Tony Clark Resigns as MLBPA Executive Director Following Internal Investigation Amid Federal Probe

(Associated Press)

Tony Clark abruptly resigned as Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) today following an internal investigation which uncovered an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law who had been in the employ of MLBPA since 2023.

Clark's resignation comes following a federal investigation of the MLBPA launched last year amid a whistleblower complaint that Clark had been profiting off licensing fees and other programs launched under his leadership. Before stepping down today, Clark had led the organization since December 2013 following the death of his predecessor Michael Weiner. Clark was the first former MLB player to lead the organization. He played in the big leagues for 15 seasons primarily with the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks along with stints with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres.

The shakeup comes amid the expiration of the CBA between MLBPA and MLB come December 1st. With MLB seeking to impose a salary cap, speculation has abounded that the 2027 MLB season could be awash as the owners are prepared to impose a lockout. 

The players could select an interim director as soon as tomorrow and Bruce Meyer, the union's lead negotiator, is the most likely choice to succeed Clark. Although Meyer has rankled some feathers among MLBPA's ranks and some would prefer Harry Marino, the labor lawyer who unionized minor league baseball, to succeed Clark. It is conceivable that down the line the players could choose Marino as their Executive Director and retain Meyer as their lead negotiator. 

I shudder to think what Marvin Miller would have thought of this spectacle. Miller was chosen as the first Executive Director of the MLBPA 60 years ago when it be ceased to be a company union making it one of the most powerful unions in American history. Of course, Clark has not been charged with a crime and is innocent until proven guilty if charges come to pass. As such, I could imagine Miller looking at the accusations against Clark with some skepticism especially only months before the expiration of the CBA. 

Yet I also cannot help but think that Miller would be disgusted by Clark or any union leader using their office for personal gain. I also cannot imagine Miller engaging in such nepotism even without the impropriety of an inappropriate relationship.

Like a lot of other things in this world, the MLBPA ain't what it used to be.

Thoughts on AOC Accusing Israel of Genocide on German Soil

While participating on a panel at the Munich Security Conference last Friday, New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused Israel of committing genocide. Her comment came in response to a question from Hegar Shazaf, a journalist from the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz concerning the reevaluation of military aid to Israel:

I think that, personally, the idea of completely unconditional aid, no matter what one does, does not make sense. I think it enabled a genocide in Gaza, and I think that we have thousands of women and children dead … that was completely avoidable.

Not surprisingly, AOC spares Hamas from any criticism or culpability. After all, it is Hamas which has long used their civilian populace as human shields in an effort to turn them into involuntary martyrs. Egypt, Jordan and other Arab states could have opened their borders to the people of Gaza, but it is so much easier for them to vilify Israel. 

Of course, AOC engaging in defamation against Israel is nothing new under the sun. But what makes this particular accusation different is the fact that she uttered it on German soil. That she did so was no accident. Indeed, in accusing Israel of genocide on German soil was AOC's way of likening the Jewish State to the Nazis. 

Yet in accusing Israel of committing genocide while on German soil, AOC reveals her ignorance of what genocide actually is. The Nazis sought to eliminate Jews from the face of the Earth, a goal shared by Hamas. Israel merely wishes to protect itself from yet another entity which wishes to exterminate Jews from the face of the Earth. 

Alas, this will fall on deaf ears of most Democrats and AOC knows is all too well as speculation abounds for a White House bid in 2028. And if AOC sees fit to launch a White House bid, "the Israel is guilty of genocide" will become a focal point of her stump speech. Unfortunately, I suspect that nearly all Democratic aspirants for the White House in 2028 will fall over themselves trying to render Israel an international pariah with few dissidents. Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman rebuked AOC during an appearance on Fox News stating, "Why is she so eager to criticize Israel, but I don't recall her saying anything as Iran executed thousands of protestors! There was never a genocide in Gaza."

And this is exactly the point. There is no genocide in Gaza. AOC's assertion that there is every bit as much of a lie as Donald Trump's claim that he won the 2020 election. No amount of screeching will change the fact.

The problem though is that far too many people believe lies to be true and sometimes those beliefs are expressed at the ballot box. In this respect, an AOC presidency would be every bit much of an assault on the truth as the continuation of the Trump presidency or a successor dedicated to implementing the MAGA agenda. AOC is every bit as much a demagogue as Trump or his minions and thus every bit as dangerous to the future of American democracy as Trump and MAGA are.

Robert Duvall Had a Quiet Gravitas

Actor Robert Duvall passed away yesterday at the age of 95.

In a career which spanned seven decades, Duvall earned himself a place among the heavyweights of American actors in the late 20th and earliest 21st centuries. His credits are simply staggering:

To Kill a Mockingbird

Bullitt

True Grit

M*A*S*H

The Godfather

The Godfather, Part II

Network

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Apocalypse Now

The Great Santini

Tender Mercies

The Natural

Rambling Rose

Falling Down

The Apostle

Deep Impact

A Civil Action

Gone in 60 Seconds

Secondhand Lions

The Judge

Hustle

In recent months, I saw Duvall in The Natural in tribute to Robert Redford where he portrayed the conniving, cynical sports reporter Max Mercy. Last summer, I saw Duvall's Academy Award nominated performance in Apocalypse Now which I described as "a manic intensity but is unaffected by chaos and explosions going on around him". Well, I suppose a high surf and the smell of napalm can do that. 

Yet when I think of Duvall, I think of his performances in some lesser-known movie from the 1990s namely Falling Down, Wrestling Ernest Hemingway and Phenomenon. 

In Falling Down starring Michael Douglas and Barbara Hershey, Duvall plays a cop who is on his last day on the job. He is disrespected by nearly all of his colleagues at work and has to deal with a mentally ill wife at home. Yet he manages to stay two steps ahead of everyone as it becomes clear to him who it is that snapped and wreaking havoc on the city while he must break the news to Douglas' character D-Fens that he is the bad guy.

In Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, he co-starred with Richard Harris as a lonely widower who develops a crush on a waitress played by a young Sandra Bullock and wishes to dance with her. I should mention that Duvall's character is Cuban. In this day in age, a white actor playing a Latino would be verboten. But Duvall played his role with the greatest care, dignity and restraint. As with a great many of his characters, you forget that it is Duvall as he subsumed himself into the role. I particularly remember how his character, in the hope of dancing with Sandra Bullock, would practice tangoing alone in front of the mirror. Duvall did the little things which made you remember him.

In Phenomenon, Duvall portrays a kindly local doctor alongside John Travolta, who after seeing a flashing light, suddenly becomes full of infinite powers. When the townspeople turn against the Travolta character, it is Duvall who rushes to his defense and publicly shames those who forsake their friend who had never asked anything of them.

I also remember some of Duvall's early TV work on The Fugitive and on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the latter of which he played an undersea alien who temporarily takes over the Seaview. Then again who didn't temporarily take over the Seaview?

Whether Duvall was playing the hero or the heavy, a small role or a big one, he always carried himself with a quiet gravitas even as he retreated into his character. Robert Duvall may be gone but his quiet gravitas will carry on for decades to come. R.I.P.

Will Nick Castellanos Turn Over a New Leaf With The Padres Burning Bridges With The Phillies?

Nick Castellanos had a very interesting 48 hours.

Only days before he was due to report for spring training, the Philadelphia Phillies abruptly released him with a year remaining on his contract.

A mere 48 hours later, Castellanos, who turns 34 next month, signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres for the MLB minimum $780,000 with the Phillies on the hook for the balance of the $20 million he was due to make this season.

Castellanos' falling out with the Phillies stems from an incident in a game against the Miami Marlins in Miami (where Castellanos lives) back in June during which manager Rob Thomson pulled him out of the game for late inning defense. In protest of the decision, Castellanos brought an open beer to into the dugout which several teammates including Kyle Schwarber urged him to put away so as not to be caught on TV. 

For his part, Castellanos openly questioned the credibility of both Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long because neither had played at the major league level. It is a curious comment considering, Thomson was hired by the Phillies following Joe Girardi's dismissal in mid-season in 2022 and turned around the club en route to a NL pennant. 

Castellanos' was in the first season of a five-year contract with the Phillies after a career year with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 (.309 BA 34 HR 100 RBI). His tenure in Philly has been largely disappointing although he did drive in a career high 106 runs in 2023 along with 29 HR and a respectable .272 batting average. In 2025, Castellanos hit .250 with 17 HR and 72 RBI. Complicating matters is that he below average defender in both the outfield and at third base. 

While Castellanos wanted to play for the Marlins, he would have encountered the same problem he had with the Phillies. Neither Marlins manager Clayton McCullough nor hitting coach Pedro Guerrero had played at the major league level. In case you're wondering, this is not the same Pedro Guerrero who starred with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1980s.

Castellanos does not have this issue in San Diego with both manager Craig Stammen and hitting coach Steven Souza, Jr. having both played at the big-league level. Indeed, he praised Stammen:

He’s a player. He’s done it. He’s put on spikes. He’s grinded. He’s felt the feeling of success, and he’s also felt the feeling of when the game doesn’t go your way. There’s a lot of respect in that. I’m excited to do whatever he needs me to do.

In this particular case, Stammen has asked Castellanos to play first base, a position he has never played before. He will be in the same infield with Manny Machado, a friend since childhood.

Perhaps Castellanos can turn over a new leaf in San Diego and rebuild his career. A rebound season (especially if he helps the Padres win their first ever World Series title and perhaps a World Series MVP to boot) could help get one last big payday whether it be in San Diego or somewhere else.

With 13 seasons of big-league ball under his belt with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, Castellanos enters 2026 with 1742 hits in 1688 career games for a lifetime batting average of .272 with 250 HR and 920 RBI along with 399 career doubles.

Jews Should Not Let Anti-Semites Redefine Zionism

Alfred Dreyfus (L) and Theodor Herzl (R)

Earlier this month the Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA) released a survey which concluded that while nearly 9 out of 10 Jews support Israel only a third identify themselves as Zionist.

In response to this survey, Jerusalem based communications strategist Laura Kam welcomed his development:

Communications strategist Frank Luntz saw this problem years ago, long before today’s campus upheavals and social media wars. In his work for The Israel Project (where I worked on enhancing Israel’s image internationally), including his 2003 report “Israel in the Age of Eminem,” Luntz explicitly and repeatedly warned pro-Israel advocates not to use the word “Zionism” on college campuses. His reasoning was blunt and strategic. Whatever the word once meant to Jews, it no longer meant that to the audiences’ advocates were trying to persuade. On campus even then, “Zionist” functioned as a negative identity marker, not a neutral description. Once a word triggers hostility, Luntz argued, you have already lost the argument.

From where I stand, this is a copout. Because if one cannot utter the word Zionist because it triggers hostility, then what of other words such as Jew or Israel? Indeed, I would make the case both words trigger even more hostility than Zionism.

This argument, taken to its logical conclusion, would mean Jews would cease calling ourselves Jews.

On this note, Kam addresses the language around Zionism:

Words do not operate in a vacuum. They operate in ecosystems shaped by repetition, repetition, repetition, as well as media framing. Today, Zionism is widely understood — particularly among younger Americans — not as Jewish self-determination but as a synonym for occupation, oppression and/or racism. That definition is historically wrong, but Luntz’s core insight from his seminal book Words That Work still applies: It’s not what you say; it’s what people hear.

Some within the Jewish community have responded by trying to reclaim or redefine the term. We see earnest campaigns insisting that “Zionism simply means…” followed by careful lessons in Jewish history. These efforts are sincere — and largely failing. You cannot successfully rebrand a word whose public meaning has hardened, especially in hostile environments like college campuses and social media.

Luntz’s insight was not ideological; it was tactical. He was not arguing against Israel or Jewish self-determination — nor am I, having moved to Israel and raised a family here. He was arguing that clinging to language that alienates persuadable audiences is self-defeating. Defending a word is not the same as defending values, Israel’s legitimacy or Jewish safety. 

Words are indeed shaped by repetition. But what happens when the words which are repeated are false? Well, Hitler's Big Lie answers that question. Unfortunately, a great many Americans (Jewish or not) have been subjected to yet another big lie when it comes to Zionism. Even more unfortunately, being passive consumers of what we are told, we either accept things at face value or accept them because we want to believe them.

Kam argues that "defending a word is not the same as defending values". Alas, she utterly misses the point. The fact is Israel does not come into existence as a modern state without Zionism. To ask Jews to stop using the term Zionism not only emboldens our enemies but it renders us ignorant of our own history. 

Let me put it this way. How many Jews who object to the term Zionism are aware of The Dreyfus Affair or of Theodor Herzl's response to it? 

If those who oppose Zionism think I'm referring to Richard Dreyfuss then they have no business being anti-Zionists. 

Should one ultimately oppose Zionism then one ought to know what Zionism actually is not as it is defined by the Zohran Mamdanis or the Carrie Prejean Pollers of the world.

As for me, I am a Jew and I am a Zionist. If you don't like it then too damn bad.

ICE's Withdrawal from Minnesota is a Tactical Retreat, Not a Sign of Deescalation

(Mary Murphy/Forum News Service)

ICE might be leaving Minnesota within the next week or so. But make no mistake. It is not a sign of deescalation but rather a tactical retreat. Consider what White House Border Czar Tom Honan said yesterday:

We have a lot of work to do across this country to remove public safety risk, who shouldn't even be in this country. And to deliver on President Trump's promise for strong border security and mass deportation, law enforcement officers drawn down from this surge operation will either return to the duty station or be assigned elsewhere to achieve just that.

What this tells me is that a) ICE will be deployed in large numbers elsewhere and b) that ICE will return to Minnesota at some point in the future. It also tells me the retreat coincides with the imminent shutdown of DHS at midnight over funding to ICE and CBP . But unless Republicans lose their majority in the House, at some point DHS will have its funding restored. And when it does ICE will be back with a vengeance. ICE isn't getting the fuck out. Not by a long shot.

I have no doubt President Trump will vigorously defend ICE at his State of the Union address later this month and escalate matters. It would not surprise me if he bestowed the "men" who murdered Renee Good and Alex Pretti with the Presidential Medal of Freedom or made a point of honoring them. That escalation will certainly reignite anger over Good and Pretti's deaths and cruelty with which ICE has treated migrants and American citizens alike.

While I think ICE will return to Minnesota in large numbers, I think it is more likely that the Trump Administration sets its sights on another blue state. I cannot help but think that Massachusetts could see the sort of ICE surge which occurred in Minnesota with tragic results. This is certainly not lost on leaders here in the Bay State including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Until there is no more Trump Administration or an administration which shares it values, ICE presents a clear and present danger to the people of the United States regardless of our immigration status.

Elroy Face Was a Relief Pitching Pioneer

(Elroy Face (R) showing Ed Sullivan (L) how to grip a forkball)

Former MLB pitcher Elroy Face, who spent the majority of his 16-year big league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, passed away today at the age of 97. He was 8 days shy of his 98th birthday.

Face, who grew up near Albany, New York, was a high school baseball standout despite standing only 5, 8. Because of this, Face did not turn professional until he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 1949 season following a two-year stint in the Army. He would then spend three seasons in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization before being plucked by the Pirates prior to the 1953 season.

That year, Face would make his big-league debut but struggled posting a ghastly 6.58 ERA in 41 appearances (including 13 starts). After spending all of 1954 with the Bucs Double-AA affiliate in New Orleans, Face would return to the majors in 1955. By then, Face had developed a forkball under the tutelage of manager Danny Murtaugh for whom he would later pitch at Forbes Field. 

In baseball's early days being a relief pitcher went that one was not good enough to be a starting pitcher. But Face's forkball was so devastating that he was often called into games in crucial situations. More often than not, he would win or save games. In 1956, Face led the NL in appearances with 68 and by 1958 would lead the NL in saves with 20.

But it was in 1959 when Face would become one of baseball's most prominent faces when he went 18-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 57 appearances all in relief. Face would not get a Cy Young vote, however. At the time, there was a single Cy Young for the AL and NL. Alas the baseball writers of the day were partial to starting pitchers as Early Wynn would get the nod for his performance with the AL pennant winning Chicago White Sox. However, Face did finish 7th in AL MVP balloting that year.

In 1960, Face would earn a World Series ring with the Bucs saving three games in that Fall Classic against the New York Yankees. Face would run out of gas in Game 7 blowing a rare save opportunity by giving up a 3-run HR to Yogi Berra in the 6th inning. But Bill Mazeroski would help Face save face and earn Pittsburgh its first World Series title in 35 years.

With Face's passing, the only surviving members remaining with the 1960 Bucs are Mazeroski, pitcher Vernon Law and outfielder Bob Skinner. 

Face was named to six NL All-Star Teams between 1959 and 1961 (when there were two All-Star games per season) and led the NL in saves twice more in 1961 and in 1962. He would continue pitching in a Pittsburgh uniform until he was sold to the Detroit Tigers late in the 1968 season. While the Tigers would win the World Series, Face was largely a spectator only making two appearances before watching the World Series from the dugout. Face would finish his career with the expansion Montreal Expos in 1969.

Face finished his career with 848 appearances (802 of them in a Pittsburgh uniform). He went 104-95 with a 3.48 ERA saving 191 career games, 188 of them with the Bucs. He would appear on the BBWAA ballot between 1976 and 1990 but never reached 20% of the vote and was never subsequently given consideration by the Veterans Committee. No pitcher who played the majority of their career with the Pirates has ever been inducted into Cooperstown. 

Nevertheless, Elroy Face is among the greatest pitchers in Pittsburgh Pirates history and is the man who invented modern day relief pitching. That is a worthy baseball legacy. R.I.P.

If JD Vance Believes "Jew Hatred is Disgusting" Then Why Does He Associate with Tucker Carlson?

In an interview last week with The Daily Mail, Vice-President JD Vance spoke about anti-Semitism when asked whether Nick Fuentes' supporters should be accepted into the Republican Party fold:

Well, I don't know what that means. I think people are going to vote for us or not vote for us. I think that there are certain things that we should - we should have the moral clarity to condemn. I think Jew hatred is disgusting.

Vance went to say:

You shouldn't hate people because they're white. You shouldn't hate people because they're Jewish. You shouldn't hate people because they're black,

And I don't like anybody who does that or engages in that stuff. So when you say supporters of this or that person, all I can do is say what I believe, take the moral stance and the policy stance that I believe in.

The Vice-President's words ring false.

If Vance truly believes that Jew hatred is disgusting and that one ought not to hate people because they are Jewish, then why does he pal around with Tucker Carlson?

Mind you, Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine considers Carlson "the most dangerous anti-Semite in America." 

After all, Carlson has seen fit to legitimize Holocaust deniers like Nick Fuentes and Darryl Cooper, legitimize the anti-Semitism of the despised Iranian regime and suggesting Jews were responsible for Charlie Kirk's assassination and likening Kirk to Christ. Where it concerned Carlson's interview with Cooper in September 2024, not only did Vance not condemn the interview he stated he "doesn't believe in guilt by association cancel culture."

Of course, a lot of it has to do with the fact that Vance would not be Vice-President today if not for Carlson. Vance is not about to bite the hand that feeds him even if that hand spreads the poison of anti-Semitism.

As such, I am not inclined to take Vance's claim that he is disgusted by anti-Semitism with any degree of credibility and seriousness when he could not bring himself to mention anti-Semitism let alone Jews during Holocaust Remembrance Day, declined to condemn Young Republicans who exchanged anti-Semitic messages with one another and denying there is a surge in anti-Semitism among both Republicans and Democrats alike.

JD Vance cannot tell us that he finds "Jew hatred is disgusting" all the while ignoring it, minimizing it and giving credence to those who spread it.

Bud Cort is Gone but His Presence Will Remain with Me

After seeing Harold and Maude at The Brattle Theatre in 2022, I had some thoughts and concluded with this one:

I don't know how much time Bud Cort has in this world (or for that matter of any of us) but Harold will thanks to Maude always have his whole life ahead of him.

While Harold will always have his whole life ahead him, Bud Cort had four more years less a day. Cort passed away today at the age of 77 following a long illness. 

While Cort never attained the level of stardom he appeared destined for with roles in Harold and Maude and in Robert Altman's Brewster McCloud with Shelley Duvall, he did carve out a unique place for himself in and out of Hollywood even if it wasn't by his design. 

Some among us see ourselves one way while the world around us sees us in another way and is wedded to that vision. Cort wanted to play Randall McMurphy in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest while the studio viewed him as Billy Bibbit. He didn't want to play Bibbit but the studio wanted Jack Nicholson as McMurphy. Only then did he change his mind, but by that time the role had gone to newcomer Brad Dourif. The thing of it is that Cort probably could have played both roles with equal effectiveness.

So, he would settle for smaller roles such as in Bernice Bobs Her Hair though it did give him an opportunity to reunite with Duvall as well as an uncredited appearance in Columbo though he did share screen time with Peter Falk. Cort spent much of the 1970's living with Groucho Marx which in of itself would be worthy of some letters and some dialogue. It did not help matters that Cort was twice seriously injured in car accidents in 1979 and again in 2011.

Outside of Harold and Maude, I remember a guest appearance Cort made on the 1980's revival of The Twilight Zone in which he played hapless hotel manager who came in possession of a trunk which made all wishes come true though he would not be careful about what we wished. Disappointed by what the trunk brought he went inside the trunk only to be unable to get out of it. 

The ending scene shows a woman alone in an empty apartment now with the trunk. While on the phone with her mother, she says she wished she had a husband and out pops Cort dressed as a groom. I haven't seen that episode since it aired nearly 40 years ago and yet it has stayed with me. It has stayed with me because Bud Cort's presence will never leave. R.I.P.

Verlander Rejoins Tigers; Will Be in Starting Rotation with Skubal & Valdez

Justin Verlander, who spent 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, is returning to the team for one last season having signed a 1-year contract worth $13 million. Of that $13 million, $11 million will be paid out through 2030.

Verlander, who turns 43 later this month, spent 2025 season with the San Francisco Giants where he had a subpar 4-11 record with a decent 3.85 ERA over 29 starts. While Verlander is not the ace pitcher he was in 2022 when he won his third AL Cy Young Award, he still has gravitas and could help the Tigers get over the hump in search of their first World Series title since 1984.

He will join a starting rotation which includes back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal who last week earned a record $32 million in arbitration before he becomes a free agent at the end of this season and Verlander's former Houston Astros teammate Framber Valdez who signed a 3-year, $115 million contract with the Tigers last week.

Verlander earned two World Series rings with the Astros in 2017 and in 2022 (the latter alongside Valdez) and would like to finish his career with a ring with the Tigers. Of course, Verlander went to the Fall Classic with the Tigers during his rookie season in 2006 and in 2012 but were bested by the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, respectively.

He enters the 2026 season in eighth place on MLB's all-time strikeout list with 3553. It is conceivable that by season's end he could leapfrog Hall of Famers Don Sutton, Tom Seaver and Bert Blyleven for fifth place on the all-time strikeout list.

Detroit Tigers fans have a lot to be excited about in 2026 and the return of Justin Verlander has just added to that excitement.

A Pleasant Evening with John Sayles

This evening, I had the pleasure of attending a talk given by director, screenwriter, novelist and actor John Sayles at Porter Square Books here in Cambridge.

Sayles, who is 75, was in the area to promote his new historical novel Crucible which is set in both Detroit and Brazil. The novel documents Henry Ford's failed efforts to union bust and to build a rubber plantation in Fordlandia, a town in the Amazon rainforest which bears his name amid Prohibition, The Great Depression and WWII.

Yet when Sayles read a passage from the book, the focus was on baseball. Of course, given that Sayles is best known for directing Eight Men Out, a film about the 1919 Black Sox scandal and his appearance in Ken Burns' Baseball, that he would make baseball a part of this story does not come as a surprise.

In the context of Crucible, the focus was on his protagonists Rosa and Ira Schimmel, a Russian Jewish sister and brother, attending a game at Navin Field (later rechristened Tiger Stadium) between the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox in 1933. 

Sayles noted that the 1933 Tigers weren't very good with a wink in his eye. That year, the Tigers went 75-79 finishing fifth in the American League 25 games back of the Washington Senators who would win their third and final AL pennant. In case you're wondering, the Red Sox were worse finishing ahead of only the lowly St. Louis Browns. However, in 1934, the Tigers would win their first AL pennant in 25 years and their elusive first World Series title in 1935.

The passage focused on Ira and the fans surrounding him trying to teach Rosa about the subtleties of baseball. While Rosa could not understand the difference between the infield fly rule and a double play and didn't understand why the umpire didn't send automatically send the batter down the first base following an intentional walk, she considered Hank Greenberg a hero. So, too, did many other Jews whether or not they lived in Detroit.

Following the excerpt, Sayles opened up the floor to questions. I relayed my experiences growing up rooting for the Tigers in Northwestern Ontario once our TV signals switched from Duluth to Detroit and recounting my experience at Tiger Stadium in August 1999 only a few short weeks before it shuttered. I asked Sayles if he had ever been to Tiger Stadium. He replied that he had not but had been to Fenway Park many times when he lived in East Boston and recounted how he enjoyed seeing the fans on the Blue Line en route to Fenway. His passage is the mark of a great writer. Although he was writing about Detroit baseball in the 1930s, one could easily picture Sayles having sat in the bleachers himself. 

Among the other questions directed toward Sayles focused on his writing process for a historical novel, the difference between writing a novel and a film/TV screenplay and his views on Henry Ford. He also spoke briefly about his next novel which he has also completed writing called God's Gotham which is an account of the point shaving scandal at CCNY involving the school's basketball team in the late 1940's. 

At the end of the evening, Sayles signed books including my own. I told Sayles that my favorite film is Matewan which I saw when I was a teenager not long after it was released. Nearly 40 years after the movie was released, the scene where the hillbillies rescue the unionized mine workers thrown out of the company town still sticks with me. 

When I told Sayles this, he mentioned that the hillbilly elder had been the editor of the local paper in Charleston describing him as an intellectual. But he also noted that this same man had grown up in a mining town. Upon hearing that, I told him how my maternal grandfather spent 43 years as a coal miner in the Crowsnest Pass in Alberta from the time he was 15 to the age of 57 and how he lived to the age of 84. He told me that my grandfather must have had strong lungs. That he did.

With other people waiting in line and not wanting to monopolize his time, I bade Sayles farewell. Trying to balance my book with my bag and my laptop, he gently told me to watch my step which struck me as a thoughtful and considerate gesture. It was a fitting conclusion to a pleasant evening.

Patriots Have Nothing to be Ashamed of in Super Bowl 60 Loss to Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have just won their second Super Bowl title in franchise history besting the New England Patriots 29-13.

The Seahawks won their previous title in Super Bowl XLVIII a dozen years ago when they dominated the Denver Broncos 43-8. The win also avenges their Super Bowl loss to the Pats the following year.

Neither quarterback had a stellar game. Seahawks QB Sam Darnold and Pats QB Drake Maye both had their struggles. The Seahawks did have a 9-0 lead at the half on the strength of 3 field goals by Jason Myers who would add a fourth field goal in the third quarter to extend the Seahawks lead to 12-0.

Darnold would get his only touchdown in the game with 13:29 on the clock in the fourth quarter on a 16-yard pass to tight end AJ Barner to give the Seahawks a 19-0 lead.

The Pats were in serious danger of becoming the first team to ever be shutout in a Super Bowl matchup. But after a streaker momentarily disrupted the game only to be stopped by Pats wide receiver Kyle Williams, Maye would lob a TD pass to wide receiver Mack Hollins to finally get on the board with 12:27 remaining in the game.

With 5:38 left in the game, Myers then kicked a Super Bowl record fifth field goal to give the Seahawks a 22-7 lead. While some thoughts Myers should have won the Super Bowl MVP, this honor went to running back Kenneth Walker III who carried the ball 27 times for 135 rushing yards with 26 additional receiving yards on two catches.

Despite being sacked in the game 7 times, Maye and the Pats were only down by two possessions. However, Maye would fumble the ball leading to a fumble recovery by linebacker Uchenna Nwosu with 4:37 left in the game to score a touchdown and give the Seahawks a commanding 29-7 lead.

Maye did throw his second touchdown pass of the game to running back Rhamondre Stevenson with just over 2 minutes in the game, a two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

While the outcome was disappointing, the New England Patriots have nothing to be ashamed of at all. I can assure you that in August 2025, the Patriots were not expected to be playoff bound let alone Super Bowl bound.

The Pats exceeded all expectations in this NFL season.

I can tell you that at the office, people thought the Pats overcoming the Seahawks defense was a very tall order and they came precariously close to not scoring at all. Although Walker won Super Bowl MVP honors, there is no question a case could be made to have given the award collectively to the Seahawks defense. 

In a championship game, someone wins and someone loses and tonight the Seahawks were simply the better team. 

There is always next year, and the Patriots have a lot to look forward to in 2026.

In the meantime, congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks.

Along with 3 World Series Rings, Terrance Gore Had More Stolen Bases Than Hits

Former MLB outfielder Terrance Gore, best known for being utilized as a pinch running specialist, died suddenly yesterday following complications from a routine medical procedure. He was only 34.

Gore had a very unusual big-league career. He played in parts of 8 MLB seasons and was primarily a pinch runner and a late inning defensive replacement. Gore would finish his career with more stolen bases (43) than hits (16). Although Gore made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Kansas City Royals where he spent his first four big league seasons, he did not collect his first big league hit until 2018 when he was a member of the Chicago Cubs. That first hit came against future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer when he was pitching for the Washington Nationals. His lone career RBI came the following year when he rejoined the Royals when he belted a triple against Seattle Mariners pitcher Matt Festa. It was also his only career triple.

Although Gore never appeared in more than 37 games in any single season, he earned three World Series rings with the Kansas City Royals (2015), Los Angeles Dodgers (2020) and the Atlanta Braves (2021). 

Even more remarkably, he spent all of 2021 playing with the Braves Triple-AAA affiliate in Gwinnett before earning a spot on the team's post-season roster. When the Braves won the World Series, Gore Facetimed his injured teammate Charlie Morton so he could be a part of the on-field celebrations.

Gore last played in the majors with the New York Mets in 2022. 

All medical procedures have an inherent amount of risk. Nevertheless, one does not expect an otherwise healthy 34-year-old man to die in this manner. Needless to say, one can only imagine the loss Gore's family is feeling right now and will continue to feel for as long as they live. R.I.P.

The Defiant Ones is About Bondage & Brotherhood

 

This evening, I ventured to the Coolidge Corner Theatre to take in a special screening of The Defiant Ones starring Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis.

This screening is one of several being shown in homage of Poitier's work along with Lilies in the Field and A Raisin in the Sun.

Following Poitier's passing in 2022, I attended screenings at the Brattle Theatre for Blackboard Jungle and would then spend a weekend watching Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, To Sir, With Love and In the Heat of the Night. 

I had viewed all four films previously in TV, but never on the big screen. Although I have long been aware of The Defiant Ones and its basic premise, I had never seen it before.

For those who are unfamiliar with the basic premise of The Defiant Ones, Poitier and Curtis portray two prisoners (Noah Cullen and John "Joker" Jackson) who manage to escape when their truck is involved in an accident but are handcuffed to one another. Indeed, it was a template The Fugitive would follow just over five years later to great success.

Of course, The Fugitive only had one protagonist. In this case, the two protagonists are black and white and do not care for the other. This might be old hat to some and DEI to others, but in 1958 this was a groundbreaking film. Indeed, perhaps a little too groundbreaking. Although it was nominated for 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture and a Best Director nomination for Stanley Kramer (who later directed Poitier in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), it only won 2 Academy Awards - one for Best Writing for Nedrick Young and Harold J. Smith and Best Cinematography for Sam Leavitt. Gigi, which was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, went 9-for-9 setting a then record for a single film eclipsing Gone with the Wind.

Now, I haven't seen Gigi so I cannot judge it on its merits, but given the subject matter in The Defiant Ones, I suspect most Academy voters thought a light-hearted musical was the safer choice. While Gigi might be a good film in its own right, The Defiant Ones undoubtedly has more staying power.

From where I sit, The Defiant Ones is mainly about bondage and brotherhood. As Cullen and Jackson are chained together, they have no choice but to rely on each other for survival even if they both resent this fact. Yet after their chains are broken, their bond is not. Cullen reluctantly parts ways with Jackson after he forms a romantic bond with a lonely divorcee played by Cara Williams. But when Jackson discovers that the divorcee has sent Cullen to his death by sending him to the swamps, he sacrifices the possibility of freedom and a new life to see that Cullen doesn't meet a fatal fate. It is here that the two become brothers.

Poitier and Curtis would each receive Best Actor nominations but lost out to David Niven for his performance in Separate Tables. Williams earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination but was bested by Wendy Hiller also in Separate Tables. I would be remiss if I did not mention Theodor Bikel also earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his portrayal of Sheriff Max Muller. Bikel, too, would not come away with Oscar gold which instead went to Burl Ives in The Big Country. 

I would describe Bikel's performance as a lower key version of Rod Steiger's portrayal of Sheriff Bill Gillespie from In the Heat of the Night nearly a decade later. Sheriff Muller is less volatile yet equally determined to find his men. Bikel portrays Muller with a quiet determined dignity. He will do his duty, but he has no thirst for violence.

Speaking of a thirst for violence, perhaps the scene which had the deeply resonance with a 2026 audience was when Cullen and Jackson are caught by residents of a mining town and are nearly lynched by a mob led by a goon played by Claude Akins. Amid this, Jackson demands to know why they would lynch a white man as if to invoke privilege he did not have the luxury of having. However, the mob is stopped singlehandedly by Big Sam played by of all people, horror movie legend Lon Chaney, Jr. Big Sam dares the town folk to lynch the pair by shaming them with a knife, a rope and a torch. With all that has happened in Minneapolis, we need all the Big Sams we can find.

The Defiant Ones is not only an important part of not only Sidney Poitier's legacy, but among the earliest American films to confront the ugliness of racism in a meaningful way.

Mickey Lolich Was The Greatest Pitcher in The History of The Detroit Tigers

 

I was saddened to learn of the passing of former MLB pitcher Mickey Lolich at the age of 85.

Lolich not only spent the bulk of his 16-year big league career with the Detroit Tigers, but I also think one could make the case he was the greatest pitcher to ever wear a Detroit Tigers uniform.

Now the Tigers have had some great pitchers over the year. Tarik Skubal has won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards in a Tigers uniform though I suspect he won't be pitching in Detroit for that much longer. 

One can certainly make a case for Hal Newhouser who won back-to-back AL MVPs and came within a heartbeat of winning a third during the mid-1940s. Jack Morris was baseball's winningest pitcher in the 1980s. Of more contemporary vintage is Justin Verlander.  Newhouser and Morris have plaques in Cooperstown and Verlander will one day join them. 

Alas, Lolich is not a Hall of Famer but yet I think his tenure with the Tigers tops them all. Now there have certainly been more spectacular pitchers to wear a Tigers uniform. Lolich's teammate Denny McLain won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards in 1968 and 1969 including a 31-win season in '68, a feat that will never be replicated again. Then there was Mark "The Bird" Fidrych who had a dream rookie campaign half a century ago. As it happened, Lolich did not get to see The Bird's ascension first-hand as he was pitching in a New York Mets uniform having been traded for Rusty Staub. 

Lolich might not have been as flashy as McLain or The Bird, but their time in the sky was short. The Oregon born southpaw pitched for the Tigers from 1963 to 1975 and his numbers in Detroit cannot be ignored. More than 50 years after he last pitched in a Tigers unform, Lolich is the team's all-time leader in games started (508), shutouts (39) and strikeouts (2679).

His 207 wins are third best in Tigers history behind only Hooks Dauss (223) and George Mullin (209). Mullin pitched for the Tigers from 1902-1913 before jumping to the short-lived Federal League following a brief stint with the Washington Senators while Dauss picked up where Mullin left pitching in Detroit his entire MLB career from 1912-1926. 

Lolich also ranks third in Tigers history in innings pitched (3361.2) behind Dauss and Mullin who had 3390.2 and 3394 innings pitched, respectively. Between 1971 and 1975, Lolich pitched more than 300 innings. In the '71 campaign, Lolich pitched an astounding 376 innings as he finished runner up in AL Cy Young balloting to Vida Blue. The following year, Lolich's innings pitched output as topped by Chicago White Sox knuckleballer Wilbur Wood who threw 376.2 innings. Sadly, Wood passed away last month at the age of 84.

To put Lolich's innings output into perspective, Skubal has never pitched 200 innings in a season while Verlander only pitched more than 250 innings in a season once. Lolich threw 200 or more innings in 12 consecutive seasons topping 250 innings a half dozen times.

Where Lolich made his reputation was during the 1968 World Series during which he threw three complete game victories including a Game 7 triumph over Bob Gibson who had struck out 17 batters in Game 1 of that Fall Classic. Lolich also hit a HR in Game 2. Needless to say, Lolich won the World Series MVP. Roger Maris, who finished his big-league career with the Cardinals, tried to warn his teammates about Lolich after many a tough battle against him in a Yankees uniform. "Forget about McLain, the guy we have to worry about is Mickey Lolich," said Maris to no avail.

Last year, Yoshinobu Yamamoto became the first pitcher since Lolich to win 3 games in a World Series as the Los Angeles Dodgers earned back-to-back titles winning his own well-deserved World Series MVP. While Yamamoto's accomplishment is magnificent, his third win came in relief. Yamamoto did pitch the first World Series complete game in 10 years, but Lolich tossed three complete games and bested Gibson in Game 7 on only two days rest.

Lolich would earn the first of his three AL All-Star Team selections in 1969 undoubtedly owing to his success in the 1968 World Series. Back-to-back AL All-Star Team selections would follow in 1971 and in 1972. Aside from those 376 innings pitched during the '71 season, Lolich also led the AL in wins (25), complete games (29) and strikeouts (308). But Vida Blue was a phenomenon who made the cover of Time Magazine. In 1972, Lolich would finish third in AL Cy Young balloting behind the aforementioned Wilbur Wood and Gaylord Perry, who would win the first of his two Cy Youngs. 

Lolich would continue to be durable but would lose 21 games during the 1974 season. After one more season in Detroit and his one season with the Mets, Lolich retired but came back and pitched out of the bullpen for the San Diego Padres in 1978 and 1979 before retiring for good. In 16 MLB seasons, Lolich made 586 appearances (including 496 career starts) and went 217-191 with a 3.44 ERA striking out 2832 against 1099 walks in 3638.1 innings pitched. 

Between 1985 and 1999, Lolich appeared on the BBWAA ballot but never topped 25% of the vote. Had Lolich pitched in 1977 he could have reached 3000 career strikeouts or come very close. The Veterans Committee last considered his candidacy in 2007. 

When he retired, no left-handed pitcher had more strikeouts. Today, only four southpaws have more career strikeouts - Randy Johnson (4875), Steve Carlton (4136), C.C. Sabathia (3093) and Clayton Kershaw (3052). Johnson, Carlton and Sabathia have plaques in Cooperstown while Kershaw will get one in 2031. 

In some ways, it is probably just as well that Lolich isn't in Cooperstown. Why induct him if he isn't around to enjoy it? I felt quite bittersweet about the Classic Era Baseball Committee's induction of Dick Allen and Dave Parker in December 2024. Allen had already passed and I had a bad feeling Parker wouldn't live long enough to see the ceremony and, indeed, he died less a month before the induction ceremony.

Hall of Fame plaque or not, Mickey Lolich had a wonderful career in baseball and a wonderful life. R.I.P.

Gabbard Confirms FBI Raid on Georgia Election Office Was Ordered by Trump

(Vincent Albans/Reuters)

After the FBI raided a Georgia election office situated in Fulton County to seize ballots, I concluded this was a Trump operation:

Although the raid was conducted by the FBI, it was the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard who was personally present for the operation.

Yet none of this happens without President Trump who continues to insist he did not lose the 2020 presidential election much less lose Georgia. After all, more than 5 years ago it was Trump who demanded Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find him 11,780 votes. It would seem that Trump has now formally set this search into motion.

Of course, this is more than about 2020. It is about 2026 and, more importantly, 2028.

Trump wishes to federalize our elections and the Constitution be damned. Most likely, this federalization will be limited to blue states or in state which could vote blue (i.e. Georgia). After it was Attorney General Pam Bondi who offered to have ICE leave Minnesota if Governor Walz provided her with their election rolls. 

Today, Gabbard confirmed that Trump had asked her to accompany the FBI on the raid and also arranged for FBI agents conducting the raid to speak directly with Trump by phone. 

So, why Gabbard and not FBI Director Kash Patel? Because Trump probably thinks Gabbard looks better on TV than Patel. The same could have probably been said for Pam Bondi or Kristi Noem if that pair wasn't so toxic. Then again, last July, Trump himself described Gabbard as the "hottest" member of his Administration. Well, at least we know which head Trump thinks with when it comes to Gabbard.

The point here is that there is no FBI raid on the election office in Georgia without Trump. He set the wheels in motion. And because of that, Trump sees fit to pick any cabinet member he likes to go along on the raid. The FBI, like ICE and the Border Patrol, has ceased to be an independent agency and now operates upon Trump's whims and obsessions namely the 2020 election and his desire to federalize the 2028 election.

Had either President Obama or President Biden directed such an operation much less spoken with FBI agents amid a raid Republicans would be up in arms about it and rightly so. But don't expect Republicans to say boo about Trump initiating this raid much less one of his cabinet members confirming that he directed her to be present at the proceedings. They are not even interested in the appearance or pretense of democracy. 

My Thoughts on Recent Comments by JD Vance & Tim Walz About The Holocaust

Both Vice-President JD Vance and his 2024 opponent in the U.S. presidential race, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, made remarks concerning the Holocaust over the past week which warrant some examination.

First, I will focus on Vance's statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day last Tuesday:

Today we remember the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust, the millions of stories of individual bravery and heroism, and one of the enduring lessons of one of the darkest chapters in human history: that while humans create beautiful things and are full of compassion, we’re also capable of unspeakable brutality. And we promise never again to go down the darkest path.

Vance makes no mention of Jews or the anti-Semitic ideology of Nazis who sought to exterminate Jews from the face of the Earth. Sadly, this should come as no surprise as Vance has repeatedly sought fit dismiss and minimize the surge of anti-Semitism in the United States since October 7th. Now Vance is hardly the first elected official to omit mentioning the Jews on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. President Trump himself did so in 2017. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did the same in 2016.

In Vance's case, he has a demonstrated history of dismissing and minimizing anti-Semitism while tolerating those who express anti-Semitic views within MAGA namely his mentor Tucker Carlson and turning a blind eye to his willingness to give Nick Fuentes legitimacy dismissing such concerns as "self-defeating purity tests."

Simply put, there is no way Vance is Trump's running mate without Carlson's blessing. And if he wants to keep Carlson's blessing he cannot condemn either anti-Semitism or Nazis. 

Now let me turn my attention to Vance's 2024 VP rival, Tim Walz. A week ago, following the execution of Alex Pretti, the Minnesota Governor invoked Anne Frank when discussing the ICE surge in his state:

We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside. Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank.

Somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota.

Walz's comment drew a rebuke from the U.S. Holocaust Museum:

Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges.

While I am generally inclined to agree that casual comparisons to the Holocaust are wildly inappropriate, let us consider the statement Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, recently appointed by President Trump as his administration's new envoy on anti-Semitism. Kaploun stated, “Anne Frank was in Amsterdam legally and abided by Dutch law.” 

This is rubbish. Jews had virtually no legal status in the Netherlands by the time Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the summer 1942. Under Nazi control, Jews were forced to turn in their radios and telephones, were prohibited from nearly all employment and public places with their movements severely restricted. The Frank family went into hiding after Anne's older sister Margot was summoned to report to a German labor camp which meant certain death.

If Governor Walz's comments are out of line, then why have Holocaust survivors living in a Florida retirement home offered to hide their Haitian caregivers from ICE? Why are immigrant families in Minnesota now in hiding? And why exactly are both the White House and DHS using a neo-Nazi song to recruit ICE agents?

Let me put this way. If ICE and Border Patrol agents are prepared to execute U.S. citizens in broad daylight, is it really a stretch of the imagination that they wouldn't do the same to the people they round up to be deported whether they are here legally or not?

This isn't to say the United States is now a modern-day Nazi Germany let alone a totalitarian state. Our democratic institutions (i.e. courts and the press) still have enough strength to free a father and a 5-year-old boy from their unjust detention. But will that still be the case in a year from now? Two years? After the 2028 election, if there is one?

While I am uneasy with Walz's comments, I am uneasy not because I believe he is trivializing the Holocaust. I am uneasy with Walz's comments because he might be proven right. That is unless, ICE leaves Minneapolis and its present form abolished and replaced by a new agency which doesn't wantonly ask people for their papers and execute those who get in their way.

Could Luis Arraez Win His Fourth Batting Title with His Fourth Different Team?

 

Yesterday, infielder Luis Arraez signed a 1-year contract with the San Francisco Giants for $12 million.

The Giants are the Venezuelan born infielder's fourth big league stop. Arraez previously played with the Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres.

With each of these teams, Arraez won a batting title. In fact, Arraez won three consecutive batting titles. In 2022, Arraez won the AL batting title hitting .316. Following that season, the Twins traded Arraez to the Miami Marlins in a deal which included starting pitcher Pablo Lopez. Arraez then hit a career high .354 in 2023 to win his second consecutive batting title and first NL batting crown.

Just over a month into the 2024 season, the Marlins dealt Arraez to the San Diego Padres in exchange for four players including Jakob Marsee who is now the Marlins' centerfielder. Arraez won his third consecutive batting title and back-to-back NL batting crowns hitting .314 while leading the NL with 200 hits.

In 2025, Arraez again led the NL in hits with 181 but his average fell to .292 although that was good enough to rank 4th in the NL as Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner was the only .300 hitter in the Senior Circuit winning his second NL batting title with a .304 mark. The NL came dangerously close to having a batting champion with a sub-.300 average.

What is fascinating to me is that Arraez is so well-travelled. You would think three batting titles would make one a fixture in someone's lineup a la Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs or Tony Gwynn. Alas, Arraez is viewed as a liability for not having sufficient power, drawing few walks and subpar defensive skills despite his three batting titles and rarely striking out. Evidently, MLB frowns upon contact hitters.

So even if Arraez wins his fourth batting title with the Giants, he will likely be on the move albeit with a lucrative free agent contract although that could be jeopardized by a lockout of the 2027 season when the present MLB collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of this year.

Have perennial batting champion will travel.