Red Schoendienst, R.I.P.

St. Louis Cardinals legend Red Schoendienst passed away last night at the age of 95. At the time of his death, Schoendienst was the oldest living player in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Despite sustaining a serious eye injury while working on FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps as a teenager, Schoendienst enjoyed a successful nearly two decade big league career mostly with the Cardinals. After leading the NL in stolen bases during his rookie season in 1945, Schoendienst would earn a World Series ring the following year. A versatile player, Schoendienst was selected to 9 NL All-Star Teams between 1946 and 1955.

However, the Cardinals would trade Schoendienst to the New York Giants a multi player deal in exchange for Alvin Dark during the middle of the 1956 season. This trade would take the wind out of his sails. But a year later, the Giants would trade Schoendienst to the Milwaukee Braves. He was the final piece of the puzzle that would earn the Braves their first World Series title in 43 years. Schoendienst remained a key figure in the Braves' 1958 NL pennant title.

Schoendienst would return to St. Louis in 1961 and finish his playing career in 1963. But Schoendienst would remain a Cardinal for the rest of his life. He would join the Cardinals coaching staff and earn another World Series ring in 1964. After Johnny Keane resigned to manage the New York Yankees, Schoendienst took over as manager from 1965 through 1976 winning a World Series title in 1967. Schoendienst would manage the Cardinals on an interim basis in both 1980 and 1990. Schoendienst remained on the coaching staff for the Cardinals' World Series wins in 1982, 2006 and 2011. The Veterans Committee elected him to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

On a personal note, my Dad met Schoendienst in the visiting clubhouse at the Polo Grounds in 1955 where he got to ask Stan Musial a question on Bill Stern's radio show during a rained out Sunday doubleheader between the Cardinals and Giants. Naturally, I shared the news of Schoendienst's passing with my Dad. He told me he was impressed with Schoendienst "impressive size and humble demeanor." No doubt the people of St. Louis would agree wholeheartedly. R.I.P.

Canada Wasn't Even a Country When The White House Was Burned During The War of 1812

I cannot say that I am terribly surprised that President Trump would base his trade policy with Canada on the belief Canadians were responsible for burning down the White House during The War of 1812. Trump reportedly made reference to this act during a heated phone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the Trump Administration's recent imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum on its northern neighbor. These levies were also imposed against Mexico and the EU.

Of course, Canada wasn't even a country at the time. In 1812, Canada was a British territory on which the United States had designs. The U.S. would not succeed in its objective. Canada would gain its independence from the UK in 1867. Trump should recall he gave Canada his warmest wishes on its 150th anniversary last year.

As someone who was born in Canada and spent the first 27½ years of my life there, it is something of a sore point that Americans know so little about us while we know more than we want to know about the United States. Now perhaps we cannot realistically expect someone in Wheeling, West Virginia to know about what's going on in Medicine Hat, Alberta. But I do expect the President of the United States to have more than a passing knowledge of the United States' largest trading partner. But given Americans didn't care about Trump's lack of knowledge of American history (i.e. Andrew Jackson & The Civil War) then why would he concern himself with knowing anything about Canada?

What if RFK Had Been Elected President in 1968?

On this night, 50 years ago, Robert F. Kennedy won the California Democratic Primary. In the early hours the following morning, he was shot and would die the following day at the age of 42.

What would have happened had RFK lived and had been elected President?

No doubt many people asked this question in 1968.

No doubt many people are asking this question in 2018.

Naturally, it is all too easy to romanticize a RFK presidency. But I think it is safe to say that if RFK had defeated Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential election that there would have been no Watergate. If there was no Watergate perhaps there would be greater trust in our public officials. In turn if there was a greater trust in our public officials then we would not have a Trump presidency today.

This isn't to say there wouldn't have been struggles in a RFK White House. I believe the biggest challenge would have been Vietnam. I believe it would have been far more difficult for RFK to end the war than he ever let on. If he hadn't done it quickly enough, The New Left would have given him the LBJ treatment. But if Saigon had fell under his watch, the Right would have declared it his Bay of Pigs times hundred. Ronald Reagan would have very likely been a formidable opponent for RFK in 1972. Perhaps Reagan would have been elected in 1976, but been plagued by double digit inflation. Perhaps he would have been defeated by Jimmy Carter in 1980. It is very possible that other actors who lived in obscurity would have come to prominence. Of course, it is quite possible that if RFK had been elected in 1968 that he might have not lived to see the end of his first term.

Whatever would have come of a RFK presidency we would have had a President who would not have publicly undermined our institutions, uninvited visitors to the White House who disagreed with him and not sung his own virtues when remembering our fallen soldiers. Unlike our current President, RFK possessed a warm heart and a generous spirit. Warm hearts and generous spirits are in short supply among the leaders in our country. We still have much to learn from RFK. But somehow I doubt we are prepared to listen.

There's Very Little Difference Between Jack Phillips & Lester Maddox

It should come as no surprise that conservatives are delighted with the Supreme Court's ruling permitting Colorado cake maker Jack Phillips of the Masterpiece Cakeshop to refuse to design cakes for same sex couples. It would seem conservatives have (at least for the moment) have forgiven Anthony Kennedy for making same sex marriage the law of the land.

From where I sit, there's very little difference between Jack Phillips and Lester Maddox, the late Governor of Georgia. Before being elected Governor in 1966, Maddox was the proprietor of Pickrick's. He refused to serve African-American customers despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act. While there were multiple components to Maddox's argument, one of them involved religious liberty. Maddox considered the principle of desegregation "unGodly, unChristian and unAmerican."

In 2018, such a position would be considered morally and socially abhorrent. But half a century ago, it would have represented the opinion of the majority of white Christians residing in the southern United States. Senator Ted Cruz tweeted, "Today’s Supreme Court decision upholding a Colorado baker’s constitutional right to live according to his faith is a major victory for religious liberty. The fact that the decision was 7-2 (not a narrow 5-4) underscores that govt should NEVER discriminate against religious faith.”

But if Americans have a constitutional right to live according to his faith then Ted Cruz must defend Lester Maddox's right to refuse to serve black customers because according to Maddox's faith doing so is unGodly and unChristian. Now I presume Cruz would reject such an argument, but I'm afraid he cannot have his cake and eat it. If Maddox's refusal to serve African-Americans is wrong then why is Phillips' refusal to serve a same sex couple right?

Now there is one crucial difference between Phillips and Maddox. The late Georgia Governor utilized violence to confront blacks who wished to patronize his restaurant at the point of either a gun or a pickax. Phillips has not engaged in any such conduct.

Notwithstanding Phillips' peaceable behavior one can now expect other proprietors across the country to deny service to same sex couples and the LGBT community under the guise of religious liberty. Today's Supreme Court decision effectively codifies state sanctioned homophobia. For shame.

Bruce Kison, R.I.P.

Former MLB pitcher, pitching coach and scout Bruce Kison has passed away following a brief battle with cancer. He was 68. I learned of Kison's death while reading his former Pittsburgh Pirates teammate Omar Moreno's Twitter feed.

The Pirates drafted Kison out of high school 50 years ago this month. He would reach the majors in 1971. The Bucs would win the World Series in his rookie season. Although the 1971 World Series is best remembered as a showcase for Roberto Clemente, Kison was also a major factor in that Series as the winning pitcher in Game 4 hurling 6.1 innings of one hit relief. The game was also notable as it was the first night game in World Series history.

Kison remained with the Pirates as both a starter and a reliever through the 1979 season when he collected his second World Series ring as he posted a career high 13 wins. He was one of four Pirates who played with both the '71 & '79 teams. The others were Willie Stargell, Manny Sanguillen and Dock Ellis.

In 1980, Kison signed a five year contract with the California Angels. Kison did not perform up to his expectations and even attempted to return the money he was given by the organization. Kison finished his big league career in 1985 with the Boston Red Sox. In 15 seasons, Kison went 115-88 with a 3.66 ERA.

Kison remained involved in baseball after his playing career. He rejoined the Pirates as a minor league pitching coordinator and scout before joining the Kansas City Royals as a bullpen coach and later their pitching coach. Kison spent the last two decades in the Baltimore Orioles organization first as a pitching coach and later as a scout before retiring last December. Sadly, he fell ill shortly after his retirement.

I leave you with Kison celebrating the Pirates' 1971 World Series triumph along with Clemente, Steve Blass and Bob Prince. R.I.P.

With The Liberals Already Admitting Defeat Will Ontario Pick The Tories or NDP on June 7th?

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne did the unheard of today. With five days left in the provincial election campaign, Wynne admitted she will not be re-elected.

It has been obvious to everyone that Wynne's Liberals were going to lose after 15 years in power with she at the helm for the past five plus years. Wynne has been the most unpopular politician in Canada for some time now. But to hear her say it was rather extraordinary.

Of course, there is self-interest and self-preservation there. She urged voters to elect enough Liberals to force the Tories or the NDP to form a minority government with the Liberals. Wynne wants to be a kingmaker or queenmaker.

The king in question would be Tory leader Doug Ford, the older brother of the late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford (infamous for smoking crack and other deeds) while the queen would be NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

Ford won the Tory leadership race back in March after the downfall of his predecessor Patrick Brown in the midst of sexual misconduct allegations. Ford was heavily favored to win the election. However, Ford comes off to many as a Donald Trump Lite figure although opinion is divided on the subject.

But this has allowed Horwath to emerge as a viable alternative. For many voters, her relatively sunny disposition was a nice contrast to the dour Wynne and the angry Ford. This has resulted a surge in the polls for the NDP. It would seem many Ontarians either don't know, don't care or have forgotten the last NDP government of Bob Rae. The NDP shocked the entire Canadian political landscape with its stunning election win in September 1990 after the then Liberal government of David Peterson called an early election. But governing proved too heavy a task for the NDP and they would be ousted in favor of the Tories after a single term in office. Will the NDP earn another chance to govern Canada's largest province?

From a personal standpoint, I'm not sure what I would do if I were still living in Ontario. I know I wouldn't vote Liberal and I wouldn't vote NDP. The question for me is whether I could vote for Ford. The Trumpian bluster is a turn off, but Ford hasn't had a Gonzalo Curiel, John McCain or a "grab them by the pussy" moment either. He doesn't have his late younger brother's personal demons. Ford has been short on specifics. But then again how many politicians make detailed promises only to be unable or unwilling to keep them?

All things considered, Trump's nonsense and the nonsense of the Left down here is enough to keep me depressed for the rest of the decade at the very minimum. Perhaps looking at my old stomping grounds will prove a momentary respite. We'll see what happens the evening of June 7th.

MLB Notes for May: Are The Mariners Better Without Robinson Cano?

When MLB suspended Robinson Cano for 80 games after testing positive for PEDs, I wondered where the Seattle Mariners would be three months from now. We still don't know, but the first two weeks have been very, very good.

The Mariners are 11-5 since Cano's suspension and are now only a game behind the defending World Series champion Houston Astros in the AL West. At the time of Cano's suspension, the Mariners were 1.5 games behind both the Astros and the Los Angeles Angels. Could it be that the Mariners are better off without Cano? I picked them to win the AL pennant, but didn't expect them to do so without Cano. The Mariners have gained at the expense of the Angels who have gone 5-10 during this same period despite the presence of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Shoehai Othani in their lineup and are now 5.5 games back of the Astros. The Oakland A's are treading water at a game over .500 while the Texas Rangers remain in the basement.

The Cleveland Indians have pulled away from the pack in the AL Central finishing May with six wins in a row and victories in 8 of their last 10 games. Is another 22 game winning streak in the Tribe's future? The Tribe is the only team in the division with a winning record. The Detroit Tigers 26-30 is nothing to write home about, but they are only 4.5 games back of the Tribe. The Minnesota Twins continue to underachieve, but at six games back cannot be entirely counted out. The same cannot be said for either the Kansas City Royals or the Chicago White Sox who are both double digits behind the Indians in the loss column. The Chisox own the worst record in MLB after they followed up an 8-18 March/April with an 8-19 May.

Yet it could be worse. While the Chisox are 13 games back of the Indians in the AL Central, the Baltimore Orioles are 21.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East despite having a better record. But the Orioles aren't the only team in the AL East who had a bad May. The Toronto Blue Jays also replicated the Orioles 9-19 record in May. Unlike the O's, the Jays were 16-12 in March/April. They've fallen from 5 to 13.5 games back of the Bosox who continue to have MLB's best record. But the New York Yankees remain hot on their tail at only 1.5 games off the pace. The Tampa Bays Rays are the AL East version of the A's treading water at just over .500. How long will they continue to tread following the trade of closer Jesus Colome and outfielder Denard Span to Seattle?

The NL East might very well be MLB's most exciting race with the youthful Atlanta Braves a half game up on the Washington Nationals and a game up on the Philadelphia Phillies. After a 13-16 March/April, the Nats had MLB's best record in May with a 19-8 mark. Despite the success of both the Braves and the Phillies, most are picking the Nats to repeat. Even if this comes to pass the Braves and Phillies are strong NL Wild Card contenders. Of course, at this time a month ago, it was the New York Mets who were leading the division. But after going 17-9 in March/April, the Mets collapsed to a 10-18 mark in May and are now a .500 club. Will the real Mets stand up in June? Their May record was identical to that of the Miami Marlins who posted the same mark in March/April.

But the Mets weren't the only NL club with a bad May. The Arizona Diamondbacks had an even worse reversal of fortune. After having the NL's best record in March/April at 20-8, the D'Backs 8-19 record in May was the Senior Circuit's worst output highlighted by yet another injury to A.J. Pollock. Having lost 7 of their last 10 games, Arizona is now 1.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies. The NL West is fast turning into the AL Central. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are 26-30, but are only 4 games back of the Rockies. Even the last place San Diego Padres are only six games out after a respectable 15-13 record in May.

The Milwaukee Brewers now have the NL's best record following a 19-8 May. At the end of last month, the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Brew Crew were separated by 1.5 games. The Brewers now have a four game lead on the Cubs and a 4.5 game lead on the Cardinals. Having lost 7 of their last 10 games, the Bucs are now 6.5 games off the pace. The Cincinnati Reds remain well behind, but after a 13-15 May no longer have the NL's worst record. Perhaps they will make this division a five way race at this time a month from now.