80th Birthday

Many years ago, my mother told me that we criticize the living and eulogize the dead, and given that human tendency, she believed in the importance of celebrating the limited time we have on earth.  My older brother, Benj, and I have thrown some wonderful parties in the past.  Inasmuch as the world suffered the plight of the Covid virus, by necessity I had to bring in my 75th birthday with a quiet romantic dinner with my wife, Lisa.

Suddenly, I found myself soon to turn 80, a milestone event in anyone’s life that has made it that far.  Knowing that this could be one of the last big celebratory events in my life, I went all out for it.  I invited my family, friends of old and new from near and afar to celebrate this occasion.  With the assistance of my wife, Lisa, we planned to have the event at the aquarium in Long Beach.  My roommates from college and relatives were invited to have dinner prior to the big event on Sunday.  Lisa prepared a slide show of our past travels that included many of those I invited to the aquarium.  I spent the greater part of a day writing brief summaries of each of my guests that I hoped would capture not only my relationship with them, but also would highlight some defining characteristic of that person.  I wanted to stay away from the negative focusing on my positive memories of everyone.

A friend of Lisa told both of us if she had known in advance that I would talk about everyone at the party, (and there were 90 people there), she would have thought it would be extremely boring listening to it.  But, on the contrary, she indicated that the event sped by and that she thoroughly enjoyed it.

I also planned to visit the family and their children with whom I had stayed in Mexico in 1983 and 1993.  During those times, I had stayed with the parents of three sons and a married daughter, who lived in Guadalajara.  The sons, all about 10 to 15 years younger than I, became close friends, one of them Gonzo, was fluent in English so he would correct my grammar when I made a mistake while speaking Spanish.

Now all but Gonzo was married and so I invited their children with Connie, their older sister, and her daughter to come to dinner with Lisa, Rosie, and me.  Rosie, a friend of mine, who I met in 1990, while working in a bilingual clinic, was born in Mexico. Lisa had become friendly with Rosie, so she asked me to invite her to come with us as her translator.   Lisa knew I would be speaking in Spanish with the family, many of whom did not speak any English, so she said that she would feel more included in the company of Rosie.

For the dinner, I had written a brief essay describing my experience and the good memories I had of my friends’ parents.  While staying with their parents, I had learned the expression:  Mi casa es tu casa that translates literally to my home is your home.  It is a cordiality that Mexicans often show to others and, in my case, I really felt the truth in that saying.  I also recalled the wonderful home-made meals made that I joyfully devoured.   After I had left, the sons had told me their parents thought of me as an adopted American brother.

When it was time for dessert and with some cake being served, everyone spontaneously sang feliz cumpleanos to me.  I was able to talk to many of the children of my friends and, before we knew it, the restaurant was closing as it was after midnight.  It was a wonderful week of celebration and both my American and Mexican friends and family complimented me on their experience in anointing me to that of an octogenarian.

Mental Health in Sports

The belief that athletes are supposed to be immune from emotional problems is based more on myth than reality.  According to the American College of Sports Medicine, 30% of females and 25% of male student athletes suffer from anxiety.  Moreover, 35% of elite athletes in addition to anxiety reported having burnout and depression.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Simone Biles, world class gymnast, experienced, the “twisties,” a mental performance lapse. Here the gymnast becomes disoriented in mid-air and is unable to do a twisting skill, an athlete, like Simone, previously had done countless times.  When Biles withdrew from participating in the Olympics, she was widely criticized for not overcoming issues that stemmed from mental rather than physical factors.  To her credit, subsequently, Biles pursued therapeutic treatment and, and much to the admiration of her fans won four gold medals at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Insofar as I am a Boston Red Sox diehard fan, I follow their players quite closely.  In 2022, Jarod Duran, the Red Sox outfielder was having difficulty coping with the long grinding schedule of major league baseball.  His batting average had gone down precipitously from where it had been the year before along with his skills as a fielder where he was committing a lot of errors.  As the season progressed, it had been reported that Duran was suffering from depression.  Furthermore, during the offseason, there were rumors that Duran had had some suicidal ideation.

However, as was the case of Simone Biles, Duran attended to his mental health issues and has performed, as well as management expected, in the ensuing years.  His current level of play is on par with the way he executed prior to the onset of his emotional problems that obviously had affected him. 

A few weeks ago, the Red Sox were playing against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and a fan at the game began heckling him about his past struggles with his mental health.  Duran responded verbally resulting in the two of them escalating their intensity.  Security personnel at the event then escorted the fan from his seat out of the ballpark.  Management and security then made the decision to ban this fan from coming to any further Cleveland contests for a lifetime.  Major League Baseball applauded this decision. Moreover, the Yankee captain, Aaron Judge, who is having a spectacular so far, added his emotional support to Duran and any player succumbing to the emotional stress that often confronts great athletes. I am not a Yankee fan, but I very much respect Judge in backing up a player from a rival team, as sincere and well-intentioned.  The public needs to better understand, that athletes like the rest of us, are not immune to the stressors borne by their profession.

Animal Farm Revisited

                                     

 President Trump’s use of language reminds me of the classic work by George Orwell, written after World War II, titled Animal Farm.  For those of you who have not yet read the book, I highly recommend it.  It is a satire about communism where the leaders of farm animals rebel successfully against the farmer.  The rebellion is reminiscent of the   Russian Revolution that upended Czarist rule in Russia.  The pigs, the leaders of the animal revolt, represent Marx, Stalin, and Trotsky with one pig, Squealer, representing the propaganda spread by communism.  Underlying the revolution, the pigs create their own philosophy called Animalism that will apply to all the animals at the farm.  One of the laws is: “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs or has wings, is a friend.” 

Orwell employed language to demonstrate the erosion of the original laws elicited by the animals when the pigs begin to change the direction and purpose of their revolt.  During President Trump’s campaign, he pledged that he would reduce the inflation that many Americans felt, especially, when they went food shopping.  One of his more frequent chants was that people will be able to afford what they cannot presently under the leadership of President Biden.  In fact, a significant factor contributing to Mr. Trump’s winning the presidential election over Kamala Harris was the economy.

Mr. Trump campaigned that inflation would lessen under his guidance, resulting in a drop of interest rates by the chair of the Federal Reserve, Mr. Powell.  The argument posited that a reduction of the interest rates would be not only good for the stock market, but also for the real estate market where lower interest rates would lower the actual cost of buying a new home.

But as Mr. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on all the countries with whom the United States had a trade deficit, whether friend or foe, the stock market began a rapid sell off.  With the market decline, Presdient Trump changed his tune from a much less optimistic call for the end of inflation and prosperity for all, to a call for people to have patience.  Now, he was saying that in the beginning we will all feel some pain in the economy that might lead to a recession.  But he pleaded with the public, in due time things will improve and any current sense of discomfort will be well worth it.   When he imposed the tariffs on almost all foreign trade, the stock market collapsed.

The part of this declaration that shocked many of Trump’s allies in business was that he no longer appeared concerned about the performance of the stock market like he had previously in his first term as president.  He remained resistant to the pleas of former business supporters of his candidacy.  The unspoken message implied in tariffs to countries that export to us would result in the necessary increase in the price of these same goods.  Perhaps President Trump understood these implications, but nevertheless, he appeared impervious to the consequences of his actions.

Of late, Mr. Trump withdrew from imposing any large levies on all the countries except China in which he increased the tariff foisted upon that country.  He declared a three-month waiting period before placing a much higher tariff on these same countries many of which have been our friends.  The market sighed relief and responded with the Dow Jones Industrial Average going up about 2000 points.  But the next day this momentary breather was snuffed out by a drop of over 1000 points on the Dow.   Two factors are working against both our market and international markets:  1`) President Trump’s unpredictability and 2) The potential repercussions of the tariffs he has imposed in conjunction with his desire to raise the levy of these taxes on all allies in the months to come.

Additionally, President Trump has managed to cast the Ukraine in an unfriendly light commenting that it is responsible for the war against Russia, at one time even referring to Ukraine’s, President, Volodymyr Zelenski, as a dictator.  Mr. Trump has conveyed the idea that Zelenski and not Putin was the aggressor provoking this war.  What is disheartening now is that Mr. Zelensky has said he wants peace with Russia, but Putin refuses to cede his position with his troops, resulting in the continuous bombing of the Ukrainian people.  During the meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House, when Mr. Trump said we are holding the cards not you, Mr. Zelensky replied by saying we are not in a card game, but rather we are in a war.  However, true this statement was it did not move Mr. Trump from his position as the superior player if any hope of peace could occur.  If anything, the interaction between Zelensky and Trump helped raise the former’s popularity amongst his people.

The distortion of language was made clear when toward the end of Orwell’s Animal Farm, the wording of the laws had been altered taking on a meaning quite the opposite of their original intent.  Now, for example, the law that had stated: “Whatever goes on two legs is the enemy,”  was changed by the pigs to:  “Four legs good, two legs better.”  The pigs, as rulers of Animal Farm had alienated their followers in their lust for power and the concomitant material rewards that they obtained at the expense of their fellow animals.  Now, I ask, readers, are we approaching the point of no return where Mr. Trump bellows: “Democracy is good but autocracy is better.”

The animals in Animal Farm submitted willfully to the change of laws prescribed by the ruling pigs.  To keep our democracy alive and well we cannot be passive, but rather we must actively protest when we observe the obstruction of the rule of law.  This requires that both Republicans and Democrats forge an agreement to sustain a free society where every man and woman possesses, as per the Declaration of Independence, “the inalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Trump’s Payback

So much has occurred since my last blog that it is difficult for me to choose a starting point.  President Trump, in an attempt to undo prior political policy, reminds me of a whale, harpooned, flailing madly in all directions, with the sole intent of wreaking havoc and destruction to anything in sight. For the sake of brevity, let me focus in on Trump’s recent call for tariffs that he aims to impose on our allies in Mexico and Canada on April 2nd.  His initial rationale for the imposition of these tariffs was to stem both illegal immigration and the transport of fentanyl, a drug that has caused many American deaths, from entering the United States.

I, especially, applaud, Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum for her reaction to Mr. Trump.  Rather than taking a neutral or passive stance, she ordered 10,000 Mexican troops to the border and she explained to Mr. Trump, in specific detail, what she had done to secure the border and to fight fentanyl trafficking.  Moreover, rather than use a translator, she thought it best to have the conversation with the American president in English.  Mr. Trump, obviously flattered in the manner by which he was addressed, decided to delay the tariffs he had threatened to inflict on both Canada and Mexico.  As a result of her taking the reins in communicating with Mr. Trump, Ms. Sheinbaum’s approval rating in Mexico reached an all time high going over 75%.

Although I liked the fact that Ms. Sheinbaum had been a scientist and academic before becoming president, I had serious concerns about her leadership when she assumed office on October 1, 2024.  It appeared Ms. Sheinbaum had gained the presidency, in part, by following in the footsteps of her mentor, López Obrador, who she succeeded.  Anabel Hernández, a journalist during the time Obrador was president, wrote an exposé about his connections with the Cártel de Sinaloa in a book entitled:  La Historia Secreta. The book details how this cartel covertly funded the purchase of a home for Obrador in Mexico City.  During his time in office, the cartels continued their nasty business of laundering the money received from fentanyl with the annual rate of homicides, if anything, increasing.  

Furthermore, as a means of increasing his presidential powers, Obrador had made an effort to replace the impartial judges serving Mexico’s judiciary system with lawmakers more favorable to his governing party.  Once Ms. Sheinbaum became president, she accomplished Obrador’s goal when she fired all the presiding judges, who had served independently of party politics.  In their place, she required new applicants to successfully pass an exam with the ostensible hope that these new judges would back her leadership.  This early move by Ms. Sheinbaum did not give me much comfort as to what was to come.

However, recently, I was pleasantly surprised by the new Mexican president’s desire to work out a “deal” with Mr. Trump with the goal of avoiding tariffs that would be most detrimental to the Mexican economy.  I admired her courage in making a strong effort to overwhelm the corruption inherent in the cartels.  When Mr. Obrador was president, several journalists, who reported how the cartels were usurping power, lost their lives. Ms. Hernández, herself, narrowly escaped death when her house was dynamited.  She managed to flee to America; she clearly represented an individual seeking political asylum.  I hope that Ms. Sheinbaum does not suffer any repercussions from her actions in leading the fight to thwart the cartels. In making the future of the Mexican economy more important than any potential cartel bribes or threats to her government, President Sheinbaum has shown she genuinely cares about her people.

After cooperating with Mr. Trump, I’m quite sure Ms. Sheinbaum’s hope was that he would not place a tariff on goods produced in Mexico.  Unfortunately, that hope was dismissed when Mr. Trump stated that he would be placing a 25% on automobiles made everywhere outside of the United States along with tariffs on other goods produced in Mexico. President Trump’s actions against President Sheinbaum and the Mexican people are analogous to a parent spanking a child after he/she made his/her room.  This type of parental behavior very likely would cause an unhealthy confusion with possible ill effects on that child’s subsequent development. 

Mr. Trump’s behavior is unpredictable and so, I’m quite sure that the Mexican citizenry along with the CEO’s of the major car companies in the United States, have their fingers crossed he will once more reverse himself vis-á-vis tariffs. But more importantly, many of us from the outside hope some of Mr. Trump’s loyal followers in Congress will extract the harpoon from his belly, and redirect his impulsive energies to building, rather tearing down all that lies in front of him.

The Art of Eating

The pace of life has accelerated to the point that I have often wondered whether people can actually sit down and enjoy a good meal whether they are dining out or eating in.  In 2012, when I was teaching at a university in Bangkok, on a Saturday evening I attended a classical concert where there was an elegant café.  As I had arrived early, I decided to sample the food being served.  Surprisingly, I noticed that many of the couples were staring at their cell phones, not talking with whomever they were with and certainly not taking the time to enjoy whatever each had ordered on the menu.  Has Thailand, a place where food is adorned, allowed the smart phone to replace what is dining is all about? I sighed to myself: “Is this the new normal?” 

Since that time, the once cherished time set aside for dining and discussion has appeared to have been superseded by the multitude of distractions elicited by cell phones.  I find myself no different than the many others that have succumbed to the accoutrements of modern life where food had become secondary to what is going on in the moment.  So, when I traveled to Bangkok to play some golf, visit with friends and just relax, I made a conscious decision to take my time about eating.  I made an effort to become familiar with the many condiments and spices Thai food presents.  Far away from home, without being swept under by modernity, I began to taste the food in a way I rarely experience.  The last dinner I had, while in Thailand, consisted of Thai spaghetti with an assortment of clams, shrimp, mussels and other fish mixed into the dish.  Indeed, it was yummy.

At the airport, early in the morning, I had enough time to buy a breakfast.  The food was better than typical airport fare, as I was in Thailand, though not particularly great.  At the next table, however, I watched how a young woman, more than likely Thai, went about partaking of the meal she was served.  She had five or six different spices in front of her.  With tender care, she took her spoon (the main utensil in Thailand is the spoon) and slowly sliced her rice and then applied a few spices to this portion mixing it with both spoon and fork before tasting it.  I felt entranced in the manner by which she prepared each bite of food she took from her spoon.  This same treatment of rice mixed with the condiments and the chicken or meat on the side of the dish repeated itself.  It was as if the spoon was the leading piece in a concert with this woman conducting the instruments in a sophisticated manner before allowing the morsel of food to enter her mouth. The combination of patience and skill this woman showed in devouring, a not particularly gourmet breakfast, absorbed me to the point that I didn’t want to disturb her while she ate.

I am quite sure if she were with friends this woman would still enjoy the process of tasting and eating her food.  But observing the way she went about eating made me realize that many of us in the modern world have forgotten that eating is more than just a need but, if we allow it, a great pleasure.  The act of savoring one’s meal by allowing oneself to relax, setting aside any and all distractions, will add to the total enjoyment of the food.  Indeed, taking a time-out from the rapidity of everyday life is an important prerequisite to fully enjoy one’s repast.

The Smile of Mephisto: A Reflection on Family, Memory and Forgiveness

                                

     Family reunions, though often a time of joy, can sometimes dredge up uncomfortable memories.  The onset of one such memory occurred about the time I had relocated to California in my early ‘30’s.  When I first returned to visit family and friends, it was to celebrate a milestone birthday for my father so many of his long-time companions were present.  One of dad’s friends, Hal, sidled over toward me wearing what appeared a wry smile that felt rather odd mostly because I could not understand its source having neither communicated nor seen him for years.  Upon approaching me still smiling, he said: “Well Buzzy (my childhood nickname) are you still hitting your younger brother Andy?”  He had apparently observed this behavior back when I was about 5 years old.

As he walked away, still smiling, his comment left me both stunned and hurt with an added sense of guilt.  Moreover, my respect for Hal’s age and generation rendered me tongue-tied.  Hal had hit a raw nerve by reminding me of my childhood relationship with younger brother.  For years, I had been a middle child with an older and younger brother.  My older brother, Benjy, the first grandchild, excelled in school and involved himself in many academic extracurricular activities.  My younger brother, Andy, received a lot of attention having earned the nickname, “Dew Drops,” due to his dribbling on himself.  Everyone thought “Dew Drops” was precious.  I very well may have developed what has been commonly called middle-child syndrome, that is feeling a sense of perceived personal neglect. Looking back, I suppose I was jealous of them both and so the one I best could take out my frustrations on was my younger brother who was smaller than I.

My father, seeing that I was more athletic and not as scholastically oriented like my older brother, bought a ping pong table.  Though he worked long hours, he managed to spend time playing table tennis with me that brought a special bond between the two of us.  By the time I was 11 or 12 years old, I was beating him in ping pong.  This period proved most helpful to my self-worth inasmuch as I became the city champ in table tennis during my three years in junior high school.

At some point, however, I may have been so disturbed by my birth order, that I pleaded to my mother, especially, to have another child.  The wish was fulfilled with the birth of my youngest brother, Daniel.  By then I was 9 years old.  In an earlier blog, The Gift My Mother Gave Me, I pointed out when I entered high school, I ceased to pick on my younger brother, Andy.  By then I had become president of Elizabeth Youth Good Neighbor Council, among other things, and so had felt good enough about myself to no longer need to fight with Andy allowing the two of us to become, not only brothers, but also close friends.  Because Hal’s comment reminded me of a behavior in which I was not proud, it felt like a shot to my solar plexus knocking the wind out of me.

Subsequently, upon returning to the East Coast I would see Hal perhaps every 5 to 10 years.  I found it most unsettling each time I encountered him. He would approach me with that mocking smile of Mephisto about to take the soul of Faust, and remind me of what I had done to my younger brother.  When I was 51, I got an unexpected phone call from my older brother, Benjy, giving me the sad news that my father had died. My mother confirmed that Hal would be at the memorial for my dad.  For the first time in all those years, I felt little apprehension at the thought of seeing him.   

In essence, finally, I had formulated a response to what I expected him to say that was most predictable.  Because I knew his time was limited as he, in fact, was older than my father, I did not want to verbally assault him and leave him with bad feelings.  Inasmuch as he had been close to my father, I wanted to refrain from being vindictive.  So, at the end of my dad’s memorial, I was delighted when he walked over toward me with that familiar smirk and before he could utter a word I said: “Hal I know what you’re about to say but before you say it, I need to ask you, when I reach the pearly gates of Heaven, is St. Peter going to hold it against me because of this memory you’ve etched in your mind about me hitting my younger brother.  Do you think you can forgive me now, while it’s not too late?” To my surprise, his demeanor shifted.  That grin of Mephisto, once so smug, softened into a much kinder smile.  He replied with genuine warmth: “Bernard, you’re forgiven. I don’t want to be the one keeping you from entering Heaven.” In that moment, I had created a situation that allowed my decades of discomfort to melt away for Hal’s forgiveness, though lighthearted, was also sincere.

About a year later, my mother informed me that Hal had passed away. Knowing myself, I avoided incurring any further guilt but being harsh with Hal that may have been hurtful to him toward the end of his life.  In the end, both of us found closure in a way that allowed us to smile—not with mockery but with mutual understanding.

To See a Child Smile

Although in recent years the pubic, in general, has not held the police in the best of all light, these same men and women in blue, perform a lot of activities for the good of the public that go unrecognized. To illustrate, our job, as volunteers on the Senior Police Patrol, is to assist the Long Beach Police Department in manifesting the good will and deeds it performs for the community.  My partner, Susan, and I were delivering the last batch of toys to different homes that had been designated by the Long Beach Police Department.  These were families in Long Beach that were on the list of those in need. 

As we arrived at the last house, the bag of toys was rather cumbersome and so the father came out to assist.  While thanking us for the toys, he told us he presently was working but looking for a job with the city.  He briefly explained what his employment was as we entered his house to put the goodies inside.  As the father opened the door, we saw a number of children with what looked to be their mother laying on a bed.  Two of the kids stood at the entrance of the house, a girl and a boy.  When I asked their ages, the little girl said she was 3 and her brother 4. 

As the father helped me lug the huge bag of toys in the house, the young girl had her arm around her little brother, almost as if to protect him giving the message to all that: “We as brother and sister are in this together.”  Then her countenance rapidly changed into a most beautiful smile.  This little girl could have lit up a Christmas tree with that smile.  I immediately realized that that smile made the preparation that went into the delivery of the toys along with the actual delivery of them worth-while.  It was a smile I hope she will hold in her mind, not to forget, the memory of which may guide her through precarious times.  For me, that smile etched in my mind will remind me of what it means when I can help others in some way.

At least for now, the glow of that child’s smile perhaps transcended whatever condition she and her family faced while representatives of the police delivered toys to help kids experiences some joys during Christmas!

Inside the Tunnel

  

When I worked on the Psychiatric Emergence Admission Unit during my internship in psychology, I learned the value of teamwork.  This was a locked ward where patients were admitted on a voluntary or involuntary basis.  It was the job of staff members to sort out newly admitted patients in the triage process.  The unpredictable nature of the patients that were seen and evaluated added an element of stress to the environment.  I remember the day when I walked on the unit and unexpectedly found the body of a psych tech reeling on the floor.  Subsequently, I discovered that upon administering a medication to the patient, the latter had a paranoid break with reality suspecting that the medicine he was about to take may have been poison.  Because this characteristic of uncertainty existed in this setting, there really was little room for internal disputes among the staff members.  There was an implicit understanding among the workers on the unit that disruption caused by personality clashes or conflicts among them could be harmful to all.  This is to say that such a disruption could very well compromise the safety of all those involved in the process of helping the patients on the ward.

 As a rookie volunteering on the Senior Police Patrol, a part of the Long Beach Police Department, I had the good fortune of partnering with Linda, a seasoned veteran of the Patrol for 15 years.  Our job entails assisting the police force in tasks such as doing wellness checks on people, usually elders, that may be victims of some type of abuse.  Although our job functions do not allow us to enter into dangerous situations with residents, there is a feature of unforeseeable events that may occur.  When Linda heard on the police radio that there had been a major accident at a tunnel located on Lakewood Blvd. in Long Beach, though I was the driver, she took the reigns in directing me to where I needed to go.   

As we entered the tunnel, we discovered we were among the first responders.  Traffic already had begun to be backed up on the two outside lanes.  Without hesitation, Linda pointed for me to drive on the most inside lane that was free of traffic due to the accident.  When I drove through the passing traffic near the mouth of the tunnel, a young man sitting next to an overturned car created a jarring, almost cinematic scene. There were some fire fighters at the scene talking to him in the midst of water sprouting from a hydrant that had been cracked.  The ambiance was eerie, reminiscent of a surreal Fellini film, with the dim enclosed space amplifying the tension and chaos.

While an inundation of water began to stream into the tunnel, Linda’s quick thinking and extensive experience proved invaluable.  She promptly told me to grab the orange vests from the back of our vehicle that we both quickly donned. We then positioned ourselves where we could both aid in assisting the police and firefighters in managing the heavy traffic that had piled up due to the accident.  Together we successfully helped direct the flow of traffic and alleviate the congestion.

As the firefighters sealed the hydrant and the initial chaos began to subside, our efforts ultimately supported the Long Beach Police Force in restoring order.  Miracle of miracles had occurred insofar as the driver of the overturned car, though dazed and shaken, neither suffered a minor nor serious injury.  This experience not only deepened my respect for the dedication and skill of first responders but also reinforced the importance of teamwork and composure in challenging situations.    

Election Analysis

Shortly after January 6th of 2021, the day that Trump’s followers stormed Congress, I made a bet with my friend, John Grahm, who was worried that Trump would win the 2024 election.  Thinking Trump was quite a long shot to win, I gave him 10 to 1 odds, $100 to $1000, that Trump would not win the election; both of us hoped that I would win the bet.  We agreed that even if Trump did not run as a candidate for president, I would still win the bet.  At the time and even later on in the mid-term elections, in 2022, when all of the candidates that Trump backed lost, I thought for sure that the Republicans would pick another candidate.  So much for predicting the future.

Although there has been a myriad of reasons put forth as to why Trump won the election, I will offer my own take on Trump’s victory.   Many years ago, my father told me that liberals can be extremely intolerable.   Inasmuch as he had been a lifelong Democrat, hearing this from him surprised me.  Moreover, I am proud to say that my father’s clothing business in Elizabeth, New Jersey, prior to the vast civil rights legislation enacted in the ‘60’s, was the first of its kind to hire Blacks as employees.  I found that liberals/progressives, that is those that veer to the left on political issues, often believe that their view is the right one and are unwilling to listen to those that may harbor different opinions. 

The reflexive reaction for many of those on the left is that Harris lost the election because of the inherent racism and sexism of America.  In my opinion, this argument carries little weight when not that long ago our country elected Barack Obama, the first Black president, not only once but twice.  A reminder to all is that America was the first country on record to have a white majority elect a Black as its president.  At the end of the day when the votes were tabulated, Trump’s support by the Black and Hispanic populace surged as he won a greater proportion of their vote than in his earlier elections. Furthermore, Trump received more female voters in this election than in the election he previously lost in 2020.  Attacking the other side with this kind of argument is simply poor sportsmanlike behavior and only will serve in strengthening the Republican hold on the slim majority they had in the present election.  Unlike earlier elections, minority groups showed a disposition toward individual rather than group identity.  It can be no longer taken as a priori that Blacks or other minorities will automatically vote Democratic.  Although these voters chose to vote for Trump, a person whose leadership qualities I seriously question, I believe this trend of no longer voting for one party by people of color is a step in the right direction.

The underlying cause of Harris’ defeat wrapped itself in the left’s denial of anything wrong with the country, excluding Mr. Trump.  This denial became obvious when President Biden faced off with Mr. Trump in the first presidential debate where Biden’s performance was considered by all a disaster.  He eventually ceded his place in the election campaign to his Vice-President, Ms. Harris, who became the Democratic Party’s candidate without having to face the normal rivalry necessary in winning the nomination through the primary process.  To her credit, she was able to amass a great amount of money, over 2 billion dollars, toward her campaign, quite a bit more than Trump spent.  So, in this case, the old saw money can buy anything, including political power, did not hold.  Furthermore, she had the support of a number of stars, such as Taylor Swift, Mark Cuban, and Oprah Winfrey who assisted her run for the presidency.  In addition, she had the press and the news stations on television, with the exception of Fox, on her side.  All this but to no avail.

Her message of joy to the voters was quite a few chords off.  The inflation that liberals appeared to forgo in their message to the American public was not addressed.  This may have been due to the fact that the Democratic Party had become more interested in the identity politics of special interest groups such as L.G.B.T.Q., gender transitions and the spread of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in the workplace and on college campuses.  Rather than focusing on the issues   deemed foremost to many voters such as illegal immigration and inflation, the Democrats exerted their energy on a legal battle against Trump.  In a recent Op-Ed article appearing in the New York Times, Samuel Moyn, a professor of law and history at Yale, points out that “for decades, liberals have made the mistake of prioritizing legal victories over popular ones.”  He goes on to say that liberals (apparently, of which he is one) in their self-righteous attitude, failed to realize that this legalistic strategy may be seen by many others as a political weapon with the intent of doing Trump in.  Suddenly, Trump had become a symbolic David fighting the evils of the Goliath, on the side of Harris, represented by the massive government bureaucracy.

Frank Bruni, a contributing Opinion writer to the New York Times, recently stated that after 2004, over 50% of Americans were not satisfied with the government.  Since that time, this lack of confidence in the institutions that form our government has clearly not improved and has been evident for some time.  As it turns out, the Democratic focus on trying to eliminate Trump through the legal system, missed the pulse of a large segment of the American populace that Bruni mentioned. 

The hope is that the Democrats will reorient themselves to the reality of where their fellow Americans are at, change tactics, with the effort of regaining the support of lower income workers that have gone over to Mr. Trump and the Republican party.  I am quite sure that identity politics will not accomplish this goal.  A better way would be to look at social class as the determining factor of their political agenda with the goal to perform better in the midterm elections in two years. 

One of the reasons I had hoped that Trump would lose the election was because he would no longer be the butt of late-night comedy featuring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Steve Colbert.  Unfortunately, this did not happen, and so we will be awarded for the next four years with their ad nauseum denigrating comments about soon to be President Trump.  They say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  The inimitable Johnny Carson, in my opinion, exceeded the comedic talent of the above three by far.  Of course, the counterpart of these jokes will be the monotonous cheers for Trump that, I’m sure, Fox News will air.

A Wonderful World Series

For now, I will forgo discussion on America’s presidential election and rather give my thoughts about the recent World Series.   By now as most of my readers know, I am a diehard Red Sox fan.  The Red Sox Nation have fond memories of Davey Roberts, the Dodger manager:  When he stole second base in the 4th game of the playoffs between the Yankees and the Red Sox in 2004, the momentum suddenly changed.  The Red Sox came back from a 3 to 0 deficit to beat the Yankees 4 to 3 and become the first team in baseball to ever achieve such a victory.

Let me remind all you Dodger fans that the before they moved to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers played at Ebbets Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn.  In the 50’s the Dodgers had a special talent of losing to the New York Yankees and consequently, were referred to by the fitting alliteration: The Brooklyn Bums.   They lost to their Bronx rivals in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953.  Doris Kearns Goodwin, the historian, who grew up in Rockville Center, New York, told of the loyalty she and her father had as true Dodger fans in the ‘50’s in a book titled:  Wait Till Next Year.  In those days, this was a repeated mantra for Dodger fans inasmuch as next year would come almost guaranteeing a repeat of same losses to the despised Yankees.  Finally, the borough of Brooklyn rejoiced in 1955 when the Dodgers beat their arch enemy to win their very first World Series. 

The wheels of fortune turned for the Dodgers when they moved to Los Angeles vis-a-vis their success in World Series.  In fact, the last time they played in the World Series against the Yankees in 1981 the Dodgers beat them 4 games to 1.  So, this Series generated a lot of excitement, not only because the rivalry would be revisited, but also because both of these teams were considered to be the two best baseball teams in 2024.

As I have pointed out in previous blogs, televised sporting events are the only unpredictable shows.  Reality T.V., comedians and other programs, for the most part, are scripted, one of which was The Apprentice that starred our president elect.  In fact, the unpredictable nature of in this case, the World Series clash between the Dodgers and the Yankees, provided lots of undue excitement for the fans.  It is precisely this that fascinates spectators who watch sporting events.

Although this World Series had several stars, Freddie Freeman’s feats for the Dodgers stood well above the others and, his name now will be associated with the legends of baseball lore.  He hit 4 home runs in the first 4 games of the World Series.  With the Yankees ahead 3 to 2, Freeman’s home run in the first game of the Series came in the bottom of the 10th inning with bases loaded and two outs.  Aaron Boone, the Yankee manager brought in Hector Cortes, a left handled hurler to pitch to the left-handed batter Freeman.  The strategy backfired when Freeman sent Cortes’ first pitch out of the ballpark for a game winning grand slam to make the final score of the Dodger win 6 to3.

The Dodgers went on to win the next two games but lost game 4 at Yankee Stadium.  Baseball, like all modern-day sports, tracks mostly everything through statistical analyses.  In World Series contention, there had been 24 occurrences in the past when one team had won the first 3 games.  Of these 24 times, 21 clubs went on to win the Series 4 to 0.  Only 3 squads have won the 4th game and now the Yankees would be the 4th team to do so.  However, no team in the World Series that trailed 3 to 0 survived a 5th game.  In fact, as I pointed out above, the Red Sox was the only team in baseball history to come back from a 3 to 0 deficit in a playoff game by winning games 6 and 7 at Yankee Stadium.

I am quite sure Davey Roberts very well knew this statistic so in game 4 when the Yankees had what appeared to be an insurmountable lead, he kept his best relief pitchers in the bullpen to save them for game 5 the following day.  The Bronx Bombers finally started hitting and went on to win that game 11 to 4. I am quite sure that Davey Roberts wanted to finish out the Series the next day rather than to return to Dodger Stadium ceding the momentum to the Yankees after winning two straight games.  He understood the peril in risking a 6th game that would have been a first after a team had fell behind 3 games to 0 in Series play.

Roberts put Jack Flaherty in to face the Yankee ace Gerrit Cole, a repeat of the 1st game in which Flaherty had pitched well making just one mistake in throwing a pitch to Giancarlo Stanton who sent it for a two-run homer.  Unfortunately, in this appearance, Flaherty fell behind early giving up 3 runs to the Yankees in the 1st inning on homers by Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm.  After giving up another run in the 2nd inning, Roberts pulled him for a relief pitcher.  The Yanks added another run in the 3rd inning on a Stanton homer to make the score 5 to 0.  Meanwhile, Cole was pitching a no hitter and looked unbeatable.  In fact, he had never lost a game when he had an early lead as great as 5 runs and going into the 5th inning, it looked like the Yankees were going to force a 5th game and a return to Dodger Stadium.  But the baseball gods had something else to say.

Kike Hernandez started the 5th inning with a single to the opposite field, thus ending Cole’s no hitter.  Tommy Edman then hit a routine fly ball to Aaron Judge in center field but it appeared he took his eye off the ball for a split second and dropped it.  Most rare as it was Judge’s first error of the season.  Furthermore, earlier in the game he had made a spectular jumping catch at the wall robbing Freddie Freeman of an extra base hit and saving a run as Mookie Betts had been on first base.  That error made it first and second and no outs with Will Smith coming to bat.  He hit a playable grounder to Anthony Volpe who chose to go to third base rather than first base.  Hernandez, in running toward third, wisely had blocked the view of Chisholm, the third basemen, resulting in the ball bouncing off his glove after hitting the ground.  Now it is bases loaded.  Cole gets Gavin Lux to strike out.  He now faces Shohei Ohtani.  Each time Ohtani came to bat he appeared to wince in pain as it was believed he had partially dislocated his shoulder upon sliding into second base during the second game played in Dodger Stadium.  In any event, he was not his usual effective self only getting a single in the three games of the Series played at Yankee Stadium.  Cole struck him out too. 

Now the Dodgers have bases loaded with two outs and, it appeared that Cole might get out of the inning unscathed.  Mookie Betts came up next and hit a spinning grounder to first base.  I said to myself that the inning had ended as Cole had successfully recorded five outs when you include the two errors made by the Yankees.  But then I watched in amazement Betts running toward first base with Anthony Rizzo fielding the ball and, Cole helplessly looking at Betts run safely to the bag.  Cole had made a mental lapse not covering first for what should have been a routine out.  Later he said he thought he could field the ball himself but when he misjudged the distance of the ball from him, he forgot to cover first base.   Though not scored an error, it was still a miscue, the third of the inning by the Yankees that produced a run making the score 5 to 1.  Cole had already pitched through two errors so he may have misplayed Bett’s grounder due to mental exhaustion.

Now Freeman was up.  With a two-strike count, Freeman had fouled a few pitches off until he got a good pitch and lined a single to centerfield producing two more runs for Dodgers.  Next up was Teoscar Hernandez who drove a fly ball well over Judge’s head scoring both Betts and Freeman and making the score 5 to 5.  The Dodgers fell behind in the 6th inning 6 to 5 but in the top of the 8th inning they came back.  With bases loaded and none out, Galvin Lux, the ninth batter for the Dodgers, hit a sacrifice bringing the score to a tie once more.  Ohtani, who I pointed out did not appear to be his usual self, was rewarded first base on interference by the Yankee catcher, Austin Wells, not only another error by New York, but also what I considered a gift.  Now Betts was up and he promptly hit a drive to centerfield that was long enough to easily score a run giving the Dodgers a 7 to 6 lead that they never lost to win the game and the World Series in 5 games.

When the Dodgers came to bat in the 5th inning, the oddsmakers had given the Yankees a 93% chance of winning the game.  But the baseball gods saw to it that this would not happen.  The Yankees, who throughout the season were able to capitalize on their opponents’ misplays, allowed the Dodgers to do exactly that to defeat them.  To quote the famous Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over till it’s over,” and when the game finally ended the Dodgers, those Brooklyn Bums from the past, were victorious.