Tom DiMenna Could Have Read Gordon Lightfoot's Mind

 

For those who have the privilege of truly knowing me will be aware that my musical wheelhouse is centered firmly in the early 1970s with a special emphasis on singer-songwriters - Harry Chapin, Cat Stevens and Gordon Lightfoot among others.

This afternoon, I ventured to the Church of the Presidents in Quincy, Massachusetts (just south of Boston) to see and hear Maine based folk singer Tom DiMenna pay homage to Chapin, Stevens and Lightfoot in a spring edition of the Story Songs of the 70s. 

I did have some slight trepidation in attending this event. In September 2024, I saw an outfit called Wild Taxi perform a tribute to Cat Stevens and Harry Chapin at City Winery in Boston. The experience was a mixed bag. Their set for Stevens was remarkable but decidedly lackluster with Chapin despite having his longtime drummer Howie Fields in their group. I should note that Wild Taxi is part of a larger group called Satinwood which also has a fine tribute show for Gordon Lightfoot and Jim Croce called Rainy Day People which I attended at City Winery's Haymarket Lounge in August 2022.

During DiMenna's 16-song, 75-minute set, there were only three Chapin songs - "Taxi", "I Wanna Learn a Love Song" and "Cats in the Cradle", the latter of which he noted is his 2-year-old son's favorite song. DiMenna also noted that many in his audience firmly believe that Stevens, not Chapin wrote "Cats in the Cradle". This is something that Stevens (a.k.a. Yusuf) has also debunked apparently to no avail.

As for Stevens, DiMenna sang five of his songs - "The Wind", "Moonshadow", "If You Want to Sing Out", "Oh Very Young" and "Father and Son". Whereas Wild Taxi covered much of the Tea for the Tillerman album, "Father and Son" was the only song from that album which made the cut during DiMenna's set.

A very amusing thing happened before DiMenna played "If You Want to Sing Out". DiMenna recounted a story from the set of Harold and Maude where Stevens saw Ruth Gordon play the song on piano. Stevens then pulled director Hal Ashby aside and said her rendition was terrible. Ashby reminded Stevens that he missed the point of his own song, a point which Stevens had to concede. After telling this story, the MC came on the microphone in the back of the room and informed DiMenna that Gordon was born in Quincy. To which DiMenna replied, "Thank you, G-d!!!", to uproarious laughter.

After the song, I shouted out "Rest in Peace Bud Cort" in tribute to the Harold and Maude star who passed away in February. This proved to be a mistake. A woman sitting in the pew to my right shot me an angry, dirty look. Perhaps some things are best left unsaid. Or perhaps I'm not the right person to say it.

DiMenna is definitively closest in both sound and in spirit to Gordon Lightfoot. Indeed, DiMenna has Lightfoot's vocal inflections and made a point of saying he was in "a Gordon frame of mind." When I heard DiMenna's renditions of Chapin and Stevens, I heard a lot of Lightfoot in there. In all, DiMenna sang eight Lightfoot songs: "Pussywillows Cattails", "Early Morning Rain", "If You Could Read My Mind", "Rainy Day People", "The House You Live In" and a rousing rendition of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" before ending the show with a two-song encore of "Carefree Highway" and "Race Among The Ruins".

DiMenna confessed that he was unfamiliar with "The House You Live In" until he was approached by someone at a gig in Vermont to play the song. When DiMenna told the fan he was not familiar with the song, the fan whispered in his ear, "You need to learn this song." DiMenna then asked why and the fan whispered. "I think it speaks to the times," and then promptly walked away.

Before playing "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", DiMenna mentioned there was a recently a show in which a couple was dancing to the tragic epic. For his part, DiMenna said if the audience chose to dance to "The Wreck" "there was no judgment from this side of the stage." Ably accompanying DiMenna onstage were Dan Clayderman on bass and harmonies and Frank Fotusky on guitar.

If you are a fan of early 1970's singer-songwriter music, then you will enjoy your time with Tom DiMenna especially if you're a Gordon Lightfoot. It was as if he could read his mind.

Maine Democratic Senate Candidate Platner is a Nazi Tattoo Wearing Hamas Apologist

 

(WGME)

Last week, I focused on Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's excusing the terrorist attack against Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township last month.

Sadly, El-Sayed is not the only Democratic Senate hopeful with dubious views.

Graham Platner, who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. Senate in Maine, has a long history anti-Semitic words and deeds.

A few days ago, it was revealed the Platner had praised Hamas in 2014. During a Hamas raid which killed five Israeli soldiers, Platner posted on Reddit, "I dig it."

Platner also recently amplified a social media post by white supremacist Stew Peters (before deleting it). What is not so easily deleted was his interview in January with anti-Semitic podcast host Nate Cornacchia who has claimed that Israel is responsible for the assassination of both JFK and Charlie Kirk. Platner describes himself as "a longtime fan" of Cornacchia.

And there is the Nazi tattoo. Platner says the tattoo is now covered. But his hate for Jews is plain to see.

In a different time, civilized society would have shunned Platner.

But in most polls, Platner is leading sitting Governor Janet Mills by a 2-1 margin.

Platner has earned the endorsement of Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego and will be campaigning with Massachusetts' own Elizabeth Warren this weekend.

From where I sit, this makes Platner far more dangerous than El-Sayed in Michigan at the moment. The only Senate endorsement El-Sayed has received is from Bernie Sanders who is technically an Independent although he caucuses with the Democrats and has twice sought the party's presidential nomination.

If Democratic voters nominate either Platner or El-Sayed then they are no better than the ICE supporting MAGA who make up Trump's base.

What good is accomplished by replacing one set of hateful bigots with another?

If Democrats in Maine do choose Platner, he will face Republican Susan Collins who is seeking her sixth term in office. She cannot be said to be true MAGA. Although one can reasonably criticize Collins for not learning her lesson when it comes to President Trump she has been effective in working behind the scenes in minimizing the impact of his administration's budget cuts. However, this might not matter in mid-term elections where anti-Trump sentiment is running high and deservedly so. 

Collins knows how to govern. All Platner is good at it is being a performative asshole who digs Hamas while trying to hide an anti-Semitism which can never be removed.

Garret Anderson May Have Been The Greatest Player to Wear an Angels Uniform

 

Former MLB player Garrett Anderson passed away suddenly yesterday of an apparent heart attack. He was only 53.

On a personal note, I am also 53. This is the sort of thing which makes one sit up and take notice and take stock.

Anderson played 17 MLB seasons - 15 of them with the Angels. Whether it was the California Angels, Anaheim Angels or Los Angeles Angels, Anderson wore the uniform well and, outside of Mike Trout, might have been the greatest Angel of them all. 

Drafted out of high school by the Angels in the fourth round of the 1990 MLB Draft, Anderson would have a cup of coffee with the big-league team during the strike shortened 1994 season. In 1995, Anderson finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting to Minnesota Twins slugger Marty Cordova. That 1995 season was marred by the late season collapse which resulted in the Seattle Mariners' first ever post-season appearance.

Anderson reached the peak of his career between 2000-2003 driving in 100 plus runs each of these seasons. In 2002, Anderson would be a crucial figure in earning the Angels' lone World Series title. Anderson's bases loaded double off Livan Hernandez in Game 7 of that Fall Classic against the San Francisco Giants proved to be the game winner. He would finish fourth in AL MVP balloting that season hitting .306 with 29 HR and 123 RBI along with a league leading 56 doubles. In 2003, Anderson would again lead the AL in doubles with 49 and also earned the All-Star Game MVP going 3-for-4 with a two-run HR off Woody Williams en route to a 7-6 AL victory at Chicago's Comiskey Park.

Anderson played with the Halos through 2008. He spent 2009 with the Atlanta Braves and finished his career in Southern California in 2010 with the cross-town rival Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2228 career games, Anderson collected 2529 career hits for a lifetime batting average of .293 with 287 HR and 1365 RBI. Those 1365 RBI ties him with Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda for 87th on MLB's all-time list.

Those totals will likely be surpassed by MLB's active RBI leader Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers later this season. Freeman enters tonight with 1336 RBI, one ahead of Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and one behind Hall of Famer Johnny Mize. As it happens, Anderson was Freeman's favorite player growing up. The two became friends and Freeman remembered Anderson as "a beautiful man." 

While it has been nearly 20 years since Anderson last wore an Angels uniform, he remains the team's all-time leader in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), doubles (489), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796) and grand slams (eight). Anderson's 2529 hits place him 96th on MLB's all-time list while his 522 career doubles place in a three-way tie for 50th on MLB's all-time list with Johnny Damon and Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty. Anderson hit only 2 fewer doubles than Ken Griffey, Jr. He was in some very, very good company.

Alas, Anderson would only receive a single vote on the 2016 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot. There's a crowded outfield in Cooperstown. Perhaps there isn't a spot for him but surely, he warranted more than a single vote. Perhaps the Contemporary Era Committee will give him a look one of these years. 

Hall of Fame or not, Garret Anderson will always be an Angel in the outfield. R.I.P.

Carney Cobbles Together a Liberal Majority Government Nearly a Year After Canadian Federal Election

Tonight, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has gone from a Liberal minority to a Liberal majority government.

Thus far the Liberals have earned two by-election victories in the Toronto area - one in the riding of University-Rosedale which is in downtown Toronto and the other in Scarborough Southwest which is situated east of downtown. The latter riding was won by Dolly Begum who began 2026 as the Deputy Leader of the Ontario NDP before she jumped from provincial to federal politics and in the process jumped ship to the Liberals. 

The Liberals could win one more byelection in Quebec having pulled ahead of the Bloc Quebecois in the constituency of Terrebonne, a north shore suburb of Montreal. In last year's election, the BQ won the seat, but a recount gave it to the Liberals by a single vote until the Supreme Court of Canada annulled the result in February and ordered the by-election. If the Liberals sweep that will give them 174 seats - a two-seat majority but a majority just the same.

But the journey from minority to majority has been months in the making. Nearly a year ago, the Liberals hung onto a minority parliament under Carney's leadership. President Trump's jingoistic gave the Liberals a lifeline with Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

In the year since the election, the Liberals have cobbled together a majority government primarily through defections from both the Conservatives and the NDP. Between November 2025 and February 2026, three Tory MPs jumped ship to the Liberals - Chris d'Entremont from Nova Scotia, Michael Ma from Markham, just northeast of Toronto and Edmonton area MP Matt Jeneroux.

Last month, the Liberals earned a defection from the NDP in Lori Idlout, who is an MP from the Nunavut territory. Then last week, another Conservative MP joined the Liberal ranks. Marilyn Gladu, an MP from Sarnia, Ontario situated on the bottom of Lake Huron about three hours southwest of Toronto, became the latest and most surprising defection. A former federal leadership candidate for the Tories, Gladu is known for her socially conservative views on LGBTQ issues.

There are those who question the legitimacy of the Liberals getting to a majority government primarily by floor crossings. Many moons ago there was a NDP MP from Nova Scotia named Peter Stoffer who vigorously opposed floor crossings and proposed a private members bill which would not permit floor crossings. Any MP who left his or her party would either have to sit as an independent or if they wished to join another party, resign their seat and run in a by-election under their new party affiliation.

On a personal note, I twice interviewed with Stoffer for job in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Needless to say, I was not selected but found him to be an affable fellow. 

While I am not unsympathetic to Stoffer's argument, as Michael Barone has long argued, "All process arguments are insincere." 

Poilievre rails against floor crossings. But if Poilievre had the chance to lure Liberal, NDP and maybe even a Bloc Quebecois MP into the Tory fold so he could become Prime Minister, does anyone honestly think he would pass up the opportunity?

The fact is that Mark Carney is better than Pierre Poilievre at politics. If Poilievre had done a better job of building relationships within his caucus, then perhaps there would not be a Liberal majority today. Meanwhile, the NDP is a sinking ship at the federal level. Avi Lewis might excite the far-left grassroots, but he literally accepted his party's leadership in front of a Palestinian flag, not a Canadian one. 

The Liberals under Carney want to govern while the Tories and NDP want to appeal to their lunatic fringes. So long as this is the case coupled with Donald Trump's presence in the White House then the Liberal majority is staying put for the foreseeable future.

This isn't to say that I don't have concerns about Carney. I am deeply concerned about Carney's priorities where it concerns Israel and Canadian Jews and their institutions being expelled from civil society. Alas, the NDP is even worse when it comes to Israel and the status of Canadian Jews while I'm afraid the Tories are merely paying lip service.

As it stands, Carney gets the Liberals back into the majority government column. We'll see if Canadians will want to keep this Liberal majority in 2029. If Trump decides to create a constitutional crisis and run for a third term or if we choose another Republican President hostile to Canada, then Mark Carney will call 24 Sussex Drive home for years to come.

Orban Concedes After Being Ousted by Hungarian Voters; Trump Would Never Do The Same

After ruling Hungary with an iron fist for more than 15 years, its voters have decidedly ousted Viktor Orban's Fidesz Party in favor of Peter Magyar, a one-time ally of Orban who broke with him a couple of years ago.

Most crucially Orban, an ally of both Vladimir Putin and President Trump, conceded defeat. Considering the amount of control Orban had in Hungary and his alliance with both Putin and Trump, this is a remarkable development. If nothing else, it demonstrates that Hungarians can still choose their own destiny and that the will of the people counts for something.

Of course, it is entirely possible that Magyar will prove to be every bit as autocratic as Orban. And who can say Orban, who is only 62 (but looks decades older) won't be returned to power in a few short years as we in America chose to return Trump to power despite his incompetence and corrupt ways.

Nevertheless, I cannot emphasize Orban's concession enough. Because this is the crucial difference between Trump and Orban. Trump will never publicly accept the results of the 2020 election much less acknowledge that Joe Biden was the President of the United States. Indeed, Trump will never accept the result of any election which he does not win. What complicates matters is Trump may very well contest the 2028 presidential election despite the 22nd Amendment. And even if he doesn't run, should we elect a Republican President then Trump will be the defacto President much in the way Putin was when he held the position of "Prime Minister" when Dmitri Medvedev held the title of Russian Federation President.

For many years, the MAGA crowd has held Orban with deep affection. Indeed, Orban was warmly received at CPAC in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Both Vice-President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio gave what amounted to campaign speeches for Orban during this election not to mention Trump's full-throated support on Truth Social. 

Given today's results, it is clear their intervention did Orban more harm than good. The Hungarian people simply had enough and Orban could not reject their verdict much less suggest it was fraudulent in any way. 

The same cannot be said for Trump who by tomorrow might tell us he didn't know Orban very well. It is inconceivable that Trump would utter the words Orban spoke when he said, “The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us.” Such words are not part of Trump's vocabulary, nor would they be a part of any Republican seeking the White House in Trump's stead should he choose not to run. Trump has never let the facts or truth get in the way of what he says or posts on social media. Why would he start now?

Unfortunately, a plurality of the American people has never let the facts and truth get in the way of their support for Trump and probably never will.

Phil Garner Lived Up to His Scrap Iron Nickname as a Player & Manager

Yesterday, former MLB player and manager Phil Garner passed away of pancreatic cancer. He was 76.

A native of Jefferson City, Tennessee, Garner would play collegiate baseball at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. The Montreal Expos would pick Garner in the 8th round of the 1970 MLB draft, but he opted to remain in Tennessee. The following year, Garner would sign with the Oakland A's after being selected third overall in the draft.

Garner would have cups of coffee with the A's in 1973 & 1974 although he would not share in the team's World Series glory. Nicknamed Scrap Iron for his hard-nosed play, Garner would become the team's everyday second baseman in 1975 and would earn an AL All-Star selection in 1976.

Prior to the 1977 season, amid Charlie Finley's deconstruction of the A's, Garner was sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 9-player deal. This was a positive development for Garner as he would follow manager Chuck Tanner to the Steel City. Several months earlier, Finley had traded Tanner to the Pirates in exchange for catcher Manny Sanguillen in a rare manager for player trade. Garner was part of the "We Are Fam-a-lee" Pirates team which won the 1979 World Series splitting his time at second, third and short. While in a Bucs uniform, Garner earned back-to-back NL All-Star Team selections in 1980 & 1981.

Late in the strike-shortened '81 season, Garner would be dealt to the Houston Astros where he would spend the bulk of his career making post-season appearances with the club in both 1981 and 1986. Garner also had brief stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants in the 1987 and 1988 seasons. In 1,860 games over 16 seasons, Garner collected 1,594 hits for a lifetime batting average of .260 with 109 HR and 738 RBI along with 225 stolen bases.

Garner would return to the Astros in 1989 as a member of Art Howe's coaching staff where he would remain for three seasons before being named manager of the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 1992 season. Garner would lead the Brew Crew to a 92-win season finishing only 4 games behind the eventual World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. Garner would remain in the Brewers dugout for the rest of the decade but would post seven consecutive losing seasons before being dismissed late in the 1999 season. Despite not earning any post-season appearances during his 8 seasons in Milwaukee, his 563 wins as Brewers' skipper is second most in franchise history with only Craig Counsell topping Garner with 707 wins.

In 2000, Garner took over the helm of the Detroit Tigers but had no further success in the Motor City through two more losing seasons before being dismissed 6 games into the 2002 season. 

Garner's managerial career appeared to be over, but the Astros would unexpectedly hire him to replace Jimy Williams in the middle of the 2004 season. Garner would lead the team to a NL Wild Card berth and came within a heartbeat of besting the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. In 2005, the Astros would struggle out of the gate with a 15-30 record before surging to another NL Wild Card berth. They would face the Redbirds in the NLCS yet again but would prevail in second games winning their first and only NL pennant before their move to the AL. Unfortunately for the Astros, they would be swept by the Chicago White Sox who won their first World Series title in 88 years.

Garner's managerial career ended in late in the 2007 season when the team dismissed him in favor of Cecil Cooper. In 15 seasons as a big-league manager, Garner had a record of 985-1054. Aside from a tenure as a special advisor for the Oakland A's in the early 2010s, Garner's baseball days were behind him as he pursued other interests in the oil & gas, agriculture and cattle ranching.

I remember Garner's distinctive mustache although late in his playing career, he sported a clean-shaven look which rendered him almost unrecognizable. The mustache would return during his managerial career.

Garner's passing comes only 72 hours after the death of former MLB player and manager Davey Lopes. The pair were both part of the 1986 NL West champion Houston Astros. Of further note, it was Lopes who succeeded Garner as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2000 season.

Phil Garner lived up to his Scrap Iron moniker as both a player and a manager. R.I.P.

MI Dem Senate Candidate El-Sayed Says There's No Justification for Temple Israel Attack & Then Justifies It

Abdul El-Sayed, who is vying to be the Democratic Party nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, has excused the terrorist attack which took place last month against Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan under the guise of stating nothing justified the violence:

Nothing justifies the heinous attack that we saw on Temple Israel. I also think it’s just critical for us to understand that hurt people do hurt people, and the circumstances happening 6,000 miles away can affect the lives that we live here, and if we stand against violence, we’ve got to stand against violence, all violence. 

Of further note:

When a reporter from The Free Press pressed El-Sayed on his claim, asking whether a similar argument would have allowed sympathy for a Jewish person attacking a mosque after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, he suggested the circumstances were not the same. 

“After Oct. 7, there was a whole genocide against Palestinians,” El-Sayed said. 

If El-Sayed truly deplored anti-Semitic violence, then he would have simply stated, "Nothing justifies the heinous attack that we saw on Temple Israel." Full stop. 

But he didn't stop there. Hurt people hurt people? No, most people who lose loved one managed to go through life without killing anyone. 

Then El-Sayed went further in justifying the attack on Temple Israel by effectively saying synagogues are legitimate targets for violence because of "genocide against Palestinians."

Never mind that the attacker's family was Lebanese, not Palestinian. Of course, El-Sayed neglects to mention that the attacker's brother was a Hezbollah commander. I suppose in El-Sayed's eyes members of Hezbollah are honorary Palestinians as they joined Hamas attack against Israel on October 8th.

It must be further mentioned that El-Sayed made these comments while campaigning with Hasan Piker, who can be best described as Nick Fuentes without the intellectual pretensions. Piker is someone who has praised Hamas, said he does not care if Hamas committed rape while claiming Orthodox Jews are inbred. El-Sayed tells me a great deal about himself when he excuses violence against Jews attack while campaigning with someone who publicly supports Hamas and promotes hatred against Jews. Furthermore, El-Sayed wants Democrats to publicly embrace Piker and many young Democratic activists are doing exactly that.

El-Sayed is in a three-way race in the Democratic primary with Congresswoman Haley Stevens and State Senator Mallory McMorrow. The winner of that race would face Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in this November's mid-terms. El-Sayed has not previously held public office although he previously made an unsuccessful bid for Governor in 2018 in a race which Gretchen Whitmer prevailed. 

If El-Sayed wins the Democratic Party nomination, it will demonstrate how deeply entrenched anti-Semitism has become in the party. If El-Sayed wins a seat in the U.S. Senate, then it will demonstrate how mainstream anti-Semitism has become in the United States. This neither bodes well for the future of either American Jewry or American democracy.