Former Socialist, Former Republican, Former Contributor to The American Spectator, Former Resident of Canada, Back in Boston Area After Stints in New York City & Atlanta, Current Mustache Wearer & Aficionado of Baseball, Bowling in All Its Forms, Cats, Music & Healthy Living
Even before I became interested in bowling a couple of years ago, I knew about Mark Roth. This was because he was a Jewish athlete. You remember the joke in Airplane! about the "Great Jews of Sports" being the size of a pamphlet. But I remember Roth as one of several great Jewish bowlers along with Barry Asher and his frequent doubles partner Marshall Holman.
Roth is mainly remembered for his power game which won him 34 PBA titles including eight alone in 1978. But most of all he is remembered as the first bowler to convert a 7-10 split on national TV back in 1980. Three other bowlers have done it since including Anthony Neuer earlier this year. But Roth remains the only right-handed bowler to ever do so on TV. R.I.P.
With all the baseball I've watched it is easy to forget the names of players that were once part of my daily vocabulary. Every once in a great while a name will pop into my head and I will wonder what has become of them.
Yesterday, I somehow conjured up LaMarr Hoyt who is best remembered for winning the 1983 AL Cy Young Award for the Chicago White Sox en route to their first AL West crown. Hoyt was difficult to miss with his long hair, beard and high leg kick a la Juan Marichal. I wondered what had become of LaMarr Hoyt. Despite his achievements, he hasn't merited an article on SABR. I've come across quite a few of Hoyt's contemporaries who have Facebook pages, but not the onetime ace of the White Sox.
Normally when a player passes away, MLB and the club(s) for which he played customarily issue a statement sending their condolences. But as of this hour there is nothing on MLB.com or the official websites of either the White Sox or the San Diego Padres for whom Hoyt also pitched. Ditto for their social media accounts. Nor have I seen anything on ESPN, Sports Illustrated let alone any other news outlet.
Is it that Hoyt's death hasn't been confirmed? Is Evans simply wrong? If that is the case it's been more than 12 hours since Evans posted his tweet. If he was wrong you would think the record would have been corrected by now.
Or has everyone under the age of 45 forgotten about Dewey LaMarr Hoyt?
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Hoyt was drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees in 1973. At the beginning of the 1977 season, the Yankees sent Hoyt along with Oscar Gamble to the Chisox for a young shortstop who would later live in infamy in Boston. That, of course, would be Bucky Dent.
Hoyt would make his big league debut with the White Sox at the tail end of the 1979 season as a September call up. He pitched effectively in the bullpen during the 1980 and 1981 seasons. Hoyt saved 10 games in the strike shortened '81 season along with Ed Farmer.
In 1982, White Sox manager Tony La Russa moved Hoyt into the starting rotation. This is when the AL sat up and took notice of Hoyt as he led the junior circuit in wins with 19. He would lead the AL in wins the following season with 24 during his Cy Young campaign. The 1983 Chisox were an interesting cast of characters with star players like Carlton Fisk, Greg Luzinski and Harold Baines, AL Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle, Rudy Law and Vance Law (who weren't brothers much less relatives) as well as journeymen like Julio Cruz and Jerry Dybzinski. But their anchor was Hoyt who led a starting rotation which included Richard Dotson (who won 22 games), Floyd Bannister, Britt Burns and a 40-year old Jerry Koosman with Dennis Lamp saving games out of the bullpen.
After leading the AL in wins in back to back seasons, Hoyt would struggle in 1984 leading the AL in losses with 18. The White Sox shipped Hoyt off to the San Diego Padres in a multi-player deal which included a young shortstop who would win AL Rookie of the Year in 1985 and then 20 years later manage the Chisox to their first World Series title in 88 years. I am talking, of course, about none other than Ozzie Guillen. As for Hoyt, 1985 was a rebound year as he won 16 games in San Diego and was named the NL's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. His three innings of work was enough to earn him All-Star Game MVP honors.
Beginning in 1986, Hoyt would be arrested several times on drug possession charges. His performance suffered posting an 8-11 record with a career high 5.15 ERA. MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth would suspend Hoyt for the 1987 season though his suspension was reduced to 60 days on appeal. The Padres would release Hoyt and he would return to the White Sox although he would never again pitch in MLB. After yet another arrest, Hoyt briefly served time in federal prison. In 244 appearances (including 172 starts) over eight seasons, Hoyt went 98-68 with a 3.99 ERA striking out 681 batters while walking only 279 in 1311.1 innings pitched.
Hoyt's baseball career was over at 32 and he would be shunned and never given another chance. Consequently, Hoyt largely faded from public view which naturally caused a recession of memory. This is a shame because for a few short years Hoyt was arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. Whether LaMarr Hoyt is still with us or not, his achievements are something worth remembering. If he is still among us I hope he knows there are people who appreciate what he did on the pitcher's mound.
Needless to say, I don't have a high opinion of either Colorado Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert or Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Indeed, I have made my contempt for both Boebert and Omar abundantly clear.
I am taking the opportunity to reiterate my contempt for both as the two have been engaged in a silly feud better suited to taking a place at a professional wrestling match but instead culminated with a phone call. Boebert started a feud by accusing Omar of being a terrorist. She is hardly in any position to call anyone a terrorist given her support (possibly material support) for the January 6th attacks on Capitol Hill.
Boebert has been accused of being Islamophobic and I suspect she does not care much for Muslims. But for the love of God let's please stop pretending Omar isn't an anti-Semite who has questioned the loyalty of Jewish Americans. Omar is no position to take Republicans to task for having "mainstreamed bigotry and hate" when she is powerful enough to get Democrats to turn a blind eye to anti-Semitism among their own ranks. Omar's fellow Minnesotan Senator Amy Klobuchar tweeted on the feud, "Bigotry is never funny, bigotry is never a joke, and bigotry must always be condemned." Mind you, Klobuchar did so without acknowledging Omar's own bigotry. As such I cannot take Senator Klobuchar seriously.
If it were up to me I would have Boebert and Omar locked in a room together for all of eternity. Then perhaps some serious work could be done. Unfortunately, rooms would also have to be set aside for AOC and Marjorie Taylor Greene, for Madison Cawthorn and Jamaal Bowman, Matt Gaetz and Ayanna Pressley, etc, etc. When one deals with one set of fools another set soon emerges to take their place. And so it goes.
So Scherzer has joined Jacob deGrom at the top of the rotation while Marte, Escobar and Canha join a lineup which includes Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. Who can say the Mets won't also bring back Marcus Stroman and Javier Baez? Even if they don't the question for the Mets in 2022 is who is going to manage all these guys?
Chances are the impending MLB lockout will complicate matters. It remains to be seen if the Mets are in any hurry to lock up a manager as they are to lock up free agents. At this point, Brad Ausmus (who managed under Eppler with the Angels) and Buck Showalter are possibilities. If the Astros should decide to part ways with Dusty Baker they could bring him to New York. The Mets could also take a page out of the Chicago White Sox playbook and pull a La Russa and bring back Joe Torre to the team he last managed more than 40 years ago. One thing they cannot do is pick out a manager with no experience. Not with this roster.
The three men on trial for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia in February 2020 have been found guilty of their crimes. Arbery was out for a jog and the three men (Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and William Bryan) assumed he was a burglar, got in their pickup truck and shot him dead in cold blood. For their actions, the three men could face life in prison. One only hopes this will come to pass. The day before Thanksgiving, the Arbery family gets some measure of justice.
The defense team did their best to dehumanize Arbery even bringing up his "long, dirty toenails" in their closing argument. One can only be grateful that this didn't work with the nearly all-white jury. Unlike the the jury in the Rittenhouse trial, this one could tell the difference between self-defense and vigilantism. There is some hope for this country though this is probably cold comfort to Arbery's family. Nevertheless, these three men will not go unpunished for their deeds.
A third round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004, Davis made his big league debut with Tampa (by then renamed the Rays) in 2009. After two so-so seasons in the starting rotation, the Rays converted Davis into a reliever in 2012 and thrived in this role. Following the 2012 season, the Rays traded Davis along with James Shields to the Kansas City Royals for pitchers Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi and outfielder Will Myers.
The Royals put Davis back into the starting rotation in 2013 where he again struggled into late in the season. In 2014, Davis became the team's 8th inning set up man to Greg Holland en route to the AL pennant. Davis would serve the same role for most of the 2015 season until Holland was shut down late in the season due to Tommy John surgery making Davis the closer for the team's World Series title in 2015. Davis would save 27 games as the team's closer in 2016 before being traded to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Jorge Soler prior to the 2017 season. In his only season at Wrigley, Davis saved 32 games.
Prior to the 2018 season, Davis signed a three year, $52 million deal with the Colorado Rockies. Davis would lead the NL in saves with 43 in 2018, but his performance would decline dramatically in both 2019 and the COVID shortened 2020 seasons. Davis would return to the Royals in 2021 but proved no more effective posting a ghastly 6.75 ERA in 40 appearances. No doubt Davis believed his performance would not improve and chose to retire. In 557 career appearances, Davis went 63-55 with a 3.94 ERA along with 141 saves along with 929 strikeouts in 990.1 innings pitched. Here is some of his work during the 2014 season when he emerged as one of baseball's best relievers.
What is clear is that even if you kill two people and maim a third as long as you are a fan of Donald Trump you can get an audience with him. As I argued the other day this gives Trump supporters enormous incentive to commit violence, up to and including multiple homicides against perceived enemies. If Trump supporters (especially younger Trump supporters) believe their violence will be rewarded with job offers and a chance to meet with the former President of the United States instead of being punished for it we can expect Trump to pose for many more pictures with supporters who have committed murder. God help us!!!
Two free agent pitchers signed contracts yesterday - one starter and one reliever, one righty and one lefty.
Reliever Kendall Graveman, 30, who split 2021 between the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros, signed a 3-year contract with the Chicago White Sox worth $24 million. While with the Mariners, Graveman was the team's closer saving 10 games. After he was abruptly shipped to the Astros, Graveman became Ryan Pressley's set up man. With Liam Hendriks ensconced as the Chisox's closer it is unclear if Graveman will be the 7th or 8th inning set up man. This will depend on whether the White Sox keep Craig Kimbrel. Yet Kimbrel struggled after moving over to the South Side of Chicago. He is a 9th inning closer. In which case, one could use Michael Kopech in the 7th, Graveman in the 8th and Hendriks in the 9th. But if the White Sox plan on utilizing Kopech as a starter in 2022, they could potentially keep Kimbrel. In which case, Graveman would most likely pitch in the 8th.
Meanwhile, southpaw Steven Matz has reportedly signed a 4-year, $44 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. After six up and down seasons with the New York Mets, Matz won a career high 14 games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. It appeared that Matz would be returning to Queens, but he wanted a four year deal and the Mets were only prepared to offer three years. Matz's decision to sign with St. Louis has raised the ire of Mets owner Steve Cohen who blasted Matz's agent Rob Martin for "unprofessional behavior." I believe Cohen is grasping at straws. Matz wanted a four year deal and the Mets weren't willing to give it to him and the Cardinals were. I have a feeling it's going to be a long winter for the Mets. The question will it be a good summer for Matz.
On November 23, 1971, the all-female rock group Fanny recorded their session on the West German TV show Beat Club based in Bremen.
Fanny was several weeks away from traveling to London to record their third album Fanny Hill at Apple Studios. Their seven song set included three songs from that forthcoming album - "Blind Alley" as well as covers of The Beatles '"Hey Bulldog" and the mid-1960's Marvin Gaye Motown hit "Ain't That Peculiar". The other four songs were from their second album Charity Ball which had been released earlier that year. In addition to the title track, Fanny also performed "Place in the Country", "Thinking of You" and the Stephen Stills penned "Special Care".
Against a blue screen backdrop, Fanny would play these seven songs in 35 minutes and 51 seconds when one accounts for tuning between songs and a couple of false starts. Over those 35 minutes and 51 seconds, Fanny is as raw and yet as tight as any rock 'n roll band has been before or since. Fifty years ago today, Fanny showed us how to play....rock 'n roll. While Fanny leaves everything on the table at the conclusion of the set with nothing left to give, the listener is left wanting more.
It is hard to fathom that exactly a half century has passed since that session. It is even harder to fathom why Fanny hasn't been in the pantheon of rock 'n roll over that same half century. This was a group that more than belonged in the same company of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who. Yet they would soon become relegated to obscurity.
We can thank Beat Club for having the foresight to preserve this footage for these many decades and to eventually place it on YouTube in 2019 for everyone the world over to see. If not for this video, comedian Bill Burr would not be featuring them on his Netflix series F is for Family. While I do not have a Netflix series, I can say this video has impacted me as much as it has impacted Bill Burr. As an aficionado of late 1960's and early 1970's rock 'n roll, I had never heard of Fanny until watching this footage during the early days of the pandemic in June 2020. I had no idea there was an all-female, multiracial band in the early 1970's that could play the way they did. Some who observed the footage thought this was a new band disguising themselves as band from the 1970's. But this was no disguise and there was no disguising their talent.
People who view the footage will invariably be drawn to one member of the band in particular. Some are drawn to the intensity of Nickey Barclay on keyboards, while others are drawn to the manic drumming of Alice de Buhr with others focusing their attention on Jean Millington's chops on the bass and her vocals. For me, it was June Millington's guitar solos and especially her use of the slide guitar on "Ain't That Peculiar". Whichever band member draws you in first will eventually lead you to the talent of her bandmates and their collective tightness as a unit. I have watched this video more than any other video on YouTube.
Back in August, Beat Club saw fit to unlist the video so they could post the individual songs. I have posted "Charity Ball" at the top of this post, but I recommend you watch the whole thing in its entirety here. It might be the first time you've seen and heard Fanny, but I promise you that it won't be the last.
The Missouri born Virdon was signed by the New York Yankees prior to the 1950 season as an outfielder with centerfield as his primary position. But with Mickey Mantle patrolling center field at Yankee Stadium, Virdon was going nowhere in the Yankees organization. Prior to the 1954 season, Virdon was sent to the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal which brought Enos "Country" Slaughter to the Yankees.
Virdon made the Cardinals in 1955. His presence forced Stan Musial to first base. Virdon hit .281 with a career high 17 HR and 68 RBI and was named NL Rookie of the Year. However, Virdon would slump in 1956 and the Cardinals hastily traded Virdon to the Pittsburgh Pirates where he would remain for the balance of his playing career. Although Virdon did not approach the numbers he had in his rookie season, he was a solid contributor and was an integral part of the Pirates World Series championship team in 1960. Virdon formally retired after the 1965 season although he would briefly comeback as a player during the 1968 season while he was member of the Pirates coaching staff. In 12 seasons, Virdon collected 1596 hits for a lifetime batting average of .267 with 91 HR and 502 RBIs earning a Gold Glove in 1962.
In 1971, Virdon would earn his second World Series ring as a member of the Pirates coaching staff under Danny Murtaugh. When Murtaugh retired due to health reasons prior to 1972, Virdon was handed the managerial reigns. Virdon would lead the Bucs to a NL East title but would fall to the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS. But following the death of Roberto Clemente, the decline of ace Steve Blass and conflicts with players such as Richie Hebner and Dock Ellis, Virdon would be fired before the end of the 1973 season.
But Virdon would not be out of a job for long as George Steinbrenner hired him to manage the Yankees in 1974. After guiding the Bronx Bombers to a respectable second place finish in the AL East, Virdon was named AL Manager of the Year. But the mercurial Steinbrenner would abruptly fire Virdon when Billy Martin became available. But again Virdon would not be out of work for long before the Houston Astros came calling and would manage the team late into the 1982 season. After coming close to winning the NL West title in 1979, the Astros would win the NL West in 1980 before falling short to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. Virdon would win NL Manager of the Year. The Astros would make the post-season during the strike shortened 1981 season but fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Although dismissed by the Astros during the 1982 season, Virdon remains the winningest manager in franchise history. Virdon would manage the Montreal Expos in 1983 and 1984. In 12 seasons as a big league manager, Virdon went 995-921.
Although Virdon would never manage again, he did coach at the big league level under Larry Dierker with the Astros and under Jim Leyland and Lloyd McClendon with the Pirates. I leave you with Virdon sharing his memories of the 1971 World Series champion Bucs. R.I.P.
A third round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1978, Jones briefly pitched with the Brew Crew in 1982 which would lone its lone AL pennant. But Jones would not return to the bigs until 1986 when the Cleveland Indians took a flier on him. Jones would have the best years of his career after he was 30 emerging as one of baseball's best closers in the late 1980's and well into the 1990's. While with the Tribe, Jones was named to three consecutive AL All-Star teams between 1988 and 1990 when he saved 37, 32 and a career high 43 games, respectively.
After struggling during the 1991 season in which he made the only four starts of his big league career, Jones would return to form with the Houston Astros in 1992 leading the NL with 70 appearances posting a 1.85 ERA and notching 36 saves earning him his first NL All-Star team selection. Jones would have one last All-Star selection with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1994. Following stints with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs, Jones would return to the Brewers. In 1997, at the age of 40, Jones led the AL with 73 appearances while saving 36 games. Jones would return to the Tribe in 1998 before finishing his pitching career with the Oakland A's at the age of 43 in 2000. In 846 big league appearances, Jones saved 303 games with a lifetime ERA of 3.30 ERA.
After baseball, Jones served as a baseball coach at both the high school and college level as well as a minor league pitching coach in the Colorado Rockies organization. I leave you with Jones converting a then MLB record 14th consecutive save during his breakthrough season in 1988. R.I.P.
I am not surprised that a jury saw fit to acquit Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges against him. The trial was a fait d'accompli from the moment Judge Bruce Schroeder not only declared Rittenhouse's victims couldn't be called victims, but could be called arsonists, looters and rioters. Judge Schroeder was anything but an impartial jurist. He might as well have barred MSNBC from the proceedings Oh, wait. It would not surprise me if Schroeder soon retires from the bench and becomes a Fox News contributor.
Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rebecca Kleefish praised the verdict while tweeting with a presumably straight face, "As your Governor, I will always stand for law and order." Evidently Kleefish's idea of law and order is permitting out of state juveniles to enter Wisconsin with AR-15s to shoot and kill people Kleefish doesn't like.
And then there's former President Trump who also praised the verdict stating, "If that's not self defense, nothing is." Trump is evidently as unfamiliar with self-defense as he is with the peaceful transfer of power. As the ever wise Melissa Quinn Amour put it, "Welp, every crazy-ass kid with a gun was just told he can go anywhere in the U.S. and create a situation where he gets to kill people under the guise of self-defense. Unbelievable."
I mean this behavior is now being incentivized at the highest levels. If you're a disaffected kid all one need do to garner the praise of the former President of the United States and nearly the entire Republican Party is to grab an AR-15 and shoot and kill a few BLM or Antifa supporters or a Democratic Congressman or two or perhaps bomb DNC headquarters. And praise is only the beginning. There is the possibility of jobs, fame and fortune and "fight off conservative chicks with a bat." For Rittenhouse, an invitation to speak at the 2024 Republican National Convention is only the tip of the iceberg which could sink the ship that is American democracy.
Ohtani, 27, hit .257 with 46 HR and 100 RBI as well as going 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA along with 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings pitched over 23 starts. Despite this unique achievement by the Japanese born superstar, the Angels had a sub .500 record finishing 18 games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West. Indeed, after the All-Star Break Ohtani hit .229 with 13 HR and 30 RBIs. While Ohtani's achievement is unique it would also seem little more than a gimmick and a novelty that did little to help his team.
At least the Phillies were a contending team that just narrowly missed the post-season. Harper hit .309 with 35 HR and 84 RBI along with 100 walks which put his OBP at .429. He led the NL in slugging percentage (.615), OPS (1.044) and doubles (42). As mentioned earlier, this is Harper's 2nd NL MVP having won the award previously as a member of the Washington Nationals in 2015.
Toronto Blue Jays southpaw Robbie Ray and Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes have been announced as AL Cy Young Award winner and NL Cy Young Award winner, respectively.
Ray, 30, earned 29 out of 30 first place votes with Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees garnering the remaining vote. A year ago, the jury was very much out Ray's future. In 2017, Ray finished 7th in NL Cy Young voting going 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 218 strikeouts while with the Arizona Diamondbacks earning an NL All-Star selection. His numbers had steadily declined in the years which followed. When the D'Backs traded Ray to the Blue Jays in August 2020 he had a 7.84 ERA. But Ray worked with Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker and his fortunes reversed. In 2021, Ray led the AL in ERA (2.84), innings pitched (193.1), strikeouts (238), ERA + (154) and WHIP (1.045). Ray is now a free agent after earning $8 million with the Jays this year. If Noah Syndergaard can earn $21 million next season despite having thrown only 2 innings since 2019 then what will Robbie Ray be offered?
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash and San Francisco Giants skipper Gabe Kapler have been named AL Manager of the Year and NL Manager of the Year, respectively.
Cash, who led the Rays to a franchise record 100 win season, becomes the first AL manager to win the award in back to back seasons. Bobby Cox did it in the NL winning back to back awards in 2004 and 2005. The Rays won the AL East despite having a far lower payroll than the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and even, for that matter, the Toronto Blue Jays. Not to mention losing their Cy Young Award winning pitcher Blake Snell to free agency and their new ace Tyler Glasnow to Tommy John surgery.
The St. Louis Cardinals must be breathing a sigh of relief with Kapler winning. Nothing would have been more embarrassing than having Mike Shildt win the award a month after firing him. Yet Kapler very much deserves this award. No one expected the Giants to contend in the NL West much less win a franchise record 107 games. No one that is except perhaps Gabe Kapler.
Tomorrow night the AL and NL Cy Young Award winners will be announced.
Syndergaard, 29, has spent his entire big league career with the New York Mets. He missed all of 2020 due to Tommy John surgery and injuries kept out of action until the final week of the 2021 season. His last full season in 2019 was nothing to write home about as he went 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA leading the NL in surrendering 94 earned runs. Syndergaard also missed most of the 2017 season due to a torn lat muscle in his pitching arm. He enters 2022 with a 47-31 record, an ERA of 3.32 along with 777 strikeouts in 718 innings pitched in 121 appearances (120 of them starts).
I could understand the Angels taking a flier on Syndergaard for $1 or $2 million (he made nearly $10 million last season with the Mets) but I think they are taking a big risk with very little reward. I'm not discounting the possibility that Syndergaard could win 15 games and earn AL Comeback Player of the Year. But if that were to happen then Thor would likely take his hammer elsewhere for a long term deal. The Angels could better spend that $21 million on a younger starting pitcher and a couple of pieces for the bullpen.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena and Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India have been named 2021 AL Rookie of the Year and NL Rookie of the Year, respectively.
Arozarena, 26, saw a cup of coffee in the bigs in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals before being traded to the Rays prior to the 2020 season and made his big league debut with the Rays that season belting 7 HR and 11 RBI in only 23 games. The Cuban born slugger hit .274 with 20 HR and 69 RBI along with 20 stolen bases in 2021. Arozarena is the fourth Ray to win the honor with Evan Longoria, Jeremy Hellickson and Will Myers earning the trophy in 2008, 2011 and 2013, respectively.
Tomorrow night, the AL and NL managers of the year will be named. This should be especially named as Mike Shildt could win NL Manager of the Year despite having been sacked by the St. Louis Cardinals. Arozarena and India have no such fear - at least for now.
The Venezuelan born southpaw signed with the Baltimore Orioles at the age of 16 in 2010. The O's would trade Rodriguez to the Red Sox in a trade deadline deal for lefty reliever Andrew Miller in 2014. E-Rod made his MLB debut in 2015 and has been a mainstay in the starting rotation. After earning a World Series ring in 2018, E-Rod won a career high 19 games in 2019 finishing 6th in AL Cy Young balloting. Unfortunately, he would miss the entire 2020 season due to being infected with COVID-19.
In 2021, E-Rod went 13-8 while posting a career high ERA of 4.74. He enters the 2022 season with a 62-39 record with a career ERA of 4.16 striking out 892 batters in 856.2 innings pitched in 159 appearances (153 of them starts).
During his Red Sox career, E-Rod benefited greatly from run support. It remains to be seen if the Tigers can provide him with the same kind of offensive output at Comerica Park. On the other hand, E-Rod gets to work with the newly acquired Tucker Barnhart. So perhaps E-Rod can make some adjustments.
Personally, I've always thought E-Rod would make a wonderful set up man or closer. But he has been a serviceable enough starting pitcher to earn more than $75 million over the next five years. So what do I know?
Born in the Dominican Republic, Lugo managed a 12 year MLB career despite being drafted in the 43rd round by the Houston Astros in 1994. Lugo reached the majors with Houston in 2000 and would remain with the team until being released early in the 2003 season. He would be quickly signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and became their everyday shortstop until being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline in 2006.
Lugo came to the Red Sox as a free agent in 2007 and spent three seasons in Boston. During the '07 World Series, Lugo hit .385 with a RBI. During the middle of the 2009 season, the Bosox dealt Lugo to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Chris Duncan. Sadly, Duncan passed away of brain cancer in 2019. Lugo also played stints with the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves ending his big league career in 2011. In 1352 games, Lugo collected 1,279 hits for a lifetime batting average of .269 with 80 HR and 475 RBI along with 198 stolen bases.
I leave you Lugo homering twice in the same inning while a member of the Devil Rays in 2006. R.I.P.
On Saturday night, I attended the New York City premiere of Fanny: The Right to Rock. It is the fourth time I've seen the film and have nothing to add regarding its substance.
Fanny: The Right to Rock was being screened as part of the Doc NYC Film Festival and they seem to have recruited the rudest and surliest volunteers they could possibly find going out of their way to raise their voices. Staff tried to escort me out of the theatre and had to make it clear in language they could understand that I was attempting to buy merchandise. It was a far cry from the warm, intimate feeling I had when the film was screened in Cambridge last month at the Brattle Theatre. It is yet another reason why I prefer Boston to New York.
Perhaps it was just as well. The principle reason I made the trek from Boston to New York was to see Fanny reunite on stage or at least hear a reasonable Fanny-simile version. While nearly the entire band reunited in Los Angeles back in August, this time around we were treated to the triumvirate of Brie Howard Darling, Patti Quatro and June Millington who did a three song set - "Girls on the Road", "Butter Boy" and "When We Need Her". On the latter song, Darling invited all the women in the audience to join them on stage.
I must admit I am partial to Fanny from the Reprise years. But given that Darling and Quatro played on Rock 'n Roll Survivors (of which I bought a copy on CD) it was appropriate they played "Butter Boy" if for no other reason than to pay homage to Jean Millington in absentia. "Butter Boy" was sandwiched between two songs from the 2018 Fanny Walked The Earth album which is one of the main focal points of Fanny: The Right to Rock. Fanny is not seeking to be a nostalgia act and with the way they played one gets the sense there is unfinished business to attend. In that sense, Fanny exercised its right to rock on their own terms and perhaps in a way that could not 50 years ago.
On a personal note, I was disappointed not to have the opportunity to meet Darling and Quatro in person, but I did get to renew acquaintances with June Millington for a few minutes. In the grand scheme of things it is far more than what I could have reasonably asked. Had I gone to a Fanny concert in the 1970's, the chances of me meeting any of them would have been practically nil. Well, that and I would have been all of two years old.
All things considered, I was unaware Fanny existed until just under 18 months ago. Over this past year and a half, I have experienced things with Fanny I have experienced with no other musical act. With this in mind, it is my hope that this journey continues.
It is worth noting that the surge in cases is coming from states with higher vaccination rates including Vermont which has the country's highest vaccination rate. What remains to be seen is if rising cases in highly vaccinated states will lead to rising hospitalizations. That in part will depend on the population age. Given that Vermont has an older population there's a good chance we will see a rise in hospitalizations. Still, things would be lot a worse in Vermont if it had a lower vaccination rate.
Jonathan Karl: "Were you worried about him during that siege? Were you worried about his safety?"
Trump:"No, I thought he was well-protected, and I had heard that he was in good shape. No. Because I had heard he was in very good shape. But, but, no, I think — "
Karl: "Because you heard those chants — that was terrible. I mean — "Trump:"He could have — well, the people were very angry."
Karl: "They were saying 'hang Mike Pence.'"
Trump: "Because it's common sense, Jon. It's common sense that you're supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? — how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress? How can you do that? And I'm telling you: 50/50, it's right down the middle for the top constitutional scholars when I speak to them. Anybody I spoke to — almost all of them at least pretty much agree, and some very much agree with me — because he's passing on a vote that he knows is fraudulent. How can you pass a vote that you know is fraudulent? Now, when I spoke to him, I really talked about all of the fraudulent things that happened during the election. I didn't talk about the main point, which is the legislatures did not approve — five states. The legislatures did not approve all of those changes that made the difference between a very easy win for me in the states, or a loss that was very close, because the losses were all very close.
Well, once this proves that Donald Trump cares only for himself. Those who wanted Pence dead were engaged in common sense. If the life of his own Vice-President doesn't matter to him then why would the lives of more than 750,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19 ever mattered to him?
Trump's defense is that Pence was well protected. Well, all that stood between Pence and the insurrectionists was Officer Goodman. But this is besides the point. If a crowd had said, "Hang Trump!!!" his first reaction would not have been to say he was well protected much less defend the anger of those wanting to kill him. If it's about taking someone else's life then it is no skin off his nose.
I'm not sure how much Pence values his life. He will never criticize Trump. Instead it is, "Thank you, sir. May I please have another?"
Stockwell's career on stage and screen spanned seven decades. As a child, he co-starred with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh, alongside Gregory Peck and John Garfield in Gentleman's Agreement as well as appearing with William Powell and Myrna Loy in Song of the Thin Man. In early adulthood, he appeared in the film adaptation of A Long Day's Journey Into Night starring Ralph Richardson, Katharine Hepburn and Jason Robards. In later adulthood, he would appear in Dennis Hopper's The Last Movie as Billy the Kid.
Most of Stockwell's career during the 1960's and 1970's was on the small screen earning credits for The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Burke's Law, Dr. Kildare, Bonzana, Mannix (please see picture above), Mission: Impossible, Night Gallery, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, McCloud, Ellery Queen and Police Story.
Fans of Columbo will remember him as the absentee millionaire sports owner Eric Wagner who is cut down at the hands of Robert Culp in the Season 2 episode "The Most Crucial Game". Stockwell would also appeared as the mustachioed, unlucky in love musician Lloyd Harrington who is framed for murder by Robert Vaughn in Season 4's "Troubled Waters".
Most of Stockwell's success would come after the age of 50 with appearance in Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas, David Lynch's Blue Velvet and Jonathan Demme's Married to the Mob which earned him his only Academy Award nomination. Gen-Xers probably remember Stockwell for his portrayal of Al in the NBC hit series Quantam Leap with Scott Bakula. Stockwell was nominated for multiple Emmys and Golden Globes for his role winning a lone Golden Globe in 1990.
In the 2000's, Stockwell had recurring roles on JAG and the revival of Battlestar Galactica. After more than 200 credits under his belt, a stroke forced Stockwell to the sidelines in 2015. Stockwell was a long time resident of Taos, New Mexico where he spent a good deal of his time painting. As Stockwell put it, "And I can't wait to see where the road leads from here." Sadly, all journeys must come to an end. R.I.P.
The Puerto Rican born southpaw pitched with 7 big league organizations but only pitched at the big league level with the Mets in four separate stints between 2002 and 2013. Affectionately nicknamed "Perpetual Pedro" by longtime Mets TV broadcaster Gary Cohen, Feliciano led the NL in appearances in three consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2010 including 92 appearances in 2010. Feliciano signed a 2-year, $8 million contract with the crosstown Yankees prior to 2011 but never wore pinstripes due to a shoulder injury. In 9 big league seasons in Queens, Feliciano made 484 appearances (all in relief) going 22-21 with a 3.33 ERA along with 350 strikeouts in 383.2 innings pitched.
I leave you with Feliciano's 90th appearance in the 2010 season. Feliciano is the last big league pitcher to make 90 or more appearances in a season. R.I.P.
A native of Waltham, Massachusetts and a collegiate football star at Notre Dame, Mosca found his success on the gridiron in Canada playing 15 seasons in the CFL primarily with the Hamilton Tiger Cats as well as the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Montreal Alouettes. Mosca played in 9 Grey Cups winning five (four with the Ticats and one with the Rough Riders). In 1987, Mosca was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
In the late 1960's, Mosca began wrestling in the off-season and would become a full pro wrestler after retiring from the CFL in 1972. Mosca primarily worked as a heel in various NWA territories (i.e. Georgia, San Francisco, Mid-Atlantic, Florida, Stampede, etc.) as well as in the WWF although towards the end of his career he would work as a face in Maple Leaf Wrestling as that territory did most of its shows in Toronto and Hamilton where Mosca was a beloved figure.
A decade ago, Mosca and got into physical altercation with another CFL legend Joe Kapp. The two had played against each other in the 1963 Grey Cup between the Ticats and B.C. Lions where Mosca made a late hit on Willie Fleming with the Ticats going on to win the game and there was still no love lost between the two.
Mosca makes reference to the incident in this 1984 wrestling promo he cut on the Iron Sheik. R.I.P.
No doubt the electoral setback in Virginia and near gubernatorial upset in New Jersey finally jolted Democrats to get their act together.
Well, most Democrats. Six Democrats - The Squad - the anti-Semitic caucus - AOC, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman voted against the bill. These Democrats decided that nothing is better than something. Meanwhile, 13 Republican Congressman voted in favor of it including Adam Kinzinger.
So now that the House has passed the infrastructure bill and President Biden is going to sign it into law, the Democrats had better push this thing to the moon and speak of the tangible benefits it will bring at every opportunity whether it be regarding the grid, transportation, water, broadband, etc.
This still leaves the Build Back Better Act. The House will pass it soon. But then it hits the Senate and here comes Manchin and Sinema. But now that the Infrastructure Bill is done pressure will be squarely on them to justify their objections. That is as long as Cori Bush refrains from accusing Manchin of being a racist. Unfortunately, this is a tall order.
But for tonight some baby steps were made. We can only hope it's a sprint by the mid-terms in a year from now.
When the textile plant burned down in 1995, Feuerstein made national headlines when he paid his 1,400 workers in full instead of laying them off. In a 2003 profile on 60 Minutes the late Morley Safer asked Feuerstein why he just didn't take the $300 million insurance settlement. To which Feuerstein replied, "And what would I do with it? Eat more? Buy another suit? Retire and die? No, that did not go into my mind."
In a country where Donald Trump is viewed as a successful businessman, Feuerstein died a richer man than Trump will ever be. And it's not just Trump. Very few in his position, even if they had the resources to do so, would do what Feuerstein did.
Safer asked Feuerstein what his tombstone would read. After thinking about it for a few moments, Feuerstein responded, "Hopefully it'll be, 'He done his damnedest,'" Aaron Feuerstein certainly lived up to those words and more. R.I.P.
Yet despite all the death around us a critical mass refuse to be vaccinated as we struggled to reach a fully vaccinated rate of 60%. Police, firefighters, teachers and even health care workers across the country are refusing to be vaccinated. Evidently they would rather lose their livelihoods than save their own lives and that of their families. It would seem no amount of death even within their own household will be sufficient to move these people to roll up their sleeves. I guess these people want to learn the hard way, if they want to learn at all.
As such, it is incumbent upon Democrats in D.C. to get things done and govern. Otherwise in a year from now they are going to find themselves out of office and won't be governing anything much less their own lives. The Joe Manchins and Kyrsten Sinemas of the world are going to have to find a way to work with the Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapals of the world and get some meaningful results so people have a reason to vote Democrat.
During those 12 seasons, Posey, 34, won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010, the NL MVP in 2012, won a batting title that same year, got a Gold Glove, earned three World Series rings, was named to 7 NL All-Star teams, received four Silver Sluggers and may very well earn a fifth after his stellar performance in 2021.
The Georgia native opted to sit out during the COVID shortened season after adopting twin girls with his wife Kristen. After not playing since 2019, Posey didn't miss a beat hitting .304 with 18 HR and 56 RBI in 113 games as the Giants won a franchise record 107 games. Overall, Posey collected exactly 1500 hits for a lifetime batting average of .302 with 158 HR and 729 RBIs in 1371 games played.
Posey would be eligible to get into Cooperstown on the 2027 ballot. He might not be a first ballot Hall of Famer but I could see him sharing the stage with St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina in the Class of 2028 as he will retire at the end of next season. Posey might share the spotlight with Yadi but tomorrow will be his own special day.
With 95% of the vote in Virginia's gubernatorial race in CNN has projected that Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin has defeated former Democratic Governor and DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe by a margin of 51% to 48.3%.
So this country gets another awful Republican Governor. The question is how awful. I mean Brian Kemp of Georgia is an awful Governor, but he drew the line at Donald Trump's election fraud claims and Trump is seeing to it that he doesn't serve another term even suggesting he would prefer Stacey Abrams to win in 2022.
Unlike Kemp in Georgia, Youngkin cannot run for re-election in 2025 as Virginia's Constitution does not allow for Governors to serve for consecutive terms. So this might keep Youngkin in line. But then again if Youngkin wants to get elected to the Senate he can ill-afford to alienate the Orange Lizard King.
Wu is the first woman to be elected to the post (Kim Janey served in the post in an acting capacity), is the first Asian American to win the office (and the first to become the mayor of large American city). At 36, Wu is also among the youngest to ever be elected Hub Mayor. Wu will be sworn into office on November 16th.
Still, the odds are in her favor. Unless she alienates the progressive community in a significant way, Wu will be Mayor of Boston for as long as she wants the job. Wu might very well have other political ambitions down the line which may affect that consideration. In the meantime, we'll see what else she can do at City Hall.
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros 7-0 in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series to win their first championship since 1995.
Max Fried, Tyler Matzek and Will Smith combined on a 6-hit shutout. Jorge Soler hit a monstrous 3-run HR over the Crawford Boxes in Minute Maid Park to give the Braves a 3-0 lead in the 3rd. Shortstop Dansby Swanson slammed a 2-run HR in the 5th to give the Braves a 5-0 lead. Freddie Freeman added a double in the 5th to make it 6-0 and then followed with a solo HR in the 7th. Soler would earn 2021 World Series MVP honors going 6 for 20 with 3 HR and 6 RBIs. Not only did Soler homer tonight, but he homered on the third pitch of the Series in Game 1 and hit the game winning HR in Game 4. Not bad for a guy who hit .192 for the Kansas City Royals this season.
I would be remiss that under a different set of circumstances I might have been celebrating this World Series title in person. But truth be told I couldn't get into the Braves when I was down there and, if I had, I would have been a Johnny Come Lately. Besides, Truist Park isn't Fenway Park. Cobb County was far enough from Midtown Atlanta. Truist Park might as well have been in Tennessee.
Still, I'm glad Atlanta will be getting a World Series parade and will have something to celebrate.
They’ve been popping up across the country for months, and now they’ve been spotted in Bucks County in places such as Perkasie, Plumstead, Buckingham, and Jamison.
The all-black American flags being flown by so-called local patriots apparently means “no quarter given” and may even imply a willingness to use (lethal) violence against perceived enemies, essentially any non-Trumper who threatens their washed out, retrograde vision of what the U.S. is supposed to look like, how they believe democracy is supposed to function, or what they think freedom is.
The article goes on to caution that the people who raise such flags won't necessarily engage in violence themselves. But I would have to suspect that anyone who raises such a flag has no trouble with Kyle Rittenhouse crossing state lines with an AR-15 style rifle, killing two people and calling it self-defense. These black flags raise red flags.
If Rittenhouse is acquitted and others are inspired to act in the same manner we will see more tolerance of such behavior and thus more black flags. And for what? Because Joe Biden won the election? Because vaccines save lives? Because they think JFK, Jr. will rise from the dead?
In a way I'm glad that people are raising black flags. Because they are telling us who they are and where they stand. In which case, those who of us who believe in reason must raise our voices and say without equivocation that will we not stand for violence and murder because our beliefs and opinions are contrary to what former President Trump tells them to accept at face value.
I hope President Biden is seething at Senator Joe Manchin after he called a press conference today to sandbag the now $1.75 trillion reconciliation spending bill. Mind you, this is is the same reconciliation bill that was once $3.5 trillion and was cut in half essentially to mollify Manchin. Conveniently (or not so conveniently for the White House) Manchin did this while Biden was out of the country at the G20 Summit in Rome.
For her part, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement indicating that the President's aides "remain confident that the plan will gain Senator Manchin’s support." But she made no mention of what Biden himself thought. I hope it's because Biden is planning to read Manchin the Riot Act. After all, Biden was elected in no small part because of his competence, his ability to govern and get back life back in working order. Instead, we have this putz from West Virginia and someone from Arizona who looks like she walked out of a Scooby-Doo cartoon doing everything they can to make sure Donald Trump returns to the White House.
It's time for Biden to get pissed off and lay down the law to Manchin. After Biden hits Manchin with some sticks then he can get Chuck Schumer to give West Virginia a few carrots to soften the blow. But Biden had better act fast because not only his presidency on the line but our present livelihood and our democracy's very existence. If Biden doesn't get Manchin in line not only will he not build back better, he won't be able to build back anything at all.
It is well worth noting there are six countries in the world that have death tolls exceeding 200,000 - the U.S., Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia and Peru. Together they account for more than half the COVID deaths globally. I get these other countries being at the top of the list with their combined legacy of corruption and life being nasty, brutish and short under the best of circumstances.
But there's no reason for the U.S. on this list at all with our cutting edge health care and access to vaccines. And yet the U.S. remains worse of all as it nears 750,000 deaths (746,977). While it's claim of the global share has dropped to just under 15% (14.9%) and the Biden White House have endeavored to get the country vaccinated a great many Americans still refuse to get vaccinated and are willing to lose their livelihoods if not their very lives including healthcare workers. We are our own worst enemy.
Today, the United States also topped 46 million cases (46,089,316) and continues to have a mortality rate of 1.6%. It did take a full two weeks to add 1 million cases, a modest improvement on the 12 days it took to go from 44 to 45 million cases. But can we sustain even this modest improvement through Thanksgiving, Christmas and the accompanying winter weather? Too many among us would rather say Let's Go Brandon than let's get better.
