Recent Commentaries

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Nobility
Sometimes, in spite of all the practice, persistence and patience we still miss an opportunity. And sometimes that loss comes when we least expect it and from circumstances beyond our control. This is the story of left-handed pitcher Brian Mazone who, after eight years in the minor leagues, finally got a call from the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006. He was...
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September 28, 2018
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“High and Tight, Mediocre Cheese” Redux
This story first ran on June 1, 2009, but I’m bringing it back because of a personal post script. At the time, steroid use in baseball was the hot topic, but my attention was drawn to another aspect of cheating. Although I believe steroid use is a whole different league of cheating, cheating is still cheating; which is why I...
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September 26, 2018
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A Line of Awesomeness
With the continuing chaos coming out of Washington on an almost daily basis, we need re-acquaint ourselves with our better angels. This week, I offer three baseball stories. This commentary is only 217 words, but it speaks volumes about civility and the simple human kindness that took place in the stands of a Detroit baseball park. As reported by Vladimir...
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September 24, 2018
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“Is This the Country that American Women Must Live In?”
At the 1991 confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, law professor and former co-worker of Thomas, Anita Hill, gave graphic testimony regarding allegations of sexual harassment. As reported by CBS News (Sept.19), here’s some of what Hill had to sit through. Republican Senator Arlen Specter: “You testified this morning that the most embarrassing question involved — this is...
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September 21, 2018
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Kavanaugh v. Blasey Ford
Who to believe? The sexual assault allegations leveled against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are yet another stunning shock to an administration that is already shell-shocked from revelations in the last 10 days: Bob Woodward’s book, “Fear” which details an out-of-control president; an anonymous insider who confirms an out-of-control president; and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s unexpected “flip” to...
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September 19, 2018
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Updates
In Friday’s commentary (Right Message, Wrong Moment), I sided with Serena Williams’s point about a double standard that women are held more accountable for their bad behavior than men. I was wrong. Near the end of this year’s women’s U.S. Open final, Williams was fined $17,000 for three code violations in the finals against Japan’s Naomi Osaka, her first Grand...
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September 17, 2018
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Right Message, Wrong Moment
Last Saturday’s U.S. Open Women’s final should have been an incredible moment for Japan’s Naomi Osaka. It wasn’t, thanks to some excessive anger by a professional who should know better. The 20-year old Osaka, soft-spoken and shy, was in tears after winning the match on what Williams and others have labeled a double-standard by chair umpire Carlos Ramos when he...
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September 14, 2018
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Thou Shalt Not…
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” – the 8th commandment of God, “The Baltimore Catechism,” page 100 “A person who has sinned,” The Catechism declares, “by detraction or calumny, or who has told a secret he is bound to keep, must repair the harm he has done to his neighbor, as far as he is able.” For...
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September 12, 2018
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Dear Speaker Ryan
When President Trump addressed a group of evangelical leaders at the White House recently, he offered this stark warning: “This November 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it’s a referendum on your religion, it’s a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment. … “It’s not a question of like or dislike, it’s a question...
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September 10, 2018
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Who is Deep Throat?
For years, during and after Watergate, that was the singular political question that many were interested in knowing the answer. Deep Throat was the secret and anonymous source in the Executive Branch who pointed Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the right direction to uncover the covert and illegal operations that were taking place in the Nixon...
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September 7, 2018