Orchid of the Day: Deptford Township Little League President Don Bozzuffi.
Two weeks ago, I reported that Don Bozzuffi, the president of the Little League of Deptford Township, New Jersey, had enough of umpires being disrespected by parents when two respected umpires had quit his local Little League program. Bozzuffi, with 40 years as a youth baseball volunteer, blasted out a Facebook missive: Effective immediately, in the event of unruly or abusive behavior by a spectator or game attendee that is deemed necessary to impose the Code of Conduct, that offender will be barred from further attendance at Deptford Township Little League until he/she agrees to, and completes, three umpiring assignments at our complex. Shorter version: Act like a jerk to one of our Little League umpires, and you’re going to have to become a Little League umpire for three games before you are welcome to watch a game again.
On Friday the Wall Street Journal provided an update on the results of the new policy. Since the policy was announced in April, Deptford Township Little League hasn’t witnessed any new meltdowns. Not a whimper from the parents. Suddenly, they are as quiet as a church mouse. The thought of having to umpire and being subject to the same abuse they were handing out is not very appealing.
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I am happy to report that our Michigan roads are improving. The American Society of Civil Engineers in a recent report gave Michigan a D for roads, which is an improvement from the D- they gave us in 2018. “Even with the infusion of federal infrastructure dollars and the governor’s bonding program, we still had a significant underinvestment problem here in Michigan,” said Lance Bionenemi of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, which represents road builders. “These grades should be unacceptable to every Michigan citizen.” Fix the Damn Roads.
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After hearing the charges filed against George Santos today, my initial thought was that Bernie Madoff has nothing on Santos. The audacity is unbelievable.
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I continue to love the pitch clock and how it has transformed major league baseball. Knowing Tiger ace Eduardo Rodriquez was on the mound for the Tigers’ game today, I knew it was going to be another fast game. The game started at 1:10 PM and when I turned it on at 2:00 PM the game was in the bottom of the fifth. By 3:10 the Tigers had a 5-0 victory. Another lightning-fast game with Rodriquez on the mound. Rodriguez gave up four hits and two walks, allowing only two runners past first base in his sixth straight dominant performance. The left-hander is 4-0 with a 0.43 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings since April 12, including a current 19 1/3-inning scoreless streak.
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Today my golf group at Radrick Farms, The Kingsmen, lost one of our long-time members, Jack Hannon. Jack was also one of the original subscribers to this blog. Jack was the historian of our golf group as he memorialized everything in pictures, including holes-in-one, wildlife (human and otherwise) and anything else he could think of. Jack, a Vietnam vet, was one of the most patriotic people I have known. As a reader of my blog, he loved to send me questions about something he saw or read about, especially baseball rules or plays. Talking about sports and politics with him was something I treasured. He helped motivate me to finish the book I wrote about The Kingsmen, and he provided nearly all of the pictures in the book. Here is a toast to Jack and his short backswing.
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Quote of the Day: “When (Rodriguez) is on the mound, we’re all like, ‘Let’s go! Watching him from center field, he’s incredible. He is not missing his spots.” Tiger centerfielder Riley Greene on watching Tiger pitcher Eduardo Rodriquez during his last 6 starts.
Onion of the Day: George Santos
Question of the Day: How did George Santos make it through the vetting process prior to being allowed to run for congress in New York?
Video of the Day:
Jack was a true gentleman. When I first joined the Kingsman group he was one of the first to welcome me and always greeted me on the practice green with that awesome smile. I will miss him.
Doug, He was always a gentleman. He made everyone feel welcome. I have known him for 50 years and he was always kind and caring. I don’t recall him saying bad things about anyone. A special person who I loved to be around.
Nice of you to mention Jack today. He will be missed by all.
For nearly 50 years I watched that swing of his and I kept waiting for a backswing. I never saw one. I loved the guy.