Magic Number is 2
With the Tigers’ come from behind 4-3 victory over Tampa today, the Tigers won their fifth game in a row and reduced their magic number to 2 with three games left versus the White Sox at Comerica Park. The Tigers have won 9 of their last 10 and are 31-10 since early August. It is not 35-5, but it is just as amazing considering all of this is being done with a roster that includes 11 rookies and very few players with more than five years of experience.
There is a reason the Tigers are 53-26 when Parker Meadows is in the lineup. He got three hits Wednesday.
In last night’s 7-1 victory over Tampa, Parker Meadows hit the second pitch of the top of the first inning into the right field seats to get the Tigers on the board. This stopped an 18-inning scoreless streak for Tampa starter Zack Littell. Meadows’ hit left his bat with an exit velocity of 109.6 mph. It was scalded.
Meadows struck again in the third. He led off with a single (104.6 mph off his bat) and advanced to second on a single by Matt Vierling. Riley Greene followed with a bullet single to right (109 mph). Right-fielder Josh Lowe fielded it on one hop. Maybe the only person in the park who thought Meadows had a chance to score was Tigers’ third base coach Joey Cora.
He windmilled his arms and Meadows put it in overdrive. Statcast timed his time from third to home at 3.15 seconds, his fastest time over that distance this season.
Meadows slid across the plate without a play.
Character matters
An opinion piece which appeared today in the NY Times by retired Army General Stanley McChrystal and the founder of the McChrystal Group, a consulting firm.
Some deeply consequential decisions are starkly simple. That is how I view our upcoming presidential election. And that is why I have already cast my ballot for character — and voted for Vice President Kamala Harris.
As a citizen, veteran and voter, I was not comfortable with many of the policy recommendations that Democrats offered at their convention in Chicago, or those Republicans articulated in Milwaukee. My views tend more toward the center of the political spectrum. And although I have opinions on high-profile issues, like abortion, gun safety and immigration, that’s not why I made my decision.
Political narratives and policies matter, but they didn’t govern my choice. I find it easy to be attracted to, or repelled by, proposals on taxes, education and countless other issues. But I believe that events and geopolitical and economic forces will, like strong tides, move policymakers where they ultimately must go. In practice, few administrations travel the course they campaigned on. Circumstances change. Our president, therefore, must be more than a policymaker or a malleable reflection of the public’s passions. She or he must lead — and that takes character.
Character is the ultimate measure of leadership for those who seek the highest office in our land. The American revolutionary Thomas Paine is said to have written, “Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.” Regardless of what a person says, character is ultimately laid bare in his or her actions. So I pay attention to what a leader does.
History has shown us that the office of the presidency unfailingly reveals the occupant’s character. Moments of disappointment and crisis — like Jimmy Carter’s acceptance of responsibility for the failed 1980 Iran hostage rescue mission, John F. Kennedy’s navigation of the terrifying 13-day confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba and Abraham Lincoln’s courageous issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation — said little about policy but much about character.
Each of us must seriously contemplate our choice and apply the values we hope to find in our president, our nation and ourselves. Uncritically accepting the thinking of others or being swayed by the roar of social media crowds is a mistake. To turn a blind eye toward or make excuses for weak character from someone we propose to confer awesome power and responsibility on is to abrogate our role as citizens. We will get — and deserve — what we elect.
I’ve thought deeply about my choice and considered what I’ve seen and heard and what I owe my three granddaughters. I’ve concluded that it isn’t political slogans or cultural tribalism; it is the best president my vote might help select. So I have cast my vote for character, and that vote is for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ms. Harris has the strength, the temperament and, importantly, the values to serve as commander in chief. When she sits down with world leaders like President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, representing the United States on the global stage, I have no doubt that she is working in our national interest, not her own.
I would urge others to vote as I have. But whatever decision you make, let it be thoughtfully considered, carefully reached and yours alone. We’ll all have to live with it.
Is the U.S. enabling Netanyahu?
Enabler: a person who encourages or enables negative or self-destructive behavior in another
Enabling behavior: Directly or indirectly supporting someone else’s unhealthy or destructive tendencies.
Usually, enabler and enabling behavior relate to the action of a family member allowing another family member to continue their destructive ways, usually related to addiction.
If you think of the U.S. and Israel as a family, with the U.S. being the parent and Israel/Netanyahu being the adult child, it is my opinion the U.S. is enabling Netanyahu to continue his addictive destructive ways by providing continued financial support for his war without consequences.
It is time for the U.S. stop enabling Netanyahu and hold him accountable for his destructive ways.
Helene
Hurricane Helene is another reminder on why I will not live in Florida and will gladly put up with winter. I do not know how people in Florida can live with the stress related to hurricanes on an annual basis. My thoughts and prayers go out to those facing the wrath of Helene.
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Quote of the Day: “Among the many characteristics that define this Tigers’ team, a lack of ego is high among them.” Chris McCosky, Detroit News sports reporter.
Orchid of the Day: The Detroit Tigers. Get used to it.
Onion of the Day: Hurricane Helene.
Question of the Day: Is the U.S. enabling Netanyahu’s destructive behavior?
Video of the Day: Watch the excitement on Matt Vierlings’ face as he scores the winning run today.
Matt Vierling Slide | Detroit Tigers Game Winning Run (youtube.com)