The Phillies Have Righted The Ship Under Don Mattingly

In less than 20 days, the Philadelphia Phillies have turned around the 2026 season.

On April 28th, the Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson and replaced him with bench coach Don Mattingly on an interim basis. 

Mattingly, of course, previously managed both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Miami Marlins and then served two seasons as the Toronto Blue Jays bench coach before joining the Phillies this season.

At the time, the Phillies were 9-19 which was tied for the worst record in MLB along with the New York Mets, their NL East rival.

Under Mattingly, the Phillies have gone 15-4 including a 6-0 victory this afternoon over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Zack Wheeler pitched 7 scoreless innings besting reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes.

As a result, the Phillies now have a winning record of 24-23. 

Now the Phillies still have their work cut out for them. They are 8 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, but they are now in the NL Wild Card hunt tied with the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at 3½ games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the third NL Wild Card berth. 

The 2026 season is not yet a third of the way through, but Mattingly has to be considered an early favorite to be NL Manager of the Year. If nothing else, Donnie Baseball has righted the Phillies ship this season.

William Paul Apologized Not for Making Anti-Semitic Remarks But For Calling a Congressman a Jew

Consider this headline from the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Son of Sen. Rand Paul apologizes for antisemitic comments made to congressman

Yet if one takes the time to read the article, the headline is demonstrably untrue:

William Paul, son of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, has apologized for antisemitic remarks made to a New York congressman at a bar in Washington, D.C. earlier this week.

William Paul “drunkenly hurled antisemitic insults at Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, at a Capitol Hill bar and restaurant,” according to NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman, who witnessed the interaction.

William Paul introduced himself as Rand Paul’s son and confronted Lawler about Rep. Thomas Massie’s Republican primary election in Kentucky on May 19. If Massie loses against President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate Ed Gallrein, William Paul told Lawler it would be because of “your people,” according to the report.

“My people?” Lawler asked.

“Yeah, you Jews,” William Paul said.

Lawler clarified he wasn’t Jewish, and William Paul apologized for “calling (him) a Jew,” according to the NOTUS report. William Paul continued and said Jewish people were “anti-American,” and Lawler and his “Jewish supporters” served Israel more than America. 

Lawler told William Paul he was being antisemitic and defended his support of Israel.

Yes, William Paul made an apology. But his apology wasn't for making anti-Semitic remarks. 

Paul apologized for calling Rep. Lawler a Jew.

To be clear, William Paul harbors hatred towards Jews and confronted Lawler on the basis of that hatred.

Oh, Paul made a formal 'this isn't who I am' apology and blamed it on his drinking for which he says he is getting help. 

In vino veritas!

Keep in mind that the younger Paul has had multiple run ins with the law concerning his drinking going back more than a decade.

Paul might very well be a recovering alcoholic, but he is not a recovering anti-Semite.

When it comes to Paul's anti-Semitism, I don't think the acorn fell far from the tree. His grandfather, former Congressman and GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, had no qualms about associating with anti-Semites and was more than happy to excuse such conduct. Senator Paul is more circumspect but goes out of his way to support anti-Israel bills and opposes governmental action against anti-Semitism.

So, when I learned William Paul went on a drunken, anti-Semitic tirade, consider me completely unsurprised.

It is said that one cannot recover from alcoholism until one admits a drinking problem.

Likewise, one cannot recover from anti-Semitism until one admits a problem with Jews and a willingness to change attitudes.

I don't think William Paul will admit to being an anti-Semite no matter how many anti-Semitic things he says.

In 1974, A Pitcher Named Capra Made Quite a Buzz

 

Former MLB pitcher Buzz Capra, who toiled for both the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves, passed away on Monday at the age of 78.

Born Lee William Capra in Chicago, he enjoyed a distinguished collegiate baseball career at Illinois State University before being selected in the 27th round of the 1969 MLB Draft by the New York Mets. Capra would make his big-league debut with the Mets in 1971 as a September callup. 

Over the next two seasons, Capra would shuttle between the Mets and their Triple-AAA affiliate in Tidewater although he would be part of the You Gotta Believe Mets which won the NL pennant under Yogi Berra in 1973. 

Alas, Capra did not pitch in the post-season. The only action he saw was partaking in a brawl during the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds when Pete Rose slid into Bud Harrelson starting a pier-six brawl. Capra would end up scrapping with Reds reliever Pedro Borbon who would take Capra's hat and wear it taunting the Mets dugout. Well, at least Capra wasn't bitten by Borbon.

Prior to the start of the 1974 season, the Mets sold Capra's contract to the Atlanta Braves. Capra began the season in the Braves bullpen and would earn a save the night Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth on the all-time HR list.

Capra would be moved into the starting rotation following an injury to Ron Reed in which he would pitch six innings of one-hit ball against the San Diego Padres. Four days later, Capra would pitch his first career complete game against the eventual NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Over his next four starts, Capra would generate a buzz tossing complete game shutouts in three of those starts - one against the Houston Astros and back-to-back shutouts against the Montreal Expos. Between May 15th and June 6th, Capra pitched 51 innings allowing only 3 earned runs. During this period, Capra lowered his ERA from 3.06 to a miniscule 1.18 ERA. To put that number in perspective, Bob Gibson posted an MLB record 1.12 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1968. 

Following a rough start against his former team in which he was knocked out in the second inning, Capra rebounded with four consecutive wins against the Cardinals, got even with the Mets, had another complete game victory against the Dodgers before throwing a 10-inning shutout against the Big Red Machine. By the end of June, Capra was 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA. 

Capra would come back down to Earth in July but was 10-5 with a 2.08 ERA at the All-Star Break and would be named to the NL All-Star Team by his former skipper Yogi Berra although he would not pitch in the game. He would finish the 1974 season with a 16-8 record with a league leading 2.28 ERA along with 11 complete games. This was good enough to finish 9th in NL Cy Young balloting and 20th in NL MVP balloting.

Unfortunately, Capra could not sustain his success beyond 1974. Capra would injure his pitching shoulder, and a biceps tendon transfer did little to help matters. Over the next three seasons, Capra would only win 10 more big league games before the Braves released him during spring training in 1978. In 7 MLB seasons, Capra appeared in 142 games (61 as a starting pitcher) and went 31-37 with a 3.87 ERA over 544.1 innings pitched. Capra recorded 362 strikeouts against 258 walks. More than half of his big-league wins would come during that magical 1974 season with the Braves.

Capra would stay in the game as a minor league pitching coach with the Braves and Mets as well as the Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos and the Chicago White Sox as well as at the collegiate level at Northeastern Illinois University. He would also work as a carpenter in his spare time often helping his friends and neighbors. R.I.P.

Jason Collins Raised His Hand, But Few Have Followed

Jason Collins, the first and thus far only openly gay man to play in the NBA, passed away of brain cancer. He was only 47.

Although Collins had a 13-year career in the NBA, he is best remembered from coming out as a gay man in the spring of 2013:

I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.

Collins, who spent the bulk of his NBA career playing center with the New Jersey Nets before stints with the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards, would return to the Nets (now in Brooklyn) at the behest of his former teammate and then head coach Jason Kidd thus becoming the first openly gay player in any of the four major professional sports leagues. Kidd, who now coaches the Dallas Mavericks, paid tribute to Collins praising his "courage" calling him "a pioneer."

While Collins courageously raised his hand, few have followed suit.

In fact, there has been no other active NBA player who has raised his hand in the 13-years after Collins raised his hand.

The same can be said for both the NHL and MLB although athletes in both sports have come out at the minor league or at the collegiate level.

In pro football, Carl Nassib became the first active openly gay player in the NFL when he came out while a member of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. Michael Sam, who was the first openly gay player selected in the NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams in 2014, played briefly in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes in 2015.

Conversely, the WNBA has numerous openly gay players. Ditto for the recently established PWHL.

In the context of professional sports, being gay remains less of a stigma for women than men. The attitudes of former New York Mets player Daniel Murphy and future Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw haven't helped matters.

As such, I suspect that male professional athletes who are gay will not be forthcoming with that information until after their career is over, if at all.

Yet I also wonder if the passing of Jason Collins might inspire one of these male professional athletes to raise his hand. R.I.P.

Thoughts on The Near Mass Shooting on Memorial Drive in Cambridge

(Screenshot from NBC 10 Boston)

What I find absolutely remarkable about the near mass shooting which took place in Cambridge yesterday afternoon is how little conversation I've heard on the subject.

I did not learn about what had happened until right before I retired for the evening nearly 12 hours after the event had occurred. This was not discussed during work today at all. The first time it was brought up with me was when my mother sent me a text after work this evening.

As someone who has walked that stretch of Memorial Drive hundreds of times over the two decades plus, I can tell you that a man brandishing a high-powered rifle on a busy day in broad daylight wantonly shooting at people in Cambridge, Massachusetts is quite out of the ordinary.

While I understand that anything can happen anywhere at any time, there isn't a city in the world where I feel safer than Cambridge. Yet the fact that I have not heard this discussed within my own daily universe tells me how desensitized we are to gun violence. 

As it stands now, two people are in hospital with life threatening injuries. Of course, it would have been much, much worse if not for a Massachusetts state trooper and an ex-Marine with a license to carry who subdued the assailant. It was a classic case of good guys with a gun triumphing over a bad guy with a gun.

Still, questions remain of how the assailant got this high-powered rifle. Did he steal it? Did he access it through family or friends? Or did he buy it legally? If he bought legally, when and where was the purchase made?  Especially in view of his lengthy criminal record which included another shootout with police officers in Boston's South End almost exactly six years ago.

What is clear is that this man must spend the rest of his life in confinement in a correctional institution or in a high security mental hospital. Unfortunately, there are some people who simply cannot be part of a free society due to their reckless disregard for human life. 

Memorial Drive overlooks the Charles River which divides Boston and Cambridge. The assailant could have fired his rifle from Cambridge and shot someone walking in Boston. Fortunately, this did not come to pass. However, if not for the state trooper and ex-Marine, this could have very well come to pass with tragic results. At the very minimum, more people would have been shot.

For many years (usually on a Sunday) I would walk on Memorial Drive while listening to the Red Sox game on the radio. I have also attended various festivals and other gatherings such as the Head of the Charles Regatta which takes place each October. So, I can easily picture myself at the scene just as I could picture myself standing on Boylston Street during the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon in 2013. 

In this particular case, I would have been on foot and would have very tried to flee to safety without attracting attention to myself while negotiating panicked vehicular traffic. I can only hope I never have to experience something so horrifying.

Of course, I cannot permit this event to stop me from living my life on my terms. However, it does serve as a reminder that I must keep my wits about me at all times yet do so with the knowledge that nothing is full proof. 

Mamdani Encourages & Excuses Anti-Semitic Hooligans Outside Park East Synagogue

This past Tuesday, outside the Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side, anti-Semitic hooligans who assaulted and injured two members of the NYPD while carrying Hezbollah flags chanting, "We don't want no two states, we want all of it.!" 

Much as he did last November when a mob gathered outside the same synagogue, Mamdani said nothing about the violence and instead cast the blame on Jews peacefully attending shul claiming the event was an "ongoing effort to displace Palestinians from their homes.”

In point of the fact, there was an informational event at the Park East Synagogue about moving to Israel. Given the low regard Mamdani has for Jews in New York City, you would think he would be happy about the prospect of a Jewish Exodus from the city. Perhaps Mamdani doesn't want Jews to live anywhere at all.

The Mayor's words will only encourage more of these sorts of actions against other synagogues in New York City. In which case, it is only a matter of time before these rioters will overpower police, breach the barriers and kill Jews inside our houses of worship. As I have previously stated, I truly fear that there will be an October 7th-style attack against Jews in New York City before the end of the decade.

Bobby Cox Was a Pivotal Figure For Both The Braves & Blue Jays

 

Bobby Cox, best known for his lengthy tenure as manager of the Atlanta Braves, passed away today at the age of 84. 

Cox had been in poor health since suffering a major stroke in 2019 following the Braves home opener. His passing comes only 3 days after that of former Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner with whom he worked closely.

Born in Oklahoma and raised in California's San Joaquin Valley, Cox signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1959. He would toil in the minor leagues as an infielder for nearly a decade with the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees before he reached the majors with the Bronx Bombers in 1968 where he played parts of two seasons. 

Cox would remain with the Yankees as a minor league manager from 1971 to 1976 leading the Syracuse Chiefs to an International League championship. He would be back in Yankee pinstripes in 1977 earning his first World Series ring as Billy Martin's first base coach.

His tenure with the Braves would begin in 1978 when Ted Turner hired him to be the team manager. At the time, Cox was 36 and was the youngest manager in all of MLB. His first tenure in Atlanta saw limited success. The Braves would finish in last place in the NL West in 1978 and 1979 as they had in 1976 and 1977 under his predecessor Dave Bristol (and Ted Turner for a single game). 

In 1980, Cox would guide the Braves to their first winning record since 1974 but would take a step back during the strike-shortened 1981 season. After Turner dismissed Cox in favor of Joe Torre (who in 1982 would lead the Braves to their first NL West title since 1969), Cox would take over the managerial reins of the Toronto Blue Jays.

While Cox is nearly synonymous with the Braves, he is also pivotal figure in Blue Jays history. During his four seasons in Toronto, Cox turned the team from a perpetual cellar dweller into a potent force in the AL with an outfield which consisted of George Bell, Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield. Cox would lead the Jays to their first post-season appearance in franchise history when they won the AL East in 1985. Although the Jays would fall short in the ALCS against the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals after leading the series 3-1, Cox would win AL Manager of the Year.

Based on his success in Toronto, Turner would give Cox a second chance and bring him back into the fold in the 1986, this time as the team's GM. The Braves' struggles would continue as the team would finish in the last in the NL West for four of the next five seasons. Amid these struggles, Cox would acquire the likes of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Steve Avery, Ron Gant and David Justice while drafting Chipper Jones. During the 1990 season, Cox would return to the Braves dugout serving as both manager and GM.

In 1991, the Braves would go from worst to first winning the first of 14 consecutive divisional titles - 2 in the NL West and a dozen more after moving to the NL East where they should have been all along. During the 1990s, Cox would lead the Braves to 5 NL pennants - 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 & 1999. Alas, the Braves would prevail only in the 1995 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. Cox would become a three-time NL Manager of the Year in 1991 as well as in 2004 & 2005. Of further note, his 158 ejections are the most of any skipper in MLB history.

Cox would retire following the 2010 season. Beginning his managerial career as the youngest manager in MLB, he would end it as the oldest. His 2504 wins as a manager is 4th on MLB's all-time list. Only John McGraw (2763), Tony La Russa (2884) and Connie Mack (3731). Cox would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 along with fellow managers La Russa and Torre as well as Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine along with slugger Frank Thomas.

Bobby Cox managed his way through baseball and through life. R.I.P.