Mass Graves of Aboriginal Children Cast a Pall on Canada Day

Tomorrow, Canada will be commemorating its 254th birthday. But a pall has been cast with the discovery of mass graves of Aboriginal children on the grounds of several shuttered residential schools. Last month, it was the unmarked graves of 215 Aboriginal children discovered in Kamloops, British Columbia. Last week, it was the unmarked graves of 751 Aboriginal children discovered in Marieval, Saskatchewan. Today, came the news of unmarked graves of 182 Aboriginal children discovered in Cranbrook, British Columbia. 

That's 1148 unmarked graves. The frightening thought is that this is only the beginning. Residential schools for Aboriginal children were run for nearly 100 years. I cannot begin to fathom how many more mass graves will be discovered. When one thinks of mass graves one tends to think of war torn countries like Iraq and Nigeria or a country full of civil strife like Mexico. Canada would not have to come to mind, but this has now changed.

The discovery of these mass graves naturally raise questions. Over how many decades did these children perish? Did Aboriginal children die in both the 1890s and the 1990s? Did they of malnutrition and neglect? Or were they murdered? Whatever the answers they will put a stain on Canada's reputation for many years to come. This mass graves of Aboriginal children will be to Canada what the enslavement of African-Americans is to the United States.

In some ways this doesn't come as a total surprise. Growing up in a Canadian community with a significant Aboriginal population, my peers spoke of First Nations people with contempt and disdain, the sort of contempt and disdain they would never dream of using against an African-American. No doubt my peers were taught to think this way by their parents and grandparents - the generations that oversaw these residential schools whose mission it was the "kill the Indian in the child." Evidently, they took that mission literally.

It has taken decades for the truth to come to the surface. It will take decades more for the agony of this truth to heal.

Air Conditioners Are My Favorite Modern Convenience

When I returned to Boston exactly one month ago today, it was a chilly 40 degrees and rainy. This was a most welcome respite from the litany of 90 degree plus days I experienced during my last week in Atlanta. 

I have been experiencing 80 degree plus days consistently since the end of February and I am sick of it. I cannot wait for autumn. I'm sure I would have struggled mightily had I spent the summer in Georgia. Yet homes in Atlanta have something that most homes in Boston don't - central air conditioning. However uncomfortable it might have been outside I would have found instant relief inside. 

The same cannot be said of the house I now call home in Cambridge. If I go outside my room the temperature is 95 degrees. Thank goodness a friend assisted me in installing an air conditioner in my room last week. I did have an offer of a free air conditioner from another friend but Lords know when I would have been able to get my hands on it let alone get it installed. So I spent more than $150 for one down at the neighborhood grocery store and somehow lugged it back here on my own. I'm glad I did it because I shudder to think how miserable I would be if I didn't have one right now. Let's just hope there aren't any power outages this summer. Fingers, toes and other appendages crossed.

Air conditioners are often maligned for exacerbating climate change. It is said that in cooling our homes we are heating the outside. But absent a viable alternative you have a Catch-22. The only thing pure about the Arctic Air Pure Chill is that it is pure bullshit. It's a glorified high maintenance fan. Ceiling fans are OK but sometimes all they do is recirculate hot air. 

There are many modern conveniences which have improved our way of life (i.e. washers/dryers, microwaves, mobile phones, etc.) But my favorite of all are air conditioners. Few things in life feel better than the blast of cool air when entering a building be it the grocery store, the office and, thank goodness, my room. 

Hope I Will Be Able to Sleep Tonight As I Start My New Job Tomorrow

In less than 12 hours from now, I will be starting a new job. This has become a familiar refrain over the past several years after working steadily for 14 years. This time around my time between jobs was considerably shorter - seven weeks versus seven months. Actually, I was offered the job a month ago. But, of course, I had to move from Atlanta back to Boston and find a place.

This I have managed to do. One thing I have not managed to do is to stay cool. One of Atlanta's virtues is centralized air conditioning. It is one of the reasons the best part of my experience in Atlanta was my apartment. Needless to say, this isn't one of the amenities of my new abode. 

At the moment I have three cooling devices including a portable air conditioner which I bought yesterday. Yes, it is portable but it's no air conditioner. For the work one must to do to get it to work (i.e. put the filter in the freezer, place ice cubes and pour water into the basin) it is a little more than a glorified fan. Aside from the usual anxiety associated in trying to sleep the night before a new job is complicated by the fact that it is too hot to sleep in my room.

An old friend of mine did offer me an air conditioner free of charge. I'm just not sure when I'll get it much less find someone to help me install it. While I am glad to be back in Boston/Cambridge life is full of small inconveniences even in the best of places.

Perhaps trying to stay cool as I sleep will help diminish my anxiety. If nothing else when I go to work I can look forward to a day of air conditioning. 

The new job will have some of the challenges of my previous job namely working with colleagues and superiors who are situated in other jurisdictions. I do find it difficult to work in setting where one does not have a face to face relationship with colleagues and superiors. I will have a full week of training though I'm sure I'll still have questions next week and beyond. 

Unlike my previous job, I will be working side by side with another records colleague though that individual has yet to be hired and I'm not sure when this will come to pass. But I cannot worry about things over which I have no control. 

At this point, I don't want to get ahead of myself. I just want to take things a day at a time and reach a point where I can do my job with confidence and comfort.

Now if I could only sleep comfortably tonight.

D'Backs Lose MLB Record 23rd Consecutive Game on the Road; Extend Losing Streak to 14

The Arizona Diamondbacks now have the dubious distinction of losing more consecutive games on the road than any other team in MLB history. This afternoon, the D'Backs lost their 23rd consecutive game on the road falling 10-3 to the NL West leading San Francisco Giants. 

If that wasn't enough, the D'Backs also lost their 14th consecutive game. Last month, the D'Backs lost 13 consecutive games. Aside from losing 28 of their last 30 games, the D'Backs haven't won a road game since Madison Bumgarner's 7-inning no-hitter in Atlanta which didn't count as a no-hitter back on April 25th.

The D'Backs, who own MLB's worst record of 20-50, do get a respite from the road as they embark upon a 7-game homestand tomorrow night. The problem is they face the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers who are presently tied for first in the NL Central. While better at home, an 11-19 record at Chase Field hardly counts as homefield advantage. 

Thoughts on Juneteenth Becoming a Federal Holiday

Today, President Biden signed Juneteenth into law, making it a federal holiday effective immediately. Biden's signature comes only days after the Senate unanimously agreed with all but 14 House Republican members in agreement. Here is what I wrote on the subject on June 19, 2020:

I'm sure a Republican Senator (John Cornyn) and a Republican President would like to take credit for establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Of course, Trump has odiously claimed he made Juneteenth famous. However, Trump needs something about which he can genuinely brag and if he signs a law enacting Juneteenth as a federal holiday he will brag about it from now until November.

But if this doesn't to come pass and this November sees the election of Joe Biden and a Democratic majority in both Houses then it will certainly come to pass sometime in 2021 with an effective date of no later than June 19, 2022. 

Had President Trump signed it into a law a year ago, his acolytes would be praising him to the sky. But that it was left to President Biden to get this done his acolytes condemn it as unAmerican and an affront notwithstanding the fact most Republican officials are supportive of it. 

Nevertheless it was in this context that I posed the question if Juneteenth and the Fourth of July can co-exist. Frederick Douglass could both admire the authors of the Declaration of Independence while mourning the Fourth of July. Frederick Douglass also hated the sin of slavery but did not hate those who committed the sin namely Thomas Jefferson. 

As such I believe it is possible to observe both Juneteenth and the Fourth of July. But it won't be easy. Because to do so takes introspection and nuance and these virtues are in very short supply. It is in short supply among those who worship at the altar of Trump and wish to replace democracy with cult of personality authoritarianism. It is also in short supply among left-wing activists who would expunge every vestige of American history - good, bad and ugly.

It will require time for Juneteenth and the Fourth of July to stand side by side and it remains to be seen if time is on our side.

Pirates Lose 10 Straight While D'Backs Drop 13 in a Row - Again!!!

Misery loves company.

There are now two MLB clubs with double digit losing streaks.

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their 10th straight game falling 3-1 to the Washington Nationals. During the course of this skid, the Bucs have gone from being 8.5 games out to 14.5 games back in the NL Central.

But for all the Pirates' struggles they have nothing on the Arizona Diamondbacks who for the second time this season have lost 13 consecutive games as they were blown out of the water by the San Francisco Giants 13-7. The D'Backs previously lost 13 straight games from May 16th-29th. Since May 1st, the D'Backs have gone 6-37 while dropping 27 of their last 29 games. In a month, the D'Backs have gone from 5.5 games back to 23.5 games back in the NL West.

If that wasn't enough, Arizona has also tied a MLB record with 22 consecutive losses on the road matching a mark in futility set by the 1943 Philadelphia A's and the 1963 New York Mets. 

The last time the D'Backs won a game on the road was on April 25th when Madison Bumgarner threw his 7-inning no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader. Of course, the no-hitter didn't count. While I'm sure the D'Backs are grateful the victory stuck I don't they counted on waiting nearly two months to get another road victory.

600,000 Americans Have Died of COVID-19 Despite Recent Good News

COVID-19 has now claimed the lives of 600,000 Americans. According to Johns Hopkins University, 600,012 Americans have died of COVID-19 out of 33,477,016 cases representing a mortality rate of 1.8%.

Of course, the recent news regarding COVID-19 has largely been positive. Vermont became the first state to partially vaccinate 80% of its population. A dozen other states plus D.C. (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Hawaii, California, Maryland and New Mexico) have at least 70% of their populaces partially vaccinated. While we might not get to President Biden's goal of 70% of Americans being partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July we could get close. As of this writing, we are at 62%. Overall, 43.7% of Americans are fully vaccinated. 

The number of overall cases are also significantly down. Today, we recorded 12,710 new COVID-19 cases which is very near Dr. Fauci's 10,000 cases a day or fewer threshold. To look at it another way, the U.S. passed 33 million COVID-19 cases on May 19th. It took 25 days to get from 32 million to 33 million cases. It has been 27 days since we hit the 33 million case mark and fewer than a half million new cases have been recorded. We will still add millions of COVID-19 cases but it will take a lot longer to get there. Hospitalizations are also down with fewer than 20,000 Americans admitted due to COVID-19.

Cases are down, hospitalizations are down and so are deaths. We went from 300,000 to 400,000 deaths in 36 days. It took 34 days to get from 400,000 to 500,000 deaths. By comparison, it took 113 days to get from 500,000 deaths to 600,000 deaths. That's more than thrice as long.

But that is of cold comfort to the families of those who lost loved ones due to COVID-19 over those past 16 weeks. For 100,000 Americans to die in less than four months due to any single cause is a great deal to bear. It's all the more difficult considering the wider availability of vaccines and therapeutics. Sadly, a critical mass of the population is hesitant about vaccines and because of it we will eventually surpass the 675,000 Americans who died during the Spanish Flu epidemic of more than a century ago and once again history will have taught us nothing despite the best efforts of some.

D'Backs Have 2nd Double Digit Losing Streak in 2021

Twenty years ago, the Arizona Diamondbacks won their first World Series. The twentieth anniversary of that season has been anything but a triumph.

The D'Backs have lost their 10th straight game falling 10-3 to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. This is bad enough but it is their second double digit losing streak of the 2021 season.

Things did look promising for the D'Backs at the end of April. After winning 9 of their final 11 games of the month, the D'Backs were 14-12 and only two games back of the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West. Since then, the D'Backs have lost 34 of their last 40 games and are now 20.5 games back of the Giants. Things don't look any more promising as the D'Backs begin a four game series with the Giants in San Francisco before heading home to face the Los Angeles Dodgers and then the Milwaukee Brewers who are currently tied for first place in the NL Central.

In May, the D'Backs had a 13-game losing streak and June hasn't been any better. After beating the New York Mets in extra innings on June 1st, the D'Backs have lost 10 in a row. Since May 15th, the D'Backs are 2-24.

Heads have already rolled. Last week, the D'Backs fired hitting coach Darnell Coles and assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske. Can D'Backs manager Torey Lovullo be far behind? His contract expires at the end of the season. Lovullo took over the reins of the D'Backs in 2017. That year the D'Backs earned a NL Wild Card spot and Lovullo was named NL Manager of the Year. Since then the D'Backs haven't gone anywhere. Even if the D'Backs stick with Lovullo the rest of this season it is inconceivable that he will be their manager in 2022. 

In the meantime, the Arizona Diamondbacks' long season is barely a third over.

Ned Beatty, R.I.P.

Actor Ned Beatty died today. His cause of death is not known. Beatty was 83.

Beatty's film career spanned more than four decades beginning with a memorable role Deliverance in 1972 alongside Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight and Ronny Cox. In the following years, Beatty would appear in five more films with Reynolds. Beatty's other notable screen credits include Nashville, All The President's Men, Network (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor despite only being onscreen for six minutes), Silver Streak and the first two Superman movies as Lex Luthor's incompetent assistant Otis Berg. Later screen credits include Rudy, Charlie Wilson's War and the voice of the villainous Lotso Bear in Toy Story 3. 

Beatty also had numerous TV credits including The Waltons, Kojak, The Rockford Files, M*A*S*H, Hawaii Five-O, The Streets of San Francisco plus recurring roles on Roseanne and Homicide: Life on the Street.

I leave you with the six minutes from Network which earned Beatty his lone Academy Award nomination. Sometimes it's not about how long you stick around but how you make the most of your time. R.I.P.

I Prefer New York City as a Visitor Rather Than a Resident

 

For the past week, I have been visiting my Dad in New York City and have one more day to go before I return to Boston on Monday. 

It is the first time I've been back to NYC since my short-lived move to Atlanta last October. I must say that I prefer New York as a visitor rather than as a resident. Granted this sentiment isn't confined to NYC. I feel much the same about Ottawa and Thunder Bay. I've never been to Boston as a visitor. It has always been home.

Of course, New York isn't without its conveniences and virtues. While my walk to work was a healthy one, I found the concrete jungle of Lexington Avenue a cold place even on the hottest of days. Even with its bright lights, Times Square is too concrete for me although it was good to see it teeming with people again. A desolate Times Square is far more depressing.

It is nice to see Times Square, Central Park and the Chrysler Building on occasion but on a day to day basis it is a bit too much. The pace is simply a few steps too fast. Don't get me wrong. There are far worse places in the world one could find oneself. Now that I'm back in the Northeast I'll certainly resume visiting here on a regular basis. But Boston (OK, technically Cambridge) you're my home.

Jim "Mudcat" Grant, R.I.P.

Former MLB pitcher, broadcaster and author Jim "Mudcat" Grant passed away on Saturday. No cause of death has been released. He was 85.

The Florida born Grant was signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1954. He would make his big league debut with the Tribe in 1958 and quickly became a mainstay of their starting rotation earning an AL All-Star Team selection in 1963. 

After six and a half seasons with the Indians, Grant was traded to the Minnesota Twins during the middle of the 1964 season for pitcher Lee Stange and journeyman George Banks. In 1965, Grant would have the best season of his professional career earning a league leading 21 wins and 6 shutouts en route to an AL pennant. Grant would win Game 1 and Game 6 of the 1965 World Series although the Twins would ultimately fall to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. When Grant won 21 games in 1965 he became the first African-American pitcher to do so in the AL.

The Twins would trade Grant along with 1965 AL MVP Zoilo Versalles to the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 1968 season for pitchers Ron Perranoski and Bob Miller along with catcher John Roseboro. By this stage of his career, Grant primarily pitched out of the bullpen. Although Grant would make history the following year when he started the first game of the expansion Montreal Expos franchise. Grant's tenure with the Expos was short-lived as he would be traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in June 1969 for pitcher Gary Waslewski. There would be two stints with the Oakland A's which sandwiched a brief stay with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After being released by the A's at the end of the 1971 season, Grant would retire. In 571 games (including 293 starts), Grant went 145-119 with a respectable 3.63 ERA with 1267 strikeouts.

Following his playing career, Grant worked as a broadcaster with both the Indians and the A's. In 2007, Grant co-authored Black Aces - an account of the 13 African-American pitchers who had recorded 20 wins in a season. President Bush would honor Grant for his work at a White House ceremony during Black History Month. 

Grant also possessed an excellent singing voice and would occasionally perform as he did during the memorial service of his onetime Twins teammate Harmon Killebrew back in 2011 when he sang "What a Wonderful World." "Mudcat" Grant did his part to create a wonderful world. R.I.P.

Another Health Setback for Jerry Remy

On Thursday night, my Dad and I were watching the NESN telecast of the Boston Red Sox-Houston Astros game which aired on the MLB Network. My Dad made a point of saying how hearty and hale longtime Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy sounded.

Only 24 hours later, during NESN's broadcast of the Boston Red Sox-Toronto Blue Jays game, Remy abruptly left the booth during the 3rd inning of the game. On Saturday afternoon, NESN's Tom Caron explained that Remy had experienced shortness of breath and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he remains as of this writing. Remy is reportedly "resting comfortably." This term often has a double edged meaning. Indeed, it is not known when Remy will return to the broadcast booth. 

Remy, 68, has battled cancer since 2008 and has had several recurrences over the past decade. If the cancer has indeed returned we can only hope that Remy will remain true to form, overcome and strum that air guitar.

A Question for Anthony Rizzo: How is Declining a COVID-19 Vaccine "A Tough Decision"?

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo disclosed in a radio interview this morning that he declined to take a COVID-19 vaccine. He did not elaborate as to why he won't get a COVID vaccine other than to say it was "a tough decision".

I have a question for Anthony Rizzo. How is declining a COVID-19 vaccine "a tough decision"?

Because to me getting a COVID-19 vaccine By not getting the vaccine one is risking hospitalization or death should one become infected with COVID-19. Of course, Rizzo could get COVID-19 and be asymptomatic. But there is also the risk of infecting others which could lead to hospitalization and death. 

One would think that Rizzo, 31, would be inclined to take the vaccine given his history with cancer as he was diagnosed with Hodgkins' lymphoma in 2008 while still a prospect with the Boston Red Sox. However, Rizzo chose to play during the 2020 season despite COVID-19 and his medical history proclaiming "technically, I'm cured" even though there is no cure for cancer. So this could go a long way in explaining his decision.

But it doesn't answer why Rizzo considered it a tough decision. I would like to know not to condemn Rizzo but rather to have the knowledge necessary to persuade him and other people (whether they play for the Chicago Cubs or whether they are members of my family) to get vaccinated. The reason might be a simple one. It could be a complicated myriad of factors. Knowing them could be the difference between reaching herd immunity or not.

As I write this, Cubs just beat the Cardinals 8-5 at Wrigley Field in front of a full capacity crowd for the first time since 2019. Rizzo went 1 for 4 with a home run and is now batting .263 with 7 HR and 27 RBIs. With Wrigley Field full of fans perhaps Rizzo is thinking a life is back to normal and that he can carry on as if nothing ever happened. The Cubs might have won, Rizzo might have a good game and the worst of COVID-19 might be behind us but it is still a deadly disease. Things might not look so good at the end of the season. Maybe not for Rizzo but perhaps for someone he cares about. Or perhaps someone he doesn't even know.

Most Democrats Are Afraid to Criticize Ilhan Omar

After Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar equated the United States and Israel with the Taliban and Hamas, 12 of her Democratic colleagues (all of whom who happened to be Jewish) took her to task led by Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider.

While the dozen included the likes of House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler and former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, there should have been far more Democratic Representatives calling Omar on the carpet. Surely there is a difference between an American soldier and a Taliban fighter who shoot girls in the head for going to school. Surely there is a difference between an Israeli soldier and a Hamas fighter who rams his vehicle into civilians.

Unfortunately, most Democratic elected officials are afraid of criticizing Omar for fear of being called Islamophobic. Indeed, Omar accused her dozen Jewish Democratic colleagues of being (you guessed it) "Islamophobic." When Omar makes accusations of Islamophobia what she is really saying is that she is above criticism. But it is enough for most Democratic lawmakers to keep their mouth shut. They are as afraid of Omar as Republicans are of Trump.

Of course, there are Democrats who think the United States and Israel are on the same moral plane as the Taliban and Hamas (i.e. AOC, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley and Omar's colleague from Minnesota Betty McCollum) They are every bit as bad as Republicans who believe Donald Trump's claims that he was re-elected. 

But I have as much contempt for Democrats who sit on the fence in cowardice. If they are afraid to criticize Omar now I shudder to think where we will be in five years from now.

Bibi Pulls a Trump Claiming Newly Formed Coalition "Biggest Election Fraud in the History" of Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu, very likely to soon be a former Israeli Prime Minister, borrowed a page from former U.S. President Donald Trump's book. 

In an address to Likud lawmakers yesterday, Netanyahu claimed that the newly formed coalition government between Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid and Mansour Abbas represented the "biggest election fraud in the history of the country."

This is, of course, complete rubbish. It is as nonsensical coming from Bibi as it does from Trump. There is no more electoral fraud in Israel than there is the United States. Netanyahu simply failed to cobble together a coalition government and is venting his frustration. After 12 years in office, I suppose Netanyahu feels that being Prime Minister is an entitlement. But being a head of government isn't an entitlement and any leader who has that attitude isn't fit to serve in office. It is also rather rich of Netanyahu to cry fraud when he is presently facing trial for fraud among other offenses. 

Let us also consider that Netanyahu brought last March's election on himself. After all, he had been in a power sharing agreement with Benny Gantz following the March 2020 election. Had Netanyahu not seen fit to renege on the agreement he would have remained Prime Minister until November. As it stands now, Bibi has a week left in office.

I'm sure that Netanyahu knows what he is saying is bullshit and doesn't believe a word of it. But to casually claim election fraud only five months removed from the attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol and Trump's concerted efforts to delegitimize democracy is playing with fire. When Shin Bet, Israel's security service, warns of post-election violence it is time for Netanyahu to back off and go quietly to the opposition benches.

It's not like Netanyahu doesn't have a chance to return to power in six months to a year perhaps sooner. As I argued the other day, I don't see the Bennett-Lapid-Abbas triumvirate lasting long. There's no reason Bibi can't lick his wounds and bide his time.

But if Bibi insists on maintaining this Trump like posture of election fraud where none exists then he will give credence to Bernie Sanders' claims that he is a "desperate, racist authoritarian." I hate agreeing with Bernie Sanders but Bibi is digging himself down the Trump hole.

Clarence Williams III, R.I.P.

Actor Clarence Williams III, best known for his portrayal of Linc in the 1970's TV series The Mod Squad, passed away on Friday of colon cancer. He was 81.

Williams and Mod Squad co-star Peggy Lipton would briefly reunite onscreen during the second season of Twin Peaks in 1991. With Lipton's death in May 2019, Michael Cole is now the show's only surviving cast member. 

A charismatic and intense performer, Williams would be cast as Linc on the strength of his Tony nominated performance in Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. After five seasons as Linc, Williams would go on to play supporting roles perhaps notably as Prince's troubled father in Purple Rain as well as Sugar Hill, Half-Baked and Tales From The Hood. His TV credits include Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Law & Order, Everybody Hates Chris and Burn Notice. 

Singer Lenny Kravitz took to Twitter to pay tribute to Williams:

When I was a kid growing up in NYC Clarence Williams III was a face on TV that I identified with and that inspired me. From the Mod Squad, to Purple Rain and Sugar Hill, he always performed with dynamic energy. Rest in power, king.

Well said. R.I.P. 

I Can't Believe There's No More Greyhound Bus Service in Canada

Tomorrow morning I will be boarding a Greyhound bus from Boston to New York City to visit my Dad. When I spoke to my mother this afternoon regarding my plans I was absolutely gobsmacked when she told me that Greyhound had ceased all passenger operations in Canada last month. 

During the 1990's, I spent countless hours on the Greyhound bus between Ottawa and Toronto. For a year, I lived right across the street from the Greyhound station in Ottawa. Greyhound actually ceased operating there last May amid the COVID-19 pandemic. When I would travel down to Toronto or back to Ottawa the bus would always stop at the Log Cabin Restaurant in the quaint town of Tweed, Ontario. It too has ceased to be. 

The only Greyhound buses that will be seen in Canada now will originate from U.S. cities. You can get to Vancouver from Seattle, to Toronto from Buffalo and New York City and to Montreal from New York City and Boston. There were a couple of occasions when I took the Greyhound from Boston to Montreal and switched to the bus to Ottawa which left hourly. If I were to do this now I would have to go the VIA Rail station to get to Ottawa via ground transport. 

At least Ottawa and other cities in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor still have passenger rail as an option. A few of the smaller bus companies like MegaBus can fill some of the gaps in these areas. But the same cannot be said for my hometown of Thunder Bay which lost its VIA Rail service more than 30 years ago. To get to Thunder Bay one must fly in or take a very, very, very long drive. 

A country as vast as Canada needs federally subsidized bus travel to connect rural and isolated urban centers like Thunder Bay. But this is no more likely to happen than the federal government reinvesting in VIA Rail.

As Harry Chapin sung in "Greyhound", "It's got to be the goin', not the getting there that's good." But if you can't even go....

I Hope Candlepin Bowling Will Bring Me a String of Good Fortune

For the first time in 2021 I went bowling. 

Had you asked me at the beginning of the year when and where I would bowl I would not have told you that it would take until June and that I would be going candlepin bowling at the Southie Bowl in South Boston. But this is exactly what I did today. It was the first time I had gone candlepin bowling since 2002 when I went during a work outing in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Candlepin bowling has some similarities to duckpin bowling which I have done in Connecticut and in Georgia. In both games you have up to three rolls per frame. Only in candlepin, a frame is called a box and a game is called a string. The ball is also smaller than in tenpin bowling, but a candlepin ball is even smaller than a duckpin ball. As with duckpin, no one has thrown a perfect game in candlepin. Indeed, candlepin is even harder than duckpin. While all the time high score in duckpin is 279, it is 245 in candlepin. 

There are two things which set candlepin apart from duckpin. First, there are the pins. In duckpin, the pins are tiny while in candlepin the pins are long and skinny. Second, in duckpin if there are pins lying around after you've taken your first or second shot then one must reset the pins. This is not the case in candlepin. The fallen candlepins remain and can be used as a means to knock down the remaining pins.

I am no better at candlepin than I am at duckpin or, for that matter, tenpin bowling. But there is the opportunity to get better. Today, my goal was to get out and have fun for the sake of having fun for the first time since the end of 2020 and that goal was attained.

Now that I'm back in the Boston area, I plan to visit other candlepin bowling venues and possibly join a league should the opportunity present itself. Hopefully candlepin bowling will help open me up to social interactions which I did not previously have during my first tenure here. I hope candlepin bowling will bring me a string of good fortune. It might not happen overnight. In which case, I'll just have to roll with it.

On Being a Cantabrigian

A few days ago, I made my return to Boston after an exile of two years, eight months and eight days. Not that I was counting or anything. 

Yet this time around I am not a Bostonian. Yesterday, I moved into a house across the Charles River in Cambridge. Yes, the one with the piano in the room. While I was sorely tempted to return to Jamaica Plain, the room was furnished and the rent was less expensive. All of which now makes me Cantabrigian. 

Actually, I'm very close to the Cambridge-Somerville line. I might be all of a 100 feet away from it. But I'm a Cantabrigian just the same. 

During my 18 and a half years living in Boston my sojourns to Cambridge were an essential part of my time here. Seldom did I feel more joy than when I would walk on Mass Avenue from Fenway/Back Bay to Harvard Square passing M.I.T. and Central Square. I spent those hours at Club Passim, The Cantab (before they banned me for life), The Out of the Blue Gallery, Charlie's Kitchen, J.F.K. Park and Leavitt & Peirce, Inc., the tobacconists that sell a wide variety of mustache waxes.

Now I am but a 15 minute walk from Harvard Square and, for that matter, Harvard Yard. One of these days, I hope to cross paths with Remy The Humanities Cat - an orange tabby who spends his days roaming Harvard's vast campus crashing classes and dorm room parties. The pandemic has curtailed this but hopefully he will resume his normal life as we resume ours.

I'll be spending a lot of time in Boston as I will start my job in the Seaport District later this month. But when it comes to being left to my own time and own devices, I wonder if I will now journey along Mass Ave from Cambridge to Boston as I journeyed from Boston to Cambridge for so many years. 

I'm sure I will. But I'm also sure I will get to know The People's Republic of Cambridge in a way I've never known before.

I Don't See the Bennett-Lapid Coalition Government in Israel Lasting Very Long

It appears that after more than 12 years in office, Benjamin Netanyahu will soon become Israel's former Prime Minister for the second time. Yamina's Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid with the support of Mansour Abbas of the United Arab List have agreed to form a coalition government following elections back in March - the fourth in less than two years. Bennett will serve as Prime Minister from now until 2023 and then Lapid will assume the office for two years. This marks the first time Arab political parties have been part of a governing coalition.

Or so it appears.

First of all, this has to be ratified by the Knesset. And who can say what happens between now and next week?

But let's suppose the Knesset agrees to the coalition. I can't see a coalition of secularists, settlers and Islamists lasting four months much less four years. It would therefore not shock me if before the end of 2021 that Israelis will go to the polls for the second time this year and the fifth time since 2019. All of which would give Netanyahu a chance to become Prime Minister for a third time. 

Mind you, I'm not rooting against this new coalition. I wish it every bit of success and I hope the Biden Administration is prepared to cut them the sort of slack they won't give to Bibi. But for the Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and AOCs of the world it doesn't matter who governs Israel. To them Israel should be abolished. 

I wish I could be more optimistic but I am not. I can only hope to be proven wrong. If I am then I will delight in my error and misjudgment.

Former NL Cy Young Winner Mike Marshall Passes Away at 78, R.I.P.

Former MLB reliever Mike Marshall, best known for winning the 1974 NL Cy Young Award with the Los Angeles Dodgers while appearing in a MLB record 106 games, passed away on Memorial Day at the age of 78. No cause of death has been released. 

A native of Michigan, Marshall signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1965 as an amateur free agent. The following year his contract was purchased by the Detroit Tigers with whom he would make his big league debut in 1967. The Seattle Pilots would pick Marshall in the expansion draft following the 1968 season. Used primarily as a starter, Marshall struggled with a 3-10 record and a 5.13 ERA. 

After a brief stint with the Houston Astros in 1970, he would be traded to the Montreal Expos that June. While in Montreal, Marshall's career flourished under the tutelage of manager Gene Mauch. Marshall would finish fourth in NL Cy Young balloting in 1972 and finish runner up to Tom Seaver in 1973. The Expos then traded Marshall to the Dodgers for outfielder Willie Davis.

While Davis had a good season in Montreal, Marshall would have a historical season and was a crucial piece to the Dodgers winning their first NL pennant in 8 years. Although the Dodgers would fall to the Oakland A's in the World Series, Marshall memorably picked off Herb Washington in Game 2 to give L.A. their only win of that Fall Classic. 

However, all those appearances would reduce Marshall's effectiveness and the Dodgers would deal him to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Lee Lacy and pitcher Elias Sosa during the middle of the 1976 season but did not return to form in Atlanta. Nor was he effective while with the Texas Rangers in 1977. 

But Marshall would reunite with Gene Mauch with the Minnesota Twins in 1978 regaining his form for two seasons finishing in the top 10 in AL Cy Young balloting both seasons as he led the AL in appearances by a pitcher in 1979 with 90. The Twins would release Marshall during the 1980 season when his ERA ballooned to 6.12. Marshall would acquit himself well in 20 appearances with the New York Mets in 1981 but the team saw fit to release him at the end of the season and he opted to retire. In 724 big league appearances over 14 seasons, Marshall went 97-112 with a 3.14 ERA and 188 career saves.

Marshall was as well known for his academic inclinations as he was for his pitching earning a Ph.D in kinesiology from Michigan State University in 1978. Astonishingly, Marshall nearly gave up baseball prior to the 1974 season to pursue his academic interests. Instead, Marshall remained and had one of the most distinguished seasons any pitcher could dream of. R.I.P.

MLB Notes for May: The Orioles Have Lost 14 Straight, But Are They Really This Bad?

The Baltimore Orioles managed to tread water during the month of April with a 12-14 record - identical to that of the New York Yankees.

In May, the O's went off the deep end with a 5-23 record finishing the month with 14 consecutive losses.

Naturally this has evoked comparisons with the 1988 Baltimore Orioles who began that inglorious year with 21 consecutive losses - an AL record. Only the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies who lost 23 consecutive games have spared the O's from baseball infamy. But this is of small consolation. The 1988 O's finished that season 54-107. 

As for this crop of baby birds, there is a very good chance the Orioles will lose 100 or more games for the third time in four seasons. In 2018, the O's were in 1962 New York Mets territory losing 115 games finishing 61 games back of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. At their current pace, the O's will finish with a 51-111 record. 

But even if this comes to pass are the Orioles really this bad? Or are they just unlucky? If we look at the Orioles current losing streak, 7 of their 14 losses are by two runs or less. So it's not like the O's are getting blown out every night. 

On the other hand, things have been getting ugly for awhile. Since John Means no-hit the Seattle Mariners on May 5th, the Orioles have gone 2-21 and are now 17.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays. Means has a sterling ERA of 2.05 while the rest of the rotation is well over 5.00. Aside from Means Cy Young caliber season, Trey Mancini is putting up MVP like numbers with 11 HR and 42 RBI fresh off a serious bout with cancer. 

But Means and Mancini notwithstanding, the Orioles are looking up at the rest of the division. The defending AL champion Rays have won 16 of their last 17 games and have a two game lead over the Boston Red Sox. Although the Yankees went 17-11 in May they have underachieved having recently been swept by the cellar dweller Detroit Tigers and are now 5.5 games back. The Toronto Blue Jays have also underachieved and are 6.5 games back. But the Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays still have a chance to catch the Rays. The same cannot be said of the Orioles barring more than a miracle.

It has been something of a miracle that the Chicago White Sox enjoy a 3.5 game advantage over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central despite manager Tony La Russa moving heaven and earth to alienate his players with his public blasting of rookie sensation Yermin Mercedes for hitting a home run on a 3-0 pitch during a blowout against the Minnesota Twins. Are the Chisox winning in spite of La Russa or just to spite him?

The Kansas City Royals began the month leading the AL Central by 1.5 games over the Chisox. The team soon embarked upon an 11 game losing streak but has since clawed its way back to the .500 mark. The jury is very much out on the Royals. The Twins continue to be a major disappointment finishing the month only a half game ahead of the Tigers.

The AL West is a three team race with the Oakland A's leading the Houston Astros by a half game with the surging Seattle Mariners only 2.5 off the pace having won five in a row and 7 of their last 10 games. The Los Angeles Angels continue to underachieve despite the unceremonious release of Albert Pujols while the Texas Rangers finished May with six straight losses.

There are three team races in both the NL West and NL Central. The San Francisco Giants enjoy a half game lead over the San Diego Padres and a two game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Colorado Rockies have the pleasure of knowing they can look down at the Arizona Diamondbacks who went 5-24 during the month of May losing 13 of their last 14 games. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs went from worst to first with a 19-7 May and enjoy a half game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. After struggling at the beginning of May, the Milwaukee Brewers have won five in a row and 8 of their last 10 games. The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates aren't as bad as the Rockies and D'Backs but their chance to get back into contention is slipping by the day.

The New York Mets are the only team in the NL East with a record above .500 as they enjoy a 3.5 game lead over the Atlanta Braves. The Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins are five games back while the Washington Nationals are seven back of the Mets. This is still the NL Least.

Will La Russa survive the season on the South Side of Chicago? Can Oakland hold off Houston? Will anybody step up to Mets in June? Will the NL Central and NL West remain three team races? And is there even a ray of hope for the Orioles? We'll find out on Canada Day.