Random Notes, October 2023

 An early Happy Halloween to all:

+ In the 18-plus years I've been writing this blog, I've mostly (but not entirely) avoided discussing Israel and Palestine. It's a loaded, complicated subject, and no matter how informed my opinion might be, navigating over 75 years of strife is just outside my grasp. And yet, more than a few underqualified people have been sharing their purported insight since Bibi declared war on October 7th. Ultimately, more civilians than troops are dying in a region that has only seen imperialism, genocide and generational trauma in most of our lifetimes, and the sooner is ends the better.

+ I finished my last blog post not knowing Speaker Kevin McCarthy had fired his final salvo. The historical, yet rash decision to remove McCarthy as SOTHOR, followed by three-plus weeks of inter-party bickering has left us with a legislative branch with no function. The fissures of the GOP have been laid out for all to see, with three factions: far-right silverback gorillas, conservatives that are trying to curry favor with Trump (but quietly wished they didn't), and milquetoast moderates. Until Mike Johnson was elected today, I was about to suggest someone give Hakeem Jeffries the steering wheel.

+ I went to 29 baseball games this year. Call it cacoethes; I take advantage of my free time in the summer. Seeing minor league games is budget-friendlier than the big leagues, but I still had to adhere to a budget. This year, I saw MiLB games in four new cities (Round Rock, Louisville, Lansing, MI and Charlotte) and one new indie league venue (Crestwood, IL). Next year, given how much gas and airfare cost, I will probably be a little more modest.

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My Inevitable Gaza Blog Entry

A few days ago, a tiny independent film called "Guardians in the Galaxy" was released in theaters. Toward the end of the film, a CGI-animated talking raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper says something incredibly sage and insightful: "Everyone has dead people. That doesn't mean everyone else in the galaxy needs to die because of it."

In spite of its source, this quote applies quite well to major international story of the past few weeks, the umpteenth skirmish between Israeli and Palestinian forces in the Gaza Strip. It's the same childlike "he hit me first," avenging-my-ancestors mentality that has dogged the region since the late 1940s. Unlike past conflicts in the Holy Land, this latest round of attacks and never-ending crusades for revenge has spilled out to social media, where everyone and their mother has been posting and tweeting their opinions for nearly a month now. I've been largely a spectator, but the near-constant arguing has left me exhausted. A fair number of friends and acquaintances are either pretending to be experts or sharing links to op-eds that support their opinions.

I am fully aware that this conflict is complex and convoluted, a fight along religious lines that spans centuries, if not millennia. What I don't think people realize is that if any side in this fight was unilaterally right or wrong, the "war" would have ended decades ago. I suppose the reason why I haven't said anything consequential about this controversy until now is because I'm somewhere between apathetic and burned out. Lately, the mere thought makes me feel lethargic. For that alone, I don't plan on commenting until it all dies down... or whenever Israel and Palestine inevitably start throwing rocks at each other again, I don't know.

NOTE: Thanks to Matthew Kovich for inspiring this post.

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Random Notes, January 2009

+ Arguably the most crucial international news story of the last two weeks has been the explosion of tensions in the Middle East; I would've used the term "growing," but Israeli-Palestinian relations have been hopelessly stagnant for decades. Our pal Daniel (aka The Kentucky Democrat) has been very vocal about the Israeli cause, a noble declaration of solidarity for his faith and his people. I have no problem with Zionism as long as it's not extremism, but I acknowledge that the pseudo-state of Palastine has rights as well. Both factions must figure out a way to ignore the radical warmongers that seem bent on eradicating the opposition by all means necessary, and learn how to coexist in a shared holy land. Tensions have spread all the across the world, as major cities with sizable Jewish populations (especially Paris and Chicago) have seen a spike in vandalism and other assorted anti-Semetic hate crimes.

I will avoid any further impartiality and admit that the solution begins and ends with Hamas; they were elected into power with the most meager of majorities three years ago, and they must soften their stance on Israel or risk being toppled by outside forces. On the other hand, there is a vocal minority of Israelis that just plain ol' hate their Muslim neighbors and will gladly swap molotov cocktails until the end of time. Sadly, it's gradually becoming hard to tell if either side really wants peace anymore.

+ Yesterday, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2009, inducting all-time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson and press-shy power hitter Jim Rice. Henderson was inducted in his first year of eligbility, and his credentials are hard to question; the best leadoff hitter of the last half-century (if not all time), Rickey was also a warrior on the basepaths, feasting on any second or third baseman that tried to stop him. Henderson's classmate Rice, however was far from a unanimous pick; the most feared #3 hitter of the late '70s and early '80s, Jim hit one bomb after another over The Green Monster but just wasn't as dominant or had as much longevity as contemporaries like Reggie Jackson and Mike Schmidt. Where Henderson is a living legend, Rice was merely an above-average star, a strong, silent (albeit surly) type who somehow endeared himself to Red Sox Nation. Their only mutual thread is they were both left fielders on at least two American League champions.

With Rice's induction, not to mention the entry of Bruce Sutter in 2006, Rich "Goose" Gossage in 2008, and Joe Gordon on the Veterans' Committee last month, one must wonder if the Baseball Hall of Fame is lowering their standards. The short answer is yes and no. The next two shoe-ins for induction are Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza, but they're not eligible until the 2013 ballot; the next three years will be a clearinghouse for other not-quite-all-time greats, the Lee Smiths and Andre Dawsons and Edgar Martinezs of the world. Heck, maybe Bert Blyleven and his beautiful curveball can overcome a 287-250 career record and that "I Heart Farts" t-shirt to earn a call to the hall. Nonetheless, the 2010 BBWAA ballot will be a complete crapshoot, yet ripe for drama.

+ Finally, it... won't... stop... snowing. At least in Chicago, anyway. Cold as balls, too.