When good men fail to act or take action, then evil will always prevail ….
It should come as no surprise that Alex Rodriguez has filed a grievance against the MLB hierarchy through the MLBPA (Players` Union) in seeking to have his suspension overturned, with his appeal going in front of an independent arbitrator . This matter further prolongs what has already been a painful episode for the game of baseball . Meanwhile, fans are offering either the most reasonable of solutions or making some of the most asinine statements possible . Even the most anal retentive within this domain are offering up solution, as why not simply let the players carry on using whatever illicit substances they want . And it is for this lone reason, why I believe this country should no longer get the respect, it simply feels it deserves from the outside world ! When you have that sort of unintelligent and asinine reasoning being made as an argument , it shows a complete lack of understanding of the situation and furthermore, it shows ignorance and stupidity . Hell , the country simply does not deserve anything, by way of respect from the outside world, given its present economic climate and some might rightfully agree , a government and an administration , simply devoid of intelligence and any real leadership .
======================================================
=====================================================
Sideshow .
Rodriguez`s appeal will be presided over by an independent arbitrator, whose decision will be final . From my own perspective , I believe that the MLB hierarchy has handled this whole matter with the aptitude and incompetency of an impaired driver behind the wheel of a vehicle careening down a highway at a high rate of speed, that is about to plow into a group of innocent bystanders. With a pending appeal process, Alex Rodriguez will be allowed to play for the beleaguered New York Yankees , who now find themselves in fourth place within the AL East and falling further behind divisional rivals the Boston Red Sox , Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles . The third baseman`s stats , since his return this season from hip surgery , one could suggest, has been anemic . Not that any assistance provided by the player would not be welcomed,given the plight of this team under Joe Girardi and his staff this season .
The Yankees` next game will be a home series (three games) at Yankee Stadium , starting on Friday, against the Detroit Tigers of the AL Central . On the mound for the home team will be Ivan Nova , as he faces off against Rick Porcello of the Tigers. As to how the home team fans will show their approval of the beleaguered Rodriguez remains to be seen , but if it is anything like the cat-calls and boos received , in the somewhat hostile environment of US Cellular Field in Chicago against the Chicago White Sox , when the Yankees last played . Then, Alex Rodriguez could very well be in for a torrid time in-front of his hometown fans.
As simplistic as this might sound, with all of the criticism justifiably leveled at Bud Selig. My question remains , if the commissioner is due any criticism , then has none been aimed towards the team owners , players not participants in the steroid cheating , who have remained silent, but most of all the members of the mainstream press who now seek to make themselves out as saviors of the game ? MLB broadcast partner ESPN is perhaps, one of the most guilty members of the media, who have sought to remain all too silent , never once being critical of the league and the way that they have governed the game of baseball . Now as this story becomes part of the news` cycle of featured sports` stories . Here we have all of the major networks and cable sports` outlets relentlessly giving us their synopsis`s and diagnosis as to how this all may very well end.
Baseball`s history as been littered with controversy, infamy , and perhaps now, one of the most unsavory episodes in its entire existence . Alex Rodriguez proclaims his love of the game, which he has been a part of for almost two decades , while seeking also to become a role model for young kids. Yet, his continued lies and seeking to apportion blame elsewhere for problems of his own making, paints a picture of a self-absorbed narcissistic and amoral individual . The player remains a poor excuse for someone , who at one time was viewed as one of the best players of the late nineties and of the last decade. An all too sad an indictment of a wasted talent and a player , who has now become a pariah.
With the release of the movie `42` , starring Chad Bozeman and Harrison Ford. This film was meant to give us a realistic and true portrayal of the life of Jackie Robinson and his integration and introduction into the Major Leagues. Beautifully made, the acting and ensemble cast gave the audience something that could very much believe by way of Hollywood finally getting something right by way of a very realistic portrayal of one of the major and unsavory times within baseball , and one in which baseball historians tend to gloss over with alarming regularity . Each year, baseball rolls out its Jackie Robinson Day to commemorate that historic event of the Hall of Fame player`s first game in the Big Leagues .
In what can only be described as a depraved act of stupidity and racial animus , perpetrators daubed, defecated upon and vandalized statues of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese outside the stadium of the Brooklyn Cyclones , in Brooklyn, New York state . The outrage now seems to be widespread amongst the New York community, but particularly amongst the Brooklyn residents and those old enough , who fondly remember both Robinson and Reese ,as close teammates. Why this happened, is of no great surprise, given the depravity and how heinous the act just happened to be. What is of surprise, is the very fact that no one from within the MLB`s headquarters, has voiced their outrage or issued a public statement on the incident. Well, that should not really come as any great surprise, given the fact that baseball`s own failings in recent years, concerning their recent initiatives to bring back baseball within the inner cities and specifically amongst minorities.
Courtesy of the New York Daily News
The Daily News is offering $10,000 for information leading to the coward that scrawled hate speech on the Jackie Robinson statue outside MCU Park in Coney Island.
By Thomas Tracy, Nicholas Wells and Richard Schapiro , New York Daily News
A despicable act of vandalism sparked a chorus of outrage Wednesday after swastikas and racist slurs were found scrawled on the iconic Jackie Robinson statue outside the Brooklyn Cyclones stadium.
A manager at MCU Park in Coney Island stumbled upon the defaced statue about 8:30 a.m., just hours before thousands of kids showed up at the ballpark for Camp Day.
Among the hate-filled messages written in black marker on the monument of Robinson and his Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese were: “Hile (sic) Hitler,” “Die N—-r” and “F–k Jackie Robinson and all N——s.”
In a bid to help cops catch the hate-filled coward, the Daily News is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
Investigators were poring over surveillance video Wednesday night.
The desecration drew fiery denunciations from a slew of politicians and former baseball stars — including one of Robinson’s last living teammates, Ralph Branca.
“I have no idea why anyone would do that,” Branca, 87, told the Daily News. “The statue signified a great moment in American history.”
RELATED: LUPICA: HATEFUL DEFACING OF JACKIE ROBINSON STATUE A CRIME AGAINST ALL
Sen. Chuck Schumer, in a surprise visit to the site, lashed out at the perpetrator.
“I hope you’re punished for what you did because what [you] did put a dagger in the heart of what America is all about,” Schumer said.
“That there are still people who don’t understand what Jackie Robinson stood for in his grace, and his strength and the beautiful person he was and to try and deface him, defame him by defacing this statue is just an act of . . . it’s beyond words to me,” he added.
Photos of the defaced statue obtained by The News show an image of a swastika above a Hitler reference and the word “N—–s” scrawled twice on the base, just above the inscription detailing the monument’s significance.
=================================================
Click on link to read in full.
=================================================
Bud Selig`s tenure can be best described as self-created pratfalls,with the man himself , looking to take credit for anything that remotely might show he and the game in a positive light. Over the past two decades , there has been very little that the commissioner can really point to, as a real positive. Now, in light of the Biogenesis scandal and the incident that took place in Brooklyn. It is extremely difficult to imagine,how anyone would now try to suggest that this season can in any way, be seen as a positive .
Racially motivated or a simple act of vandalism , this incident and how baseball, and law enforcement , now seek to address the matter, will go a long way , in how the public will view the game in the aftermath of the most recent events to have taken place. As to the perpetrators of this crime,it is hoped, that they will have the decency to at least show some contrition for their actions. Yet, that might now be too much to expect, given the fact , that there are idiots, who will also seek take advantage of this act, to further a rather insidious cause .
==================================================
===================================================
Picture gallery .
Baseball is filled with a great deal of hypocrisy, with much of it coming from the players themselves and their own selfishness . Furthermore , a great deal of tat is actually countenanced by the lack of expediency shown by Michael Weiner as the executive director of the MLBPA , who himself, has been less tan forthright, as to the actions of his members, specifically those embroiled in this latest chapter of cheating. And there still remains the fans who are passionate about the game, but who are gullible enough to actually believe that the players actually give a damn, about whether or not their teammates or others are cheating. Case in point , Derek Jeter might just be the most respected player in the game along with teammate, Mariano Rivera . Yet, for all of the controversy that has beset the game and that still casts a giant over baseball.When have you ever heard either player, come out and be openly critical of the players known to have cheated or even voiced their concerns and how now dangerous a path that the game seems to be taking , in terms of the adverse image and bad publicity ? Answers please , if you can ?
😉
Picture and slideshow details below .
===============================================================
(1) New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez leaves the dugout to take batting practice before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013 in Chicago. AP Photo/David Banks …
(2) New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez signs autographs before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013, in Chicago. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast …
(3) New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter arrives at Petco Park for the Yankees inter-league baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Diego, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi …
(4) In a scene from the hit movie `42` Branch Rickey portrayed by Harrison Ford pleads with Jackie Robinson (Chad Bozeman) to have patience and simply display his skills and vent his due anger into the game and not against those who are taunting him with derogatory racial epithets. @ copyrighted material all rights reserved
(5) A worker covers the base of the Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese, where vile slurs written in marker could not be removed from the stone Wednesday. AP Photo / Neil Miller
(6) A portrait of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ infielder Jackie Robinson in uniform from about 1945. Hulton Archives / Getty Images …
(7) The Daily News is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of those responsible for the hateful graffiti scrawled on the Jackie Robinson statue (shown here before the despicable act). Associated Press …
(8) Racial slurs have scarred the Jackie Robinson statue outside MCU Park. So racially offensive were many of the remarks daubed on the effigy , that it took workers several hours to clean and restore the statue to its former being . Associated Press ….
(9) The Brooklyn Dodgers’ Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson chatting in dugout at Yankee Stadium in 1947. The two players and teammates ,became firm friends , and both are enshrined in baseball`s Hall of Fame , in Cooperstown , New York . New York Daily News / Ed Jackson ….
……
===============================================================
🙂
tophatal …….
Related MLB articles within this site .
The sound you hear, is but the brief glimpse of baseball showing and still sowing the seeds of doubt
Sell me on it , or whatever the hell else, is actually possible
========================================
This week in MLB history
This day in MLB history
Share this:
Tophatal's Blog 
We judge a man by his character and his actions . In the case of Alex Rodriguez , he can and should no longer be treated as a man or someone with any damn character or honor ! Yet, there seems to be so many damn morons simply seeking out the player for his notoriety and an autograph . How fu#king dumb are those individuals to begin with ?
By any measure , Jackie Robinson is more of a man than Alex Rodriguez could ever dream of being or ever hope to be . Robinson was a man of character and a far better teammate than Rodriguez could ever claim to be . And if it is a matter of character , then it is simply no contest , Robinson wins hands down !
Alex Rodriguez has no respect for the game of baseball , simply the wealth and notoriety it as afforded him .
Yankees` manager Joe Girardi is a dumb ass and an even bigger hypocrite ! Voices his displeasure about the rampant use of steroids in the game , but in a recent statement , he states that the team needs Alex Rodriguez . What an ass !
Rodriguez has never been a good teammate while with the organization and is simply tolerated because of who he is and not what he is capable of no longer doing , unless he is being synthetically aided .
For those who claim racism is now dead and buried . Simply wake the fu#k up and smell the damn coffee !
.
What took place in Brooklyn was not an aberration , merely a daily occurrence happening all over the country , with a great deal of it going either unreported or not being investigated by the appropriate authorities .
tophatal …………………
LikeLike
Joe Girardi’s stance is symptom of the hypocrisy going on with this issue. Girardi needs to win, and if A-Rod can help him with that, then he’s all for playing him. He won’t say anything negative if he stands to gain from the situation personally.
ESPN will tread lightly on this issue as well. They have a partnership with MLB, and being overly critical of the league will hurt their own business interests. That’s why it’s up the anti-media, the bloggers to keep the pressure on the MLB to do what’s right.
LikeLike
Maurice
Joe Girardi is an A1 ingrate ! Much like all of the other managers have done over the years in keeping quiet over te steroid cheats . He and his peers have simply been disingenuous and a complete disgrace to the game of baseball and that is one of the saddest facts that now encompass the game and that includes likes Joe Torre , Bobby Cox , Tony La Russa , Davey Johnson , Terry Francona , Bruce Bochy and Jim Leyland . These are guys who have been some of the most respected managers in the game over the past two decades . Not one of the aforementioned managers has ever spoken publicly on the matters of steroids or has been openly critical of those players found to be cheating. It certainly has not happened amongst the current list of managers in their present roles .
tophatal ……..
LikeLike
Maurice
ESPN would rather seek to make money than seek to sow itself as a legitimate journalistic outlet and that has been their problem far too often , all along . They ave placed style over substance with regard to their ongoing content and then think that because they have a newsworthy story that will catch the public`s imagination , they still believe it makes them all the more credible .
At times , watching ESPN is almost as bad as watching Fox News with their political bias and slant on their entire content and makeup of their on air personalities . Yet in reality , all of these outlets seem to think , it adds to their credibility , when truth be known it does not ! Because , at the end of the day what is driving their bottom line , is profits over everything else and not wanting rock the boat or to annoy their paymasters .
topatal …………
LikeLike
What do you think of Ryan Dempster’s suspension for beaning A-Rod?
LikeLike
Sam
From my own viewpoint , the action neither achieved anything or meant anything at all ! I mean has Ryan Dempster ever come out openly and be critically of the players known to be associated with the widespread steroid cheating within the game of baseball ? It is all simple hypocrisy on the part of these players who in large part , lack common sense and an ounce of intelligence , much like the anal retentive fans out there , who believe that the players should be allowed to ingest whatever they want into their systems .
Dempster is no better or worse than Alex Rodriguez , because his (Dempster) imbued silence, says it all .
topatal ………………….
LikeLike
Well said! I just can’t wait to see the treatment Braun gets…
LikeLike
Travis Normand
Thanks for chiming in with a vote, as it was greatly appreciated !
😉
tophatal ………
LikeLike
Of the thirteen players now linked to the Biogenesis scandal , twelve are of Latino descent , with only one of the named players being of Caucasian heritage/background .
Anthony Bosch, founder of the company , states that in his possession and that of the US Justice Department , there are as many as forty to sixty players implicated in this ongoing scandal . So unless Bud Selig does indeed have something to hide and is seeking to save the game of baseball further embarrassment . Then, he should simply lay out the hierarchy`s case with all of the names being made public and to hell with those players` right to privacy . Their actions have already irrevocably done more harm to the game than the alleged witch-hunt that Michael Weiner of the MLBPA believes baseball`s hierarchy is now conducting . It is not as if the players` union (MLBPA) has ever been proactive in trying educate its members on the harm of using steroids , never mind the fact that rarely has any high-profiled player come out and publicly denounced any of the steroid cheats . Certainly not . Derek Jeter , Mariano Rivera , Albert Pujols , or other well-respected players like Justin Verlander , Tim Lincecum or even any of the younger stars such as Mike Trout and Stephen Strasburg .
Matt Kemp`s bitchy whining like the ass clown he appears to be , achieved absolutely nothing, because he simply could not make an argument or a succinct of case in his criticism of is now former friend Ryan Braun , to whom he finished runner-up to in the 2011 NL MVP race .
tophatal ………………….
LikeLike
When Alex Rodriguez returns to Yankees Stadium for the first time, it’s going to be great. We can’t wait to see the reaction of the fans. Get ready for some boo’s.
LikeLike
Blog Surface
There are some anal retentive fans in New York , who are likely to praise the player , but at the same time , I believe that a great many of the fans in attendance will and should show their despise of Alex Rodriguez and his dragging of that organization`s name through the dirt . The Yankees` ownership are not without fault in all of this .
Hank and Hal Steinbrenner must be amongst two of the dumbest owners in all of baseball . They have sat idly by and have not brought in policies of their own to actually monitor Rodriguez , having witnessed the player`s previous antics for themselves . The Yankees are now deserving of this continued embarrassment and so too ,are the rest of baseball , because the whole MLB hierarchy has been so corrupt and their continued thought process has been so misplaced along with their manner of dealing with the steroid cheats .
I am completely surprised that you had nothing to say concerning the incident of the vandalism to the statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese . Then again , it must be the continued apathy so often associated with the vast majority of baseball fans .
tophatal …………
LikeLike
The type of people that would deface the statue of Jackie Robinson will hopefully go the way of the Neanderthal. Made extinct through the process of natural selection, because quite frankly they are too stupid to survive. This country can survive the ignorance of some, it’s the greed at the top that bothers me. God bless America (we need all the help we can get) and peace!
LikeLike
aero
It simply just was not the the act of vandalism alone , because what the press failed to state , was that the perpetrators /vandals also defecated and urinated on and at the base of the statue , daubing graffiti on the edifice ,along with the racial slurs .
It as to be the apathy of some, who continue to believe that the country has progressed in terms of race relations . Acts such as this, are no longer a rare occurrence , because they are now happening with an alarming regularity . It is unfortunate also, that no one from the MLB hierarchy has come out and publicly condemned and denounced this act of stupidity . Yet, that is to be expected because it does not supply Bud Selig with a grand enough photo opportunity for him talk about his plans for the game and the money that baseball continues to rake in , as the steroid cheats continue to make a mockery of the game .
Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese deserve a great deal better than what this single incident represents !
As for Alex Rodriguez , why can`t he simply walk away from the game , rather than continue to drag it even deeper into the mud ? I mean what has he left to offer baseball as a player ? His skills have been on the decline since 2006 and that is in spite of his postseason heroics in 2009 , when the Yankees last won the title .
After the Buccaneers` disappointing display last night . I am not so sure that the fans will have a great deal to look forward to for the remainder of the pre-season schedule , much less during the regular season itself ! Your thoughts on that and the fact that the game itself was sparsely attended at Raymond James for the team`s 2013 pre-season opener ?
Things will not be getting any easier in the Bucs` second game of their quartet of exhibition games for 2013 .
Have a great weekend and my regards to you and the immediate family ! Go Rays and go Bucs , for all that will mean !
tophatal ………………..
LikeLike
aero
Personally , I would like to see te culprits caught and then the punishment meted out would be according to an Arabic custom of forty lashes of the whip and if it were a second offense, then a hand or forearm would be amputated ! Now that`s real justice and not the fastidious bull-crap meted out here within the US legal system .
tophatal ………….
LikeLike
Off baseball for the moment. But was that 44-16 rout of the Buccaneers by the Ravens , meant to let the Bucs` fans know in advance what they should now expect over the remainder of the pre season and the team`s regular season schedule ?
Greg Schiano is either delusional or he really is that much of an ass to come out with the statement that the Buccaneers played with a great deal of passion last night . Was he actually watching that game and how bad his players were ?
tophatal …………….
LikeLike
I’m getting sick and tired of all this “coach speak”. Where coaches refuse to acknowledge anything negative about their teams, and only focus on the positive. It’s very disingenuous. It’s getting to the point where it’s almost a waste of time to listen to coaches any more.
LikeLike
Maurice
It is not just the coaches but also te players , executives and at times the owners . Alex Rodriguez today will be in the Yankees` lineup to face the Tigers at home . The player has supposedly offered his apologies to is teammates for being an off-field distraction , but he as not told them the reasons why .
Meanwhile, you have Joe Girardi and Mariano Rivera stating that they need Alex Rodriguez because he is a leader and a team player ? WTF ! Personally , I would now like to see the team fall further behind in the division and wildcard standings overall , and put an end to their season as a whole !
Alex Rodriguez has only ever been concerned about himself and the money he earns as a player .
tophatal ………..
LikeLike
I can’t tell much by the first preseason game Al. Sure, I wish they would’ve won, but they have a lot of people they have to look at. Worse case scenario is they lack depth. They did shut out the Ravens first team offense in the first quarter. They still lack some pieces, but I don’t think it’s as bad as last night would indicate. At least I hope not.
Have a great weekend brother and cheers!
LikeLike
aero
My issue with the Buccaneers if they are reliant on the passing game , especially with Freeman under the gun . Then the team`s game is likely to suffer . The saving grace is that they have some very good receivers and a damn good running game, with Doug Martin , leading the way .
. Second and third stringers or not , the team`s performance last night was simply atrocious , no matter how you try and assess it all .
Can someone please bring Greg Schiano’s head down out of the clouds ? That Bucs` team did not play with passion last night in their defeat by the Ravens .
Unlucky for the Bucs, as their next game on Thursday of next week will be against my beloved Pats . I expect Belichick and the team to vent their frustration on the Buccaneers after all of off-season drama concerning Aaron Hernandez and Alfonzo Dennard !
A Rod sends his regards and would like to know if you believe him , when he states that he has not taken any steroids over the past ten months ? LOL,LOL !!!
tophatal ……………….
LikeLike
He is a sleaze He took em so kick his ass out now. defacing the statues is wrong. put their asses in jail.
LikeLike
bobby gee
Rodriguez is a sleaze ball , he knows it and so does the whole world . Yet , he is now trying to cast himself as someone who as been wronged and who is being victimized . Repeatedly , he has lied , now with is apologizing to his teammates , regarding his being a distraction in clubhouse ,is simply bogus . Being a distraction is one thing but being unwilling to tell them why , shows how much of gutless and spineless piece of crap the player just happens to be . Alex Rodriguez is looking to get ahead of a mess he created for himself , by now looking to apportion blame elsewhere .
What took place in Brooklyn at the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones was disgusting and simply another sign to the idiots out there who still believe that the country has advanced in terms of race relations . It is clear that they are simply damn delusional and choose not to take note of what is actually happening within their midst . They are likely to try and suggest that this incident was nothing more than an isolated happening . To my mind, that is simply a sign of utter stupidity on their part ! I mean ow else can you explain it ?
Racial intolerance is alive and well in the United States and the bigots leading the charge are the perpetrators of the crime committed to that edifice . The fact that no prominent official from MLB as spoken out publicly and denounce that act of vandalism and it simply shows us that Bud Selig and the league hierarchy are a bunch of damn clowns . As I have repeatedly said their (MLB) RBI initiative (Returning Baseball to the Inner Cities) is simply one of the biggest jokes existing today within Major League Baseball and it will remain so for the foreseeable future !
tophatal ………
LikeLike
Tophat, you kinda ragged on Matt Kemp about the MVP. You hadda point but let’s turn you around on the guy.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/viral-v…004632881.html
LikeLike
Ronbets
The only way you can turn me around on Matt Kemp is to tell me the reason why he and Rihanna are no longer an item , was because of her sexually voracious appetite and that he simply could not keep up with her in that context . Pity the poor guy ! LOL,LOL,LOL !!!!
Kemp and former flame Rihanna
Kemp whining about Ryan Braun is too little , too late ! I mean, when he and Manny Ramirez were teammates and Manny failed his first drug test as a member of the Dodgers . . Why was there no outrage from the player (Kemp) ? Matt Kemp is a hypocrite , plain and simple ! Enough said !
tophatal ………..
LikeLike
Following up on my above post:
Young fella passed away Tuesday night
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/s…t-kemp-dies-19
LikeLike
Ronbets
Kemp could have been out kissing babies and handing out $100-00 bills to the homeless. It still doesn`t negate the fact that he acted like a clown without clearly stating his point succinctly . As I stated in the earlier comment, why was there no outrage of a former teammate (2010) in Man-Ram, who failed a drug test and now having failed a second has yet to serve the mandatory one-hundred game suspension as prescribed by MLB . You can`t just send a shot across the bow of one player and then not be critical of another !. Baseball has simply become a joke presided over by a bunch of imbeciles at all levels within the game .
Your thoughts on the idiots who defaced and vandalized the statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese ?
tophatal …………….
LikeLike
The New York Yankees will play host to the Detroit Tigers today at Yankees Stadium and we are likely to see Yankees` fans celebrate the fact that Alex Rodriguez will be in the lineup .
Personally, I just hope that the Tigers lay the wood to this Yankees` team and place them further behind in the divisional standings . and even further back in the wildcard standings . Nothing would finer than to see the ball-club (Yankees) completely miss the postseason altogether !
Rodriguez is unlikely to aid the team in their hopes of making the postseason . Their pitching has been way too inconsistent , with only Kuroda and Sabatia actually being of service in terms of the pitching . From an offensive standpoint , they are simply nowhere near as inconsistent as they actually need to be .
tophatal …………..
LikeLike
I can’t understand what these autograph seekers are thinking? How can you want the autograph of one of the greatest cheaters in the history of baseball. Maybe they are out to turn a profit on ebay or something. Otherwise it’s just pathetic. Another symptom of the moral decay in this country.
LikeLike
Maurice
These individuals are not thinking , nor do they possess the actual intelligence to think for themselves. The US continues to believe that it is a moral beacon of light for the rest of the world to follow, but in reality it simply has noting at all to offer the world, by way of culture , the arts or sciences . All it simply has , is its militaristic might and not much else beyond that at all .
And the labeling of the champions of the home-grown sports as being world champions is simply the most asinine thing of all, when it comes to the NBA , NFL , NHL and MLB !
tophatal
LikeLike
Thoughts on the defacing? We recently had an Native American area “Red Rock” vandalized and spray painted by the same type mentality. These acts are done by immature ‘boymen’ scumbags. that are fearful of the establishment. They need to be on the receiving end of some vigilante justice if authorities fail to deliver them.
LikeLike
Ronbets
I`m not a deeply religious individual albeit , that I was brought up as a Christian . Shied away from it all after my time spent in the military (British Royal Marines) and seeing a great deal of distress in various parts of the world . That being said , if I were to subscribe to a form punishment that I believe would act as a deterrent for the scum who perpetrated those acts in Brooklyn, then it would have to fall in line with the form of Sharia-law as followed within the tenets of Islam . If you commit a crime of theft and are found guilty , then you lose either a and or your forearm . Commit a rape, and you can either be beheaded or face execution by being hanged . In a cases such vandalism , a public flogging in the streets of no less than one-hundred lashes , would be a fair act of punishment and as a penalty to go along with imprisonment . Sounds barbaric , but I believe it would be a great deterrent !
A Rod is going to get his , one way or another ! Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenners now realize that they made a monumental mistake in not jettisoning te player in early April to mid-May , when they actually had the chance to do so .
A lot of teams now feel that should Alex Rodriguez be suspended for remainder of this season and all of 2014 . They feel that the New York Yankees will be either allowed a special one-time dispensation by Bud Selig as they seek to bolster their roster , having lost the player to long-term suspension With that salary coming off te books immediately , it does leave the Yankees in a very advantageous position for this and next season should the player`s suspension be upheld .
One more thing to come out of this situation, that I mentioned in an earlier piece, is the very fact that Alex Rodriguez took out an insurance policy to indemnify himself against any monetary loss with a major insurance underwriter . Now if he is found guilty by the independent arbitrator there is also a possibility that the insurance company could go after the player for trying to commit insurance fraud . Consider the fact that he is still owed $104 million by the New York Yankees . Alex Rodriguez does stand to lose a great deal more than his career , possibly his freedom as well ?
tophatal ……………..
LikeLike
Tophat,
Your are really upset about the defacing of the JR PWR statue. I think it hit a nerve. Here’s some aspirin to try to ease the pain. The lowlifes wudda done the same to a Ghandi, Jesus, MLK, Mother Theresa monument Does the garbage that these strung-out punks spew represent anything significant? That don’t know what day it is. Get over it. CC surveillance will help nab them.
LikeLike
Ronbets
The reason why I am upset is that as a kid (teenager) I was arrested outside the South African embassy in London , protesting against a racist and illegitimate regime that professed that apartheid was best for that country. My hero at the time and still remains so , to this day , none other than Nelson Mandela . While this was all going on , the US , as usual, simply turned a blind eye . One more thing , if the US as it so often does and claims , is against terrorism . Then why was it during te seventies and early eighties they welcomed the likes of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness , who were members of the IRA and Sinn Fein . The IRA was a terrorist organization and Sinn Fein was supposedly the political wing of the group. Political leaders such as Tip O`Neil and Edward Kennedy welcomed these guys with open arms , and assisted in raising tens of millions of dollars to aid these groups (IRA & Sinn Fein) to kill innocent Irish civilians as well members of my own platoon (Royal Marines` member and serviceman) while I was serving in Ireland during the eighties .
I cannot stand any form of racism ! And this idea and idiocy of `free speech` is simply a crock of fecal matter ! Respect is simply what matters ! Racism has its consequences and at times , there are idiots out there who simply do not realize or understand that fact .
tophatal ………..
LikeLike
Tophat,
Your cause is just. You got the passion, now get your butt out there and run for office or hook-up with the Civil Rights movers and shakers. Deliver .001% as much as Mandela and consider it a success.
Kennedy and Tip took good care of their roots. Shame.
LikeLike
Ronbets
To serve serve in a position here as such , would mean me having to renounce my UK citizenship, and that is not going to happen !
What I have done periodically , is to work wit US military vets assisting them in getting benefits denied them by the VA (Veterans Administration) and their state authorities . I get more pleasure in doing that ! It is something that I and a number of work colleagues have done periodically over the last few years .
What cause , isn`t meant to be `just` when you know it to be morally right and the absolute right thing to do ?
Kids nowadays, will do a Malcolm X T-shirt but cannot tell you what te man actually stood for .
The likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are in a similar vain when it comes to Mandela . Jackson in particular , still seeks to curry favor when it comes Dr King and also Mandela . He may well ave been at the Lorraine Motel at the time of King`s (MLK) death, but his alleged heroics as he remembers the events , do not concur with the chain of events as remembered by other individuals at the scene ___ during the fatal moments . . .
King` prostrate body , but no Jesse in sight .
Prior to te assassination , it was clear he was in the vicinity and I believe it should be left at that , as far as Jessie is concerned .
tophatal ….
LikeLike
Ronbets
The title of this piece , do you not feel that it is pertinent ? When good men fail to act, then evil does prevail or prosper .
Choosing to remain quiet feeds the bigots more than anything else . For those who believe it a Pyrrhic victory by remaining quiet , think again . That represents simply apathy and stupidity .
Did MLK remain quiet, when he witnessed racial injustice and intolerance during the civil rights` era ?
LikeLike
Damn Detroit ! Was it too much to ask for you guys to just to put the Yankees out of their misery by just beating them yesterday ? Instead , you out-hit them and still end up losing . What`s up with that ?
tophatal
LikeLike
As you suggest in the piece, Al, Major League Baseball is an absolute mess. It should come as no surprise to anyone that even when they try their best to close a chapter on one of the most controversial eras in its history, they still can’t even do that properly.
LikeLike
Chris
There is no way in hell that baseball can close this chapter and not be still held accountable for everything that has gone on. Bud Selig , the team owners and players turned a blind eye to the misdeeds of the cheaters. Everyone remained silent including the press and now there is outrage ? Never mind those fu#king idiots , suggesting that the players ought to be allowed to use steroids . I wonder if those assholes would also allow their kids to buy crack cocaine from a drug dealers for their kids` own personal use ? This country has its priorities ass about face , along with the never-ending stupidity of some fans in general .
The incident that took place in Brooklyn is a sad indictment of this country and the very fact that it has merely inched forwards in terms of race relations , rather than the giant strides u> that so many believe it has taken . Those are the idiots who actually look at everything through rose colored glasses .
tophatal …………
LikeLike
No matter what, racism will always exist…white ‘gainst black and vice versa.
There will never be peace among the races….it’s nothing but human nature, right or wrong.
Course too there is the disparity in pro salaries that can add fuel to the fire
LikeLike
al clements
Beyond the racism , which has been a time honored institution dating back to biblical times and prior . What I cannot understand , is what would drive some idiot to deface a public statue , leave such venal and hateful statements , and then think it all appropriate ?
It is a shame that at this moment in time , Jackie Robinson a hero to so many is treated with such disdain . Yet , an itinerant lying bastard such as Alex Rodriguez is now getting an unwarranted press for all of the wrong reasons , while, dumb fans are still seeking his autograph . What does that tell you about the state of the country at present ?
Bud Selig and the MLB hierarchy will never be able to get their own damn act together , simply because they choose not to , and they are too damn slow to deal with every single issue that has come before them .
tophatal ……………….
LikeLike