.

In 1979, Niekro started 44 games and had a record of 21-20. He is the last MLB pitcher to start more than 40 games in a season as well as win and lose 20 games in a season. Indeed, Niekro lost 20 games in a season twice in his career and led the NL in losses four straight seasons (1977-1980).

Niekro earned his 300th career win in a New York Yankees uniform shutting out the Toronto Blue Jays on the last day of the 1985 season. On that day, Niekro eschewed throwing the knuckleball until striking out his former Braves teammate Jeff Burroughs to end the game. At the time, Niekro was the oldest pitcher in MLB history to toss a shutout (a record bested by Jamie Moyer in 2010).

After stints with the Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays, Niekro finished his big league career with the Braves in 1987. In all, Niekro went 318-274 with a 3.35 ERA with 3342 strikeouts (7th on the all-time MLB list) with 5 NL All-Star Game selections and 5 Gold Gloves. Niekro twice led the NL in wins, led the NL in games started, complete games and innings pitched four times apiece.

Following his big league career, Niekro spent several years managing the Colorado Silver Bullets - an all-female baseball team. 

Niekro's younger brother Joe also had a distinguished career as a knuckleballer and was teammates with his brother in Atlanta in 1973 and 1974 and with the Yankees in 1985. Their combined 539 wins is the most for a pair of brothers in big league history. The younger Niekro passed away in 2006. 

Phil Niekro was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 in his fifth year on the ballot. I leave you with his Hall of Fame induction speech. R.I.P.

Jon Huber (a.k.a. Brodie Lee & Luke Harper), R.I.P.

Professional wrestler Jon Huber, best known for working under the names Luke Harper in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and more recently as Brodie Lee in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), passed away Saturday of a lung infection not related to COVID-19. He turned 41 earlier this month.

While Huber's wrestling persona was usually that of a maniacal villain, away from the ring and behind the scenes he was a beloved figure who often brought his young sons to work. 

Sadly, many in the ranks of professional wrestling have died young. But Huber's death hits hard as he had been on the best run of his career and the universal respect in which he was held. In this respect, this is probably the most shocking death in pro wrestling since those of Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero. 

As WWE superstar Sami Zayn put it, "In utter disbelief hearing of the passing of Brodie Lee. I’m unable to process this. I can’t believe it." Neither can I. R.I.P.

K.C. Jones, R.I.P.

K.C. Jones, former NBA player and coach who won 12 NBA titles (11 of them with the Boston Celtics), has passed away. No cause of death has been announced. He was 88.

Jones' achievements on the basketball court are astounding. He was a member of the University of San Francisco Dons who won back to back NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956, won a Gold medal as a member of the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team in Melbourne and then in his 9-year NBA playing career with the Celtics earned 8 NBA title rings. 

Jones would turn his attention to coaching starting in the collegiate ranks at Brandeis University and at Harvard before joining the L.A. Lakers as an assistant coach where he would earn his 9th NBA Finals ring. That would be the Lakers team which won a league record 33 straight games. 

Following the Lakers' NBA title, Jones would be hired by the San Diego Conquistadors of the ABA to be their head coach. After one season in San Diego, Jones would be lured away by the Capital/Washington Bullets to be their head coach for three seasons. After one season as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jones returned to the Celtics in 1978 as an assistant coach. He would win his 10th NBA title as the Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge earned their first championship. Jones would be named Celtics' head coach in 1983 and guide the team to four more NBA finals earning two championships - his 11th and 12th titles. 

Jones would later coach the Seattle Supersonics as an assistant and head coach, work with the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach and return to the Celtics for the third and final time as an assistant coach in 1996. Jones' coaching career finished as head coach of the all women New England Blizzard in the short-lived American Basketball League. 

Jones should be considered among the greatest who ever played basketball and yet he was not inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame until 1989. It might be the case that Jones won all of his championships as a player (including his collegiate and Olympic championships) with Bill Russell by his side. It is easy to be overshadowed by Russell and also easy to be perceived to have been successful by being in Russell's presence rather than being recognized for one's own contributions. 

But Jones made it to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame just the same. I leave you with his induction speech. R.I.P.

Who is Responsible For The Christmas Day Bombing in Nashville?

Christmas Day 2020 will be memorable for the people of Nashville for all the wrong reasons. This morning a RV exploded in the downtown area causing significant property damage. Fortunately, there were no fatalities and three people were treated at hospitals for non-life threatening injuries. All things considered this could have been much worse. 

But in what has been an awful year with the COVID-19 pandemic, a Christmas respite would have been most welcome. Alas this was not to be.

The RV exploded outside of an AT&T transmission center (it is not known whether anyone was inside the vehicle). The explosion subsequently caused cell phone outages as far as away in neighboring Kentucky and Alabama, disrupted 911 service and even forced the delay and cancellation of flights. 

So who is responsible for this act? When one thinks of deliberately set explosions one think of radical Islamic groups. Although the attack took place on Christmas Day, I'm guessing that this is not the case in this instance. Prior to the RV exploding there was a warning from the RV that it was going to explode in 15 minutes and a demand for an evacuation. Police were already on the scene having responded to shots fired in the area. That's not part of the radical Islamic ammo which typically seeks to maximize civilian casualties. 

As of this writing, no one has taken responsibility for this act. Based on current information, I'm inclined to think that AT&T was the target and the objective was to disrupt communication services. In which case are these the actions of a former employee? Or are they the actions of a fringe political group who might have an axe to grind with AT&T for its corporate practices?

At this point that determination will be made by the FBI.

Thoughts on the Pirates Trading Josh Bell to the Nationals

I have to admit that MLB has not aroused a great deal of positive intrigue from me especially where it concerned Justin Turner running out on the field to celebrate the Dodgers' World Series win after he had tested positive for COVID-19 and MLB not doing a damn thing about it. Nor was I thrilled with the Detroit Tigers hiring AJ Hinch or the Red Sox reuniting with Alex Cora.

But the Pittsburgh Pirates trading away slugger Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals for pitching prospects Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean the day before Christmas has peaked my curiosity.

Bell, 28, had a breakout season for the Bucs in 2019 hitting a career high .277 with 37 HR and 116 RBI earning his first NL All-Star Team selection. In the COVID shortened 2020 season, Bell's batting average fell more than 50 points to .226 with 8 HR and 22 RBI in 57 games played. 

Now here's where it gets interesting. If you look at Bell's 2019 season, the Texas born first baseman had an astounding first half hitting .302 with 27 HR and 84 RBI. Now that's a good season, but Bell did that in 88 games. Bell was driving in almost a run a game. He did his greatest damage to pitchers in May when he hit .390 with with 12 HR and 31 RBI. Needless to say, Bell earned NL Player of the Month honors.

But look at Bell's second half in 2019. In 55 games, he hit .233 with 10 HR and 32 RBI. These numbers are only slightly better than what he did in all of 2020. I guess the Pirates came to the conclusion that May 2019 was a career month for Bell and that his work in the second half of that season and this past season is more representative of his offensive output going forward. 

The Pirates 19-41 mark was also the worst in all of MLB in 2020. The Bucs need arms and managed two of the Nats' top pitching prospects who might bear fruit in 2022 or 2023. Meanwhile, Bell finds himself at a crossroads with something to prove. While it might be unrealistic to hit .390 every month, Bell is still young enough to be among baseball's premier sluggers and run producers and undoubtedly has the motivation to prove the Pirates wrong over the next two seasons in D.C. before he is eligible for free agency. On the other hand, the Pirates might have seen enough and managed to raid the Nats' best pitching right from under Mike Rizzo's nose. 

It is reasonable to argue the Pirates took a pragmatic view of Bell's future. It is equally plausible that Bell could become for the Nationals what Frank Robinson became for the Baltimore Orioles after he was jettisoned by the Cincinnati Reds more than half a century ago. This is what makes baseball interesting.

Will There Be a New Hope or a New Right in Israel's 4th Election in 2 Years?

Israel is heading for its fourth election in two years after the Knesset failed to pass a budget yesterday.

After failing to form coalition governments following elections in April 2019 and September 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue & White leader Benny Gantz formed a power sharing agreement after the March 2020 elections. Under the power sharing agreement, Netanyahu was to relinquish the Prime Ministership to Gantz in October 2021. Bibi, who has been Prime Minister since March 2009, is evidently not ready to leave Beit Agihon just yet. Israelis will go to the polls on March 23, 2021 - three months from today.

Netanyahu is Israel's longest serving Prime Minister. Alas all things must come to an end. Nearly two-thirds of Israelis are dissatisfied with Bibi's response to COVID-19. Then, of course, there is the dark shadow of bribery and fraud charges which Netanyahu was to stand trial for in the spring until the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled those proceedings although Bibi has been unsuccessful in having the charges against him dismissed.

Under the circumstances, perhaps the time for change has come. So what about Gantz? His popularity and the ranks of the Blue and White coalition have diminished since he saw fit to join a national unity government with Netanyahu after vowing not to do so. Mind you Israel is more of a right of center country these days than a centrist one. So Israeli voters have an opportunity to turn to two center-right leaders who don't have Bibi's baggage - Gideon Sa'ar and Naftali Bennett.

Sa'ar is a former Likud lawmaker who unsuccessfully challenged Netanyahu for the party leadership last year. He has recently formed a new political party called New Hope and has had several Likud MKs defect to join him. New Right leader Naftali Bennett, also once a part of Bibi's orbit, is also making a bid to be Israel's next Prime Minister. Before entering politics, Bennett had both a distinguished military and business career. It will be interesting to see if after the election Sa'ar, Bennett and other opposition figures will join forces to deny Netanyahu an unprecedented sixth term as Israel's Prime Minister.

As Rabbi Hillel put it, "If not now, when?"

Leslie West, R.I.P.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Leslie West, best known as the front man of the early 1970's hard rock group Mountain, died today following a heart attack several days ago. He was 75.

West grew up on Long Island where in early adulthood he along with his brother Larry formed a garage rock band called The Vagrants. While with The Vagrants, West would meet Felix Pappalardi who would was instrumental in signing them to Atco Records. By the end of the 1960's, West and Pappalardi would form Mountain and make an appearance at Woodstock. 

In 1970, Mountain would have its biggest hit with "Mississippi Queen" with West on lead vocal and cowbell in abundance. Although Mountain did not have a long peak at the top they had a profound influence on the development of heavy metal music with West's guitar playing being a great deal of that influence. In later years, West would also leave a legacy in hip-hop as his vocal and the drum break in "Long Red" was sampled hundreds of times. So indeed there is a straight line from Leslie West to Kanye West. The heavyset West's attempt at a solo career fizzled. Aside from a brief collaboration with fellow Mountain alum Corky Laing and Cream's Jack Bruce in West, Bruce & Laing, West spent the rest of his career performing with various iterations of Mountain. 

I leave you with West singing "Don't Look Around" during a 1971 appearance by Mountain on the West German TV show Beat Club. R.I.P.

The U.S. Has Gone From 300,000 to 325,000 COVID-19 Deaths in Only 9 Days

The United States has now exceeded 325,000 deaths due to COVID-19. According to Johns Hopkins University, COVID-19 has now claimed the lives of 325,358 Americans out of more than 18.4 million infected (18,402,363). This represents a mortality rate of 1.8%.

It is well worth noting that the U.S. crossed the 300K death threshold only 9 days ago. At that time, I observed that it took 82 days to get from 200,000 to 300,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. At this current pace, this country will go from 300,000 to 400,000 deaths in only 36 days. In which case, we could reach the 400,000 death toll on January 19, 2021 - the day before President Trump leaves office. But with people gathering for Christmas we might reach that 400,000 figure much sooner. Far too soon.

Let me put it another way. Over the last five weeks, 75,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. We have gone from 250,000 to 325,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States in 35 days. 

I hate to put coal in everyone's stockings less than 48 hours before Christmas. But there will be many families who will soon exchange Christmas wreaths for funeral wreaths.

Does Anyone Honestly Believe Trump Wants To Give Americans a $2000 Stimulus Check?

 

A couple of days ago I quipped the COVID Stimulus Bill would be signed by President Trump "barring any shenanigans".

Well, here comes Trump and his shenanigans. While he has not vetoed the bill, Trump has indicated that he will not sign it unless every American is given a $2,000 stimulus check instead of the $600 agreed to bill in the legislation.

Naturally, a $2,000 stimulus check is better than a $600 stimulus check. But does anyone honestly believe President Trump wants to give every American a $2,000 stimulus check?

After all, President Trump lied within a matter of seconds when he claimed at the outset of his four minute statement, "Throughout the summer, Democrats cruelly blocked COVID relief legislation."

The Democrat controlled House passed a $3 trillion HEROES Act and a slimmed down $2.2 trillion HEROES Act in May and in October respectively both of which included stimulus checks of $1200.

It is Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who cruelly ignored both bills. 

As for President Trump, I didn't see him putting pressure to bear on McConnell to agree to a $2,000 stimulus check let alone a $1,200 check last spring, summer or fall. Nor did he promise to propose a $2,000 stimulus check to Congress if re-elected. So none of this is being said or done in good faith which is standard operating procedure for Trump. Indeed, Trump is as pissed off at McConnell for accepting the election results as he is at Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. 

After calling for an increase in the stimulus check, Trump called upon a Congress to send him "a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package. And maybe that next administration will be me and we will get it done."

No, the next administration will not be headed up Donald Trump. But in making this statement, Trump might have done President-elect Biden a favor. Good faith or bad faith, Trump did publicly call for a $2,000 stimulus check. This will give Biden a great deal of latitude when making his own stimulus proposals once he takes office four weeks from tomorrow.

Of course, that latitude will have a much longer span if Georgia sees fit to elect Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to the Senate 15 days before Biden takes office. 

2019 Post-Season Hero Howie Kendrick Retires After 15 MLB Seasons

Howie Kendrick, best known for his post-season heroics with the Washington Nationals in 2019, has announced his retirement after 15 MLB seasons.

The Florida born Kendrick was a 10th round draft pick by the Anaheim Angels in 2002. Kendrick would make his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2006. Kendrick would spend nine seasons in Anaheim with his best season coming in 2011 when he was selected to his lone AL All-Star Team hitting a career high 18 HR.

The Angels would trade Kendrick crosstown to the Dodgers following the 2014 season in exchange for pitcher Andrew Heaney. After two seasons in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers traded Kendrick to the Philadelphia Phillies in a deal which included Darrin Ruf. Kendrick would only spend a half season in Philly before being sent to the Washington Nationals.

Primarily a second baseman, Kendrick occasionally played the outfield and first base. A steady but unspectacular player, Kendrick would hit a career high .344 and enjoy the limelight in the 2019 post-season. Kendrick would dash the hopes of Dodgers' fans when he hit an extra inning grand slam HR off Joe Kelly to win the NLDS. Kendrick would earn the 2019 NLCS MVP going 5 for 15 with 4 RBIs. In Game 7 of the 2019 World Series against the Houston Astros, Kendrick hit the deciding go ahead HR off reliever Will Harris with a dugout celebration to remember.

Kendrick, 37, re-signed with the Nats in 2020. In 25 games in the COVID-19 shortened season, Kendrick hit .275 with 2 HR and 14 RBI. In 1621 MLB games, Kendrick collected 1747 hits for a lifetime batting average of .294 with 127 HR and 724 RBI. This won't get him to Cooperstown, but he'll never have to pay for a meal in D.C. ever again.

Kevin Greene, R.I.P.

NFL legend Kevin Greene has passed away at the age of 58. No cause of death has been released.

Greene began playing on the gridiron as a military brat before becoming a walk on at Auburn University where he enjoyed a distinguished collegiate career. In 15 NFL seasons, Greene would play with the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers (twice) and the San Francisco 49ers as a linebacker and a defensive end. A five time Pro Bowler, Greene finished third on the all-time NFL list in sacks with 160. Only Bruce Smith and the late Reggie White finished with more. Greene was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

Well known for his long blond locks and an effervescent personality, Greene made several appearances as a pro wrestler in the defunct World Championship Wrestling towards the end of his playing career in the late 1990's.

Greene went on to a coaching career as an Outside Linebackers Coach with the Green Bay Packers (earning a Super Bowl ring in 2011) and later with the New York Jets. 

I leave with you Greene cutting a wrestling promo with a little help from the late "Mean" Gene Okerlund. R.I.P.

Chad Stuart of Chad and Jeremy, R.I.P.

Chad Stuart, the bespectacled half of the 1960's British Invasion folk pop duo Chad and Jeremy, passed away yesterday of pneumonia. Stuart turned 79 earlier this month.

Chad and Jeremy had a string of transatlantic hits during the early to mid 1960's - "Yesterday's Gone", "A Summer Song", "A Willow Weep for Me" and "What Do You Want From Me?" most of which were either written or co-written by Stuart. During this period, Chad and Jeremy made appearances on U.S. TV shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Patty Duke Show, Laredo and Batman. 

The duo moved from gentle ballads and covering standards to psychedelic music without much success although "Paxton Quigley's Had The Course" is quite the gem and recently got second life as part of the 2019 Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. 

As for Chad and Jeremy, they would split up at the end of the 1960's, record an album of new material in the early 1980's, would join the nostalgia circuit later in the decade. The two would reunite to tour regularly in the 2000's until Stuart retired in 2016. At which point, Jeremy Clyde would begin a collaboration with Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon fame.

I leave you with Chad and Jeremy singing "A Teenage Failure" during their 1966 guest appearance on Batman. R.I.P.

U.S. COVID-19 Cases Have Doubled From 9 Million to 18 Million in Less Than 2 Months

The United States has now surpassed 18 million COVID-19 cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, this country has recorded 18,006,061 COVID-19 cases resulting in the deaths of 319,190 Americans. Our mortality rate remains at 1.8%. Once again, it took only four days to add another 1 million cases to the ledger. At this rate, we shall surpass 19 million cases on Christmas Day. We will surely surpass 20 million cases before the end of 2020.

But 18 million is a grim enough milestone. To give you an idea of how bad things have become it took 282 days for the United States to go from zero to 9 million cases. It has taken only 53 days to double that total. Less than two months with a week to spare. We've accumulated our last 9 million cases in less than a quarter of the time it took accumulate the first 9 million cases.

And it will surely get worse with people visiting family friends during Christmas and New Year's even if there is an effort to observe proceedings in caution and safety. The rate of infection is much faster than the rate of immunization. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are only beginning to be disseminated and they won't do much good if you get infected and, more importantly, infect others. 

There will be better days but they won't be coming by anytime soon.

Will a $600 Stimulus Check Be Enough For Georgians to Opt to Keep GOP Control of the Senate?

Congress has finally agreed to a $900 billion COVID relief package which includes $300 a week in enhanced unemployment benefits and a $600 stimulus check. Barring any shenanigans, it should pass both Houses and be signed by President Trump by tomorrow.

It is a far cry from the $3 trillion HEROES Act passed by the House in May which would have extended the $600 a week enhanced unemployment benefits and another $1200 stimulus check let alone the $2.2 trillion version of the HEROES Act passed in October.

The $600 stimulus checks could begin to be deposited into bank accounts in a matter of days. I have a feeling a lot of Georgians will be getting their checks before Christmas.

If this is the case I wonder if it will be sufficient for Georgia voters to cast ballots for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in sufficient numbers to keep Mitch McConnell and the GOP in charge of the Senate. Granted, more than 1.3 million Georgians have already cast ballots in the first week of early voting. But early voting lasts until December 30th and then there's election day on January 5th. So a $600 check or the hope of a $600 check might be enough to help Republicans hold onto power.

If that is the case then Americans should not expect any further COVID relief despite what might be proposed by the incoming Biden Administration. So long as McConnell is in charge of the Senate he will be in no hurry to pass another round of stimulus checks and further unemployment relief. And if he does reconsider we should not expect the package will not exceed the $900 billion agreed to today. 

To put it bluntly, $600 more than 9 months after getting a $1200 stimulus is a pittance. If Georgians see fit to elect Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock then Americans can look forward to a more generous stimulus and relief package in 2021. But I have a bad feeling Georgians are going to be satisfied with the bone thrown their way.

Pence Got His Vaccine; When Do The Rest of Us Get It?

 

For starters, I'm glad Vice-President Pence got his vaccine shot for all the world to see. I'd rather have that than have him discourage its use by the general public a la Tucker Carlson. I'm also glad that he wore a damn mask unlike that time he went to the Mayo Clinic.

But if Pence got his vaccine shot today then when do the rest of us get ours? Pfizer is ready to ship the vaccine, but the federal government is telling states they'll not be receiving the amount of vaccine they were expecting. This certainly doesn't inspire confidence but given the Trump Administration's malfeasance on all matters COVID-19 can we be surprised at this development?

Fortunately, the Trump Administration will cease to be in less than five weeks. I have confidence the Biden Administration will handle this in relatively short order. But that's a double edged sword. How many more people will get sick in the next 33 days? How many people will require hospitalization? And how many will die? 

Now the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (and whatever other vaccines might be approved along the way) will be disseminated in order of priority as determined by the states. But the timeline of that prioritization is in great part determined by the federal government and that timeline is anyone's guess under the Trump Administration. Let me put it this way. If Biden were President now then in 33 days from now there would be a certain segment of the population getting their second dose.

It's great to have a vaccine. But if it's sitting in cold storage then it won't end the pandemic. 

U.S. Tops 17 Million COVID-19 Cases Amid Approval of Moderna Vaccine

Although the FDA has now approved the Moderna vaccine for emergency use in the fight against COVID-19 neither it nor the Pfizer vaccine will slow the spread of COVID-19 or hospitalizations anytime soon.

On the same day Moderna was approved for use in the United States, this country topped the 17 million mark with regard to COVID-19 cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 17,176,976 COVID-19 cases along with 310,291 deaths. This represents a mortality rate of 1.8%. 

I suppose we can take some small measure of comfort that it took five days to go from 16 to 17 million cases as opposed to the four days it took to get from 15 million to 16 million. But that comfort is colder than the temperatures required to store the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as we add more than a million new COVID-19 cases each week. Since October 30th, the U.S. has recorded more than 8 million new COVID-19 cases nearly doubling the national total in less than seven weeks.

There are two weeks left in 2020. We've had more disease and death than we can bear but we are going to bear some more in our final fortnight even with the hope of two vaccines.

The Gaslighting of Dr. Jill Biden

What is motivating the campaign against soon to be First Lady Dr. Jill Biden's professional credentials?

It began last weekend with a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Joseph Epstein objecting to Biden's use of the word Doctor. "Any chance you might drop the “Dr.” before your name? “Dr. Jill Biden ” sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic," wrote Epstein, "A wise man once said that no one should call himself “Dr.” unless he has delivered a child. Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc."

Fraudulent? How exactly has Dr. Biden misrepresented herself? Epstein does not explain other than to complain she attained her Ed.D at the age of 55.

As to Epstein's assertion about a wise man saying no one should call himself a doctor unless he has delivered a child, he might wish to reconsider that position if, heaven forbid, he might be in need of a cardiologist or an oncologist. By this standard, I'm surprised Epstein isn't asking Anthony Fauci to refrain from calling himself Dr.

Needless to say, Epstein's column sparked a furious backlash. Yet it has also encouraged some of his fellow conservatives to jump on Epstein's bandwagon. Earlier this week, FNC's Tucker Carlson quipped, "Jill Biden is not a doctor, no. Maybe in the same sense Dr Pepper is." Carlson further noted that Biden has the "same degree as Bill Cosby." Frankly, I'm surprised Carlson didn't accuse her of being a sexual predator. But Carlson has now seen fit to call her "illiterate" and "our national shame." I reserve my shame for the sitting President who wantonly downplayed and trivialized a virus which has now killed more than 300,000 Americans.

But Kyle Smith might very well have outdone both Epstein and Carlson. Smith has written a piece for National Review Online which begins, "You can tell someone is smarting from an inferiority complex when he insists on being addressed as “Dr.” on the basis of holding an academic doctorate rather than being a physician." More likely, it is the case that it is Mr. Smith who is smarting from an inferiority complex about woman being addressed as Doctor. Case in point:

Gene Simmons has a better claim to be a Doctor of Love than Jill Biden to be a Doctor of Education; after all, Simmons has spent a lifetime demonstrating mastery of his field. As for Biden, she has spent a lot of time teaching remedial English to slow learners in community colleges. Which is like being a rock musician who’s in a bar band. That plays covers. At mixers. Held in assisted-living facilities. Mrs. Biden’s dissertation emits so much noxious methane the EPA should regulate it, Greta Thunberg should denounce it, and Hollywood celebrities should hold a telethon to draw awareness to its dangers.

In Smith's eyes, teaching at a community college is an unworthy profession while those who attend community colleges are losers and suckers. Perhaps he would prefer they would enroll at Trump University.

Much of the backlash against Epstein and his cohorts has revolved around the question of sexism. Kara Alaimo, an associate professor of public relations at Hofstra University and herself a Ph.D, wrote in a guest column for CNN, "Epstein gives away his sexism immediately by opening his op-ed with the advice that "no one should call himself 'Dr.' unless he has delivered a child." In other words, part of his problem appears to be that Dr. Biden is not a man." Alaimo's sentiments were echoed by soon to be Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff who said such an article "would have never been written about a man." 

There must remain a suspicion that sexism is a factor in the disparagement of Dr. Biden. Yet there is something else to ponder here. For the better part of the past six weeks, there has been a concerted effort not to recognize Joe Biden's impending presidency. This campaign has been led by none other than President Trump himself and it has made its way down to 18 GOP state attorney generals, a majority of the House Republican caucus, the two incumbent Georgia Republican Senators seeking to retain office, the conservative media establishment and the 77% of Republicans who believe the election was fraudulent despite the absence of credible evidence. 

Despite their worst efforts, Joe Biden is going to be sworn as President of the United States on January 20, 2021 and there's not a damn thing they can do about it. But it won't stop them from continuing to try to delegitimize Biden's presidency. If Trump and conservatives are prepared to delegitimize Joe Biden's presidency then they are surely also prepared to delegitimize Jill Biden's professorship.

Of course, this campaign to delegitimize Dr. Biden's professional credentials is every bit as lacking in merit as the campaign to delegitimize President-elect Biden's presidential credentials. No one (including Messrs. Epstein, Carlson and Smith) ever thought Jill Biden was a medical doctor. They are  gaslighting Dr. Biden. 

Dr. Biden is not being gaslit so much because she is a doctor or because she is a woman, but because she is a Biden. The name Biden will forever be a reminder to conservatives that Donald Trump will go down in history as a one term President and a loser.

Barr Couldn't Lower Himself Enough for Trump

In his 22 months during his second tenure as Attorney General of the United States, Bill Barr did things for the President he served that his predecessor Jeff Sessions would not do. Come to think of it, I'm not sure John Mitchell would have gone as far on behalf of Richard Nixon as Barr did on behalf of Donald Trump.

Barr will be remembered for claiming the Mueller Report had exonerated Trump, appointing U.S. Attorney John Durham to "investigate the investigators", helping Roger Stone and Michael Flynn evade justice, stopped Geoffrey Berman from pursuing justice against Halkbank, oversaw a violent police response against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square, declared New York City, Seattle and Portland, Oregon to be "anarchist jurisdictions" (whatever that means) and questioned the integrity of mail in voting. For bad measure, Barr intervened in a rape allegation against President Trump.

This should have been sufficient for President Trump. How much lower could Barr lower the bar? But nothing is ever enough for Donald J. Trump. Barr had the temerity to publicly state there was insufficient evidence of voter fraud necessary to overturn the election. In TrumpWorld, no dissent can be brooked. Trump's right-wing allies hung Barr out to dry. 

Then in a rare exercise of discretion, Barr saw fit not to reveal the DOJ probe against Hunter Biden during the election campaign. That was two strikes against Barr. The knives came out from White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, The third strike came about when the Electoral College confirmed today last month's election of Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. A tweet from President Trump soon followed. It was polite in tone, but Trump has more than five weeks left in the White House. There is plenty of time for the gloves to come off.

Twenty-two months ago Bill Barr was a widely respected establishment figure. Now he is reviled by both anti-Trump forces for acting as President Trump's personal attorney. He is also reviled by the MAGA crowd for not acting on behalf of President Trump with sufficient zeal.

I don't feel sorry for Bill Barr. He made his bed and now must sleep in it. Unless you are Chris Krebs, if you go to work for Donald Trump you will come away with a stain which you cannot remove for lowering oneself to his level. You would be hard pressed to find anyone in the Trump Administration how lowered themselves more than Bill Barr. As it wasn't good enough.

The Blues Brothers Has Been Added to The National Film Registry

I was delighted to read that The Blues Brothers was among 25 films which had been added to the National Film Registry.

Every December The National Film Registry, which is a part of The Library of Congress' National Film Preservation Board, selects 25 films to be added to registry which are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

I made the case for the inclusion of The Blues Brothers in The National Film Registry shortly after the death of Aretha Franklin in August 2018 and again this past June on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its release. As I wrote nearly six months ago:

The Blues Brothers had plenty of laughs. Indeed, the finest collaboration between Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, a collaboration which began even before they became original cast members on Saturday Night Live and a collaboration cut short by Belushi’s sudden death in March 1982 less than two years after the release of the film. 

But The Blues Brothers was so much more than a comedy. It contained one of the greatest chase scenes in the cinematic history inspired in part by the silent era films of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd as well as more contemporary movies such as Bullitt and The French Connection. 

Most significant of all The Blues Brothers was a love letter to American music – rhythm & blues, soul, gospel, jazz and even country music. Ahem, I meant country and western music. For this reason alone, I have made a point of nominating The Blues Brothers for inclusion in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. The Registry preserves films which are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." If a film which features Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, James Brown, Cab Calloway and Aretha Franklin isn’t “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” then what is? 

I have no idea if anyone at the National Film Preservation Board read my thoughts on the subject. Whatever their inspiration (perhaps they were on a mission from God) I am glad The Blues Brothers will be preserved in perpetuity with audiences seeing and hearing its love letter to American music for decades, if not centuries to come.