Cross-Posted from DaleGlading.com
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As a lifelong baseball fan, I consider myself a real student of the game… from Old Hoss Radbourne and Iron Man Joe McGinnity to today’s talented, but somewhat pampered players. In my 50-plus years of following America’s National Pastime, I have also seen dozens of rule changes meant to improve the game, from lowering the pitching mound (I agree with that one) to reducing the size of the strike zone (I disagree with that one).
Some of these changes have met with success, such as the new pitch clock which has reduced the time it takes to play a game from 3 hours and 3 minutes in 2022 to 2 hours and 36 minutes in 2023. However, one unofficial change that I absolutely loathe is the practice of warning both teams against retaliating when a single batter has been intentionally hit by a pitch.
In days gone by, the players took care of disciplining the game and each other with an internal code of conduct. They didn’t need an overzealous umpire removing his mask and pointing to both dugouts, letting them know that the next brushback pitch would result in an immediate ejection of both the offending pitcher and his manager.
I can just imagine how Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale – both known for backing batters off the plate with a “high, hard one” – would have handled today’s softer and gentler version of the game. The same goes for Sal Maglie, nicknamed “The Barber,” because he gave so many hitters a “close shave.”
In the same way that I miss the good ol’ days of hardnosed baseball when showoffs and show boaters were not tolerated, I despise the namby-pamby response of so many American and international leaders to the situation in the Middle East. Just like an umpire who cautions both teams not to retaliate when a single batter has been hit, these naïve and timid officeholders – past and present – are asking Israel not to fight back.
Former President Jimmy Carter, through the Carter Center, denounced the loss of “innocent lives on all sides of the conflict” and urged “all parties to prioritize the protection and well-being of civilians by refraining from actions that target residential areas.” Meanwhile, Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, condemned the attacks but called for “maximum restraint” as well as diplomacy leading to a two-state solution.
Cowards!
Curiously, both former President Bill Clinton and former President Barack Obama have remained silent. Thankfully, both former President George W. Bush and former President Donald Trump rushed to Israel’s defense. Bush 43 released the following statement…
“The George W. Bush Institute strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attacks on Israel that claimed scores of innocent civilians. We urge the United States and our allies to stand unequivocally with Israel, its government and people, and support Israel’s right to defend itself against these threats. Attacks on free and democratic states anywhere are attacks on all of us, whether in Israel, Ukraine, or elsewhere.”
As you can imagine, Donald Trump cut right to the chase, saying on Truth Social that “These Hamas attacks are a disgrace and Israel has every right to defend itself with overwhelming force.”
Just imagine, if you will, other countries suggesting that the United States demonstrate restraint after the Japanese attacked our naval forces at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941… or following the 9/11 terrorist attacks that took the lives of 2,977 American citizens, not counting those who have since died from exposure to toxic fumes.
We would have told them to take a hike or to mind their own business in language much stronger and saltier than that, and justifiably so. Likewise, Israel has lost an estimated 1,000 people with many more deaths sure to come. The only proper response for the United States – and Israel’s other allies – to offer is to denounce the attacks in no uncertain terms, to hold Iran 100% responsible, to promise full military support and cooperation as well as humanitarian aid, and to call for the obliteration of Hamas and Hezbollah.
This is not a war between Hamas and Israel. On the contrary, it is a battle between civilization and barbarism. We must stand strong with Israel and show no weakness, fear, equivocation, or quarter.
