History & Comment for May 16, 2025

A look at historical and current events on this day, comment and humor so dry it would make a camel thirsty. 

Transcript

This is History and Comment for Friday the 16th of May 2025

I wanted to mention the major shift in MLB earlier this week, and ran out of time.    I’m not sure I fully understand what has changed. But I will give it a run.   There is a long list of players who have been banned for a variety of offenses,   but most are related to betting.   I think we can link this to the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal.  Where  a number of players conspired to throw the World Series to the underdog Cincinnati Reds.    Several of the players were found to have actively worked against their team.   Shoeless Joe Jackson was caught up in the matter, but his guilt was always questioned.  He contended he was not involved.    Part of the issues was he was barely literate and did not fully understand some of the documents he signed.    

In an attempt to repair and maintain a sterling image,  MLB instituted a policy of a permanent bad for any player involved in gambling.  A permanent band made the player ineligible for induction in the Hall of Fame.    Earlier this week Commissioner Rob Manfred essentially made permanent bans lifetime bans.  This would make Pete Rose and the list eligible for the Hall of Fame.    I think it is a reasonable bet that Rose will be inducted when he becomes eligible in 2027.   What about the other 16 players?  Shoeless Joe, certainly had a notable record and name recognition.   Sources are saying he had a very good chance, also.   The only other name mentioned with a ghost of a chance is Eddie (SEE-Cot) Cicotte, also part of the White Sox Scandal,  like Jackson, his overall career makes him a possible but with less name recognition.  The other 14 have very little to no chance of making the Hall. 

We have already seen the Cincinnatti Reds make a big deal of the lifting.   Rose was a local boy who made the Big League and was a hometown favorite.    Some folks do consider the timing of the lift in poor taste.   Rose died at the age of 83, last September.     In an ironic twist,  the Reds honored Rose in a game on Wednesday.   It was against the Chicago White Sox.   

I find the obsession with gambling to be that and a bit dated.   Betting against your team is one matter but betting for your team to win is a completely different one.   There had been  a long relationship with drugs and baseball.   To my thinking that should result in a lifetime ban.    Certainly it cast the game in a poor light.    The Current policy is for an 80 game suspension for the first offense,  162 games for the second and a permanent ban for the third.   We might want to note that a season is 162 games.    

If we want to talk about good role models,   the NFL had a problem with arrest.  The about 1 in 5 have a criminal record.   The league argues that is below the general population average when you consider age and gender.    Still it seems high.   I believe in that light baseball has the better image.  

The first major wagon train sets out on the Oregon Trail in 1842 with 100 people.   The next year the number will explode to between 7 and 10 times that number.   California will not be the preferred destination until 1849 and the gold Discovery.    The broad flat Willamette Valley of Western Oregon, offers a pleasant climate and fertile lands.   It is placed in the USDA Hardiness Zone 8,  this puts it in the same winters as Southern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.  But without the hot summers.   

Congress established the nickel in 1866.  The coin was not the first in this denomination.  What was unique is this coin is comprised of 75% copper and 25% nickel metal.    The earlier half-dime was issued from 1792 until 1873, it like most coins prior to the mid-20th Century were struck in silver.   Today the copper one-cent piece is only 2.5% copper and the balance zinc,  cheap base metal.   The production cost of coins especially when they contain precious metals vs their face value has always been an issue.   

The last US coins to  contain a high percentage of precious metals were the first year of the Kennedy half-dollar in 1964 and the Washington Quarter also in 1964.  In 1965 both switched to a silver clad copper blank.    The melt value of the ’64 Kenndy Half is $11.70.   The ’64 Washington Quarter $5.85.  A 1981 Penny which is 90% copper is worth 2.87 cents as copper.  

This is the reason why there is a push to drop the Penny as it cost the government more than the face value to produce, even with a cheap metal.    

We could also make the same argument for a US Dollar coin.   These have been popular in Canada and other countries for decades, but the US populous have not adopted them.  Since 2011 the Mint has not struck Dollar coins for general circulation, only collector sets.    If you want a dollar coin, most banks have them.   

I have a devious thought,   maybe we should get some and mess with the folks at the registers.    And some 2 dollar bills also.  Those are still printed, too. 

Folks watching the Senate Proceedings in 1868, believed the removal of President Andrew Johnson was a done deal. It appeared the votes were there.   When the dust settled, one Senator had changed his mind and Johnson was allowed to finish his term.    This is the closest we have come to removing a President for misconduct and this was purely political.    Johnson was going much softer on the South in the Reconstruction era than most of Congress wanted.   It might be compared to the impeachment proceedings of President Trump.    The Clinton, affair had some merit along with some politics.  President Nixon would have been removed had he chosen to buck the tide.  As we have commented, Nixon had lost political clout, the crimes were pretty petty for his part.

Government always strives for self-preservation.   Even if it is at the personal liberty of the people.   That is almost an incontrovertible law of nature.   In 1918, Congress passes the Sedition Act of 1918, which makes citicism of the Government during wartime a crime.   It will be repealed two years later.   

The ChiComs begin a ten-year purge of Chinese Society of any remaining elements that are not in line with the Communist ideal for the Country.   That is in 1966.

This might be one of the biggest indicators of a problem Government.  IF they feel they must purge society of historical and traditional elements in favor of more modern and politically correct ones.  

Surgeon General C. Everett Koop proclaims that nicotine is highly addictive on par with heroin and cocaine.  That was in 1988.   Eventually, there will be a ban on the adveritisment of tobacco in mass media.    There has been talk if we should consider a similar ban on prescription drugs?    It is a fair question why we are targeting the public with ads to ask your doctor if X drug is right for you?    Why cannot our doctors be trusted to pick the best medical courses for their patients?   Now in fact,  the average person on long-term medications do not have the skill to know the pros and cons of any given medication.   So we attempt to educate them with slick ads in the mass media.  The same tactic used to get kids to eat sugar laden cererals.

One thing you can be assured of,  the media will not be in favor of a possible ban.   They like the money stream.   As always follow the money.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth becomes the first British Monarch to address the Congress.   Prime Minister Winston Churchill was the highest British Official to address congress with he did so in 1941. Churchill also holds the record of any foreign dignitary, he has addressed Congress three times in total. 

Birthdays today:

Colorful Baseball Manager Billy Martin was born in 1928.

Former US Senator from Indiana Dan Coats is 82.

Television Actor David Boreanaz, is 56.   You might have seen him in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 12 seasons as co-lead in Bones or 7 seasons of Seal Team.  

Journalist Tucker Carlson is also 56.  You have seen him on Fox News. 

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