Free Chow For Vietnam Vets — Andrew Schiavello of Honor Flight Philadelphia has let us know tha Mission BBQ will give a free sandwich, tomorrow, March 29, to any Vietnam or Vietnam-era veteran in honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
Another Death At Delco Prison — Broad + Liberty has revealed another death at Delaware County’s (Pa) George W. Hill prison.
It occurred Feb. 12 and the victim was a 25-year-0ld African American. The cause was complications from a gunshot that occurred before his incarceration.
The county would not respond to questions about the care he was receiving, or if he had been making any medical complaints.
This is the fourth death since the county took over day-to-day management of the facility in April. The prison had been privately run for three decades.
In June, two inmates died by suicide days apart. It was the first time the facility witnessed two suicides in the same year since 2015. The county has not released any information on those two deaths.
There was a non-fatal stabbing in January, albeit the victim required hospitalization.
The prison no longer disclosing its monthly staffing rates which had been routinely disclosed under private management.
The county also recently denied the release of the final report by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections from the scheduled inspection of the prison last fall, designed to make sure the facility is meeting minimum requirements of state law.
The prison budget has increased from just over $48 million in 2019 to $55.7 million in 2022 despite a lower incarceration rate.
Opening Day, 1923, a century ago, dawned cloudy and cold. Babe Ruth woke up in his plush Upper West Side Ansonia Hotel apartment and prepared to play the first-ever game in the brand-new edifice that would become known as the “House that Ruth Built.” Always a snappy dresser, Ruth donned his perfectly tailored suit, then around noon, hopped into his Pierce-Arrow automobile to drive to the Bronx. Had the weather been warmer, Ruth would have selected his sporty Stutz Bearcat.
A notoriously reckless motorist, Ruth had been involved in numerous minor collisions and rarely held a valid driver’s license. To avoid incidents, the Yankees’ owner, Col. Jacob Ruppert, sent police to escort the “Big Bam” safely to the stadium. Along the way, Ruth stopped to sign a few autographs and invited some kids to join him as he roared along.
The largest baseball crowd ever – 74,000, with 25,000 turned away – witnessed a pre-game ceremony befitting the stadium’s grandeur. While New York Gov. Al Smith looked on, John Phillip Sousa led the Seventh Regiment Army Band in full military dress onto the field.
In 1923, Ruth was on a redemption mission, and the new Yankee Stadium, the biggest and most lavish ever built, was the perfect place to carry out his undertaking. Ruth considered his 1922 season a failure. His performance at the plate, for him a paltry .315 batting average with 35 home runs and 99 RBIs, a sharp drop off from 1921, embarrassed Ruth. Moreover, during the season, Ruth was suspended five times. Worst of all, Ruth’s final 1922 baseball appearance was against the New York Giants in the World Series in which Ruth hit a pathetic .188. Giants’ manager John McGraw called every pitch from the bench. Some were slow curves that Ruth swung on, twisting himself into a corkscrew while missing by a mile. During the off-season, McGraw, a scientific baseball genius, chided Ruth whose style of play – the long ball – he disdained. McGraw called Ruth “the Big Baboon” and incorrectly predicted that the home run fad would soon die out. The media and fans got on Ruth too. The New York Sun labeled Ruth “an exploded phenomenon,” and for the first time, Ruth heard boos.
A humbled Ruth vowed to make amends, on and off the field. Over the winter months, Ruth said that liquor never touched his lips. And now the day had come, April 18, against the last place Boston Red Sox, for Ruth to regain respect and admiration from teammates and his millions of fans. Before the game, Ruth said in the locker room that he would “give a year off his life” to hit a homer in the season opener.
Red Sox starter Howard Ehmke, taking a page out of McGraw’s book, tossed junk balls to Ruth, and in the first inning the Bambino flied out. The third inning, however, was a different story. With two Yankees on base, Ruth deposited a titanic homer ten rows back in the right-field bleachers. Rush’s blast made the score 4-0, a lead the Yankees never relinquished.
As the season unfolded, Ruth and the Yankees dominated. The Yankees won the American League pennant by 16 games over the Cleveland Indians. Ruth hit .393, 41 homers, and unanimously won the Most Valuable Player award. Rules at the time prevented any player from winning the MVP more than once.
More, greater redemption awaited Ruth. For the third straight year, the Yankees would meet the Giants in the World Series. In 1921 and 1922, McGraw’s pitch calling and inside baseball strategy outsmarted the Yankees. But, in 1923, the tables turned on McGraw. The Yankees won the series 4-2, Ruth hit .368, three homers, had a .556 on base percentage, and slugged 1.000. A reporter wrote that when one of Ruth’s shots, a 450-foot job, returned to earth, “the ball was covered in ice.”
In defeat, McGraw was uncharacteristically gracious. He strode over to the winners’ locker room to shake hands with everyone – except the Babe. McGraw preferred to talk about the Giants’ hitting star who almost outshone Ruth. Casey Stengel hit .417 with two homers.
Yankee Stadium became a cash cow for Ruppert who reinvested his money in the team’s future, a decision that kept the Yankees atop the American League for years to come. The original Yankee Stadium no longer stands. In 2009, the first game at the new venue took place, and today’s Yankee Stadium is rarely referred to as the “House that Ruth Built.” But Ruth, McGraw and Stengel, despite having passed years ago, are still alive in baseball fans’ hearts.
Joe Guzzardi is a Society for American Baseball Research and Internet Baseball Writers Association member. Contact him at guzzjoe@yahoo.com.This year’s opening day is March 30.
Heart of the wise inclines to the right William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-27-23
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Answer to yesterday’s William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit quote puzzle: The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
Ecclesiastes 10:2
Whoever Wishes To Be Great — Blessed is he who, dwelling, amidst many people, does not turn towards the many, but directs his whole heart to God. Blessed is he who purchases Christ with all his belongings and has, as his only possession, the cross, which he raises on high. Blessed is he who administering his legal possessions extends God’s hand to those who are in need.
Blessed is he who, having authority over the people, by holy and great sacrifices brings Christ to earthly folk Blessed is the one who being a child of the flock, a most perfect nursling, keeps the place of the heavenly Christ.
Blessed is he who, by his pure mind’s forceful movements, beholds the brilliance of the heavenly lights. Blessed is he who honors the Lord by much-toiling hands: and, for many people, this the law of life. All these things fill up the heavenly receptacles in which are stored the fruit of our souls, while every individual virtue leads to a different place. For many are the mansiions pertaining to different lives.
Blessed is he, whom the might Spirit has shown to be poor in passions, whoever leads a life of repentance; who can never get his fill of celestial food; who, by kindness, becomes inheritor of great things; who, by bowels of mercy, draws down God’s great compassion, being a friend of peace and pure in heart; who for the sake of the renowned Christ, has endured many sufferings, and will find great honor. Keep to the way of these people, whichever you prefer.
Political history of modern nations William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-26-23
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Answer to yesterday’s William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit quote puzzle: If you want to study the social and political history of modern nations, study hell.
Thomas Merton