B.C. Voters Oust NDP in Favor of Conservatives

 

(B.C. Premier-elect Lorne Doerksen during his acceptance speech following the Conservative election victory on October 24, 2026)

On Saturday, voters in British Columbia ousted the NDP government which had been in power since 2017 in favor of the Conservative Party led by Lorne Doerksen.

As of this writing, the Conservatives are leading and elected in 62 seats with the NDP reduced to 29 seats with 2 seats for the Green Party including for leader Emily Lowan. This marks the first time a Conservative Party has been elected in B.C. since 1933.

It is a remarkable reversal of fortune for the B.C. Conservatives which had been in the death throes under both John Rustad and later Kerry-Lynne Findlay as recently as 7 weeks ago. Soon to be former NDP Premier David Eby figured it was the time to strike while the Conservatives were down, but his call was seen as self-serving. With tonight's outcome, the only NDP government remaining is in Manitoba under Wab Kinew. 

I am listening to Doerksen and he sounds forward-thinking, measured and reasonable. He was gracious with Eby and praised Lowan's hard work. This isn't a Maple MAGA. 

But given the chaos which beset the Conservatives under Rustad and Findlay, I do wonder if the knives will eventually come for him. Doerksen will soon have the power the people gave him - for now.

Billie Jean King Took The Ball & Ran With It

 

This evening I took in a screening of the Billie Jean King documentary Give Me the Ball! at the Brattle Theatre as part of the GlobeDocs Film Festival sponsored by the Boston Globe.

Before I get into the film, there were a few logistical snafus. For starters, I tried to get ticket on the GlobeDocs website but could not buy a ticket for the film. I had to buy the whole package. 

So, I decided to buy directly from the Brattle box office just before the show. But I was told I couldn't buy a ticket directly from the box office. Fortunately, there was a rep for the festival there and it was determined that I could in fact buy a ticket directly from the box office.

However, for reasons I could not fathom, I was charged for two tickets. The Globe Docs people didn't know what to do with it. From there, I met the Brattle's creative director, Ned Hinkle, who gave me two passes to use at a future show. I told Ned that I am big fan of the Marx Brothers Marathon. In any case, I have a year to use the passes.

After seeing the film, Give Me the Ball! is an apt title because even in her early eighties (she turns 83 next month), Billie Jean King's drive and determination is a force with which to be reckoned. 

King was drawn to sports at a early age much to the consternation of her mother who wanted her to be more ladylike. Her father and younger brother Randy, by contrast, were in her corner from the get-go with Randy often playing by her side. 

Soon, Billie Jean was introduced to tennis and the by the age of 12 decided she wanted to be the number one female tennis player in the world. Not longer after that Randy decided he wanted to pitch in the major leagues. Both siblings would achieve their dreams.

By 1961, Billie Jean would win her first Wimbledon doubles championship with Karen Susman. Five years later, Billie Jean would her first Wimbledon singles title. But at the time there was no prize money. By the time prize money was introduced in 1968, women were paid a fraction of what their male counterparts received despite often being the bigger draw among tennis fans.

Billie Jean channeled her outrage into action by helping to establish the Viriginia Slims tennis tour and then founding the Women's Tennis Association turning the sport into a lucrative business for female tennis players. Yes, she needed Phillip Morris' cigarette money and Bristol Meyers pharmaceutical money to get it going but she got it done even over the objections of her male counterparts including Arthur Ashe which is something of a surprise given him being a champion of racial equality.

Much of this was done in collaboration with her husband Larry King who managed the business and financial side of the enterprise. Ultimately, their marriage would be strained by not wanting children up to including an abortion pre-Roe v. Wade as well as Billie Jean's coming to terms with the fact she had feelings for women resulting in a toxic relationship with a woman which would end in blackmail. All of this complicated by an eating disorder that took years to properly address.

Oh yes, she had to deal with Bobby Riggs. While much of Riggs' misogyny was showmanship and playing the heel, he ended up believing his own hype. After Riggs lost to Billie Jean in the Battle of the Sexes, he whispered to her, "I underestimated you."

I think underestimating someone who won six Wimbledon titles, four U.S. Open titles plus an Australian and French Open title not to mention revolutionizing her sport is a mistake.

In time, Billie Jean's personal life found equanimity. She has been with fellow tennis player Ilana Kloss for over 45 years marrying in 2018 while her husband remarried, became a father and named Billie Jean and Ilana as their godmothers. 

Following the screening, there was a brief Q&A with Chris James, one of the documentary's co-producers. Billie Jean's younger brother Randy Moffitt, who pitched for 12 seasons in MLB with the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays, was sporadically mentioned during the film. 

I asked James about Billie Jean's commentary and his level of support for her when her sexual orientation was made public. James indicated that the two were very close until his passing last year. His team very much wanted to interview him but that he was simply too ill to participate. I wish Moffitt had been able to participate because it would have been nice to hear more about their relationship and his insight on her success as well as his own.

Well, if I ever get the opportunity to meet Billie Jean King, I will ask her myself. That is provided that I can keep up with her.

The Mendacity of Megyn Kelly

A little over a month ago I expressed my dismay at Megyn Kelly's inhumanity towards Cindy Crawford following the sudden death of her son Presley Gerber:

What kind of person would say such a thing to millions of people?

I suspect it would be the sort of person who doesn't care what she says and who she harms as long as she draws her attention to herself and that her name is spelled correctly.

There is nothing a parent dreads more than the thought of their child predeceasing them. That Kelly would see fit to kick Crawford while she is going through the worst moment of her life says a great deal more about Kelly than it does about Crawford. Kelly has demonstrated she is devoid of any humanity.

Well, in the weeks which have followed, Kelly seems to be on a mission to be as mendacious as possible. 

On October 6th, only 15 days after slagging Crawford, Kelly set her sights on Jane Doe, the alleged rape victim at the hands of fraternity members at Cornell University. Kelly saw fit to take the woman to task for waiting three weeks to report the rape as if the statute of limitations had expired and for belittling her physical appearance calling her "not the most attractive gal." As if one's physical attractiveness precludes one from being sexually assaulted.  

At this point, we don't know what happened at Cornell University, but for Kelly to go out of her way to belittle the accuser is cruel and unhelpful. It certainly does nothing to encourage others who have sexually assaulted from coming forward.

Under the circumstances, it should not surprise anyone that Kelly was the first MAGA apologist to defends Vivek Ramaswamy's now infamous ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother who sided with the stepfather who raped her.

Sadly, there is more.

Earlier this week, Kelly publicly blasted actress Christina Applegate after revealing she had been misdiagnosed with MS. Kelly decried, “This is, like, the problem with celebrities like wanting to lean into their health problems," before dismissing Applegate's ordeal as "a wild goose chase." But when it comes to MS, it is hardly confined to celebrities as 1 in 5 individuals diagnosed with the disease do not have it at all.

But making deeply personal attacks against those who do not deserve them is Megyn Kelly's stock in trade.

So now it is a question of who Kelly will go after next. Well, Melissa Gilbert, a friend of Applegate, has said bring it on. I have little doubt Kelly will take Gilbert up on her invitation.

Trump is Trying to Rig The Alaska Senate Election

It is du rigueur for President Trump to accuse Democrats of rigging elections. 

Yet is Trump who is personally directing the Department of Justice to sue to block election results in Alaska's U.S. Senate race if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan doesn't win.

The claim is that the presence of third-party candidate Daniel J. Sullivan is intended to confuse voters to not vote for Senator Sullivan. This matter has already been adjudicated at the state level up to and including the Alaska Supreme Court.

Of course, the only reason Trump is doing is because he believes Democrat Mary Peltola will win this race and, with it, possibly wrest control of the Senate from the GOP. 

Trump does not accept the will of the people unless it aligns with his own will. 

In other words, when Trump speaks of election integrity, he is speaking about his self-interest. Nothing more, nothing less. 

A case could be made that this lawsuit is also designed to intimidate Alaska voters from voting for Peltola. Under the circumstances, I can only hope this waste of the court's time will spur Alaskans into electing Peltola and electing her decisively.

Angels Clip Suzuki & Mozeliak's Wings

 

The Los Angeles Angels are cleaning house. 

The Angels announced that Kurt Suzuki will not manage the club in 2027 although they have offered him a position in the front office. 

Additionally, acting GM John Mozeliak will depart the club at the end of the calendar year. Mozeliak, who spent three decades with the St. Louis Cardinals was brought in mid-season after Perry Minasian was shown the door.

This is not a surprise given the fact that new ownership will soon be taking over. But even if that wasn't a factor, I think Suzuki was set up to fail after he was offered only a single season to turn the franchise around. Unfortunately for Suzuki, the Angels lost 100 games for the first time in franchise history.

The Angels will first hire new GM before hiring a new skipper. Whoever Stan Kroenke's crew hires for these roles had better realize that there will be no easy fixes for the Halos. Restoring the team to its former glory of the 2000s is going to be a year's long project which might see even more failures before the light of success shines on them.

The starting point won't truly happen until after 2030 when Mike Trout's contract expires and the deferred payments to Anthony Rendon cease. Even when they have more financial flexibility, it will be a question of how they spend their money. In which case, the Angels will need to keep a close eye on the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers starting with the World Series tomorrow and likely for years beyond.

Trump Says Ramaswamy's Ad "Powerful" Claiming Acton "Lies, Cheats and Steals"

(YouTube screenshot of President Trump answering questions from CNN's Kaitlan Collins on October 22, 2026)

If JD Vance was going to forcefully defend Vivek Ramaswamy's ad against Amy Acton then one knew it wouldn't be long before President Trump wanted in on the action as well.

Trump took to Truth Social and typed in this slop:

Vivek Ramaswamy put up a very powerful Ad about a mother saying that her daughter, Amy Acton, who is running for Governor of Ohio, is a liar, and much worse. The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to “take down the Ad.” Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in Office, let alone the Office of Governor.

And it got worse:

I suggested, on the other hand, that Vivek should keep it up, and let everyone listen to the mother of a defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate, explain how the daughter is a DISASTER who, uncontrollably, lies, cheats, and steals! I only wish the mothers of my opponents would be so brave as to come forward and explain that their son or daughter is a liar, and much worse. That took a lot of courage to do but, essentially, what she was really doing was saving Ohio from making a truly horrible choice! The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it’s so good! Who wouldn’t use such an Ad? I would, it’s called, “hitting pay dirt.” The fact is, Lyin’ Amy Acton, who I’ve never even heard of before, has been lying about Vivek for the entire Campaign. 

Uncontrollably lies, cheats and steals?

Talk about projecting one's qualities onto your betters.

If Trump has never heard of Amy Acton before, then how would he know that she is lying?

Well, that's because Trump lies as he breathes.

Later in the day, CNN's Kaitlan Collins pressed Trump about the sexual assault charges against Acton's late stepfather to no avail. To which Trump replied contemptuously, "But when did she make that statement? Was it just recently?"

Given Trump's treatment of E. Jean Carroll, could one truly expect any compassion and empathy from him towards Acton? Compassion and empathy are anathema to Trump, Vance and MAGA.

Contrary to Trump's claims, Acton has led Ramaswamy in most polling.

One would think there is enough visceral anger to give Acton a double-digit victory.

But lest we forget that Ohio voters gave Trump an 11-point victory over Kamala Harris despite the fact he and Vance repeatedly claimed Haitian migrants were eating cats and dogs. If Ohio voters were willing to go along with such a preposterous lie, then is it beyond the realm of possibility that a majority of Ohio voters will believe Amy Acton's estranged mother is in the right and elect Ramaswamy?

After all, lies, if repeated often enough, will be accepted as gospel truth (i.e. the 2020 election was stolen or Palestinian claims of genocide in Gaza).

Should Ramaswamy continue with this line of attack (with support from Trump and Vance) in the final 10 days or so of the campaign it is not beyond the realm of possibility that it could send him to the governor's mansion.

If this comes to pass, it doesn't say a great deal about the people of Ohio. But there's been a great deal to be said about the people of Ohio and the people of the United States over the past decade and a lot of it isn't very good.

Todd Benzinger Was Part of the 1988 Morgan Magic Red Sox & The 1990 World Series Champion Reds

(YouTube screenshot of Todd Benzinger catching the final out of the 1990 World Series)

Former MLB first baseman and outfielder Todd Benzinger passed away yesterday. No cause has been given. He was only 63.

Born in Dayton, Kentucky and raised in New Richmond, Ohio, Benzinger was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 1981 MLB Draft.

Benzinger would make his MLB debut with the Red Sox during the 1987 season, the year after the team came within a strike of winning the World Series. The following season, Benzinger would make his mark on the team as part of the Morgan Magic that would rise to win the AL East under Joe Morgan (who passed away last month at the age of 95). 

On July 20, 1988, Benzinger would hit an extra inning walk-off 3-run HR off Keith Atherton to give the Red Sox a 9-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins. That would extend the Red Sox win streak to 7 games under Morgan en route to winning 19 of 20 games. Benzinger would finish his first full big-league season with a .254 batting average with 13 HR and 70 RBI in 120 games played.

That December, the Bosox sent Benzinger to the Cincinnati Reds in multiplayer deal in exchange for Nick Esasky. The trade represented a homecoming for Benzinger. In 1989, amid the turmoil of the gambling scandal involving then Reds manager Pete Rose, Benzinger had his finest season. Playing in 161 out of 162 games, Benzinger led the NL with 628 at bats for a .245 batting average with 17 HR and 76 RBI.

In 1990, Benzinger's offensive production dipped to 5 HR and 46 RBI in 118 games played. But under the leadership of new manager Lou Piniella, the Reds would lead the NL West the entire way, upset the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS and sweep the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series. Benzinger caught the final out off a pop up by Carney Lansford in the Oakland Coliseum's cavernous foul territory.

By the middle of the 1991 season, the Reds would ship Benzinger to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Carmelo Martinez, best remembered for being part of the 1984 NL champion San Diego Padres. After the 1991 season, the Royals would trade Benzinger to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Chris Gwynn, the younger brother of Tony Gwynn. Benzinger would spend the final three seasons of his big-league career as a bench player with the San Francisco Giants under Dusty Baker. After a brief stint with the New York Yankees Triple-AAA Columbus Clippers in 1995, Benzinger's professional baseball career came to a close.

In 9 MLB seasons, Benzinger played in 924 games collecting 733 hits for a lifetime batting average of .257 with 66 HR and 376 RBI.

After his playing career, Benzinger would coach girls' high school basketball and later manage the Dayton Dragons, the Single A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in 2009 and 2010. R.I.P.