#770 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Wednesday October 11)
Good morning,
ISRAEL, REDUX
I suspect we will be talking a lot about Israel, along with Ukraine, in the coming weeks. The personal accounts and videos of the Hamas murderous rampage are not the actions of a political group seeking recognition or strategic advantage. They are little more than an auto-da-fe of violence—a desire to kill and terrorize an entire population. In the meantime, the pleas of parents, spouses and friends to help locate their loved ones or acknowledging the deaths of their neighbors are heart-rending.
None of what I and others say about this despicable behavior is meant to indicate there are not legitimate issues to be resolved between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Certainly, each side has some valid issues. But the glee with which many on the “Arab Street” greet the scenes of young women pulled from cars and paraded around, or unarmed men killed with their hands tied behind their backs or the pictures of small children quaking in fear while being beaten indicates a hatred that has persisted among many for decades—even centuries. It is hard not to be moved.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE, THERE IS BASEBALL
It is odd, in the midst of human tragedy, to turn toward the entertainment provided by a bunch of 20-somethings in uniforms, but this sort of diversion is healthy and healing.
We are now in the midst of the baseball playoffs. Tampa Bay was a paper tiger; Kershaw lasted only moments, retiring only one batter; the comeback kids in Baltimore are on the cusp of elimination. There’s a lot more baseball to play and I’m excited.
In a couple of weeks, after a Wild Card round, Division Championships, and League Championships, we will have the American and National League champions in a World Series match-up. It’s been an amazing season, with Acuna and Ohtani demonstrating the greatest individual performances, and an amazing Baltimore Orioles team emerging from a losing season only two years ago, while the Atlanta Braves continue to dominate.
GREATS NICKNAMES FROM DAYS GONE BY
One thing that is missed in baseball these days are the colorful nicknames of yore.
Most of us know about “The Great Bambino” (Babe Ruth), “Mr. October” (Reggie Jackson), the “Say Hey Kid” (Willie Mays) and “Mr. Cub” (Ernie Banks).
But how about “Crime Dog” (Fred McGriff), “The Flying Dutchman” (Honus Wagner), “The Georgia Peach” (Ty Cobb), “The Hebrew Hammer” or “The Hammering Hebrew” (the great Hank Greenberg and the somewhat lesser Ryan Braun), “The Splendid Splinter” (Ted Williams), “Big Train” (Walter Johnson), “Oil Can Boyd” (Dennis Boyd), “The Yankee Clipper” (Joe DiMaggio), and “Iron Horse” (Lou Gehrig).
One of my favorites, of course, is “Vlad the Impaler” (Vladimir Guerrero).
QUOTATIONS ABOUT SANDY KOUFAX
Those who have played golf with me know that my golf balls generally have the number “32” embossed on them. This is the number of the two great athletes from my youth—Sandy Koufax and a guy who won the Heisman for USC.
Something missing from the game these days is the colorful descriptions made about some of the greatest players. Here are several about Sandy Koufax:
From the great Willie Stargell, “Hitting off of him is like trying to drink coffee with a fork.”
From Yogi Berra, one of the greatest catchers and part of multiple Yankee world championship teams, after Sandy’s 25 game victory season: “I see how he won 25 games. What I don’t understand is how he lost five.”
From Al Campanis: “As soon as I saw that fastball, the hair raised up on my arms. The only other time the hair on my arms ever raised up was in Rome, when I saw Michelangelo’s paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.”
Finally, from Whitey Herzog, the manager of the dismal 1973 Texas Rangers: “We need just two players to be a contender. Just Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax.”
Enjoy the post-season,
Glenn