Trump Threatens 35% Tariff Against Canada Despite Scrapping DST

Last night, President Trump abruptly announced the imposition of 35% tariffs against Canada effective August 1st in part because the Canadian government had the nerve to impose retaliatory measures against earlier U.S. tariffs. Trump also mentioned something Canada not doing enough about fentanyl despite the fact smuggling of the drug over the Canada-U.S. border is virtually non-existent.

This is Trump being Trump.

Scarcely a fortnight ago, Trump abruptly halted trade talks between Canada and the U.S. because of his sudden objection over the Digital Services Tax (DST) which the Canadian government abruptly dropped without a fight. Here is what I wrote at the time:

Well, so much for elbows up.

Trump basically told Carney to jump, and Carney asked him, "How high?"

I mean Carney did not even put up a fight. One would think they might have dropped the tax's retroactivity. But no. Trump got what he wanted and because of it Trump smells blood in the water and will ask for more.

For his part, Carney made a boilerplate statement about defending Canadian workers and businesses and pledging to continue to work with the United States to stop the scourge of fentanyl. 

However, I suspect Trump will escalate things and make more demands (i.e. demand Canada end its supply management system for dairy and poultry farmers). Trump is counting on Carney to fold just like he did with the DST. 

Scrapping the DST was never going to be enough for Trump. Ditto for Canada abolish supply management. Trump won't be satisfied until Canada becomes the 51st state.

Joe Coleman Was One of The Most Underrated Pitchers of the Early 1970s

Former MLB pitcher and coach Joe Coleman passed away yesterday at the age of 78.

Coleman was the son of former MLB pitcher Joe Coleman who pitched primarily with the Philadelphia A's during the 1940s and 1950s and father of former MLB pitcher Casey Coleman who pitched with the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals during the 2010s and currently pitches in the Mexican League. The trio are the first three-generation pitchers in MLB history.

The younger Joe Coleman was born and raised in Natick, Massachusetts. Coleman was selected by the Washington Senators as the third overall pick in the inaugural MLB Draft in 1965 and would make his MLB debut late that season at the age of 18. After an additional cup of coffee in 1966, Coleman would become part of the Senators' starting rotation in 1967. Although Coleman never enjoyed a winning season as a starter he posted decent ERAs (3.27 in both 1968 and 1969 and 3.58 in 1970).

Prior to the 1971 season, Coleman was part of an eight-player trade with the Detroit Tigers. The Senators sent Coleman, shortstop Eddie Brinkman, third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez and pitcher Jim Hannan to the Tigers in exchange for one-time 30-game winner Denny McLain, third baseman Don Wert, outfielder Elliott Maddox and pitcher Norm McRae to D.C. in what proved to be the Senators' final year in the Nation's Capital.

The Tigers got the better end of that deal with Brinkman and Rodriguez vastly improving the left side of their infield while Coleman became one of the best pitchers in MLB despite the fact his Tigers career began inauspiciously. During spring training, Coleman was hit in the head with a line drive off the bat of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons. 

Despite missing the first three weeks of the season, Coleman regrouped and posted 20 wins and striking out a career high 236 batters. However, Coleman's pitching feats were overshadowed by that of teammate Mickey Lolich who won 25 games, led the league in strikeouts with 308 while pitching an astounding 376 innings finishing runner up to Vida Blue in the AL Cy Young balloting in 1971. The duo accounted for nearly half the team's wins that year (45 of 91 victories).

The Tigers would win the AL East in 1972, and Coleman played a big part with 19 wins and 222 strikeouts earning his lone AL All-Star Game selection. Coleman would pitch a shutout against the Oakland A's in Game 3 of the ALCS fanning 14 batters. However, the Tigers would fall short against the eventual World Series champions.

Detroit would come back down to Earth in 1973 but Coleman stayed in top form winning a career high 23 games along with 202 strikeouts. Between 1971 and 1973, Coleman went 62-38 with a 3.40 ERA striking out 660 batters in 874.1 innings pitched. Joe Coleman was certainly one of the most underrated pitchers in MLB during the early 1970s. 

Unfortunately, all things must come to an end. Coleman's effectiveness began to wane in 1974 with a 14-12 record with a 4.32 ERA finishing second in the AL in walks with 158 (Nolan Ryan would issue 202 free passes that season). In 1975, Coleman fell to 10-18 with a 5.55 ERA and led the league in wild pitches with 15. 

In 1976, amid Mark Fidrych's phenomenal rookie season, the Tigers would sell Coleman to the Chicago Cubs where he was converted into a relief pitcher. Over the next three seasons, Coleman would pitch with the Oakland A's, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates with his MLB career ending in 1979. Over 15 MLB seasons, Coleman made 484 appearances (340 of them starts) posting a 142-135 record with a 3.70 ERA collecting 1728 strikeouts against 1003 walks. 

Between 1980 and 1982, Coleman continued to pitch in the minor leagues with the Spokane Indians during affiliations with the Seattle Mariners and later the California Angels. He also began his coaching career during this period. Coleman later returned to the major leagues with the Angels as the bullpen coach between 1987 to 1990 before becoming the pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals between 1991 and 1994. He would return to the Angels and become their pitching coach from 1996 to 1999. From there, Coleman spent the next 15 seasons as a pitching coach with several minor league teams before retiring after the 2014 season.

Joe Coleman spent nearly half a century in organized baseball. He was truly a baseball lifer. R.I.P.

Is The NEA Shunning All Jewish Organizations or Will They Embrace Jewish Organizations Which Are Anti-Israel

In my post about the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism in Massachusetts public schools, I made brief reference to the National Education Association (NEA) cutting ties with the ADL. 

Under the circumstances, this deserves further thought. Although the decision is still subject to a ruling by the NEA's National Executive Committee, I suspect will it ultimately go through rather than face the prospect of a splinter within the organization. After all, it is the largest union in the country and wants to stay that way. 

Assuming the NEA does cut ties with the ADL and refuses to promote its material on anti-Semitism and Holocaust education, how will it interact with Jewish organizations going forward?

Will it shun Jewish organizations altogether? Or will they embrace Jewish organizations which are anti-Israel in their outlook such as Jewish Voice of Peace of IfNotNow. The former envisions "a world where all people - from the U.S. to Palestine - live in freedom, justice, equality, and dignity." Notably absent in this declaration is any mention of Israel. While IfNotNow mentions Israel, it does so in the context of on allegations of having an "apartheid system."

If NEA takes the former approach, it is sending the message they want nothing to do with Jews and that we have no place in American civil society. If the NEA takes the latter approach, they will be in solidarity with a small, but significant segment of Jews who want a world without Israel. In order to have a world without Israel means killing half of the world's Jews. This would be beyond the scale of the Holocaust.

We're not in that territory, but the roots to that territory get planted when civic associations actively seek to harm Jews with, unfortunately, the help of other Jews.

Hosken Powell Led a Good Life After Baseball

 

Memories can be a funny thing. It is fascinating what our minds can retain decades after the fact. 

I've probably forgotten more about baseball than I know but certain names, dates, places remain firmly entrenched.

One such example is Hosken Powell, who was an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays between 1978 and 1983. 

The main reason for retaining this memory is that he is the only Hosken of whom I've ever heard.

It's hard to forget a name like Hosken.

I must admit that I haven't given him much thought to Hosken Powell since the end of his playing days unless I happen to be thinking of those Twins teams from the late 1970's and early 1980's which included the likes of Jerry Koosman, Mike Marshall, Butch Wynegar, Rob Wilfong and Bombo Rivera who once hit a game winning HR with my Dad leading chants of "Hey Bombo!!!" at Metropolitan Stadium in the second game of a doubleheader against the Blue Jays. But that's another story for another day. Although I probably saw Powell more with the Blue Jays when I would watch Tony Kubek and the late Don Chevrier cover Jays games during the 1983 season, I will always think of him as a Twin. 

So, I was saddened to learn that Hosken Powell had passed away on June 27th at the age of 70. However, after reading his obituary, I was comforted by the fact that he led a good life after baseball:

After scouting for the league, then retirement he delighted teaching and coaching young boys and girls as the Director of Athletics for the Boys and Girls Club of Escambia County. Many of them still visit, kept his spirits lifted and looked to him highly. He loved them as his own. He was Head Baseball Coach for the Pensacola High School Tigers and an assistant football coach during the (PHS) State Championship (2009) and wore his ring proudly. Saving time for fishing and hunting... his best friend said… “If he wasn’t fishing, he was hunting… If he wasn’t hunting, he was fishing… Then repeat.

Hosken loved his family. He was joined in marriage to Kimper Bradley in 1984 and they were happily married for 41 years. He enjoyed watching his nieces and nephews grow. He attended any event possible to support them. “Uncle B/Uncle Hos” (as he was lovingly known to them) was their joy.

While his family and those he mentored are undoubtedly sad that Hosken Powell (a.k.a. Uncle B/Uncle Hos) he is no longer with them; they can take some measure of comfort in the joy and goodness he left. That joy and goodness will always remain. R.I.P.

Anti-Semitism a "Pervasive and Escalating Problem" in Massachusetts Public Schools

The Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Anti-Semitism has issued a preliminary report concluding that anti-Semitism has become a "pervasive and escalating problem" in Massachusetts public schools:

Antisemitism in Massachusetts K-12 public schools is a pervasive and escalating problem, with a large number of reported incidents of hate, bullying, harassment and discrimination experienced by families and teachers.

There has been a stark escalation of incidents in recent years, especially after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Many Jewish students in Massachusetts schools are scared to publicly display their Judaism or let others know they are Jewish for fear of disparate treatment or bullying.

The report comes just over a week after the ADL, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Mayer Brown LLP filed claims concerning "pervasive" and "rampant" anti-Semitism at Concord-Carlisle High School in Concord, Massachusetts with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. 

To say this is disconcerting is an understatement. If anti-Semitism is tolerated in public schools, then it will invariably be tolerated in other public institutions. Such toleration will lead to the gradual exclusion of Jews and Jewish organizations from civil society and eventually in legislation and regulations. 

A perfect case in point is the decision of the National Education Association to dissociate itself from the ADL. Although the vote has been referred to the NEA's National Executive Committee, a majority of teachers have declared one of the most prominent Jewish organizations in the country is not welcome in their classrooms because its sympathies lie with Hamas instead of Israel.

In which case, the pervasive and escalating anti-Semitism in Massachusetts has reared its ugly head all over the country.

Rafael Devers is Damned if He Works Out at First Base & Damned if He Doesn't

Rafael Devers remains public enemy number one in Boston.

Enter Red Sox play-by-play announcer Will Flemming who during an interview with WEEI claimed that Devers no-showed three consecutive work outs at first base with San Francisco Giants legend Will Clark:

Will Clark was there to work on ground balls with him at first base, and Raffy didn't show up. So that's the person that (the Red Sox) have been dealing with.

The problem is that Flemming left out a critical detail acknowledged by Clark himself. While it was true Devers skipped those workouts, he did so because that was the weekend the Red Sox were in San Francisco: 

Everybody's like, 'Oh my God, Will, I'm so sorry.' I'm like 'Don't worry about. I know what the f*** happened.' I said he didn't want to go out and be 20 feet in front of their freaking dugout with, you know, what went on in Boston, and now he's working with me at first base. He didn't want to go through all that bulls*** in the press and the media. So I completely understand. But Rafael Devers, the next time I'm in San Francisco, your ass will be on the field at first base.

That's a pretty significant detail for Flemming to omit. 

From where I sit, Devers is damned if he works out at first base and damned if he doesn't. Had Devers worked out with Clark at first the weekend the Red Sox were in town, Flemming and the rest of the Boston sports media would have said, 'Gee, now he works out at first base. Why didn't he do that with us?' They would have raked him over the coals no matter what he did.

This is just another reminder of how petty and vindictive the Boston sports media can be.  

Globalizing the Intifada in Australia

Several days ago, Melbourne, Australia witnessed two anti-Semitic events in the name of "globalizing the intifada."

First, came an attack against a synagogue during Shabbat services when a man attempted to set the house of worship ablaze. Fortunately, no one was harmed at the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. A suspect was taken into custody on Sunday.

Second, a group of pro-Hamas hooligans stormed Miznon, an Israeli owned restaurant during a Shabbat dinner chanting "Death to the IDF" and chasing out those in attendance before turning over tables and chairs and breaking glass.

Two days later, a rally took place in support of those who attacked the synagogue and the Israeli owned restaurant with chants of "Death to the IDF" ringing through the air.

When New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks of "globalizing the intifada" this is what happens. 

Sadly, this won't be the last such incident in Australia. I fear the next time anti-Semitism in the name of globalizing the intifada strikes, there will be dead Jews. Of course, this is exactly what those who wish to "globalize the intifada" want.