A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Retirement

I am pretty sure that it is time - probably long past time - to close this blog.

This is one of the oldest Jblogs, having been formed in May 2003. I have posted 1188 times. I have said at least 99 percent of what I want to say about Israel and about Jewish issues.

Even my sports posts are becoming predictable.

When I have a strong opinion about something, I no longer feel any need to blog about it. Indeed, blogging feels like another burden. I have enough burdens right now.

Until now, my reluctance to shut the blog down has stemmed from my awareness that almost all retired bloggers come back. Some come back within days, some only years later. But almost everyone eventually feels the need to write again, and returns.

I no longer think the likelihood that I will unretire is a good reason to continue blogging. Perhaps the Jets will make the playoffs, and there will soon be a flurry of posts about them. But for now it's time for at least a break.

Thanks to all those who have read and/or provided comments at The Zionist Conspiracy.
posted on 12/18/2006

 
MoC: Please Help Fosterboy

One of the finest members of the Jblogosphere has long been MoChassid. Even though I have never met or spoken with MoC, a few months ago, when I learned of a problematic situation in Woodmere, I immediately e-mailed MoC, and in middle of a weekday he offered and provided significant help.

Now, MoC asks for readers' help in placing Fosterboy in a pre-adoptive home. I very much hope his efforts will be successful.
posted on 12/18/2006

 
Week 15 Rebound

Very nice job by the Jets today, winning their fifth road game of the season.

After the Jets' early bad start on the teams' opening drives, Chad Pennington and Laveranues Coles were fantastic, leading the victory.

Mike Nugent deserves props too, with four field goals, including a 52 yarder and a 45 yarder, both late in the first half, that increased the Jets lead from 17-7 to 23-7.

My only two quibbles are that the Jets failed to get the ball into the end zone on several long drives, and that the defense softened up way too early, almost letting the Vikings back in.

But that's the Jets - there's never a stress free victory.

Next week's Monday night game at Miami will be very tough, but the fact that the Jets will be playing an important game on December 25 is demonstrative of how far they have come from where they were a year ago.
posted on 12/17/2006

 
Update

1. At some point, preferably no later than the bris, we will have to decide on a name for the baby.

The good news is that we are making progress. As a result of Sunday's Jets game, Chad and D'Brickashaw have both been eliminated from contention.

Feel free to offer your suggestions. If your entry is selected, you will get a CD of "Limelight" by The Alan Parsons Project, along with one pound of lox remaining from the upcoming (G-d willing) bris.

2. The Rangers are playing well now, and finally gave Jarkko Immonen a chance. Mets remain quiet. Why aren't they or anyone else interested in Jeff Suppan? Nets finally won but are still looking pretty bad. Jets will need to win all three remaining games to even have a chance to make the playoffs, which seems quite unlikely. At least they're playing, in the eternal words of Fred Wilpon, "meaningful games" in December.

3. I am finding that I'm a decent errand boy. I believe that I have now visited every pharmacy on Main Street and several more on Queens Blvd. and Kissena Blvd. I look forward to continuing my scavenger hunt for the remaining items tonight on Union Turnpike.

4. I thought I was tired and had my personal space usurped when my now two-year old son was born, but nothing is quite like having six people in a two bedroom, 900 square foot apartment and being asked by the baby nurse: "Joe, tomorrow morning will you be taking a shower by 7?"

5. Speaking of the bris, two people who I know in "real life" e-mailed me in the last day noting that they learned of my son's birth via this blog. I wasn't aware that I knew that many people, let alone that I had that many readers who also know me in real life.

So if I've forgotten to inform anyone about the bris and the shalom zachor, please e-mail me for the information. Rather than maintaining a formal e-mail list, I simply e-mailed whoever I could think of, and that on hardly any sleep.

6. Those who will be in Kew Gardens Hills this Friday night are welcome to come by for the shalom zachor - again, feel free to e-mail me for the info. There will be plenty of Duvel beer, Dr. Brown's black cherry soda, Sharon's Sorbet, and lively discussion and debate, including which citys' sporting franchises are superior, and which are inferior.
posted on 12/13/2006

 
Week 14

For the second time in three seasons, Week 14 of the NFL season brought an awful performance by the Jets, as well as the birth of a baby boy to me and my wife.

My second child was born eight minutes before kickoff of the Jets game, and I can't blame him at all for leaving for the nursery shortly thereafter.

While I did not go to today's Jets game (though I only relinquished my ticket after labor was well underway and I was confident that it was no false alarm), I did watch most of it in the delivery room. The OB did a nice job delivering the baby, but took a few unnecessary shots at me for my focus on the TV during the 1:00 games and the Jets game.

I'm too tired to offer any analysis of the game. The Jets allowed three big plays for touchdowns in the first half, but were still in the game at halftime, with the score 21-13. Their second half performance was quite disappointing on both sides of the ball. Eric Mangini and his staff were outcoached. D'Brickashaw Ferguson was constantly beaten by Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel.

With 14 seconds left in the game, I think it was Jets cornerback Hank Poteat who appeared on TV laughing it up with a teammate. Nice to know that the players take losses hard.
posted on 12/10/2006

 
Abuse

The New York media is today reporting about the arrest of a Brooklyn rabbi on charges of child molestation. Reportedly rumors of abuse by this rabbi had been circulating for more than two decades. One can only hope that the legal justice system reaches the right result.

When I was in law school, a fellow student would express his fury whenever the subject of NCSY came up, but he would never elaborate. Then, a few years later, a longtime NCSY leader was charged in a Jewish Week report of abuse against NCSY members - including physical, verbal and sexual abuse. A report commissioned by the Orthodox Union was quite damning, indicating that many had known for years that, at the very least, something was amiss. Subsequently, the rabbi was charged with and convicted of sexual abuse toward female students at a school he was employed with.

Also while I was in law school, another fellow student told me that in a boys yeshiva high school, one student committed a sexual act against a younger student. The rabbis suggested some sort of counseling, and, according to my classmate, the perpetrator later got married and fathered children. He did not give me more details than that - and I am not even sure which school this allegedly occurred in.

Perhaps less reprehensibly, but nonetheless disturbingly, I was told about a rabbi who had a sexual relationship with a much younger woman. The relationship was probably consensual in the legal sense, but at the very least, this man has no business being a rabbi if the allegations are true. The person who told this to me heard it from the women allegedly involved, and asked me to promise (at the woman's request that it be kept quiet) that I would never specify details to anyone, and I therefore haven't and won't.

Sexual abuse is a far worse crime than physical abuse, and yet from my own experience with the latter - admittedly going back more than two decades - I fear that there is a knee jerk desire to keep things quiet.

On this blog 18 months ago, I wrote about my 6th grade rebbi, who "grabbed me, slammed my head and body against the wall and punched me repeatedly. This went on for quite a while. When he was done, he warned me not to tell my parents, or he would have me thrown out of the yeshiva." Two days later, when I told the school principal what happened, the principal's reaction "was to berate me for making false accusations against a rebbi, and he actually forced me to apologize to the rebbi. The rebbi was not fired and I went back to his classroom."

At the end of the school year, the rebbi left, and went to a chasidic yeshiva. I would like to think that I was his last victim, but have my doubts.

That was one of two severe beatings I encountered in my elementary school, and I can remember a number of other students being subjected to physical abuse.

Today, while the situation is surely not perfect, and I have heard that in chasidic schools these kinds of things still happen (albeit less frequently), I sense that parents are much more likely to serve as advocates for their children, and the schools are aware that there is zero tolerance for abuse.

It's relatively easy, however, to eradicate physical abuse in our schools. In the past, rebbis would simply beat students up in the hallway, as though that was an acceptable reaction to misconduct or mischief. For obvious reasons, when it comes to sexual abuse or impropriety, there are rarely third party witnesses, and it is difficult and perhaps impossible to differentiate between unfounded malicious rumors and clear evidence upon which action must be taken.

Nevertheless, in a society in which people are implored to consult rabbis about family planning, Internet use, and bugs in lettuce and water, it is time for our rabbinic leadership to provide guidelines so that the masses understand what the proper approach is in each situation involving allegations of abuse.

It is not okay, in contrast, for the rabbinic leadership to respond to allegations of abuse by sending the alleged perpetrator elsewhere.
posted on 12/08/2006

 
Sports Roundup

1. Jets fans have been thrilled this season by the emergence of wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery.

Cotchery is in his third NFL season. Why didn't we hear much about him before?

Two words:

Herm Edwards.

It's not me who's saying that. It's Jerricho Cotchery himself.

As Cotchery tells USA Today:

If we wouldn't have had a coaching change, honestly I don't think I would have had the opportunity to start.

If the offense as a whole didn't have a good year, they would give those guys a chance to make up for that year.

You are constantly beating guys every day, and you wonder if the coaches are seeing that.

In the past, it's been one of those things, the guys pretty much making the bucks were going to play. You pay 'em, you play 'em. In this regime, it doesn't roll that way.

2. Last week, Elster and I disagreed about the Mets refusal to match the Orioles' offer of $3.5 million per season to Chad Bradford, despite Bradford's excellence in 2006, particularly during the postseason.

Last night, however, GM Omar Minaya signed Guillermo Mota to a contract for $2.5 million per season, despite Mota's upcoming 50 game suspension for steroid use, and Mota's postseason mediocrity.

A few days ago, Minaya traded Brian Bannister to the Royals for Ambiorix Burgos. Burgos had a terrible season last year, but he does have a strong arm and is only 22. I don't like the move, but am willing to let it play out.

What does bother me is Minaya's explanation for the Bannister trade: "I can't resist power arms."

Indeed, it seems that only power pitchers are allowed entry into the Mets bullpen, even as the Mets rotation is currently led by Tom Glavine, and Minaya is poised to give a huge contract to Barry Zito, who is certainly not overpowering. How can the Mets justify paying as much as $27 million for two starters who are not power pitchers (not to mention the $16 million Pedro Martinez will be getting, even though he's injured and will never again be a power pitcher), while refusing to pay a relatively modest amount to ensure stability in their bullpen?

3. While Isiah Thomas is getting well deserved criticism, Lawrence Frank continues to avoid responsibility for the Nets' woeful play. Despite their talent, the Nets are 7-11.

Last night, with the Nets up by three with five seconds left in regulation, Frank decided to foul to not allow the Suns to try a three pointer. Didn't make sense to me, since the Suns still had another timeout, and therefore plenty of time to take another three pointer (with four seconds left), which Steve Nash hit to send the game into overtime.

But if the decision to foul was questionable, the decision to let Vince Carter commit the foul was asinine. It was Carter's sixth foul, so he fouled out, and the Nets were without their best scorer and lost in double overtime.

It was a pure Herm Edwards/Rich Kotite move by Frank, and it's time for the Nets to realize that he's neither motivating his players nor a brilliant game strategist.

4. The Rangers got a desperately needed (shootout) victory last night. At this point in the season, they remain rather mediocre, in contention to win the relatively weak Atlantic Division, but also in serious danger of missing the playoffs if they don't pick up their play.

Disappointingly, the Rangers have reverted to refusing to give young players a chance, instead allowing average players with big contracts to get the ice time.

Last night the Rangers finally gave Jarkko Immonen a chance, though defenseman Thomas Pock remains stuck behind the Rangers seven other overpaid defensemen.
posted on 12/08/2006

 
Best/Worst Quarterbacks

Scouts Inc. ranks all of the NFL's starting quarterbacks, from 1 through 32.

The top ten QBs were ranked as Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Phillip Rivers, Chad Pennington, Steve McNair, Eli Manning and Trent Green. Brett Favre is number 11, which I find quite questionable after watching last week's Jets vs. Packers game.

What is striking in reviewing the list of the NFL's starting quarterbacks is how low the quality is. After the top tier of starters, every single player is flawed.
posted on 12/07/2006

 
'Socially Conservative' Conservative Rabbis

In its report on the Conservative Jewish movement's acceptance of ordination of homosexual rabbis and performance of same sex unions, The Jewish Week notes that:

In the wake of the vote, four socially conservative members of the Conservative movement - Rabbi Joel Roth, Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz, Rabbi Leonard Levy and Rabbi Joseph Prouser - resigned from the law committee (emphasisis added)

How does The Jewish Week know whether these rabbis are "socially conservative?" Perhaps they hold liberal views on social issues, but believe that the Conservative movement must maintain at least some semblance of fidelity to the halachic process.

Alas, few Jews - regardless of their observance or acceptance of halacha - even understand that the Torah might be a relevant factor in determining Judaism's stance toward "social" issues.
posted on 12/07/2006

 
James "F*** The Jews" Baker: Throw The Jew Down The Well

Insight is reporting that "the White House has been examining a proposal by James Baker to launch a Middle East peace effort without Israel."

The "peace conference" would include Iran and Syria and "focus on Arab demands for Israel to withdraw from territories captured in the 1967 war."

"Israel would not be invited to the conference," according to the report.

Why would a "peace conference" relating to Israel's dispute with the Arabs exclude Israel?

"As Baker sees this, the conference would provide a unique opportunity for the United States to strike a deal without Jewish pressure."

The report states that "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and National Intelligence Director John Negroponte" all support holding a conference about the Israeli-Arab dispute that would exclude Israel and include Iran and Syria.

"Baker sees his plan as containing something for everybody, except perhaps the Israelis."

Shortly after 9/11, as some demanded that the Bush Administration sacrifice Israel and appease the Arabs, Prime Minister Sharon said the following:

I call on the Western democracies, and primarily the leader of the free world, the United States: Do not repeat the dreadful mistake of 1938, when enlightened European democracies decided to sacrifice Czechoslovakia for a convenient temporary solution.

Do not try to appease the Arabs at our expense. This is unacceptable to us. Israel will not be Czechoslovakia.

posted on 12/06/2006

 
Jets Domination

Excellent performance today by the Jets offense, defense and coaching staff. The first half was among the most dominant in Jets history.

Since the Jets are the Jets, they had to let things get interesting in the 3rd quarter, but the defense did a nice job stopping any momentum after the Packers' onside kick recovery.

Nice job also by CBS, switching immediately after the game to the KC vs. Cleveland game for the Browns' winning field goal in overtime. Herm Edwards actually seemed disappointed, in contrast to his demeanor after similar collapses by the Jets during his evil regime.

John Abraham's return helped Atlanta defeat the Redskins, which was also good for the Jets, who have Washington's second round pick in the 2007 draft.

Unfortunately, the Jaguars defeated Miami, and remain ahead of the Jets in the wildcard race due to their Week 5 victory over the Jets.

In fantasy football play, Week 13 represented a matchup between my team and Jetsphan's group, both of which entered atop the league with 8-4 records. Neither teams is performing well, with Jetsphan holding the lead - though the lead is currently artificially aided by an ESPN glitch in which AJ Hawk was credited with zero points, despite his eight tackles.
posted on 12/03/2006

 
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner/Shurat HaDin

IMRA today posts a press release from Shurat Hadin/Israel Law Center about an upcoming speaking tour by its head, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, in the United States, Europe and Australia.

Referring to its lawsuits against terror groups, the press release states that "Shurat HaDin is proving that there is indeed a role that concerned individuals can actively play in the war on terror."

Two and a half years ago, I received an e-mail from an elderly man who was seriously wounded in a PLO terror attack. His son was killed. He asked me whether he had any legal options.

I responded with my thoughts, and suggested that he contact Shurat HaDin. He informed me that he initially had corresponded with them, but that for months they had been completely ignoring his e-mails, perhaps because they had concluded that he did not have any legal options (it appeared that his time to commence a new action may have lapsed). Why, he asked, wouldn't they at least let him know if there was no legal recourse, rather than leave him hanging?

I sent a detailed e-mail to Shurat Hadin, reminding them about this man's inquiry and politely asked that they respond to me or to him, even with a curt statement that nothing could be done. When they failed to respond, I sent a follow-up e-mail a few weeks later. Again, no response of any kind from Shurat Hadin.

The Shurat HaDin press release concludes with a quote from the Book of Esther: ""For if you keep silent at a time like this . . . "

Indeed, Shurat HaDin's silence in response to a terror victim's pleas tell me all I need to know about the group.
posted on 11/30/2006

 
50 Bullets

When I expressed outrage after the murder of Gidone Busch by NYPD officers, a non-Jewish friend asked me if I had felt the same way when Amadou Diallo was killed by cops and when Abner Louima was brutalized. I said that I had, but had to admit that I was not nearly as vocal then.

More than seven years later, I therefore cannot be silent after the Queens shooting death of Sean Bell.

To be sure, many essential facts are not yet in - and Bell is not around to respond to the NYPD officers' account. It is prudent to reserve full judgment pending the DA's investigation.

But there is reason to believe that at the very least, the cops on the scene acted inappropriately and with excessive force, and that if the situation had been handled properly, Bell and his friends would have gone home safely.

* * *

When Rudy Giuliani began his crackdown on crime, he ordered the NYPD to be aggressive toward minor infractions, like the "squeegy guys" who used to wash car windows on an unsolicited basis, and then demand a dollar for their 30 seconds of work. Then, cops went hard after neighborhood drug dealers. Whatever one thinks about Giuliani's style, it's hard to argue that the streets became safer during his tenure.

On a daily basis, most NYPD officers work hard and risk their safety to protect New York City's citizens. Their efforts have made this city - once riddled with violent crime - one of the safest big cities in the country.

But a minority of cops arrogantly present a confrontational, paranoid and bullying attitude toward even the most tenuous perceived threats.

Usually this thuggish attitude takes the form of a cop telling a civilian approaching to ask a question to "get the f*** away from me" or for a baseless summons to be issued.

Occasionally, however, the result is the death or maiming of an innocent, unarmed civilian.

Just as Giuliani's war on violent crime began with a no-tolerance attitude toward window-washers and turnstyle-jumpers, efforts to ensure that others do not share the tragic fate of Gidone Busch, Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell must begin by demanding that the NYPD and its officers always act with courtesy, professionalism and respect, in accordance with its mandate.
posted on 11/30/2006

 
What's Omar Thinking?

The Mets have given 41 year old Orlando Hernandez a two-year $12 million contract, 40 year old Moises Alou $8.5 million for one season, and 37 year old Jose Valentin $4 million for one season. They are ready to give 41 year old Tom Glavine more than $10 million for another season, and are even letting Glavine demonstrate his strong preference to return to the Braves.

Pedro Martinez will make $15 million next season even though he might not throw a pitch, but GM Omar Minaya says that's okay.

Yet they are letting reliever Chad Bradford go. The Mets would not match Baltimore's offer of 3 years for $10.5 million.

Perhaps Bradford's postseason career ERA of 0.00 turned the Mets off.

Are the Orioles overpaying for a pretty good journeyman relief pitcher? Perhaps. But by the middle of next season, you can be sure that the Mets will be desperately looking for reliable bullpen help. And they'll pay a high price in players and prospects if they are able to find anyone.

There is simply no logic to the Mets wildly overpaying player after player, and, offseason after offseason, suddenly insisting on fiscal responsibility when it comes to certain members of the pitching staff.

Don't worry, though. Omar is surely working hard to bring back Jorge Julio.
posted on 11/28/2006

 
James Chadwick "Rod Tilwell" Pennington

1. Even the anti-Chad, Jetsphan, surely managed a smile when Pennington did his best imitation of Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire, getting up from what seemed like a serious injury and pumping up the crowd. For the two minutes or so that Pennington was on the field, all of us thought his shoulder was badly hurt. Indeed, for all we know, Pennington's shoulder may be injured.

2. As Jetsphan aptly predicted, Pennington played very well against a porous Texans defense. Pennington's recent performance of playing well against bad defenses but poorly against good defenses is in sharp contrast to Eli Manning, who has not discriminated in his terrible play.

3. The crowd did an awful job leaving en masse with around 8 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, when the Jets took a 26-3 lead. The only good thing was that I was able to move over to the 50 yard line, a few rows from the field.

4. Last week a reader chastised me for focusing only on the Jets, not on their opponent. So I'll say something about the Texans: Their game plan was terrible. The Jets have had one of the NFL's worst run defenses, yet Houston abandoned the run very early, and passed 54 times.

5. For the Jets, it was a strong performance all around. Sure, the Texans are not very good, but the very fact that the dominant victory was expected shows how far this team has come since last season.

6. After a terrible start culminating in the loss to Cleveland, the defense has now played well for three consecutive games. The playcalling on defense has become a lot less predictable, to the credit of defensive coordinator Bob Sutton.

7. Mike Nugent finally came through today, kicking four field goals, including the late first half 54 yarder. Nugent's seven kickoffs were again uneven, but he did reach the end zone twice.

8. The only negative was the lack of a run game. Pennington was able to pick up blitzes and repeatedly get the ball to Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery, but unless someone steps up in the backfield, the offense will likely continue to struggle against better defenses.

9. Drew Brees had another huge game today, this time against the Falcons. If only Atlanta had John Abraham pressuring Brees...
posted on 11/26/2006

 
Jewish Hospitality

Stuck on a long line, I could not avoid overhearing the following this morning in a Kew Gardens Hills, Queens grocery store:

Young married woman ("YMW"), probably in her late 20's: Hi, how are you!

Older woman ("OW"), probably around 60: Hello, I haven't seen you in a while.

YMW: You should come over to us for a shabbos meal.

OW: Oh, I wouldn't want to impose.

YMW: We would love to have you. You could come this shabbos.

OW: No, it's already Friday morning, that wouldn't be fair to you.

YMW: It would be fine. I already cooked. Would like you to come for a meal?

OW: Are you sure?

YMW: Definitely, I already cooked.

OW: Well tomorrow wouldn't work for me.

YMW: So come to us tonight.

OW: Really, it's okay?

YMW: Absolutely, so we'll see you tonight, okay?

OW: Okay, thank you very much.

OW walks away. YMW makes a call on her cell phone:

YMW: Hi ___, you're not going to believe it. I'm at ________ and just ran into ________. I say hello and that I haven't seen her for a while, and she invites herself for a meal.

Pause.

YMW: Yes, this shabbos. Tonight.

Pause.

YMW: I know, I told her that lunch was better, and she insisted on coming tonight. So can you take care of the soup and dessert? I'll pick up some food and then will just have to cook.
posted on 11/24/2006

 
Oversaturated Blogosphere

I have plenty of thoughts about the depiction of Sacha Baron Cohen as an "Orthodox Jew," the Peace Now report about settlements, the reemergence of former Secretary of State James Baker and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, the murder of Pierre Gemayel, Gil Student's overbroad definition of "modern Orthodox," Tom Glavine's begging the Braves to take him back and the Mets' rather pathetic acquiescence to this charade, the slow start of the Nets, and Jetsphan's shocking fantasy football signing of Chad Pennington and announcement that Pennington will be his starting quarterback on Sunday.

But for some reason, I just don't feel like posting about any of this, so I won't. It's partly because I'm burned out from a very busy stretch at work, and partly because the Jblogosphere has so many participants that I'm content with others offering their thoughts.
posted on 11/22/2006

 
Week 11 Debacle

Today was the first time that Eric Mangini has reminded me of Herm Edwards.

When a bold call on offense was called for, the Jets played things ultra-conservative. When a risky move wasn't warranted, Mangini went for one anyway, particularly the onside kick to start the second half.

The Jets had some success moving the ball, which made Chad Pennington's two interceptions especially galling. The running game was lousy again, constantly putting the Jets in 3rd down situations.

Except for Drew Coleman giving a huge cushion to Mark Bradley and then - on what looked to be a safety blitz - failing to finish a routine tackle with no help behind him, resulting in the Bears touchdown, the defense played well. The Bears ran on the Jets (who doesn't), but Rex Grossman was unimpressive.

Few expected the Jets to win today, but the loss is frustrating because had the Jets played like they did last week, this would have been a very winnable game.

Getting back to the Pennington INTs, from my vantage point in section 119, on the first interception, Laveranues Coles was open on the left side of the end zone, but Pennington forced the ball into double coverage. On the 3rd quarter interception, it looked to me as though Pennington did a nice job fooling the defense on a play action, but then simply threw a terrible pass. But I haven't seen a replay, and I could be wrong about both plays.

Finally, it's become clear that Mangini has no confidence in Mike Nugent, who twice was denied an opportunity to try a field goal in the 49-50 yard range.
posted on 11/19/2006

 
Very Quick Mets Thoughts

1. I'm not fond of the corporate stadium names, but CitiField is ... not bad. If the Wilpons are kind enough to pump much of the $20 million per year that Citigroup is paying into additional roster payroll, I have no complaints.

2. Tom Glavine obviously wants to go back to the Braves, and is waiting to see if the Braves make him a decent offer. I realize the Mets need starting pitching, but I'd like them to let Glavine go unless he's willing to accept a one-year deal in the $9 million range.
posted on 11/13/2006

 
Any Given Sunday

1. Today's game was as tense as midseason games get, and therefore not particularly enjoyable to watch. Playing the Patriots in Foxboro, I expected a close game in a losing effort. The win is obviously the Jets' best since the 2004 playoff victory in San Diego. The Jets have now exceeded their win total of last season, and, with the Chiefs, Bengals and Jaguars losing, are now back in the playoff picture.

2. By no means did the Jets play a flawless game. Some potential points were left on the field, and the defense gave up an infuriating three fourth down conversions, including two on 4th and 3.

This actually makes me more optimistic about the Jets' abilities. They made some mistakes, but got their most complete performance from the offensive line, finally established an inside running game led by Kevan Barlow, and got the best performance of the season from the defense.

3. The Jets coaching staff deserves much credit. The team came well prepared, and the gameplan was solid, with aggressive play on both sides of the ball.

Unlike some who fail to follow their own slogans, the Jets actually played to win the game.

On offense, in the 2nd quarter, the Jets went for it on 4th and short at the Pats 23, made the first down, and then scored a touchdown. Herm Edwards tries a field goal there. In the 4th quarter, the Jets were aggressive, scoring a touchdown on Chad Pennington's pass to Jerricho Cotchery, and then responded to the very quick New England touchdown and 2 point conversion by converting three first downs, using up three minutes and forcing the Patriots to use all three of their timeouts.

Defensively, after abandoning the aggressive schemes that worked well in the first three weeks of the season, the Jets finally returned to the blitz, and kept Tom Brady off balance all day. The run defense wasn't too good, but the Jets did make a few key stops on running plays. Overall, the defensive backs, linebackers and defensive line were all solid.

My only serious quibble with the coaches was with the Jets' use of the prevent defense late in the 4th quarter. Obviously that's not a spot for free safety blitzes, but giving Brady unlimited time is a recipe for disaster. Despite getting the ball at his own 11 with 1:08 left and no timeouts, Brady was one play away from getting his team into field goal range.

The prevent has been used against the Titans, the Bills, the Colts, the Dolphins, and now the Patriots. It hasn't worked and will not work.

4. The refs ripped off the Jets again today. The roughing the passer penalty on Victor Hobson was a joke, nullifying a great blitz by Hobson, an interception and long return, and giving the Patriots 15 yards. Yet again, the NFL has serious officiating issues.

5. It was a rare pleasure to watch a competent announcing team on CBS today rather than be subjected to the ignorance of Solomon Wilcots. For the most part, Phil Simms and Jim Nantz did a fine job, but I have to take issue with their bizarre criticism of Chad Pennington's touchdown pass to Cotchery. I disagree strongly that Pennington's decision to throw that pass was a bad one. While Cotchery was covered, it was one-on-one coverage, and it's refreshing that the Jets are trying to give their wide receivers a chance to make big plays. Perhaps commentators had become so used to the Jets being ultra-conservative that they think some mistake must have been made when the Jets are aggressive.

The TD pass to Cotchery never would have happened when Herm was coaching. Herm would have probably settled for a field goal. If he'd actually tried that play, the receiver would have been Justin McCareins, whose consistent failure to fight for the ball is a complete contrast from the effort Cotchery made on his touchdown reception. Cotchery hardly played when Herm was here.

6. I actually wasn't sure if I was going to watch the game at all after Mr. Gloomy (a/k/a Elster, and a/k/a - during baseball season only - Mr. Sunshine) baselessly wrote that the Jets have a fragile psyche, and declared that the Jets not only would lose today and at home next week against the Bears, but that those losses would be followed by "the wheels coming off" in the form of a loss to Houston in two weeks.

7. I don't think much about the Giants, but am surprised that nobody is discussing whether their trade of the rights to Phillip Rivers and their first round pick in 2005 (along with other picks) for the rights to Eli Manning was the right move. Even as Drew Brees is proving that he is an elite NFL quarterback, Rivers has been so good that Chargers fans aren't missing Brees at all. Time will tell, and it will be fun watching these fine quarterbacks in the meantime.
posted on 11/12/2006

 
Orthodoxy and Labels: Hashkafah Or Culture

UPDATE: Chananya Weissman writes extensively on the topic of labeling observant Jews in this week's Jewish Press.

What does it mean to be modern Orthodox?

Laxness in observance? While some modern Orthodox Jews are lax when it comes to halacha, surely this is not a raison d'etre of modern Orthodoxy.

How about support for the State of Israel? Can't someone be MO even if they don't think about Israel and prefer visiting Europe or Alaska?

Rejection of book bans by charedi rabbis? That can't be it. Surely modern Orthodoxy is not defined by rejection of something else.

Holding a view that college education is important? Does that mean that those who (G-d forbid) go from high school into a vocational trade are excluded?

Torah U'Maddah? Maybe, but let's first figure out what that is.

How about the charedim - what does it mean to be charedi?

Belief that secular knowledge is shtus? Then what's with all these charedi doctors and lawyers?

Support for daas Torah? Once you get past Lakewood (and to some extent even within Lakewood), the concept of "daas Torah" is about as amorphous as "Torah U'Maddah."

Rejection of modernity? In theory, perhaps, but we all know that many in the charedi community are very much engaged in both the best and worst that modernity has to offer.

While I don't necessarily agree that Orthodox labeling is completely meaningless, I think many exaggerate or misconstrue the meaning of these labels.

Many who would be placed on the MO side of the divide are serious about Jewish observance and Torah study. Many on the charedi side have a positive view toward Israel and to secular knowledge and a negative view toward out-of-control daas Torah that leads to book bans and edicts regarding the Internet.

To a much larger extent that most recognize, whether one is seen to be charedi or MO has little if anything to do with hashkafah, and a lot to do with the schools and shuls they went and go to, the communities they live in, and, perhaps most of all, their manner of dress.
posted on 11/09/2006

 
The Larry Brown Settlement

As a litigator and as a sports fan, I must take exception to all of the simpletons in the media who state that the Knicks "only" had to pay Larry Brown $18.5 million out of the $40 million left on his contract and that the Knicks "saved" $21.5 million.

Not exactly. Under Brown's contract, if Brown was fired and took another job, his compensation from that position would be deducted from the amount the Knicks were to pay him. Under the settlement, Brown got his $18.5 million (on top of the $10 million he was paid for the 2005-06 season) immediately and unconditionally, and is free to take another job.

Thus, if, as is quite likely, prior to next season Brown signs a three year contract at $8 million per year, he will earn $42.5 million over the span of the last four years of his Knicks contract. Not only would he walk away with $2.5 million extra, he will get to enjoy a (very highly) paid sabbatical this season.
posted on 11/09/2006

 
The Rabin Murder and Its Impact on Yesha

The following was published one year ago in The Jewish Press, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Yigal Amir's murder of Prime Minister Rabin.

Some people, presumably believing they have a direct line to G-d, have declared the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina to be divine "punishment" for U.S. support for Israel's Gaza withdrawal. In fact, Judaism recognizes that it is appropriate to look inward and examine our own shortcomings when hardship occurs.

The offensive statements linking Katrina to Gush Katif remind me of discussions I had with a law school classmate when Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated ten years ago. While not purporting to have the gift of prophecy, my friend, a religiously observant IDF veteran who has since moved to Israel, expressed the fear that Israel - particularly its religious Zionist sector - would be punished for the Rabin murder.

In his eulogy for Rabin, Rabbi Norman Lamm expressed concern that the murder "may leave in its wake consequences as disastrous as they are unforeseen and unforeseeable."

Certainly, the murder of Rabin had the opposite effect of the murderer’s intention. Contrary to conventional wisdom - that Yigal Amir killed the "peace process" - in fact he rendered Rabin a martyr and Oslo irreversible, and caused severe damage to the settlement movement.

In 1994, more than a year prior to the assassination, Yechiel Leiter, then a Yesha Council leader, wrote in The Jerusalem Post that if Rabin were murdered, it would spell the end of the Yesha movement. Leiter was largely right.

* * *

Yitzhak Rabin ran as a political centrist in the 1992 elections, opposing negotiations with the PLO or the formation of a Palestinian state, and insisting that Israel would retain the Golan Heights and much of Judea and Samaria. Rabin's impressive military credentials were utilized to assure Israelis that he would not be soft on terror.

This formula proved successful, particularly after several small right-wing parties failed to meet the minimum vote threshold for Knesset representation, wasting three Knesset seats slated for the political right, and granting Labor a narrow victory.

Initially, Rabin did take a tough line against terrorism. After the murder of five Israeli soldiers, Rabin deported 415 leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad to Lebanon in December 1992. But the move backfired when international censure caused Israel to allow the terrorists a safe return, though not before they had been trained in bomb making by Hezbollah.

When the 1993 Oslo Accords were followed by suicide bombings in Israel, Rabin said Israel's response would be "to fight terror as if there were not a peace process and to pursue peace as if there were no terror." But while Israel did continue the Oslo process, it also continued to subcontract fighting terror to Yasser Arafat, rather than confront Hamas directly.

While the Oslo Accords and his willingness to cede the Golan represented Rabin's political shift - and his political duplicity - Rabin's incendiary statements about his political adversaries were no less responsible for polarization in Israel during his second tenure as prime minister.

Six weeks after Oslo, Beit El resident Chaim Mizrachi was murdered in an Arab market. While strongly condemning the murder, Rabin added that settlers should not go out looking to "buy cheap eggs."

Reacting dismissively to peaceful protestors, Rabin said, "they can spin like propellers."

At an October 1995 event for North Americans who had made aliyah, Rabin was cursed at and booed off the stage, a reaction that shamefully had become almost routine at a time when posters of Rabin with a keffiyah superimposed on his head appeared throughout Jerusalem. In response, a furious Rabin showed disdain for the basic rights of his citizens, saying that "those who are waving signs can go back to their countries," declaring that the protesters "didn't fight for the land, didn't build it, came here only recently and don't have the right to judge its actions or its directions."

Rabin was heavily criticized for the methods he used in obtaining a Knesset majority for the Oslo 2 Accords. After several Labor Knesset members led by Avigdor Kahalani refused to support Oslo 2, Rabin gained a 61-59 majority only by relying on support from Arab Knesset members and by obtaining the defection to Labor of three members of the right-wing Tsomet party. The leader of the three, Gonen Segev, was made a cabinet minister; today Segev is in an Israeli prison for drug smuggling.

* * *

In light of the terrorism, his controversial political tactics, and his divisive statements, Rabin was not a popular prime minister. While the November 4, 2005, pro-Oslo rally in Tel Aviv attracted a large crowd, Rabin was then behind Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu in opinion polls, as was the case throughout the prior year.

But the assassination of Rabin that night galvanized the Israeli left and marginalized the right, particularly the religious Zionist sector and the Yesha movement. The notion took hold that any and all left-wing political stances - including those that Rabin had rejected - had to be implemented to support Rabin's memory and legacy.

Thus, Labor's abandonment of the settlement movement - which it created and cultivated in its first decade - and its willingness to divide Jerusalem and to withdraw essentially to the 1967 borders - have all been claimed to be in furtherance of Rabin’s efforts for peace. Similarly, support for a Palestinian state replaced Labor's long-standing position that any agreement would be with a Jordanian-Palestinians confederation and not a separate Palestinian state.

In last week's Jewish Week, Gary Rosenblatt wrote that under Oslo, Rabin pledged "an independent state for the Palestinians in return for peace with Israel." That is a widespread misperception. In fact, Rabin was always opposed to the formation of a Palestinian state, to any division of Jerusalem, or to any concessions on the Jordan Valley. His political red lines remained guided by the Allon Plan under which Israel would retain around thirty percent of Judea and Samaria.

In his October 5, 1995 speech to the Knesset presenting the Oslo 2 accords - his last speech before the Knesset - Rabin said that any agreement would be with a Palestinian "entity that is less than a state," that "we will not return to the June 4, 1967 lines," that Israel would keep "united Jerusalem, which will include both Ma'ale Adumim and Givat Ze'ev, as the capital of Israel, under Israeli sovereignty," that "the security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term," that Israel would retain "Gush Etzion, Efrat, Beitar and other communities," and would establish "blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif."

A few months earlier, Rabin stated that if peace requires "giving up on a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, my reply would be 'let's do without peace.'"

It is possible that Rabin would have taken a difference approach in final status negotiations, just as Ehud Barak's position collapsed at Camp David and Taba. But it is noteworthy that Rabin's stance on Jerusalem and avoiding a return to the 1967 borders remained unchanged after he had recognized the PLO and signed Oslo and Oslo 2. Even after his political shift, Rabin maintained principled red lines in his vision for Israel's permanent eastern borders.

Indeed, following Barak's concessions at Camp David, Leah Rabin lamented, "Yitzhak is certainly turning over in his grave. He never would have agreed to compromise on the Old City and the Temple Mount."

It is for this reason that recently in Haaretz, extreme left-wing columnist Gideon Levy wrote that Rabin was "a cowardly statesmen" because "he did not dare to put the evacuation of settlements on the agenda."

* * *
Many immediately recognized the damage to the Yesha movement that would result from the Rabin murder. In his eulogy for Rabin, Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein of Yeshivat Har Etzion said that the murder is "a special source of worry for those to whom the settlement of Judea and Samaria is important. This is paradoxical, since the fiercest opposition to his leadership arose from precisely those ranks. It is clear, though, that within his government, Yitzhak Rabin more than anyone else cared for and protected the settlements."

In a January 1996 piece in Commentary, Israeli-American writer Hillel Halkin wrote that Yigal Amir had delivered a "crushing blow" to critics of Rabin, in what Halkin described as not only an odious murder but also "a cataclysmic political blunder."

Less than seven months after the Rabin murder, Netanyahu did win the 1996 elections. Before the assassination, Netanyahu vehemently rejected Oslo and consistently garnered majority support in polls, but afterward, Israelis would not countenance a rejection of Oslo - which they perceived as a victory for Yigal Amir - and Netanyahu had to change his stance during his election campaign. Instead of demanding that Oslo be abrogated, Netanyahu accepted Oslo but called for reciprocity, with Israel making territorial concessions only if Palestinians fought terror.

Netanyahu's shift ultimately led the way to his implementation of Israel’s withdrawal from most of Hebron, which Rabin had agreed to under Oslo 2, to Netanyahu's meetings with Arafat, and to the Wye River accord.

The Netanyahu government was significantly to the right of the Rabin-Peres government and indeed to every subsequent Israeli government. But it also began the erosion in Likud's historical support for the Yesha movement. Contrary to the previous Likud governments led by Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir - and also the Labor governments of Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir and the first Rabin government - the Netanyahu government did not form new communities in Judea or Samaria. Indeed, no new settlements have been built by any government since the Rabin murder.

Had Yigal Amir not murdered Rabin, and Netanyahu defeated Rabin in the 1996 election, it is likely that Netanyahu would have followed a path similar to that of Begin and Shamir. After the assassination, domestic and international political realities made that impossible.

Even had Rabin won reelection in 1996, the settlement movement would be better off today than it is. Rabin was closer to the political center than Labor's other prominent figures, and after his assassination, Labor moved much further left. After three decades of rejecting a return to the 1967 borders and insisting upon an undivided Jerusalem, Labor was looking to avenge the murder of its leader and, particularly after again losing power to Likud, opposed anything that was seen as being in the interests of the right.

Rabin's party has undermined the principles laid out in his last Knesset speech. For example, when Netanyahu authorized the building of the new Har Homa neighborhood in southern Jerusalem, he was condemned by Labor, which had previously supported construction in post-1967 Jerusalem neighborhoods like Ramot, French Hill, Ramat Eshkol and Gilo.

Labor even opposed Netanyahu's insistence on Palestinian compliance with Oslo, rejecting the reciprocity doctrine. Under the Wye agreement, Israeli withdrawal from 13 percent of Judea and Samaria was to be implemented in stages, with dismantling of Hamas and Islamic Jihad a prerequisite for completion of the withdrawal. When the PA failed to take action against terrorism, Netanyahu refused to withdraw from more than 2 percent. But when Barak defeated Netanyahu, he immediately dropped the reciprocity principle, unconditionally withdrawing from the remaining 11 percent.

The following year, Barak completed Labor's abandonment of Rabin's principles when he offered to divide Jerusalem, give up all of the Jordan Valley, and withdraw nearly to the 1967 borders. As a result, the international community now expects Israel to withdraw from at least 95 percent of Judea and Samaria, in complete contrast to Rabin’s red lines.

* * *
Ironically, it is now Prime Minister Sharon who is most guided by Rabin's core principles, calling for the annexation to Israel of settlement blocs, for an undivided Jerusalem and for retention of the Jordan Valley. But as a result of the weakening of the settlement movement over the last decade, unlike Rabin, Sharon accepts a Palestinian state, and has dropped hints that he might be willing to cede Arab neighborhoods in outlying parts of Jerusalem and compromise over the Jordan Valley.

Today, the best approach of those who oppose sweeping territorial concessions is to try to reinstate a consensus among Israelis based primarily on Rabin's red lines: No return to the 1967 borders, an undivided Jerusalem, retention of the Jordan Valley, and continued development in the large settlement blocs and the settlements that are suburbs of Jerusalem.

Unfortunately, however, instead of enlisting in the battles of ideas and trying to win public opinion, many on the political right express their position by spewing invective against Israel's leaders, and, in some instances, calling for violence.

After the Rabin murder, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim stated that "a terrible sin has been committed ... We all tear our clothes in mourning and weep over a precious Jewish soul, devoted to his nation."

The "“terrible sin" was not only Yigal Amir's violent action, but also the fanatical hatred that accompanied it. Many who themselves are not extremist failed to condemn this hate. Those perpetrating outrages were dismissed as lone "lunatics." But as Rabbi Dr. Shnayer Leiman said shortly after the Rabin murder: "The claim that this was the act of a lunatic is, at once, self-serving, ludicrous, and dangerous ... How many murderers must Orthodoxy produce before it will be persuaded that there is a growing cancer in its midst that needs to be treated, rather than a lunatic or two that can safely be ignored?"

The last year has shown that the extremism that culminated in the Rabin murder has not been fully eradicated. Just a few weeks ago, Elazar Stern, a religiously observant IDF Major-General who was involved in implementing the Gaza withdrawal, was accosted by dozens of fellow religious Jews when he came to the Western Wall with his family to pray.

If the battle over the future of Judea and Samaria will be fought by calling soldiers Nazis, attacking a Major-General, cursing Prime Minister Sharon and calling him a traitor, then that battle will end as the one for Gaza did.

If that happens, some will probably attribute blame for subsequent world disasters to the loss of Judea and Samaria, rather than wonder whether perhaps our own sins and failures are to blame for the loss of Jewish land.
posted on 11/04/2006

 
Nets/Knicks Predictions

I have had no time to post about anything, but in lieu of a preview or detailed analysis, my Nets/Knicks predictions for the 2006-07 season are:

Nets: 47-35
Knicks: 38-44
posted on 11/03/2006

 
Worst Mets Losses - Five and Four

5. Mets lose 6-0 to Dodgers on October 12, 1988.

After a regular season in which they won 100 games - including 10 of 11 against the Dodgers, the NLCS came down to a 7th and decisive game. Ron Darling was to start for the Mets, and Orel Hershiser for the Dodgers. Hershiser had already started twice and relieved once in the series, and some wondered whether he had anything left for Game 7.

Hershiser had finished the regular season with 59 consecutive scoreless innings, but the Mets had somehow won in both of his previous NLCS starts.

I have two enduring memories from this game - neither having anything to do with the game itself. First, prior to the game on NBC's pre-game show, Davey Johnson and Tommy Lasorda were each asked what they expected to be doing the next day. Johnson responded, confidently and with a touch of arrogance, that he expected to be preparing for the World Series. Lasorda said that he hoped the Dodgers would win and have the chance to face the A's.

The second memory is of the debut of a TV commercial aired by WFAN. A week before, WFAN had moved to 660 on the dial, replacing WNBC. Don Imus was to bring his morning show to FAN, which had highlighted Pete Franklin in the afternoon drive time slot.

In the commercial, which was broadcast around the 4th inning, Imus tells Franklin that he looks forward to talking sports. A disgusted Franklin angrily replied: "You don't know a bunt from a punt, a pickoff from a kickoff, the Mets from the Jets." Imus defends himself, saying, "Oh yeah, just ask my good friend, Darryl ... ah ... Raspberry."

Pretty silly, but it seemed funny then, and made the loss a little less painful.

The game itself was over pretty quickly. The Dodgers scored five second inning runs, several of which were unearned after two Mets errors in the inning. The Mets never put up a threat, with Hershiser pitching a complete game shutout.

The 80's Mets would never play another playoff game, and within a couple of years Davey Johnson as well as most of the players would be gone. It would be 11 years until the Mets went back to the playoffs. When they did, they experienced the fourth worst loss in their history.

4. Mets lose 10-9 to Braves on October 19, 1999.

It was a great run for the Mets, coming back from a 3-0 NLCS deficit to win two great games at Shea, including the Game 5 15-inning epic. But they would fall short on this night.

Like Darling in '88, Al Leiter just didn't have it. He gave up 5 runs in the 1st inning. The innings went by and the Mets couldn't get anything going against Kevin Milwood.

This game seemed just like Game 7 of the 1988 NLCS.

At least the end came without too much painful drama.

Not so fast.

In the 6th inning, three Mets runs got them back in it. But the Braves came right back with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning for a 7-3 lead.

In the 7th, the Mets jumped on John Smoltz, scoring two runs. Then Mike Piazza came up, and belted a two run game tying homer.

Screams of joy almost loud enough to be heard on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River would emanate from a tenth floor apartment on Riverside Drive. When rookie Melvin Mora's RBI single gave the Mets the lead in the 8th, thoughts of Game 7 came to mind.

And then John Franco came in. And it was promptly tied 8-8.

What a great feeling it was when the Mets scored in the 10th off John Rocker. For one week, nobody was hated more in our great city than Rocker.

But Armando Benitez came in and blew the save, and it was 9-9.

Kenny Rogers came in for the 11th. He gave up a leadoff double, and a bunt put the potential winning run on third with one out.

Bobby Valentine was a fine game manager, but in his worst decision, elected to intentionally walk the next two batters. Rogers wasn't even close, walking in the winning run on five pitches, and ending 1999.

Still to come: The three worst Mets losses.
posted on 10/31/2006

 
Walt Michaels

It was a fitting coincidence that on Sunday, 45 years after his playing career ended, the Browns honored Walt Michaels among a group of their star players on a day when the Jets were in town.

A generation has gone by since Michaels' tenure as Jets head coach ended prematurely. I was somewhat surprised to read yesterday that he is now "only" 77 years old. I remember Michaels as being an old man when he coached the Jets. Of course, he was fired just after I turned 10 years old, an age when 53 seemed ancient. And Michaels had by then already been on the Jets coaching staff for two stints covering much of the previous 20 years.

Michaels was reportedly pleasantly surprised and excited to be remembered by the media covering the Jets. Wearing his Super Bowl III ring (Michaels was a long-time defensive coordinator for the Jets under Weeb Ewbank), he stated that the Jets could win a Super Bowl with Chad Pennington and offered praise for Eric Mangini, but said that the Jets could use Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko on their defensive line.

Perhaps it is for the better that professional sports coaches do not come like Walt Michaels anymore. He abhorred losing, and would not tell his players how proud he was of their losing effort. After the Jets' devastating loss in the 1981 playoffs - a game from which I have not yet recovered - Michaels walked in and out of the locker room without saying a word. His meltdown after the loss to Miami in the '82 AFC Championship game led to his forced resignation.
posted on 10/31/2006

 
Lakewood Internet Ban

A friend e-mailed me to point out a recent post on the VOS IZ NEIAS blog about a Lakewood landlord who was fined and ordered to serve 40 days in jail.

What's interesting is not the post but that there are now more than 150 comments, many from residents of New Jersey's holiest city.

As the person who e-mailed the post to me wrote: "It seems that the Lakewood internet ban may not be as effective as planned."
posted on 10/30/2006

 
Worst Mets Losses - Ten Through Six

A year ago, readers of this blog were treated to a nostalgic journey through the worst losses in New York Jets history - or at least the worst losses since I started watching the Jets in the late 70's.

Now would seem to be a good time to recall the ten worst Mets losses since the late 70's. Of course, the two worst Mets losses of all-time are Games 6 and 7 of the 1973 World Series.

Enjoy these memories:

10. Mets lose 5-4 to Atlanta Braves on September 23, 2001.

Certain players can sense the importance of the moment, and perform accordingly. Armando Benitez always fit that profile during his tenure with the Mets.

After a 13-2 run, the Mets were 5 1/2 games behind the Braves for the NL East lead. On September 21, 2001, they opened a three game series at Shea against Atlanta.

In the series opener, the first game played at Shea after the horror of 9/11, Mike Piazza's 8th inning homer won it for the Mets. The Mets then won the next day too, and looked for the sweep that would cut the deficit to 2 1/2 games.

The Mets took a 4-1 lead into the ninth, an easy save situation for Benitez, who proceeded to give up 3 runs, including a home run to Brian Jordan. Another Jordan homer won it for the Braves in the 11th, effectively ending the season.

9. Mets lose 4-3 to St. Louis Cardinals on October 3, 1985.

Never since has a regular season series as exciting as this one been played. The Mets came into Busch Stadium behind the Cards by three games with six games to play in the season. They knew they needed a sweep.

In the series opener, Ron Darling and John Tudor pitched an amazing duel, with 10 shutout innings apiece. In the 11th, Darryl Strawberry hit a moonshot off Ken Dayley for a 1-0 win.

The next night, Dwight Gooden pitched his last gem of his amazing season to pull the Mets to within a game.

But the Mets fell a run short in the series finale. Rookie Rick Aguilera kept the Mets in the game, but the Mets could not come up with the clutch hits. Keith Hernandez's five hits against his former team were largely wasted. The Mets would have to wait another year for their glory.

8. Mets lose 6-4 to the Cardinals on September 11, 1987.

After the ecstasy of '86, the 1987 season got off to a bad start. Dwight Gooden was suspended for cocaine use. The Mets endured a torrent of pitching injuries.

They began to make a run in the summer of '87, and were just a game and a half out of first place when the Cards came to Shea for a three game series. Everyone knew that the Mets were about to overtake the Cards.

The Mets led 4-1 going into the 9th. Shea was in a frenzy. The Mets would be within a half game.

Roger McDowell gave up a run. No problem. Then Terry Pendleton stunned the Mets with a game tying two run homer. The Cards scored two more in the 10th. The next day, Dwight Gooden was pounded.

There would be no repeat of '86. The Cardinals would win the division, not the mighty Mets.

Ironically, a generation later, McDowell and Pendleton would be reunited, as the pitching coach and the hitting coach, respectively, of the Braves.

7. Mets lose to St. Louis Cardinals 9-6 on October 13, 2006.

After winning Game 1 of the NLCS, the Mets faced St. Louis' ace, Chris Carpenter, in Game 2. The Mets scored three in the first, but John Maine couldn't hold the lead. They took a 6-4 lead to the 7th, but Scott Spiezio's triple past the reach of Shawn Green tied it. The Mets had scoring opportunities against the Cards bullpen, but failed to capitalize. In the 9th, Billy Wagner gave up 3 runs, including a go-ahead homer to So Taguchi.

The loss wasted an opportunity to take control of the series, and gave St. Louis confidence that they could contend with the Mets.

6. Mets lose 4-2 to the Yankees on October 26, 2000.

It was a fine pitching duel between Andy Petite and Al Leiter. The Mets had numerous opportunities, but kept leaving runners on, and had scored only two unearned runs in the 2nd. The Yankees scored their runs on homers by Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter.

With two outs and two on and the score 2-2 in the top of the 9th, up came Luis Sojo, who had come into the game in a double switch. Bobby Valentine had John Franco warming up, but left Leiter in. Sojo's hit gave the Yankees a 4-2 lead, and in the bottom of the ninth with one on and two out, Mike Piazza's fly ball to deep center field didn't quite have enough, and the Yankees won their 26th World Series, their third in a row.

For the sin of desecrating Shea Stadium's hallowed ground, the Yankees were punished, never having won another World Series.

Later this week: The five worst losses in the painful history of the New York Mets.
posted on 10/30/2006

 
Same Old Jets

1. Longtime Jets fans had a bad feeling about today's game. Historically, whenever the Jets go on a nice run and get their fans' hopes up, they make sure to lose to a bad team. I hoped today would be different. Of course it wasn't.

2. Let's get one thing out of the way upfront: The refs killed the Jets today. Contrary to the moronic ramblings of CBS' Solomon Wilcots, the pass to Chris Baker in the end zone was the epitome of a forceout and should have been a touchdown.

Wilcots kept saying that there was no conclusive evidence that Baker would have landed in bounds. But the rule is that unless there is no way that Baker could have stayed in bounds, the play is to be ruled a completion. The referees ruled that Baker could not have landed in bounds. They were absolutely wrong. Even if Baker's momentum was taking him toward the sidelines, it's certainly possible that he could have kept both feet in bounds, and the play therefore should have been ruled a touchdown.

The refs also hurt the Jets in the 3rd quarter, when the Browns appeared to muff a punt. While the replay did not show the muff (see more about that below), the Browns punt returner chased after the ball, a clear indication that he touched it.

3. That the refs ripped the Jets off does not excuse the team's terrible performance today, for which there is plenty of blame to go around. Most culpable was the coaching staff.

Let's start with the offensive playcalling. On their opening drive, the Jets drove from their own 9 to the Browns 15 yard line, with Chad Pennington throwing for three first downs and running for a fourth. It looked like the Jets could be off to a quick start. But the Jets then ran three straight plays, taking the ball out of Pennington's hands. On 3rd down, the run was a 1 yard loss by Brad Smith on a QB draw, who had replaced Pennington at QB.

In the 2nd quarter, after an interception, the Jets took the ball at the Cleveland 42. Again, they ran three straight plays, again, on 3rd down and short, in came Smith behind center, and again the Jets lost yardage.

With Smith at QB, the Jets lined up three receivers, but the Browns were not at all fooled. They stuffed the box. Everyone knows that the Jets will not let Smith throw the ball. The result was two stalled drives in the first half.

The Jets also failed to throw downfield slants, despite the fact that Cleveland's secondary, mediocre to begin with, was banged up, and that the Jets receivers have been proficient in turning those plays into big gainers. Most of the Jets passes were short dumpoffs, and they also went for a number of big plays that all failed.

Then, down by 10, early in the 4th quarter, on 3rd and 12 from the Browns 25, the Jets tried a draw play, presumably to set up a shorter field goal attempt. The play lost 5 yards, and the call was terrible. Did the Jets think they could come back from a 17 point deficit by setting up field goals?

Late in the game, the Jets' pass protection was awful. The offensive line could not prevent constant pressure and hits on Pennington, and the Jets repeatedly could neither pick up blitzes, nor call plays to exploit and beat the blitz. Instead, late in the 4th quarter, Pennington inexplicably continued to take seven step drops.

4. In sharp contrast to the Browns, on defense, the Jets again refused to blitz until it was too late. In their first three games, the Jets came up with big plays off blitzes, particularly from free safety by Kerry Rhodes. But starting in week 4, things changed. They refused to blitz Peyton Manning, they refused to blitz Jon Kitna, and today they refused to blitz Charlie Frye. Frye had as much time as he wanted on almost every pass play, since the Jets defensive line can only very rarely create any pressure. The refusal to blitz was again self defeating, as Frye was allowed to drive down the field again and again, and repeatedly convert third down passes, including the touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow.

The Jets finally blitzed late in the 3rd quarter, and for the first time all game, kept the Browns in their own territory when they sacked Frye twice.

5. The Browns came into the game with the NFL's second worst rushing performance. Fortunately for them, Jim Brown came out of retirement at just the right time.

Actually, though Reuben Droughns had been having a terrible season for the Browns, playing the Jets is the cure for whatever ails NFL running backs. Roseanne Barr could run for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Jets.

6. In the 3rd quarter, the Jets lost a timeout when they challenged the ruling that Cleveland did not muff a punt. The Jets had a long commercial break to decide whether to challenge. While the Browns probably did touch the ball, no replay supported the Jets, who therefore had little chance to gain a reversal, and Eric Mangini's challenge was a poor decision. If the Jets had that timeout, perhaps they could have run the ball once or twice during their final drive, or at least made Cleveland think twice before blitzing on every play.

7. Justin McCareins is absolutely gutless. Under a blitz on 3rd and long and about to be hit, Chad Pennington made a bad decision throwing a pass that floated toward an open McCareins. But McCareins just stood there watching, then slipping on his own weight, never making any effort for the ball, instead allowing the Browns to make an easy interception.

8. Some will say that today's game simply proves that the Jets are not a good team. They aren't, but nor are the now 2-5 Browns. The Jets and Browns are fairly close in terms of talent. While the Browns had the home field advantage, the Jets had the momentum of a 4-3 start against a 1-5 start, and the Browns had injuries on offensive line and defensive back.

The bottom line is that the Jets were outcoached, outplayed and outwilled today. While the Jets 4-4 record in the first half of their season is better than most expected, they took a step backward today, looking much more like the awful team Herm Edwards mismanaged last season. With games against the Patriots and Bears following next week's bye, hopes that the Jets could emerge as the AFC's surprise team have been dashed. A 4-4 second half and an 8-8 season are more realistic goals, but even to achieve that will require a much better effort.
posted on 10/29/2006

 
No Modern Orthodox Jew Would Ever Do Anything Like This

Nobody seems to have picked up the serious point of my parody of Harry Maryles' latest post, so here it is:

Of course, Harry is right that charedi hooliganism must be unequivocally condemned, without offering any rationalizations for the perpetrators. The behavior he describes is a shameful chilul hashem.

My objection is to Harry's concocting a scenario in which it was actually a modern Orthodox Jew who acted in such a manner, and then declaring that of course:

I made it up. This scenario did not happen and could not happen... and will never happen. No Modern Orthodox Jew would ever do anything like this.

Really? Didn't a graduate of Yeshiva of Flatbush, Yeshiva University, and even Albert Einstein College Of Medicine shoot dead 29 Arabs?

Wasn't it a Bar Ilan University student who murdered the Prime Minister of Israel?

Who are the extremists who use violence against IDF soldiers and Israeli police officers, and curse them, calling them Nazis?

Perhaps Harry would respond that "modern Orthodox" in North American terms is not exactly identical to "dati leumi" in Israeli terms. The fact that violence occurs in Israel does not mean it would occur here.

Notwithstanding that Baruch Goldstein was American, and that Harry did not limit his "no Modern Orthodox Jew" declaration to enlightened Americans, it is, in any event, equally true that charedim in Israel are generally far more extreme than those here.

Every day, women walk around Boro Park dressed as they wish. Nobody bothers them. When the female rabbi of Boro Park's Reform temple was asked how she liked the neighborhood, the only lament she could muster was that people do not say "good shabbos" to her (as though they say good shabbos to anyone). In Williamsburg, hipsters, yuppies and Hispanics coexist with Satmar chasidim. There may at times be some tension, but there has not been any violence committed by chasidim.

Harry invariably defends his bashing of charedim by reminding readers that his children are mostly charedi (though he takes pains to point out that they are "good" charedim who rejected their modern Orthodox upbringing but were never "indocrinated" by those awful charedi teachers), and that, in any event, he is just as angry at modern Orthodox Jews who act wrongly.

Alas, Harry's declaration that only charedim are capable of behaving violently, in spite of the contrary facts, has greatly undermined his credibility.
posted on 10/27/2006

 
$16 Million For Baltimore Day Schools

The Baltimore Jewish Times reports that the Weinberg Foundation and the local federation will be giving $16 million to area day schools and yeshivas over the next five years.

If more family foundations and community federations follow, this is the type of action that will positively impact Jewish education.
posted on 10/27/2006

 
Righting a Wrong

I could not believe my eyes. There I was at Shea Stadium. There were buckets of paint spilled all over the place as a result of righting a perceived wrong. Apparently some of the Yankee fan relatives of the ticket holders who had come in from the Bronx were bashing the Mets. They were very loud and persistent. All attempts to quite them down had failed as they became louder and more insulting with every breath. They said some of the vilest and most disgusting things one could imagine about Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Don't ask!

The Mets fans in section 31 could not take such vile language about pitchers whose blood was spilled on the Shea mound so that New York baseball could return to its glory. It insulted their sensibilities. They were beside themselves! How could any baseball fan talk this way about great players who devoted their lives to bringing a World Series to New York? So, a group (two or three) of zealots decided to do something about it. Justice demanded it! They brought a few buckets of paint from the construction area of the new stadium and poured it all over them.

Does this sound outrageous? ...spilling paint on people just because they were expressing their views? I think it does. They should have just let it go. In a few minutes it would have all been over. But, No... they had to debase their fellow human beings, ruin their clothes, and mess up Shea Stadium! Thank God it never happened.

That's right. I made it up. This scenario did not happen and could not happen... and will never happen. No Mets fan would ever do anything like this. No matter how upset they were at the kind of rhetoric I described. And believe me such rhetoric is extremely upsetting, especially in a Mets enclave like Shea Stadium.

But in the Yankee world things like this are happening right now.

Now, before anyone accuses me of bashing the Yankees again (and I am sure some people will, ignoring that my wife is a Yankee fan, my son is Brian Cashman, my daughter is married to Mariano Rivera, my rabbi is a Yankee fan, I am wearing a Yankees jersey and eating a Baby Ruth candy bar right now, and my screensaver is a picture of Yankee Stadium) ...I am not. Most Yankee fans would no more do this than would any Mets fan. But the difference is that time after time there are a small but significant minority of Yankee fans and only Yankee fans, that take it upon themselves to insult and attack those who choose to root for the Mets.

There are really no words to describe the arrogance, stupidity, and self righteousness of these people. They have decided that only their team is acceptable.

What are these Yankee fans doing about it? They are spraying their victims with paint colored like Yankee pinstripes. Where is this taking place? On Gun Hill Road and on Pelham Parkway.

And it isn't just individuals: "Last week Yankee fans arrived at a Modell's on Broadway and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of Mets merchandise with bleach."

All this because the Mets uniforms have players' names on the back.

If a comparable event, like the one I described above, would have been perpetrated by even a single individual in the Mets community, the condemnations would have been fast and furious. And the loudest among them would have been from Fred Wilpon. And it would have been condemned by all of the Mets leadership, especially Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya. There would have been no defense of it at all. No excuses made. None.

But where are the voices of the Yankee leadership that these fans are loyal to? Why is this not being condemned in the strongest possible terms? I don't mean lip-service with an explanation that begins with the words, "But you have to understand where they are coming from." I am talking about the kind of condemnation I am making right now.

Of course there will be many in the Yankee world that will condemn this. Even very strongly. And rightly so. But that is not enough. George Steinbrenner and Joe Torre must go to the authorities, work with them to find out who they are and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

Right! When that happens I will be the first in line to congratulate them... right after I celebrate the Jets' Super Bowl victory.
posted on 10/26/2006

 
Back To The Jews

I have no time at all to post now, but have been reading so much nonsense on Jblogs that I feel compelled to make an effort in the weeks to come to post about Jewish issues. Here are a few topics I hope to cover:

-Women and Orthodoxy
-Stem cell research, politics and Orthodox Jews
-Charedim Who Don't Fully Accept The Authority Of The Gedolim
-Non-Charedi Schools And The Charedim Who Teach There

In the meantime, I have just re-posted "Is Orthodoxy Economically Viable?," originally posted in November 2005.
posted on 10/26/2006

 
Is Orthodoxy Economically Viable?

Originally posted on November 16, 2005.

In a July 2003 post about the kollel system - in which instead of working, young (and even some middle-aged) men study Talmud full-time rather than work for a living - I wrote critically of an "unsustainable system, in which middle-class parents are expected to subsidize (and sometimes fully support) the lives of their children, while a mother of six or eight works full time for a relatively modest salary. As the size of the kollel families grow and the grandparents age, many families will slip into poverty. Once it comes time for the kollel families to marry off their own children, there will be nobody to pay for the weddings, let along support another generation of kollel families. Even now, young men who intend to learn in kollel usually look to marry a woman whose parents are wealthy, rather than one whose own father is in kollel."

Any objective analysis of the kollel system shows that it is not an economically viable one. Already, there is massive reliance on (and exploitation of) government programs by those in kollel and their parents.

Unfortunately, however, we are fast approaching the point at which even two-income families will routinely face financial crises if they wish to remain fully engaged in the Orthodox community.

The tuition crisis is well known. My father has long been the leading voice for radical changes in funding of yeshivas and day schools. Tuition was also recently analyzed and debated in the pages of Jewish Action.

An area that has gotten less attention is the skyrocketing cost of housing, particularly in Orthodox communities in the New York area.

Presumably, housing prices receive less attention because most frum families have already purchased their home, and are beneficiaries of the extraordinary rise is real estate.

For those who do not own a home, assuming that they choose to buy one in the New York area and prices do not plummet, almost all will struggle financially. A fairly modest home purchased today can easily cost $4000 per month when mortgage, real estate taxes and basic maintenance are combined. Add to that tuition of $10,000 for each of four children, and you have a family that before anything else, is paying around $90,000 in after-tax money on housing and tuition alone.

It is probably fair to say that to even break even, a family like that will need at least $200,000 in pre-tax income, and even that will leave them with little left after basic necessities like food, automobile costs, tolls/public transportation costs and clothing are taken into account.

Already now, young frum people are aware that they will need much more to get by than their secular counterparts. As a result, most choose from among a very small number of professions like law, accounting, and medicine. Fewer and fewer young frum schoolteachers, academics, or journalists are to be found.

Ultimately, like kollel, this too is not a viable economic system. Families with income that among the vast majority of Americans would be considered upper middle-class will need substantial tuition relief just to get by, and will be able to save very little money. In contrast to the secular world, where losing one's job is a painful but usually temporary crisis, in the frum world, it already is often a complete disaster that can almost immediately send a family trying to remain engaged in the community into a state of near poverty. In the future, it will likely result in a large number of foreclosures.

Of course, there is no commandment in the Torah that one must own a home or live in the New York area, or in other very expensive places like Los Angeles and Boston. There is nothing wrong with renting, and if one absolutely wants to buy, housing is still much cheaper (though not cheap) in places with significant frum communities like Baltimore and Atlanta or in suburbs of Philadelphia. And as the success of Nefesh b'Nefesh clearly shows, aliyah is a good option too, since state religious schools are free in Israel and semi-private schools are heavily subsidized by the government, and housing costs in cities like Modiin and Beit Shemesh remain relatively affordable.

Still, the reality is that whether because of their own expectations, societal or spousal pressure, or a belief that it is always better to buy than to rent, many frum people will buy houses that they really won't be able to afford in the long run. And many - probably most - who are from New York will want to stay there, because their jobs, families and friends are there and they have few if any ties to anywhere else.

Doubtlessly, many will have fewer children than they otherwise would, which will result in less of a personal financial burden, but also in serious implications for Orthodoxy in other ways. And fewer children, in any event, may mean three children instead of five; most families will still be larger than the American average.

In the Catholic world - where I believe religious school tuition is much more heavily subsidized by the local church than it is by the community in the Jewish world - there has been a significant drop in the number of enrollees in Catholic schools, with many schools around the country closing.

Unless radical changes occur, in the coming decades, we are likely to see more and more frum families overwhelmed by the cost of living in a frum community be unable to send their children to yeshiva. At first, those on the community's left-wing periphery will be ones sending their kids to public school, but it is almost inevitable that even very committed observant families will have no option but to send their children to public school or to home school their children. Once a significant number of frum children are not in yeshiva, it likely will become socially acceptable (albeit not socially optimal) in the community for children to not be in yeshiva, resulting in less pressure on the families, schools, and the community generally, to find a solution to individual problems. Over time, we may well see a three-tier system, with some in yeshiva, some in small makeshift unofficial schools in someone's home, and some in public school.

Unfortunately, there are no simple solutions. At best, changes in priorities will alleviate the burden and reduce the number of people who face financial barriers to engagement in the Orthodox Jewish world.
posted on 10/26/2006

 
Surgery For Abraham; Pennington's Contract

1. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting on its web site that ex-Jet John Abraham underwent surgery on his injured groin this morning and "will miss the next three to four weeks."

As Jets fans know, this means that Abraham will be out at least six more weeks, and that he may miss the rest of the season.

2. Today's Newsday reports that Chad Pennington will almost certainly recuperate the full $6 million cut in his 2006 salary in incentives for playing time.

Good for Chad, but this is not good for the Jets. The $6 million will accrue on next season's salary cap, and no loophole can avoid this. Additionally, the full prorated amount of Curtis Martin's large signing bonus will be part of next season's cap number, assuming that Martin retires, as appears almost certain.
posted on 10/24/2006

 
Week 7 Comments

I won't be able to post tomorrow, and, having made pre and post game detours to Brooklyn, am quite tired from today's game (I left Queens at 10:15 this morning and didn't get home until after 7), so will limit my comments to a few thoughts:

1. Is anyone still complaining that the Jets "only" received a 4th round pick for Herm Edwards? That pick was used to draft Leon Washington. While it's too early to declare Washington the heir apparent to Curtis Martin, he has revived the previously dormant running game.

2. I've taken a bit of flack for purportedly being "pessimistic" about the Mets, even though my predictions were exactly on target. Will anyone credit me for being "optimistic" about the Jets? I was just about the only person to predict that Chad Pennington would return healthy and lead an improved team, and the only person who believed that the Jets could compete for a wildcard playoff berth.

3. Today's Jets win was nice, but it didn't take away the sting from the opportunity the Mets blew. As I've written and as has now been demonstrated, the Tigers are beatable.

4. The Jets defense continues to play soft with leads. The offense picked up its play whenever the defense allowed Detroit back into the game. Clearly, the Jets will have a tough time beating good teams. On the other hand, if the Jets can win their games against inferior opponents and secure one upset victory, that might be enough for them to sneak into the playoffs.

5. We can criticize the lack of a pass rush against a team with poor pass protection (Jon Kitna was sacked 22 teams coming into today's game, but only once today), the poor coverage by the cornerbacks (Kevin Dyson being the exception), and the offense's failure to take advantage of two Lions turnovers. The bottom line, though, is that this team, which was 4-12 last season, has started off the 2006 season with a 4-3 record.

6. Next week's game in Cleveland is huge. A 5-3 record going into the bye would be a fantastic first half of the season. While 4-4 would still exceed preseason expectations, a loss would make the playoffs very unlikely.

7. I love that John Abraham missed another game today. He's now played in only two games for the Falcons.

8. I also love that the Redskins lost today and are now 2-5. The Jets have Washington's second round pick in the '07 draft.
posted on 10/22/2006

 
The End

While I reserve the right to change my mind, after this post, I'll likely take a break from baseball for a while.

1. Last night I thought of the picture Harry Maryles posted last week of his three-year old grandson, Reuven, in which Reuven is wearing a St. Louis Cardinals cap. Previously, Harry wrote about how wonderful the St. Louis community has been for his family during their challenging time. This surely keeps things in the proper perspective, and those in St. Louis should enjoy their team's NL pennant.

2. I've always wondered whether the result of the 1988 NLCS would have been different had Bob Ojeda not chopped off a finger on his pitching hand late in the regular season. Thanks to Oliver Perez, we can comfortably know that it wasn't the injuries to Pedro Martinez or Orlando Hernandez that kept the Mets from winning the NLCS. The hitting came up very short - a combined five runs in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 - and the bullpen, while pretty good, wasn't good enough, losing Games 2 and 7.

3. Carlos Beltran received a $119 million contract after his extraordinary performance during the 2004 playoffs. But when Beltran came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth, he looked frightened, like he'd rather be anyplace else. His three pitch strikeout was feeble.

4. David Wright has not been the same since he signed his big contract in July. One wonders whether Wright is enjoying the New York nightlife too much, and whether that took a toll on his stamina.

5. As I said before both the NLDS and the NLCS, Lastings Milledge should have been on the roster. The Mets bench was terrible, with not one threat.

6. After the game, I needed to wind down, so I turned to ESPN and SNY's postgame coverage.

I thought SNY had more integrity than MSG or YES, but I guess I was wrong. The studio hosts insisted on stating what a great year the Mets had. Even worse, Mets announcer Gary Cohen said the Mets deserved lots of credit for even making it to Game 7 given the injuries to Martinez and Hernandez. What nonsense. Could Martinez or El Duque have pitched better than John Maine and Oliver Perez did in Games 6 and 7?

7. For most of the season, Elster and I have debated whether the Mets will make it to the World Series. Will Elster concede that I was right? Will he defer to my superior instincts in the future?

8. A huge number of people suddenly jumped on the Mets bandwagon this month. Presumably, today they've all left for more interesting things.

Most of these people have insisted on calling me a pessimist for predicting a Mets NLCS loss. In contrast, most real Mets fans were, at the very least, quite anxious about this series, and I believe my analysis has been representative of a majority of long-time Mets fans. Those who have no idea what Terry Pendleton, Mike Scioscia, Luis Sojo or hedge clippers represent in Mets history have no business telling Mets fans what to expect.

Indeed, privately, even Elster was doubtful. The difference between me and Elster is that while I call it as I see it, he believes that expressing negative thoughts represents "bad karma" and that "bad karma" somehow affects the actual results. (Apparently, Elster does not believe that "bad karma" applies to posting negative thoughts about the IDF in middle of a brutal war.) In any event, one thing that is clear is that The Elster Jinx is alive and well, and played a key role in the Mets' demise.

9. Looking toward 2007, the Mets have many big decisions. Their starting staff is full of holes, and several of their relievers are free agents. The Mets also can use help at second base and in the outfield. With Pedro Martinez taking up a huge portion of the payroll budget and the Wilpons known for being much more frugal than their counterparts in The Bronx, GM Omar Minaya will have to come up big during the offseason.

One thing Minaya must not do is trade any more prospects. As it is, the Mets minor league system has been decimated by Minaya's trades. It is particularly noteworthy that of the huge number of pitchers who started for the Mets this season, only Brian Bannister and Mike Pelfrey came up through the Mets system.
posted on 10/20/2006

 
Stay Tuned...

I've got a bunch of meetings and conference calls today, so my attempt to write a song based upon Don McLean's American Pie will have to wait for another sporting disappointment. However, I will do my best to post some thoughts later today about the Mets NLCS loss.
posted on 10/20/2006

 
Orthodox Blogs and Agudah

Several people have mentioned to me that the next Agudah convention, which I believe is the annual Thanksgiving weekend event, will feature as its theme, Orthodox blogs. I have no clue whether this is true or not. But I would love to be in attendance and hear the following keynote speech:

Gedolei Roshei Yeshiva, Chashuva Rabbanim, Morai V'Rabbosai.

I have been asked to speak on the subject of Orthodox Blogs. As you all know Agudah is opposed to the internet in all contexts, so this subject is a non-starter. (Speaker begins to sit down and then immediately arises and says... Just kidding. (laughter)

Yes, today we have the unusual phenomenon of Orthodox Jews participating in blogs. This has caused tremendous Bizayon HaTorah in many cases. And it is a very negative development in the world of Torah. Indeed, many a Ben Torah can be found commenting on some of these blogs. Who gave them permission?! Why do they not listen to Daas Torah about the internet?!... But I digress.

The key point which I wish to make is that are some Orthodox blogs that are quite enlightening. And their value to the sports world is immeasurable. I have been given printed copies of some of the discussion on the better blogs, those like The Zionist Conspiracy, Elstersworld, MoC, Jewboy and a few others, which have a tremendous amount of sports content which can be accessed at any time and any place. But more importantly these blogs have opened up a window to segments of Orthodoxy here-to-fore closed off to the world of Yeshivos. We now realize that there are a great many serious sports fans in all segments of the Torah world; and that being a Mets fan is a legitmate Hashkafa, albeit different than our own. Bloggers who use the internet for these purposes are making huge Kiddush HaShem on a daily basis.

And even those blogs which some people feel are fostering Apikursus by talking about issues like the "age of El Duque" are also providing a valuable service. After reading some of the discourse and debate on these blogs we have come to the conclusion that it indeed enables conversations between people with serious questions about just when Orlando Hernandez was born and knowledgeable Talmidei Chacahmim who have studied these issues within the framework of a vast sports and Torah education. Matters of faith and doubt regarding pitching Oliver Perez on three days rest in Game 7 can be aired out and addressed by many knowledge people in the context of an intelligent, if sometimes spirited and even heated debate. And this just scratches the surface of what some of the better blogs have done for Klal Yisroel.

As a result of blogs like The Zionist Conspiracy, we have come to appreciate these contributions and I can say with a clear concience, Kein Yirbu and may Hashehm grant Orthodox bloggers much Hatzlacha in all their future endeavors.

Thank you. (Polite applause turns to wild cheering as many in attendance remove their hats and jackets, take out their Chad Pennington jerseys and Mets caps hidden in their briefcases, lift them in the air and do a "wave".)
posted on 10/19/2006