For the foreseeable future I'm going to accumulate some pithy (for me) thoughts on various topics, and when I've accumulated enough, I'll publish them. I'm shooting for at least one post a week.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant
Kobe and Gianna Bryant
As I was putting the final touches on this post news hit of the tragic death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. That was shocking enough. But my heart broke when later it was revealed that his 13 year old daughter Gianna perished in the same helicopter accident. All I could think of was his widow who morns a husband and a child.
The hardest thing as a priest is to look into the eyes of a grieving mother. Only they truly know the depths of anguish that the loss of someone they gave birth to causes. It's a hopeless feeling, and few experiences shake one's faith quite like it.
I am comforted, though, to know that they had attended Mass that morning and received Holy Communion. With the Eucharist comes the pledge of everlasting life. Let us pray that the eternal Communion with the Lord that the sacrament is meant to foreshadow is being lived right now by Gianna and Kobe. We pray too for all the victims of the accident. Let us pray especially for Vanessa Laine Bryant, her children and the entire family as they grieve, that they may know the presence of Christ in their midst.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls, and all the souls of the faithful departed, by the mercy of God, Rest in Peace...AMEN
March For Life, 2020
Friday was the 47th annual March for Life in Washington. Contrary to what some opponents may think, it is a very joyful event. As a participant in the past (not this year, though) I always left feeling uplifted, like a corner was being turned in the fight to protect the unborn. And how can someone not feel optimistic after participating in a peaceful demonstration with over 100k of your closest friends of all ages, genders, religions, and ethnicities, united by our common cause to protect the life of the unborn.
It's easy get discouraged, to believe that after so many marches it's delusional to keep on think things are finally changing. I do believe a change is in the air. The devil gets more vicious when his grip is being loosened, and the activities that are happening on the State level are signs of that.
Some general observations -- Pressure needs to be applied on the state level. Once Roe is overturned the issue moves back to the states, where it should have stayed all along. As I alluded to above, New York already passed a draconian law last year, and Virginia is gearing up to pass a similar bill now. National marches are good, but flooding state capitals would be even better.
Overturning Roe may feel like a pipe dream, but even abortion supporters who understand the Constitution know that the legal reasoning behind the decision is beyond flawed. An article in The Atlantic points this out, while also arguing the both Roe and, more importantly, the 1992 Casey decisions have actually hurt women's struggle for equality.
Talking Baseball -- Jeter to the Hall, Pick Your Poison: Sign Stealing or Steroids
I'm not sure what I'm more frustrated about: that Derek Jeter fell a ballot short of a unanimous vote for the Hall, or the commentators who are obsessing over it. I don't care who the writer in question is nor am I curious as to why he or she chose not to check DJ's box.
Last year an argument was made that Mariano Rivera was the best closer of all time, not just of his generation, helping to create the roll as we know it today. Therefore, a 100% tally was only fitting.
An argument can be made that Jeter wasn't considered the best shortstop of his generation while we has playing (A-Rod and Nomar were usually ranked ahead of him on the league wide depth chart), and he did not revolutionize the position. A common joke during the '00's was that Jeet wasn't the best SS on the Yankees, let alone the entire MLB when Rodriguez moved over to play third in New York.
History has a way of reversing fortunes as A-Rod's reputation was damaged by the steroid scandal and Nomar's career was shortened by injury. What Jeter brings to the table is a remarkable consistency, including clutch postseason performances, longevity at a demanding position, and the intangible quality he brought by his personal integrity. Doing it all with one team in the media crucible of New York only adds to the legend.
Is he worthy of being a first ballot unanimous choice? Of course. But you know what? Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Tom Sever didn't get in with perfect scores either. Nothing the still anonymous writer has to say will change my mind that he or she is wrong. I'd rather just keep July 26th marked on my calendar and bask in the joy of celebrating Derek's accomplishments, along with remembering the last great Yankee dynasty that the represents -- before this one coming up, of course.
As for Sign Stealing...
Sign stealing is as old as the game. In and of itself it isn't cheating. The question is, of course, when does the line get crossed from so called gamesmanship into crooked play?
The sign stealing scandal that was simmering for probably two years and finally boiled over last week is a case of cheating. The league made it clear that electronic devices were not to be used by teams to decode the opponent's signals. It's pretty clear cut. The Astros got caught and the Red Sox are probably going to face sanctions for their own alleged misdeeds. Managers have lost jobs, which is probably right. Players are getting a pass, which isn't.
This is worse than steroids because I really don't think games or championships were influenced by the use of PEDs. Not everyone was juicing, but enough players were across the league, with the tacit approval of the MLB establishment that it's hard to say one team had a clear competitive advantage over another. What got cheated was the record book, which in a sport that treats the The Baseball Encyclopedia like the Torah is sacrilege. The league was right to crack down, (PEDs can be harmful in the long run for players' health and its a bad example for youth athletes) but I still never thought of it as cheating.
Here rules were broken after the league had made the policy crystal and some players and coaches still decided to go ahead and cheat. It's hard to say games and championships weren't influenced (though I'm not for "stripping" titles).
The league needs to keep up the presure, because if buzzers and body wires are being used, the whole integrity of the game is compromised in a way not seen since 1919. MLB might as well change their initials to WWE.
Friday was the 47th annual March for Life in Washington. Contrary to what some opponents may think, it is a very joyful event. As a participant in the past (not this year, though) I always left feeling uplifted, like a corner was being turned in the fight to protect the unborn. And how can someone not feel optimistic after participating in a peaceful demonstration with over 100k of your closest friends of all ages, genders, religions, and ethnicities, united by our common cause to protect the life of the unborn.
It's easy get discouraged, to believe that after so many marches it's delusional to keep on think things are finally changing. I do believe a change is in the air. The devil gets more vicious when his grip is being loosened, and the activities that are happening on the State level are signs of that.
Some general observations -- Pressure needs to be applied on the state level. Once Roe is overturned the issue moves back to the states, where it should have stayed all along. As I alluded to above, New York already passed a draconian law last year, and Virginia is gearing up to pass a similar bill now. National marches are good, but flooding state capitals would be even better.
Overturning Roe may feel like a pipe dream, but even abortion supporters who understand the Constitution know that the legal reasoning behind the decision is beyond flawed. An article in The Atlantic points this out, while also arguing the both Roe and, more importantly, the 1992 Casey decisions have actually hurt women's struggle for equality.
Talking Baseball -- Jeter to the Hall, Pick Your Poison: Sign Stealing or Steroids
I'm not sure what I'm more frustrated about: that Derek Jeter fell a ballot short of a unanimous vote for the Hall, or the commentators who are obsessing over it. I don't care who the writer in question is nor am I curious as to why he or she chose not to check DJ's box.
Last year an argument was made that Mariano Rivera was the best closer of all time, not just of his generation, helping to create the roll as we know it today. Therefore, a 100% tally was only fitting.
An argument can be made that Jeter wasn't considered the best shortstop of his generation while we has playing (A-Rod and Nomar were usually ranked ahead of him on the league wide depth chart), and he did not revolutionize the position. A common joke during the '00's was that Jeet wasn't the best SS on the Yankees, let alone the entire MLB when Rodriguez moved over to play third in New York.
History has a way of reversing fortunes as A-Rod's reputation was damaged by the steroid scandal and Nomar's career was shortened by injury. What Jeter brings to the table is a remarkable consistency, including clutch postseason performances, longevity at a demanding position, and the intangible quality he brought by his personal integrity. Doing it all with one team in the media crucible of New York only adds to the legend.
Is he worthy of being a first ballot unanimous choice? Of course. But you know what? Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Tom Sever didn't get in with perfect scores either. Nothing the still anonymous writer has to say will change my mind that he or she is wrong. I'd rather just keep July 26th marked on my calendar and bask in the joy of celebrating Derek's accomplishments, along with remembering the last great Yankee dynasty that the represents -- before this one coming up, of course.
As for Sign Stealing...
Sign stealing is as old as the game. In and of itself it isn't cheating. The question is, of course, when does the line get crossed from so called gamesmanship into crooked play?
The sign stealing scandal that was simmering for probably two years and finally boiled over last week is a case of cheating. The league made it clear that electronic devices were not to be used by teams to decode the opponent's signals. It's pretty clear cut. The Astros got caught and the Red Sox are probably going to face sanctions for their own alleged misdeeds. Managers have lost jobs, which is probably right. Players are getting a pass, which isn't.
This is worse than steroids because I really don't think games or championships were influenced by the use of PEDs. Not everyone was juicing, but enough players were across the league, with the tacit approval of the MLB establishment that it's hard to say one team had a clear competitive advantage over another. What got cheated was the record book, which in a sport that treats the The Baseball Encyclopedia like the Torah is sacrilege. The league was right to crack down, (PEDs can be harmful in the long run for players' health and its a bad example for youth athletes) but I still never thought of it as cheating.
Here rules were broken after the league had made the policy crystal and some players and coaches still decided to go ahead and cheat. It's hard to say games and championships weren't influenced (though I'm not for "stripping" titles).
The league needs to keep up the presure, because if buzzers and body wires are being used, the whole integrity of the game is compromised in a way not seen since 1919. MLB might as well change their initials to WWE.
