Manfred and Bettman Corrupt and must be fired

 As the two moron and corrupt commissioners of the Caucasian sports,  baseball and hockey are corrupt and incapable of running a sport that I like, they must be fired immediately. If not I won’t pay attention to them. Corrupt people degrade us and should be  never ever be in positions of authority .

Casual sports now

 Since there is so much mediocrity scores the board in all of these sports and the seasons are too long, I’m just interested in the playoffs now. A serious waste of time to watch the regular season.

RINO incompetent

  Despite the fact that they haven’t run the federal government since 2008, RINO commentators pontificate and write columns as if they matter and are important. Why should anyone listen or care what Peggy Noonan, Karl Rove, Dana Perino and Marc Thiessen say on matters, no matter what the situation is? Yes the RINO’s were in charge for 8 years. Not now, and they gave us two terms of Obama and Biden and Harris. Putin and Russia 🇷🇺 aren’t listening to you. Neither do many of the large Eastern states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maryland. 

Plus  many of these leaders are 70-85 years old. We need new blood and leadership.

Baseball thoughts

 I’ll leave the thoughts on the commissioner who should be fired for another 

 time.

My picks

Toronto over Seattle 

Cleveland over Tampa

San Diego over New York 

St. Louis over Philadelphia 

Toronto has more oomph than Seattle does and the crowd will work to Torontos favor.

Cleveland doesn’t beat themselves.

Don’t trust the Mets and St. Alouis doesn’t beat themselves.

Houston in five over Toronto

Cleveland over New York

Los Angeles over SAN Diego 

Atlanta over St. Louis

Watson and jury shopping

 The arbitrator handed down a six game suspension for DeShaun Watson in his harassment case. The NFL is appealing  this decision. This is immature and wrong because it is jury shopping. Be user they didn’t get their way they decided to appeal. You don’t pick an independent arbitrator to decide something for you and if it doesn’t go your way you squeal like an infant. Who are you to be bigger than the law?

It’s part of a post constitutional society where independent arbitrators can make binding decisions. Executive overreach is scary no matter how sacred the cause.

Mediocrity defined

 I know that I’m supposed to be excited about the Mariners and their big winning streak. However I have no faith in Jerry DiPoto the ex Met reliever  turned GM or Scott Servais the ex Cub catcher turned manager. They look like mediocre leaders who are lucky to be in a city that won’t give them a lot of grief.

How MLS or Major League Soccer can overtake baseball and hockey

 It is possible for MLS (Major League Soccer) to overtake MLB (Major League Baseball) in popularity given the arrogance and foolishness and greed of the baseball owners and commissioner. However they would need to aggressively market their stars to the public in the way that the NBA markets Stephen Curry, Giannis, Lebron, Jokic and Embiid. I don’t know if they are willing to do that. If so then they will surpass baseball ⚾️ and hockey 🏒 and be third behind football and basketball in the USA.

Why we are lucky to be here

 This should probably be called,”Why We Are Blessed to be Here”. Despite all that has happened in the last 27-30 months and even the two terms of Obama, we are blessed to be in the United States 🇺🇸. Let’s take a look at other places around the world which are alleged democratic countries.

Canada under Justin Trudeau has turned into a quasi dictatorship. He and his government are running roughshod over peoples liberties all in the name of public health because of COvid 19.

Britain and other European countries are in economic distress. The Boris Johnson led government will probably collapse in a year or two and then Labour will Take over. That is not a healthy sign.

Many of the South American countries are quasi dictatorship similar to Canada. You really want to live there (not vacation in Rio do Janiero )?

Happy July 4th and Independence Day.

American Exceptionalism racist?

 Some fool who I shouldn’t mention but I read his column  in a blog called Above The Law, on the racist origins of American Exceptionalism said that it’s racist and authoritarian white Christian patriarchal rule. Anyway I shouldn’t be surprised given the fact that the author is a) a Seattle native b) went to Ball State University  and c) lived in China for 3 years. He must think that the rest of the world 🌍 should be like China and North Korea 🇰🇵. Why this blog that is for people in my profession of law is so progressive and one dimensional is beyond me. 

Makes me proud and glad to be a religious Jew where I have a higher power to thank and other standards to live by. Shabbat Shalom.

Priorities out of whack

 I realize that I will upset many with this post. I am a man and have never been pregnant 🤰 nor will get pregnant in the future.

While abortion is a hot-button issue and riles passions of many in this country, given the out of control violence in our cities where people can’t go out at night for fear of being attacked, as well as the rising cost of gasoline and other goods based on inflation, is the “overturning “ of Roe v. Wade really the most important issue facing the country right now? Have we lost all perspective as a society? 

I know the answer. It’s to arouse the Democratic base into action and keep abortion in the news for the midterm elections as well as pass laws that protect abortion providers.

Too bad.

New blood needed in Seattle

 Before the team flies down to San Francisco for a series with the Oakland Athletics or A’s, it’s time for the Mariners to terminate Jerry DiPoto as president of baseball operations and Scott Servais as manager of the Mariners. They have nearly seven years to produce a playoff team and they are nowhere near that mark.

Scott’s record is 467-471. That is average.

Only one of Dipotos teams has reached the playoffs. The 2014 Angels who were swept by the Royals.

Nothing personal, but time to move on and save the season like Philadelphia did by sacking Girardi early enough.

Major miscalculation by MLB and NHL

 In my opinion the commissioner and the executives in MLB and the NHL made a major miscalculation about ten years ago. They decided to go all in with the leftist progressive mindset of the NBA and NFL. However what they didn’t understand is that their core audience isn’t like that of the NBA and NFL. The average baseball or hockey fan is an older white or Caucasian male between 40-60, the average NBA fan is either a teenager or young adult. Older guys don’t want to be lectured by younger people about social Justice and other ills.

Insularity versus Reality

 This is a continuation of Monday’s post.

While the Jewish  world and environment that I grew up in Seattle was more diverse and had different people and different backgrounds, today’s larger a Jewish communities have a more insular approach and it seems that this is by design. I think it’s too bad and unfortunate. 

When Rabbi Moskowitz used to teach us Mishlei (or any other subject for that matter), he would quote the Pasuk or verse and quote a principle and use an illustration of that principle. The contrast between his methodology or Limud Hatorah and the “insular” one was on display for me on Monday.

A certain institution decided to have a all morning “Mishnathon”, which is fine. They turned it into a fundraiser, which I’m not so sure is fine. By contrast, listening   To all of the eulogies or hespedim for Rabbi Moskowitz on Monday reinforced what  I knew about him and our way of learning and critical thinking. He presented questions and analyzed them from many different angles and asked or demanded that his students Understand them. He would ask us for questions or see if we needed to understand the problem or issue more clearly. 

I more fully appreciate this approach Now unlike my youth when I didn’t totally understand what he and the other teachers were trying to accomplish.

May his memory be for a blessing and May we live up to his expectations and legacy.

Passing of Rabbi Moskowitz and the contrast between Rational Judaism and Yeshiva Judaism

 Unfortunately over the weekend my teacher Rabbi Morton Moskowitz passed away from a long illness. he hadn’t been well for a while. I watched the Levaya (funeral service) on Zoom / video conference. It was quite interesting to see what was mentioned in the funeral services by his wife, his chaver and friend Rabbi Israel Chait, my high principal and Rebbe, Rabbi Bernard Fox as well as that of some of his students. They spoke about his happy demeanor and thirst for knowledge and questions.  This is the area  and mindset I grew up in. This Yeshiva / neo Charedi Judaism that is gaining popularity with each year is somewhat concerning to me because they don’t seem to have a filter or sense of balance. They go all out and sometimes overboard with their garb and attitude.  

NHL and boys club

 From a recent email

I have seen your video on the Blackhawks scandal a number of times and some good points were made about the culture of the Old boys club allowing a scandal to happen and how this is a black eye for the Blackhawks and NHL.

What I object to is scapegoating the Blackhawks as the entire fault to absolve the other 29 teams for their sins of the old boys network. Yes it’s a massive scandal but there are other teams who have some serious issues, maybe not as serious as the Beach Aldrich but serious nonetheless such as Anaheim and their GM.

As a former Chicagoan it hurt as this team was the best and most consistent winner since the Jordan era Bulls. This puts it in a much sadder and bleaker light.

Another thing, how come you and many people who cover the NHL always seem to let Gary Bettman go unscathed as if he is some sort of Demi god? He’s been the commissioner for nearly 30 years and he and his office bear some sort of responsibility for this scandal. Maybe he should be forced out after this year. A younger voice and face would be a good idea. He will be 70 in June.

One last point about hockey culture , which also applies to baseball, which is why they are way way behind the NBA and NFL in terms of popularity. Hockey and Baseball are too much about the team and not the individual. Yes it’s important to be team minded. Hockey and baseball go overboard with this mindset. They don’t market players in the nhl the way they do in the nba and nfl.  Hockey sells teams like the Canadiens, the (cough cough Leafs) Oilers etc. The NBA and NFL sell stars like Giannis, LeBron, Stephen Curry . Kids buy those jerseys. They don’t buy mcdavid jerseys. 

Thank you.

Josh

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Joshua M Normand

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Joshua M Normand

Boys club part 2

 If MLB and the NHL were smart, they would remove their commissioners Immediately. Manfred and Bettman are vile corrupt and egocentric and unable to relate to the public. Unfortunately, no one in the sports media is willing to suggest that these two corrupt men who act like emperors should be removed from their positions.

Boys club mentality downfall of NHL and MLB

 What I have seen in the NHL and MLB is that the Boys Club mentality and cheapness is going to be the downfall of baseball and hockey. It’s more than the Blackhawks scandal and other scandals, it’s the attitude that exists in both sports from the commissioner’s office to the owners and other executives. They don’t understand that football and basketball are more popular with the younger fan than their sports are. It isn’t 1960-1980 anymore. 

Why I won’t root for Seattle /Washington State teams

 I will not be actively rooting for sports teams from Seattle and the State of Washington (aka the Evergreen 🌲 State). The reason is that all of the teams are complacent and self satisfied with their performance and aren’t ruthless in their desire to win. When that changes I will reconsider .

Poor quality of local news anchors

 We have a couple of news anchors who I am very  unimpressed with. The two I am referring to are Sade Baderinwa of ABC7 and Kristine Johnson of CBS 2. If they didn’t check boxes I doubt that they would be headlining those newscasts. A truly great station would bring in a strong alpha male to balance out the females and the left wing , woke nonsense that they represent.

Lockout ended, still ho hum

 So the owners and players made a deal and ended the lockout. Ho hum, 🥱. Baseball still is way behind the NFL and NBA in terms of fan interest and relevance.

Chicago Blackhawks rebuild

 As the team has regressed and suffered a black eye off of the eye with the ads abuse scandal that resulted in the resignation of the GM, it is time  for a full scale rebuild. That mean reading Kane and Toews. Sorry but it needs to be done. 

Rinos incompetence

 Despite the fact that they haven’t run the federal government since 2008, RINO commentators pontificate and write columns as if they matter and are important. Why should anyone listen or care what Peggy Noonan, Karl Rove, Dana Perino and Marc Thiessen say on matters, no matter what the situation is? Yes the RINO’s were in charge for 8 years. Not now, and they gave us two terms of Obama and Biden and Harris. Putin and Russia 🇷🇺 aren’t listening to you. Neither do many of the large Eastern states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maryland. 

Plus  many of these leaders are 70-85 years old. We need new blood and leadership.

Modern Orthodox Shuls need to ditch mandates

 In order for the Shuls to be filled and get back those who have left, I proposed that after Pesach all Shuls ditch the mask mandates and also have kiddush either outside or inside depending on if it rains or not. It is way past time to stop living in fear of the virus. Otherwise the Shuls will be empty and the province of the dedicated and those coming to say Kaddish for loved ones,

.