Yankees Clipped By Astros in ALCS

The Houston Astros are going to the 2019 World Series and it took a bottom of the 9th walk-off two run homer by ALCS MVP Jose Altuve to make the New York Yankees irrelevant.  Game 6 gave us big plays at big moments, but none was as big as the Altuve walk-off. And unfortunately for the Yankees and the kiss butt Yankees loving media, history will only recall that the Houston Astros won 107 games, were favored to win the 2019 American League Pennant, and went out and did it against the New York Yankees.

The Astros won it all two years ago against the L.A. Dodgers.  This coming Tuesday they will host the upstart Washington Nationals in game 1 of the World Series. New York and Los Angeles might not watch, but the rest of us baseball fans can’t wait to see a matchup where the media won’t have a dog in the fight.  When you love the game more than its big city market value, you watch and treasure any and every World Series; for the love of the game.

Congratulations Houston Astros on your second ALCS Championship in three years.

Final Score GM6 ALCS
Yankees 4
Astros 6

Judgment At Nuremberg - Lessons in Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism: A system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.

In the year 2019 America has a leader in office that sees himself as dictators see themselves; above any criticism or accountability for their questionable actions. He would be untouchable if he were sitting on a throne as ruler of a monocratic kingdom. Problem is America is not a monocracy (governed by one), but a democracy governed by the people through elected officials. And he is an elected official.

I watched a 1961 courtroom drama film last night titled "Judgment at Nuremberg." It's an all-time favorite of mine that I hadn't seen in many years. The film follows the post-war trial of four German judges who served during the Nazi regime and are now facing a tribunal for charges of crimes against humanity.

Watching Judgment at Nuremberg this time around was a scary experience because it resembles the politics of today's dictatorial regimes. All but one of the men on trial, Ernst Janning, denied knowing about the atrocities their Nazi political party carried out under the leadership of Adolph Hitler. 

The defense attorney made a gallant effort in putting forward "alternative facts" to justify the actions of these men and their Nazi regime. He even went as far as charging the Vatican, foreign countries and foreign corporations in sharing in the blame of Nazi atrocities. 

And then there was at least one witness for the defense who during the war had given evidence that led to the arrest and death of a Jewish man, and the destruction of a young 16 year old girl's virgin reputation.  This witness represented the many subservient German citizens who felt obligated to report any crimes (real or imagined) against the state involving Jews or Jewish sympathizers, to the Nazi gestapo. The witness, an elderly female, left the stand discredited.

When Ernst Janning, the one defendant not in denial, chose to give his statement against the advice of the defense attorney, he literally blew away all defense testimony by admitting everyone knew what was going on in Germany and chose to go along with the Nazi plan. His performance on the stand was a highlight of the film. 

In delivering his indictment of the German peoples, Janning put the blame directly on the shoulders of good German citizens who cloaked themselves in Hitler's "make Germany great again" rhetoric. Germany was starving and barely surviving when Hitler came along and reminded them of how great they once were and could be again. He railed against the debts owed from WWI. Then he gave the German peoples a scapegoat in the Jews, and that's when the power of hate was ignited and began burning in full force.

What Judgment at Nuremberg warns against is not the Hitler type leaders of history making a modern day reappearance, but the wavering integrity of judges, doctors, lawyers, politicians and such. These oath pledging professionals know better than to conspire and participate in evil against the laws and peoples, or to turn a blind eye to it. They know the dangerous consequences a country in conflict with itself might suffer. Their complicity in allowing such evil actions to be carried out is what makes them guilty of a dictator's crimes. It is the duty of sworn in, learned and righteous citizens to protect their democracy against interlopers who come along and start tearing down democratic laws and institutions in an effort to dictate their own brand of government; a government that would normalize concentration camps, ethnic hatred and sterilization as well as ban freedoms of speech and such. 



One of my favorite quotes from the movie is in its final scene with the Judge and the main defendant Janning. The defendant wants the judge to know that he never knew it would come to millions of people dying. The Judge's reply was as follows: 

"Ernst Janning, It came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent."

Da’ Bums Blow it Again

Maybe Next Year"..............Maybe NOT

Its the sworn duty of every able-bodied San Francisco Giants fan to not only kick, but poke and humiliate a rival when they’re down.  Last night’s NLDS game between the visiting underdog Washington Nationals and Da’ Bums of Los Angeles gave us orange and black fans reason to kick and take potshots at our most hated rival. 

The Dodgers, a team that has been to four of the last six NLCS and represented the National League in the past two World Series, have been eliminated from the playoffs........Again.   They had the second best record in baseball with what looked like a dominant roster built for a championship run. And yet Da’ Bums blew it.  

Five outs away from moving on to their fourth straight NLCS and the Dodgers, with pitching ace Clayton Kershaw on the mound, gave up back-to-back homeruns that tied the game. Then, in the top of the tenth inning with the bases loaded, Nationals second baseman Howie Kendrick goes high and deep to thrust a dagger smack into the heart of Da’ Bums and their unbelieving blue-capped fans.  And that’s how the 2019 Dodgers baseball season ended, with a choke job that strangled the life out of Los Angeles on what turned out to be a cruel October evening.  

It couldn’t have happened to a better bunch of bums. Just who did they think they were anyway, the 2010 San Francisco Giants?

Final Score /10

Washington Nats 7

L.A. Dodgers 3

Raiders a .500 team so far

The NFL season has just completed a quarter of its regular season schedule and the Oakland Raiders seem to be a middle of the pack team. After losing Antonio Brown at the start of the season this might not be so bad. Players on both sides of the ball have stepped up. QB Derek Carr has had what I call a .500 season so far, a few bumpy outings mixed in with some great leadership.

With the questionable season long suspension handed down to LB Vontez Burfect this week, the team will need to continue with that next-man-up mentality. If coaches can utilize the strength of their players, (speed, size up front, power run game), we could see them in the playoff conversation come December. But that is a very optimistic could.  Until I see convincing back-to-back wins out of them I  can’t buy into the possibility of playoffs. Consistency is key to their success. The Raiders (2-2) face the (3-1) Chicago Bears in London this coming weekend. Let’s see if they can get their first back-to-back win under their belt. Maybe then we can start peeking into the future.  A game at a time men. 

Win, Lose or Tie!

Who's The Doss!

Two-time consensus All-American, Walter Payton Award finalist and Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year joins hometown team


Today's game against the Kansas City Chiefs should see rookie Raiders wide receiver Keelan Doss on the field. The young glimmer of promise in the preseason has yet to play in an NFL regular season football game. That changes today in week 2.

His early start to a professional football career has been interesting to say the least. With all the AB stuff we witnessed of late, its just fate that has brought Doss back to the Raiders from Jacksonville. In my opinion, he should've never been cut. Hopefully Gruden has learned his lesson.

Today we'll see if what the youngster did in the preseason can be duplicated in games that count. Because Today, Doss is ready for Launch in Oakland.

Welcome to the NFL Keelan Doss. Now show us What U Got...…….

Raiders Mourn Loss of Eddie Money. A Rocking Roll Raiders Fan!

Its Always About The Money - Raiders Release AB

Breaking News out of ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Raiders have released WR Antonio Brown from the team today.

And there ends the HBO mini-series about the troubled honeymoon of a proud sports franchise and its brief marriage to a diva athlete. This morning the marriage vows were rescinded and an annulment was granted. 

The franchise saves $29 million dollars and the diva gets to tempt another desperate eligible bachelor to put a ring on it. I'm sure after watching this roller-coaster mini-series that potential bachelors will only go courting this gold digger with a pre-nuptial agreement in hand, something the Raiders obviously were smart enough to do.

Raider Nation should be thankful that the team finally saw the writing on the wall and let go of their hyped highlight fantasies of the diva. Though his skills are undeniably extraordinary, everything else about him is unstable and unpredictable. And sooner or later the diva was going to do what divas do; display their narcissism and selfishness by holding out and/or not fulfilling their part of the contract. They basically take the money and run. "Well, not up in here!"

Congratulations Raiders on Moving On from the Diva!

You've got to know when to Hold'em

Know when to Fold'em

Know when to Walk Away

And Know when to Run

You never count your Money

When you're sittin' at the Table

There'll be time enough for Countin'

When the dealin's Done

U Gotta Know When To Hold'em!

Now every gambler knows 

The secret to survivin'

Is knowin' what to throw away

And knowin' what to keep.
- lines from Kenny Rogers "The Gambler"

On the morning of the NFL regular season kickoff, the Raiders and star receiver Antonio Brown are headline news; and it ain't good news.

Seems Brown and Raiders GM Mike Mayock had a verbal confrontation over a letter sent to Brown about fining him. Mayock is now talking suspension. If suspended, the Raiders could back away from the $30 million contract they gave Brown and then likely cut him from the team.

Problem now is we just don't know all the facts about the confrontation, other than that it was verbal and not physical. But supposedly Brown had to be held back from going after Mayock, supposedly.

My take on this whole thing with Brown is that the Raiders knew what they were getting with AB and they rolled the dice. Sure they could bow out now, cutting their loses and recouping $30 mil., but that would be an admittance to making a big mistake to begin with in rolling the dice.  As for a season without Antonio Brown on the field, that's like the Warriors losing Kevin Durant for the season. And we all know how the Warriors season turned out without KD down the stretch.

So I say let AB be AB as long as he produces on the field. I don't think he's disrupting the team or its play on the field. We know what he can do on the field, so let'em make up for any off-field mistakes by producing plays on the field. Its time for some football dammit, and the Raiders have a shot at being contenders this season; but only if AB is on the field. 

Breaking News

NFL Network will air Raiders coach John Gruden  addressing the Antonio Brown issue in a press conference today at 1pm, so its serious folks.

Florida - Get Out!

Safety, Preparedness & Recovery Guide

Personal message/warning from Raiderlegend:

In a nutshell, a historic category 5 major hurricane is traveling through the Bahamas toward the southeast coast of the United States. The warnings began earlier this past week when it was only a tropical storm threat, plenty of time given to prepare. The experts with their model hurricane predictors have been speculating the hurricane will likely travel north along the Southeast coast with possible landfall near Georgia if at all.

Today, I’m hearing many speculators suggest the hurricane will not swing north but continue in a northwestern path toward Florida. What we know for sure is that hurricanes are unpredictable and unforgiving. Floridians who have the ways and means to travel away from the state to safer grounds should do so immediately. Your property and possessions are not as important as your precious life.  Heed the actions of your president who is staying away from his prized Florida property and home, Mar-a-lago, which is in the westward path of the hurricane.  He has found safety sixty miles north of Washington, D.C., at Camp David in Maryland.

Floridians, get out! If you cannot get out then plan ahead for your safety and that of your family. Expect the worst scenario and prepare accordingly.  Likewise, neighboring states of Georgia, South and North Carolina should be in the same safety mode. Check-in with your nearest community safety services and get informed. There’s a big storm coming, its named Dorian. Prayers are with you to be proactive in your safety.

God Bless!

Category 5 Hurricane

The most catastrophic of all hurricanes, a Category 5 has a maximum sustained wind speed of 157 mph or higher. Damage can be so severe that most of the area hit by such a storm could be uninhabitable for weeks or even months.

Coastal storm surge reaches more than 18 feet and the barometric pressure is below 920 millibars.

Only three Category 5 hurricanes have struck the mainland United States since records began:

• The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Florida Keys
• Hurricane Camille in 1969 near the mouth of the Mississippi River
• Hurricane Andrew in 1992 in Florida

In 2017, Hurricane Maria was a Category 5 when it devastated Dominica and a Category 4 in Puerto Rico, making it the worst disaster in those islands' histories. When Hurricane Maria hit the mainland U.S., it had weakened to a Category 3.

America, You're Fired!

So you thought the idea of electing a former reality tv Game Show Host would keep America great. You figured by spinning the wheel and taking a chance on a businessman more familiar with bankruptcy court than government legislation would somehow lead to a better, stronger America. You would have me believe that a clown could be put in charge of a circus and the show would improve in part due to the expertise of the clown-in-charge. 

Well I got news for you America; Fulfilling the duties of the Presidency of the United States requires something more than the antics of a clown, game showman or bankrupt businessman. It requires leadership, integrity and diplomacy. It requires confidence and commitment to represent the country, utilizing all resources available to make decisions that best serve it. It requires one who is sound in mind and flexible in problem solving ideas. It requires vision and planning. It requires an unselfish country first attitude with a worldview of politics. 

It's not that a showman, businessman or clown could not or should not become President of the United States. But once he/she becomes President all manners of conducting oneself should rise to a higher standard; ones manner should be seen as Presidential. 

When you envision some of our most successful former game show hosts performing the duties of President of the United States, it doesn't sound so farfetched. There have been some capable men.

But let either of them, while serving as President, begin to conduct himself as something unbecoming the commander-in-chief, he should be called to answer for his questionable words and/or actions. We as citizens owe to our democracy to guard against the sullying of our country's leadership position, lest we lose our standing as leaders of the free world and/or our own personal freedoms at home.

Today's Presidency and White House Administration is a warning to us voting citizens of these United States; one that we must heed in the upcoming Presidential election of 2020.

A RaiderLegend Passes - #21

1948 - 2019

Cliff Branch had the hands, the moves and the speed of greatness. I remember watching him outrun defenses and haul in touchdowns in my youth. He was the Oakland Raiders Legend I related to most.  I played wide receiver as a young football player.  What young wide receiver didn't wanna be great like #21. On the field he was Primetime before Prime!

The day I met Cliff Branch was the day I met one of my childhood sports idols. I'll never forget it, Dec. 23, 2006. He signed my #21 "Branch" Jersey at a booth before the home game and I strutted into the Coliseum like  Vince 'frickin' McMahon. That day, every ol'skool fan wanted to know where I got the cool Jersey. Cliff's silver-penned inscription was so fly it looked store bought. With a game face to kill for I boisterously replied, "Cliff hooked me up earlier, nice ha!"  I said it like someone who ran with Raider legends all the time, no big deal.

That day spent kicking it with Cliff, I was like a Pop Warner kid all over again. We talked 70's football and I confessed how he was my second favorite NFL receiver back then, behind Bullet Bob Hayes of the Cowboys. Cliff was classy about it and gave Hayes nothing but praise for his HOF talents. But Cliff also pointed out his own accomplishments, saying he won three Super Bowls to Haye's one. 

I will likely wear my "Branch" jersey to at least one game this season to honor my boy Cliff Branch. If Antonio Brown can do a quarter of what Cliff Branch did for the Raiders, we fans would appreciate it. Unfortunately for Brown, nobody can replace what Cliff Branch was to us Raiders fans both on the field and off.

Thanks For Being A Raider 4Life Cliff. 

RaiderLegend Cliff Branch Posts

Cliff Branch Hooks a Brotha Up (2006)

Breaking Out my Cliff Branch Jersey  (2010)

NFL Films & Cliff Branch  (2011)

Charging to the Super Bowl  (2012)

In The Bishop's Carriage (1904)

Author, Mariam Michelson, gives you a new way of reading a book. Instead of using a third person voice to introduce characters, she allows her main character, Nance Olden, to give you the rundown on all the folks. This style of having one character tell you about an encounter with someone and then repeat in her own voice what the person is saying, as if questioning their response or commenting on it, is brilliant. Confusing at first, but brilliant none the less.

Usually I don’t like hearing one character do all the describing and talking in a book, but this author won me over with her almost gossipy way of doing it. Also, the fact that she uses primarily one main partner to the main character, Maggie Monahan (Mag),  as primary receiver of her self-talking dialogues makes you feel as if you are part of their specially bonded friendship.

Nance and Mag grew up in “The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children” house, or as they called the loveless orphanage, The Cruelty. Nance and Mag become seasoned thieves and Nance hooks up with a brutish man (Tom) who uses her to help pull off his small-time crimes.

The story takes off immediately and you always find yourself rooting for Nance to come out on top of the many challenging escapades she finds herself caught up in. Her encounter “in the bishop’s carriage,” where she first meets the bishop, begins an enlightening and life changing jump off point for Nance. In the bishop she finds a loving fatherly type and in Nance the bishop finds a loving daughter. But circumstances and bad luck of the thief haunts Nance as she struggles with this newly discovered feeling of wanting to be a good girl for her fantasy-adopted father, or at least not let him find out who/what she really is.

Only after the brute Tom Dorgan, who Nance thought she loved, is sent away to sing-sing prison, does she consider changing her ways.

She’s a bad girl trying to do good, and once she realizes how much she likes being good, honest and trusted by others, she begins to blossom. Nance becomes a successful comedy star of the stage, using her mimicking ways to make satire of famous celebs of the day.

It’s almost as if Nance has traded in a bad thief for a good theatrical agent in Fred Obermuller. Fred shows Nance how to trust in him by trusting in her time and time again. Surprisingly, by the end of the book the two fall in-love and marry, something that might have been hinted at in the story but really couldn’t be seen coming.

Part of the story is Fred saving Nance and another part is Nance saving Fred. And all the while in between you’re hearing episode after episode of events being described and shared with Mag from Nance’s point of view.

Think I might have figured out how the author put together the story and came up with the title. I read online, the book originated from a short story printed in the newspaper titled “In the Bishop’s Carriage.” The short story consisted of only the first chapter. In the book the second chapter mentions Mag for the first time and The third chapter begins with:

“Oh, Mag, Mag, for heaven’s sake, let me talk to you! You must let me tell you. No – don’t call the other girls. I can’t bear to tell this to anybody but you.” Pg62

And there begins the uniqueness of “In the Bishop’s Carriage.” The two women are like childhood girlfriends who’ve grown to love and trust only each other. Though Mag never says a word herself, Nance gives the reader enough to know that Mag is one of those friends who listens well, rarely questions and is loyal in her commitment to secrecy. Not sure what Mag’s standing was with Nance while Tom was around, but with Tom out of the picture, Mag becomes Nance’s connection to her past orphanage childhood and hard life existence to this point.

Some of the memorable characters are the silken voiced Mr. Latimer, a wheelchair bound invalid who Nance encounters while escaping a theft. Mr. Latimer covers for Nance with the cops, shares with her some prophetic poetry, and enlightens her by questioning why she lives a life of lying and thievery when she seems to have so much talent for good. Mr. Latimer basically sets the moral stage for why one chooses good over evil. And if Mr. Latimer is the good shepherd, the wretched Edward was the snake in the garden. Edward’s criminal plot to marry the old spinster Dowager for her money was foiled by Nance, and from then on it is Edward who becomes Nance’s nemesis, trying to ruin her success throughout the story.

Twelve-year old Kitty the thief steals the purse of Nance and is then found sharing with other street-urchins candy and cake bought with Nance’s stolen money. Kitty reminds Nance of herself. Eventually Nance gains her trust and teaches Kitty a lesson in why not to steal.

The Trust was an interesting part of the story. The Trust being the monopolizing corporate entity of the theatrical business. It was the organization that Fred Obermuller had bumped heads with and felt he could never get ahead because of them. Nance pulls a great hustle on the Trust lead man Mr. Tausig, ending with the incriminating document that can bring down the Trust for what was then a big deal, with anti-trust laws going into effect to stop big business monopolies in industries like railroads, oil, etc…

All ends well in this book as Nance and Fred become successful world travelers and giving to the needy. At the end when Nance and the bishop meet where it all began, in the bishop’s carriage, you feel as if the story has come full circle and much more is understood about the journey. Then seeing Nance return to the Cruelty, bringing toys for the little kids as she almost faints from the bad memories. I believe it is Fred, knowing the nightmares the Cruelty has haunted Nance with, who helps her see that her doing this good charity work is making sure no more kids coming through the doors of the Charity will have to suffer like she and Mag did. In one stroke of good intentions, Nance was able to whisk away the dark, gloomy childhood thoughts imprisoned in her memory of the Cruelty, and replace them with a happy outlook for the kids now living there.

In the Bishop’s Carriage is a rags-to-riches story, a good-triumphs-over-evil story, a crime and mystery thriller story and a comedy. Author Miriam Michelson ranks on the level of the early suffragists members in the way she challenges convention and pits the wits of a smart woman against the custom and convention of a male dominated society.

Yes, I rooted from beginning to end for the kindly thief Nance Olden!

Book Notes

-        He looked like an unhealthy little frog, with his bald head, his thin-lipped mouth that laughed, while the wrinkles rayed away from his cold, sneering eyes that had no smile in them. Pg.214

-        The little fellow laughed. His is a creaky, almost silent little laugh; if a spider could laugh he’d laugh like that. Pg.215

-        The thing to do is to be humble if you can’t be arrogant. Pg.211

- your face is unprotected with eyes closed; like a fort whose battery is withdrawn. Pg.185

*    Three times I came across references to a black person(s). In a reflection of the times, the words used were not considered racist and offensive to many whites; but to most blacks they were racist and offensive then and continue to be today.:

-  "There I was seated in a box all alone, come to listen to the leading lady sing coon-songs. Pg. 175

-        Oh Mag, remember how we used to peep into those awful, imposing Board rooms! Remember how strange and resentful you felt – like a poor little red-haired nigger up at the block – when you were in there to be shown to the woman who’d called to adopt you. Pg.276

In The Bishop’s Carriage

By Miriam Michelson

Audio

Silent Film (lost)

You’d Do It For Randolph Scott!

Today I tuned into the western tv station GRIT, where a Randolph Scott movie marathon was being broadcast. Scott was a little before my time. The first time I heard his name was in the 1970’s Mel Brooks comedy, “Blazing Saddles.” For those who can remember the scene, “You’d do it for Randolph Scott. Rannndolllph Sccotttt!,” its just one of the many hysterical episodes in the movie. But for us kids watching back then, we were all kind of in the dark, wondering, who the heck is Randolph Scott? I remember laughing along with the older folks watching, assuming he must’ve been some cowboy from their era of television and radio. I wasn’t far off in my assumption.

Randolph Scott was an early American film actor who became known for playing the tough lawman in westerns. Though his acting was a bit stiff, he was tall, athletic, and considered ruggedly handsome; perfect for the western hero role. He was John Wayne before John Wayne and Clint Eastwood before Clint Eastwood. He did more talking with his fists and guns than with his low, monotone voice. A simple, no-nonsense hero with high values, who stood for truth and justice.

In the two movies I watched, “Tall Man Riding” and “Riding Shotgun,” he was misjudged by both good and bad. His quiet demeanor was sometimes taken for cowardice, weakness, or in the case of women, cold-heartedness. But in the end, he is always proven a good, strong, stand-up man. 

He seldom smiles and rarely shows any emotion, but you know he always wants what’s right and just. His smile is more of a hint of a smile, like a smirk, never splitting the tight-lipped vice of his mug.

What got me into watching Randolph Scott movies is my crazy obsession as an Oakland Raiders fan. Anything Raiders gets my blood and passion going. Years ago, I learned that the Raiders used the image of Randolph Scott for the eye-patched pirate logo emblazoned on the sides of their silver helmets. The logo, with a few modifications, has been that way since the team joined the NFL in 1960. 

Looking at the pirate logo alongside a picture of Randolph Scott, the resemblance is confirmed; squinty-eyed, prominent nose, thin-lipped and square-jawed. So you can imagine a fan of the Raiders pirate seeing him riding into town on horse-back, looking tall and tough as nails, fearing nobody and ready to fight at the drop of a hat. That’s a Raiders Fan image of just who the Raiders are and that's the character Randolph Scott portrayed in his movies. It's really a sight to behold as a fan.

I recommend to any Raiders fan to give it a try. Check out a 1950’s Randolph Scott western, preferably in color. You’ll be a better fan for it, knowing the Raiders pirate mystique actually represented a high-caliber individual on the right side of the law. We ain't all pillaging crooks! Coincidently, Scott's last name in the movie "Tall Man Riding" was Madden.

I once heard Al Davis in an interview say he styled the Raiders after two of his favorite New York sports teams; the Yankees for their talent and domination and the Dodgers for their ruggedness and tenacity. I suppose the image of Randolph Scott was chosen for the same reasons. Al Davis was a man who appreciated greatness. He was a visionary, crafty enough to mold the Raiders into the competitive sports greatness he’d observed growing up in Brooklyn. 

RaidersWire: Training Camp Day One

SF Giants Comeback Downs Cubs

Panik Stuns the Cubs (san jose mercury news)

The Giants now own a 51-50 record, and how they climbed out of the cellar is CRAZY! It's their first time above .500 this season and they sport a 15-3 record so far in the month of July.

Tonight's game against the visiting Chicago Cubs saw the home team once again rally from a deficit. Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the 8th, they scored 3 runs before closing out the victory in the 9th.  One of tonight's heroes of the moment was Joe Panik, who batted in the go ahead run. 

Resilient Pitching, attention to details Fielding and clutch Hitting are signs of a championship caliber team. The San Francisco Giants are checking off all three boxes more times than not when they take the field to play ball. Tonight the Cubbies saw what we Giants fans are all hyped and 5150-CRAZY about. Baseball in San Francisco is back to being competitive. And the Bochy Farewell Tour is alive and swell...…….

Go Giants!

Final Score
Cubs 4
Giants 5

Championship Boxing with Class

Last night we boxing fans saw two Boxing Gladiators go the distance and remind us of what the sweet science of pugilism is all about.  We saw a legendary 40 year old champion go toe-to-toe with a returning 30 year old champion. Their combative performance made some of the younger boxing matches of late resemble a dance marathon; no constant clutching and circling around the ring in this bout. The battle was on from start to finish. 

These champions came to do what they do best; fight. The bout was entertaining and clean, and was judged somewhat fairly. What impressed me most was the class and respect of both fighters afterward. The losing, younger fighter was honest and dignified in answering questions about his performance, while at the same time giving praise to the older champion. If we boxing fans have felt cheated and bamboozled by championship fights in past years, last night did much toward making up for all the disappointments and questionable decisions endured.

Dignity and Class was on the Boxing menu last night, not to mention a punching festival that thrilled from round 1 to the bell ending round 12.  And though I went into the fight not knowing much about the younger fighter, he earned my respect and fandom with his skill, character and love for the sport. Even in losing, he just might be the one to carry the championship torch into the very near future. 

As for the older fighter, he proved to me and the rest of the boxing universe that he still has the skills to take on championship caliber opponents and not only hold is own, but come out convincingly victorious. His legacy is still in the making.

Congratulations to two great ambassadors of the sport of boxing. I also give a championship salute to the promoters who put together a match made for us admirers of the sweet science.

         1964 - 2019

10 strikes on the bell for a former champion who's life ended way too soon; Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker.

Church of Scientology - Lest We Forget

25 of the biggest lies told by L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology (Tony Ortega 2015)

Notice the heading doesn't say Only 25, but "25 of the Biggest Lies." Mr. Ortega's listing is worth a look-see for those who wonder what all the fuss is about this organization.

So this is why there are so many skeptics and haters out there when it comes to the Church of Scientology. I had no idea that the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, was a pathological liar and his wife, Mary Sue Hubbard, was sent to jail with eight other members of the church for Obstructing Justice and stealing government documents. Ever heard of "Operation Snow White"? Just ask any Scientologist. Then again, maybe you shouldn't ask.

I haven't researched much about L. Ron Hubbard, but from what I've found so far there was nothing holy about the man. Sounds more like a crooked snake-oil businessman who inspired followers with falsehoods while pocketing their money. Picture a cross-hatching of Donald Trump  and Jim Jones; and sadly there's always lost souls willing to drink the kool-aide. 

The Church of Scientology's "Operation Snow White" was the organization's failed criminal conspiracy attempt to cover up Hubbard's dark history. Again, another example where the cover-up is worse than the crime. 

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Scientology building in Los Angeles, California.

Grand Jury Charges, Introduction, "United States of America v. Mary Sue Hubbard", United States District Court for the District of Columbia, 1979.

Operation Snow White was a criminal conspiracy by the Church of Scientology during the 1970s to purge unfavorable records about Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard

Biographies

Gerry Armstrong, formerly Hubbard's official biographical researcher, whose trial disclosed many details of Hubbard's life

In the late 1970s two men began to assemble a picture of Hubbard's life. Michael Linn Shannon, a resident of Portland, Oregon, became interested in Hubbard's life story after an encounter with a Scientology recruiter. Over the next four years he collected previously undisclosed records and documents. He intended to write an exposé of Hubbard and sent a copy of his findings and key records to a number of contacts but was unable to find a publisher.^[321]

Shannon's findings were acquired by Gerry Armstrong, a Scientologist who had been appointed Hubbard's official archivist.^[321] He had been given the job of assembling documents relating to Hubbard's life for the purpose of helping Omar V. Garrison, a non-Scientologist who had written two books sympathetic to Scientology, to write an official biography. However, the documents that he uncovered convinced both Armstrong and Garrison that Hubbard had systematically misrepresented his life. Garrison refused to write a "puff piece" and declared that he would not "repeat all the falsehoods they [the Church of Scientology] had perpetuated over the years". He wrote a "warts and all" biography while Armstrong quit Scientology, taking five boxes of papers with him. The Church of Scientology and Mary Sue Hubbard sued for the return of the documents while settling out of court with Garrison, requiring him to turn over the nearly completed manuscript of the biography.^[322] In October 1984 Judge Paul G. Breckenridge ruled in Armstrong's favor, saying:

The evidence portrays a man who has been virtually a pathological liar when it comes to his history, background and achievements. The writings and documents in evidence additionally reflect his egoism, greed, avarice, lust for power, and vindictiveness and aggressiveness against persons perceived by him to be disloyal or hostile. At the same time it appears that he is charismatic and highly capable of motivating, organizing, controlling, manipulating and inspiring his adherents. He has been referred to during the trial as a "genius," a "revered person," a man who was "viewed by his followers in awe." Obviously, he is and has been a very complex person and that complexity is further reflected in his alter ego, the Church of Scientology.^[323]

In November 1987, the British journalist and writer Russell Miller published Bare-faced Messiah, the first full-length biography of L. Ron Hubbard. He drew on Armstrong's papers, official records and interviews with those who had known Hubbard including ex-Scientologists and family members. The book was well-received by reviewers but the Church of Scientology sought unsuccessfully to prohibit its publication on the grounds of copyright infringement.^[324] Other critical biographical accounts are found in Bent Corydon's L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman? (1987) and Jon Atack's A Piece of Blue Sky (1990).

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Dated 27 Apr 2011, 5:17pm

Wed 27 Apr 2011, 5:17pm

A poster of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard, supplied by Keryn, 55. Keryn grew up in the church and has told ABC News Online she was a victim of 'hard labor, mental brutality and separation' on their ships. She is angry the motion for a Scientology probe has been blocked in Parliament.