BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!

Beezball has been berry berry good to me!  For those that don't remember, those were the words of Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live as he role-played a Latin baseball star.  But, with the Braves success in The World Series, I have been thinking of what baseball has meant to me.

As a young child, Baseball was THE sport.  Not the NFL, not NBA, not even College Football.  Every kid had a favorite team.  My brother, Alan loved The Yankees.  In fact, as part of a bet, he convinced our grandfather to send him to the Series in New York to see his beloved Mickey Mantle when he was 8 years old. I liked any team that was playing the Yankees but especially the Pittsburgh Pirates of Bill Mazeroski fame.

In backyard games, we could recite the full lineup of the teams (Especially The Yankees).  Our collections of baseball cards would be worth a fortune today if Mom hadn't tossed them out with the trash!  Dad would take us to Atlanta Cracker minor league games.  I especially remember that we would go to opening day for a number of years.  And, of course, we played Little League.  I was not very good at baseball, but was still out there every season trying to climb the ladder of leagues...Sally League, Southern League, International League and The Majors.  I never got further than The Southern League, but Alan was an International League catcher.  I remember his grand slam home run and even retrieved the ball he hit!

Then, in 1966, it happened!  The rumors became reality as the Milwaukee Braves moved the team to Atlanta and the recently finished Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium-an $18 million round multi-purpose stadium.  The Atlanta Falcons, an expansion NFL team, would share the stadium with the Braves.  This was the first major league team south of Washington DC and it became the favorite of everyone living in the Southeast.  A few years later, Ted Turner bought the team and beamed the games across the country on TBS and The Atlanta Braves became "America's Team" to those across the country that didn't have a local team.

I was there on Opening Night, 1966.  It was a momentous occasion and the stadium and the crowd were resplendent in all its glory.  Tony Cloninger, the previous year's 20 game winner was the starting pitcher and his battery mate was Joe Torre.  Lee Thomas at 1st, Frank Bolling at 2nd, Dennis Menke at shortstop and the great Eddie Mathews at 3rd.  The outfield was Felipe Alou, Rico Carty and Hank Aaron.  Cloninger went 13 innings in a loss to the Pirates, but Torre hit a home run.  Mathews made a diving stop of a well hit ball, and my Dad turned to me and said, "That's Major League!" I remember it like it was yesterday!

While the 1966 team had a few stars like Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron and Joe Torre, the biggest crowds came out when others teams stars, like Willie Mays, came to town.  In spite of having players like the great Hank Aaron in the early years, the team was mediocre and was very infrequently in the pennant race beyond July.  I remember going to games as a teenager where there were less than 1000 fans in attendance and we would buy 50 cent general admission and then try to sneak down to the good seats.  But, we LOVED our Braves!

Then came the 90's.  I had already moved away from Atlanta. but still checked the box scores in the daily paper.  (Yes, in those days, we still got an actual newsPAPER delivered to the house)  The Braves advanced to The World Series FIVE times in the 90's.  1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1999.  They won the World Series in 1995 against the Cleveland Indians.  In either 1991 or 1992, I was in Atlanta because my Dad was having open-heart surgery and it happened to coincide with The World Series home games.  Because of my connections, EVERYBODY wanted tickets to a game.  Working the phone, I was able to come up with 12 tickets to a game and took brothers, friends and nearly everybody that hit me up for tickets.  

Unfortunately, the biggest Braves fan, my Dad, had surgery that day and was just regaining consciousness as we left for the game.  As he came out of the anesthesia, and with a breathing tube impeding his communication, he kept ringing for the nurse and pointing to the tv.  They finally figured out that he wanted the game to be turned on so that he wouldn't miss an inning.  Now, THAT'S a fan!  For years, whenever I visited with my Dad during baseball season, he had the Braves Game on the television.

When I think of baseball, I think of my Dad.  Baseball seems to enhance the relationship between a father and his offspring.  I have fond memories of taking my son to Fenway Park for the World Series in 1986.  While he was only 7 years old, I made good on my promise to take him if the Red Sox made it to the Series.  And then, I was fortunate to accompany him and his son to Elie's first Baltimore Orioles game in 2013.  And, although their team loyalties are somewhat off kilter, I have enjoyed watching my son-in-law and his daughter, Mara, bonding over their love for the Dodgers.

That brings us to 2021.  26 years since The Braves won a World Series and it was not looking very promising mid-season.  Injuries to their star outfielder and suspension to another major player and just plain bad luck as mid-summer approached.  But their GM went in to action, traded for 4 players, re-constituting their outfield and shoring up their pitching and The Braves posted the best 2nd half of the season of any other team.  A 3 out of 4 game dispatch of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Braves found themselves facing the dreaded LA Dodger in the NLCS.  Up 3 games to 1, flashes of 2020 appeared before our eyes....this was the same position they were in in 2020 and blew it to the same Dodgers.  But, not in the miracle year of 2021, as the Braves vanquished the Dodger and headed to The World Series against the hated Houston (Cheaters) Astros.

And the rest is history!  Tuesday night, November 2nd, Atlanta wins the 6th game of The Series to complete their improbable run to The Championship.  A total team effort with several great stories...their journeyman manager Brian Snitker, Mr. Brave Freddie Freeman, local boy makes good in Dansby Swanson (who grew up 15 minutes from the new stadium), unbelievable effort from their bullpen and a different star in each game with an unprecedented number of runs coming as a result of home runs.  And a fan base that is incredibly excited.

Damn, I almost forgot how much I love baseball!

Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win!

And The Journey continues........

One Year Later

 This Monday, October 18th, marks the One Year Anniversary of my kidney transplant.  I can't help but reflect on the journey that my bout with PGNMID, a rare kidney disease, has taken me and the hero that donated his kidney at the end of his life to help make my life continue.

Organ Donors are the real heroes!  I am here today because of one.  I am forever grateful and forever humbled by that.  After spending months on paratineal dialysis, where I hooked myself up to a machine EVERY night, it was a welcomed surprise call from The Miami Transplant Institute of Jackson Memorial Hospital on Saturday evening October 17, 2020.  As we hurried to Miami, a feeling of excitement but fear engulfed both me and Connie.  Since the Covid pandemic wouldn't allow visitors in the hospital, Connie dropped me off at the front door and drove the hour back to Boca.  I was admitted and finally operated on at 3 AM.  The hero was a 55 year old man who lost his life to a cardiac issue earlier that evening.

I often think of the family of my hero.  I know that other organs were harvested from him that evening and know for sure that his other kidney was given to a woman the same night I received mine.  I can only assume that his liver and possibly his lungs were also transplanted.  This hero saved multiple lives!  I hope his family gets some peace and satisfaction knowing that their family member has affected so many.  I also reflect on the courage of someone else who volunteered their live kidney to me, was tested and approved for transplant.  Although the transplant never happened due to the Covid pandemic, her selflessness and courage inspire me every day.  (She wishes to remain anonymous)

I also think of the Doctors, the Nurses, and all of the support personnel that has taken this journey with me.  My Transplant coordinator at MTI, the phlebotomists that have drawn my blood countless times for monitoring purposes and the patience they have all shown when I ask countless questions.

So, what has the last year brought?  After recovering from the operation, I have been able to return to as normal of a life as anyone else that is enduring this pandemic.  The anti-rejection drugs that I will be on the rest of my life works against the Covid vaccination, so I have to be extra careful with my exposure to others.  I mask everywhere and don't put myself in situations where there are large crowds of people.  But I work, I play and I visit with other vaccinated people.  We don't go out to eat unless there is outside dining, but frankly, I don't miss it!  Our travel has been limited to car trips, but I am sure air travel is in my future.

My new lease on life is a result of someone signing an organ donation pledge.  You can become an organ donor by designating that on your driver's license or as part of your living will.  Please consider what that would mean to the life and well being of someone else.

And The Journey continues.....

Despicable Prejudice

Over the course of my life, I have seen many examples of racism, anti-semitism , sexism and other forms of despicable prejudice.  As a young high school football player, I heard chants of “Jew Go Home,” in Griffin, Georgia because the game was rescheduled due to a conflict with Yom Kippur.  As an adult, I was asked by my former boss, “you’re not going to vote for that “Shvartza,” are you,” intimating that the only way too identify my preferred candidate was by the color of his skin.  In business I was told that I was trying to “Jew him down” when I was negotiating a better price.  I have heard business associates say that they could never work for a woman because they are “too emotional.”  There are many more examples that I have seen and heard.  Countless times, I have heard the derogatory terms, n****r, Kike, jungle bunny, Jesus killer and more used in everyday conversation.  Is it ignorance that causes those people to have deep rooted prejudices? Or is it a systemic epidemic?

 

Those same people that exhibit prejudicial tendencies are simply unwilling to acknowledge our country’s racist, prejudicial and sexist history and how it impacts the present.  In fact, they refuse to acknowledge their own personal prejudices.  Unfortunately, my generation was taught a white-washed version of history in school.  We were taught that this country was founded on “ALL men are created equal.”  That might be what is written in the Declaration of Independence, but it is not what has EVER been practiced in this country.  

 

First of all, that declaration doesn’t even take in to account that approximately 50% of the population aren’t men.  Nowhere are women mentioned and they have never been treated as equal.  Women couldn’t vote until the early 20^thcentury and weren’t even allowed to have a credit card in their name until the 1970’s!  Today, they are paid significantly less for doing the same job as men.  This country was founded on sexism and it still exists today.

 

Secondly, all men are created equal in this country as long as they are not Black, Jewish, Muslim, Gay, Trans, Middle-Eastern, of Far-Eastern descent or any other way that they aren’t straight, white, Christian men.  Blacks were held as slaves until late in the 19^th century.  We imprisoned Japanese-Americans during WW2 simply because of their heritage.  We had a former President that wanted to bar any Muslim from ever entering the country again.  We have politicians that want to control women’s bodies.  We have state legislatures and school boards that have outlawed the teaching or discussion of The Holocaust because they believe it to be a “theory.”  We have never fully recognized the fact that indigenous people were living in this land for centuries before Europeans “discovered” America and systematically stole their lands and eradicated their sovereign rights.  State legislatures are spending considerable time and money pushing for outrageous voter restriction laws that primarily target minorities.

 

These systemic prejudices are what Critical Race Theory is all about.  CRT is simply trying to teach that racism, sexism, and white nationalist prejudices have existed since the founding of this country and until we acknowledge that, there is no chance of every changing the collective thinking of the ruling class.  So, what do our politicians have to say about this?  The former President said that white nationalists are “fine people.”  Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida said that systemic racism as a concept is “a bunch of horse manure.” And then he and other politicians start writing laws and edicts outlawing the teaching of THE TRUTH!  What are THEY afraid of?

 

Scholars and activists who discuss CRT are not arguing that people living now are to blame for what people did in the past.  They are saying that people living now have a moral responsibility to do something about how racism, prejudices and sexism still impacts all of our lives today.  If we are to have an equitable democracy, then we must oppose those policies that are trying to silence this much needed conversation.

 

Looking back on my formal education, I am angry that my generation was taught a very white-washed version of our history.  I can’t help but think that this is one of the reasons our prejudices are so deeply embedded in our society.  In order for The USA to be the best it can be, we must confront the issue of racism, other prejudices and sexism head on.  The only way to stop the continuous cycle of prejudice is to recognize the past, so we can course correct the future.  Future generations will be better for it.

 

And The Journey Continues……

A Yom Kippur Reflection

Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement begins tonight.  It is a good time to reflect on the last year. 

 

How could I have been a better person… have I offended or hurt others…what could I have done better to show compassion and care for others.  Have we all, to some extent, lost our moral compass?  What is right and what is wrong?

 

In these turbulent times, we should all look within ourselves and ask those questions.  Is wearing a mask too much to ask of one in order to protect others?  Is spreading falsehoods and unsubstantiated “alternative facts” going to help mankind?  Are my individual “freedoms” more important than the greater good?

 

Unfortunately, we live in a time where selfishness, self-centeredness and narcissism are corrupting our collective moral compass.  We politicize those things that should be decided outside of politics.  We should trust science and the scientists rather than the pundits and talking heads.  And our decisions should take into consideration the greater good of all.

 

Selfish is defined as lacking consideration for others and is only concerned with oneself.  The choice to wear a mask is not about protecting yourself…it is about protecting others around you.  To teach our children that it is okay to not wear a mask in school is to teach them that selfishness is okay.  Yet, there are those that advocate this in the name of individual freedoms.  What about the freedom to not want to breathe other’s Covid germs? Why can't we simply be considerate of those around us?

 

A self-centered person is a person who can only use themselves as a frame of interest (how will this affect ME, what will I get out of this, how will I benefit).  A narcissist is selfish, self-centered, lacks empathy, and has a sense of entitlement, grandiosity and arrogance as they seek validation.  Those that exhibit these qualities will continually put themselves first.

 

A selfish, self-centered, narcissistic person cannot begin to understand the plight of the less fortunate, the immigrant or anyone else that is not like themselves.  

 

On this day of reflection and atonement, I will re-dedicate myself to not be selfish or self-centered.  I will be empathetic to those around me, fight for the underdog and continue to speak out against those that are only concerned about themselves.  If I have offended or hurt you by my actions or words, I ask for your forgiveness.

 

Wishing all a year of Health, Happiness and the resolve to always think of how our collective actions affect everyone around us.

And, The Journey continues.....

 

 

Stupid Is as Stupid Does..or Says

Recently, as a result of a posting that he didn't like, someone I once knew declared that I was stupid.  However, just because you don't agree with me, doesn't qualify me as "stupid."  In order for a statement to be classified as stupid, the statement should either be factually incorrect, show a level of inconsistency with generally accepted science and other norms or just be a load of hogwash! The very definition of stupid is  having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense.

 

Okay, I will finally admit that I have no patience for intellectual dishonesty in the form of stupid remarks.   We are living in the dumbest era in history.  Some of the stories that are in the news prove that stupidity is overtaking the world.

 

To wit: 

 

Recently, in a Congressional hearing, Representative Louie Gohmert (R,TX) stated, “You want very much to work on issues of climate change…Is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon’s orbit or the earth’s orbit around the sun?  Obviously, that would have profound effects on our climate.”  Is he really that dumb or is he trying to create cover that climate change is being caused by cosmic stuff that we humans have no hope of changing and thus we shouldn’t try to do anything like reduce the use of fossil fuels or anything logical?  I vote for stupid!

 

Then there is that brilliant congresswoman from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene.  Some of her statements include: 

“Federally funded school from age 3 to 20 doesn’t sound like education, it sounds like indoctrination,” she tweeted. “All at your expense. By force in the form of taxes.”  Hmm, is she so stupid, she doesn’t realize that taxes already pay for schools?  Public education…wow what a radical idea!

Her other comments range from comparing mask wearing to Naziism and the Holocaust to claiming that the school shootings in Parkland were staged and a big fake and stating that “Jewish Space Lasers” were the cause of the wildfires in California.  This woman is not just stupid, she is bat-shit crazy stupid!

 

Of course, there are many stupid people in this country.  All you have to do is look at the number of people that follow “Q” and the QAnon way of thinking.  This is the latest from those followers after a cicada landed on President Biden’s neck as he was boarding Air Force 1: Rather than just seeing it as an example of the issues caused by the return of the large, loud insects after living underground for the past 17 years, some QAnon supporters claimed the reappearance of the Brood X cicadas is somehow a secret nod that justifies their radical movement.  We The Media, a collection of QAnon advocates with more than 225,000 subscribers on its Telegram account, believes Biden swatting at the cicadas is actually "comms," a secret message that can be decoded by QAnon supporters.  "JOE BIDEN BITTEN BY A CICADA - COMMS? Just so happens that Cicada nymphs emerge after a 17-year childhood underground!!!" We The Media wrote.  The "underground" comment is a reference to a longheld belief from QAnon that there exists a network of secret underground tunnels where children are being trafficked and abused by the satanic pedophiles they claim they will one day expose.  If it was just 225,000 stupid people, it wouldn’t be so bad.  BUT, they only represent a small fraction of the people that believe in QAnon conspiracy theories.

 

This week, a new level of stupid became apparent when certain individuals declared that the Covid-19 vaccine was causing their bodies to become magnetized. These are the same people that claimed that not only was the administration of the vaccine Bill Gates’ way to put a tracking device in your body, but that the swab test for Covid was another way to implant a chip in your unsuspecting being!  Stupidity abounds!!!

 

And then there is the Former Guy:  Without a doubt, the King of stupid remarks...

 

"I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words."

 

"It's really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming!"

 

"They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

 

"The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."

 

"[John McCain is]... not a war hero. He's a war hero - he's a war hero 'cause he was captured. I Like people that weren't captured, OK, I hate to tell you."  

“I’m the least racist person you have ever interviewed.”

 

“So they’re investigating something that never happened.”

 

“Despite the constant negative press covfefe”

 

“What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening,” 

 

At remarks celebrating Black History Month, he ad-libs that “Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice.” The remark, and its present tense phrasing regarding a figure who died in 1895, has never been explained. 

 

He “considers exercise misguided, arguing that a person, like a battery, is born with a finite amount of energy.”

 

While arguing for more stringent Voter ID laws, he said, “if you go out and buy groceries, you need a picture on a card—you need ID.”

 

In describing Hurricane Florence “one of the wettest we’ve ever seen, from the standpoint of water.” 

 

He described the planet Mars, on Twitter, as something “of which the Moon is a part,”

 

He celebrated the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by praising how George Washington’s Continental Army “took over airports” during the Revolutionary War.

 

He said he has heard that the noise generated by windmills causes cancer.

 

He introduced Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt by asserting that Bernhardt is “a man who loves the interior.”

 

"I will be reinstated as President by August."

 

While this is only a very small sampling of the idiotic remarks made by the former guy, it at the very least exposes him as either a very disturbed individual or one that is just plain stupid.  Or some of both!

 

Now, I am not saying that the former guy is the cause of the dumbing down of America, but he certainly reaffirms that idea.  When the story of this era is told many years from now, students and history enthusiasts will learn about his lies, corruption, self-enrichment, and abuse. What they may not grasp—and what even now is hard to comprehend—is just how stupid it was to live through. The former guy told the nation to inject bleach during a pandemic; his team altered the projected path of a hurricane on an official document, with a Sharpie, to help him save face after an erroneous tweet. There were the dishwashers that had to be run 10 times and the toilets that had to be flushed 5 times The blank pages that the White House pretended were important documents. A long, long time ago, he declared himself a “very stable genius.” By now, that phrase feels almost normal. But seriously: What?

 

There has always been and will continue to be stupid people making stupid remarks. All of this stupidity is great fodder for the Late Night Comedy shows, but that doesn’t mean we should be accepting of stupidity in our leaders, other public figures and our neighbors.  It is actually incredibly sad.

 

And The Journey continues….

 

Upon Turning 70 - What I Know for Sure (redux)

I was born on May 13, 1951...Mother’s Day...which means that on May 13, 2021, I turn 70 years old.  As I enter my 8^thdecade, some reflections are in order.

 

When I turned 60, I wrote a blog, “Reflections on Turning 60...What I Know for Sure.”  If you are interested in seeing the entire list of the “21 Things I Know For Sure,” you can access that blog in the archive at the right of this blog. (May, 2011)

 

Recently, an acquaintance called me stupid for posting an opinion, based on FACT, that was evidently diametrically opposed to his own opinion.  (#9 on my 2011 list: True friends are ones that will go to the end of the earth for you and vice versa, are hard to come by and are quite few....so treasure them.  The rest are merely acquaintances.)  

 

Now, this person certainly has the right to his (misguided) opinion, but I don’t need to apologize for my opinions.   (#8 -If you have an opinion or make a choice that is diametrically opposed to what most others think, the world will not end!  Be an independent thinker.)  This acquaintance also opined that I always think I am smarter than everyone else around me.  I don’t necessarily agree – I only believe I am smarter than some people. (#14 - If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will.)

 

The ”21 Things I Know” list from 2011 is still a fairly comprehensive list, but I left out a very important thing I know:  FACTS MATTER!

 

In February 2017, I wrote: We expect a Leader who is dedicated to Facts and Truth…not alternative facts, made-up stories and the propensity to repeat those lies over and over again so that a percentage of the population will begin to believe the bullshit. Unfortunately, many don’t agree with that statement.  However, when you subscribe to the lies, stupidity abounds - - - - 

·       The election was NOT stolen!  

·       The BIG LIE has NO basis in facts! 

·       The Covid vaccine does NOT allow Bill Gates to implant a microchip in your body!  

·       Wearing a mask is NOT harmful to your body!  

·       The economy has NOT tanked because a Democrat is President!  

·       BLM and Antifa did NOT storm the Capitol on January 6^th!  

·       Covid has NOT magically disappeared! 

·       There is NOT A group of Satan worshipping elites who run a child sex ring controlling our politics and media!  

·       The mass shootings in recent years were NOT staged hoaxes!   

·       There is NOT evidence that vaccines cause autism! 

·       Trickle-down economics has never worked, will never work and simply does NOT work! 

·       “Alternative facts” are NOT Facts!  Just another name for lies.

·       Racial equality does NOT exist in mainstream America! (#11-There will never be peace until everybody recognizes everybody else as their equal. Prejudice, racism, bias and hate are the root of all evil.)

 

I could go on and on – By count by The Washington Post and Politifacts, the former guy made 30,573 FALSE or MISLEADING claims over 4 years.  That’s 7643 per year, 147 per week and 21 per day – more than 1 per waking hour! In one of his books, the former guy stated that if you tell a lie often enough, most will believe it… and that is one of the few things he was right on.  No wonder we are all exhausted!!  

 

 So, on to other ruminations….

 

As we have added to our grandchildren count over the last 10 years, it has become even more evident that they are truly four of the greatest joys in our lives. (#17-Grandchildren are your reward for raising great children.)  As it has been difficult being away from them during the pandemic, but we WILL make up for lost time.

 

If you measure wealth and success by the amount of dollars and “stuff” you have, then I am not a wealthy man. Comfortable, maybe, but not wealthy.  But, I often wonder if the accumulation of stuff is the true measure of a successful life.  It might sound trite, but I have more increasingly come to the belief that a truly successful person is one that can look in the mirror and say that they have done the best they could; have been honest, forthright, loving, charitable and caring about others and the world they leave behind. (#20-We are responsible for our own life and nobody else. There are those that assist us along the path but our success can never be left to anyone else.)

 

A wise man once said to me, “This ain’t a dress rehearsal.”  After having gone through my health problems and subsequent kidney transplant and the difficulties we all have had in dealing with the pandemic, that statement rings more true than ever. (#1-Life will not always go the way you want it.  Deal with it. And #21 -Life is short.  We should DO IT now!)  

 

Finally, I have to believe that 70 is the new 50!  I plan on roaming this earth for at least 30 more years.  After all, my new kidney is about 15 years younger than me and I have places to go, things to do and people to see!  Check back in 2031, when I write my reflections on turning 80.

 

And The Journey continues……..